Rosemarys Baby

 

 

Date Of Release: 12th June 1968

Director: Roman Polanski

Producer: William Castle

Starring: Mia Farrow, John Cassavetes, Ruth Gordon, Sidney Blackmer, Maurice Evans, Ralph Bellamy

Running Time: 136 minutes

Distributor: Paramount Pictures


Review
Sometimes I wish I had never watched this film, not because it was a bad movie but because it creeped me out beyond belief! Ever since I watched it, I found myself being very wary of people for ages, always assuming that there was some kind of conspiracy going on. I suppose a film about the worship of Satan and the conception of demonic offspring would do that to a person.

Considering that the film involved Satanism, there were no reported unusual goings on set. The only thing that really happened was that Mia Farrow was served divorce papers by Frank Sinatra on set! This marital mishap however, attributed towards the scene were she was consoled during a party. Another emotion driven scene is the one were on the night Rosemary and her husband plan to conceive, their neighbour brings them over individual cups of chocolate mousse. Believing hers to have a chalky under taste, she throws it away. Not long after she passes out and starts having dreams that she is being raped by a Demonic presence in front of her husband and neighbours. She wakes up to find scratches all over her body, but her husband convinces her that it was just him. Farrow was said to have been traumatised at the prospect of having to do such a scene. Fortunately for her, it became one of the most famous and voted one of the scariest moments in film history. Looks like it was all worth it then!



What I love most about this movie is its borderline realness. By that, I don't just mean the fact that it could possibly happen in real life or that there are factors in the film that also happen to humans every day, what I mean is all the hidden little Easter eggs in the film that you wouldn't know about unless someone had told you or if you read it somewhere. For example, the above mentioned marital issues between Farrow and Sinatra playing a part in her emotional scene or the part were Rosemary calls Donald Baumgart. His voice was actually replaced by that of Tony Curtis. Farrow was not told this, she recognised the voice but couldn't place it, this helped her play the part of someone slightly confused very well. The best one was the scene were she wanders, dazed and confused into traffic. she was reluctant to do it but Polanski reassured her that "No one's going to hit a pregnant woman."

Some people are put off by the special effects, which I think is a bit ridiculous considering that it was made in the 60's! If you can, try and read the book firs as it truly is wonderful. It is one of the most controversial films you will ever see so if you are easily offended or are of a sensitive disposition, then this film is not for you.....and neither is this review for that matter...


　
Rating: 8/10 - Nobody puts (Rosemary's) Baby in the corner....

Hellraiser

 

Date Of Release: September 11th 1987 (UK) and September 18th 1987 (US).

Director: Clive Barker

Producer: Christopher Figg

Starring: Doug Bradley, Andrew Robinson, Ashley Laurence, Claire Higgins, Sean Chapman.

Running Time: 93 minutes

Distributor: New World Pictures



Review

I like to call myself a life long fan of this movie (considering that it was released the year I was born!). Through your life, you will have many films that you remember, but there will always be a few that really stick with you. This is how I feel about this movie. I watched it (too) young and it has always stuck with me. I dare say that I had nightmares about it, I watched it with my father one night (as we always watched horror movies together, despite my age!) and I remember thinking about it for weeks after. I was scared of it at first but them became curious about the story. I believe that was what started my long life love for horror.

This film is the epitome of 80's horror. The effects aren't the most amazing ones you will ever see but for what it lacks in that, it makes up with gore. If there was ever a line in the horror world, Clive Barker was not afraid to over step it! The film has a very dark, industrial feel to it (and I do not mean the music genre), full of dark colours, metal effects and chains....lots of chains. This leads to one of my favourite parts of the film, where one of the characters gets ripped apart by chains. Gruesome, I know, but something I had not seen done before. Like I said before, it sticks with you. An example of this would be from my darling boyfriend. He watched the film while eating a bowl of Cinnamon Grahams. The film freaked him out and now every time he smells cinnamon, he associates it with the movie....got to love a scaredy pants!



 

The film also dealt briefly with the subject of sadomasochism. Obviously, I did not know what that was when I was younger, but as I got older I learned and in doing that, I realised how clever the film actually was. We all know what a brilliant writer Barker is, and true to his talent, he managed to portray his vision of this world perfectly in this movie. I haven't read the book that the movie was based on yet, and no doubt when I do I will be envisioning these characters. Usually that would annoy me but I love Barkers imagination so much that I won't let it bother me.

Considering how popular the movie is and how much of a cult status it has accumulated over the years, it is hard to believe that when it was first released, it received mixed reviews. I bet those reviewers are kicking themselves a bit now. It has one of the most popular horror characters, one of the most famous quotes and one of the most famous authors as a director.....safe to say that it is a famous film...

Rating: 9/10 - Lets watch this, drink some beers then raise some hell!!!



　

The Last Man On Earth (1964)

 

Date Of Release: 8th March 1964

Director: Ubaldo Ragona, Sidney Salkow

Producer: Robert L Lippet, Samuel Z Arkoff, Harold E Knox

Starring: Vincent Price, Franca Bettoia, Emma Daniell, Giacomo Rossi-Stuart

Running Time: 86 minutes

Distributor: American International Pictures (USA), 20th Century Fox (International)



Review

This film was based on Richard Mathesons 1954 novel "I Am Legend". Matheson actually part wrote the script but he was so unsatisfied with the result, he credited himself as Logan Swanson. Considering that the film is supposed to be set in suburban America, it was actually shot in Rome, Italy, with a huge part of its extras and crew being Italian. This was essentially done so that they could save money. On its release, it was not considered a success, however, today it is considered as a classic within the genre. Many reviews stated that it was very low budget with an amateurish feel and poor dubbing. Even Matheson himself felt that Vincent Price was miscast.

As with most people, I have read the book first and I absolutely loved it. It was something that was before my time and yet felt like it had just been created. When I heard about the film and the fact that Vincent Price was in it, I just had too see it. Unfortunately, I have to agree with most of the critics bad reviews. There is nothing worse than a poorly dubbed film, I just cannot stand it. The story, as much as it pretty much follows the book, feels slightly detached. The vampires from the book are very smart, able to climb walls and can run very fast. The vampires in the film however, are almost zombie like, giving the film a much slower place.



The one scene that really sticks with me is the part were they do the mass burials. By all means, it is in no way a scene that is that big of a deal, but watching it at a young age, it just really stuck with me. In some way, it just seemed quite close to a lot of dictatorships that are around even now. The part where Morgans house is infiltrated is quite interesting to. He feels that he is helping by killing the vampires yet he is actually killing ones that are being treated, causing them to hunt him down. Quite a nice little twist I think.

Despite the bad critique that the film had received, I still love this film and I myself, still consider it to be a classic. It may not be quite what I hoped for, bearing in mind that I had read the novel, but it is a lot better than the remakes that followed it. The production value could have been better and I think that the crew could have taken a bit more care to make it even more like the novel, giving it the respect that it very much deserves. On the whole, if you love some horror tinged with a slight bit of drama then this is for you.

Rating: 6/10 - Don't be the last man on earth to see this!



　

Blood: The Last Vampire (Anime)

                                                                                                                    

Date Of Release: 29th July 2000 (Worldwide), 18th November 2000 (Japan)

Director: Hiroyuki Kitakubo

Producer: Ryuji Mitsumoto, Yukio Nagasaki

Starring: Youki Kudo, Joe Romersa

Running Time: 50 minutes

Distributor: Production I.G

Review

There are very few films that I would actually place in my top 10; this is quite possibly one of my favourite movies of all time. I have been a big fan of anime for years and have watched every type of movie and series going (yes, even the cheesy ones!). This film is from the creators of Ghost in the Shell, which itself, is an excellent series. When I heard that they were doing a vampire film, I didn't take it too seriously. It was either going to be extremely funny or very over the top serious. Imagine my joy when it was actually something completely in its own league.

The film has a very dark setting, from start to finish. This really helps set of that dark, horror scene. The script is also very simple but effective. The only criticism that the film ever had was its lack of character building, but you can easily over look that (there was a series after called Blood + which was loosely based on it, that may give you the character background that you crave). Another criticism would be that the movie is relatively short compared to most. Although it feels like one big episode, you forget that halfway through as it is able to suck you into the story. You will be also glad to know that there are no cheesy vampires in this movie. No, these are proper monsters of a type that you won't have seen before. They are referred to as "chiropterans", basically a bat like creature.

My favourite scene would have to be the Halloween school dance scene. It is very simple, the creature has a sack over them and they manage to grab the teacher in a busy dance hall with no one noticing> May not sound like a big deal but that really stuck with me somehow, it is borderline creepy. The end scene is quite a poignant one, I won't give it away but it pulls the film together I think. For all you gore freaks, there is a fair bit of blood flying around (literally) in this movie which I think would satisfy your needs.

It is a bit of a cult classic and sometimes it has to grow on a person a bit for them to like it but I took to it straight away. It was everything that I loved about an anime and everything I wanted to be different in it also. If you are a big fan of the genre and have not seen it yet then where have you been??? If you are not however, you should still see it anyway....because I told you too!!

Rating: 10/10 - A bloody good film that even the last of you vampires should see!

30 Days Of Night

                                                                                 

Date Of Release: 19th October 2007

Director: David Slade

Producer: Sam Raimi, Ted Adams, Rob Tapert

Starring: Josh Hartnett, Melissa George, Danny Huston, Mark Boone Junior, Ben Foster

Running Time: 109 minutes

Distributor: Columbia Pictures

Review

As most of you will have guessed by now, I am a bit of a comic book freak. I especially love comics that were considered very "underground" at the time. 30 days of night is no exception. I collected the graphic novels as soon as they came out and immediatley fell in love with not only the amazing artwork but the whole concept. It is easy in this day and age to dismiss another vampire movie. Goodness knows that the genre has almost been done to the death, so when I heard that the comic novel was being adapted into a movie, my heart really did sink a little. After watching it however, I was certainly eating my words.

This really is not just another vampire movie. It is based on an Alaskan town, who has just entered into a 30 day long polar night, for those of you that don't know what that means, the town is basically night time for the next 30 days. This gives way to the town being over run with vampires. Seems boring but it really is not. For starters, the movie has some how managed to keep its comic book feel without going over the top, which, for a bit of a comic geek, is very refreshing. What I love most is that they have kept the gore in the movie (which if you have read the novels, you will understand what I am talking about). They really don't mess around with the blood. Put it this way, if you have a weak stomach, then I am afraid that this movie is really not for you!

The look of the vampires is the next thing you will point out. They are ment to be almost ancient, even having their own language, but somehow still come across as quite modern. Rather than your basic set of fangs, they have a rather sharp set of needle like teeth. I can't say that I am a massive fan of Josh Hartnett and he wouldn't have been my first choice for this movie but I actually think he done the character a bit of justice. If I had to pick a favourite scene then it would have to be when Eben sacrifices himself to save the others. I don't want to give too much away but it was quite clever.

The story may seem like a simple one but if you don't like it then all I can say is please don't fob off the franchise as the novels are amazing! I was very suprised by this film. I had really set a low bar for it, as I am pretty sure most people do when it comes to remakes or adaptions, but you will really love it. There is nothing out there like it and that is what we like at the end of the day, a bit of originality!

Rating: 9/10 - I can think of 30 ways the might get you for not buying this!





Ju-On: The Grudge

Date Of Release:  October 2002

Director: Takashi Shimizu

Producer: Takashige Ichise, Kunio Kawakami, Yoshinoro Kumazawa, Hiroki Numata

Starring: Megumi Okina, Misaki Ito, Misa Uehara, Takashi Matsuyama, Yuya Ozeki, Takako Fuji

Running Time: 92 minutes

Distributor:  Lionsgate Entertainment (for the DVD release)

Review

For those of you poor fools who are accustomed to the "glamorous" American versions, I hate to break it to you but, this film was the original and quite frankly, like most originals, the best. The film itself was actually the third entry in the Ju-on series (with the previous 2 going straight to video). Despite what people believe, it is not a remake of the previous 2 but more of a sequel.

The summary of the film is actually quite simple. It is based upon a popular Japanese legend that states that, when a person is killed out of a malicious rage in a close vicinity (such as their home) then the rage will lurk within that place and create a curse, consuming all those who come into contact with either the spirit or the dwelling. The film, like the directors previous series, are all divided into 6 little segments that are all interconnected somehow. The film works its way through the stories of those living in the house and the care workers, and eventually how the house gained this curse.
 

                                          
 

The film, unlike its American counterpart, does not need to rely on any scare tactics or gore. Instead, the build up of suspense, that is characteristic in many Asian horrors, is what the film is really known for. That and the fact that the spirit has a very distinctive sound and movement (if you have seen the film then you will know what I am referring to!), that really gets the spine tingling. If you are sitting there and saying to yourself, "That wasn't all that scary" then you are but a liar. You telling me that you never checked your staircase every time you walked past??......Thought not....

In a generation where we are so used to blood and gore, this film is for those with a required taste for smart horror. I may be biased as I adore Asian horror, but I would seriously advise you to check this out before you see the remake. I dare say that this film almost feels realistic, almost as though you have just sat and listened to an actual experience. This is one of the first films to really make Japanese horror stand out and it is still one of the best.

Rating:  10/10 - Don't hold a grudge against me if you don't like it....



Psycho

 

Date Of Release: 16th June 1960

Director: Alfred Hitchcock

Producer: Alfred Hitchcock

Starring: Anthony Perkins, Vera Miles, John Gavin, Martin Balsam, John McIntire, Janet Leigh

Running Time: 109 minutes

Distributor: Paramount Pictures (original) & Universal Pictures (later releases)

Review:

This was not only one of the first ever horror films I watched, but the first ever horror that I watched in black and white. Because of this film, I have a stronger love and respect for old black and white movies. I also remember watching a documentary about Ed Gein around that time, so imagine my surprise when I found out that the movie was loosely inspired by his crimes. The films story line is a simple one, it shows the downward spiral psyche of a man with a split personality and the events that lead him to become a serial killer.

When Psycho was first released, it was met with mixed reviews. After the film done overwhelmingly at the box office, a re-review was offered which led to the film gaining 4 Academy award nominations. Not only did this become one of Hitchcock's best films, but is still ranked as one of the greatest films of all time. It is not hard to see why either. The film is full of suspense and is so intense. The film shows exactly how a horror should be done. What I love about it most is, as much as I love a bit of blood and guts, this film is hardly gorey, but that is what I love about it. The film never needed it.

My favourite scene is actually the part where you realise that Norman has a split personality. His own and "mother". What I love about it most is that it completely taps in to a deranged human psyche without actually making a mockery of it. It is so easy for films nowadays to over dramatize what people in real life live everyday as though it is normal. The most famous scene however, has to be the shower scene. If you do not know what it is then shame on you! Go and watch it!!

The film is one of very few that will have an everlasting longevity to it. It is as popular now as it was then. It is also a favourite amongst many film students (as most of Hitchcocks works are). It made Janet Leigh the first of the scream queens yet, typecast Perkins in his career. The film is perfection and that is all that can be said.

Rating: 9/10 - Oh look! Here's a free copy of the film with this blog....PSYCHE(O)!!!