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: LEPRECHAUN: BACK 2 THA HOOD (2003)

I’m getting around to reviewing this film now only because this happens to be the only one in the never-ending franchise that I had never seen (until now).  There is not much that can be said about Leprechaun: Back 2 Tha Hood (2003) but I’ll try anyways.  I never really cared for any of the films in the original franchise.  I think the original was very fun and successful only because of actor Warwick Davis as the Leprechaun character.  This can be said of all the films in the franchise including this film and if you’ve seen them all (as I now have) it’s because Davis seems to have so much fun playing the character despite how horrible the films actually are. 

In this film Emily (Tangi Miller) has been told by a psychic that she will come into money which is what she really needs living in the ghetto and her rundown neighborhood filled with crime and gangs.  When she comes across a pot of gold she believes that her fortunes have changed for the better not realizing that the gold belongs to the mythical Leprechaun (Davis) who will stop at nothing to get all his gold back, now Emily and her friends must film a way to rid themselves of the evil Leprechaun while also finding a way to keep the gold as they don’t want to return to the way of life before the good fortune of the gold.

This film is not entirely bad as it does give a better back story to Emily and her conflicted life living in a poor world consumed by compromise upon compromise.  She wants a way out of her old life and sees an easy out.  Miller is also one of the better actors in the entire Leprechaun franchise and Davis is at home in his character.  This being said, the film still has many flaws and will only really appeal to fans of the franchise who have managed to stick through to the bitter end (this being the final film in the Davis franchise).

RANTS & RAVINGS ABOUT HORROR - “A Look at the PARANORMAL ACTIVITY Franchise”

 “A Look at the PARANORMAL ACTIVITY Franchise”

With the release of Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension (2015) a franchise with six entries finally comes to an end unfortunately more with a whimper than a bang.  When Paranormal Activity (2007) was first given a wide release in 2009 it stole the thunder at the Box Office from Saw VI, a franchise which had dominated the month of October for the previous five years.  

There was a lot of hype for the original Paranormal Activity as it was a low budget film that almost never got a theatrical release if not for the slow roll out to colleges first before catching lightening in a bottle with mainstream audiences.  It was a simple story about a couple who start to experience strange things in their home.  When the man starts to film more of the strange paranormal events he gets closer to realizing the truth.  A truth that he will wish he had never known.  The film was a surprise success not due to any star power or major SFX or even a complicated script.  In fact, it was simplistic in terms of script but it created a lot of suspense and kept audiences on the edge of its seat.  A found footage film hadn’t had this much of an effect on audiences since The Blair Witch Project (1999) but unlike that franchise (which was dead on arrival with the second film), the producers of the Paranormal Activity franchise found a way to expand upon their world in a satisfying way for audiences.

I personally didn’t think that there was much to the original Paranormal Activity film.  To a long time horror fan such as myself this wasn’t even nearly as entertaining or memorable as The Blair Witch Project but what it did have was presence.  I saw this film on opening night in a sold out theater after general audiences got wind of the film.  It was amazing to see and hear the audiences’ reactions to the film which was suspenseful despite being very low key and horrifying without any blood or gore.  It was a film about real people facing the unknown and that’s what audiences gravitated to – the possibility that this could really happen to anyone.  With the overwhelming success of this film a  franchise was born!

Paranormal Activity 2 (2010) did something unbelievable.  It decided to tell a story parallel to the first film but from the perspective of the sister of the first film who experiences her own paranormal occurrence.   For those audiences that saw the original ending to the original film (before it was changed to create a more marketable film) there was never an intension for any sequels but you can’t keep a money making franchise down.  With an “actual” budget this time around this film crafted a story that adds to the first film while also opening up a bigger mythology that answered just as many questions that it asked.  Another thing that worked out extremely well was the cliffhanger ending that appeased audiences while also keeping them wanting more.  

I didn’t really care for this film either but again I saw this film on opening night with a packed audience who ate this film up.  When this film was released it was just before Saw 3D (aka The Final Chapter) which again would be buried under the dirt.  This was a successful film that broke expectations (especially those thinking this would be just another case of Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2).  What I loved about this film and the previous film was the way in which it was world building.  Due to the success of the Saw franchise which extended the story by linking back to previous films and characters with each subsequent film, the Paranormal Activity films were doing the exact same thing and they were doing it well.  For a franchise that I didn’t really care anything about, it sure had me hooked.  I also liked the way that they decided to use security cameras to tell the story which was very creative and this aesthetic would place a bigger part in latter films.

It was with Paranormal Activity 3 (2011) that I (finally) became a fan of the franchise and would forever be hooked.  This film played as a prequel to show the sisters of the original films as young girls who are first introduced into the world of the paranormal.  To me, choosing the girls as children to be the main focus of the film brought some welcomed freshness to the franchise and a much needed added suspense since innocent children in danger is always a good way to get audiences invested in the characters and the story.  I think this film is the point at which the franchise hits its highest mark and so did mainstream audiences as this would become the highest grossing of all the films in the franchise.  This film had all the suspense of the previous films but by corrupting the innocence of children it made it more potent as a horror film.  

It is at this point that I started to recommend the franchise to other horror fans.  For most of my friends the first two films in the franchise were pretty tame and not as memorable as say Cannibal Holocaust (1980) or Man Bites Dog (1992) or even Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon (2006) in terms of found footage films but with this third film I had a reason to tell people to look out for this franchise because this was a film I would recommend to anyone.

Paranormal Activity 4 (2012) is a step down from the previous film for no other reason that it had a lot to live up to coming from the high water mark of the previous film.  This film actually follows a new family and steps away from the main family from the previous three films (which is now only in the background).  This may have been a mistake but it was a needed one in order to open up the world that was continuing to be built.  A bigger mistake was using teenagers as the main characters for the film.  Unfortunately, that is the mistake of most horror films which is using teenagers as the protagonists which is a cliché and these films have never been a cliché, until now.  Audiences agreed and did not come out for this outing.  This film barely grossed $54 million domestically whereas the previous films had grossed $107, $84.8, and $104 million, respectfully.  This was a huge drop but because the production budget was only $5 million (and the film grossed 0ver $89 million internationally) it turned a profit and the franchise was still alive, especially since two more films had already been green lit.

The next film in the franchise is the first spin-off with Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones (2014).  A much different film as it explores demonic possession from a completely different area.  It has been hinted at in the previous films but here it is front and center.  Another added bonus is the fact that this is the first film to put the camera in the hands of the main characters and it explores more locations.  The previous film used laptop cameras which the main character moved around but this film really puts it in the characters hands adding a new dimension to the franchise.  This film really tries to establish itself from the previous films and does a unique job of it by adding more of a supernatural element to the main character and opens the doors for unspeakable possibilities.  

Like the original film, there is a lot of world building in this film but what I really love about this film is how it ends which somehow links up with the previous films in a franchise.  I’d tell you but then it would be ruining one of the best parts of this film.

I think this film is a mixed bag for fans of the franchise.  Friends of mine who may have seen the previous films skipped over this one altogether while others have seen this film but not necessarily all of the others.  This is a film that can stand on its own despite the way in which it links up to all the previous films in the series.  This can only be said of the original film and Part 3.  This film is the lowest grossing at this point and it has become obvious that audiences are now losing faith with the franchise.  This film was released in January unlike all the other films that were released in October.  This was mainly because Part 5 was to be released in October but due to the lackluster response of this film the next “official” film in the saga would be pushed back a year. 

Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension may not have originally been designed as to be the last in the franchise (especially if the previous film had been a huge hit) but if you’re going to end a franchise try to do so in a big way, so, this film would be the first to get the digital 3-D upgrade and actually bring the story to an end, which really means that audiences would finally get know who and what the infamous Toby is.  You can’t draw out a franchise for too long and this franchise was releasing one a year for up to six years (Saw did so for seven years before it).  It also didn’t help that the found footage genre was over saturated.  I personally loved the idea of having a “ghost” camera in the film to be a new element in telling the story and even though the film ends the story in regards to Toby there are so many other elements left unanswered.  It’s not as satisfying an ending to the franchise as Saw 3D was to that franchise.  This film feels like just another sequel and part of an ever expanding story.

There are many reasons why this film did not do well at the Box office and was quickly forgotten chief among them being that the film had a limited release that was simultaneous with its VOD release (so many theaters refused to carry the film).  The marketing campaign was not as strong as with previous films and neither found footage nor 3D are ways to sell the film.  Without a unique hook to get people into the seats the only people this film was going to appeal to were the fans which would go see the film regardless of the gimmicks used to produce and sell the film.

I like found footage films.  I like the genre and 2015 had many such releases with The Gallows, The Visit, and Unfriended, to name a few.  It is not a genre mainstream audience even care for anymore due to the glut of films over the last few years that have disappointed.  This being said, it’s a shame that despite six official films (and the unofficial Paranormal Activity: Tokyo Night which has not had an official US release as yet) this is a franchise that will disappear with a whimper instead of a bang which is not the way this franchise should be remembered.

“Rants & Ravings About Horror” - Week 3

Week 3: “The Horror Franchise”

There is no other genre that relies as heavily on the franchise and/or sequel like horror films do.  The history of the genre is littered with franchises such as Universal Studios original Dracula, The Wolfman, and The Mummy.   Sequels carried on the studio’s legacy with the characters and gave audiences more adventures and stories of their favorite monsters.  When Hammer Studios took up the mantle in the ‘60s and ‘70s they crafted new and colorful stories with these same monsters whetting the appetites of eager horror fans.  Then of course all bets were off in the ‘80s and ‘90s as the slasher boom became the poster-child for franchise as numerous horror franchises were born and transformed the way in which studios marketed and sold horror films which continues (unfortunately) to this day.

I mention this because the horror franchise is one of the reasons most of us love horror or were first introduced to it.  One of my earliest obsessions was the Halloween franchise.  I was a huge Michael Myers fan from the beginning and growing up I watched all the films religiously every year (which is one of the reasons why I can no longer watch the films).  My other favorite was the Child’s Play films, which I still watch to this day.  It’s been wenty-five years and the franchise is still going strong mainly because writer (and now director) Don Mancini has been there since the beginning allowing the franchise to change and evolve with each new generation.   

Other more important franchises include A Nightmare on Elm Street, Resident Evil, Friday the 13^th, Hellraiser, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Scream, the Hannibal Lector films, Saw, The Evil Dead, Final Destination, Aliens, Predator, Paranormal Activity, Jaws, Poltergeist, The Amityville Horror, The Omen, The Exorcist, Puppet Masters, Ginger Snaps, Subspecies, Cube, Hatchet, Feast, The Grudge, Psycho, Phantasm, V/H/S, Candyman, The Prophecy, and Return of the Living Dead, to name a small few.  The less important or more cult franchises include Basket Case, Prom Night, The Howling, Critters, Ghoulies, The Re-Animator, House, Creepshow, Pumpkinhead, The Crow, The Mangler, Children of the Corn, Watchers, Mirror, Mirror, The Stepford Wives, Hostel, Cabin Fever,  Leprechaun, and Silent Night, Deadly Night, to name a few (too).  In addition to these, there are the failed franchises which only made it to a second film such as C.H.U.D., 976-Evil, 30 Days of Night, The Gate, Alligator, the first remake of King Kong films, The Gate, Demons, The Collector/The Collection, Pet Semetary, Salem’s Lot, Trilogy of Terror, The Last Exorcism, Piranha, Mirrors, Willard/Ben, An American Werewolf in London/Paris, The Descent, Witchboard,  Night of the Demons, Fright Night (both original and remakes), American Psycho, Rosemary’s Baby, The Blair Witch Project, The Ring (although a new sequel is in pre-pre-production), and Carrie, to name a few.

This may be a lot of horror franchises but this is still just a small sampling.  The reason why so many sequels were produced (many more ill-conceived) is because horror films have always been big business for studios - low cost and big profits.  Even though many of the sequels went straight to video (video was booming in the ‘80s and ‘90s and also contributed to the proliferation of the horror franchise) there were always franchises that remained on the big screen and endured because audiences couldn’t get enough of them no matter how mundane and repetitive the sequels got.  

Films that killed franchises or “jumped the shark” were plentiful and took the franchise into ludicrous territory alienating even die-hard fans.  Films like Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday, Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare, Return of Texas Chainsaw Massacre (aka Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation), C.H.U.D. 2: Bud for C.H.U.D., The Stepford Husbands, Hellraiser: Revelations, Jaws: The Revenge, Candyman: Day of the Dead, The Rage: Carrie 2, Look What Happened to Rosemary’s Baby, Piranha 3DD, King Kong Lives, Critters 4: In Space, Leprechaun: Back 2 the Hood, American Psycho 2, and Blair Witch 2: Book of Shadows, to name a few.

The horror film and most importantly the horror fan relish the continuing adventures of their favorite monsters.  It is rare that a franchise hinges on a heroine.  The names Pinhead, Chucky, Michael Myers, Jason Voorhees, Candyman, Norman Bates, Hannibal Lector, Leatherface, Jigsaw, The Tall Man, Herbert West, Damian, Fred Kruger, and Ghostface are what draw audiences in from one film to the next regardless of the quality of each subsequent film.  I love the Child’s Play films because I’m a fan of Chucky (and I’ve even read the novelizations and comics as well).  I watch the Alien films because I love the aliens and how they change from film to film (and likewise I’ve read many of the books and comics as well).   The villains are the draw for these films as any fan can attest. 

Franchises are an important way for us fans to continue to enjoy some of our most (in)famous icons.  As long as we continue to watch and support these films then studios will continue to produce then.  This is not always a great thing as we’ve come to realize as sequels usually lose their punch and become more sanitized.  Not every film in a franchise can be gold.  Sometimes we have to settle for bronze but isn’t that better than having nothing at all?