Aug 26: The Amityville Horror

"A family is terrorized by demonic forces after moving into a home that was the site of a grisly mass-murder"

Directed by: Andrew Douglas, Rated: R, 90 minutes

Melissa George is a sexy woman. She's got curves and "attributes" that make her incredibly attractive. However, for some reason or another, she consistently plays characters where she's perpetually in distress, crying or screaming and losing sight of her children. While I can't go out on a limb and call her a great actress, it wouldn't hurt to see her smile once in awhile. With The Amityville Horror she continues this pattern to a rather annoying effect. It's a remake of a film that wasn't even too great to begin with (surprise!), and follows every horror cliche in the book. What makes it watchable is the performance of Ryan Reynolds (who I have continued to praise even through all his hate). As he completely loses control on his life and his family, it's creepy as hell to watch.

One of the twelve times Melissa George has actually smiled. 

George (Ryan Reynolds) and Kathy Lutz (Melissa George) find a beautiful home in Amityville, New York. It's huge, it's on the water, and it has everything they could ask for in a home to raise a family. They even manage to buy the home at a ridiculously low price, to much concern of George, who questions why something so great goes for so cheap. Soon after moving in, the Lutz family begin encountering strange things throughout the home. Magnets rearrange themselves on the refrigerator, George begins hearing voices, and blood seems to seep through the walls. Clearly something is wrong with the home and Kathy finds counsel in Father Callaway (Philip Baker Hall), who tells her that the home was the scene of a grizzly murder just over a year ago. Ronald DeFeo killed six family members one night after hearing voices telling him to do so. As George has become increasingly distant to the family, Kathy noticed he had taken refuge in the basement, where he too has said to hear voices. Fearing the worst, Kathy believes her kids are in danger around George and she must find a way for all of them to leave the home and save George from a quasi-possession before it's too late. While this story is incredibly familiar to most horror movie watchers, this really is where a lot of those cliche possession stories began. The Amityville Horror is based off of an actual murder that happened in 1974 and while the film tends to monetize off of the crime, the actual events are still ridiculously creepy. As for the film, it never really captures the fear of the real-life danger the house is said to hold, but it still has a handful of creepy moments that leave you a little unsettled. 

Wondering about the actual murders unfolding is creepy as f**k. 

The best part of the film is Ryan Reynolds' George. Witnessing him slowly lose grip on reality and spiral into a creepy state of rage is eerie to watch. I have always been a staunch supporter of Reynolds and enough though the film isn't terrific by any means, I feel his performance lifts it out of awful. It's also worth noting that The Amityville Horror is a rare kind of horror movie in that it's actually rated R. As opposed to the horror movies that come out lately, that are rated PG-13 to bring in a larger audience, this film embraces its R rated and in doing so, has much more blood scares than anything else. As George loses his sanity, he begins seeing visions of ritualistic murders that happened in the basement of the home, and each sequence is cut with a psychotic energy and flashes of blood. 

Yes, it suffers from the "little creepy girl" cliche... 

The Amityville Horror is worth a watch, in my opinion. If you really think about the story behind the actual event, the film tends to be much creepier than just a stand alone movie. Sure, there's not a lot going on throughout the film, and the ending is quite disappointing, but the idea behind it all makes the movie even more uncomfortable. The film is a remake of the 1979 film of the same name (which wasn't really great in its own right), and it's tough to argue which one is better. As fall approaches and a horror obsession sweeps in through your open window, The Amityville Horror would be a decent movie to watch as the autumn chill crawls up your spine. 

The Good:
Ryan Reynolds performance
The Bad:
a story that doesn't really have a lot going for it...
The Ugly:
...and wondering where it could have gone had it actually had the balls to do so

Overall: 6.3/10

Trailer:

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Aug 4: Triangle

"The story revolves around the passengers of a yachting trip in the Atlantic Ocean who, when struck by mysterious weather conditions, jump to another ship only to experience greater havoc on the open seas."

Directed by: Christopher Smith, Rated: R, 99 minutes

The other day, in my 30 Days of Night review, I mentioned a little movie called Triangle. Well, after realizing I had not reviewed the movie yet, and just mentioning it reminded me of how good it is, I decided to revisit the film for today. It's a little gem of a film that I feel has been seen by absolutely no one and I feel it deserves much more recognition than it has had. Triangle is a tricky film, as it may be a little too ambitious for the average movie-goer. It's full of twists and turns and a puzzle that's hard to solve into the movie's crazy conclusion. It's a very unsettling movie that makes you think. After you're able to solve the film's "riddle", you're left kind of nervous, quite frankly, and lost with the characters on screen. 

Jess (Melissa George) is a single mother struggling to get by. Her son, Tommy, has a lot of problems and can't function as well as the next kid. She's loaded with stress and just wants a break. Her friend (and somewhat flirt), Greg, convinces Jess to take a ride on his yacht for the day, hoping it'll be a way for her to relax. Jess feels very uneasy about the idea, but reluctantly goes along for the trip. After awhile at sea, a storm sweeps in, destroying the yacht. The remaining survivors hold onto the wreckage until a large cruise vessel comes within view. The gang board the ship, seemingly abandoned, and attempt to find rescue and a way home. However, it's not as easy as it seems and a psychological terror comes in faster than the storm, and Jess and her group struggle to solve the ships mysteries. 

The film only strengthens my fears of the oh-chin. 

Triangle is a genuinely smart flick. The script never lets on its secrets and you feel just as lost as Jess does aboard the ship. There are dozens of hints throughout the first half of the film, but nothing that gives it away too early. The film is eerily suspenseful, messing with your mind as much as your intelligence, leaving you wondering what will happen next. Writer and director, Christopher Smith, does a terrific job at capturing the fear of isolation on the open sea and teases, just the slightest, bits of hope in a horrific situation. He crafts a film that shows the light at the end of the tunnel, only to turn the tunnel around completely and have you searching for its exit again. 

He really likes f**king with you. 

As you can tell, I highly recommend Triangle. It's a tight thriller with a solid cast that settles with you long after the end credits. While I know not everyone will share in the love for this little film like I have, I still recommend giving it a chance. Yes, it has it's flaws and if you nitpick the story, you're sure to find plot holes, but it's still worth your time and energy. It's also very violent, with moments that may seem a little over the top but still nothing too dark to ruin the film. Do yourself a favor and go find and watch Triangle and pray to God you never find yourself lost at sea, with only a strange ship to explore, with secrets you could never imagine. 

The Good:

a clever script that never stops turning climaxing into one hell of a finish

The Bad:

parts of the film are just a tad repetitive, but when you look at the movie as a whole, it makes sense to the story

The Ugly:

the unsettling feeling the film leaves you lingering with, making you think back on the events that transpired

Overall: 8.2/10

Trailer:

Aug 1: 30 Days of Night

"After an Alaskan town is plunged into darkness for a month, it is attacked by a bloodthirsty gang of vampires."

Directed by: David Slade, Rated: R, 113 minutes

IMDB, Rotten Tomatoes

30 Days of Night is one of my favorite vampire movies. It's a vamper movie with balls that never shies away from the violence and gore one would associate with a fanger and never holds back. Sure, most of the people we're supposed to care about aren't the most developed and some, quite frankly, are annoying but, when everything looks so cool, it's a little easier to ignore. The film also stars the very underrated Josh Hartnett, who has seemingly fallen off of the face of the earth as of late, when in fact I feel he deserves to be the bigger star he was so close to becoming. He's a great leading actor and adds a lot to the film, as does the also underrated Melissa George (star of Triangle, one of my favorite movies that no one saw). 

Seriously, go find it. 

30 Days of Night follows the residents of Barrow, Alaska, a small town that is preparing for a month of darkness in one of their long and cold winters. A stranger (the glorious Ben Foster) arrives in Barrow and disrupts all forms of communication the village has to the mainland and larger cities. His sabotage comes just in time for as darkness falls upon the town, so does a mysterious "pack" of vampires (led by the creepy as f**k Danny Huston), who come out of hiding to feast and revel in the 30 days of darkness. The survivors, led by Eben Oleson (Hartnett) and his ex-wife Stella (George) must find a way to either get to safety, destroy their attackers, or hold up in whatever shelter they can for the remainder of the 30 days. 30 Days of Night has a very clever story and take on the vampire myth in a time when the bloodsuckers aren't looked upon as the greatest "monsters" in movies. The vampires are incredibly violent, speak in a seemingly ancient language that consists of clicking sounds and Latin-esque words, and use long sharp finger nails along with their mouths full of razor sharp teeth. These vamps are definitely not your sparkling, teen-angst ridden vampires you'd see in Seattle. Alaska breeds a different kind of horror. 

The vampires are like sharks, attacking the village like a school of fish. 

It's in the gore that makes 30 Days of Night fun to watch. While most of the violence is a little over-the-top, the film has its moments of gore that look all too realistic. Along with the blood, the film packs a hell of a lot of scares, even when you know something is coming. David Slade (who ironically went on to direct a Twilight movie) does a fine job at capturing the horror of a small town being infested with bloodsucking monsters and captures the panic in a very creepy way. There is one particular shot in the film where the camera looks down on the town in a bird's eye view and you lay witness to the citizens of Barrow running from the vampires through blood stained snow that sticks with you. 30 Days of Night is more unsettling than it is terrifying and the film has a very creepy vibe throughout. It's also worth mentioning that the idea behind the story is very clever, and the idea of being stuck in a month of darkness with a monster (known for mainly having one weakness- light) is disturbing to think about. 

Sunlight- Not Just for Tanning

While the film does have its flaws, I would still highly recommend 30 Days of Night. It certainly earns its R rating and grabs it by the throat and flails it around for the fun of it. It's dark, it's gritty, and has as much blood as a slaughterhouse. I do, however, have a problem with the movie's ending, as I found it incredibly rushed and a little ridiculous, but the buildup is still worth the time. The film is based off a graphic novel and I can only assume the source material goes into more depth explaining the conclusion. As a result, after watching the film, the graphic novel is now on my "must track down and read if I can" list. 30 Days of Night looks great, has a great cast (that never fully reaches its potential), and does the vampire justice by making it the blood-spilling, blood-drinking, havoc-wrecking monster it deserves to be. 

The Good:

so much blood packed into such a small movie and brutal look at the destruction a clan of violent vampires can wreck on a small Alaskan town

The Bad:

whenever I watch a Josh Hartnett movie I wonder why his career has fallen so much and while I don't think he's the world's greatest actor, being reminded of his lack of work is sad

The Ugly:

the claustrophobic feeling the film gives off, making you wonder what you would do if you were isolated in darkness, with absolutely no sign of rescue or hope

Overall: 7.2/10

Trailer: