Film Review: YUMMY (2019)

From Belgium comes the extreme zombie comedy Yummy (2019) and the way you look at plastic surgery will never be the same.  Alison (Maaike Neuville) and her mother are headed to an Eastern European hospital known for cheap plastic surgery.  Her boyfriend Michael (Bart Hollanders) is along for the ride to make sure of her safety.  It seems that Alison wants a breast reduction since she’s very self-conscious of her bosom and hates the look and stares that people have given her, her entire life.  Her mother, on the other hand is just going to have yet another little something fixed on her.

 

Immediately when the three reach the hospital, Michael is uneasy due to the shabbiness of the facility and the lack of professionalism and cleanliness as he dropped out of medical school but still knows what “should” happen.  While Alison is being prepped for surgery, Michael and a hospital worker just looking for a place to smoke up discover a secret lab where a patient is tied up.  Michael thinks the woman needs help and releases her but not before discovering that her entire mouth is missing.  

 

Unbeknownst to Michael, he has released a patient that had some secret skin grafting down to her that made her one of the undead.  As Michael tries to find Alison and get her to safety, the hospital is soon overrun by the undead.  Now Alison and Michael must find a way out of the hospital with a small group of other patients and doctors before the undead escape.

 

So, if you enjoy Peter Jackson’s Braindead or Sam Raimi’s Evil Dead 2 then this film is definitely for you.  It is an extreme gore filled comedy horror film with heart yet entertains and is anchored by two strong lead actors but also a huge supporting cast of “characters” that make a lot of the shenanigans seem fresh and original (even when sometimes they are not).  This is a great addition to the zombie films that came before it and I hope more people get to see this film as Belgium has a lot to offer the horror genre.

RANTS & RAVINGS ABOUT HORROR – “HOW RESIDENT EVIL: THE FINAL CHAPTER BECAME ONE OF THE HIGHEST GROSSING HORROR FILMS OF THE YEAR!”

RANTS & RAVINGS ABOUT HORROR – “HOW RESIDENT EVIL: THE FINAL CHAPTER BECAME ONE OF THE HIGHEST GROSSING HORROR FILMS OF THE YEAR!”

It may come as a shock to many people (even horror fans) but Resident Evil: The Final Chapter (2017) became one of the highest grossing traditional horror films of 2017 (with the exception of the monster hit remake of Stephen King’s It).  With $312.2 million at the Worldwide Box Office the final chapter in the long running zombie-action-horror franchise comes to a satisfying conclusion.  This film is the highest grossing of all the others in the franchise proving the extreme popularity of the films with fans of the actual game and general horror fans (and franchise star Milla Jovovich).

 

With this closing chapter writer/director Paul W.S. Anderson went back to basics in terms of style with the grittier action sequences and look of the zombies and monsters; he strayed from the more colorful visual palette of the past two films to return the franchise to the roots of the look of the original film.  Despite some questionable story elements, the film does a fantastic job putting all the pieces of the franchise together into a complete puzzle which fans, who have stuck through the duration of the films, will appreciate.  This is one of those few horror franchises where the same person has hung in there with each of the films till the end.  Anderson may not have directed all the films (just the original and the last three) but he has written them all and was producer for all of them over the course of fifteen years!  Some of the only other franchises to have a similar track record is writer/producer/director Don Coscarelli with the Phantasm franchise (37 years), writer/director Victor Salva and Jeepers Creepers films (17 years), writer/director Don Mancini with the Child’s Play franchise (29 years), writer/producer/director Sam Raimi and producer Rob Tapert with the Evil Dead films & television series (34 years) and writer/actor/director Leigh Whannell with the Insidious films (7 years), to name a very few.

 RE fans and general audiences have enjoyed watching the journey of the main character Alice (Jovovich) or “Project Alice” as she is also called in the films.  She has changed and developed from film to film gaining and loosing friends and allies on her quest to stop the Umbrella Corporation from destroying all of humanity on Earth.  The franchise has become one of the most ambitious horror franchises in history with characters from all over the world interacting in this zombie infested world.  The franchise has not only showcased some amazing fight choreography and action sequences but delivered the goods when it comes to the numerous monsters on display and death throughout.  Very few long running horror franchises have been able to have a protagonist as engaging and dynamic as Jovovich’s Alice and that is a testament to the commitment of the actor to the character and the Anderson’s writing to continue to test the character with new obstacles.

In terms of Box Office, all the films have grossed over $100 million at the Worldwide Box Office with the distinct oddity of The Final Chapter being the lowest growing Domestically (whereas Afterlife (2010) has the highest Domestic gross of the franchise with $60 million).  Obviously, the franchise is more of an International Box Office phenom then a domestic one.  By the time The Final Chapter was released earlier this year, interest in the franchise here was gone; only the die-hard fans came out to see how the franchise would finally end.  Internationally, the film did extremely well with over $285 million (a franchise best)!  With these numbers, even though the current run of Anderson films has come to an end, there is already talk of rebooting the franchise and starting over.  It should also be noted that the third film in the animated franchise Vendetta (2017) was also released this year (but Anderson has nothing to do with the animated films that stay more faithful to the games).

I don’t particularly like all the films in the franchise myself.  I still love the original film which is straight forward and retains the simplicity of an action-horror film that showcased both Jovovich and Michelle Rodriguez’ talents for kicking ass and looking good while doing it.  I hated the Apocalypse (2004) as the cast was not nearly as strong as the original but it did add Oded Fehr and Jared Harris to the otherwise forgettable cast and I never liked the look of Nemesis.  They were back in form with Extinction (2007) but I think it’s because director Russell Mulcahy gives the film a great visual look and style with the desert looking apocalypse landscape (he did, after all, direct Highlander, Tale of the Mummy, and Resurrection, to name a few) and they added Ali Larter to the franchise (one of the great additions).  Anderson returns behind the camera with Afterlife (2010) which is the first to film in 3-D (with the same cameras used for James Cameron’s Avatar); all subsequent films would also get the 3-D treatment (I should know as I saw them all in 3-D on opening weekend).  Afterlife would bring new life into the franchise with its bolder color palette and more balletic fight choreography as the fights would become even more dynamic then in previous films.  Anderson’s cinematography would be the best here than in any of the previous films as the film took the strengths of the previous films and amplify them more.  Retribution (2012) would be a step down (in my opinion) as it focused more on the action sequences and less on the story as the whole film didn’t really seem to go anywhere as if it was a filler film for the next impending film (needless to say, Box Office for this film would dwindle tremendously from the previous film which became the franchise high domestically).  The tepid Box Office and audience response to this film meant that it was time to call it quits and thus The Final Chapter was released with a whimper domestically but to enthusiastic response Internationally.  This is one of the stronger films in terms of the actual story and plot as you see a lot of the stories of characters you’ve come to know finally come to a satisfying end.

 

In terms of longevity and profitability, the RE franchise is one of the most successful despite the quality of some of the films which is typical of any franchise that’s run through six films (and three animated films) over the course of 15 years.  Anderson was able to have actors come and go throughout the run of the series keeping continuity and consistency which is also rare with horror franchises (or any franchise).

I’ve always been a huge fan of the films and will continue to be one even when the franchise is finally rebooted for the next generation.  This was a franchise by and from fans to and for the fans and that is a rare thing indeed.

Film Review: WITCHERY (1988)

Fabrizio Laurenti (as Martin Newlin) directs Witchery (1988) which was released in Italy as La Casa 4.  For those of you that didn’t know, The Evil Dead and Evil Dead 2 were released in Italy as La Casa and La Casa 2, respectfully.  This film was released as an unofficial sequel to those hit films to capitalize on their popularity.  Ghost House (1988) was released in Italy as La Casa 3 and this film was the next in line for the series.  Neither of these films have anything to do with the popular Sam Raimi films or each other. 

A rich family venture off to an island in   There is also a photography couple looking to discover the truth about the witches and the history of the hotel and they all get stranded on the island during a storm.  Now, waiting for the day to break them each come face to face with the nightmares of the building that begins to take them one by one.

Massachusetts to buy an abandoned hotel only to discover that the former resident is still living their but as a witch who wants to see them all dead.

The film has its moments including starring turns from Linda Blair and David Hasselhoff and despite it being a very predictable horror film the witch elements make it more interesting.  The film is not so much a slow burn but the decaying of each of the ensemble of characters as you watch them become distanced from one another as they die one by one.

The film will satisfy fans of ‘80s Italian productions but audiences who don’t realize the genre (and country) of the film won’t be able to appreciate the film for what it is.

Film Review: GHOST HOUSE (1988)

Umberto Lenzi (as Humphry Humbert) directs the haunted house thrilled Ghost House (1998) which for Italian audiences was known as La Casa 3 or an unofficial sequel to Sam Raimi’s Evil Dead films.  For those of you that didn’t know, The Evil Dead and Evil Dead 2 were re-titled La Casa and La Casa 2, respectfully, when released in Italy so many audiences know this film as a sequel to those films.  This film has nothing to do with those films and if you were expecting something in their style then you’ll be sadly remiss.

Instead, this film deals with a group of people drawn to a mysterious house because of a radio signal.  Once at the house the group begin to see and experience haunting imagery tied to a little girl and her evil doll.  AS each of them fined themselves alone in the house they meet a deadly demise and time is running out for them to discover the true history of the house and why each of them were drawn there.

Unless you’re a Lenzi fan then there is very little to recommend this film.  It’s very tame even for one of his films and unfortunately time has not been kind to it as it has dates pretty badly.  This being said, the film is typical Lenzi and there are some haunting images that Lenzi will immediately recognize.

Film Review: INVALUABLE: THE TRUE STORY OF AN EPIC ARTIST (2014)

There are few films that highlight special FX artist which makes the documentary Invaluable: The Story of an Epic Artist (2014) such a special treat.  Director Ryan Meade has crafted an elegant love letter to artist Tim Sullivan who was the man behind the horrifying creations seen in Sam Raimi’s Evil Dead films.   Meade has cobbled together an impressive collection of interviews from various associates of Sullivan’s from the Evil Dead films to give an honest look at not only a talented artist but a unique group of indie films from dedicated friends and film makers. 

What’s most impressive about the film is the fact that Meade has managed to interview Sullivan at conventions, at original locations of the films, at his own studio and a wide variety of other areas.  Meade’s also managed to get a great many interviews with such names as Bruce Campbell, Ellen Sanweiss, Betsy Baker, Ted Raimi, Scott Spiegel and Robert Kurtzman, to name a few.  Although Sullivan rarely works in film today, his artwork can still be seen all over the place as he continues to work.    The film not only delves into Sullivan’s past, but looks at his present through his convention visits and continue adoration from fans everywhere.

Meade even gets a look at some of the original props used in the films which have rarely seen the light of day outside of the films.  Meade has a way of not only crafting a love letter for horror fans but also an in depth look into an influential artist whose work still intrigues and fascinates to this day.  This is a well done film that both horror fans and general artists can enjoy.