The 31 Days of Horror- #27
"An Austrian slasher flick, and a horrible sequel..."
The Hidden Gem:
The Master says: Sure it's an Austrian rip off of I Know What You Did Last Summer, but it was a much better flick. It's typical slasher stuff, no more, no less, but it had some things about it that made it great like the cinematography (the scenery was just gorgeous), and the acting was solid, which is fairly rare for slasher fare (that rhymed.) The third act was truly creepy too, and made the movie for me. Many will dismiss this as a simple slasher flick, but I loved it.
The Train Wreck:
The Master says: After a pretty good remake of the original movie in 2006, we got this Swamp Donkey tossed in our laps a year later. Gone are the likable characters, tension, and terrifying mutants of the first movie, replaced with hate-able characters, blandness, and uninspiring mutants of the sequel. The best way to describe this one, is it should have been a Sci-Fi Channel (Syfy, whatever) movie, as it totally felt like one. Back in the 80's, the original sequel to the original HHE sucked too, so maybe it's just a karma thing.
The Master says: Sure it's an Austrian rip off of I Know What You Did Last Summer, but it was a much better flick. It's typical slasher stuff, no more, no less, but it had some things about it that made it great like the cinematography (the scenery was just gorgeous), and the acting was solid, which is fairly rare for slasher fare (that rhymed.) The third act was truly creepy too, and made the movie for me. Many will dismiss this as a simple slasher flick, but I loved it. 
The Master says: After a pretty good remake of the original movie in 2006, we got this Swamp Donkey tossed in our laps a year later. Gone are the likable characters, tension, and terrifying mutants of the first movie, replaced with hate-able characters, blandness, and uninspiring mutants of the sequel. The best way to describe this one, is it should have been a Sci-Fi Channel (Syfy, whatever) movie, as it totally felt like one. Back in the 80's, the original sequel to the original HHE sucked too, so maybe it's just a karma thing. 
I will check out dead in 3 days...Also I know how excited you guys are about Paranormal Activity. I had heard the news too--word around is that it is the scariest movie ever made...so...
ReplyDeleteSpoiler-Free Impressions of Paranormal Activity:
This past weekend PA received a slightly wider release than the weekend before (where it played twice at an arthouse theater and tickets were not for sale).
Though showtimes were limited to the dead of night, and only one theater played it in New York, I managed to get a ticket.
There were hundreds of people lined up to see the movie--definitely a genuine NYC experience, and everyone was in the mood for something scary. Even that awful Milla Jovovich horror preview was sat through and enjoyed by most.
Paranormal Activity shares its basic plot with movies like The Unborn, Drag Me To Hell, and The Ring: A young, strong woman is haunted by an evil force, and must struggle to defeat that force before it over takes her.
This films centers on a young, well-to-do couple living in the burbs. The girlfriend is being "visited" by a presence. The boyfriend is trying to record the experience as evidence. There you have your reality, documentary Blair Witch-style feel going.
Once the premise is introduced the Activity (with a capital A) begins. Night by night the couple are visited--the presence seemingly more aggressive as the film goes on. Each occurrence definitely has an element of creepiness to it--and the story is quite well thought-out. The characters are very likable and well-cast. It was interesting to see a woman in a leading role who was not so anorexically skinny that you could see her pelvic bone, but still a beautiful and attractive ingenue. The boyfriend makes bad decisions (I know how much you guys hate that so there--I'm telling you now).
It all culminates in one of the scariest endings to a horror film I've seen, possibly ever.
Unfortunately, there are really only a few meaty, terrifying scares to the picture. The suspense is expertly delivered, and the danger is introduced well, but for the next hour+ of the film the creepy occurrences are minor, and I was left wanting for more Paranormal Activity than I got.
As such, there is a major lull in the film during the second and third act, until the final 10 or so minutes which, as I said before, are damn scary.
Paranormal Activity was a lot of fun to see in the theaters. Was it the scariest movie ever? No. In my book the US version of The Ring and The Exorcist are the scariest movies ever. But PA is definitely worth seeing: It shows how much yet there can be unturned in the horror genre. And you WILL get one or two good, genuine, well-earned scares from it.
These were my impressions of the film--Can't wait to hear what you guys think!
Hmmm, interesting analysis Mob. I'm trying not to but into the "Scariest movie ever" hype, but I (We) really want to see it.
ReplyDeleteI'd prefer to have it on DVD and watch it alone at home at midnight... I think it would have a chance of being way more terrifying then..
We will be seeing it soon, and we will see!
M'hael said: "I'd prefer to have it on DVD and watch it alone at home at midnight... I think it would have a chance of being way more terrifying then.."
ReplyDeleteI wholeheartedly agree--and might recommend it to get the full effect. My friends and I are actually in the process of trying to secure a screener to try that out.
But, I saw The Ring with a big, raucous audience as well (in fact I think my wallet was stolen that night!) but I was still able to totally connect with the movie and experience those scares in a way Paranormal did not grip me.
But I'm interested in your impressions when you get them!
I actually preferred the Hills Have Eyes 2 to the "original" remake. Mostly because I didn't think all that much of said remake, and this one had Jessica Stroup and Daniella Alonso. The first one had... ummm... that plain chick from Lost, if I recall correctly.
ReplyDelete