Re-Animator (Road to Halloween)

For the last review I wanted to write about something special, and it just so happened that this film sort of fell into my lap. Screened.com; a website which I frequent, was doing a sort of mystery science theatre 3k thing, where they would watch a film and commentate on it while it was on. So, I got all set up at midnight for the showing, laptop ready to watch the justin tv stream of the screened.com guys and then my TV to put on the main feature. And so, I settled down, got a bowl of popcorn and readied myself to watch "Re-Animator".

Herbert West is a medical student who has discovered something that will change the world forever; a liquid that can regenerate dead tissue, in essence bring the dead back to life. He enlists the help of his house mate to aide in his experimentation. It all starts off with the reanimation of a dead cat; and to be honest that could have gone better. It isn't long before things are cranked all the way to 11 and Herbert starts trying to bring back things other than cats!

In my experience, horror comedy is a very difficult genre to master. Not only that, but it is an mammoth task to base the source material on a famous writer's work; in this case H.P. Lovecraft. However, "Re-Animator" just works on every level it tries. It succeeds in being gloriously camp and hilarious withour making a mockery of the orignal story and yet still manages to be frightfully gory. It even has moments that will give you a good old fashion scare. From headless corpses to re-animatedcats, it maintains a steady story line and keeps you interested, which can sometimes be difficult to do.

Despite being 25 years old now, this film still has a great amount of punch considering it is quite out of date. I think it more thank likely that it just adds to the films charm; the special effects are fantastically absurd and the best part is, no CGI!

To say that this film is a classic would be a gross understatement. What you have in "Re-Animator" is a film that despite being little bit dated still seems to achieve the same effect after a quarter century. In a nut shell, you have a truly timeless horror film. I can't force you to watch anything, but if I could you can be damn sure that this would be on my list. It's funny, a little bit camp, bloody, crazy and a whole plethora of other descriptives. Don't just take my word for it though, give it a watch and enjoy it for yourself.

It seems like only yesterday since I decided to start on "The Road to Halloween". I am not going to lie here people, it has been a long and difficult journey. If it weren't for my love of horror films and the help of a friend, I doubt I would have made it to the end. And yet, here I am on the 31st of October preparing to write about my final review for the month. I just want to thank my girlfriend for her understanding and patience, Kevin Brown for his continued support, all of the people who read my reviews and all the people involved in all the films I have watched. I hope you have all enjoyed this month as much as I have, and from the bottom of my heart I wish you a Happy Halloween!

Rating 5 out of 5

See it if you liked:
Bride of Re-Animator
Beyond Re-Animator

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Review by Stephen King

Sleepaway Camp

The 1980's were a strange time for horror films. It was essentially the decade of the slasher films; from "Nightmare on Elm Street" to "Halloween", or "Friday the 13th", they were all popular. I am a fan of all of the above, but I had never even heard of "Sleepaway Camp" until recently. So I threw caution to the wind and decided to give it a try....

Angela has been living with her cousin Ricky, and his mother ever since an unexplained incident we assume caused the death of her parents. They are both sent to camp for the summertime. Ricky is supposed to keep an eye out for Angela because she doesn't really talk much, or even interact for that matter. As time progresses at the camp Angela is being picked on and Ricky is having to stand up for her. Soon a friend of Ricky's starts a relationship with Angela and she starts to come out of her shell.

Not long after the start of camp however, began a series of incidents. Sometimes - well mostly to be honest - they involve death. The head of the camp seems to have his eyes on Ricky for the crimes, but we know it isn't him. The thing is, that's about all we know. There are a lot of nasty people at the camp and it is difficult to pinpoint anyone in particular. Needless to say the killer is eventually caught; the scene of the film is actually still shocking, even now.

There is not a lot I actually liked about this film, it was poorly acted, not very gory and the plot was generally poor - forgetting the fact that it is sort of a horror staple. The death scenes in the film range from dull to mildly traumatic, but never really shock in the way that modern horror manages to. It is a shame really, as I may have enjoyed the film more had I watched it at a younger age.

A lot of my dislike for this film is most definitely due to it being horribly out of date, as it has not stood the test of time.

If you are looking to watch a film this Halloween that is the absolute cookie cutter mould of a horror movie, then you could certainly choose worse. However, don't expect to be entertained. For me, the only thing that made it worth while was the last screen of the film, but sadly you need to watch the entire film to understand and get to this part.

I would recommend this film for horror film completionists and fanatics only.

Rating 2 out of 5

See it if you liked:
Friday the 13th
Halloween
Nightmare On Elm Street

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Review by Stephen King

Saw 3D (Road to Halloween)

Jigsaw has now been dead for 3 movies but his sadistic games continue on in his now infamous name. A police officer named Hoffman adopted the ‘Jigsaw’ moniker at the end of the 5th movie and has been in charge ever since however the original grizzly yet apt use of traps has long since been abandoned.

Bobby Dagen is a survivor of a Jigsaw game in which he had to suspend himself on meat hooks through his pectoral muscles in order to reach the exit. After this ordeal he’s found a new lease on life and makes numerous TV appearances to promote his book about his ordeal and how he now values life. Jigsaw however isn’t a fan of Dagen’s new found fame and puts him into another game. Meanwhile Internal affairs are closing in on Hoffman while he continues to test people in increasingly horrific ways.

Once again the acting is not a great draw but as always Tobin Bell’s performance is a strong part of the movie; his ability to give an uneasy feeling simply by speaking in his deep gravelly voice stays strong and is made all the stronger in this movie when compared to the rest of the cast.

In the original Saw there were no innocent bystanders; all those who were part of a Jigsaw game were there because they had shown that they were wasting their lives. The eventual aim was to give those who had a strong enough will to survive, a second chance at life but now, 6 movies later elaborate traps are still being set but most of those in the games are not in control of their own fate. On two occasions in this movie, the fate of at least 3 people rested in the fate of a single person.

Jigsaw as a character has been in each movie, slowly being developed from humble beginnings as a disembodied voice to the full character he now is. It is an interesting situation that I find myself in; Jigsaw is a mass murderer who is responsible for the gruesome deaths of countless individuals but on the other hand you cannot say that he doesn’t hold life in the highest regard and has loved ones that he wished to protect. I find myself sympathising with jigsaw, not with what he does but in his reasons he feels people should strive to love their lives to the fullest.

Saw has long been about gore for the sake of gore and this movie is gorier than its predecessors. This movie is gore porn and it appears to not be ashamed of it.
In my opinion too much time is dedicated to close-ups on people screaming in the seconds prior to their deaths, it added nothing except for the first game where the camera flicks between the three people in the trap and the public outside of the trap (the trap was in a very public place) screaming. This had me in fits of laughter and completely detracted from the horror the movie was supposed to be.

This movie is available only in 3D however there are only a handful of moments where it is used and the remainder of the time it serves only to blur details other than what the camera is focused on.

Saw 3D is not the ending you would expect to a horror franchise that started out as well as it did.

Rating 1 out of 5

Watch it if you liked:
SAW VI
My Bloody Valentine 3D
Hostel 2

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Review by Kevin Brown

The Collector (Road to Halloween)

Have you ever wondered what would happen if you were to mix the films "Saw" and "Home Alone"? Well look no further than "The Collector", brought to you by the directors from the later "Saw" films. A little bit of an attractive offer, but will it hold up to the review? Not going to lie...probably not.

An ex convict has found himself a job working for a rich family. He is part of crew working around their house and is actually casing the place so that he can steal from them. The plan was going to take longer, however, his ex wife is in need of cash and fast. She owes money to a loan shark, and needs to make the final payment by tonight, so of course he says he will get it.

He then arranges for the heist at the house to take place that night rather than later. It is fairly opportune that the family are going on holiday anyway, meaning that the house will be empty and all he needs to do is crack the safe. It turns out that he isn't alone at all...in fact someone else has been looking around the house, but not to steal things. He wants someone....

The house has been booby trapped and now the ex con is stuck inside with a killer. The family never made it out, and are being tortured. All he has to do to is survive and get out with the merchandise. Although it isn't that easy.

To be honest I didn't really have high hopes for this film as it isn't coming from the cream of the crop of directors and writers. However, I figured it should be entertaining at least. Turns out I was wrong. There is nothing fundamentally wrong with the film, but it is slow going and rather boring for something that should be full of action.

The acting is believable at best, with a great lead performance. Sadly, it turns out that "The Collector" would need more than that to be good. The part that I actually thought would be great was the gore, but it turned out to be generally lackluster and a little bit, well, not scary. Although I have realized I have an aversion to watching people have their teeth chiseled out; the best part of the gore.

For the most part I can't get behind this film. It is an interesting idea, all be it unlikely, but most things are possible. I just expected it to be handled with more care than it was. If you are looking for a cheap and cheerful movie, it should do fine, but it isn't a horror great. Similar in this way to the later "Saw" films that failed to grab my attention. Maybe I have just grown tired of the same recycled stuff, and it's time to grab attention in a new way? I will let you decide. Take notice though...this film will not leave you impressed.

Rating 2 out of 5

See it if you liked:
Kolobos
Saw II
Home Alone

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Review by Stephen King

The Crazies "2010" (Road to Halloween)

This forms part two of a two part review; I purchased a DVD containing both the original and the remake of “The Crazies”. This is the review of the remake but will also draw comparisons with the original.

The Crazies is a remake of the 1973 George A. Romero movie of the same name. It takes place in a small town (around 1260 residents) where a highly infectious man-made virus has entered the water supply. It causes the residents to change from being laid back to rampaging psychopaths with – to begin with – no apparent cause. However, unlike the original, the viewer never sees the military point of view of the situation and isn't even told the name or cause of what is happening in the town until the last 30 minutes of the movie.

The virus is called 'Trixie' (I accidentally called it 'Pixie' in yesterday's review) and was on board a plane bound to a military base where it would be destroyed when the plane crash landed in a lake which was the town's water supply. It was designed to “destabilise a community, in this case the wrong community” and within 48 hours of the outbreak you are either dead or don't have it.

The overall story has been altered from the original but the underlying point about viruses, governments keeping key information from the people and soldiers being ordered to kill unarmed civilians without being given reason are still present. If I had not seen the original I would see this as unoriginal as it appears to be a zombie movie in the same vein as 28 days later however since I know that this story was written 30 years before 28 days later I instead see it as ahead of its time. The use of a government created virus is as relevant today as it was in the original and H1N1 (Swine Flu) happened around the same time this was filming.

The movie builds suspense throughout and makes excellent use of the mutual fear of the town's people and the soldiers as both groups are grossly under-informed of what is happening in the town. 'The Crazies' is a great horror movie that is made all the better by the fact that 37 years after being written it seems like it was written as a commentary of what could be happening now.

No doubt that in 2047 when the next remake is made of this, it will still be relevant.

Rating 4 out of 5

See it if you liked:
The Crazies (1973)
Resident Evil: Afterlife
28 Days Later

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Review by Kevin Brown

The Crazies "1973" (Road to Halloween)

This forms part one of a two part review; I purchased a DVD containing both the original and the remake of “The Crazies”. This is the review of the original.

'Pixie' is name given by the American government to a man made virus that has accidentally entered the water supply of a small Pennsylvanian town. The virus does one of two things – depending on who it infects – it either kills them or drives them irreversibly insane. The army is sent in to maintain a perimeter around the town to stop people getting in or out in order to contain the virus however, there is no known antidote, so they must simply wait it out until all the town's residents either die or go insane.

The movie appears to be low budget but since it is now 37 years old it may simply be its age. The visuals appear low budget however the underlying story still shows through; the movie was made at a time when biological weapons attacks were a concern for America. This fear coupled with the army invading people's homes and rounding them up 'for their own safety' makes the town into the setting for a civilian uprising against the “invading force” that is the army.

The movie jumps around to varying location often, an example of this is when the general is telling someone to get someone onto a plane and to the town it quickly cuts away for a second or two showing stock footage to represent the command being followed, it is done in a style similar to Requiem for a dream. This works well on the few occasions that it is used however overall the movie is spread a little thin and contains far more talking than is necessary.

The army troops are all dressed in protective suits and gas masks which made the majority of the dialogue said by them muffled and on occasion inaudible.

The crazies may have been a good horror movie when it came out but in the near 40 years since it has lost some of its kick.

Rating 3 out of 5

See it if you liked:
Dawn of the Dead (1978)
The Crazies (2010)
Resident Evil

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Review by Kevin Brown

The Horrible Doctor Bones (Road to Halloween)

Another busy day, so I haven't had time to watch a film sadly. I have this classic review that I wrote about a truly terrible film, "The Horrible Doctor Bones". I hope you really enjoy my sarcasm....

Well, I think deep down we knew this film was going to be bad. The signs were all there: No famous actors, low budget front cover, it cost a penny, postage cost 157% of actual DVD & last but not least it had the tag line, a hip-hop horror!

To be honest, it was awful. By the time the credits had rolled, it took about 6 minutes of the 70 minute runtime, I was already bored out of my skull. But where to start, I suppose at the plot:
(see empty space below for details of plot...)

plot plot plot plot plot plot plot plot plot plot plot plot plot plot plot, Feel free to realize anytime soon that there was so little plot it could barely be classed as a movie.

Lots and lots of random street slang & "Ms Thang" moments later, people started dying, at which point I noticed I didn't give a crap if the characters were killed. They were all annoying as hell, in fact it would probably have made more sense to actually kill the actors involved. It could possibly be the only way to get a somewhat believable death scene. However, I do imagine that these people would be dead before their brains gave the time to react to their throats being cut. Never the less, this - TRAVESTY - continued on for many more minutes, never quite giving anymore thought as to what the plot might actually be.

More slang, more bad death scenes, random blind guy cleaning the concrete in an out door parking lot, the same room used for every scene and bunch of arbitrary zombies later the film ends. Giving me a warm feeling inside. No it's not satisfaction, it's my stomach getting ready to vomit blood, because they have decided to do something totally new with the ending! They thought it would be a great idea to have an ending in which everything seems okay, BUT WAIT, not it's not, the killer is still alive!

What's that audience? You don't care? Why is that? Oh, right, because it was completely pointless anyway? Okay I understand.

You know what I could go on and explain about why this film was so bad, but I would be wasting my time. The long and short of it is that I will never get those 70 minutes of my life back...NEVER! I say to you now that it is probably hazardous to your health to watch this film. Please don't touch it. It's just not worth the risk of dying.

Anyway I have to get going, I have more important things to do than to talk about this movie. So I will review the next movie after I have finished swallowing some razor blades.

Rating 0 out of 5

See it if you liked:
Predator 2
Candyman

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Review by Stephen King

From Dusk Till Dawn (Road to Halloween)

You know how sometimes you say you have seen a film, when in actual fact you think you have seen most of it by catching bits and pieces on the television? I get this quite a lot with films I have never really sat down to watch; like "The Godfather" and "Forest Gump". I have watched what I imagine to be most of these films on separate occasions, but I have never taken the time to really watch them. This is the same for today's reviewed title, "From Dusk Till Dawn". Many a time I have caught this film on TV, but never watch all of it; tonight I changed that, and I am glad I did.

Seth ("George Clooney") and Richard ("Quentin Tarantino") Gecko are a brothers on the run from the law after a successful bank robbery. Their plan is to get through the border to Mexico before they are caught by the law. This plan is made easier when they run into the Fuller family while staying in a motel. Seth promises the Fuller's that they will be released if they get the help they need to cross the border.

The border crossing isn't the real issue here though. The Gecko's are meeting their "colleagues" at a strip bar called "The Titty Twister", and have to wait there until they arrive at dawn. Easy enough you would think, but it just so happens that this bar is filled with vampires and their only way to survive the night is to work together.

As with most movies written by "Quentin Tarantino" there is a large amount of dialog; witty dialog at that. The exchanges between the Gecko brothers are particularly amusing. Mostly Seth having to deal with his younger brother Richard's psychopathic tendencies. It is a well written script and despite being a horror film, finds its moments of humor frequently. One of the more prominent examples of this is the argument between Richard and Seth on the topic of subtlety as they hurriedly walk away from an exploding petrol station.

The film also takes some rather dark turns at points; particularly with Richard Gecko and his regular delusions. Although sometimes his delusions aren't as big a problem as his actions. There is a fantastic scene with Seth standing in the doorway of a motel bedroom, staring at the body of a woman murdered by his brother. The tone of the film, all be it only briefly, departs quickly from humorous conversations to something completely different. The score of the film takes a very serious turn to set the mood, coupled with a look of utter horror on Seth's face and single frame snaps to the blood soaked bedroom. This is a brilliantly directed scene.

The true defining article within the movie is really the gore. It is frequent, violent, bloody and in most cases, completely overkill. However, I feel that it is completely justified within the style of the film; certainly, director "Robert Rodriguez" has a history of over the top violence. It makes for an excellently exaggerated piece of action horror.

Beautiful women in films tend to be a dime a dozen, but "From Dusk Till Dawn" certainly has a lead on this one. "Selma Hayek" is not only one of the most attractive women to have been gazed upon by the camera lens, she is playing the part of an exotic dancer! It is certainly worth a watch purely for this....

I really enjoyed myself watching "From Dusk Till Dawn". A lot of horror films have a message or a serious undertone or even a shock factor, but with this you get pure unadulterated entertainment. It's bloody, gross, funny, shocking and action packed all in one and for your money, a brilliant package. I would have to say that this film isn't just for Halloween, which makes it even more of a gem.

Rating 4 out of 5

See it if you liked:
Vampires
Assault on Precinct 13
The Mist

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Review by Stephen King

Hobgoblins (Road to Halloween)

A little intro to today's review. I wrote this a number of years ago about a classically bad film called "Hobgoblins". It really is one of the worst things I have ever watched, and even MST3K didn't manage to make it shine too much, but I hope you like my hate filled rant about this film.

I would like to start this comment by sharing something personal with the readers. I am not a very emotional person...by that I mean that I don't cry a lot. I am not saying I never have, I have cried at movies because it was sad, I have cried at movies that have made me happy. However, Hobgoblins made me cry many times. Not because it was sad, but because it was one of the most painful experiences of my life. Not even the MST3K version of the film could make me admit to enjoying this abortion of cinema. I have to say a big thanks to Rick Sloane though. He is the only man who has made me cry so much...all because the end credits began to roll.

To start off, the acting was akin to watching a room full of manikins fall over in a comedic fashion. It was so laughable it made me bust a gut. No, seriously...surgery is pending. The fight scene with the gardening equipment may be a crowning achievement in cinema as the most uninteresting event ever captured on film. The old man that guards the abandoned film lot walks in such a fashion that it almost appears as though he has an small invisible donkey helping him walk around all the time! Another thing with the film lot...it's out of business, it's abandoned, and yet it has a security guard. To make matters even worse they are in the proceeds of hiring a second guard!!! Why!? Not so much a plot hole as it is a plot pit fall. A man who lies on a grenade you would think would disintegrate when it set off, right? Wrong, he flies across the room, gets set on fire, only to come back later on in the film with nothing but a pair of crutches and no burn marks. The crutches which, he swiftly throws aside at the end of the film so he can go and have sex with his slapper of a girlfriend. I have similar experiences of enjoyment to this film, namely, using a drill as a cotton bud. I'm not saying the film was bad, I'm simply saying that it might actually be the cause for all disease. In short, watch this film and die. Almost like the Ring, only not worth watching. If you own a copy I suggest using it as fire lighter material.

I think Rick Sloane should be put in front of a firing squad. A firing squad with really bad aim that would probably miss all his vital organs and continually shoot him in places that would hurt and yet not fatally wound. For some reason Mr Rick Sloane, feels that his original film of Hobgoblins was not enough to scar the world, and so 19 years later a sequel is being made. I would like to urge all readers to bow their heads in prayer to the mighty bat gods, in the hope that they will swiftly extinguish him in the night. I beg of you all not to watch this film, it will not only steal your soul, but it will make you suicidal. Save some time and kill yourself having never watched it and at least you will die soul intact.

Rating 0 out of 5

See it if you liked:
MST3K

What does IMDB say?

Review by Stephen King

Hatchet (Road to Halloween)

In the 1980's horror movies were a little bit different. They were gory with buckets full of blood to an almost ridiculous level and cheesy as hell. Yet, for some reason it worked and these films were great entertainment. "Hatchet" is a throwback to the films of 30 years ago, bringing back all the old clichés and hamming things up even further than before. How can I pass up an opportunity for some no strings fun from this slasher gorefest?

It's Mardi Gras in New Orleans and a group of students have travelled there to have some typical student fun; ie looking at topless girls and drinking till they vomit. For one of the students, Ben, this is not really the atmosphere he is looking for so he bails out to find his own fun. He is followed by his friend Marcus, and after a while of wandering around looking for something interesting to do they find a ghost tour of the Bayou.

They meet up with a bunch of others including, two porn stars and their director, an older couple and a young woman on her own. They take a trip out onto the river at night and when their boat get caught on a tree and starts to sink the trouble really begins. After barely making it to the shore line the story of Victor Crowley rears its ugly head just in time to make matters worse.

Soon, the group are running for their lives from Victor. He is strong, fast and out for blood, so hopefully he will kill the majority of the cast so I don't have to put up with their annoying faces!

"Hatchet" is a great reminder of how outlandish some of the plots of horror movies in the 80's used to be. Totally unbelievable stories, but they were good fun to follow along. Most of the characters are idiots and you are really hoping that they will die sooner or later at the hands of the mysterious antagonist. Without a doubt my favourite thing about the film is the over the top gore. It is ranges from gross out to totally pointless, but that is half the fun with films like these.

The film itself is really just harmless (poor choice of word since people are brutally murder on a near regular basis, but you get what I mean) fun. There is nothing difficult to get to grips with, no Oscar winning performances and certainly not much of a plot. However, at it's heart "Hatchet" does everything that I wanted it to do; it reminds me of all the fun I used to have when I was in my early teens staying up late watching classic slasher films. They were scary back then, but now they are purely for entertainment.

Although "Hatchet" is a great homage to the films of yesteryear, but it one thing...it never takes itself to seriously. The one thing about the slasher flicks of old is that despite their ludicrous plot and acting they always tended to air on the side of serious, even if the opposite is achieved. With "Hatchet", the self parody becomes too strong at times and almost seems to be making fun of older movies rather than paying thanks. In honesty though it doesn't really matter; with cameos from Tony "The Candyman" Todd and Robert "Krueger" Englund shows an attention to detail and a lot of respect.

If you are looking for something that almost verges on comedy, but is still violent, I think this is the film for you. Funny, bloody and a great popcorn flick, "Hatchet" will certainly keep you entertained. Director and writer "Adam Green" knows the genre well and it is certainly an impressive debut, and with the news of the sequel being released this year too, it will give him a chance to show his true props.

Rating 3 out of 5

See it if you liked:
Halloween
Friday the 13th Part 2
Scream

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Review by Stephen King

Ghost Ship (Road to Halloween)

The first time I ever watched this film was in student halls way back in 2003 and I remember thinking two things at the time:

01) Where the f*ck is Gabriel Byrne's character supposed to be from!?
&
02) This film isn't really any good, is it?

Flash forward 7 years to tonight, I am on a bus heading back from Glasgow and the only thing I have to watch on my Zune (yes that's right, I have a Zune, so what!?) was "Ghost Ship". I had already burned through all my podcasts and the prospect of watching a film when I got home didn't make me happy, so I grit my teeth and started it up.

The film is about a salvage group who have just come back from a successful haul when they are approached by a pilot with a new proposition. He has found a large boat out in international waters that was not responding to radio communications. Despite their original worries, they decide to accept the job and go out to sea to find this missing ship. When they arrive they find more than just a large boat; it turns out to be an Italian cruise liner that went missing in the 1960's. Once they get on board, they start to find evidence that they are not the only people to have been on the ship recently. However, undeterred the continue exploring. As time passes one of the crew members begins to see a little girl around the ship, unable to explain it they doesn't mention it to anyone.

After the crew find large amounts of gold and decide to abandon the ship, things really start to go wrong. The ship doesn't want them to leave and to be honest, neither do I because I want some questions answered.

To be honest, "Ghost Ship" is really only memorable for one thing and that happens in the first 5 minutes when a metal tensile wire snaps across a crowded dance floor leaving the dancers in a terrible state. The movie is totally worth watching just for that. It may be the finest "people getting cut to pieces scene" ever! However, the rest of the film is a little bit of a ship wreck...forgive me....

The acting leaves a lot to be desired as the crew over act their way through the entire production with the enthusiasm of an amateur dramatist. The plot itself is a little dry on interest, but keeps plugging along in an acceptable way. Although, I was pretty bored after about 40 minutes, you may feel differently; maybe even sooner. In terms of gore the film really is disappointing after such a strong start and even worse there is a severe lack of scares. Thinking about it in this way makes me think of it as less of a horror movie and more of an action thriller, which if it were it would still fail on a bunch of different levels.

In short, "Ghost Ship" is not a good movie. Poor acting, a middling script and low scare count take care of that with ease. It is a real shame because I didn't really mind the cast that much; I really like Gabriel Byrne in most things, as specially in "End of Days". However, he wasn't even enough to save this film from becoming an exercise in how to make an outstandingly average fright-fest. Like I said the beginning is of epic proportions and should be watched on loop, but the rest of the film you can kind of forget about, and if you watch it...chances are you will forget about it after a short while.

Rating 2 out of 5

See it if you liked:
Triangle
Virus
The Shining

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Review by Stephen King

Inside (Road to Halloween)

After enjoying "Martyrs" I had a little look out for some other French horror title. I looked into "Swtichblade Romance", which I had already seen and enjoyed, but decided that I wanted something new. I eventually settled on "À l'intérieur", the English translation for this is "Inside". I read into the plot and it became a must watch.

In a weird start, the film begins inside the womb of a pregnant woman. You can hear her voice explaining how the baby is safe inside her. Then without any warning the fetus is thrown towards the camera at high speed and floats slowly back, not moving as the womb slowly fills with blood. The film fades in and you see a car crash, and inside the smaller crashed car is a pregnant woman; Sarah. Her husband is dead, she is bleeding heavily and the status of the baby is unknown.

The film flashes forward four months to Sarah lying in a hospital bed having a sonogram. It seems that the baby is fine and will be delivered within the next few days. She is advised that she will be admitted tomorrow and she should go home and get some rest.

Sarah gets home and settled in for the night. Just as she is about to fall asleep, there is a banging at that door. It is a woman asking for some help, but Sarah informs her that she can't because her husband is asleep. We know this isn't true and that she is just nervous, but the stranger outside shouldn't know any better...right? Wrong. She knows all about Sarah, her husband, the accident and the baby. As time passes by the exchanges get more heated and the stranger breaks a window, but eventually manages to make her way into the house. From here on in, it only gets scarier.

I was immediately impressed by "Inside" because of its ability to handle a large amount of exposition and make it easily understood without going into large amounts of detail. It is not thrown in your face, but it flows naturally and allows the viewer to take in the information at a good pace. Once the action starts though, you can pretty much disregard any sort of characterization you thought was going to be relevant.

Once the stranger makes it into the house, I found myself on edge all of the time. There was no extreme violence or jumpy parts to catch you off guard. All they needed to do was to have a figure in the shadows looking over Sarah while she is sitting alone. It scared me on a level that felt very familiar, and I realized that it was because there was not supernatural element to this. It is not an impossible feat for this film to become a reality; a fact that I think makes this film all the scarier.

Around half way through, the film takes a somewhat enormous leap from subtle scares to unspoken violence. The gore in "Inside" is frequent and graphic, actually making me feel kind of ill from time to time and I normally have no issues with movie gore. I can only speculate that the reason for my discomfort is that, like the home invasion plot, the violence was very realistic.

"Inside" is yet another notch on the belt of French horror. A graphic, sickening, horrifying notch. Out of the three films I have watched from France in this genre I have been impressed with all of them. I would think that this film would make any horror movie night a lot better. If you are looking for a violent/psychological horror, this is going to be another one that is worthwhile. Not quite as good as "Martyrs", but still awesome.

Rating 4 out of 5

See it if you liked:
Panic Room
Vacancy
The Strangers

What does IMDB say?

Review by Stephen King

The Butcher (Road to Halloween)

When I was sent the review for R-Point, my friend Kevin mentioned at the bottom of his email about a film he quite fancied getting a hold of. That film was "The Butcher" and I figured that I should maybe give it a watch, see what it is about. I was a little put off when I read the tag line on the DVD box:

"The Korean horror film too brutal and shocking to be released in its own country"

But hey, I am fairly desensitized to violence, so why not. I figure nothing could be that violent really.

The whole film is shot in a handy cam fashion, as seems to be the style these days with many horror films already on the band wagon. The plot revolves around two guys who have a group of people hostage in a remote area; it looks like an abandoned slaughterhouse. Each of the people have a camera attached to their heads to show us from their own perspective as they are beaten with a claw hammer and eventually dragged away. One by one, people get moved into a room where you hear screaming, gushing, slushing, splatting and other disgusting noises. It takes a while before you actually see any violence, and the film is only 70 minutes long any way, so there was a lot to catch up on. Eventually two of the people are dragged through and we see things through their cameras.

They are a couple and this film seems to be trying to portray itself as a real life snuff film. The couple are faced with the two men from before and a larger man wearing a pig mask brandishing a blade. The male is offered a choice, if he can last ten minutes of what is going to happen to him, both he and his wife will be released. From here, it gets messy.

I have never been one to enjoy these sort of torture porn films, where the more gruesome the better. I do enjoy gore in horror films sometimes, but in other cases it almost takes it too far. Now I don;t like to give spoilers in my reviews, but I feel I should mention that this film has the following things in it; someone being beaten in the face with a hammer, sodomy, the removal of body parts using a chainsaw and many other vile things.

This film tries to break boundaries by being forcefully shocking and it succeeds in doing so. However, it also succeeds in being extremely juvenile and it almost seems at times that its mission is to actively disgust you rather than provide any sort of entertainment. The one thing I feel it does interestingly is the handling of the characters decision making. It is certainly of interest to see how the characters behave when they feel threatened and then the difference in that behavior when the are threatened.

Running at 70 minutes is just about all that I could take from this, I was more repulsed than anything else. Sadly this film has failed to make any lasting impact on me other than short term buyers remorse. Some movies I have watched have made me think in similar ways...they were overly violent, but there was an interesting plot and the characterization was good. "The Butcher" just fails on a lot of levels. Someone once said that the reason we perceive all eastern horror films to be brilliant is because we only see the portion of them that are worthwhile bringing to other markets. I would posit to you that this is the beginning for the end of this statement, the bar has been lowered significantly. If you are into the whole hardcore torture horror then maybe this is what you are looking for, but if you have any semblance of a conscious or morals this probably isn't for you.

Rating 2 out of 5

See it if you liked:
Hostel
Saw III
Quarantine

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Review by Stephen King

1408 (Road to Halloween)

As I mentioned in my R-Point review, I love psychological horror which made 1408 a natural choice on the road to Halloween.

Mike Enslin (John Cusack) is a writer who specialises in writing lists of the most haunted locations (Hotels, graveyards, houses, etc.) throughout America. While checking his PO Box, he finds a postcard from the Dolphin Hotel in New York it simply reads “Don't enter 1408” this however is a tactic Mike has seen before but when the hotel refuse to allow him to book the room his interest in piqued.

In person, the hotel manager (Gerald Olin) informs him he's received a free upgrade to a better room, when Enslin demands to stay in 1408, he tries to bribe him which also doesn't work. Olin then tells Enslin the bloody history of the room and the fact that no-one has lasted more than one hour in the room and finally begs him not to stay in the room but to no avail.

John Cusack spends most of the movie confined to the room and a large proportion of the movie takes place in realtime. His performance as a tortured and haunted man is believable and he makes it easy to become invested in his character's tale. As I mentioned above, the room is where 90% of the movie takes place and a lot of action takes place in it. Almost all of the things that happen in the room were actually done which, for one particular sequence required 3 different room to be created for each of the escalating sections.

The movie contains several scenes which have traditional quick fright moments but for the mainstay the horror comes from the suspenseful and occasionally heart-wrenching moments the movie is filled with.

To review this I watched the Director's Cut which differs greatly from the Cinematic version and personally prefer the cinematic version as it leaves the story in a much better place.

Rating 4 out of 5

See it if you liked:
Secret Window
The Shining
The Mist

What does IMDB say?

Review by Kevin Brown

R-Point (Road to Halloween)

'Tartan Asia Extreme' movies interest me because of the graphic nature of their horror. I love horror and especially love violent, torn limb from limb horror. I also love psychological horror which made R-Point a good choice to review.

R-Point is a 'Tartan Asia Extreme' movie set during the Vietnam war. A South Korean base receives transmissions from a platoon of soldiers who have been missing (presumed dead) for 6 months. They decide to send a squad of 9 men led by a decorated officer to try and rescue the soldiers from the R-Point.

The location that they go to is sacred because 100 years earlier Chinese killed Vietnamese and threw their bodies into the lake, building a temple onto of them. In the soldiers hunt for the missing men, they begin to see strange things.

The area where the lake used to be is marked by a gravestone which reads "NO Return; He who sheds others' blood can not return." and this being set in the Vietnam war I couldn't help thinking “Let he without sin cast the first stone”

The first half of the movie is spent setting up the situation and characters however no character was remarkably different from any other which made it difficult to become attached to any of them. In one scene, a few American soldiers show up and the lead American soldier reads his lines as if reading them off of cue cards.

The movie is subtitled which may put some people off but it is, in my opinion, a better option than dubbing over the actors, the dialogue is delivered perfectly conveying the characters' outright fear.

R-Point is a mixed bag but well worth a watch.

Rating 3 out of 5

See it if you liked:
Apocalypse Now
Saw
Other 'Tartan Asia Extreme' Movies

What does IMDB say?

Review by Kevin Brown

Pumpkinhead (Road to Halloween)

"Keep away from Pumpkinhead,
Unless you're tired of living,
His enemies are mostly dead,
He's mean and unforgiving,
Laugh at him and you're undone,
But in some dreadful fashion,
Vengeance, he considers fun,
And plans it with a passion,
Time will not erase or blot,
A plot that he has brewing,
It's when you think that he's forgot,
He'll conjure your undoing,
Bolted doors and windows barred,
Guard dogs prowling in the yard,
Won't protect you in your bed,
Nothing will, from Pumpkinhead."

First of all a little bit of history about the film. It was almost never completed because the production company went bankrupt. However, it was eventually picked up by "United Artists" and released under the name "Vengeance: The Demon" for release in the USA. This is yet another film that I originally watched in my childhood. I remember being scared at the time, but wasn't particularly sure of how well the film would hold up.

A family have locked themselves into their house for the night, and just as things seem peaceful a man bashes on their door. He screams for them to let him in, but they will not interfere in what is about to happen. The man is being chased by Pumpkinhead, a demon of vengeance. The young child of the family witnesses the man being taken into the night by the demon; a night he will never forget.

A group of young folks go into the back of beyond to spend time in a cabin and dirt biking out in the middle of nowhere. On there way they meet "Lance Henriksen" (Ed - who is the young boy from the opening scene)and his son, Billy. While Ed is away picking up some feed for a customer, he leaves his son with their dog in the shop. Unfortunately the dog runs out into the fields barking at the sound of the dirt bikes the group are using. As the boy runs after the dog, he is struck by a dirt bike and rendered unconscious. By the time Ed comes back, he finds one of the group standing over the lifeless body of his son. He picks him up and as he walks away gives the guilty party a stare that screams of hate.

Later on young Billy dies, so Ed visits a woman who lives in the mountains and begs her for her help. She won't bring him back from the dead, but she will conjure a vengeance demon that will kill all those responsible. One again Pumpkinhead begins his work...

As I stated earlier, my greatest concern with this film was that it might not hold up as well as it had in the 80's. I was sadly correct. The scares are limited, the gore in nearly non existent and the plot loses a little something because of this. Although, I like the concept of creature that is pure vengeance and its single purpose it to right wrongs in exchange for your immortal soul. But like I said, you just don't feel as connected to the film as you would have been.

Don't get me wrong, there are still things that freak me out. Pumpkinhead for example is still a truly gruesome creature; with his obvious shaped head, gangly figure and hideous face. I don't know about everyone else, but one thing that really creeps me out is elongated fingers. And guess what, Pumpkinhead has got 'em. He still looks scary to this day.

The rest of the film is a mixture of poor acting and a southern drool drawl that could put you into a coma. It just feels surprisingly lackluster for a horror movie...but I guess that's what happens sometimes. It is difficult to create a film that maintains its relevancy after so many years.

By all accounts, "Pumpkinhead" is not a bad film. It has a plot that I actually find quite interesting and there are some genuinely freaky moments; one involving Pumpkinhead crouching in a tree. A film that was better regarded in its time, but should not be forgotten. If you want to watch some of the best animatronic effects in the business, give this a watch.

As a last note, I did laugh quite extendedly at a scene where "Lance Henriksen" started yelling:

"Not like this! Not like this!"

It reminded me of that scene in "The Matrix" where the exact same lines are uttered. So it makes me wonder, where the "Wachowski Brothers" actually responsible for this being a memorable line, or was it already ingrained in our minds 11 years earlier? You be the judge!

Rating 2 out of 5

See it if you liked:
Halloween
Nightmare on Elm Street
Death Sentence

What does IMDB say?

Review by Stephen King

Martyrs (Road to Halloween)

There are a lot of moments in life you probably won't forget; your first kiss, the first time you got really drunk (maybe you won't remember that one too well), but how many of you remember the first time your were properly scared by a film? I remember mine. I stayed up really late one night when I was a kid, all to watch "Candyman". It is one of the scariest films you could ever watch as a child, and for that matter it is still scary for me now!

The reason I like horror films is because I am a massive wimp in real life. I don't like feeling out of control through fear; no roller coasters or extreme sports for me. I like the feeling of fear that is achieved by watching films. I feel in control and yet, still utterly terrified. However, sometimes films come along where the fear takes hold a little too strongly and all bets are off. For me, there was something about "Martyrs" that made me feel scared on a level I haven't for a long time.

The story is about a girl and her friend, who is out to seek revenge on the people who abused her as a child. Both were the victims of abuse and discover something truly awful during their journey.

Now normally I would talk a lot more about the story and what happens, but with this film I just don't want to give anything away. Every second of the film is designed to shock you and by explaining it in more detail I would ruin that for when anyone else watches it.

Why does this film scare me? For a start there are some scenes of child abuse that are absolutely horrific. Children tied down and beaten within an inch of their life, it makes you feel morally wrong for even long. Then there is the violence; as if beating children wasn't bad enough. There are times in this film where the blood and gore are very graphic, but at the same time it all seems justifiable.

The thing in "Martyrs" that really does scare me is the handling of one of the girls psychotic delusions. there is something about mental illness in films that always make me feel uncomfortable, and it does far more than that here. The manifestations of her abuse are just plain creepy.

When I tried to get to sleep last night after watching the film, I couldn't. I was constantly opening my eyes waiting for something to be there in the shadows. It has been a long time since that feeling has overwhelmed me, but it is what I was looking for. Although, I feel that this is the first time I have ever been taken out of my comfort zone.

If you want a film that is going to scare you this Halloween, "Martyrs" probably isn't going to be the one for you; it does so much more than that. I feel mentally scarred and emotionally wrought after my viewing. I don't know if I will ever watch it again, but that first time is something I can guarantee I will not forget, and if you give it a chance you won't either.

Rating 5 out of 5

See it if you liked:
À l'intérieur (Inside)
Haute tension (Switchblade Romance)
Hostel: Part II

What does IMDB say?

Review by Stephen King

Mortuary (Road to Halloween)

I suspected that I was in for a treat when I selected this film initially. A film set in a mortuary and it was directed by a true Master of Horror, "Tobe Hooper". Those of you following my blog and the "Road to Halloween" will have already noticed I had review one of his greatest works; "Poltergeist". Unfortunately, this is far from his best work.

A mother, with her son and daughter have decided to move to a remote part of the country. They have a bought a mortuary to live in, and this will also become the family business. The family are presumably trying to leave behind their previous lives due to the recent death of the father. Soon they begin to hear stories circulating about their newly purchased home.

Legend has it that the mortuary was previously the home of a family who tried their luck at farming, but there was something in the soil that killed all the cattle and crops. The family had a son who was mute and disfigured who they would beat regularly, and one day he just disappeared. The rumor is that his parents killed him, but ten years after his disappearance the parents bodies are found beaten to death. Now, this disfigured psycho is living in the graveyard next to the mortuary.

As you can see, it is not an award winning story line. Sadly, all this film did was bore me. The acting is woefully sub par, with performances that verge on amateur at the best. There were no scares that seemed to have any effect on me at all through out the entire film, which is a rarity as there is normally one good one in every movie. The plot seemed to be confused about what it actually thought was relevant to the story and sometimes things would happen without any explanation; like the corpse of a piano teacher roaming the mortuary screaming like Godzilla! There was little or no character development and the attempts at humor that persisted through the movie only made me laugh because they were so poorly executed.

The film was clearly made with a low budget. The special effects actually look like claymation, only worse and there is absolutely no star power or names worth mentioning. Nothing about the film seems to work, not even the score or the SFX. Everything just seems a little off the mark.

I am so disappointed with this film I can barely put it into words, but since that is the idea behind these reviews I will have to do my best. The idea was nice, just dreadfully executed and poorly directed. I find it unbelievable that a director with such talent would pick up a script this badly written. Just a waste of time really. Your would be far better picking up a copy of just about any other of "Tobe Hooper's" films. For the most part his career is mostly hits. This however, is an emphatic miss.

Rating 1 out of 5

See it if you liked:
Pet Cemetery
Stir of Echoes
Sometimes They Come Back

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Review by Stephen King

Tales from the Darkside (Road to Halloween)

"Tales from the Darkside" is a movie based on an 80's TV show. Each week there would be a new episode, with a new story to tell. There was never any continuity, as each episode was self contained. From what I have read up on the TV show, it seems to be in the same vein as "The Twilight Zone" and "The Outer Limits". I really wish I had been older during the show's run so I could have enjoyed it in the era it was made for. Unfortunately it did not each too well.

The film has three stories contained within one over arching wrapper. The wrapper story tells the tale of a woman ("Deborah Harry") who has kidnapped a young boy, so that she can serve him at dinner for her guests. As you probably already noticed, it is sort of a take on "Hansel and Gretel". The difference here is that the boy has been given a book by the woman; presumably so that he can remain occupied while locked up. When the time comes to eviscerate the boy, he manages to distract her by telling her stories. So here they are in order; I will write a mini review for each.


Lot 249

The first tale of terror is based on a story by "Sir Arthur Conan Doyle" and has quite few famous names; Julianne "Susan" Moore, Christian "Andy" Slater and Steve "Bellingham" Buscemi. The story revolves around a fellowship grant which would allow the winner to visit Europe for the summer. Andy's friend Lee has managed to cheat his way into getting the fellowship. Lee is dating Andy's Sister, Susan and she is the one who is actually writing all of Lee's work. Bellingham feels cheated and knows that their has been foul play. On the way back from playing tennis, Andy and Lee meet Bellingham on the stairs and help pay the delivery man who has just dropped off Bellingham's newest acquisition; a 3000 year old mummy.

After finding a scroll inside the mummy, Bellingham recites the words written on it and soon the mummy comes back to life. Now that the mummy is up and around, he starts to take bloody vengeance on all of those who have wronged Bellingham.

A classic story, with some big names acting it out. The great thing that all of these mini stories have in common is that despite the fact they are horror shorts, they never take themselves too seriously. You can see this with certain scenes within "Lot 249 - like when the mummy is slowly crawling its way along the ground toward Christian Slater, only to be denied at the last second as he moves away. However, the scenes of killing are rather graphic and mostly involve the mummy forcing its past pains onto his victims. One person has their brain removed through their nose, another is sliced open and stuffed with flowers. For entertainment, this is an enjoyable little dive into classic story telling, but I wouldn't expect too much from it.

Rating 3 out of 5


Cat from Hell

This next story has a lot of promise. A story written by the prolific horror writer and my namesake, "Stephen King". Just to add a little more to the pot, the screen play was adapted for the film by the great "George A. Romero".

A rich pharmaceutical tycoon hires a hitman to help eliminate the killer of the three other residents of his stately manor. When the hitman arrives he is shocked to find that the killer is none other than...a cat! At first he thinks it to be a joke, but soon finds out that it is no laughing matter. The tycoon explains how all of the others had met their fates at the "paws" (I am so sorry for this) of the killer. Tripped down the stairs, smothered and killed in a car crash; all of the deaths deemed to be either natural causes or accidental death. However, the tycoon knows this is not true.

Soon the hitman is left alone in the manor with the cat. What he thought would be a walk in the park soon turns out to be far more difficult than he could have imagined.

To be honest, I am complete fan boy of "Stephen King". I like most of his work, but with this I just felt that it was extremely cheesy. The model cat used frequently throughout the film looks terrible and the death scenes are rather tame. However, there are a couple of saving graces. The first being is that there is a little bit of humerus undertone to it all and the second is one of the death scenes. Have you ever seen a cat crawl inside a man's mouth and smother him to death. Then once they stop breathing, climb all the way down into his stomach? I thought not...and you will love this scene for its originality. As with before, I wouldn't expect much more out of this than for it to kill a half hour.

Rating 3 out of 5


Lover's Vow

The final tale is about a struggling artist who has just been given the bad news that he will no longer be represented by his agent. Worse than that, all of his work is being removed from the gallery it was in due to it being difficult to sell. The artist gets drunk at a bar and as he says goodnight to the bartender something horrible happens. The bartender's hand flies across the alleyway with great force. You can see him being attacked, but you can't see by what. The next thing to go is his head! After witnessing this the artist is pinned to a wall by a grotesque creature; the one responsible for the horrific murder just witnessed. The creature makes the man a deal; if he never tells anyone about what happened here then he can live. He agrees and runs.

As he runs away he bumps into a beautiful woman and they end up back at his apartment. The connection between the two grows, his career begins to flourish and everything seems to be taking a turn for the better. However, there is an inescapable feeling that something is not right.

A love story of the strangest sort. Not a particularly interesting story, but for the gore I would say it is definitely worth a look. It is probably my least favorite of all the stories, but it certainly is the most violent by a long shot. Despite being slowly paced, it has a great ending that makes it even more worth seeing through. Enjoy it, it's a hell of twist.

Rating 2 out of 5


As the final story ends, we make our way back to the kitchen of the evil woman and the young boy trapped in the cage. This last piece of the film ties a great little bow on the whole thing and makes it a complete package. Extremely cheesy, nice and gory, hammy acting and laugh out loud moments make this film a great little rest from the real gritty horror that I watch most of the time. If you feel like a rest just like me, why not put it on this Halloween?

Rating 3 out of 5

See it if you liked:
Twilight Zone: The Movie
Creepshow
Creepshow 2

What does IMDB say?

Review by Stephen King

Dawn of the Dead (Road to Halloween)

"Hell is overflowing and Satan is sending his dead to us!"

Zombie films have never really been my bag. Although I could tell "George A. Romero" was a very passionate director, I just wasn't interested in a bunch of slow moving corpses. Please don't get me wrong, I have nothing but respect for "Romero" and his politically charged horror films. However, it wasn't until seeing "28 Days Later" that I truly jumped on the zombie band wagon. That was the first time I ever felt any real sense of terror from the protagonists. Then the screen writer "James Gunn"; a former Troma movie writer decided that "Dawn of the Dead" needed to be remade. A whole new era of the Zombie was born.

The story follows a band of survivors trying to remain alive during what can only be described as a global pandemic. The group find salvation in a mall, there the have weapons, food and a base of operations. Everything the will need to fight off the pending zombie infestation. However, as time goes on things get tough when they start losing people to the zombie plague. Eventually the decide to make plans to sail away as far as possible using one of the survivor's boat. But first they have to escape the mall and the undead horde surrounding it.

There are many reasons to love this film; but one stands out. The use of humor in a horror movie can really tear you out of the moment, however in the case of "Dawn of the Dead" it only pulls you deeper into their world. It gives you a greater insight into the characters motivations and personalities. Humor is not only accomplished with the script, but you will find that the soundtrack is used in juxtaposition with the events in the film. Artists such as "Stereophonics", "Johnny Cash" and "Richard Cheese" are used with sublime taste, and they scenes at which they are played over become more poignant as a result of the horrific imagery that accompanies them. It is funny, and it will make you laugh, but only for a second. Then the true gravity of the visuals hits home and you begin to feel shocked.

Other elements of humor can be found in the characters behavior. As time goes by and boredom sets in, the survivors create a "game" in which they shoot zombies from the roof of the mall. They say that the zombies look like a celebrity and then pick them off. Slightly disturbing behavior, but funny none the less.

The gore factor in this film is turned up all the way to eleven and is better for it. Not only are the scenes involving the killing of the zombies gruesome, they are down right disgusting. It also pushes the boundaries on acceptability when the script includes zombie children; one which even bites someones jugular out. The other child is a new born baby. Born a zombie...Now that is one way to get a reaction from your audience.

For a remake, this film actually manages to produce a lot of new material and scares. It is without a doubt one of the films that changed my mind on the zombie genre. I have since revisited the classics and enjoyed them far more than the first viewings. I am not entirely sure why that is , but I am glad it happened. I am always happy to have new things to watch. So, for a zombie film that has a slightly comedic edge, this is an unexpected gem. You would not waste your time giving this a watch.

Rating 4 out of 5

See it if you liked:
Dawn of the Dead (1978)
28 Days Later
Slither

What does IMDB say?

Review by Stephen King

Saw (Road to Halloween)

The year was 2004 and I had just started working my first full time job at the local cinema. I have always been a huge horror fan and now that I was going to be seeing films for free, I couldn't wait to catch as many as possible. Then one morning I saw it. A bright green billboard in the middle of town, advertising something new. It read:

"Dare you see Saw?"

My first reaction of course was laughter at the delightful pun and playful imagery of the sentence. However, my smile changed when I watched the trailer. What I had witnessed was the rebirth of horror films. There hadn't a good shock horror film for a number of years, and this one was going to change that. Of course 6 years ago we didn't know quite how much. I remember sitting in the front row of the screen hanging on the edge of my seat at ever bloody act...

"Saw" has a story line that would not be out of place in a murder mystery/thriller. The main idea is that a serial killer is kidnapping people and forcing them to act out murderous scenarios. They are selected by the killer known as "Jigsaw"; a name that is given to him by the police because he cuts a small jigsaw shape out of his victims. These people are chosen because "Jigsaw" feels that they are not living life correctly, that they are squandering their opportunities. He feels this is unfair to those who don't have the chance to live out their lives.

The real story begins when two people wake up in a darkened room, chained to the walls. There is a body of a man in the middle of the floor and there are also some hidden clues to help them gain their freedom. They have to figure out why they are there, how they know each other, who is keeping them there and how they are going to escape. Meanwhile the police are investigating the previous crime committed by "Jigsaw", and are still trying to hunt him down. All of the questions are answered and twists are unveiled that will shock and surprise, leading to an incredible end.

For me, when I think of Saw, I think of the gore. It is masterful! Every single trap is designed not only to teach the victim a lesson, but to make our stomachs turn as they are faced with true terror. The traps are well thought out, and with a certain level of personalization. The violence in "Saw" is like something straight of the grindhouse era of horror.

The acting is generally sub par, however this doesn't really matter when you have a plot that plays out so intricately. The subtlety in the writing is wonderful, and really grabs your attention. Some questions are answered, but with every answer comes another new question. The story really keeps you thrilled, entertained and most importantly, guessing until the very dying seconds.

"Saw" was then turned into a very successful franchise; which is something that the world of cinema needed. There really hadn't been a horror franchise for some time. However, my excitement soon turned to distaste as the movies started to nosedive into the absurd. No longer were carefully woven plots used to entice the viewer, but instead things just got gorier. Now I am all for the gore, but what the film didn't need was to up its game in this department. I would have preferred that they put more thought into the story. Sadly this did not happen.

Regardless of what the series has now become, it does not detract from the wonder that was the first installment. I had longed for a film of its kind, and thanks to Leigh Whannell and James Wan, it was delivered. A truly gritty and bloody horror film was made, and I think everyone should as least watch the first one.

Rating 4 out of 5

See it if you liked:
Hostel
Scanners
Videodrome

What does IMDB say?

Review by Stephen King

Chakushin ari (Road to Halloween)

Those of you unfamiliar with Japanese, or any of my previous reviews might not know the film by this name. This is the Japanese title of the original "One Missed Call", and after watching the American version of the film I felt I should look at this one. The remake was such a huge disappointment and as a result I wanted to watch the original to make sure that I hadn't imagined how good it was.

"One Missed Call" is directed by "Takashi Miike". If you watch any other Japanese films you will know him from his other films; "Audition" and "Ichi the Killer". Or maybe you know him from his previously banned episode of "Masters of Horror", "Imprint". Either way, with his name involved I always get excited because of his ability to shock the viewer. He always scares me, and I always come back for more.

The story follows the character Yumi who is at dinner when one of her friends receives a missed call on her mobile. A message was left and it was the voice of the recipient on the call. The call was post dated to two days from the time of the call. Needless to say, two days later they are found dead. And so the cycle begins, as other friends of Yumi begin to receive voice messages from themselves, they too meet their fate. It is up to Yumi to find out what is happening, who is behind it and why.

I would like to state first of all, that the atmosphere that is built up during the film is incredible. You are completely immersed in the gravity of the situation. The death scenes are gruesome and well shot, the direction is brilliant. The camera spends a large amount of time focused on the phones while they play what is essentially the song of death. This increases the uneasy feeling exponentially as the film continues. The subtle use of the creeping female sends chills up your spine as she slides our from behind walls, from inside cupboards and walks along the roof. The very thought it gives me goosebumps.

The use of sound in this film is beyond exceptional. Every time you hear an inhaler, you know that the pale woman is on her way. What makes it worse is when you see the expression on the characters faces on hearing the noise. They look scared and helpless, making me feel similarly. However, the ultimate use of audio has to be the ringtone of the phone. When you hear it, your heart goes into palpitations, your body starts to tremble and you can feel her presence behind you.

A lot of people dislike films with subtitles, siting such reasons as, "If I wanted to read I would get a book". And for these people I am full of pity. The solution would be to wait for the remake to come out in America. The truth is that not only is a lot of the story and dialog lost in translation, it would appear that the whole product becomes diluted and...well...Americanized. Don't be one of these people! Go and watch more foreign language films because I bet they will surprise you.

As a kid I was always fascinated by films like this and it appears that later on in life I still am. You want to watch something a little different this Halloween, something that will give you that scare that you have been needing? Give "Chakushin Ari" a watch and I guarantee you will not sleep well after.

Rating 4 out of 5

See it if you liked:
Pulse
The Ring
Audition

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Review by Stephen King

The Strangers (Road to Halloween)

There are a few movies that I own on DVD but have never watched for a variety of reasons. I hadn’t watched ‘The Strangers’ on DVD because of how much I had been scared by it at the cinema.

The Strangers is a psychological horror in which a couple (Liv Tyler and Scott Speedman) staying at a remote house get a knock on the door at 4AM asking for someone who doesn’t live there. The same person come knocking a few minutes later. This continues and escalates to the point that the couple are fighting a home invasion from 3 masked people forcing them to protect themselves in ways they never thought they would.

The audio in the movie works well to create atmosphere, early on the movie never raises above talking level with some background music however later on the knocking on the door and music being played become ear splitting always ensuring that the viewer is ill at ease.

The film has some genuine scares but both the couple and their attackers fall into many of the horror movie pitfalls; splitting up, the female protagonist falling an injuring her leg causing the attacker to follow slowly behind.

The attackers could be said during the movie to lack motivation for their actions but deliver the best reasoning for what they have done when asked.

The director (Bryan Bertino) knows how to structure horror and delivers it well but the movies horror clichés and lacklustre ending may leave the viewer with a mixed bag of feelings and will most likely leave a slight feeling they are being watched.

Rating 4 out of 5

See it if you liked:
1408
Paranormal Activity

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Review by Kevin Brown

The Mist (Road to Halloween)

The first time I saw the trailer for "The Mist" I was sceptical as to whether it would be worthwhile or not. I like most of the "Stephen King" films, even if they aren't particularly great. However, I bit the bullet and went to the cinema anyway. The best part of this cinema experience was far greater than I had ever anticipated. So after watching it for only the second time today, I feel that it is definitely worth talking about.

The film is directed by "Frank Darabont", a long time collaborator of "Stephen King. They have worked together on "Shawshank Redemption" and "The Green Mile", so you know that you are in for something that is not only well directed, but well written.

The story begins with a huge storm causing a lot of damage to the house of "Thomas Jane". After assessing the damage he and his son go to the market with his next door neighbour to pick up some supplies. His wife waves them goodbye, not knowing that it may be the last time she sees them. As they get to the store the begin to see a large military presence. After a while they see the mist start to roll in over the mountain range and into the car park outside. A man comes screaming towards the store yelling to lock the doors and speaking of monsters in the mist.

Needless to say all the people are now stuck in the store. As tensions run high, the mystery of the mist becomes apparent. Creatures start attacking the store and the people inside, so factions begin to form within. Tense until the dying seconds.

I love everything about this film...the acting, the writing, the tension. The scenes filmed inside the shop are so over-wrought with intensity. The acting is superb, "Thomas Jane" excellently portrays a man on the edge. Every moment he is on screen he seems to be faced with impossible choices. It really does show show his acting ability and also that he knows how to choose a film that is worth being in. I will say that the film does end differently from the original novella, but the new ending is incredible. A true "What the f*ck!" moment.

I hate being a fan boy of certain movies, but this certainly one of those times where it is necessary! The Mist is one of the most shocking horror films I have ever seen. In short - mostly cause I am really tired - this is yet another film you must watch this Halloween. Plus, if you have a Blu-ray player get that version as it comes with a black and white version of the fim.

Rating 5 out of 5

See it if you liked:
The Fog
The Crazies


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Review by Stephen King

The Descent (Road to Halloween)

"The Descent" was released in 2005 and saw much critical acclaim. I remember going to see it in the cinema with a group of friends and everyone was terrified of what had been brought to life on the big screen. Neil Marshall; who had previously directed "Dog Soldiers", had made a name for himself. However, I don't think anyone saw this coming...

The story follows a group of friends who are into extreme sports. The opening scene sees them white water rafting and having a great time. However, the happy times end abruptly when lead character Sarah, with her husband and daughter are involved in what I can only describe as a horrific car crash. Sarah is the only survivor and has a little bit of a meltdown - understandably. Fast forward to a year after the accident and the friends are meeting up to try and do some cave diving. They have their route plotted out and the mountain rescue alerted of their where abouts just in case of an emergency. As they dive into the caves and progress deeper and deeper, there is a minor tunnel collapse, causing them to have to find another way out. AS things get more and more tense, it becomes obvious that they are not alone in these caves.

The first thing you will notice when watching "The Descent" is that you will have an overwhelming feeling of claustrophobia though out the opening 45 minutes. The tunnels are so narrow, people get stuck and begin to panic and it just draws you into their world, almost to the point of having a panic attack yourself. The score is minimalist during the times when they are travelling through the smaller passages, so you hear every little pebble move and every grunt as the girls struggle to maneuver their way through. People afraid of tight spaces - this includes me - may find this unwatchable.

Secondly, the appearance of the first creature in the film is just past the half way mark. The tension has been building to unbearable levels for the first have and when they finally show you the creatures you are at boiling point! Everything just gets progressively worse. There is no moment in the film where you think that everything is going to be okay and that they will make it. It is more like watching something that you know the outcome of, and yet you still find yourself on the edge of your seat, biting through what's left of your nails.

"Neil Marshall" seems to be the master of the set piece. The film is well connected, with a strong plot line and underlying story. However, what you will notice the most about this film is that a large portion of the scenes will stand out. There are very few lulls to speak of, and even when the story slows its pace, you know it is only to draw you in. There are many scenes in this film which I believe to be iconic, but my favorite by a country mile is the first proper encounter with the creatures. I won't say exactly what happens, but I will tell you that it involves the use of the night vision on their video recorder.

The story manages to old itself together beautifully as it flows perfectly without skipping a beat. Even the less significant plot lines - or at least you perceive them that way - are expertly woven into the run of the story. The acting is very strong, very intense and sense of panic is well maintained through the duration. A near perfect horror film.

If you want a real scare this Halloween, I would have to recommend this film as not only one of my favorite horror films of all time, but one of my favorite films of all time. It is a beautifully crafted work of tension, suspense and dread. I have watched "The Descent" around 20 times now, and I can honestly say I am still entertained ever time I pop it in the DVD player. Seeing it in the cinema was a genuinely scary experience, but it doesn't mean watching it home is any less worthwhile - a surround sound system will make sure you are kept on your toes. A modern classic and hopefully one day a full blown classic. This movie has what you want.

Rating 5 out of 5

See it if you liked:
The Cave
Creep

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Review by Stephen King

Hellraiser IV: Bloodline (Road to Halloween)

The Hellraiser series has been in motion for nearly 20 years. From the original trilogy spawned numerous sequels, and numerous attempts to find that magic seen in the earlier three films. The one that comes closest to it in my mind is "Bloodlines". Ironically, stylistically this film could not be further away from the earlier movies. However, it does provide a lot of background information on the Cenobites and on the creation of the puzzle box.

The story starts out in space; I know this is normally where film series go because they have nothing left, but hear me out. A future member of the Merchant family bloodline is attempting to summon the Cenobites and their leader Pinhead to have one final showdown. However, he is interrupted by a team of soldiers who knock him out and take him for interrogation. From here on, the movie is explained through a series of stories ranging from the creating of the puzzle box 400 years ago, to the present day at the time of filming, and finally back into space.

In terms of plot the film actually fairs quite well. Despite my reservations prior to watching it, due to it being in space. Brilliantly though, the story does not take place there for too long. It makes use of the history of the puzzle box and keeps you entertained. The acting is a little hammy, but what is to be expected from a Hellraiser film; more so, a Hellraiser film that is produced on a fairly low budget. It doesn't quite have the same wow factor that the original had, but as I said it is very informative. Outside of the film being a good effort at filling in the banks in the history of the Cenobites, it isn't particularly great. The death scenes are not as shocking as they once were and the dialog can be a little crummy at times. There are some flourishes of the typical arrogance from Pinhead though:

"What you think of as pain is a shadow. Pain has a face. Allow me to show it to you. Gentlemen, I... Am... Pain"

All in all, I would suggest you watch this film if you like the Hellraiser series. Others would still be able to watch it due to the large amount of exposition in the script, but I feel they just wouldn't be entertained. If you want to get into it, start at the beginning of the series. My rating for this film is low due to it being pale in comparison to the first three, and due to the actual movie part being not so good. The marks it does pick up are purely from a fan of the series perspective, but I would still say it is worth a watch.

Rating 2 out of 5

See it if you liked:
Hellraiser
Hellbound: Hellraiser II
Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth

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Review by Stephen King

Poltergiest (Road to Halloween)

I have been a fan of horror for as long as I can remember, and one of my most lucid memories is being terrified of the film "Poltergeist". Written by Steven Spielberg and directed by Tobe Hooper, this horror classic has survived the test of time. The names involved would have meant nothing to me back then, but now when I read those names it is just a precursor to the genius that you are about to watch.

"Poltergeist" is about a family living on a newly built housing estate. The father, played by Craig T. Nelson is a sales person for the homes. He lives with his wife, two daughters and son. One day the youngest daughter starts to talk about the TV people. One night she is drawn to the TV and something comes out of it and causes a tremor. When the family wake up and look to her, she utters one of the most famous lines in horror movie history: "They're here!" The family are upset by the goings on in the house; moving furniture, flickering lights. Soon after this in one terrible scene, the son is attacked by a tree that rips him from his room, and the youngest daughter disappears into the closet. The family then begin a mission to try and find their daughter by any means necessary. They have paranormal investigators live in the house with them to document the goings on, and eventually a spirit medium is added to the mix to find their missing daughter.

Everything about this film is wonderful. The script is written in a way that is not only scary, but portrays the characters in a realistic light by adding subtle undertones of humor into the dialog. It is this blend of humor and horror, that makes the film highly original. It is never so strong as to detract from the overall horror of the situation, but it does add a lot. The star of the film, no doubt has to be the youngest daughter; Carol Anne. Her screams will leave you shaking at the core, her sometimes eerie tone of voice will creep you out and her unbelievable cuteness will have you begging for her safety.

One thing which certainly adds to the scariness of the film is the things that befell the cast after filming. After finishing the trilogy of Poltergeist films, young Heather O'Rourke who played Carol Anne died of a cardiac arrest. She was only twelve years old. The eldest daughter; Dana, played by Dominique Dunne, was strangled in her front garden by her psychotic ex-boyfriend at the age of 22! Very creepy circumstances surround these films and they are sometimes referred to as cursed.

Tragedy aside, if you want to sample a classic piece of horror cinema, then this is a must. This gem of a film is near perfect and is better every time you watch it. So do yourself a favor this Halloween and watch "Poltergeist". It will scare the pants off you.

Rating 5 out of 5

See it if you liked:
1408
The Haunting in Connecticut
The Frighteners

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Review by Stephen King