Film Review: RITES OF SPRING (2011)

Spring has come and with it tradition and rites that need to be adhered to in order for order to be kept.  This is the basic premise behind Rites of Spring (2011) a better than expected monster film that fuses the gangster film with the horror film in surprisingly original ways. 

Written and directed by Padraig Reynolds the film has two parallel storylines.  One follows four criminals whose kidnapping goes south and the second storyline follows two women who are abducted by a man who has a nefarious objective that involves a monster hidden in a hole in the barn.  When the kidnappers stumble upon one of the captured women all hell breaks loose and everyone finds themselves being hunted down by a creature that none of them understands.

The reason why the film works is because it has a very simply premise that is not hampered down by a complicated plot and although there is a complicated mythology surrounding the creature in the film very little time is spent explaining it.  At a brisk running time of only 80 minutes the film is a roller coaster ride from beginning to end and horror fans should not be dismayed by the gangster-kidnapping story as Reynolds does a great job of balancing the two very different story threads.

What also elevates this film above other indie horror films is the better than expected cast headlined by the always dependable AJ Bowen (of The Signal and You’re Next) and Reynolds direction of the material.  This is a film much better than expected and will not disappoint horror fans.

Film Review: THE TERROR WITHIN (1989)

Classic B-Movies don’t come better than a Roger Corman production although ‘89s The Terror Within is not among one of his best nor is it one of his worst.  In a post-apocalyptic world a group of survivors are holed up in a military bunker away from the devastating effects of a war that had catastrophic effects on everyone left exposed above.  One of the after effects of the war is the existence of deadly mutants that populate the earth and kill everything they come into contact with.  What these mutants don’t kill they mate with to continue their species. 

Hal (George Kennedy) is the leader of this group of survivors that are trying to survive in this harsh new world.  During a routine hunt for food and supplies on the surface, part of Hal’s team discovers evidence that humans have been living on the surface without any effects from exposure  but one of these humans carry the offspring of the mutants within her.  When this survivor from the surface world is brought back to the bunker the mutant baby hatches and all hell breaks loose within the bunker and Hal and his group of survivors must hunt down the mutant before it hunts them down and kills them all.

Like any Corman film this film borrows heavily from other films especially Alien (1979) and a plethora of Corman’s own sci-fi and fantasy films.  Kennedy was a well-known character actor of the ‘80s and ‘90s and is a big draw for this film even though he has limited face time.  The rest of the film has an equally capable cast and what the film lacks in originality it more than makes up for it in entertainment value and gore.

Corman’s films have never been one to shy away from monsters and despite the low-fi special FX it delivers in entertaining the audience who has come to expect the cheesy stories and monsters.

Film Review: KILL KATIE MALONE (2010)

There are two types of B-Movies for the horror fan.  There are those like Army of Darkness (1992) which is big budget studio films that are fun and entertaining, and then there are films like Sharknado (2013), a film that plays on the lowest common denominator that has cheesy SFX but delivers on the entertainment value and little else.  Kill Kate Malone (2010) lies somewhere in between. 

Headlined by Dean Cain as a professor who sales a mysterious box online to three unsuspecting friends.  This box seems to contain the ghost of a Katie Malone who will grant the owner of the box wishes once the box is open.  When the three college friends open the box they unwillingly unleash a vengeful spirit that decides to kill everyone that poses a problem for the three friends.  Soon the three friends come to realize that the ghost of Katie Malone has her own agenda for them.

Kill Katie Malone has a very simple premise but its heart is firmly planted with horror fans as the SFX are better than expected and the action is fast with very little down time spent on over characterizations.  The gore is plentiful and there are some interesting kills throughout.  This film was tailor made for the horror fan and delivers on all the requirements of a good B-Movie especially on the entertainment value.

If there is a bad thing to say about this B-Movie it’s that Dean Cain isn’t in the film enough as he makes a brief cameo in the film.  Otherwise the rest of the young cast does a capable job of carrying the film and the premise has enough original ideas to keep even the most jaded fan entertained.  There will always be better films out there than most B-Movies but Kill Katie Malone is one B-Movie that won’t disappoint.

Film Review: 100 GHOST STREET: THE RETURN OF RICHARD SPECK (2012)

Everything bad about “found footage” horror films can be found in 100 Ghost Street: The Return of Richard Speck (2012).  This is an uninspired amalgamation of everything that is wrong with the “found footage” film.  A group of film makers venture into a supposed haunted establishment to discover the truth about a series of murders committed by a serial killer (or some other type crazy person).  The film makers go into the establishment and at first have a little bit of “stupid” fun before they each start to disappear one by one.  When they finally realize that the establishment is indeed haunted they run around endlessly with “shaky cam” being killed one by one for the remainder of the film. 

Characters do stupid things and have even dumber motives and pretty much the film is a bore from beginning to end because the film makers never decide to actually do something new or creative with the material.  This, in a nutshell, describes the whole of 100 Ghost Street and because the film is filled with an unidentifiable cast and unknowns they can’t even hold together the abysmal script by Nancy Leopardi.  Directed by Martin Anderson the film is completely uninspired and barely competently executed but then again this can be said for most “found footage” horror films.

Of all the “found footage” films out there 100 Ghost Street is one that you can completely pass over and forget it even exists.  If you’ve already seen it then I feel sorry for you, but if you haven’t count yourself as one of the lucky few.

Film Review: HOLLOW (2011)

Myths and legends and folklore converge in the “found footage” horror film Hollow (2011) from the UK.  Four friends on holiday decide to explore the local legend of a haunted and remote area in which couples have committed suicide and hung themselves at an old tree.   While searching for the truth about the legend, the four friends discover unknown truths about themselves as well as uncover a deep and dark presence that may lie at the heart of the legend.

Like many other found footage films this film spends much of the first two-thirds delving into the characters of the four friends.   Played by Emily Plumtree, Sam Stockman, Jessica Ellerby, and Matt Stockoe the four friends are actually very interesting and come off as genuine friends.  The first part of the film is very well done but at times spends too much time establishing character and too little time on the actual meat of the story.  It is only at the two-thirds mark that the story finally picks up but then the film de-evolves into standard “found footage” film fare by having the characters run around in low lighting situations in which they repeat themselves far too often and very little happens.  Most of the plot comes within the last fifteen minutes but by this time the film comes off as unoriginal and boring despite the amped up paranormal moments.

The film is written by Matthew Holt and directed by Michael Axelgaard.  Like I said, the first two-thirds is actually quite good and you forget that you’re watching a found footage film but by the time the film starts to ramp up for that final third the extreme shaky cam and low lighting and extreme close ups all rear their ugly head too frequently and it takes you out of the film.  It is my opinion that the film would’ve been stronger if told in a more conventional manner and the found footage aesthetic would’ve been dropped.  The found footage style is becoming all too familiar and a show of a low budget production but this is one of those films that could’ve done with a little more traditional storytelling methods which would’ve made the whole film much more effective.  Instead, the whole film just comes off as a mediocre found footage film that will leave you wishing that it had been better.