Film Review: INSIDIOUS: CHAPTER 3 (2015)

Actor and writer Leigh Whannell finally steps behind the camera for Insidious: Chapter 3 (2015) a prequel to the immensely popular franchise about astro-projection, ghosts, and other things that go bump in the night.  Whannel has written all three films and takes over directing from frequent collaborator James Wan (who is only producing this film). The two started the Saw franchise together before moving onto Dead Silence (2007) and even Death Sentence (2007), in which Whannell has a small part.  Now Whannell has decided to tell the story of how it all began. 

Quinn Brenner (Stefanie Scott) is about to graduate high school and her dream is to get into the perfect theater school.  Unfortunately, she’s still not over the death of her mother from a year previously and after she is unsuccessful with talking to the spirit of her mother she seeks out help from psychic Elise Rainier (Lin Shaye), who has become a recluse following the death of her own husband and the fear of a vengeful spirit that wants to kill should she ever use her gift to venture out into the spirit world.  Elise warns Quinn that contacting the spirit world is dangerous because when you speak to one of the dead they all can hear you.  When Quinn is hit by a car and almost dies.  Instead she becomes bed ridden due her broken legs and is left at the mercy of her father (played by Dermot Mulroney).  The only problem is that upon almost dying she gets a glimpse of The Further (the realm between the Light and the Darkness) and an angry spirit The Man Who Can’t Breathe (an amazing Michael Reid MacKay) latches onto her and refuses to let her go.  Now Elise must conquer her fears in order to save Quinn from a fate worse than death.

For fans of the franchise this is a great way to give Elise (and Shaye) her due as she was a small character in the previous films.  This is a film about a woman trying to pick up the pieces of a broken life and find a way to overcome her fears to order to battle great evil.  Returning from the previous films is also Specs and Tucker (Whannell and Angus Sampson, respectfully) as Elise’s “sidekicks” and even her old friend Carl (Steve Coulter), from Chapter 2.  There are also many links to the previous two films (which should make fans really happy) but none of these take away from the enjoyment of this film for those that may not have seen the first two films.  This film stands on its own two feet in the same way as Underworld: Rise of the Lycans (2009) did for that franchise.

Now, this film may have lost some of its surprises due to it being the third film in the series but this does not diminish the fact that this is a strong film because all the performances are spot on (and it’s great to see Shaye given the opportunity to finally shine) and Whannell has learned a lot from Wan as the style between the films is consistent.  Fans should not be disappointed as this is a great way to see where the franchise goes from here.

Companion to “Conversations in Horror” - “My Favorite Evil Doll Films”

“My Favorite Evil Doll Films”

In the podcast “Conversations in Horror” hosts Ron McLellen and I look at different aspects of the horror genre in order to entertain and educate fans.  This article is a companion to the show as a means to touch upon things that the show doesn’t have time to.  Enjoy.

I decided that it was time to take a look at some of my favorite films that feature evil dolls.  Some of these films you may be very familiar with while others you may not be (which means you probably need to go out there and look them up).  If you listen to Episode #1002 then you will know that we touched upon some of these films but I will enlighten you even more. 

The film that got me most interested in evil dolls was Child’s Play (1988).  It had a profound effect on me as a child, so much that the franchise was and still remains one of my all-time favorites about Halloween, Friday the 13^th, and Texas Chainsaw Massacre.  The idea of using voodoo to become one with a doll and to continue killing people and manipulating a child terrified and fascinated me as a child.  It lead to my searching out other evil dolls especially Charles Band’s Puppetmaster (1989), which had some of the coolest dolls ever committed to film.  Chucky may have been the most terrifying doll there was but Band’s group of misfit and misunderstood dolls were among the most entertaining.  I still love all the films in the franchise and eagerly await a new film whenever they are released.

I think Charles Band and Full Moon Entertainment (and his various other companies) had the greatest effect on me growing up as a child because of the Puppet Master franchise and Demonic Toys (1992) and its various sequels.  Whereas the puppets of the Puppet Master franchise could be seen as good those in Demonic Toys were all bad which made them even more fun.  If there is one thing that Full Moon Entertainment does well, it is doll movies - others include Doll Graveyard (1995) and Dangerous Worry Dolls (2008), among many more.  One of the highlights of the Band produced films is Stuart Gordon’s Dolls (1987).  This is a superb film that’s over shadowed by Gordon’s other major works but no less a classic on its own.  I love this film.

Another one of my all-time favorites from this same time period is Dolly Dearest (1991), a largely ignored and forgotten film that doesn’t really have anything new to say but have always been an entertaining film.  It has not aged as well as some of the others but its slightly darker tone doesn’t come off nearly as campy as the Band produced films.  Another film in this same camp is the psychological thriller Pinocchio’s Revenge (1996), another largely forgotten film yet one that I really loved when it came out.  I’ve always had a fascination with doll films since the original Child’s Play and therefore any film featuring a doll was always high on my list.

Of a more adult vein is the Anthony Hopkins starring Magic (1978).  This is a classic psychological thriller that’s more of a character breakdown through the eyes of a ventriloquist who lets his fractured mind take over.  This is successful due to Hopkins’ powerful performance and descent into madness.  A mind not to be missed or forgotten.

Dolls continue to have a profound effect of children in the Tobe Hooper classic Poltergeist (1982) which is not a doll movie per say but it is most infamously remembered because of the clown doll that seems to have a will of its own.  This is not just a terrifying clown but a horrifying doll as well.  Makes you never want to have another doll around the house ever again.

Even more terrifying is the Zuni doll from Trilogy of Terror (1975) and its sequel of which most audiences remember the vengeful Zuni doll more than anything else in the film.  It overwhelms the narrative and ends the anthology film on a high note.  

More recent is the film Dead Silence (2007) which I thought was an amazing film overlooked by the fact that it is indeed a killer doll movie.  I love the atmosphere and the story and the look of this film.  It is written by Leigh Whannell and James Wan who had already created the creepy Billy doll in the Saw films but went one step further for this film.  They would go even one step further with their film The Conjuring (2013) which introduced the terrifying Annabelle doll (which would be the subject of her own film in 2014).

Dolls can be for good but more often than not they are the harbingers of evil (or that is there main function in horror films).  I’m not particularly afraid or scared of dolls and doll films simply interest and entertain me.  Love them or hate them evil dolls are here to stay.  I’m sure we’ll see more of them in the near future (especially in the Poltergeist remake to be released this year) but until then I suggest you seek out these films when you need something to take the edge off one night.

To watch the episode of “Conversations in Horror” go here –

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ypOa_wliFEI

Short Film Review: TORTURE PORN (2008)

Writer/director Patrick Rea’s Torture Porn (2008) is a send up to one of the horror genre’s most infamous sub-genres.  Borrowing from both James Wan & Leigh Whannell’s Saw (2004) and Eli Roth’s Hostel (2005), Rea’s film doesn’t seem like it brings anything new to the genre until you realize that it’s a total send-up to the genre.  A Man has many instruments of torture at his disposal to put to use on a young man who is bound and gagged in front of him.  This Man is in for more than he bargained for when the bound man doesn’t seem to react to being tortured and has his own secret that will come to bare.  Revealing any more would be giving away the secret to why the film is so good but rest assured this is one torture porn flick that anyone can enjoy. 

The film is produced by Rea and Ryan S. Jones and Josh Robinson and the team does a great job at producing a very high production value short film that takes place all in a single room.  This is achieved through director of photography Hanuman Brown-Eagle and Julian Bickford’s music (which is very much inspired by Charlie Clouser’s music from Saw).  The look and sound are very much like a normal torture porn flick only twisted and made funnier.

There is just the right amount of hokey gore thrown in to help sell the film which never takes itself too seriously or too outrageous.  It’s a delicate balance that pays off really well.  Rea and company have crafted one of the best parodies of the genre that is not to be missed.

You can view the film Torture Porn now at FearNet.com - http://www.fearnet.com/shorts/torture-porn

HORROR UPDATE AT THE BOX OFFICE 2013!

October is usually one of the more active months for horror film releases and now that it has finally come and gone we should take a look at how the horror genre is faring in 2013.  It should be noted that this October was a very light month for horror which only had the release of the high profile Carrie (2013) remake since this will be the first year within the last four that a Paranormal Activity film has not been released (it should be noted that Paranormal Activity 5 will be back next October along with the spin-off The Marked Ones in early 2014). 

THE BEST.

Zombies are the tops both at the Box Office and on the small screen (with the ever growing success of The Walking Dead).  World War Z managed to be the highest grossing horror film of the year so far with over $202.4 million in its coffers.  This is terrific for the horror genre as it proves that horror films can have mainstream success.  Now I know there are many of you out there who still can’t get over the fact that this film has almost absolutely nothing to do with its literary source material but you have to hand it to Brad Pitt and the film makers that they did deliver a pulse pounding action and suspense filled zombie film.  Regardless of your opinions on the film it was a massive success both domestically and abroad (another $337.6 million) guaranteeing a sequel to be in the works.

Next up is the one-two punch from director James Wan with The Conjuring and Insidious Chapter 2 ($137.4 and $83.1 million, respectfully).  He delivered one of the biggest word of mouth successes of the year with The Conjuring.  This haunted house film based on a true story was one of the big success stories of the year both at the domestic and foreign box office (worldwide gross at $316.7).  Insidious Chapter 2 took what was popular with the first film and expanded upon it delivering a sequel that grossed more than the first one.  It is hard to produce a successful horror sequel (just look at the dismal returns of The Last Exorcism Part 2 and Texas Chainsaw 3D) but there is no denying the popularity of this franchise with audiences.

Pacific Rim was neither a huge hit nor a failure with its $101.8 domestic haul.  It was a film designed to play better at the foreign box office which is did in spades (another $305.8 million foreign).  It was a huge success overseas but here in the states the film was a well received (and reviewed) oddity similar to director Guillermo del Toro’s Hellboy films. 

Next up are a few sleeper hits which really mean films that weren’t expected to do well but surpassed expectations – Mama, Warm Bodies, and The Purge.  Mama was an early 2013 surprise hit taking in $71.6 million.  This film (produced by Guillermo del Toro) came out of nowhere and got great word of mouth and played very well to audiences in the early part of the year.  Warm Bodies became one of the few YA films to actual find an audience with a haul of $66.4 million.  It also played well overseas (another $50.6 million foreign) proving that zombies, whether they be the fast moving kind of World War Z or the romantic kind of this film, dominate the box office and audiences can’t get enough.  It also helps that the film was actually good and word of mouth helped it find its audience.  The Purge ended up being this year’s over achiever with a budget of $3 million yet it grossed over $64 million.  These are great numbers from a financial point but audiences were a little disappointed by the film and word of mouth for this film was not so great.  The investment for the film was indeed a great thing and a sequel is in the works so let’s hope that the next film actually delivers the goods.

Further down the list is Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters which grossed a so-so $55.7 million (but another $170 million foreign) which is nothing to brag about considering how much the film cost $50 million to produce but what should be noted is the fact that this film was one of the most entertaining films of the year made for a cult audience.  It may not have found its audience at the box office but it will as a cult movie.

The remake of Evil Dead is also a minor success story with $54.2 million (against a $17 million production budget) as it was a remake that was both a financial and critical success.  Dropping the horror-comedy trappings of the original franchise this remake decided to go for broke as a dead serious gore filled horror extravaganza that also happened to be well written, acted, and directed.  This will be remembered as one of the best remakes of the decade.

The re-release of Jurassic Park in 3D added another $45.4 million to its gross making it one of the more successful 3D re-releases (with an accumulated gross over time of $1.03 billion worldwide).  In a declining 3D marketplace it’s good to know that there are still a few films out there worth paying the extra few dollars for the upgrade and you can’t go wrong with this classic.

That concludes our list of the Top 10 grossing horror films of the year but let’s take a few moments to look at a few of the other films.

ALL THE REST.

Riddick, the third part of the Riddick saga, didn’t fare as well as expected with $42.03 million but it wasn’t as disliked as the previous film and it did return the character back to his roots.  It also did so-so compare to its actual production cost which was a meager $38 million (ending its theatrical run with $93.6 worldwide). 

  

A Haunted House was a huge low budget success story with $40.04 million (against a  $2.5 million budget) and a sequel is already in the works for 2014 proving that you can’t keep a good parody down.  The same cannot be said for Scary Movie 5 which is the lowest grossing in the franchise with an anemic $32.01 million.

Sequels also did not do so well as Texas Chainsaw 3D started well opening at number one at the box office with $21.7 million but then audience indifference only allowed the film to end its run with a meager $34.3 million.  The Last Exorcism Part 2 also did horrible at the box office with a non-existent $15.2 million (with a budget of $5 million).  The first film really should have been the first, only, and last.

R.I.P.D. was D.O.A. with only $33.6 million making it one of the biggest box office duds of the year (production budget at $130 million).  Also, the festival favorite You’re Next could not find its audience grabbing only a meager $18.5 million.  This was one of the few well received horror films that just could not catch a break (it sat on the studio shelf for two years).  Dark Skies was also non-existent at the box office never finding its audience with a so-so $17.4 million but since the film cost only a little over $3.5 million to produce it didn’t hurt as much.

With Carrie being the last horror film released this year thus far (at only approximately $34.5 million) it’s hard to determine the tastes of audiences as the success stories are so independent of one another.  Zombie films and any movie directed by James Wan were “in” while sequels were definitely “out”.  There were so many different types of films to choose from that it seemed like most audiences just waited for word of mouth to tell them what movies to go see.  It just goes to show you that the horror genre is far from predictable and that 2014 will be open season for everything to start all over again.

All info about film grosses and budgets were obtained from Box Office Mojo (www.boxofficemojo.com).