Film Review: RED EYE (2005)

From South Korea comes the haunting thriller Red Eye (2005) from director Dong-bin Kim, who directed The Ring Virus (1999) and The Sleepless (2012).  In this haunting ghost film Mi-sun (Shin-yeong Jang) is a new railroad attendant who is working the night shift when on an overnight trip through Korea she starts having strange feelings and soon she starts seeing things and people who can’t possibly be there.  When she starts to investigate she learns that the train she is on was involved in a horrible crash sixteen years ago in which 100 people were killed.  Now, as the night looms on Mi-sun must discover the truth about what happened sixteen years ago as well as what is happening on her train now before it reaches its final destination of the night.

For fans of haunted and ghost films this film may be a little too tame as it relies more on drama than actual thrills and suspense.  It is not a film designed to scare audiences directly but it is designed to create mood and atmosphere especially considering the single location.  Dong-bin does an excellent job with the cast as they all give equally captivating performances but sometimes I feel as though they didn’t have much to do as the second act seems too long.  It is in the third act that the film really hits its stride so if you can handle the long journey, the payoff will come.

For those who have already seen too many haunted/ghost films in this ‘00s cycle then there is little here that will be of interest.

Film Review: THE HOUSE WHERE EVIL DWELLS (1982)

Cultural ghost stories are always interesting as they try to meld two different cultures into a seamless ghost story that entertains and does justice to both cultures.  The House Where Evil Dwells (1982) is one of these films that manages to be both an entertaining ghost story and the story of an American family being terrorized by a three Japanese ghost.  The Fletcher family have moved into the perfect Japanese home not knowing that it is the place where a samurai warrior killed his wife and her lover before taking his own life.  Soon the Fletchers begin to find themselves being possessed by the Japanese spirits as they relive the moments of the spirits’ lives before they died which leads them on a deadly course that may have them reliving the fate of what happened to the Japanese spirits.

Edward Albert and Susan George star as husband and wife Fletcher whose fates lie in whether or not they can break free of the Japanese ghost before it is too late.  Directed by Kevin Connor (who directed Motel Hell) the film is a character driven ghost story as you watch a seemingly perfect family decay under the influence of jealous ghosts.   It’s a slow, yet deliberately paced film that still holds up thirty years later.  Albert and George are especially good as the perfect couple whose lives fall apart due to the influence of ghosts.

Although it might seem passé for some audiences looking for more shock value in their horror films this is a moody and atmospheric ghost story that gets under the skin without peeling it away and showing all the veins underneath.

Film Review: LAST SHIFT (2014)

I really enjoyed director Anthony DiBlasi’s adaptation of Clive Barker’s Dread (2009) so I was intrigued for the film Last Shift (2014).  Written by DiBlasi and Scott Poiley the film follows the first day of rookie police officer Jessica Loren (Juliana Harkavy) during the last night of a police precinct set to shut its doors permanently.  By herself at the station, she gets a mysterious phone call from a girl claiming to need help but with no support staff she doesn’t know how she can help.  She also starts to see things and a homeless man seems to be able to get in and out of the station despite all the doors being locked.  Soon she begins to realize that everything is not what it seems to be. 

Harkavy is an extremely capable actress who holds her own throughout the film very well.  DiBlasi’s direction is also key to keeping audiences on edge throughout since the film is almost exclusively on Harkavy’s shoulders.  I’m the first to admit I’m not a fan of the “jump scare” and this film is filled with them.  It actually is a crutch for the film as by the halfway mark it seems like that is the only way the film knows how to unnerve the audience and it becomes repetitive really fast.  

The film wants to shock and awe but it lacks any real suspense.  Harkavy does a good job keeping the film moving forward but the biggest trick is not boring the audience as they slowly learn the truth about the police station as her character does.  The film isn’t the best of its kind but it does have great make-up FX and a brilliant score that is creepy and fits well with the film.

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.