Warren files promo for Conjuring 2

 

A new featurette has been released to promote upcoming The Conjuring 2. The terrifying audio is taken from the real life files of Ed and Lorraine Warren, the paranormal investigators on whom the Conjuring franchise is based. James Wan will once again be directing with Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga reprising their roles in the horror sequel due out on 10th June. Check out the disturbing audio clip...if you can handle it!

What do you think of the Warren audio? Are you excited for the sequel?

The Other Side of the Door (2016): Review

The Other Side of the Door is a 2016 supernatural horror film. Directed by Johannes Roberts (Storage 24, F) and starring Sarah Wayne Callies (The Walking Dead) and Jeremy Sisto (Wrong Turn). The film was produced by well-known French director Alexandre Aja (Haute tension, The Hills Have Eyes).

Maria (Callies) and Michael (Sisto) are an American couple living in India. They are recovering from a tragic car accident in which Maria Was forced to choose between her children Lucy and Oliver, in which Oliver drowned. Wracked with guilt, Maria takes an overdose and, whilst recovering, her housekeeper Piki tells her about a special temple where “the line between the living and the dead is extremely thin” but warns her to never open the door. Maria travels to the temple where she is able to commune with her dead son and, of course, ends up opening the door and releasing his spirit back into the world of the living. Oliver returns to the family home to haunt Maria who must return him to the world of the dead before the gatekeeper comes to reclaim him.

Not knowing too much about the film before watching it, I was pleasantly surprised to see the film was set in India. Whilst still very much an American production, the Indian setting was refreshing and gave a slightly new twist to the classic ghost story approach. The tragic atmosphere surrounding the death of a child put me in mind of the great foreign films by Guillermo Del Toro and Hideo Nakata. Roberts shows real attention to detail in the direction and the weaving and swooping of the camera through the vast family home kept the tension ramped up and added to the payoff of the many jump scares throughout the film.

I can’t say I was completely comfortable with the portrayal of the Indian characters as superstitious, spiritualists at best and cannibalistic shamans at worst. Given the redundancy of the Michael character, I felt there was definitely room for another Indian character that was not drawn quite so much with racial stereotype. Some have criticised the amount of jump scares in the film and, I will admit, as the film progresses the number of scares in general is far too much, with no time to breathe. That being said, I was definitely scared by many of them including the piano scenes, the fountain scene and, in particular, the Gatekeeper character. The multi-armed wraith, surely modelled on the Hindu gods, was really effective and is a pretty fresh creation (if a little similar to Kayako from The Grudge series).

The Other Side of the Door may not be an entirely original setup, but it does stick to tried and tested horror techniques, making for a pretty intense horror experience. Despite the ham fisted approach to the native characters, setting a horror film in India and trying to draw on Hindu concepts of ghosts and the afterlife is a great concept that I’d like to see explored further by an Indian filmmaker. Somewhat of a music video version of greats like The Devil’s Backbone (01) or Dark Water (02), The Other Side of the Door throws a lot at the wall but most of it sticks, and I’ve got a feeling that some of the more clever scares will stick with me for a while too.

**** 4 Stars

What did you think of the movie? Did you like the Indian setting?

John Carpenter returns to Halloween

 

After wandering in the movie rights wilderness for the last few years, news has emerged that Blumhouse pictures have acquired the rights to make the next Halloween film (along with Trancas int. and Miramax). However, the real bombshell here is that Horror legend, and creator of the Halloween franchise, will be executive producing the project!

This marks the first time Carpenter has been involved in a Halloween sequel since Halloween III (amidst rumours that he will also score the film), and yes this will be the 10th sequel and not a remake or reboot. It's no secret that John Carpenter is my favourite director and Halloween is my favourite horror film so I couldn't be more excited for this. The project presents a real opportunity to get the franchise back on track after Rob Zombie's dire reboot and, if you weren't pumped already, the film is due to come out next year! No news on a director/writer yet.

What do you think of the news? Who do you want to direct?

"30 Years of Garbage" trailer

 

A new trailer has been released for the upcoming Garbage Pail Kids documentary "30 Years of Garbage". The film will focus mainly on the popular bubblegum cards that were started in the 80s as a response to the sugary Cabbage Patch Kids and could be found in the pockets of every horror kid. Whether or not it will make reference to the atrocious  1987 live action movie, remains to be seen but you'll be able to find out on 1st July. Check out the trailer over at Vimeo

Are you looking forward to the documentary? Did you have Garbage Pail Kids cards when you were a kid?

New trailer for The Purge 3: Election Year

 

A third trailer has been released for the upcoming Purge 3: Election Year. Returning director James DeMonaco is joined once again by Frank Grillo from the previous installment as well as Elizabeth Mitchell of "Lost" fame. This franchise seems to get better the more it veers into Warriors/Escape From New York territory and I love the framing of the trailers as political adverts (very reminiscent of Paul Veerhoven). The film comes out in July, check out the new trailer...

What do you think of the new trailer? Are you looking forward to the threequal?

Most Likely to Die (2016): Review

Most Likely to Die is a 2016 slasher film. Directed by Anthony Diblasi (Cassadaga, Last Shift) and starring Heather Morris (Spring Breakers), Chad Addison (It’s Dark Here) and Perez Hilton. The film also features Jake Busey (Starship Troopers) in a small role.

The film follows a group of former classmates as they gather in the hills for their 10 year school reunion. When they get there, they discover all their yearbook photos on the wall, along with their “most likely to”. As they continue to arrive, it’s revealed that they all helped to bully a student known only as John Doe back in their high school and defaced his yearbook picture, adding the caption “most likely to die”. As they begin to get picked off one by one by a maniac wearing a graduation gown and a razor sharp mortar board, they assume it’s John Doe come back to take his vengeance. However, as more of the past starts to come out, they start to turn on each other until the true identity of the killer is revealed.

Most Likely to Die is a loving homage to the more cheesy slashers of the 80s (Return to Horror High, Sleepaway Camp) as well as the more knowing slashers of the 90s (I Know What you did Last Summer). The high school reunion concept is a neat one, although I’m not sure why all these characters would agree to meet since they obviously hate each other. A lot of the characters are also pretty unlikeable, namely Perez Hilton’s character, and the acting pretty lousy at times, but this does make it all the more satisfying when they’re dispatched. The effects and gore are good, but I didn’t really feel like any of the kills were massively original and it’s very much the usual fare.

I think the real strengths of the film are the direction, the original score and the design of the killer. We’ve seen more than enough masked killers in horror movies, but the design of this mask being an approximation of the defaced yearbook photo is really clever and the deadly mortarboard a stroke of genius. At times I felt there were way too many characters to cram in all the back story and the plot rattled along at a pace that rendered many of them unnecessary but, on the other hand, I was rarely bored and the constant action kept the momentum up.

It doesn’t quite hit the ambitious plot points it aims for and isn’t quite as clever as it would like to be, but Most Likely to Die is great fun. Faithful to the classic slasher films of yesteryear but with enough of its own spin on the genre to keep you interested, Most likely to Die will be most likely to entertain you for 90 minutes.

*** 3 Stars

What did you think of the movie? Did you like the design of the killer?

The Woods teaser trailer makes big promises

 

A teaser trailer has dropped for upcoming horror The Woods and the hype train starts here. The film has an impressive pedigree behind it in the form of writer/director team Simon Barrett and Adam Wingard, the team behind A Horrible Way to Die, You're Next and The Guest. However, there have been many horror movies set in the woods and there's nothing in this trailer to convince me that this will be "one of the scariest movies ever made". We'll find out in September, check out the trailer... 

 

What do you think of the trailer? Will the film live up to the hype?

Happy Friday the 13th!...part III(1982): Review

Friday the 13^th part III is a 1982 slasher sequel. Directed by Steve Miner (Friday the 13^th part 2, Lake Placid) the film stars Dana Kimmel (Lone Wolf McQuade), Catherine Parks (Weekend at Bernie's) and Larry Zerner. This is the only instalment to be released in 3-D and knocked E.T off the top of the box office.

As usual, the film follow a group of teenagers on summer vacation at Camp Crystal lake. Unfortunately, fresh off his skirmish at the end of the last film, Jason Voorhees has begun a new killing spree, picking up his infamous machete/hockey mask combo in the process. To make matters worse, the teens manage to anger a local motorcycle gang (amusingly named Ali, Loco and Fox) as well as being constantly wound up by SFX prankster Shelley (). As Jason dispatches members of the group in grisly, and 3-D, fashion, Chris () reveals that she was attacked by a horribly disfigured  man 2 years ago and now he’s come back to finish the job!

Up until part III, the Friday the 13^th franchise had revelled in suspenseful, Hitchcockien horror. However, it’s clear from the neon opening credits set to a disco remix of the “Ki ki, ma ma” theme, that this entry is the turning point into ludicrous 80s slasher territory. Ordinarily, that would be a bad thing, but not for this franchise. This is where the Jason character really comes into his own and makes the leap from lumpy headed hillbilly to one of the greatest horror icons of all time. The mask, the machete…all the pieces fall into place here and no amount of terrible acting or obnoxious pandering to 3-D can bring it down.

The early 80s marks an interesting time for 3-D as it experienced a brief revival between it’s 1950s heyday and the more recent boom that we’re still having to endure. And if you thought 3-D was a tedious money grabbing ploy now, you should see the kind of action we’re treated to in this movie. This includes a yoyo, a paddleball, various brooms being pointed toward the camera and even popcorn popping! That being said, we’re also treated to some of the most memorable deaths in the whole franchise, most of which include eyeballs (this was also the heyday of Lucio Fulci). And if that’s not enough to amuse you, there’s also the shenanigans of the chubby loser horror fan Shelly (what an outrageous generalisation!).

As influential as the original Friday the 13^th was for countless clones in the early 80s, part III was the blueprint for all the cheesy, daft slashers that would follow and be equally entertaining in the latter half of the decade. One of the most consistent franchises in horror, Friday the 13^th really hit it’s stride with this movie and gave the world the gift of hockey mask Jason and is essential viewing for fans of 80s slashers.

**** 4 Stars

Are you a fan of Friday the 13^th films? Do you prefer hockey mask Jason or sack head Jason?

New Trailer and Poster for Assassin's Creed

 

A new trailer and poster have been released for the upcoming Assassin's Creed movie. Directed by Justin Kurzel (Macbeth) and produced by and starring Michael Fassbender (Macbeth, Frank, X-Men...everything!) the film comes out this December and aims to break the curse of the shoddy video game movie. While the trailer is impressive enough and action heavy, I'm still not convinced. Check it out...

To me this still looks like a video game adaptation through and through, and although I like that they are deviating from the characters and settings of the games (nobody's really crying out for Desmond Miles), it also looks like a lot of style over substance. The games hinge on pretty complicated sci-fi tenets (read: convoluted) and although they'd be wise to simplify certain elements, many video game adaptations have failed through a lack of authenticity and faithfulness to the source. 

However, I have supreme faith in Michael Fassbender and don't believe he would produce a film destined to be a dud. We will all find out in December...

What did you think of the trailer? Do you think it's authentic to the game series?

Bite (2016): Review

Bite is a 2016 body horror film. Directed by Chad Archibald (The Drownsman) and starring Elma Begovic (Save Yourself) and Jordan Grey. The movie generated buzz at the 2015 Fantasia Film Festival after reports of audience members fainting and vomiting.

The film begins in the found footage style and follows bride-to-be Casey on holiday in Costa Rica as her friends help her bid farewell to singledom. Along the way, she ends up getting bitten by an unseen insect while frolicking in a rock pool and, after returning home to her fiancé, starts to develop some very worrying symptoms. Existing tensions between Casey and her Fiance ? (Grey) and anxieties over the upcoming wedding are exacerbated by the rapid progression from hives and vomiting into a semi amphibious, insectoid metamorphosis. The apartment is soon transformed into a nest as the grotesque Casey takes her revenge on those that have wronged her and threatens to unleash her offspring on the unsuspecting outside world.

It’s impossible to discuss body horror without bringing up the pioneer of the sub-genre David Cronenberg (The Fly, Videodrome, Existenz) and his influence is felt throughout this film, most prominently the influence of The Fly (1987). There is a fine line between homage and pastiche and, much of the time, Bite struggles to establish it’s own identity in the shadow of Cronenberg’s revolting masterpiece. Sure, the gender roles are reversed but this cannot overcome the distracting similarities between Casey and the Brundlefly, including a few scenes that are exact replicas (think fingernails and acid vomit).

I can’t take anything away from the effects as that’s the real strength of the movie and the goopy spawn that covers the apartment is a nice touch. Unfortunately, the carefully crafted set and creature design are often let down by a cheesy script delivered in pantomime style. Perhaps the only thing that isn’t borrowed from The Fly is the transformed creature’s inability to speak but this would have been preferable as every time the fearsome looking Casey opened her mouth I laughed out loud.

An admirable effort but body horror is a tricky act to pull off unless you’re named Cronenberg, and sometimes if you are (Sorry Brandon). I would have preferred if the creature had turned out to be amphibious rather than insectoid (as initially suggested) but, in the end, the film doesn’t manage to break any new ground. Body horror completists may enjoy but, then again, they’ve probably seen it all before.

** 2 Stars

What did you think of the film? Are you a fan of body horror?

Day of the Dead remake gets a director

The upcoming remake of the George Romero classic "Day of the Dead" has now gained a director in the form of Hector Hernandez Vicens (The Corpse of Anna Fritz). Although there was a straight-to-dvd remake in 2008, this bore little resemblance to the original film and is best forgotten. With Night and Dawn having been remade very successfully by Tom Savini and Zack Snyder respectively, Day remains the only original instalment of the trilogy of the dead not to be properly updated for modern audiences.

The official synopsis refers to the protagonist being stalked by a "half-human, half-zombie". Could this be a version of the classic Bub character from the original? (pictured above) aka the thinking man's zombie. The movie will be shopped around at the Cannes festival with filming scheduled to begin soon.

What do you think of another Romero remake? Are you a fan of the other remakes?

New Trailer for Shark Movie "The Shallows"

 

A new trailer has been released for upcoming Shark thriller "The Shallows". The film is being directed by Jaume Collet-Serra (Orphan) and will star a , somewhat typecast, Blake Lively (Savages) as a surfer girl who gets stranded on the wrong beach. Shark movies haven't been taken very seriously for a long time, thanks mostly to the SyFy channel, but as you can see from the trailer, The Shallows aims to restore some of the tension and carnage made so famous by Jaws (1975). Like it's famous predecessor, the film will be released later on in the summer.

What do you think of the trailer? Do you like your shark movies serious or silly?

Hush (2016): Review

Hush is a 2016 psychological horror. Directed by Mike Flanagan (Oculus) and starring Katie Siegel (The Curse of the Black Dahlia) and John Gallagher Jr (10 Cloverfield Lane). There are only 15 minutes of dialogue in the entire 81 minute running time.

The film focuses on Maddie (Siegel), a deaf-mute author who lives in the remote countryside. After a visit from her neighbour Sarah, she settles down for the evening to work on an ending to her novel but quickly realises she is not alone. A terrifying masked intruder (Gallagher Jr) appears outside her house but doesn’t enter, instead choosing to taunt her. Once he realises her disability, he removes his mask and a cat and mouse game ensues as they battle between sight and sound in an effort to outwit each other. Maddie has to use all her other senses, and creative mind, in order to devise an escape plan and survive the night.

This film came to my attention through a Stephen King tweet which proclaimed “How good is Hush? Up there with Halloween!” (1978). This is a bold claim indeed but it does share a lot of DNA with the horror classic in it’s atmosphere, tension and ingenious use of light and dark. On top of this it utilises sound engineering to a masterful level and, what could have been a restrictive premise for some, ends up being a triumph in originality. This is due, in no small part, to a strong central performance by Siegel in what feels like a very authentic portrayal of a deaf character and really helps to establish a level of vulnerability rarely seen in other home invasion movies.

Fresh off his recent turn in 10 Cloverfield Lane , Gallagher Jr plays an excellent villain and, although I was initially disappointed that the mask came off so early, his expressionless, thousand yard stare proved to be just as chilling. Perhaps the filmmakers wanted to have the initial impact of a masked intruder without drawing too many comparisons with films like Halloween and You’re Next (2013), however, these have turned out to be favourable comparisons. A feature I also really liked is when Maddie is planning possible escape routes and these are actually visualised and we see how these will play out. It comes across as a sort of superpower she has as someone who has to rely heavily on sight and who is also an author, possible endings to her own story.

As you’d expect from a film which is mostly silent and has 2 characters, there are times when it does a drag a little, however, Flanagan does a sterling job keeping the tension ramped up so that the film rarely loses steam. Stephen King is prone to hyperbolic statements, is it as good as Halloween? Absoultely not, but it is one of the most creative and original genre pieces of the last year and demands your attention.

**** 4 Stars

What did you think of the film? Has King overrated it?

Bigfoot Movie Podcast

 

As previously mentioned, I recently appeared on The Paranormal Chronicles Network with Gavin Davies to chat about some movies on the 2 and a half hour bigfoot special. You can now listen to the segment on it's own, in all it's glory with some very amusing slideshow pictures. Hear us discuss "Exists", "Night of the Demon" and "Harry and the Hendersons" in some pretty graphic detail. We had a blast doing this so I hope you enjoy TMMDI's first foray into the podcast world!

For more on the all things paranormal, visit theparanormalchronicles.com

Puppet Master reboot gets a director

Rumours have been swirling for a while now that a Puppet Master reboot is in the works, and now the director's chair has been filled. Fresh off his horror-western masterpiece Bone Tomahawk (2015), S. Craig Zahler will be looking to reinvigorate the long running franchise. Considering the huge impact he's made with only one film behind him, I find it a little odd that he would choose to take on a reboot (of a series with no less than 10 entries!) but I'm guessing that he must already be a fan. 

As you can see from the poster, the film already has a title and a distinct Nazisploitation approach (following on from the previous 2 entries) which makes me wonder if this will really be a reboot or just another sequel. We'll find out, when the project finally surfaces

Do you want to see an 11th Puppet Master film? Would you rather Zahler direct original projects?

TMMDI on The Paranormal Chronicles Network

It gives me great pleasure to announce the very first collaboration between They Made Me Do It and The Paranormal Chronicles network. TPCN will be releasing a series of podcasts analysing various areas of the paranormal and will feature yours truly covering representations of those topics in movie form. The very first episode covers all things Bigfoot and features interviews with experts, eyewitnesses and me at 2:05, enjoy and let us know what you think!

Check out much more over at theparanormalchronicles.com

Movie B Bad #7: Night of the Demon (1980)

Night of the Demon is a 1980 Bigfoot horror film. Directed by James C Wasson and starring Michael Cutt (Volcano) and Paul Kelleher (Spirits of the Fall). The film appeared on the original video nasties list due to "gory mayhem".

The movie is told as a flashback from the perspective of Professor Nugent, an anthropology professor who takes his students on a field trip to look for bigfoot. After recounting several grisly incidents in the classroom (again in flashback format) they take to the hills where they locate local landowner Lou Carlson and get him to spill the beans on his own Sasquatch encounters. This eventually leads them to discover a cannibalistic, pagan cult lurking in the woods and, in turn, links them to "crazy Wanda", a local woman who has had some serious bigfoot encounters. She regails them with her tale of being raped by bigfoot and producing a lovechild before the beast storms the cabin and lays waste to our overly curious heroes.

Night of the Demon is utterly incomprehensible. Most of the film is told through a flashback, and sometimes flashbacks within flashbacks, and it's never clear who is relating the scene or how it fits into the time line. The editing is psychotic, the acting hideous and the soundtrack endlessly irritating. The "mayhem" that landed it on the video nasties list is laughable and the effects are pretty shoddy for the time.

However, the real draw with this movie is the ambition and creativity with which the bigfoot creature maims and kills his victims. The attempts to further the plot are certainly tedious, but when bigfoot gets going, it's like a mix tape of things you thought you'd never see in a movie. This includes bigfoot raping a young girl, a sleeping bag hammer throw, intestine flailing, forcing girl scouts to have a knife fight, ritualistic gimp sex and, most famously, ripping the dick off a biker.

Like many video nasties, night of the demon is an appallingly made film and a real struggle to get through. Those who do will be rewarded with schlocky violence and really quite perverse sex scenes. If you're a bigfoot or video nasty completist then it may be worth a watch, otherwise you may never get these 95 minutes back.

* 1 Star

Have you managed to see the movie? Do you know any other Bigfoot movies?