The BLAIR WITCH 3 trailer is here!!

  As you may have heard by now, director Adam Wingard's new horror film, which has had the title "THE WOODS", is actually the  next instalment in the BLAIR WITCH PROJECT films!   The fake title was used to keep it a secret for as long as possible, but it has now been revealed that this is BLAIR WITCH 3.   The film is titled just BLAIR WITCH, and is supposed to be a direct sequel to the original BLAIR WITCH PROJECT.   This is what 2000's BOOK OF SHADOWS:  BLAIR WITCH 2 should have been, but as you recall the filmmakers took that "sequel" in a completely different direction.  I am glad we have a true sequel to the first film now. 

Here is the basic plot synopsis from I found from an article about the film on the Dread Central website:

A group of college students venture into the Black Hills Forest in Maryland to uncover the mysteries surrounding the disappearance of James’ sister who many believe is connected to the legend of the Blair Witch. At first the group is hopeful, especially when a pair of locals offer to act as guides through the dark and winding woods, but as the endless night wears on, the group is visited by a menacing presence. Slowly, they begin to realize the legend is all too real and more sinister than they could have imagined.


Check out the trailer below and let me know what you think....I think this film looks like it is
going to super scary and a great follow up to the original!




CLICK HERE to check out the film's official website

Blu-ray Review: HERE COMES THE DEVIL (2012)

HERE COMES THE DEVIL
Written & Directed by Adrián García Bogliano
Distributed by Magnet Releasing

  I love foreign horror films.  There are so many great horror films out there from all over the world.  If you are not checking out foreign horror, then you are really missing out.    HERE COMES THE DEVIL is a great horror film made in Mexico. Hers is the plot of the film from the movie's official website:

  HERE COMES THE DEVIL combines modern indie filmmaking and storytelling with a hint of ‘70s-styled psychological horror that may not just be psychological. Francisco Barreiro and Laura Caro play parents Felix and Sol whose preteen son and daughter inexplicably re-appear after being lost overnight on a desolate, cave-riddled mountainside after a casual hike became every parent’s nightmare. The good luck and good fortune of their return soon changes, as the children’s behavior suggests ominous and unspeakable events the night the children were lost that continue even now. As a loving couple - and loving parents - try to care for and protect their children, the ancient and half-whispered legends around the caves and the mountain and those who have gone there before become too strange to believe...and too dangerous, no matter how insane, to ignore.

  I highly recommend this movie.  This film kept me entertained the entire run of the film.  The acting was good, especially by the actors playing the grieving parents.   One thing I loved about this film was how original it was.   There is a huge twist in the film involving the kids, and it is one I never saw coming.  I obviously can't reveal the twist here, but it is one that will really make you think.  

  While blood and gore wasn't the main focus of the film, there were a couple of instances of some very good gore.  This film is more about the story and it is a good story for sure.  Very creepy and entertaining.   My one complaint with this film was the cinematography.  It looks like a different camera was used for some scenes, resulting in two different video qualities throughout the film. Also there was an over excessive use of the "fast zoom" in this film. I don't know if there is a technical term for it or not, but it's like what they used in old spaghetti westerns and kung-fu movies.  You will know what I am talking about when you see it, and you will see it way too often in this movie.  It doesn't take away from the film as a whole, but it was a little distracting.

 Overall this is was a great film, I thought.  This is one I would recommend to any horror fan, especially those that are fans of foreign horror films.

 HERE COMES THE DEVIL will be released on DVD and Blu-ray March 18th from Magnet Releasing.  Special Features include the following:

*  Extended Nightmare Scene
*  Behind the Scenes
*  Rehearsals
*  Behind the Scenes Photo Gallery
*  AXS TV:  A Look at HERE COMES THE DEVIL
*  Commentary with Director Adrián García Bogliano


CLICK HERE to visit the official website of the film and watch the trailer
CLICK HERE to pre-order the Blu-ray
CLICK HERE to pre-order the DVD

Movie review: PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 3 (2011)

  

PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 3
Directed by:  Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman
 
  
I went and saw PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 3 last week and I have had to do some thinking before I just threw my review together.  This wasn't a movie I just loved so much I had to tell everyone about it, nor was it a movie I just hated so much I felt the need to immediately post about it and let people know about it.   I ended up with mixed feelings about the film.  Overall, it was good and it is definitely worth checking out if you are a fan of the previous two films.  Here is the brief plot synopsis of the 3rd film from imdb.com:

In 1988, young sisters Katie and Kristi befriend an invisible entity who resides in their home.

HA!  I said it was  brief plot synopsis, didn't I!  Well, that pretty much sums up the plot, you know from seeing the other 2 films what the movie is about basically.   The film starts off kinda slow, but I remember the other 2 films doing that too.  Only small stuff happens at first, then it just gets crazier and crazier as the movie goes on.

I was afraid at first this movie was going to be just like the other two....when I saw the first door move by itself.  I thought to my self that we have seen this before, and was afraid we were just in for a retread of the past two films.   Well, with good and bad results, this was not a just a retread of the past two films.  PA3 amped it up a bit and went well above and beyond the story of the first 2 films.   This had mixed results for me. 

I knew this film was going to be different when I saw a sheet with what looked like a small child under it go into the kitchen where the baby sitter was sitting....but when the babysitter turned around, the sheet just fell to the ground as it nothing was under it at all.  I knew then that we were going to see more of the physical presence of the demon that was haunting the house.   

The filmmakers also introduced a new camera technique that worked quite well.   The Dad puts the camera on an old oscillating fan, letting him scan two rooms with one camera.  This was a cool idea and led to some great scenes, as just as you think you are about to see something in one room, the camera then cuts away as it pans to the next room.  This creates a very suspenseful aspect for us the viewers.

One thing that I didn't quite like about the film was the introduction of  the coven of witches with has something to do with the demon in the house, but the film never quite explains as to what they are doing and how they are involved.   I don't want to say much about this, as I don't want to totally ruin it for you if you haven't seen it yet, but this move seemed a little over the top to me.  

The film does contains some of the bigger scares found in any of the 3 films.  Kudos to the filmmaker for making this film goer literally jump in his seat...multiple times! 

I think this movie must be seen in a theater to really enjoy it.  I have seen the other 2 films both in the theater and they are so much fun when sitting in a crowd and witnessing people's reactions to the film.   PA3 probably got the best reactions for sure, and I went on a weeknight with in a theater that was probably only 1/3 full.  Yet we had some group of girls around us that screamed at the top of their lungs at 2 or 3 points in the film.   This really helps the experience of watching these films I think. 

Overall, I would recommend this for sure if you are a fan of the other 2 films. This is a prequel, so it is good to get some back story on Katie and Kristi to see how all this started.

PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 3 is playing in theaters now!

 
CLICK HERE to visit the official website and watch the trailer

Blu-ray Review: JU-ON WHITE GHOST / JU-ON BLACK GHOST (2009)

JU-ON WHITE GHOST
Directed by: Ryûta Miyake

JU-ON BLACK GHOST
Directed by:  Mari Asato

  I have to be honest....I am not a big fan of ghost stories or films.  I have always been more of a slasher flick and zombie guy, so I really wasn't too excited about seeing these latest 2 JU-ON films.   I am glad to say that after watching these excellent films, that I may be coming around to the good old ghost story.  In fact, I may even go watch the original JU-ON film which I have actually never seen!  Both these films are excellent and are being distributed together on the same DVD/Blu-ray by the fine folks at Well Go USA.  Here is the plot synopsis for both films from the Well Go USA website:


JU-ON: WHITE GHOST tells the story of senior high school student Arkane whose strong ESP power induces him into seeing Mirai, the fragic ghost of an old school friend.

JU-ON: BLACK GHOST tells the chilling story of a young woman called Fukie who discovers that she's carrying an unborn 'grudge', which vengefully curses all those around her.


  Both these movies are perfect examples of what movies in this sub-genre of horror films should be.  They were both very creepy and unnerving.   JU-ON WHITE GHOST was filled with creepy imagery and visuals, and a haunting soundtrack that was as creepy as the film itself.  The film was very well made and the acting was spectacular.    The real thrill was the creepy ghost that keeps showing up....an old lady in a white night gown that causes each character to die in different and unique ways.  Check out the trailer for the scene when the ghost first appears.....I can't describe the sound she makes, but is a creepy as hell!  Watch the trailer and you will hear it.....gives me chills just thinking about it. 

  While I enjoyed the JU-ON WHITE GHOST immensely, and thought it to be my favorite one after watching the first part of JU-ON BLACK GHOST......eventually BLACK GHOST kicked in to high gear and never backed off.   JU-ON BLACK GHOST became my favorite of the two films, mainly due to one major scene.   The character of Fukie is carrying a cystoma, her twin sister that she absorbed while in the womb.   After years of lying dormant, the cystoma becomes active and wants to finally be out and free of Fukie.  The scene when Fukie's unborn twin sister finally makes her "appearance" is just crazy...that's the only word to describe it.  

  Both films clock in at just at an hour each, which I liked because there were no "filler" scenes...these films are great from start to finish and I highly recommend them for all fans of horror....even those like me that aren't big fans of ghost films.  Give this one a chance and I think you will be pleasantly surprised how good a ghost film can be!


CLICK HERE to watch the trailer
CLICK HERE to purchase the DVD or Blu-ray

Check out the trailer for the awesome looking ghost movie, THE UNLEASHED!

I was recently contacted by an employee of Dark House Films letting me know about their newest film, THE UNLEASHED.   I checked out the trailer, and I have to say this looks like it could be a lot of fun! Here is the basic plot from the DHF website:

Madison Kennard, a troubled woman dealing with her dark past, must venture home after an 8 year absence following her mother's death. Almost instantly after her return, Madison must cope with the haunting memories of a childhood best forgotten. Lindsay, a childhood friend of Madison's with an adventurous past, hears of Madison's arrival and has every intention of reconnecting a friendship once had. Bizarre and unexplainable events occur within the house after old friends come together and dabble with the infamous Ouija board. With the help of Andrew Porter, a renowned writer and expert on paranormal phenomena whom she met by chance, Madison soon discovers that there is more to the board than she realized and must uncover truths of her family's past to contain what had been unleashed.

 The trailer gives a hint in what we are in for when we get to see the full film, and it looks like we are in for a very creepy movie with lots of creepy imagery.   I am a big fan of "ghost" and "haunting" films, and I have to say that this looks like it will be among the best of this sub-genre of horror!  Check it out for yourself and let me know what you think!


CLICK HERE  to watch the trailer
CLICK HERE  to visit the film's Facebook Page
CLICK HERE  to visit the official website of Dark House Films

DVD Review: 8213: GACY HOUSE (2010)

I recently had to chance to watch one The Asylum Home Entertainment's most recent releases, 8213: GACY HOUSE. Here is the basic plot from The Asylum's website:

John Wayne Gacy murdered 33 young men and boys between 1972 and 1978 in suburban Chicago. 26 bodies were found in a crawl space beneath his house and 3 others were buried in the backyard. Although the house was completely demolished during the exhumation of the bodies, on May 15, 2004 a group of paranormal investigators wired the home that was built in its place with paranormal detection and surveillance equipment. The outcome of the investigation was grisly, terrifying and disturbing.

The film is obviously a chance to cash in on the popularity of the PARANORMAL ACTIVITY films, using the same "found footage" technique to tell the story. While a lot of these knock off type films are just made to make a quick buck, director Anthony Fankhauser and the rest of the crew actually put a lot thought and hard work into this film and it shows.

First, the few complaints I have about the film. The film is slow paced at first, in fact, really slow at the beginning while the audience is waiting for the first sign of any 'paranormal activity'. But stick with it and your patience will definitely pay off. Also, the group of "ghost hunters" constantly bicker and gripe at each other, which definitely gets old.

Other than that, the movie is very enjoyable. The acting is very good for this type of film. The effects are good as well, starting of small and harmless and then increasing in number and severity as the the night progresses. While the PARANORMAL ACTIVITY films already showed us a lot of what these characters witness early on in the night (shadows, bedsheets being moved, doors slamming) we do see some stuff later in the film that you probably have not seen before. Everything comes to a boil in the films final 20 minutes or so, when the actual figure of the ghost of Gacy is picked up by the ghost hunters special cameras. Gacy becomes increasingly violent to these people and it makes for a very hectic and unnerving final scene.
The film ends with shots of the autopsy reports of each character, adding to the realism of this found footage film.

While these found footage films are coming out in increasing numbers these days to ride the popularity of the PARANORMAL ACTIVITY films, this one manages to keep some originality to it with the inclusion of the John Wayne Gacy serial killer plot. The mixture of serial killer film and ghost film was nice touch that I had not seen before. If this film would have come out before the PA films, I think it would have been a huge hit. I am afraid this film wont get the recognition and accolades it deserves since coming out later and people disregarding it as as cheap "knock-off" of sorts. I hope you will give this film a chance and enjoy it for the fun, entertaining film that it is. Turn down the lights, turn up the sound, and try not to be disturbed and unnerved, especially when you see the ghost of Gacy staring back at you. This is one I will definitely watch again and I hope you will check it out as well.

CLICK HERE to watch the trailer
CLICK HERE to purchase the DVD

CLICK HERE to visit the official website of The Asylum Home Entertainment