Book Review: HORROR MOVIE FREAK by Don Summer

There are a thousand books out there that cover every facet of the horror film so why should you pick up Don Summer’s Horror Movie Freak?  Well, if you’re like me and you’ve already read those thousand other books then there is no reason to pick up this one as there is nothing new in this book that you haven’t already read before, but those new to the horror genre or don’t have a very large obsession with the genre but wanted to know more than Summer’s book is actually a very good starting point.  

 

Summer’s book is a very good primer for opening up the vocabulary for horror film enthusiasts as it covers a wide range of sub genres and time periods as well as foreign films and low budget oddities as well.  This is a well rounded book that strives to cover it all.  The chapters are broken up into easy to reference headings such as “Monsters,” “Asian Horror,” “Classics,” etc. Summers even opens the book with a chapter called “Why We Love Horror Movies” which goes a long way to explaining why audiences have continuously gravitated towards these films.  Within each chapter there is a list of notable films which are briefly plot detailed but more importantly explain why they are included in the book over other films.  This goes a long way in explaining why Summer includes some while not others although he does provide a list of notable mentions at the end.

The book doesn’t dismiss the age of the remake either as a chapter at the end is dedicated exclusively to all manner of the infamous remakes from the notable classics such as John Carpenter’s The Thing (1982) and Dawn of the Dead (2004) to the derided remakes of The Eye (2008) and Pulse (2006). Scream Queens are touched upon (or those women in horror who have made a lasting impact in the genre) as well as a special section entitled “Ten Days of Halloween,” which list the best films for horror fans to watch just before the best holiday of the year.

Each of the entries for the films is brief and a quick read followed by a huge collection of posters and productions stills from the film providing a very lavish book that every horror fan will cherish.  There is even a copy of George A. Romero’s original classic Night of the Living Dead (1968) on DVD at the back of the book.  This is a film that should be included in every one’s video collection (whether a horror fan or not).

All in all this book is a perfect jumping on point for new horror fans or those wanting to open up their horror film vocabulary while hard core fans will find little use for this book.  Thankfully, Summer keeps the book entertaining and fast paced so even if you are a hard core fan (such as myself) you may still come across something that you didn’t already know.

Film Review: EUROPA REPORT (2013)

Space exploration always makes for interesting film viewing despite how seldom it is ever done in a satisfactory way.  For every great horror film in space such as Event Horizon (1997) there is the less successful Apollo 18 (2011).  So now there is Europa Report (2013), a found footage styled suspense thriller about a team of international astronauts whose task it is to venture out to Europa, one of the moons of Jupiter, which holds the hope of having life unlike any other planet in our solar system.  It is no new news that Europa is a moon covered in ice and if there is to be any proof of alien life then it would be underneath the ice on this moon.  

The mission is to travel to Europa and drill into the ice in search of any sign of life.  Before they even arrive at the planet they meet technical difficulty which threatens the life of the entire crew.  There is more disaster and challenges that the crew must face once they reach Europa which includes landing in the wrong spot on the moon which threatens the success of the mission and the possible psychological unraveling of one of the crew members.  Europa presents many challenges to the crew especially when they final delve under the ice of the moon to discover something that may be the most dangerous thing they’ve ever encountered.

Told from the perspective of the ships many cameras and cameras mounted upon the suits of the astronauts the found footage style is actually very effective for this film.  This is one of the few films of this kind which is both suspenseful and thrilling and effective as a science fiction and exploration film.  Many times the found footage film suffers from having a great set up but a dreadful follow through in the third act but this film gets better and better from beginning to end.  Even for people who hate found footage films this is a film that I recommend as it does not succumb to the abysmal failings of inferior films of this sub genre.

Written by Philip Gelatt and directed by Sebastian Codero Europa Report is one of the better found footage films out there because of the strong script and director not to mention the better than expected ensemble cast.  Whether you like horror films or not, science fiction films or not, or found footage films or not Europa Report is a film that you will enjoy regardless.

Film Review: THE BARRENS (2012)

Director Darren Lynn Bousman is a highly underrated individual.  After making a splash with the sequels Saw II (2005), Saw III (2006) and Saw IV (2007) he ventured off on his own to do the cult favorite Repo! The Genetic Opera (2008).  This film was not particularly financially successful but it did prove to horror fans that he was a lover of the horror film.  His next couple films had it rough with the remake of Mother’s Day (2010), which sat on a studio shelf waiting for release, and 11-11-11: The Prophecy (2011), which had its own problems of being distributed by a smaller company than Bousman’s other films.  Despite the problems of Bousman’s post-Saw films he has not ceased to amaze as a horror director to continue to look out for especially in terms of one of his latest films The Barrens (2012), which deals with the legend of the Jersey Devil in a unique and captivating new way. 

Like 11-11-11: The Prophecy, Bousman handles both writing and directing duties and this film is his most accomplished film yet.  The film concerns Richard Vineyard (Stephen Moyer) who takes his wife Cynthia (Mia Kirshner) and their daughter and young son camping for two reasons.  Richard wants to spend some quality time with his family and he wants to dispose of his father’s ashes in the Pine Barrens in a spot where he and his father used to visit when he was a child.  The moment he and his family reach camp, Richard is uneasy not only because there has been a murder in the area allegedly by a bear but also from the fact that much has changed since the last time he went camping.  Modern technology and the plethora of college students has taken a quiet camping trip and turned it into a never ending weekend party.  Richard, wanting to get away from civilization to be with his family, decides to go against the local forest ranger’s advice and delve deeper into the wilderness.  Apprehensive at first, Cynthia begins to notice a change in her husband that she can’t decide whether it’s due to the stress of disposing of his father’s ashes or something more sinister as Richard begins to think he is seeing glimpses of the Jersey Devil within every menacing shadow.

A simply camping trip gets even more dangerous when Cynthia realizes that Richard may be ill and getting worse by the minute and he may not only be a dangerous to himself and his family but also to other campers who also seem to be going missing.  Or is it really the Jersey Devil come to feast upon them all?

Bousman does a great job crafting a psychological thriller but it is truly held together by Moyer and Kirshner.  Moyer does an excellent job creating a sympathetic Richard even when the audience is trying to decide if he is truly ill or just plain crazy.  Bousman takes a very simple location and premise of the woods (used way too often in most other independent horror films) and crafts an edge of your seat thriller that does not play down to the audience.  This is also not just a psychological thriller as Bousman adds enough of the mythology behind the Jersey Devil to make this a worthy addition to other Jersey Devil films.

This is a great film to represent the best that Bousman has to offer and just demonstrates the level of commitment that he has to the genre and that he continues to be a director whose work is worth watching out for.

Film Review: GRABBERS (2012)

The film Tremors (1990) became an instant success upon its release.  Its clever mix of comedy, adventure and horror made it an instant success with audiences.  Its spawned three sequels and a short lived television series not to mention a plethora of imitators of which the UK/Ireland co-production Grabbers (2012) can be included.  When the residents of a small town off the coast Ireland suddenly start disappearing the local police officers discover that they was being invaded by multi-tentacled aliens who want to make them all into their need meal.   They soon discover that these aliens live off blood and blood filled with alcohol is as dangerous to them as garlic to the traditional vampire.  Now in order to survive the night and save the rest of the town the police officers try to remain as drunk as possible to keep the aliens away until reinforcements arrive. 

Like Tremors with the relationship between Kevin Bacon and Fred Ward’s characters, there is a lot of humor had between the local cop O’Shea (Richard Coyle) and the new cop to the town Nolan (Ruth Bradley) as their ideas collide at every turn yet they are forced to work together to overcome a great menace.  The CGI for the grabbers, as they are called by one of the characters, is outstanding and used to elevate the production value for the film.  There is an equally great supporting cast for the film as well some of which have some great moments as drunks or when facing the grabbers themselves.

Written by Kevin Lehane and directed by Jon Wright there are a lot of great moments in the film.  If there is anything wrong with the film it’s that it feels like it borrowed too heavily from other films such as Tremors, Gremlins (1984), Critters (1986), or other similarly themed films.  The only thing that does set it apart is seeing how drunk the characters act when coming face to face with the grabbers, which is more than worth giving the film a look.  What the film lacks in originality it more than makes up for it in the entertainment area and execution of the material.

Film Review: THE LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT OF ROSALIND LEIGH (2012)

Good independent horror films are hard to come by these days especially considering how many derivative films are produced every year so it is always good when an excellent film surfaces such as The Last Will and Testament of Rosalind Leigh (2012).  Written and directed by Rodrigo Gudino this is a moody and atmospheric film that’s haunting in its simplicity and execution.

The story concerns Leon Leigh (Aaron Poole), an antiques dealer, who inherits a house from his estranged mother.  When he goes home to appraise his inheritance he discovers a past in himself that he had tried to keep buried but resurfaces underneath the strange revelations about his mother who may have been part of a mysterious cult.   The longer Leon stays in the house the more the house takes on a persona of its own that will have a profound effect on his psyche.

Poole does an amazing job as the haunted Leon as he carries most of the film on his own because of the small cast.  This is a film in which Leon and the house is very much the characters that carry the story.  Much of what we get about Rosalind Leigh is brought to life via voice over from the always charismatic Vanessa Redgrave who narrates much of the story in a hypnotic and haunting way.  Gudino and his production staff do an excellent job creating a chilling atmosphere of dread that permeates throughout the whole film. 

Despite the film having no overt horrific elements the film is a great film in the tradition of the original The Haunting (1963) which it relies on mood and atmosphere verses actual blood and guts to carry the story.

This film also doesn’t rely on cheap theatrics or jump scares which further elevate the film above the other cannon fodder out there.  Fans of the moody and atmospheric horror film will enjoy this slow burning character driven film.