31 Days of 31 Horror Movies for Halloween: Day 30 - Evil Twin

Day 30: Evil Twin
Via: Amazon Prime
Release Date - 2007

Synopsis: Evil Twin is a 2007 South Korean horror film. When an accident claims the life of a young girl, Hyo-jin. Her twin sister, So-yeon fell into a coma and awakens 10 years later.

SPOILER ALERT - If you have not seen the movie do not read.

Asian horror films are always so well made. Right off the bat this reminded me of "A Tale of Two Sisters", another South Korean film that has a good plot but even better timing, editing and acting. Evil Twin is basically that, the story of an evil twin. Like most Asian horror flicks based on ghosts, the spirit at hand is seeking revenge upon someone. Hauntings and murders occur because the spirit is unhappy, there is something unresolved, something that needs closure. So I can't really explain the whole plot in detail because the one thing that kept me from truly enjoying this film was also the most important aspect of the storyline. The subtitles. The subtitles are so bad that I had to pause and guess what they were trying to say. The basic storyline goes like this: There is a young girl who after an accident, cannot recall anything regarding that traumatic event. She gets hints here and there when tragedies begin to occur in her village. As more tragedies occur and the plot of her relationship between her and her deceased twin sister come to light, the more villagers blame her for the ongoing deaths.

SPOILER ALERT - Why the spirit is mad:

We learn that the deceased twin sister is the spirit haunting the victims and she will not rest until she gets satisfaction. But what happened? Well, when the twin sisters were young, they had some sort of incident when they both happen to fall into a lake. Their mother, the only one around with them when this occurred, was not strong enough to save them both, so she had to choose. Simple plot but great execution on setting the mood and creating an atmosphere that displayed chaos, anxiety, fear, sadness and hope.

31 Days of 31 Horror Movies for Halloween: Day 29 - Human Centipede 3

Day 29: Human Centipede 3
Via: Netflix
Release Date - 2015

Synopsis: To punish his prisoners, a sadistic warden (Dieter Laser) and his right-hand man (Laurence R. Harvey) hatch a scheme to suture 500 inmates together.

SPOILER ALERT - If you have not seen the movie do not read.

Well, it had to happen, The Human Centipede 3 was bound to make its way into my life.
Ok, this is weird to say considering the second film had a baby getting stepped on, but this might have been a little over the top. For starters, I hated the first Human Centipede. It lacked acting a good storyline and it just seemed super cheesy. I loved Human Centipede 2. It was dark, gritty, acting was disturbing and on par, the effects and sound were great. Human Centipede 3 tried to do a different genre with the same characters from 1 and 2, but it pretty much failed. I almost got the feeling that this was a full length porno. I don't mean that because of the constant bjs on screen, but the tone. The acting was incredibly dramatic and poor, the way in which it was edited and shot was almost professional. It was like a scat movie with bad dialogue and soap opera-esque acting. 

The main story revolves around a warden who loves to tortures his inmates. That's basically it. His side-kick, some administrative type has the idea of creating an inmate human centipede. That's the whole movie. There are scenes that are meant to make you sick to your stomach but they just seem desperate. Like a child screaming at the top of their lungs, "LOOK AT ME! LOOK AT ME!"
Gore without substance. Three words to illustrate the ridiculousness of this movie: kidney rape scene.

31 Days of 31 Horror Movies for Halloween: Day 24 - You're Next

Day 24:  You're Next
Via: Amazon Prime
Release Date - 2011

Synopsis: The Davisons, an upper-class family, are extremely wealthy -- but also estranged. In an attempt to mend their broken family ties, Aubrey (Barbara Crampton) and Paul (Rob Moran) Davison decide to celebrate their wedding anniversary by inviting their four children and their children's significant others to their weekend estate. The celebration gets off to a rocky start, but when crossbow-wielding assailants in animal masks suddenly attack, the Davisons must pull together or die.

SPOILER ALERT - If you have not seen the movie do not read.

Hmmm. This...was quite a ride. I read the description from an Amazon reviewer to see what it was about, only to find out it was a comedic horror movie. Which, for the most part, it wasn't. Maybe that reviewer just paid attention to the last half. The beginning is of a couple who gets murdered by some masked killer who writes "You're next" on their window. Then the real story begins. It's a new day...

The basic plot is about a big family who gets together at the parents' huge house for the weekend. All characters are pretty much defined within the first 5 minutes. You have pairs of couples all illustrating different attitudes. The overly happy sister, the bullied brother, the troubled mother, the asshole brother and the creepy brother. Our focus will turn right when everyone is sitting down for dinner.

BOOM! CRASH! DIE!!

No, not an old Batman episode...but killers are on the loose.

So the boyfriend of the overly happy sister sees something outside through the window. CRASH!

He gets hit in the eye by an arrow. AaaaHHHHH FREAK OUT! Le Freak, C'est Chic!

So everyone goes bananas and we find out there are several masked killers, like in the beginning, who are trying to kill the family for whatever reason. Slowly more and more family members get killed and we see that one of the brothers' girlfriend, Erin, is a badass. She takes control of the situation, helps out the injured and tries to find weapons and solutions to the matter at hand. True badass.

The film gets really ridiculous as more killings happen. Which is why I think that reviewer might have thought this was a comedy. The undertone is definitely serious though. I'd say it's more of a dark humor type of vibe towards the end. The end has a bit of a twist, but if you are paying attention it's not much of a stretch to figure out. Everything was pretty spot on in the film except for the blood. It just looked really cheap and fake. Maybe that was the point, but with the editing and nature of the whole film I think maybe the blood could have been darker and runnier. Good film either way.

31 Days of 31 Horror Movies for Halloween: Day 21 - Nude for Satan

Day 21:  Nude for Satan
Via: Amazon Prime
Release Date - 1974

Synopsis: Italian Gothic horror that tells the tale of a man who stops at a remote castle hoping to get medical help for an injured woman, only to find the inhabitants mirror the darker sides of the woman and himself.

SPOILER ALERT - If you have not seen the movie do not read.

Regardless of what you're thinking, I did not put this on my list merely because of its title. Amazon recommended it and I haven't seen anything from this time period yet. Ok, I have seen some terrible horror films, but all those others tried for real, to be good. Effort was put into the narratives, the casting, the editing and execution. Nude for Satan, however, is so deliciously horrendous, it can be put into the category of bad cult films like The Room and Troll 2.

This movie is from the 70's, so have that mindset when reading the following...
For starters, it is dubbed from Italian. Whatever was lost in translation didn't help the nonsensical dialogue. Here are two actual quotes.
"Don't think about the present, think about the now."
At another point in the film: "Make yourself at home." Not more than 10 seconds later... "Think of this as your house."

The sound is the first strike. The sound stops abruptly at many times and doesn't match the video. ALL of the footsteps, regardless of location onscreen, are those of someone walking inside of a house with wooden floors. This is especially hilarious for the outdoor scenes.
The first door we see is clearly big and heavy but the sound effect used was that of a regular, small, wooden, old door.
The lightning doesn't match the thunder, not to mention there is absolutely no rain present throughout the "big storm".
The cat is obviously some man going "meow".
Mouths half-closed while laughing is clearly the audio.

The kissing is incredibly awkward and funny from both of our main characters. This is basically a soft-core porn trying to be a horror film. However, a soft-core porn has some sort of sense of reason. This, not so much.
The spider looks like a piece of dirt with sticks as legs and two cherries glued to it for eyes.

The plot makes absolutely no sense and new characters without explanation are introduced throughout the film. For some reason there are people in this "castle" who are shady and appear to be from the 1900's according to their attire. When two "modern", stranded characters wonder into the castle, they encounter (separately), their dopplegangers. I am halfway into the film and still have no idea what the hell this is about. Oh, and yes, there is nudity.

Abstract ideas can be good, but they need structure. You can't explain your film as artsy and abstract just because you don't know what the fuck you're doing.

31 Days of 31 Horror Movies for Halloween: Day 20 - Death Tube

Day 20:  Death Tube
Via: Amazon Prime
Release Date - 2010

Synopsis: Hideaki is kidnapped and he wakes up the next day in his classroom along with his classmates. They are all trapped and held captive by by hooded figures and everyone is forced to play a brutal and violent game or be killed.

SPOILER ALERT - If you have not seen the movie do not read.

I haven't really seen any gory horror films yet, besides Dumplings, that was just more disturbing than gory. Any Asian horror flick will not disappoint in this realm. Welcome, Death Tube.

Death Tube is within the genre of the internet video chat horror flicks like Smiley. Except this one goes further into the world of the taboo and explores the subject matter of live snuff films. This is almost like the first Saw movie combined with the Darknet. Picture a sadist kidnapping his victims, putting them in separate rooms and toying with their lives by making them play games to save each other. That's the plot. Done and done.

The beginning of the film is pointless so we will skip to the games. There are various victims trapped in their own individual rooms. They can communicate with each other via their webcams. They can see each other and have all been presented with different tasks to complete. If they all complete their challenges within their respective time frames, their lives will be spared. As each one completes a task, the timer begins to wind down. One player down. The story keeps going until all players make it to the unexpected second round where they are all put against each other in yet more challenges. The whole film is just disturbing and awkward in a good way. For God's sake, did you see the picture above?

No factors were terrible. The real kicker is the ending. The unexpected comes to be the final "a-ha!" moment. If you've seen any Japanese movies or television then the crazy acting and over-the-top characters will not surprise you. It's a dark film with a dark nature but entertaining because it doesn't try to be anything else but a weird snuff oriented movie. Humorous at times and annoying at others.

31 Days of 31 Horror Movies for Halloween: Day 19 - Short Horror Films

In order to spice it up and keep myself interested in this project, I decided to watch some horror shorts on Youtube. You can watch them all below. My 2 cents on each one are also here.


2012 Mama - Creepy as hell. A short by Guillermo del Toro that inspired the full length movie a year later. Of course this is the best short of the bunch. Creepy style, great acting and editing. I will watch the full length this month.





2014 Skypemare - Good editing, lots of boobs, so-so story, good ending. This short starts out almost like "Smiley". It is a Skype chat that turns into someone trying to kill the person on the other end of the chat. However, the ending makes this entertaining enough to watch all the way through.





2013 Scrambled - Award winning?! Really? So-so plot, so-so acting. Horrendous camera movement.
This film had an interesting plot. Instead of a tooth fairy, let's make up a blood fairy. Oooooo! Yeah, lame. The camera movement in this alone made me not want to watch all the way through, but it was...ok. Camera seems like it's found footage from all the motion, but it's not a found footage film. The main character seems to make really stupid decisions for himself and is confusing. Nothing is really explained and nothing really happens.






2013 Charlie - Dumb, just some guy in his house the whole time.
Really, that's all this was. Some guy in his house being haunted by some spirit. No explanation no plot, no other real narrative or dialogue. Charlie looked like the Joker and the fades were really long. So long I thought the movie ended three times.




2013 - Victim (Based on Slender Man) - Dumb, boring.
Like Charlie, absolutely nothing happens in this short film. It is some dude getting haunted by The Slender Man. That's it. Different scenery, same dude with same awful acting.



2014 - Cynthia - Terrible. For starters, the sound engineering is awful. Someone just downloaded a crappy editing program and thought it'd be good to make some scary echoes with it. Also, test the levels so your video audio matches the effects put in afterwards. I've heard of less is more, but more sounds would have actually set the atmosphere instead of the horribly acting main character saying, literally how he was feeling and thinking. Why is the ghost mad about her husband cheating? Why does the husband kill her? The plot is just messy and confusing. There is a random white-faced something that has no explanation. There are plots that can get away with being artsy and broad, but this was just idea after bad idea put into a big pot and edited together to create whatever the hell this was.

31 Days of 31 Horror Movies for Halloween: Day 18 - The House at the End of Time (La casa del fin de los tiempos)

Day 18:  The House at the End of Time (La casa del fin de los tiempos)
Via: Netflix
Release Date - 2013

Synopsis: Dulce encounters apparitions in her house and unleashes a terrible prophecy. Thirty years later, Dulce, now an old woman, returns to unravel the mystery that has terrorized her for years.

SPOILER ALERT - If you have not seen the movie do not read.

I love, LOVE, movies that loop. This seemed like your typical scary movie. A woman, Dulce, and her family, 2 boys and husband live in somewhat poverty. There seems to be a spirit that haunts them and the film follows the pattern of scare here, scare there, possible explanations of the activity but nothing solid. The film is mainly focused on our main character, Dulce, who goes to jail for allegedly killing her husband. We only see a glimpse of said murder in the beginning scenes. We move forward in time to 30 years when she is out of jail and goes back to her move where the murder occurred. Ok, so before I go on, the only bad thing about this movie was the makeup on Dulce when we see her as an old woman. It looks really fake and plastic-looking.

The movie was a bit slow but the ending made it worth sticking with it.  I won't go into too much detail regarding the ending, but the story explains Dulce's troubles with her husband, a former marriage, the death of one of her boys and the actual murder we see in the beginning. Here is the kicker, all of this is explained through time travel. Yup. That's all I'll say. Because of its originality I believe this can be put in the same category as Cabin in the Woods. It starts out as any horror flick but the ending is so vastly different that it keeps you interested.

Great sound, editing, acting and plot. I was mad, sad and confused until the last moments.

31 Days of 31 Horror Movies for Halloween: Day 16 - A girl walks home alone at night.

Day 16:  A girl walks home alone at night
Via: Netflix
Release Date - 2014

Synopsis: Residents of a worn-down Iranian city encounter a skateboarding vampire (Sheila Vand) who preys on men who disrespect women.

SPOILER ALERT - If you have not seen the movie do not read.

Ok, this is going to sound weird, but this movie was good, not great, but nothing really happens. It's not really a horror movie. I wasn't scared or jumped from anything. It is a love story, but not cheesy like any other sparkly vampire show or movie nowadays. I honestly cannot write much about this, just telling you the characters in the movie tells you all you need to know. There's a drug dealer, a junkie, a whore, a "bad boy", an innocent child and the skateboarding vampire. Acting was great, editing and cinematography was amazing but the plot was weak. Original but weak. I finished the film and wasn't sure how to feel. Like I said, it wasn't bad, but it wasn't great either. I would not watch it again, but DO recommend anyone watches it once.

31 Days of 31 Horror Movies for Halloween: Day 15 - The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari

Day 15: The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari
Via: Netflix
Release Date - 1920

Synopsis: At a carnival in Germany, Francis (Friedrich Feher) and his friend Alan (Rudolf Lettinger) encounter the crazed Dr. Caligari (Werner Krauss). The men see Caligari showing off his somnambulist, Cesare (Conrad Veidt), a hypnotized man who the doctor claims can see into the future. Shockingly, Cesare then predicts Alan's death, and by morning his chilling prophecy has come true -- making Cesare the prime suspect. However, is Cesare guilty, or is the doctor controlling him?

SPOILER ALERT - If you have not seen the movie do not read.

Well, I'm pretty positive this is the film that inspired Tim Burton's style.
Sunken eyes, sharp corners and a woman whose physical attributes look very much like Sally from Nightmare Before Christmas. This is another film I would prefer not to divulge in terms of the ending. It's from the 1920's, yet still threw me for a loop. I'm so used to quick edits, effects, sound, voices and anything that stimulates the senses that I grew a bit bored. That wasn't the film's fault. It's our current state of affairs with over stimulation via technology. I actually enjoyed this film very much. I can see why its ratings are so high. It's a classic. Great acting and editing and incredibly imaginative sets and atmosphere. The only I had a problem with was the lack of detail. There are many parts where the film leaves you guessing as to what the actors are saying. They try to fill in the gaps with actual text but some of the parts are just completely lost.

The story revolves around Dr. Caligari and Cesar. Cesar is a man who has been sleeping for 23 years straight and is a fortune teller. There is a string of murders that happen around the same time Dr. Caligari and Cesar show up. Who is really to blame?

That's basically it. Keep watching until the end.  

31 Days of 31 Horror Movies for Halloween: Day 14 - Blurb

Day 14. I sleep less and less as the nights go on. I wake up in night sweats, breathing hard like someone is chasing me. A ghost? A demon? An unknown creature? Paranoia seems to be heightened. I see eyes in all corners of the streets, of rooms, of all enclosures. Why did I think this was a good idea? Who's out to get me tonight?

31 Days of 31 Horror Movies for Halloween: Day 14 - Dumplings

Day 14: Dumplings
Via: Amazon Prime
Release Date - 2004

Synopsis: The infamous Aunt Mei (Bai Ling), a former gynecologist who performed abortions, makes dumplings with miraculous youth-restoring abilities. Mrs. Li (Miriam Yeung), a former actress desperate to make her womanizing husband (Tony Leung Ka Fai) pay attention to her again, initially refuses to eat them. However, after discovering their potency, she offers to pay Mei any price for more. Things are complicated when Mei is forced to flee the country and the dumplings' power begins to fade.

SPOILER ALERT - If you have not seen the movie do not read.

OK! WTF did I just watch? I am not giving anything away when I immediately tell you the two things this film is about. Abortion and cannibalism. Yeah. 

*Drops mic and walks away*

There is no way to explain the whole narrative of this film. It is deeply psychological and graphic. There is way too much to discuss. The gist of it is this...Aunt Mei is the best dumplings cook known in town. Her dumplings have very special attributes that keep the consumer young. The ultimate fountain of youth. Also, Aunt Mei is 64yrs old but looks to be in her twenties thanks to her special diet. Oh and she was a doctor who used to give abortions. That part isn't really told until halfway through the film. The story focuses on a couple, a wealthy business man and his former-actress wife, Mrs. Li. She is worried he won't want her anymore because she is getting older. His attention is on younger women. Mrs. Li hears about Aunt Mei's special dumplings and decides to go to her for help.

That's basically it. The film is about the journey of Mrs. Li, her relationship, the dumplings and their source, and the psychotic behavior of Aunt Mei. This is a film you just have to watch to have the full experience. Everything is great. Except maybe the sound. The sound effects are great and most of the music is great. There are times where the music is so poor that I thought it was an amateur film. That was my only issue. Other than that, this film was amazingly disturbing and entertaining. This is more of a drama/thriller than a horror film. Still, watch this.

31 Days of 31 Horror Movies for Halloween: Day 13 - Insidious Chapter 3

Day 13: Insidious Chapter 3
Via: Redbox
Release Date - 2015

Synopsis: When teenager Quinn Brenner (Stefanie Scott) senses that her late mother is trying to contact her, she seeks help from gifted psychic Elise Rainier (Lin Shaye). However, Elise's tragic past makes her reluctant to use her abilities. After Quinn is attacked by a malevolent entity, her father (Dermot Mulroney) pleads with Elise for help. With support from two parapsychologists, Elise ventures deep into The Further -- where she finds a powerful demon with an insatiable craving for human souls.

SPOILER ALERT - If you have not seen the movie do not read.

I try not to watch sequels or prequels because they are usually bad. However, I enjoyed Insidious so much that thought I would give this a chance. Insidious 2 was a bit weak but still had some good moments.

The main plot, if you haven't seen any of the movies in the series, is that there is a psychic who helps out when spirits inhabit certain individuals. Recurring bad spirits or demons throughout the series are that of a black demon with a red face and an old woman who is bound to kill the psychic.

The story to Insidious Chapter 3 is pretty simple. It takes place before Insidious. A teenage girl, Quinn, is trying to cope with the loss of her recently deceased mother. A friend suggests she sees a great psychic, Elise. She will be able to help her contact her mother and Quinn can have the closure she craves. However, when Quinn visits Elise, she hesitant and tells Quinn she has retired.

After having a small chat, Elise agrees and helps Quinn. However, when Quinn's mother is called upon, a different spirit comes through. An evil spirit of a man who needs the aid of an oxygen mask to breathe. As the days go by, the spirit starts to haunt Quinn. One night she sees his face in the middle of the street which causes her to get hit by a car. As Quinn recovers from her injuries while bedridden, the hauntings begin and increase in severity night by night. This is where the film takes the typical haunting/exorcism timeline where the crescendo will be obvious. Once the spirit is vanquished, the victim will be ok. Sure enough Quinn's condition worsens and the only way to save her is if our "retired" hero steps in to save the day.

I know the Insidious films are unoriginal, but I noticed that I enjoyed them to some extent because of the mood it creates through the great editing and sound effects and score. The man/creature in the mask looked like some haunted house character and its effects were dull. However, the music, and sound paired with the editing made for some great scares. Even when the scene was predictable in terms of a jump scare, I still couldn't help from jumping every time. Loved it. This is a fun horror film for a date night. Simple plot, good acting and great atmosphere. 

Even with all of the positive features, I would still say I haven't been impressed with any of the movies so far. 

31 Days of 31 Horror Movies for Halloween - Blurb

Day 12. 
My dreams have increased in dark activity. I see figures chasing me, I see me protecting those I love from demonic entities. Night time comes too soon. Time for some more horror, time for some more fear, time for some more darkness.

31 Days of 31 Horror Movies for Halloween: Day 10 - Starry Eyes

Day 10: Starry Eyes
Via: Netflix
Release Date - 2014

Synopsis: A woman's pursuit of Hollywood stardom puts her on a collision course with a satanic cult.

SPOILER ALERT - If you have not seen the movie do not read.

I'll start out by saying that this film was partly made due to its success on Kickstarter.
This film was awkward. Very well written at times but with a cheesy nature. We are introduced to our main character, Sarah, who is your typical starving actress/waitress. She longs to become a big star and succeed in the world of Hollywood. She works in a "Hooters" type of restaurant and is constantly trying out for new roles on her free time. Her friends seem to all be hippies of some sort with little ambition to do anything but party. We see glimpses of Sarah's odd behavior when she stresses over a part she may not have gotten. She'll get into some sort of deep, self-harming mindset and begin to pull out her hair until she feels satisfied with her punishment. The narrative of the film is really based on her life. Her relationships with them, her obsession with acting, her loneliness and those around her affecting her life.

It turns out that after a bad audition, Sarah goes into the bathroom to throw one of her fits, but someone is listening. It's one of the people representing the studio she just auditioned for. She looks at Sarah and asks her about her fit. She convinces Sarah to go back to the casting room and do it in front of the main representative for the studio. She does and the director loves it and tells her to comeback at a later date for more details about "the part" she will portray. We begin to see hints of Satanism and the connection to the studio. At this point in the film, it gets predictable and I really don't have to describe much more of the narrative. It's a basic overdone story from here-on. The studio wants her for something not related to film and she is willing to do anything to get the part she thinks is a movie.

Sarah obliges the studio with their every demand, including getting nude and performing fellatio on who we believe to be the director, but who is in fact, the leader of the Satanic cult. It gets pretty cheesy at this point until the end. The main things that saved this movie from being a complete disaster was the acting, the cinematography, the dialogue, the amazing effects, and the editing. Were it not for that, this film would be a typical B horror flick with an even worse script. It left me highly satisfied with the aforementioned qualities, but the script was just weak from beginning to end. So I was confused on how to feel at the end of the film. Either way, I would watch it again for its entertaining aspects. 

31 Days of 31 Horror Movies for Halloween: Day 9 - The Mist

Day 9: The Mist
Via: Amazon Prime
Release Date - 2007

Synopsis: After a powerful storm damages their Maine home, David Drayton (Thomas Jane) and his young son head into town to gather food and supplies. Soon afterward, a thick fog rolls in and engulfs the town, trapping the Draytons and others in the grocery store. Terror mounts as deadly creatures reveal themselves outside, but that may be nothing compared to the threat within, where a zealot (Marcia Gay Harden) calls for a sacrifice.

SPOILER ALERT - First alert is for the summary. Second alert is for the ending.

This movie went from good to bad to good to bad to amazing.
I don't know if I'd call it a true horror film, drama, thriller or creature feature.
It's a combination of so many factors that left me disappointed in some areas but highly satisfied with the ending which, for the most part, all films I've seen so far have lacked.

Cinematography was excellent, editing use of color, acting was good, a little over the top at times but I think the characters who did that were setup to be dramatic anyway. Special effects were incredibly cheesy. In fact, while I watched the first encounter with whatever mysterious creature lay outside, I seriously had a moment of, ugh, I am turning this off immediately.

So the story pickups pretty quickly after we are introduced to our hero. A storm has come and knocked down trees, power lines etc, in what appears to be a small town. Our hero dad and his son decide to go to the local grocery store to pickup some supplies.

Once they arrive the plot takes a turn to an immediate horror flick. A mist/fog seems to have moved in very quickly and appears to be a danger for those who go into it. Basically the whole town is trapped inside the grocery store with each other. Typical natural disaster behavior ensues as everyone tries to cope with the odd situation. Most lend a helping hand and try to make the most of it. As various people try to leave, we see that the mist holds some violent nature, so the mood changes to a different scenario of survival. Various small groups of similar thinking start to form, including our hero with some out of town lady and an older few. There are also 3 soldiers in the midst of the grocery store. Their storyline is kept mysterious for reasons told later. The other main group is that of some religious nut-wing who thinks the ongoings have been caused by God and that this is the rapture. The creatures that duel within the mist are revealed fairly early in the movie. This is what made me turn the movie off. The CGI in this was incredibly cheesy and it completely turned me off to the dramatic undertone the film had already set. However, I kept going because I had to.

As our story goes along we witness more attacks, from giant bugs this time which leads to more people wanting to leave. All the people in the religious group seem to get more and more extreme as their leader appears to be correct about what is happening. The soldiers are secretive and keep to themselves and our hero and his group are trying to leave. The attacks have taken a toll on some of the people in the store, so our hero and a few others decide they will risk themselves to get medicine and supplies from the pharmacy nearby. One of the soldiers tags along as the others stay behind at the grocery store. More bugs appear, some of the group dies but eventually they make it back with supplies. We learn from those attacks that the army seems to be responsible for the monster/bug activity. Once the group makes it back to the grocery store, it seems more obvious considering the other soldiers left behind have committed suicide.

SPOILER ALERT - ENDING

Most of the movie is spent inside the store seeing the chaos and the separation of people. It's not bad. Good tension and great acting. I was impressed by the atmosphere too but the CGI effects kept me from being reeled in to the overall mood. However, our hero and their group decide they can't stay anymore. The religious few have already sacrificed the remaining soldier and seem to be getting out of control. Our hero and his group decide to run for it to his truck and make the best of it.

As they make their escape two are attacked and don't make it to the truck. There are only five left and they are able to drive away. Quick side note, our hero's truck just happens to be equipped with every light in the world known to man. Like he was somehow been preparing for a day like this all his life...it was stupid. Anyway, they manage to get away, visit his house, only to find his wife dead, so they keep driving. Eventually they run out of gas and have only one way out. They have a gun with four bullets. Our hero decides to do the unthinkable and kill everyone, including his son, and take on the monsters himself after everyone has passed. Bang, Bang, Bang, Bang!

Dead.

Heartbreaking.

Our hero gets out of his truck, distraught and hopeless he yells out for the monsters to take him, to challenge him, he wants his end. But as soon as we seem him get out of his truck and walk a few paces, the mist clears. We begin to see shapes of soldiers, then a tank, then more soldiers, all with gas masks. The cavalry has arrived. Our hero realizes he could have waited moments. He killed his own son, his friends, his soul. Last scene is of our hero screaming in emotional agony and defeat.

THAT is why I liked this movie so much. The ending made it worth it. All of the lame CGI went away as soon as that moment was engrained in my head. Bravo.

31 Days of 31 Horror Movies for Halloween: Day 8 - ABC's of Death 1

Day 8: ABC's of Death

Via: Netflix

Release Date - 2012

Synopsis: An anthology of stories helmed by more than two dozen directors details 26 ways to die, each corresponding to a different letter of the alphabet.

SPOILER ALERT - No plots given, only my like and dislike.

Like the ABC's of Death 2, I will just write if I liked it or not since plots are so short.

However, before you read the rest, click the link below for a story of an Ohio teacher jailed for 90 days for showing this movie to her Spanish class.

Ohio teacher jailed story here

*Liked

**Loved

A is for Apocalypse - Not a bad start to the series. Good effects, good emotion and surprise ending.

B is for Bigfoot - Meh, storyline is overdone and effects are lame.

C is for Cycle - Confusing plot, bad acting and worse effects.

*D is for Dogfight - Unique story with surprising ending and very well shot.

E is for Exterminate - Super cheesy CGI completely killed 

F is for Fart - Leave it to the Japanese to make a fart-horror flick. Alas, it was just dumb.

G is for Gravity - This was by far, the stupidest short ever. It's as dumb as the title suggests.

H is for Hydro-Electric Diffusion - This one was just odd, and not in a good way. People dressed up as furries. Nazis and a giant killing machine. Unique but not worth watching.

I is for Ingrown - Boring. Just a typical killing scene from any other horror film.

**J is for Jidai-geki (Samurai Movie) - This was HUGELY entertaining. The effects alone made this worthwhile. It's humorous and disturbing.

*K is for Klutz - Although the death scene kind of a last thought, this cartoon short was pretty funny.

**L is for Libido - WOW! Disturbing in so many ways. Highly sexual and lots of bodily fluids. Awesome!

M is for Miscarriage - Dumb, just dumb.

*N is for Nuptials - Funny and unique plot with a parrot.

**O is for Orgasm - Beautiful concept of the word and a fetish. Creepy, sexy and stimulating.

*P is for Pressure - Deals with an unknown, disturbing fetish and has a real world narrative.

*Q is for Quack - Funny take on their short's subject matter. Not great, but not bad.

*R is for Removed - Very interesting ideas here, effects were pretty good and storyline was bizarre.

S is for Speed - Very Robert Rodriguez. Started out good but the grim reaper was really lame.

**T is for Toilet - Amazing claymation short about a simple and humorous subject.

U is for Unearthed - Non-imaginative and dull.

**V is for Vagitus - Very unique story and the effects are pretty well done. Great little action short.

W is for WTF! - Too random and poor makeup.

**X is for XXL - Very disturbing and sad. Great effects and ending.

*Y is for Youngbuck - Disturbing subject matter, great cinematography and editing. Makes you feel dirty.

*Z is for Zetsumetsu - Just plain bizarre scenes filled with gore an nudity.

31 Days of 31 Horror Movies for Halloween: Day 7 - ABC's of Death 2

Day 7: ABC's of Death 2
Via: Netflix
Release Date - 2014

Synopsis: Twenty-six filmmakers from around the globe helm stories that detail 26 ways to meet your maker, each one corresponding to a different letter of the alphabet.

SPOILER ALERT - No plots given, only my like and dislike.

A friend of mine sent me a link with 14 great horror movies to watch on Netflix, so I decided to take a gander at ABC's of Death 2. I'll eventually watch the first one tomorrow.

Ok, so I'll start out by saying that unlike my other posts, I will not give away the plot on any of these.
ABC's of Death 2 has 26 plots so short in length, that it is better to watch them all for yourself or find them on Youtube.

So I have just put stars next to the ones I liked and loved. This isn't a terrible collection. Not as good as the VHS series, but still very creative.

*Liked
*Loved!

**A is for Amateur - funny, great beginning to the whole film.
B is for Badger - meh, kind of funny. Good gore.
*C is for Capital Punishment - Not bad plot, great gore.
**D is for Deloused - Awesome. Creepy and reminds me of early Tool videos.
*E is for Equilibrium - Humorous ending and plot.
F is for Falling - Meh. Story is a bit weak.
G is for Grandad - This one is just disturbing because of the actors used. Not very good though.
*H is for Head Games - Pretty entertaining animation piece.
I is for Invincible - A bit too cheesy with the killing scenes.
J is for Jesus - This one was weird. Torture scenes seemed good but main monster was lame.
*K is for Knell - Plot seemed a bit confusing but the effects were really amazing.
L is for Legacy - Bad all around. Confusing plot, bad acting and worse special effects.
*M is for Masticate - Effects were OK, but editing and pace were good.
N is for Nexus - Weak plot and effects.
O is for Ochlocracy - Interesting idea but weak execution.
P is for P-P-P-P SCARY! - Dumb, just dumb and not creepy.
Q is for Questionnaire - Good idea but looked cheesy at the end.
R is for Roulette - Acting wasn't bad but the very end seemed very stupid.
S is for Split - Pretty good plot and camera se but fell short with the acting and effects.
T is for Torture Porn - Just bad all around.
U is for Utopia - Gattaca poorly made.
*V is for Vacation - Entertaining but effects were lame and characters lacked substance.
*W is for Wish - The over-the-top use of puppets and toy sets made this original and entertaining.
*X is for Xylophone - Small idea incredibly dramatized. Good effects but poor acting by the parents.
*Y is for Youth - Pretty good plot and effects were so bizarre it made it enjoyable.
**Z is for Zygote - The effects in this were SO gorey and the plot so weird that it was my favorite.

I enjoyed Zygote so much that below is the short:

31 Days of 31 Horror Movies for Halloween: Day 6 - Dark Skies

Day 6: Dark Skies

Via: Netflix

Release Date - 2013

Synopsis: Lacy (Keri Russell) and Daniel Barrett (Josh Hamilton) share a peaceful life in the suburbs with their sons, Jesse (Dakota Goyo) and Sam (Kadan Rockett). However, that peace soon shatters with a series of disturbing events that escalate. When it becomes clear that their family is being targeted by an unimaginably terrifying, deadly -- and possibly alien -- threat, Daniel and Lacy draw on their courage and determination to protect their family and identify what is after them.

SPOILER ALERT - If you have not seen the movie do not read.

E.T. is a bit of an asshole, preying on children and what-not. 
This film is what "Signs" should have been. Less is more. Let's explore.
This is the first creature feature I have on my list so far and it didn't really disappoint. In fact, these movies keep surprising me with their endings.
You have to take this for what it's worth in terms of subject matter. If you don't believe in aliens or the idea of outsiders in our universe it might be a bit harder for you to swallow.

*Two quick side notes. 

1 - As a designer and musician I am nit-picky about my sounds and websites. As you have already noticed, using stock sound effects is a big no-no in my book. It kills the creativity of the entire film. What's worse is poorly made websites used in movies that look like a small step up from a power point presentation. The Taking of Deborah Logan had an array of horrid websites explaining the origins of the killer in the movie. Well, Dark Skies had similarly horrible sites used in the scene where Lacy finds the truth of their situation. Now, I get it, some sites that showcase the paranormal may appear lame and shoddy but they are believable. The ones used in Dark Skies look like a bad cut and paste job in Photoshop.

2- I started with low budget films and seem to be watching more big budget films as the days go by. It appears that with the massive amount of technology and talent available to the big budget films, they tend to have to work harder to create a dark and gritty atmosphere that will envelop the audience. Amateur low budget films, however, need not to go through this circus of chaos within the grandness of their project. The financial boundaries put forth on the amateurs gives them an advantage that a mainstream film lacks. 

Back to the tunes...

Ok, so we are presented with a typical suburban family going through some financial ordeal. The mother, Lacy, is a real estate agent trying to do her best to sell a fixer-upper to various clients. Meanwhile, the father, Daniel, has recently lost his job as an architect and is desperately searching for a new avenue. We are introduced to their two sons, Jesse, 13 or so, and Sam, 8 or so. They look like good kids and the whole family seems to be decently happy. There are a few scenes where Jesse is shown hanging out with his older friend who is teaching Jesse the "finer things in life". I.E. Sex and drugs. There are several touching scenes where we see the boys interacting with each other at night through their walkie talkies. This interaction will come back later.

Most of the film revolves around the same type of scenes only building up more and more as time goes on. There seems to be strange behavior coming from Sam at first with him having symptoms of seizures or some form of psychotic blackouts. The family as a whole starts to show symptoms of odd behavior themselves. The culprit seems to be some other factor that affects the household at night. 
Ok, so this part of the movie was a bit dull since it mimicked the Paranormal Activity series in terms of camera use and footage. It wasn't overdone so I just shut my brain off and enjoyed the movie.
Daniel and the family experience various "break-ins" that are unexplainable, even by the police and by the security system company whose equipment is in the household. There is even an instance where 3 different types of flocks of birds fly into the house as if possessed by something. As the unexplained activity increases, Daniel decides to install cameras all around the house. Which leads us to the Paranormal Activity-like footage. The tone of the film seems patiently slow that later leads us to a chaotic second half.  

Lacy begins to panic more as they all begin to show physical injuries. She decides to search the web for some type of explanation which leads her to various sites detailing the source of the strange behavior, injuries and unexplainable - Aliens. This makes sense to her, but when she explains this to Daniel, he is taken back and thinks it's too crazy of an idea. The night shots of found footage and scenes with Sam show slight parts of the Aliens. They are not cheesy looking but you can tell the CGI lighting is too much. I believe had they taken the lighting down even further, they would have been more mysterious and even creepier. Well done, nonetheless. 

Lacy and Daniel end up meeting with a man, Mr. Pollard, who is supposedly an expert on this sort of stuff. Daniel is hesitant at first and once they see Pollard's place he is convinced Pollard is a nutcase. They see his walls covered in news articles ranging from UFO sightings to clippings of missing children. He questions them about their experience to make sure they're not the wackos. Which, after Pollard reveals some very specific questions and information, the couple is relieved but scared of the reality of things. Pollard tells them that "The Greys" have been doing the same to others around the world for years. They victimize anyone they please and eventually abduct the children.

The family prepares themselves by boarding up windows, buying guns, an aggressive dog and taking all measures to make sure Sam doesn't get abducted. Since he is the youngest and weakest, it is presumed he will be the victim. As the night goes on, the usual strange activity occurs and The Greys eventually take their victim, but not without a fight from the rest of the family. Much to their surprise, Jesse is the one taken. We see Pollard add the "missing" news article of Jesse to his wall of lost children. 

We flash to 3 months after the ordeal and the family has moved to a new place. They are seen semi-happy and ready to move on. As the camera pans to various rooms of the house it focuses on Sam and a pile of his toys. There is a noise coming from the walkie talkie within the toys. Sam grabs the walkie talkie and calls out to "mission control" as he did to Jesse before. Only static can be heard. He tries again and we get a slight voice coming through. It sounds like Jesse. Sam calls out a third time and we hear Jesse on the other end. Fade to black.

The obvious: Like I said before, editing and cinematography are excellent. Even for a big budget film, they do a pretty good job at creating an environment that feels small, creepy and confined. The acting from the children is outstanding and the ending was not what I expected. Good elements of surprise. I felt the tension as the family suffers at the hands of The Greys and slight fear when the night scenes came up. A few good jump scares and no over-the-top acting once the family encounters The Greys one-on-one. I would watch it again, but so far, I am not really blown away by any of these films.