[REVIEWS] Films: Horror
Oct. 31st, 2011 07:26 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
thewlisian_aferSo, uh... This was the first set of reviews I started this month. Just so you know, that's why it's Halloween and the first review talks about kicking off my October movie watching. ...Yeah. XD
Nosferatu (1929)
Many horror-film fanatics call F.W. Murnau's silent German classic starring Max Schreck -- who sports grotesque makeup that transforms him into a symbol of pestilence and decay -- the scariest Dracula adaptation ever. The chilling tale kicks off when a real estate agent (Gustav von Wangenheim) begins conducting business with eerie Count Orlok (Schreck), who goes on a rampage when he becomes obsessed with the man's comely wife (Greta Schröder).
So I decided to kick off my October movie watching with one that doesn't count toward my list, because I've seen it before. This is one of those movies that everyone pretty much knows if they want to see it or not, so very little that I could say would change anyone's mind. I love it, and have since I was quite small. If you're a movie geek, a horror buff, or a vampire fan and you haven't seen this ... why not? Look at your life. Look at your choices. And then go find a copy of Nosferatu. Max Schreck is awesome. [Rating: 4 stars]
Shadow of the Vampire (2000)
A wicked movie about the making of the 1922 silent-film classic Nosferatu, Shadow of the Vampire features Willem Dafoe's Oscar-nominated performance. Director F.W. Murnau (John Malkovich) yearns to create the most terrifying vampire tale imaginable. Unknown actor Max Schreck (Dafoe), cast as the vampire Count Orlock, makes an impressive debut as filming begins, even as he hides an unearthly secret.
I have some pretty mixed feelings about this film. It was technically very good. I loved looking at it, and the cast was great. I liked the story, too, but ... I don't know. It never actually bored me but it didn't exactly captivate me, either. I was left with a pretty "meh" feeling at the end, despite being glad I finally got to see it. (I'd wanted to since it was in theaters.) [Rating: 3 stars]
Stake Land (2010)
This genre-bending thriller combines vampires, religious fanatics and post-apocalyptic horrors with a coming-of-age tale that finds drifter Mister (Nick Damici) training young Martin (Connor Paolo) to survive the nightmare that has become America as they journey to New Eden. While they combat the mutated bloodsuckers and vicious humans seeking to rule the land, Mister and Martin rescue other wanderers and become a tightly knit family of warriors.
I'm not exactly sure what I was expecting from Stake Land but it wasn't what I got. What I got was a damn good movie, not "for horror" but for any genre. There was a fair amount of gore but it never felt gratuitous. It wasn't full of cheap jump scares and one-dimensional characters; Dread Central's Serena Whitney called it "a script full of substance, character development, and meaningful social commentary lacking in so many horror films today" and I really agree. [Rating: 4 stars]
Splice (2009)
Ignoring instructions from the pharmaceutical company that funds their research, groundbreaking genetic scientists Elsa (Sarah Polley) and Clive (Adrien Brody) continue with an unorthodox experiment to create a human-animal hybrid, a new life form they dub "Dren" (Delphine Chanéac). When they see their fantastical creation, Clive warns that it should be destroyed, but Elsa refuses -- a decision she'll regret when Dren makes deadly plans of her own.
I liked ... some things. But not the overall product. Adrien Brody's nose was good, as usual. And I really liked the creature design. That was about it, though. I really wanted to like it because it's very Frankenstein-esque, only with more likeable scientists, but I just ... didn't. [Rating: 2 stars]
Alien (1979)
Ridley Scott's sci-fi horror classic stars Sigourney Weaver as Ripley, a tough-as-nails warrant officer who stares down one of the most terrifying movie monsters of all time: a bloodthirsty alien that stalks and eviscerates its prey. As the deadly creature winds its way through the air shafts of the spacecraft Nostramo, the crew members consider deploying the ship's escape shuttle … but there's only room for four people.
I don't know how I went this long without seeing this entire movie. I'd seen bits and pieces of it, but never all at once or in order. So I knew I'd like it, since I liked it in chunks. I had no idea I was going to adore it, though. It's held up so well over time. The only thing I can think to complain about is how it irritated me a bit when Veronica Cartwright's character freaked out. Even so, I could watch this movie just about forever. The only thing scarier than H. R. Giger's designs is his face. ♥ [Rating: 5 stars]
Nosferatu (1929)
Many horror-film fanatics call F.W. Murnau's silent German classic starring Max Schreck -- who sports grotesque makeup that transforms him into a symbol of pestilence and decay -- the scariest Dracula adaptation ever. The chilling tale kicks off when a real estate agent (Gustav von Wangenheim) begins conducting business with eerie Count Orlok (Schreck), who goes on a rampage when he becomes obsessed with the man's comely wife (Greta Schröder).
So I decided to kick off my October movie watching with one that doesn't count toward my list, because I've seen it before. This is one of those movies that everyone pretty much knows if they want to see it or not, so very little that I could say would change anyone's mind. I love it, and have since I was quite small. If you're a movie geek, a horror buff, or a vampire fan and you haven't seen this ... why not? Look at your life. Look at your choices. And then go find a copy of Nosferatu. Max Schreck is awesome. [Rating: 4 stars]
Shadow of the Vampire (2000)
A wicked movie about the making of the 1922 silent-film classic Nosferatu, Shadow of the Vampire features Willem Dafoe's Oscar-nominated performance. Director F.W. Murnau (John Malkovich) yearns to create the most terrifying vampire tale imaginable. Unknown actor Max Schreck (Dafoe), cast as the vampire Count Orlock, makes an impressive debut as filming begins, even as he hides an unearthly secret.
I have some pretty mixed feelings about this film. It was technically very good. I loved looking at it, and the cast was great. I liked the story, too, but ... I don't know. It never actually bored me but it didn't exactly captivate me, either. I was left with a pretty "meh" feeling at the end, despite being glad I finally got to see it. (I'd wanted to since it was in theaters.) [Rating: 3 stars]
Stake Land (2010)
This genre-bending thriller combines vampires, religious fanatics and post-apocalyptic horrors with a coming-of-age tale that finds drifter Mister (Nick Damici) training young Martin (Connor Paolo) to survive the nightmare that has become America as they journey to New Eden. While they combat the mutated bloodsuckers and vicious humans seeking to rule the land, Mister and Martin rescue other wanderers and become a tightly knit family of warriors.
I'm not exactly sure what I was expecting from Stake Land but it wasn't what I got. What I got was a damn good movie, not "for horror" but for any genre. There was a fair amount of gore but it never felt gratuitous. It wasn't full of cheap jump scares and one-dimensional characters; Dread Central's Serena Whitney called it "a script full of substance, character development, and meaningful social commentary lacking in so many horror films today" and I really agree. [Rating: 4 stars]
Splice (2009)
Ignoring instructions from the pharmaceutical company that funds their research, groundbreaking genetic scientists Elsa (Sarah Polley) and Clive (Adrien Brody) continue with an unorthodox experiment to create a human-animal hybrid, a new life form they dub "Dren" (Delphine Chanéac). When they see their fantastical creation, Clive warns that it should be destroyed, but Elsa refuses -- a decision she'll regret when Dren makes deadly plans of her own.
I liked ... some things. But not the overall product. Adrien Brody's nose was good, as usual. And I really liked the creature design. That was about it, though. I really wanted to like it because it's very Frankenstein-esque, only with more likeable scientists, but I just ... didn't. [Rating: 2 stars]
Alien (1979)
Ridley Scott's sci-fi horror classic stars Sigourney Weaver as Ripley, a tough-as-nails warrant officer who stares down one of the most terrifying movie monsters of all time: a bloodthirsty alien that stalks and eviscerates its prey. As the deadly creature winds its way through the air shafts of the spacecraft Nostramo, the crew members consider deploying the ship's escape shuttle … but there's only room for four people.
I don't know how I went this long without seeing this entire movie. I'd seen bits and pieces of it, but never all at once or in order. So I knew I'd like it, since I liked it in chunks. I had no idea I was going to adore it, though. It's held up so well over time. The only thing I can think to complain about is how it irritated me a bit when Veronica Cartwright's character freaked out. Even so, I could watch this movie just about forever. The only thing scarier than H. R. Giger's designs is his face. ♥ [Rating: 5 stars]
