Tag Archives: Horror

All horror movies.

Top 5 Favorite Horror Films of 2012 – Halloween Special

Halloween came and went this year, but here are my top 5 favorite horror films of the year. In typical CriticNic fashion, I wasn’t able to see as much as I would like, but nonetheless there were a few good ones so far. There also have been a bunch that are hard to place definitively into the genre, so I ended up leaving off a few films I really loved.

Honorable mentions: Cabin in the Woods, The Monitor, Six Degrees of Hell, Gut, and The Tall Man

Let’s start with Cabin in the Woods. I had a lot of fun with this film and thought it was a creative spin on the horror genre that also paid tribute to many of the greats. I just didn’t love it. The Monitor was an excellent psychological thriller, starring the incredible Noomi Rapace, but I left it off because I had a hard time calling it horror. Six Degrees of Hell is a film I thought was worth mentioning because it was a solid effort from Joe Raffa, a young film maker who’s work I’ve become very interested in. It was a fun film with a nice concept, but the over-advertising of Corey Feldman in a lackluster role held it back. Gut was another low-budget flick with a cool concept and nice dark mood to it that I enjoyed. Then there’s The Tall Man. This was an amazing film for me, but while the cover and advertising may lead you to believe it’s horror, it’s a much stronger crime thriller with some great psychological twists.

5. The Woman in Black

This film was very well put together. Daniel Radcliff successfully breaks away from Harry Potter and plays a convincing widower. The film is packed with eerie jump scares, which I don’t mind here because they are effective and work with the film rather than thrown in conveniently for cheap thrills.

4. [Rec] 3: Genesis

Comparing it to its predecessors, [Rec] and [Rec 2], the film is a pretty much a letdown. However, looking at it as its own entity and more of a straight zombie film, it’s a really fun time. It’s a little silly at times (I loved the previous two films due to the realistic and serious feel), but still has some really cool things going for it.

3. Silent House

I haven’t seen the original The Silent House, but the concept for both films is similar. It’s shot in real time, which may seem gimmicky, but it works. The suspense is incredible, and there are some chilling moments as well. The psychologically-driven plot twists were unexpected and appreciated, and of course you have to acknowledge Elizabeth Olsen’s incredible performance.

2. V/H/S

This anthology film combines several “found footage” segments showing creepy and often bizarre situations for a very unique horror experience. Many of the situations, as well as their special effects, are things I haven’t seen in movies before. The movie is incredibly creative and a fun watch, which gained it high points in my book. I thought the wraparound story was a little lacking though, but either way it took the otherwise played out camcorder genre to a new level.

1. in their skin

This is on that borders on the crime thriller area, but I had to make this my top pick. I felt the film was near perfect for me. The situation in the film starts out as awkward, then turns just plain scary and unsettling. A home invasion is very effective as a scary situation, and even more so when the assailants are a bunch of whack jobs. The performances all around are outstanding and the film kept me on the edge of my seat from start to finish.

Tall Man, The (2012)

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Director/writer: Pascal Laugier
Cast: Jessica Biel, Jodelle Ferland, Stephen McHattie, and William B. Davis
Rated: R (language, some violence)
IMDb/trailer | Official movie site

I knew very little going into The Tall Man, other than it did not have anything to do with Phantasm and that it starred Jessica Biel. To my surprise I discovered the film was written and directed by Pascal Laugier, writer/director of the 2008 film Martyrs. Anyone who’s seen Martyrs knows how much of a disturbing and unforgettable film it is, so I instantly had a strong curiosity about The Tall Man based on that fact.

The film takes place in a small rural town in Washington state, a place where children are known to go missing and never return. There is a fable of “The Tall Man” that is both feared and joked about amongst the townsfolk. We’re quickly introduced to Julia (Jessica Biel), a nurse who lives in the shadow of her late husband. We find that she has a young son of her own, David (Jakob Davies) and lives with a housekeeper/babysitter. All seems normal, well aside from the mysterious kidnappings, that is until David is taken from Julia’s home in the middle of the night by a dark hooded figure.

Julia refuses to give up in getting David back as well as hunting down the person who took him. Biel’s fierce performance offers some cringe-worthy scenes, most of which involving her enduring physical pain and intense determination. She stops at nothing while on the kidnapper’s trail, even if she has to hang off the back of a speeding truck. But once we think we know where the film is going, things start getting really strange and the questions start building up.

The townspeople start acting as if they all know something that we don’t. Is there a conspiracy amongst them? Is Julia really who we think she is? Is there really a Tall man? The questions drove me insane, in a good way. While Julia continues to look for David, the townspeople band together with an agenda of their own. At this point many might devise their explanations of the twist, but think again. As more information is revealed, ironically the more questions began rising again.

The movie could have easily fell into the trap of a predictable “twist” ending that’s been done and done again. This would have been the “safe” choice. But The Tall Man kept me guessing all the way through till the end. Whenever I thought I knew what was happening, I constantly found myself saying “something’s going on here” and I’d pose more questions. I guess the mainstream is afraid of movies like this, movies that have the potential of confusing the viewer. I personally love when a movie can keep you guessing and play out in an intelligent and thought-provoking manner rather than a quasi-clever twist that satisfies the audience.

On top of the brilliant story, the film is paced well and looks good on top of it. The bleak, run-down and raddled small town is nicely shown through the use of dull colors and tired pale-faced characters. What’s more impressive than the overall feel and cinematography of the film is Jessica Biel’s performance. I never had a strong opinion on her as an actress, but here she gives an incredible performance both physically and emotionally. We can’t tell whether she’s the good guy or the bad guy sometimes. There’s one particular scene where she has a dialog with a mother of the town; the scene alone should gain her an Oscar nod. I was really surprised and blown away by this film and am yet again perplexed as to why masterpieces like this go straight to video.

1408 (2007)

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Directed: Mikael Håfström
Writers: Matt Greenberg, Scott Alexander, and Larry Karaszewski (screenplay); Stephen King (short story)
Cast: John Cusack, Samuel L. Jackson, Mary McCormack, and Tony Shalhoub
Rated: PG-13 (some violence)
IMDb/trailer

When I first saw 1408 a few years back, I thought it was one of the few films that had some genuine scares for me. The Stephen King adaptation follows a haunted attraction writer (Cusack) who is eager to sleep in room 1408 of the Dolphin Hotel, a room said to be pure evil. Thinking it will make a great finale for his latest book, he refuses anything less than to spend the night in the room despite desperate pleas and bribes by the manager (Samuel L. Jackson.

Mike, the writer, first writes the room off as just another typical hotel room until strange things start happening in the room. It starts out as a few weird occurrences such as the radio turning on and items being rearranged in the room, which Mike dismisses as trickery by the hotel staff. But soon, things get much more bizarre when he see’s figures, illusions, and goes through dramatic temperature changes.

The film has a great story. A cynical writer faces true terror in a hotel room with a dark and grisly past. One of the problems with scary movies is that once you’ve seen them once, they’re hard to achieve the same effect again. Back when I first saw this film, I felt some truly chilling moments and I really felt the psychological horror of the film. This time around, it has its jumpy moments and some good creepy imagery, but didn’t have the same level of exciting creepiness as expected. The psychological aspect is really what drove the film for me though, as the perplexing scenarios and twists were just as intense as watching for the first time.

Raven, The (2012)

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Director: James McTeigue
Writer: Ben Livingston and Hannah Shakespeare
Cast: John Cusack, Luke Evans, Alice Eve, and Brenden Gleeson
Rated: R (gore, violence)
IMDb/trailer | Blu-ray/DVD at 20th Century Fox

Being a fan of the works of Edgar Allen Poe, I was naturally interested in the fictional tale of the last days of the iconic horror writer’s life. The film stars John Cusack as Poe, a natural choice with his dark features and ability capture dark and neurotic characters. Cusack never disappoints me even if the film itself isn’t great, he’s just one of those character actors that always delivers a performance.

The story follows Poe as he’s suddenly thrown into a sick and twisted game involving a murderer obsessed with Poe’s writing, so much to the point he models his brutal killings after Edgar’s stories. Things get personal when the killer kidnaps Poe’s love Emily (Alice Eve) and forces Poe to take part in his game in order to get her back. Poe works with inspector Fields (Luke Evans) to track down the killer before its too late.

There’s something cool about taking historical figures and making them dangerous and exciting heroes. Much like Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, the film has that kind of fantasy element that brings a special type of enjoyment due to it involving a real person. I think we want to believe that behind the scenes, they really were heroes. This film does a good job of building up Poe as a brilliant yet troubled genius who’s a natural detective.

Cusack seems natural as Poe, although his portrayal didn’t exactly meet my expectations. When I think of Edgar Allen Poe I always imagine a quiet, modest man that keeps mainly to himself. I could be way off, but that’s just how I would picture the man behind such dark and gruesome writings. Cusack’s Poe on the other hand is often boisterous and a bit full of himself. This could very well be accurate, but this was one of the few aspects of the film that caught me off guard and made it feel a bit over the top at times.

The film very much reminded me of Sherlock Holmes with Robert Downey Jr. from the pacing, set and costume designs, to the lead characters both self-aware know-it-alls who mask many of their personal demons. The movie also paints Poe as more of a detective than a writer. Whether or not Poe was ever really involved in murders or other real-life crimes resembling his stories, the film makes me want to believe he was.

I highly enjoyed this film when I saw it in the theater, and upon watching again on Blu-ray, I still do. I love the way the writing is incorporated into the story, and how it manages to be an original story while also tying in many real aspects of Poe’s life. Even though bits of the writing seemed to have been trying too hard to make Cusack’s Poe speak poetically the majority of the time, the film was very nicely played out and looked great. The story was even a nice mystery that worked well with the source material and made Edgar Allen Poe only seem that much cooler.

‘Burbs, The (1989)

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Director: Joe Dante
Writer: Dana Olsen
Rated: PG
Cast: Tom Hanks, Bruce Dern, Carrie Fisher, Rick Ducommun, and Corey Feldman
IMDb | Official movie site | Trailer (YouTube)

We venture back to the good old days of horror comedy with The ‘Burbs, starring Tom Hanks. I recall seeing this film as a young child, and remember it being funny and a little creepy. When I saw this film available on-demand, I was excited to give it a watch now as an adult. I was certainly in for a treat.

The film centers around a cul-de-sac community of nosey neighbors whose idea of entertainment is seemingly watching their own neighborhood. When an elusive family moves into an unkempt house on the street, it’s the talk amongst the men of the village. Ray Peterson (Hanks) is the first to stir things up with his paranoia and curiosity towards the family, but it’s his friend and neighbor Art (Rick Ducommun) who really adds fuel to the fire.

Their curiosity gets the best of them as the guys, along with a military-obsessed Rumsfield (Bruce Dern), plan on getting a closer look at the clan they now believe to be a satanic cult. Hilarity and mystery ensues as they all have a run-in with the Klopeks, the oddball and eccentric trio of men who’s nationality remains uncertain. An encounter with the men and their wives is the highlight of the film, with many memorable moments from Ray indulging in some sardines to a dog, or “horse” in the basement.

Corey Feldman stars as Ricky Butler, a teenage neighbor who provides the more youthful humor to the mix. His character and friends provide some entertainment of their own as they play the patrons of the reality show that is the street of which he lives on. Anyone who’s lived in a close-knit community could probably relate, or even those who’ve partook in people-watching. People can act very funny sometimes and this film does a great job in playing with that.

The story itself winds up not being anything spectacular. The ending felt as if it were just slapped on to satisfy the setup of the rest of the film, but honestly I didn’t mind that. This film really lives off of the performances of the cast. Physical humor is abundant, and each character comes with their own quirks and interesting personality. I found myself laughing out loud on several occasions, which is rare with movies these days. The ‘Burbs is a film that shows that humor doesn’t have to rely on sex or bathroom humor to be funny, but it instead succeeds as a result of its brilliant cast. With a horror spirit and a little dark comedy ‘The Burbs is a reminder of a lost era of movies.