Movie Review: TEXAS CHAINSAW 3D (2013)

Let me just say first that I’ve never been a fan of any of the films in the Texas Chainsaw Massacre series.  Texas Chainsaw 3D (2013) is the seventh one and I don’t understand why the franchise has endured for as long as it has.  The original Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974) had its moments mostly during the first half of the film but for me becomes a dull bore once you get to the diner scene.  From there on the film spirals downhill and never recovers.  The film did introduce me to Gunner Hansen as Leatherface who is one of my favorite character horror actors of all time.  I hated Part 2 (1986) completely and have never gotten into the comedy aspect of that film (although again it introduced to another one of my favorite character actors Bill Moseley).  I do enjoy the siege of the radio station but that’s about it.  Part 2 had great production design but like its predecessor falls apart some time during the second act.  At the time of its release Leatherface: Texas Chainsaw Massacre Part III (1990) was a good film (or at least that’s what I thought when I was a kid) but time has not been kind to this film as it now comes off as an uninspired slasher film.  The less said about Return of Texas Chainsaw Massacre (aka Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation- 1994), which was the first one I saw on the big screen under this title, the better.  Then came the remake (2003) and its Prequel (2006) which are both competent and have a strong cast.  While the first one was actually quite good, it suffers from a less than thrilling ending when the main character goes back to save the baby and the prequel suffers from being a cliché of the genre and a ludicrous ending. 

 

Now we have the latest entry in the undying franchise which decides to go back to the original for inspiration by being a sequel to that film.  This in and of itself is actually an excellent idea and hasn’t really been done that often since Halloween: H20 (1998) decided to dismiss the four films that came before it.  After a 3D re-hash of events from the original film, this film opens just moments after the events of the original film as the Sawyer clan is gunned down and murdered by the towns folks leaving only a baby child to be taken in as an orphan.  About twenty years later (which if it was a true sequel it would be about 30 years) that baby grows up to be Heather Miller (Alexandra Daddario) who just learns that her relative died and that she has inherited a large estate.  As with most of these types of films she heads off with a group of her friends to search out this property discovering that her roots lie with that of the infamous Sawyer clan and that the estate harbors deep and dark secrets that may get her and her friends killed.

The problem with this film is that the first half comes off as a simple slasher movie cliché where one person after another is killed (in great ways mind you) by Leatherface.  None of his victims this go around have a brain in their heads and are dispatched very quickly before Leatherface sets his sights on Alex whom he just can’t seem to kill despite how much he tries.  That’s the first half of the film because as soon as the film becomes an Alex vs. Leatherface film it switches gears to a film about a town full of secrets and conspiracies and Alex discovering the real truth about her family which leads her to discovering her true purpose.  

I for one enjoyed the second half of the film.  The first half was a by the numbers rendition of previous films in the franchise but the moment the film decides to make Leatherface into a real character with a real purpose the film had something to say and Alex’s story became stronger.  The film is filled with excellent moments for the horror fan but those looking for a Leatherface who just lumbers around and kills people will be turned off by the second half of the film.

With a screenplay by Adam Marcus & Debra Sullivan and Kristen Elms the film does a decent job of opening up the mythology of the Chainsaw Universe (which may not appease everyone) and leaves one to believe that a sequel opens up the possibilities even more.  Director John Lussenhop continues the look and style established by the last two films which will make fans of the remakes happy but other than the opening sequence there is little for fans of the original ’74 Tobe Hooper film.  The opening sequence does contain several notable cameos from the original two Hooper films (one of my favorite parts of the film bridging the old guard with the new).  This film is so far removed from being a simple horror film (the original) or a satire comedy (Part 2) that the fans for whom this film was originally conceived may find themselves turned off.  Either way, this is the first sequel to present a whole new set of rules from which future films will be able to play by.

Movie review: 51 (2011)

Area 51 is probably one of the most famous locations in the world because of its association with UFOs and alien enthusiasts but now all will be revealed to the public.  This is the plot of 51 (2011) in which a reporter and TV personality are allowed full access to area 51 in order to finally dispel the rumors once and for all.  Bruce Boxleitner is Col. Martin who is in charge of escorting the civilians into the complex but everything does not go as planned as an alien shape shifter held in the underground secret labs of the already secret labs escapes and releases an even deadlier predatory alien and its offspring.  The aliens create havoc allowing the shape shifter to proceed with its ulterior motives all the while Col. Martin and his charges try to find a way out of the complex while not trying to be killed by the predatory aliens or allowing any of the aliens free to the outside world.

 

Along for the chaos is Sgt. Hannah (Rachel Miner) and her fellow soldier and friend Shoes Schumacher (Jason London) who are also trying to kill the predatory aliens before they get killed themselves.  The film is fun, gory and entertaining from beginning to end and works because the characters take their situation seriously despite the fact that it is an alien film.  London is hilarious from beginning to end and he has great chemistry with Miner.  The creature FX is extremely good and convincing for such a low budget film.  This film will appease horror fans.

51 is one of those rare low budget sci-fi-horror hybrid films that actually work and it continues to surprise up until the end.  The film is written by Lucy Mukerjee with story by Kenny Yakkel and is directed by Jason Connery.  They do an excellent job with the film creating one of the few low budget indie gems out there of this kind.

Movie Review: ABRAHAM LINCOLN VS. ZOMBIES (2012)

Coming off of the heels of the Hollywood film adaptation of the very popular novel Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter (2012) is the low budget indie film Abraham Lincoln Vs. Zombies (2012).  With a story by Karl T. Hirsch and J. Lauren Proctor and directed by Richard Schenkman (who wrote the screenplay) this is a horror film that plays loosely with the facts of Lincoln’s life while looking for the same audience that would enjoy Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter.

 

In this story Lincoln (played by Bill Oberst, Jr.) becomes the man that he is by having watched his mother become a victim of the zombie plague and his father a man torn by that knowledge.  His world is turned upside down when as the President of the United States during the Civil War he realizes that the zombie plague has returned and threatens the success of his campaign to win the war.  Knowing more about the zombie plague than anyone else it is his duty to head the team of soldiers that will help irradiate the threat.

Surprisingly, the film is not as bad as it sounds and Oberst as the President is one of the best aspects of the film as much of the rest of the cast is entertaining but quite forgettable.  The action is plentiful and the death gratuitous as should be for any indie zombie film.  Lincoln dispatches zombies as if he was born to it.  The zombies are plentiful and well done and there are plenty to go around.  A lot of low budget films either have too many or too few but this film has just the right amount because Lincoln and his cast of soldiers dispatch the zombies in a variety of different ways that never becomes repetitive or boring.  For those looking to be entertained this is one of those films.

If there is one thing negative I can say about the film it’s that the limitation of locations is felt during the midpoint of the film in which the characters seem to be treading the same ground over and over again.  It’s not until the third act of the film that the fun is truly had as Lincoln continues to achieve one crazy feat after another leading to one hell of an entertaining climax that had me forgetting just how much the middle section dragged.  

One of the reasons why the film works is because the film-makers realize early on what a ridiculous idea the film is but they pour their heart and soul into presenting an entertaining and gory film that is made even more entertaining because it’s a period film.  All the actors give their all and it has zombies, which is a hundred times more entertaining than vampires.  You can certainly do much worse than this film.

Movie Review: APARTMENT 143 (2011)

With the success of the Paranormal Activity franchise and such films as The Devil Inside (2012) and The Last Exorcism (2010) the found footage or documentary style film has become very popular not only with big budget Hollywood films but with the low budget indie horror films as well which is where Apartment 143 (2011) fits.

The film concerns a parapsychologist team who are asked to investigate what seems to be a genuine haunted house in the White family residence of apartment number 143.  The White family has just experienced the tragedy of losing their matriarch and now the father Alan (Kal Lennox) must contend with the possibility that the house he just moved his family into might be haunted.  Unlike more subtle films of this nature very little time is spent building up to whether or not the house is haunted because this is made clear almost immediately upon the parapsychology team first entering the apartment.  The rest of the film is spent finding the reason why and how to stop it if they can.

One of the elements in this film that I do not believe add to the believability of the film is the fact that the team sets up cameras everywhere as if they have an unending supply of cameras and that all the action can be seen from any and all angels.  I believe that this was a mistake.  The reason why the Paranormal Activity franchise works so well is because very few cameras are used and the suspense is created from what the audience cannot see that is right out of the eyesight of the cameras.  In Apartment 143 the audience sees everything so there is very little suspense.  Instead, the film tries to overuse the haunted house angle by having something crazy happen every ten minutes.  Some of these “haunting” moments are convincing while others are not.

As directed by Carles Torrens the film is not that bad (he does have lots of camera angles to choose from) and is one of the better low budget films of this ilk but even at 80 minutes the film drags a little but this is more because of the lack of a suitable setup for the parapsychology team than anything else.

Movie Review: THE RIG (2010)

I guess an oil rig is just as good as any place to set a horror film which is the location of The Rig (2010) which stars William Forsythe as Jim Fleming, the chief operator of an off shore oil rig caught in the middle of a tropical storm that accidentally awakens and disturbs an aquatic monster that craves human flesh.  Now it’s only a matter of time before the rig becomes overrun by the monster all the while Fleming must try to save his daughter Carey (Serah D’Laine) and the rest of his crew.

Like most other monster films of its kind The Rig has a very simple CGI creature (for the most part) that stays off screen for most of the running time of the film until it is overused too much in the third act when all hell breaks loose.  Being a low budget film (approximately $3 million) the CGI is unconvincing and renders the monster shamelessly inadequate but the film is entertaining in a low budget way and has some laughs (which is only natural in horror films where the CGI is unconvincing).

Some people like to knock these low budget CGI heavy films because of their unconvincing CGI and bare bones story and plot (and sometimes even bad acting) but there is a case to be made for these types of films which is that it gives horror fans a constant supply of entertaining films with some of the genre’s most prolific character actors in different types of roles.  Forsythe has played many of villains in his diverse career with very few chances to be the good guy but in the film he plays the leader of a group of hard working laborers and an over protective father.  These films also allow young actors and crew to hone their talents and technical skill so that when they get the opportunity to work on bigger films they will be prepared.  I see these low budget films as this generation’s version of the Roger Corman produced films of yesteryears where many got their  start before moving on to bigger and better films (some of the people who first got their start on Corman films include Jack Nicholson, Jonathan Demme, Joe Dante, and many, many more).

A low budget monster movie doesn’t have to be the latest King Kong (1933) or Gojira (1954) but if it can at least entertain and provide a decent story then I can sometimes overlook the bad CGI.  The Rig may not have the most convincing CGI but it is at times entertaining and at least has a lot of gore and a little nudity (always a good thing for low budget horror films).