Feeds:
Posts
Comments

Posts Tagged ‘new horror movies’

Annabelle Creation “Movie Review”

Posted in Fantasy literature, tagged , , , , , , , , , on August 16, 2017| Leave a Comment »

Annabelle Creation Poster

Annabelle Creation directed by David F. Sandburg and starring Anthony LaPaglia and Maranda Otto follows the origin story of how the infamous Annabelle doll came to be. This movie blends the classic haunted house story with the classic idea of demonic possession. The parents of a little girl must cope with the loss of their beautiful daughter and in the process open themselves up to a realm of unimaginable darkness. Soon after a displaced orphanage of girls along with a nun and priest set up residency in the home of Mr. and Mrs. Mullins. The girls quickly learn that there are secrets that the Mullins family have locked away within the house. The innocence of a child like presence becomes something evil in such a way that the residents in the house began to fight for their very souls.

I know that many people go into watching these horror movies with a closed mind, claiming that they have seen it all. That maybe true but if you are looking for a good old-fashioned scare filled with hand grabbing, door creeks, floor board sounds, and severed bodies, then this movie is for you.

The acting was average, and special effects were pretty good, but it was the manner in which the Annabelle story was written that drew me in. The writing was done in a way that answered many questions, but it also was related to the original movie, which also tied into the demon nun from the Conjuring, which we will learn more about when The Nun hits theaters in 2018. I’m very invested in this franchise and I hope that people are willing to give it a chance.

Overall this movie was very enjoyable with lots of scares around every corner. This is a great movie to kick off the horror movie season.

I gave this movie 4 stars.

L.L.

Check out the trailer below.

Read Full Post »

Don’t Breathe “Movie Review”

Posted in Fantasy literature, tagged , , , , , , , , , on September 4, 2016| Leave a Comment »

​Don’t Breathe directed by Fede Alvarez and produced by Horror Legend Sam Raimi, stars Stephen Lang and Jane Levy.  The story follows a young woman and her two friends as she tries to make a better life for her and her daughter. Living the life of a criminal, Rocky and her two friends have knowledge and experience in robbing houses. They soon come to learn that a local blind man is sitting on hundreds of thousands of dollars of settlement money. The three decide to rob the man with the hopes of everything going smoothly. The plan is underway but things soon go sour despite the blind man’s disability.

This movie was just outstanding. It’s the perfect horror movie that fans have been anticipating for a long time. The intensity and suspense building is great. The overall concept was nice and fresh. The score kept the thrill going and Stephen Lang did an amazing job portraying “the blind man.”

I give this movie 5 stars, this is the type of film that people will be talking about for a long time. Go see it, if you haven’t already!

Happy Haunting

L.L 

Read Full Post »

The Conjuring 2 Review

Posted in Fantasy literature, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on June 12, 2016| Leave a Comment »

image

The Conjuring 2, starring Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson was thrilling and intense. Directed by James Wan, the true story follows the paranormal case files of the famed demonologist Ed Warren and his Psychic Medium wife Loraine Warren. This time the couple travel to Enfield England to investigate potential paranormal activity that a local family claims that is terrorizing them.

The Catholic church hires the couple to do a formal investigation to prove to them that a potential exorcism is needed to help the family.

From the moment they enter the house strange things seem to be happening but there are signs that just don’t point to demonic activity. A local sceptic is determined to prove that the young girl is faking possession episodes in order to gain attention. She films the girl having an episode and states that her video is evidence of the girl’s false intentions.

Ed and Loraine make an attempt to head home when the two of them discover that not only is the girl telling the truth but also that there is something deeper that they may have to face in order to save the girl and her family.

 

This movie was the most anticipated horror film of 2016. It was well done and did not disappoint. Since it was based of the real case files of the Warrens, it really made you think about the real dark forces that do exist within the world. Farmiga and Wilson were great as usual and I really hope that there are multiple films that come from the franchise. New Line still has the magic of bringing horror to us in ways that give their films a distinct feel that demands an emotional response from its fans and movie goers alike.

I give this movie five stars, it’s a must see film of the summer.

L.L.

Read Full Post »

It Follows “Movie Review”

Posted in Fantasy literature, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , on August 3, 2015| Leave a Comment »

it follows

It Follows directed by David Robert Mitchell and starring Maika Monroe tells the story of a young college girl who is haunted by a supernatural entity after a sexual encounter with a guy goes terribly wrong.

The movie had a good story line but it just didn’t fully deliver as I expected. The guy that Jay sleeps with passes on to her some kind of entity that wants to kill her. The entity follows her everywhere and comes in the form of people that she some times knows. She and her friends spend all their time running away from the entity. On a couple of occasions they try to fight back but they quickly realize that they can’t defeat it. Jay takes into consideration and makes an attempt to pass it on, but her attempt fails.

The movie had some good scenes but overall it is a very slow-paced film. The tone of the film has a classic late 70’s early 80’s feel to it and I got the idea that the writers were going that, but that just was not enough to make it successful.

There were so many things that the writers and director could have done to make this horror magic, like coming up with a detailed plot that fully explains the origin of the entity and how to pass it on or defeat it.  The most important thing they could have done was make the haunting even more haunting, not just have people following the main character. I mean at times the appearance of the entity was more startling instead of scary. The entity should have been more  of a creature that hides in the shadows and comes for her at more of a time that is least expected. The opening scene where the girl has her legs broken forward was better than the whole film. They could have taken a more supernatural approach to this film and incorporated that type of gore and horror that the introduction promised.

I hate to say it, but i feel that modern horror is starting to die. Every movie that I give a chance lately has ended in nothing but disappointment. It seems like the film industry is becoming nothing but remakes, or shotty ideas that are not fully developed or portrayed in ways that horror movie fans can appreciate like in the decades of film and writing creativity. Thank goodness for Netflix and my classic horror collection.

The music was well done, the effects were almost not existent and the acting was mediocre. I’m happy that I didn’t spend money at the theater for this.

I give this movie two stars, if you can get through it.

L.L.

Check out the trailer below.

Read Full Post »

Poltergeist 2015 Movie Review

Posted in Fantasy literature, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , on May 26, 2015| Leave a Comment »

Poltergeist-poster

Poltergeist starring Sam Rockwell and directed by Gil Kenan and produced by Sam Raimi was a horror movie remake that disappointed me in many ways. The movie was supposed to be a reboot of the haunted house classic Steven Spielberg film, starring JoBeth Williams and Craig T. Nelson, but I just couldn’t get over how badly it was done. There was nothing authentic about this film, and the writers did nothing but add some overrated special effects and overuse the original script. The names of the characters were changed for some reason, and I found that the actor’s performances were weak. The mood of the film was disappointingly mellow, and for me there was no real fear that the characters displayed.  For this to have had Sam Raimi’s name behind it, I was expecting so much more. I think that the film could have been done so much better if Sam Raimi would have had complete creative control in addition to the writing. The casting and storytelling was just all wrong, and I hope that the next horror I see will make up for this one.  The only two positive things I have to say was that the scene where we were able to see how the other realm or alternate dimension looked was good, even though I also think that the drone going into that realm was out of place. Technology should be dead in this this case. (I believe that was Raimi’s influence, good idea but it just wasn’t delivered creativity.) I also thought the scene with the family trying to leave the house was good. They are sitting in their SUV and are suddenly dragged back in through the garage as the house becomes consumed by the portal. That was an interesting add on to the movie. Throughout the movie I kept calling the little girl “Carol Anne and was comparing the remake with the original. It was so hard not to. The ghost hunter Carrigan Burke played by Jared Harris didn’t do much for me, but prove that the writers tried too hard with making the movie fit into the modern world. The paranormal research team was horrible, and at this point I can’t write anymore bad things about this movie. Wait, yes I can, it was in 3D which was an excuse for theaters to charge more money than necessary. It didn’t add any depth to the movie at all, just a dent in my purse. Not worth seeing it, but if you must as a fan of horror, wait until it’s out on cable and you have nothing else better to do.

I gave this movie two stars just because of the two scenes I liked and because I like Sam Raimi.

L.L

Read Full Post »

“Annabelle” Movie Review

Posted in Fantasy literature, tagged , , , , , , , , , on October 6, 2014| Leave a Comment »

Annabelle poster

Annabelle directed by John R. Leonetti and starring Annabelle Wallis and Ward Horton tells the story about a young couple that experiences paranormal activity in their home. It all starts when Mia’s husband John brings home a vintage doll as a gift for his expectant wife. Soon after the couple’s home is broken into by a husband and wife that belong to a cult. Mia and John barely make it out alive. The cops intervene, killing both intruders. The female named Annabelle was found in the nursery holding the life sized doll in her arms.

The activity begins after Mia returns from the hospital on bed rest as instructed by her doctor. Strange things begin to happen. The doll starts to move on its own. At first the movement is very subtle but progresses throughout the film. The couple attempts to move out of the first house where the occult couple was killed, but the activity intensifies as time goes on. John attempts to throw away the doll but it mysteriously turns up in a box when the couple begin’s to unpack and settle into the new home. Mia decides to keep the doll and soon things get worse. Mia does some research about the young woman Annabelle and the occult she belonged to. She learns that the doll is possessed by a dark entity that Annabelle conjured and that it wants her daughter’s soul. Mia fights to protect her child and seeks the help of the church. Her local parish priest tries to help but is almost killed in the process. Mia’s friend Evelyn played by Alfre Woodard spends time with the family and experiences the activity first hand. She eventually sacrifices herself to save the baby.

The film had its scary moments and at times demonstrated the classic clichés of horror. Child’s play and Rosemary’s baby references were scattered around the film. The acting was just average and there were paths that I thought the movie was moving in but then moved in a completely different direction.
Overall the vision for the film could have been a lot better but I think that it’s a subtle flick for those horror fans that just want a taste of Halloween horror.
I gave this movie 2.5 stars.
Happy Horror
L.L.

Read Full Post »

Curse of Chucky Movie Review

Posted in Fantasy literature, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , on October 13, 2013| Leave a Comment »

Curse of Chucky directed by Don Mancini, stars Brad Dourif, and the horror legend’s real life daughter-Fiona Dourif. This movie marks the 25th anniversary of the Child’s Play franchise.
The story picks up where Seed of Chucky left off, as it follows a woman named Sarah that receives a mysterious package. That package turns out to be a Good Guy doll, and before the night is over she is dead.
Nica (Fiona Dourif) is left to plan her mother’s funeral along with her older sister Barb, and her husband Ian. A night of family time ends up becoming an evening of terror as Chucky unleashes his wrath of murder upon them.
Only a true fan of the series would appreciate this movie. Now don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t a blockbuster not even “made for television” worthy, but for those who have been looking for some kind of closure to a story that seemed to be never-ending- this is the film for you.
The death scenes were average, some of the past films within the franchise were more creative, but I applaud the effort. As a fan of Chucky, I was happy to see the Brad had taken on the role again. The classic Chucky humor was not as evident. This film was a bit darker than the others,but I still enjoyed it.
Charles Lee Ray’s past resurfaced again, and this time many questions were answered, and his fate was rewritten as he finally accomplished his goal.
I give this movie 2.5 stars
Have a frightening weekend!
L.L.

Read Full Post »

Insidious Chapter 2 “movie review”

Posted in Fantasy literature, tagged , , , , , , , , , on September 15, 2013| Leave a Comment »

Insidious Chapter Two, directed by James Wan and starring Patrick Wilson is the continuation of a story about an entity that has crossed over into our world,as it haunts and terrorizes a family.
I’ve already read some reviews about the movie that basically give the movie a bad review,and I understand that everyone has their own opinion and is entitled to that.
From a writers’ perspective, I appreciate every written component that was put into the story. The whole idea was interesting and complex.
The movie picks up where the first one ends, after Josh brings his son back from the astral dimension of the Further.
As the family tries to settle back into a normal life and deal with the death of their paranormal researcher friend Lin, Josh soon realizes that he is still stuck in the Further and the spirit of a man with a disturbing past has inhibited his body in the realm of reality.
I won’t giveaway any more spoilers, but I will say that the movie wasn’t as scary as it could have been, and the effects were lacking in some areas. As for the writing and the overall storyline, it was captivating and drew me into the story completely. You have to see the first movie in order to follow the second, and in order to understand the second, you must have an appreciating for good writing.
I give this movie 3.5 stars
My next horror review will be Carrie, coming out Oct 18th.

Have a good fright!
L.L.
.

Read Full Post »

The Conjuring “Movie Review”

Posted in Fantasy literature, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , on July 21, 2013| Leave a Comment »

The New Line Cinema production, The Conjuring directed by James Wan and starring Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga was one of the best horror films I’ve seen this year.
The movie follows husband and wife paranorormal research team Ed and Loraine Warren.
Based on true events that happened in the early 70’s, the story is about a family that moves into a new home, that is haunted. As soon as they get settled in, the paranormal activity begins. The mother(Carolyn Perron) played by Lili Taylor and their young daughter seem to clearly be targets for the haunting entity. The activity is so traumatic that Perron quickly seeks the help of the Warrens. The Warrens set up an investigation in the home to present proof to the Vatican that the house is in need of an exorcism. The team learns that the house has a horrible history and are concerned for the survival of the family.
Ed is a demonologist and his wife Lorraine is a clairvoyant. Together they use their gifts to battle the entity that eventually possesses the mother Carolyn.
Wan and his team did a great job with authentically creating the time period. The costumes and overall set design including the actors character portrayals was definitely believable.
The story was well written and special effects were tastefully done and added to the telling of the haunting story. Evil Dead remake was the last movie that made me scream. If you are looking for a great horror movie to scare the s*** out of you, than The Conjuring is your movie. This is a must must see and I give it 5 stars. Well done New Line.
Happy Viewing
L.L.
Note: I’d love to see a sequel for this film. It has great potential to begin a new franchise.

Read Full Post »

« Newer Posts