This is going to be a very, very short blog entry. I did not go to see the short film showcase, Nightmare Factory, The Burning Moon and Sleep Tight. I really needed the sleep, and I have to regain some energy for work on Tuesday. Not to mention get back to any creative writing assignments that have been put on the back burner this weekend. Plus, I reached my quota of 14 films this weekend, so if Halloween 3 was film number 15, then film number 16 is.....
Halloween 4: The Return Of Michael Myers
It was fun to watch, and it's along the same lines as the first one. While it does have its stupid moments, and like most horror movies, hasn't aged well, it was still a decent enough slasher. Although I was very surprised by how it ended, and it makes me want to check out the fifth one now. Even though I've yet to see the second one.
And with that, I skipped Nightbreed: The Cabal Cut, in order to go home, get something to eat, and rest before what I know will be a long, busy day at work. So why the hell am I going to watch Rob Zombie's Halloween 2 and attempt to write about it afterwards? Because I'm an idiot, that's why. And I thought I would stick with the theme of watching another film which stars Malcolm McDowell and Danielle Harris.
And on a final note.....
I picked the above picture because Kiss are featured on her top.....and I know this song from the album, because The Melvins covered it.....why do I get the feeling you don't believe me?
I reached my quota of films on Sunday (ie. Day Four), where I hit the 14 mark before the final movie of the evening. As I write this, I am probably going to end up watching one or two films, and head home for more sleep, as I have work on Tuesday. So I better get this done quickly before I go.
The Monster Squad
I was hungover at the time, so I was in no shape or form to be heading into town. I don't know much about the movie, other than it's a children's classic. So instead of the trailer, I'm gonna post a graphic that was part of my childhood, and the final film.
Shiver
This was introduced by lead actress Danielle Harris, and from what I gather, I got the impression that even she knew this was a bad movie. It's too weird to be in anyway scary, some parts of it were awful in their direction and the quality of acting, and just when I thought it was over, it just kept going on, getting even more ridiculous. I'm sure in the hands of another director, this might have worked.
Surprise Film: Chained
The biggest laugh I had that day was when the trailer for "The Shining" came up, as I made a joke that this would be the surprise film. I thought that I was right until I realised it was just the trailer. One of the organisers came onstage to introduce the film, assuring us that it's not "Trespass 2", in relation to last year's godawful movie, "Trespass". At least that got a laugh.
I have never heard of Chained before the screening, and I can't figure out where I've seen the lead actor before, but he played a good role, projecting his creepiness by his attitude and voice. The film was interesting, at times perverse, and I could nitpick some elements of character motivation and the plot, especially the last ten minutes or so, but once you look past them, it's a pretty decent movie.
Excision
This is a very quirky film that comes across as a Napoleon Dynamite style movie, if it was redone by David Lynch and John Waters (who happens to have a cameo in this movie also). John Waters also comes to mind with the inclusion of Traci Lords (who starred in his film "Cry Baby") as the main character's mother. Other cameos include Ray Wise and Malcolm McDowell, in which this is the third film this long weekend that I've seen Malcolm McDowell in (the others being Antiviral and Silent Hill: Revelation).
The visuals are bizarre, it can be really funny at times, and the female lead is an interesting character, albeit sadistic, which makes the film intriguing to watch, especially with her mindset, in relation to her dreams and her view of the world.
Halloween 3: Season Of The Witch
The only original Halloween films I've seen are the first one and this. And in a few hours, I'll be watching the fourth one, once again introduced by Danielle Harris. I'm half tempted to go home and watch Rob Zombie's "Halloween 2" afterwards. Or maybe "The Victim". But I digress.
Because I haven't watched the whole series, I don't have any dislike for this film because of its deviation from the Michael Myers character. Sure the movie is a bit rubbish, but its unintentional comedic value makes it a joy to watch. Also I actually liked the somewhat cheesy 80s horror score by John Carpenter.
While the film does have a loose Irish connection, the main reason this film stuck with me was the "Silver Shamrock" jingle, and what happens when you look at the magic pumpkin. It creeped me out as a kid, and for years I couldn't remember if it was a Halloween movie or not, because it didn't have Michael Myers in it.
And on a final note.....
Well, it's one way to inspire me to learn Japanese.....
I watched three films on the Saturday, due to a lack of energy in the morning, and my "brilliant" idea to skip the last movie and get absolutely hammered in the process. Now I can barely get out of bed. But if there's one thing I am proud of, is that I managed to bring this home with me, and not lose it or break it in the process.
Signed by Danielle Harris, Jennifer Blanc and Alyssa Lobit
Yes it is a bit nerdy, but hey, I haven't gotten anything signed by a "celebrity" since Casey Chaos signed my ticket after Amen's support slot with The Wildhearts. I saw the film at last year's Horrorthon, and I thought it was an enjoyable enough flick, so I thought it would be cool to get signatures from three people who starred in it. And of course, Danielle Harris.....need I say more?
Eurocrime!
By the time this was on, I was only just getting out of bed. I'm sure it's an interesting documentary, but I don't think I would have been in the humour to watching it. I could find the trailer and post it here, but I think I'll just go with a picture of Danielle Harris.
V/H/S
I actually saw a trailer for this before "Room 237". And while I'm one of the few people who can appreciate the "shaky cam" genre of horror movies, I still believe these types of films should not be viewed on a cinema screen. It takes away the "realism" and there's always people in the cinema who give out about the film. I'm sure I'll watch it if it ever comes out on DVD, since the trailer did catch my interest.....but I'm gonna post a picture of Danielle Harris and Jennifer Blanc instead.
Dracula: Prince Of Darkness
To the best of my knowledge, I don't think I've seen a full Hammer Horror film ("Let Me In" doesn't count). I probably saw bits of them over the years, but that's about it. So while I did find the movie more corny than scary, at least I finally got to see a Christopher Lee Hammer Horror, so it was fun regardless.
American Mary
The film is a stylish thriller with David Lynch style weirdness mixed with body mutilation horror. The character of Mary is an interesting anti-hero, not to mention easy on the eye, especially with her choice of clothing throughout the film. Although the film does tend to lose direction at times, and because of the despicable nature of the characters, it's hard to feel any sympathy for them when their motivations are unclear at times.
Among Friends
Directed by festival guest of honour, the petite Danielle Harris, it's an interesting claustrophobic slasher movie with elements of dark humour to it. Some parts may have needed trimming, but for a debut feature from the actress, along with the fact that it took ten days to film the entire movie, it's an impressive result.
I felt the same towards "The Victim" which also took less than a fortnight to film. There was a Q&A with the three people who signed my Blu-Ray afterwards and one other person who I think was one of the producers. I briefly talked to them at the signing table, who seem down to earth, and Jennifer Blanc the most upbeat and chatty, which is admirable. Admittedly I was a bit tongue tied when I approached them, especially Danielle Harris, which is why I never really bother looking for autographs. But I'm glad I did in the end.
Young Frankenstein
My excuse for skipping this was that I had the DVD at home, and I felt like going into town and having a few drinks. I do feel bad about passing on this, but since I was on my own, I felt it would be better to watch this with friends.
And on a final note.....
The trailer for "The Victim". Hmm, maybe I should have gotten Michael Biehn's autograph last year, even at the risk of coming off as awkward in the process.
It's been a long day, but I'm glad I took the day off work for this. For the price of the five day pass, if I get to see at least 14 films, I'd have gotten my money's worth. I've seen 8 in the past two days, so I'm doing really well.
Manborg
Every Horrorthon there is at least one movie that is so bad, that it's hilarious to watch. Birdemic in 2010, Troll 2 in 2011, and this year, the title goes to Manborg. I really think this should have been kept towards the end of the night, as it's absolutely hilarious. Think Robocop fighting with the cast of Mortal Kombat against Nazi demons from Hell. All in front of a green screen. A must see for those who love their films as bad as The Room.
Midnight Sun
The film seems like an interesting take on the vampire genre, which is no mean feat considering the budget the makers had. However, looking at the main character having hunger pains lead me to leaving after 30 minutes to get brunch. I couldn't find a trailer for this one, so I'm just gonna stick a picture of Mina from "Manborg" in its place.
Reminds me of Frost from Mortal Kombat for some reason.
Calibre 9
It's like a French version of a Jason Statham movie, with added supernatural elements. Action packed, ridiculous, violent, and with moments of stylish direction, This film was lot of fun to watch, and exceeded any expectation I had from a movie about a gun possessed by the soul of a dead prostitute.
Citadel
I think this movie, along with Savage, should be used by the Irish Tourism Board to show people what Ireland is really like. Very well directed, with effective use of sound to go along with the visuals. The scariest thing about this is that even if you took the supernatural elements away from the story, it would make no difference. That's what scared me, to be honest. Best Irish film I've seen this year.
Silent Hill: Revelation
My god, this has got to be one of the worst movies I have ever seen. Please note that I didn't actually get to watch the first film beforehand, but even I know that it was a lot better than this. It was obvious by some of the shots that it was filmed for 3D, and it really comes off as stupid when shown in 2D. At least this had more laughs than Resident Evil: Retribution.
But before the movie, there was an awkward moment where Jennifer Blanc-Biehn had to walk after hecklers in the crowd mocked the short film Connection, in which she stars. After a moment of silence, one person in the crowd says out loud "Y'see this is why we can't have nice things". Admittedly it was funny at the time, but it's very true. Still, that's the nature of the work for anyone promoting films, I suppose.
Zombie Flesh Eaters/Deep Red
At this point of the night, I was starting to feel a bit rundown, so I'm surprised I managed to go through them. ZFL had some really weird bits in the first half that kept me amused (ie. bad acting, bizarre camera angles, a sequence which involved a naked scuba diver, an underwater zombie and a shark), but in the second half it did tend to drag in places.
I didn't know that RD was directed by David Argento, so the style of this film and the strange choice in music numbers reminded me of another film I saw at Horrorthon in 2010, which was Phenomena. The story was hard to grasp at times, but then again, I was zoning in and out for the first half, especially when the drunken guy was onscreen. But it's the aforementioned music and odd scenes that kept me conscious from time to time.
It's a shame the organisers of Horrorthon don't do the double bill showings during the year anymore.
And on a final note.....
If you play the live version after the studio version, it seems to flow seamlessly.....or maybe it's just me.....
Okay, today was the first day of the Horrorthon Film Festival, so I'm just going to do mini updates of what I saw, and those I missed, keeping with the day to day nature that I tend to insert into these blog updates. It's been a long day, and I have four more to go.
So without further ado, here's what I thought of each movie, along with a trailer for it (whenever possible).
Antiviral
It was a beautifully shot film with a great score and atmosphere throughout, but the story was hard to follow at times, the social message of the "celebrity culture" seemed a bit force, and the film had a distracting amount of pretentiousness to it.
Room 237
The theories and interpretations of The Shining are so ridiculous and off the wall, that at times they are convincing. It would be like me describing how The Matrix is a complete rip-off of Dumbo.
Detention Of The Dead
It's not a bad film for what it is, which is basically "The Breakfast Club (with zombies)". It can be a bit silly at times, but I find it's best that you don't watch it while in a sober state of mind. Plus the goth chick in it was pretty hot.
And on a final note.....
It was Katy Perry's birthday during Day 25.....what? I like Katy Perry.....a lot.....
