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Certificate: 
Director: Juan Antonio Bayona
Release Date: 21 March 2008
Tagline: A tale of love. A story of horror.
Main Cast:
Belén Ruader … Laura
Fernando Cayo … Carlos
Roger Príncep … Simón
What a masterpiece! I was totally blown away by it. I was expecting it to be good, but it surpassed all expectations. I am going to give absolutely nothing away other than it’s the finest ghost story I’ve ever seen (closely follwed by The Others) and you owe it to yourself to see it. Whist I’ve included it in the ‘horror’ category, if you don’t like horror films then don’t let that put you off. There’s a lot of unease and it’s very creepy, but it’s such a thrill!
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Director: Chan-wook Park
Release Date: 10 February 2006
Tagline: All she wanted was a peaceful life… they didn’t give it.
Main Cast:
Yeong-ae Lee … Geum-ja Lee
Min-sik Choi … Mr Baek
I’m a big fan of Asian horror so was hoping for another treat with this. However, I was somewhat disappointed. Whilst many Asian films can be rather confusing at the start, this one remained confusing for the first half or so. It’s not until you understand what’s happened that you can back track and piece it all together. Now, I don’t need everything set out on a plate for me, but I just wasn’t getting any sense of where it was going which resulted in a steadily increasing lack of interest.
Anyway, I found SFLV rather slow and plodding and with no real satisfaction at the end. I know that many people will probably disagree with this review, but this is easily the most boring Asian horror that I’ve seen.
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Certificate: (original rating: X)
Director: Stanley Kubrick
Release Date: 23 May 1980
Tagline: A masterpiece of modern horror.
Main Cast:
Jack Nicholson … Jack Torrance
Shelley Duvall … Wendy Torrance
Danny Lloyd … Danny Torrance
Scatman Crothers … Dick Hallorann
The Shining is a perfect example of what makes a horror film great, and is one of my all time favourite films. Films just don’t get better than this. It’s also one of those rare times where I prefer the film to the book. The film is a perfect example of increasing tension and this is something that you just can’t experience with a book. I also like the changes that Kubrick made, especially the ending.
There has long been a debate about who ‘shines’ and who doesn’t. I have my own opinion on this, and I hope you get as much fun as I did trying to work it out. There’s one other thing that I’d like to mention, but I can’t as it gives away the very end!
Finally, if you’ve ever wondered what happened to Danny Lloyd you may be interested to know that he became a science teacher.
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Directors: Oxide Pang Chun & Danny Pang
Release Date: 27 September 2002
Main Cast:
Angelica Lee … Wong Kar Mun
Lawrence Chou … Dr. Wah
I’ve removed the tagline for the film from this review, because it’s a spoiler for one of the most powerful ‘reveals’ of the film, and I don’t want to ruin things for you!
I won’t go into too much detail, because it’s the kind of film that you just need to watch without reading too much about it first (as is the way with so many Asian horror films).
It is a story of a blind woman who has a cornea transplant, and ends up seeing more than she bargained for. As it goes along, it gets creepier and the tension builds very well. Then it switches from being a traditional horror/ghost story into a story of personal tragedy and is very moving. The ending is fantastic and, I have to say, I never saw it coming!
Gin Gwai is a very well made and atmospheric film that will have more than enough little twists, turns and frights to keep you watching.
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Director: Paul W. S. Anderson
Release Date: 22 October 2004
Tagline: Whoever wins… We lose.
Main Cast:
Sanaa Lathan … Alexa Woods
Raoul Bova … Sebastian de Rosa
Lance Henriksen … Charles Bishop Weyland
Oh dear. What an absolute pile of drivel this is. AVP is a shameful vehicle made purely to cash in on the fantastic Alien films and the also popular Predator. The acting is poor to say the least, and the characters are totally uninteresing stereotypes. There’s the heroine, the hero, the nerd, the butch female (butch but not gay, as is quickly pointed out to us lest we be horrified and tempted to switch off) etc, etc. You get the picture, I’m sure.
Considering the ancient temple that the film is set in (the very first civilisation, supposedly), the nerd and the hero are experts at translating the script on the temple walls. We need two characters to be ‘experts’, as they get split up and one gets wiped out fairly quickly, otherwise there would be no one to explain the plot to us. There’s even a very complex looking puzzle that Mr. Hero manages to solve in the blink of an eye.
The dialogue is some of the most corny and clichéd that I’ve ever heard, and they sure do pack ‘em in! It’s embarrassing, really.
There is also absolutely no tension whatsoever. It’s just a playground brawl between the two alien species – we don’t care in the slightest who wins. The human characters are so unlikeable that you’ll find yourself relieved when they get killed. And the teaming up of our heroine with one of the predators is ridiculous beyond belief.
There were two elements, however, that I did like. The sacrificial chamber with the alien eggs was a nice idea, and I liked how the temple kept changing to juice up the battlefield (although this reminded me of the excellent Cube).
Truly one of the worst films I’ve ever seen. Be afraid… Be very afraid.
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Director: Hideo Nakata
Release Date: 6 June 2003
Main Cast:
Hitomi Kuroki … Yoshimi Matsubara
Rio Kanno … Ikuko Matsubara
Another superb horror from the director of Ringu. Whilst not as scary as Ringu, Dark Water is a suspense filled tale that manages to creep you out more and more as the film goes on. It starts with a downbeat scene of torrential rain and a young girl waiting in school for her mother after all the other children have been picked up. The film then cuts to a custody mediation between a divorced couple. The love the mother has for her child is clear, but money is short and they rent a room in an old and rather run down apartment block. A rather eerily deserted one at that. It’s here that you get a real sense of foreboding that makes you shuffle in your seat.
The director paces the film perfectly, building the tension slowly. And even though you know where the film is headed it’s still thoroughly enjoyable. At no point do you groan and think how cheesy it is, as is so often the case in Western horrors. The acting is also superb. Both Hitomi Kuroki and Rio Kanno give stunning performances throughout.
Dark Water is an engrossing film that had me totally absorbed, and I thoroughly recommend it.
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Director: Bob Clark
Release Date: 20 December 1974
Tagline: If this movie doesn’t make your skin crawl… It’s on too tight!
Main Cast:
Olivia Hussey … Jessica Bradford
Keir Dullea … Peter Smythe
Margot Kidder … Barbie Coard
If you’re a horror fan like myself, then you are probably very frustrated at the lack of good horror films made over the last 20 years or so. If, however, you think that modern horror flicks like Wrong Turn, or the remake of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre to name but two are good, then you need to get out more.
Now, I’m not easily scared or made to feel uneasy, so when I find a film that does either or both (I’m rarely scared!), then it’s quite an achievement!
Black Christmas (and I don’t mean the 2006 remake!) is regarded by many as the first stalk-and-slash horror film. It’s genuinely creepy and unsettling and the level of tension grows at a steady pace until you find yourself beginning to sweat. The obscene phone calls received by the girls are particularly nasty. It’s not your average heavy breather on the line either. It’s some deeply disturbed individual who spews all sorts of filth, and it even sounds like he has multiple personalities. Whatever the case, he’s obviously a very disturbed individual.
It is also devoid of all the post 1980 stereotypes such as stupid characters and endless gore. There is one moment of stupidity from one of the characters (near the end), but I understand that it has to be there for the sake of the film. And it has the most unusual ending. I’m not going to give anything away as I’d really like it if you watched the film yourself, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen a horror film end in this way before.
There are times when I like a bit of gore, but all the best horror films have a less is more approach. They rely on suspense, tension and the terror of the unknown. If you ask any serious horror fan to name some of the best films, they will probably include Halloween, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Alien, Psycho and Ringu amongst them. I’d put Black Christmas up there too.
We’re always safe as long as we’re behind a locked door… Right?
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Director: David Slade
Release Date: 1 November 2007
Main Cast:
Josh Hartnett … Sheriff Eben Oleson
Melissa George … Stella Oleson
Danny Huston … Marlow
I love vampires, and am frustrated at the fact that ‘Hollywood’ doesn’t seem to be able to make the most of them. So many vampire films portray them either as little more than a glamorous pain in the neck (heh!), or as pretentious bores. I went to see this with a low expectation, so that anything better than ‘average’ would be a pleasant surprise. And I was pleasantly surprised! At last, a film that depicts vampires as savage, soulless beings with enough humanity to serve as a reminder that these creatures were once like you and I.
I really liked the plot; an Alaskan town is plunged into darkness for a month, and is attacked by a bloodthirsty gang of vampires, resulting in an unrelenting and agonising fight for survival by the residents.
It is generally well acted, though Josh Hartnett delivers another bland and expressionless performance. I was also a bit disappointed by the timeline holes; there were times where it seemed that we had suddenly jumped a week or two, and I found myself being unaware of how many days had passed.
30 Days of Night is an intensely violent vampire flick that, thankfully, stays well away from cheesy stereotypes and pretentiousness.
One last thing… Does anyone else think that Marlow looks like a cross between Neil Tennant and Norman Cook?!
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Director: Kim Je-Woon
Release Date: 13 August 2004
Main Cast:
Yeom Jeong-a … Eun-joo (Stepmother)
Im Soo-jung … Su-mi
Moon Geun-young … Su-yeong
Kim Kab-su … Bae Moo-hyeon (Father)
This is one of my all time favourite films. Immediately after watching it for the first time, I watched all the special features on the DVD (which is unheard of for me!). I then rewatched the film the next day.
The acting is superb, and the film is gripping from start to finish.
I don’t want to reveal anything about the film here; to do so would be a mistake. I will say, however, that it is a finely crafted film, revealing its secrets slowly.
It’s well worth seeking out sites that offer theories and possible explanations for events in the film, and the link below offers some very credible ones. A word of warning though; do not view this site before watching the film!
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0365376/board/thread/69288079
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