n.1. a property of certain probability distributions: the exponential distributions and the geometric distributions, wherein any derived probability from a set of random samples is distinct and has no information (i.e. "memory") of earlier samples. 2. the life and times of Steve Myles
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October Horror Films 2011 | Day 31 #2 | Halloween (dir. Rob Zombie; Dimension Films/Nightfall Productions/Spectacle Entertainment Group/Trancas International Films/The Weinstein Company 2007)
Brief review:Rob Zombie’s Halloween remake is the second film we watched on Halloween.
<spoilers>The story is basically the same as the original, but there is a lot more exposition: the first act is about Michael as a child and includes his abusive/alcoholic stepfather (mother’s boyfriend?), school bullies, the fact that he tortures animals, etc. It is also explicit that Laurie Strode is his sister, a fact that isn’t established until the original film’s sequel. Personally, I think it’s scarier not knowing why he’s chasing her, but I understand why Zombie included this - it’s a well known part of Michael Myers’s story. I also like the dynamic between Laurie and Tommy, the boy she’s babysitting. Their interactions are funnier than those in the original film. It works both ways, but this is an example of a difference between the two films.</spoilers>
We saw this when it came out and had seen it at least once since. I like this film (I think I like its sequel more, though). It’s similar to the original, but different enough that it’s still interesting and enjoyable. I recommend Halloween (2007) to fans of the original, slasher films in general, and Rob Zombie.
October Horror Films 2011 | Day 31 #1 | Halloween (dir. John Carpenter; Compass International Pictures/Falcon International Pictures 1978)
Brief review: The first film we watched on Halloween was John Carpenter’s Halloween. This is another one that it’s difficult to say anything about that hasn’t already been said. I know it’s not the first slasher movie, but I think it’s one of the best. It certainly influenced all slasher films that came after it.
It’s about an escaped mental patient (Michael Myers) who, at age six, killed his sister on Halloween night. Fifteen years later, he escapes and returns to his hometown. Once there, he terrorizes a babysitter (played by Jamie Lee Curtis), killing two of her friends. Myers is pursued by Dr. Loomis (Donald Pleasence, who is awesome), his psychiatrist.
Halloween is one of my favorite movies. I first saw it in the early 1990s, and I think I like it more each time I see it. I also notice new things, like the painting (a giant picture of a kitten) on the wall in the hallway of the Wallace house. The music (also by Carpenter) adds a lot to the visuals (which are really good to begin with). The pacing is great and some of the shots are excellent. I recommend Halloween to fans of slasher films (and all films, really), John Carpenter, Jamie Lee Curtis, and Donald Pleasence.
October Horror Films 2011 | Day 30 | Hatchet (dir. Adam Green; ArieScope Pictures/High Seas Entertainment/Radioaktive Film 2007)
Brief review:Hatchet is about a group of people on a “haunted swamp tour” near New Orleans. The film stars Kane Hodder as Victor Crowley, a deformed man who was accidentally killed by getting hit in the face by a hatchet while his father was trying to rescue him from a burning house. His ghost roams the woods near the house, searching for his father and killing anyone who gets close to the house.
I really like Hatchet. I had seen it previously, during its theatrical run (2007). We also watched Hatchet II last October. It’s a cool-yet-simple story that, though derivative of 1980s slasher films (which seems to be what writer/director Adam Green was going for, based on the tagline “Old School American Horror”), still feels new. When I first saw the poster, I thought it was an adaptation of the 1987 novel with the same name (which I liked), until I saw the rating. In my opinion, this is among the best slasher movies of the last ten years (and it’s probably the best that isn’t a remake or a sequel). I recommend Hatchet to fans of Kane Hodder and fans of 1980s slasher movies and other “Old School American Horror.”
Bonus: This film features appearances by Robert Englund, Joshua Leonard, and Tony Todd. Also, the credits (opening and closing) are accompanied by a Marilyn Manson song (the same song; the opening is he album version and the closing is a remix).
October Horror Films 2011 | Day 28 | House of Fallen (dir. Robert Stephens; Eleven 22 Entertainment 2008)
Brief review:House of Fallen is about a group of fallen angels called the Grigori or Watchers (from the apocryphal Book of Enoch) who “stalk the earth.” There is also a group of humans called “the Twelve” who oppose them. The Grigori and the Twelve interact in three plots, but none of the characters seem to overlap. In one storyline, one of the Grigori possesses a man and an ex-priest named Thomas (C. Thomas Howell) tries to exorcise it. Another storyline features a Grigori possessing another member of the Twelve in order to get revenge on one of his brethren (who is played by Corbin Bernsen). The third story is about a group of criminals holed up in a house after a robbery. In this story, another Grigori brings man who died during the robbery back to life.
The concept of House of Fallen is interesting, but I had trouble following the three separate plots in the film. The film moves between them frequently and they don’t seem tied together, other than that each features members of the Grigori and the Twelve. The underlying story about the Grigori and the Book of Enoch is interesting and I’d like to learn more. I don’t know much about the apocrypha (I just learned that the Book of Enoch is canonical in both the Ethiopian and Eritrean Orthodox Churches). I recommend this film to fans of C. Thomas Howell and Corbin Bernsen.
October Horror Films 2011 | Day 27 | The Funhouse (dir. Tobe Hooper; Mace Neufeld Productions/Universal Pictures 1981)
Brief review:The Funhouse is about a group of teenagers (one of them might be older, I’m not sure) who go on a double-date to a carnival. They decide to spend the night in the carnival’s funhouse. After the carnival is closed, they witness a murder. The rest of the film is about them trying to escape the funhouse.
This film was decent. There are some creepy scenes. The funhouse’s animatronics (which are featured during the opening credits, as well as at times throughout the film) are especially creepy. The Funhouse kind of reminded me of Dark Ride, which we watched last year. I recommend it to fans of Tobe Hooper and carnivals.
October Horror Films 2011 | Day 26 | ゴス(Goth) (dir. Michael Hurst; JollyRoger/Kadokawa Picture Gold/Tornado Film 2008)
Brief review:Goth is a Japanese horror film (please correct me if I have its Japanese title incorrect in the title of this post) that is based on a novel which was also turned into a manga. It is about a high school boy (Boku) and girl (Morino) who are obsessed with death. This interest seems to be all they have in common. There is a serial killer in their city who preys on young women, and the teenagers try to see the victims, preferably before the police arrive. They study the crimes and the victims, trying to understand the murderer’s motives. There is also a subplot about Morino’s sister who died during a “game of suicide” that the two girls played when they were younger.
This was an interesting film, but I don’t think I really got it. There are some creepy scenes and the end is somewhat disturbing. I recommend Goth to fans of Japanese films (especially Japanese horror).
October Horror Films 2011 | Day 24 | The Ward(dir. John Carpenter; FilmNation Entertainment/Premiere Picture/Echo Lake Entertainment/A Bigger Boat/Modern VideoFilm/North by Northwest Entertainment 2010)
Brief review: On Monday, we watched John Carpenter’s latest film, The Ward. This film begins with a teenage girl named Kristen (Amber Heard) running. She stops at a farmhouse, which she burns down. The police catch up to her while the house is in flames and they take her to a psychiatric hospital, where she shares a ward with four other girls that are all about the same age. The girls all see a ghost in their ward, and they start disappearing.
I enjoyed this film. It kept me guessing and wondering whether Kristen was actually crazy or not. I didn’t see the end coming, either. I recommend The Ward to fans of John Carpenter, Amber Heard, and psychological horror.
October Horror Films 2011 | Day 23 | Sharktopus(dir. Declan O’Brien; Star Entertainment 2010)
Brief review: Sunday’s film was Sharktopus, which was made for SyFy and produced by Roger Corman. It’s about a shark/octopus hybrid that has been genetically engineered for the Navy by a shady corporation (which is headed by Dr. Sands, played by Eric Roberts). It escapes control and goes on a killing spree, first in California and then in Puerto Vallarta.
This movie was basically what I expected, which is a CGI shark/octopus killing people in various ways (including eating a bungee jumper). I recommend it to fans of low budget movies, sea monster movies, Roger Corman, and Eric Roberts.
October Horror Films 2011 | Day 22 #2 | Hellraiser: Revelations(dir. Victor Garcia; Puzzlebox Films 2011)
Brief review:We watched Paranormal Activity 3 on Saturday afternoon, so we had time that evening for the latest Hellraiser film. It follows two teenage boys who find the Lament Configuration on a trip to Mexico. This being the Hellraiser universe, they solve the puzzle and Pinhead and the Cenobites appear.
Cut to a dinner party a year later (during which time both boys have been missing). The boys’ families have gathered, but they don’t discuss their missing children (even though one of the fathers is a psychiatrist, the families seem pretty maladjusted). One of the boys suddenly reappears, covered in blood, having escaped the Cenobites. The story is all right, but I didn’t like how all of the characters ended up.
The story of the making of this film is interesting. It is the first Hellraiser film since part 4 (1996’s Bloodline) that was actually written as a sequel to the original, rather than written as a standalone story into which Pinhead was written by the studio. As such, some aspects of the story fit better with the first two films than some of the sequels (parts 5-8 are pretty psychological, whereas the first two are very much about the physical). A fair amount of dialog is repeated from the first film and/or from Clive Barker’s The Hellbound Heart, the novella on which it was based. Revelations is also the first film in the series that does not feature Doug Bradley as Pinhead. Dimension Films made this movie quickly on a very small budget to avoid losing the rights to the Hellraiser franchise. Some advertisements for the film claimed a connection to Clive Barker, with which he tookissue.
Overall, this film was okay. It was gory and, as I mentioned, some parts of it seem to fit thematically with the first two films. I recommend this to Hellraiser completists and fans of low budget horror. If you’re a fan of Hellraiser, I also recommend the current comicbook series, written by Mr. Barker. (Full disclosure: I’m a big Barker fan. The Hellbound Heart is one of my favorite books and Hellraiser is one of my favorite movies.)
October Horror Films 2011 | Day 22 #1 | Paranormal Activity 3(dir. Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman; Blumhouse Productions/Paramount Pictures 2011)
Brief review:Paranormal Activity 3 is another prequel to 2009’s Paranormal Activity. This one is set in 1988 and was supposedly shot on VHS (the picture and sound quality is probably too good for that to be believable, though). It’s a found footage horror film, like the others in the series, and focuses on strange events from the childhood of the main characters from the first two films in the series, Kristi and Katie. Like most prequels, viewers probably know the gist of what’s going to happen going in.
Overall, Paranormal Activity 3 was good. There were a lot of “jump scares,” and there were a few genuinely creepy moments. I liked some of the touches that made it feel like the 1980s: the hair, the wardrobe, and the large cordless phone. The film left me with some questions, though, such as why were the VHS tapes made by Dennis (Katie and Kristi’s mother’s boyfriend) kept in the first place, given the ending of the film and what had been recorded on them. Incidentally, there isn’t a camera in the film placed at the angle in the first poster I’ve included here. Also, several scenes from the trailer aren’t actually in the film. I recommend Paranormal Activity 3 to fans of the series and the found footage sub-genre of horror.
