Laid to Rest (2008)

Like Severance, Laid to Rest was another pleasant surprise from the Netflix instant viewing selection. It had its flaws, sure, but that didn't stop me from rating it 4/5 stars. For each failure--blemish may be a more suitable word--there was a huge success to revive the experience. Cheers to Robert Hall for an enjoyable display of writing and directing, and to Bobbi Sue Luther for an equally fine job as lead.

The movie seems to have garnered a broad mix of reviews, most of which complain about the lack of back story, plot, explication. For me, after about thirty minutes (if that) it was clear that the movie wanted to focus on effects, always in the form of grade-A gore--dazzlingly brilliant effects, in my opinion! So, I abandoned all care in regards to the usual slasher backstory: who the killer is, how he is connected to the protagonists, why he is killing, et cetera, et cetera; and I just reveled in the brutal gags!

So much effort was put into effects that I found myself intrigued, for perhaps the first time, as to who was responsible for them. The ending credits pointed to Almost Human, Inc. in Los Angeles, CA; and lo and behold, Robert Hall happens to be the owner. Makes perfect sense when put into perspective. Laid to Rest is a great piece of marketing for the company. (Almost Human Inc. also appears to be responsible for the great ear gore in Pineapple Express! I'm going to keep my eye on these guys.)

The movie's weakness came in the form of hit-and-miss comedy. I likened some of the comedic failure to the ambiguous joke that begets silence when meeting someone for the first time. In other words, I wasn't sure if the movie was attempting humor or not in some instances, mostly because the movie hadn't established its comedic flow yet. But, whatever. When the humor did hit, it elicited audible laughter. Though it wasn't the subtle, clever humor from Severance, it worked. Example: "The man with the shiny face. He wants to make me dead." Another example: Almost everything concerning the little nerd.

Laid to Rest is an homage to gory effects, done superbly by Almost Human, Inc. If you're looking for a serious, deep story you're not going to get it. (In my experience, you get one or the other: heavy gore or heavy explication; see Saw V) If you can accept the fact that you, the viewer, don't always need to know the ins and outs of the entire story (try reading a book), and you want to bask in realistic blood and guts, this one is for you. Lastly, I must give attention to the killer's awesomely vicious weapon of choice. I can hear Ricky Bobby now: "[T]he Jack Hawk 9000. Available at Wal-Mart."

Shocker (1989)

To use an oxymoron shared by so many in the horror movie fan community, Shocker is a great terrible movie. The story is all over the place, the effects are outlandish, the lines are extra cheesy, and the musical score is an onslaught of 80s metal. And speaking of the score, Shocker is complete with some of the most prolonged and raucous of stings I've encountered. It seemed like an explosion of a thousand MIDI samples every time someone unexpectedly turned the corner!

I would love to have been there when Wes Craven wrote this script. Protagonist: a young (high school? college?) football player in a platonic relationship, who has his own house, is able to "feel" the antagonist and "confront" him via dreaming. Antagonist: A serial murderer who gets juiced on television electrodes before slaying his victims. He is also apparently involved in some form of dark worship based on references to animal sacrifice. (Later in the movie, we find that this dark force our antagonist worships is an enormous pair of electronic lips!)

These two central characters are then pitted against each other in true Craven style. The movie is a mash-up of Nightmare on Elm Street, Poltergeist, and Fallen, though Fallen released nearly a decade later. Like Nightmare, the protagonist is able to face the killer, but a buddy, Rhino in this case, must wake him before it's too late. Unlike Nightmare, Shocker throws this in and then abandons it, most likely because, well, it's already being used in the Nightmare series. But I'm not complaining. This is one reason I love Stephen King novels (emphasis on novels); it's great when an artist mixes in elements across his or her body of work.

The movie is loaded with gags and gimmicks, ranging from the ghost girlfriend, who constantly appears from the bathroom, to the ending. The ending is an enormous success for Shocker, and again, I wish I could've been there to witness the writing. Two characters dive into a television set and duke it out across channels. Then, back in reality (is this movie ever really in reality?), the remote control is used to govern the killer's actions--a nice little precursor to Haneke's Funny Games, though Haneke took it to a different level.

BC at Horror Movie a Day recently organized a screening of Shocker with Craven and others in attendance. Here is a short clip from the Q&A that took place before the screening. He also has some great commentaries here. If you haven't heard of Horror Movie a Day, then I'm shocked that you have heard of this blog, and I urge you to start reading HMAD. This horror aficionado has been watching a horror movie every day since early 2007!

Severance (2006)

Another pleasant surprise! British humor has always been hit-and-miss for me. For example, I love the original Office, but I hate the Monty Python stuff; and if you look through the handful of British horror-comedies I've reviewed, you'll see a similar inconsistency. But I love the perfect execution of gore and British humor here. From beginning to end, Severance had me hooked and wholly entertained.

Like The Office, Severance plays up the awkwardness of professional colleagues attempting a team-building getaway. We get all of the important characters: the inadequate yet passionate boss; the lackadaisical, fun loving burnout; the one black guy (i.e. Stanley); the dorky overachiever; the bookish brunette; the office cutie everyone loves; and so on. If you've ever been on one of these pathetic team-building getaways, or if you've had experience in "cubeland," this movie is a treat!

Initially I pegged the movie as being another highly cliched slasher, thus explaining Netflix's reason for offering it on instant viewing. Then the movie proved itself to be what I had it pegged for, but with a pleasant surprise. In other words, it does employ all of the cliche elements of the classic slasher, but it successfully plays off of them to offer its own twists. Lines such as "I didn't want to be accused of not killing him when I had the chance" capture the spirit of this slasher parody.

Aside from a massive amount of fun, the structure and plot are equally enjoyable. With a Tarantino-esque revisit to the opening scene, I was pulled further into the story for the final leg of the movie. If you love the juxtaposition of gore and humor, especially awkward, subtle, and/or understated humor, you'll love Severance. Check it out on Netflix while it's available on instant viewing.

The Screwfly Solution (2006)

Buffalo wings. I'm addicted to them. Seriously addicted. When a new Buffalo Wild Wings opened less than a mile from my home a few years a ago, I would instantly become a regular and the future recipient of an ulcer or two. And, recently, I discovered a better way to eat Buffalo wings: baked, with Frank's Red Hot Buffalo wing sauce! So, you can image my satisfaction on Saturday night when I sat down with a big bowl of baked Buffalo wings and watched a horror movie!

Just like the wings (which were demolished within three minutes), the movie was great. Of the Masters of Horror offerings I've seen, The Screwfly Solution ranks among the strongest in both concept and execution. No easy feat when you have under an hour; but for this time constraint I love the Masters of Horror series. With features just under an hour in duration, they are the perfect solution for someone with severe A.D.D. Or, if it's late and you're tired, but you can't go to sleep without watching a horror movie: MoH!

Anyway, back to the movie. Great plot, though not original; click here for the Wikipedia information on the 1977 short story by Raccoona Sheldon. Plot: Something is causing men everywhere to brutally murder women who arouse them--a common, frequent occurrence in the life of a typical, heterosexual man. This alone set the stage for some truly creepy scenes, whether you're a man or a woman. The movie plays off the notion that we humans are merely insects in a garden (many references to the biblical Garden of Eden), and an exterminator (God? Aliens?) has been sent to eradicate our existence; and what better way to eradicate humankind than by killing off all the women?

Sam Hamm (writer) and Joe Dante (director) do a great job adapting Sheldon's story. I loved the character shift from the (female) epidemiologist, first and foremost. Just when I thought the movie was going to follow this assertive heroine as she fought through bureaucratic government forces to uncover and expel the root of the epidemic, that door is closed and the focus shifts to Jason Priestley and his family. Dante is able to pull off some fairly dramatic moments despite being pressed for time; and despite poor acting on part of the daughter, the viewer is drawn into their lives enough to care what happens. The always reliable Elliott Gould is under utilized, thrown in for good measure. But he still manages to add some depth to the film, and reveals his true purpose toward the end.

Cheers to Dante for the consistent white-noise transitions that ultimately brought the film to a close; for injecting a quick clip of a Miike film (Imprint?); and for foreshadowing the notion of aliens. Wings and The Screwfly Solution were a perfect pair for a late Saturday night. I thoroughly enjoyed the film from start to finish, and I look forward to future MoH installments I haven't seen yet. Thanks to Netflix for instant, streaming movies, a selection that includes quite a few from this Showtime series. If you haven't seen this one, check it out. Have fun!

Saw V (2008)

Although I "saw" it (sorry) in the theater last year, Saw V has the dubious honor of being the first movie I've seen on Blu-ray; and I have to say, the pristine quality Blu-ray boasts definitely enhances the movie-watching experience. The superior video quality emphasizes minor details, such as rust on a pipe, rainfall, and splintered wood, giving the movie a more realistic feel overall. But enough advocating a technology everyone except for me has already experienced! Here's what I think of this fifth installment in the Saw franchise.

We finally get to see what would've happened to our narrator in Poe's "The Pit and the Pendulum" had he not had the ingenuity to coerce the rats into eating through his constraints. This opening scene gives Saw fans what they want: an elaborately planned torture mechanism that results in a gruesome, tense death. Yet, there is also a little twist that tips us off to the fact that this is not Jigsaw. So, the checklist for the beginning of a good torture movie is complete. Our tastes for graphic blood and guts are satiated, and we get a nice little hook. And in Blu-ray, the blood and guts are beautifully rendered!

But, unfortunately, Saw V transitions from a brutal opening torture scene to a long, exhausting exposition that revisits each of the previous movies. The effect is far from entertaining. Instead, the constant flashbacks and "clever" twists, intermingled with a linear storyline concerning a group of throwaway characters who all have something in common (bad acting!), loses its appeal and my attention. On top of all the effort spent on plot-thickening, we get short soliloquies by Agent Strahm just in case we, the audience, are too dense to deduct the meaning of the flashbacks. Thanks for the insult.

I don't want to waste my time griping about bad acting--the first Saw movie, which is still my favorite, exhibited some of the worst acting I've ever seen in recent horror film. But I will say that this movie used the tried-and-true solution for excusing terrible acting. The excuse we get for the character whom I consider the worse actor in the movie is that he is a drug addict. Bravo! Got a bad actor or actress, whom you don't want to cut from the film? No problem. Just pawn the inept acting off on drug use or mental deterioration (see my recent remarks on Deadline).

As the flashback/twist-development monotony transitioned into the final scene, I was hopeful for a strong ending to compliment the strong opening. In comparison, however, the movie definitely moved away from cringe-eliciting gore. The cracked ulna (or radius?) is great, but it's nothing compared to the evisceration we get in the beginning. A major disappointment after waiting through the preceding seventy minutes or so. Oh! Wait! It just hit me that there was a nice little gag thrown in when ten pints of blood were required of our captives. Still, it was too late in the movie for me; I was already bored. (Man, have I acquired a pronounced addition to torture or what?)

Now don't get me wrong. I have thoroughly enjoyed the Saw franchise, but this installment was a trifle too anticlimactic for my tastes. I'm hopeful that, since Saw V spent so much time thickening the plot of the entire franchise, Saw VI will be much better (i.e. pure thrills and a single, solid twist; Saw's trademark). Unfortunately, I didn't get a chance to see VI in the theater back in October (as I've done with the previous five movies), so I anxiously await its January 26th release.

Dead Alive (1992)

On March 8, 2009, a few days after I started Horror Dose, Lucas recommended Dead Alive. Nine months later, I finally got around to it, and my only regret is that I didn't act on his recommendation immediately. The dog scene can be extrapolated to sum up the entire movie: Dead Alive does not attempt to attach its audience to a cute cuddly little puppy, and the dog's owners do not mourn their loss. Instead, we get these sparse lines before the dog is forgotten:

"Your mom ate my dog!"
"Not all of it."

And so goes the nonsensical, bloody masterpiece that is Dead Alive.

How's this for the Sumatran monkey-rat's back story: large rats from slave ships raped all the little tree monkeys. Perfect! Now, let's add in some Oedipus complex, some young love, a rubbernecking uncle, and a 30-minute zombie bloodfest. Done! Finally, spend a few minutes piecing together the dialogue, and use every bit of money, energy, and time on gore effects. Wizardly! Over-the-top doesn't even begin to do the movie's gushing geysers justice. (Anyone know how many gallons of the red stuff were used in the making of this masterpiece?)

Thumbs up to Peter Jackson for creating a 90-minute film that somehow manages to steadily escalate in obscene violence and outright nonsense until the end. I'm at a loss trying to think of any manner of bodily destruction that wasn't explored in the film--we get to watch a digestive system attack our protagonist, for cryin' out loud! And, as far as nonsense goes, we get a scene where Lionel decides to take the zombie baby for a stroll in the park. This is why I love horror movies! Who cares that it makes no sense whatsoever, or that no one would ever decide that it would be proper to take the newborn creature to the park. Just put the scene in the movie and go with it.

Toward the end of the film I began to wonder how Jackson could possibly bring all the madness to a close. Well, Jackson answered my inquiry with a massive super-zombie who assimilates Lionel within the womb again. Bravo! In fact, I had forgotten about the mother during the extensive zombie mayhem, so her reappearance topped off an already satisfying experience.

Done right, cheesy horror is far from throw-away. This is one to watch with a group of friends. From the dinner scene ("Whaaa? No pudding?!") to the embalming fluid scene to the endless party massacre, there is always something exasperating to gawk at, laugh at, and remember forever. Make sure you eat a large pepperoni pizza while watching to increase the effect. Enjoy!

Army of Darkness (1993)

Are you a fan of Twain's A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court? Are you a fan of The Three Stooges? Are you a fan of zombies and curses? If so, this is the movie for you. Raimi mixes Twain's novel of a protagonist's ingenuity as the result of sixth-century time period displacement with his (Raimi's) expressed penchant for The Three Stooges to produce this horror icon.

It's been a while since I've seen Raimi's third installment in the Evil Dead trilogy, and the movie maintained--if not increased in--its charm. Like Evil Dead and Evil Dead 2, Army of Darkness is comfortable with its niche as a horror comedy. The only other movie I can think of that kept me laughing out loud for the entire duration is The Hangover. Bruce Campbell does a masterful job. It's no wonder his name is in the horror movie canon!

Though we leave the creepy woods and cabin for this adventure, we do not leave the signature Raimi "character abuse" and gags. Just when I thought the second installment's gag with the household items bending over and laughing couldn't be topped, I get an army of skeletons marching toward a castle, playing bone flutes and bone drums...and wearing berets! And how could I ever forget the scene with the miniature Ashes?

I wanted to make a list of noteworthy quotes, but in the midst of frantically scribbling on a notepad during the movie, I realized that one just has to see it. To post all of the dialogue (and monologue) worth posting would be to post the entire script. One must simply indulge in the movie oneself and revel in the comedic goodness. Thank you, Sam Raimi.

Inferno (1980)

Loved Suspiria, but I didn't care much for this second installment in the Three Mothers trilogy. Inferno is pleasingly stylized, but not in the same manner as Suspiria; though the gore is definitely ramped up in comparison. And, sadly, Goblin is missing from the musical score--a major let down. On its own (i.e. without comparison to Suspiria), the movie just doesn't do it for me. As soon as a scene has my attention it fades into a quirky, below average story, with tidbits seemingly thrown in for good measure.

Hopefully Mother of Tears will be better.

Deadline (2009)

I never realized how perfect Brittany Murphy is for horror film until this movie. Not only does she thoroughly creep me out with her crazy eyes and wax lips from the start of the film, her countenance manages to become perpetually dingy for the duration. By the end of the film, her hair had several different styles going on (did I miss her braiding it somewhere?), half matted and mashed and half loose and wild. And now you think less of me for thinking so much about her hair? Well, like the sometimes goofy acting, I think we can pawn the whole hair thing off on the fact that she is mentally unstable--a fact the film desperately wants you to embrace.

Though the movie doesn't bring anything new to the genre, it is entertaining. It begins with a classic horror movie opening that causes the viewer to speak out loud to the TV. In Deadline's case, I questioned Tammy Blanchard's decision to leave Brittany Murphy in the secluded house, alone, without a car. This, after the film portrays Blanchard as caring deeply for Murphy? I think not. But it made me smile and enjoy my experience, anyway. Plus, I was happy to have Murphy and Blanchard away from each other. Their interaction came off rigid, almost mechanical.

Despite the aforementioned acting, cheap thrills, and innumerable creeks and groans from the house, Deadline's merit, for me, comes in the form of psychological consistency, specifically with Murphy's character. I have no clue whether this was consciously placed in the film or not, but it jibes perfectly with Murphy's defense mechanism, denial. I laughed and shook my head, thinking what an awful movie I was watching, when Murphy turns out the lights and closes the door in reaction to the overflowing bathtub. Similarly, she closes her laptop in response to the "scary messages" screen saver. I was ready to write these actions off as further exemplifying the movie's flaws, but then it hit me that Murphy was employing her defense mechanism in both of these instances. Bravo!

All in all, this is a decent psychological thriller that reminds me a lot of What Lies Beneath. It has its faults, but it has its redeeming points, too. The parallel plots add some depth to the movie, but in the end its a reiteration of plots and twists readily available to the genre. Yet, it's still worth a watch. As with all movies, there is positive and negative. I give Deadline 3/5 stars.

The Haunted World of El Superbeasto (2009)

Just in case we needed more proof that Rob Zombie is a strange individual, we now have The Haunted World of El Superbeasto. I wish I could say it was entertaining, but I can't. I wish I could say it was creative, but it wasn't. What we have here is simply a gratuitous exploration of the male id.