Bring The Hammer, Daddy.

Following on from Phantasm (man, for some reason every time I go to type Phantasm I type Suspira!) I'm continuing Halloween Horror with something completely different. This time it's a modern gore-fest from Australia called...

Yaaaay it's The Loved Ones! Isn't this poster ace? It reminds me of old Point Horror books about the kid you're dating being a psycho killer and it all going off down t'prom. This poster says its a mixture of Pretty in Pink and Wolf Creek, which I can only assume they chose because Lola wears a pink dress and it was filmed in Australia. It's nothing like those films!

The film stars insanely good-looking Xavier Samuel (who is a mixture of Johnny Depp and Shiloh Fernandez) playing Brent as a depressed, fucked up kid with a tragic past who somehow manages to end up the victim of terrifying Lola and her Daddy (amazingly acted by Robin McLeavy and John Brumpton) when he rejects her invitation to go to prom. What follows is a 84 minutes of gruesome, scary and yet cruelly funny endurance test for both Brent and the audience. I'm hesitant to label this film as "torture porn" like Hostel et all, and if I would liken it to anything it would be the insane British horror Mum & Dad, which although might be one of the most hard-going films I've ever watched, still manages to inject some humour into the equation with Perry Benson as the family's mad ringleader.

The Loved Ones definitely benefits from its actors. Everyone in this film is on point and none more so than McLeavy and her daddy, whos co-dependent existence drives the film along with horror and fascination. McLeavy is a newcomer but shots of her running across the Australian outback in her bloody prom dress are sure to make their mark on horror history. Its a role she clearly threw herself into head first, relishing and hamming up Lola's existence. Since watching Carrie, what girl hasn't wanted to play the scorned prom queen at some point in their life? And you know what? Its enjoyable to watch her getting her way, no matter how much you want her to get her head blown off, some part of you really wants her to win.

The gore in this film is inventive to say the least. Poor old Brent doesn't catch much of a break in the whole film and its a miracle he's even alive by the end. How much pain can one boy endure before he's driven mad? But its not all doom and gloom. The tension is relieved with cut-aways to Brent's best friend's disasterous (in the normal teenager sense) prom date with the local hot goth girl, which doesn't seem to serve much purpose other than to take your mind off of Brent's suffering, even if it is only for a couple of minutes.

What makes The Loved Ones so entertaining is that it definitely doesn't take itself too seriously. It knows it's a silly concept and everything is littered with glitter and sparkles and endless quotable lines. Definitely check this out if you get the chance. I saw it a couple of months ago on FilmFour's Frightfest season so they might even show it again soon. Keep an eye out!

Halloween Month!

Oh gosh, hello! It's been a while, hasn't it? I haven't even been busy, I wont lie to you. I'm just lazy and sort of lost my way with this blogging business (aka Tumblr happened), so I've had a bit of a clear out and hopefully I can focus this place into something awesome that I can check and think "I have accomplished something today". One thing I really enjoyed doing last year around this time was telling you all about my favourite horror films in the run up to Halloween and I really wanted to do it again! I've got some modern horror and some old horror lined up so hopefully some of you have stuck around to read my waffle. I'm starting off with an oldie but probably one of the creepiest films of all time...

It's friggin PHANTASM!! I first saw Phantasm maybe seven years ago really late at night on BBC2. I only caught the sphere scene so I was pretty lucky since that sphere only shows up a couple of times, but I never forgot it. A few of you might know that I'm sort of magnetically attracted to anything shiny and silver and it just so happens that the Phantasm boxset is mighty shiny and silver, so with my interest piqued I totally did the nasty on this film and watched it online!! I'M SORRY, PHANTASM BUT I'M TOTALLY POOR.

Let me tell you one thing first, DO NOT WATCH THIS FILM ONLINE. I cannot stress that enough. Even through the grainy picture quality I could tell this film deserved more (and believe me I'm not one of those insufferable people who goes on and on about HD because I don't really care). This film came out in the 70s but it just feels so different. It has clean lines and a medicinal feel that should be viewed comfortably on a nice telly (or omg maybe a cinema one day).

Perhaps I wouldn't even say this is a straight up horror film. It's definitely got a sci-fi look and deals with sci-fi themes but there's plenty of bizarro gore mixed in to keep things interesting. Besides, it's got such an amazing baddie in it that is SO SCARY. You know Slenderman from MarbleHornets? The Tall Man MUST be his inspiration. He spends the whole film in a suit in a morgue surrounded by dead bodies. There's no backstory to him, he just is. Oh, and he happens to be totally indestructible and has an army of blood thirsty creatures to boot.

The film focuses on two brothers as they are plunged into The Tall Man's world. With the help of their faithful er.. ice cream man friend, they must ride than ice cream truck to its limit to defeat evil! I can't really say anymore about the plot without spoiling anything, but trust me it's brilliant and just silly enough to watch alone in the dark. Besides, the soundtrack is brilliant too. It's mega. In fact, listen below and make up your own mind!

Deadgirl: A Review

Following on from yesterday's horror review, here's something completely different! This is a little film from 2008 called Deadgirl. I picked up Deadgirl in a record shop for £2, where I was swayed by the DVD box boasting of the producers of Heathers (one of my favourite films of all time) being involved! I'll be honest, for £2 I wasn't expecting much and what I got was a rather disturbing but beautifully filmed film, with more in common with the airy feel of The Virgin Suicides than any usual high school horror film.

The premise is generic to start out with. Two highschool guys with family problems and little to no popularity decide to ditch school and get fucked up in an abandoned mental hospital. Think you can tell what's coming? Forget it. Though this film starts like teen slasher, the beginning is really all they have in common. Things do take a turn for the worse inside the hospital, but in a completely different way. In fact, the thing that is meant to kill them is restrained. It cannot hurt them, and there lies the focus of the film. The whole film is about morals, battling with your emotions, witnessing a crime and doing nothing about it. What would you do in that situation? When is a good time to confess when things start escalating in a deadly way?

The lead guy in this, Shiloh Fernandez, was on the short list to play Edward Cullen in Twilight. You can tell why. He's intriguing to look at, he's broody but he could never be a teen heartthrob. Whereas Robert Pattinson is safe, there's a danger behind Fernandez's eyes. It seeps through into the film, doubting your trust in him even though he's the main character. The rest of the cast are fantastic as well, with good performances making everyone seem believable. The Deadgirl especially, is really freaky!

What I like about this film is no one is a wholly good or bad character. I guess the point they were trying to make is that everyone has a little bad in them, everyone has a price you could pay them to sin. It's pretty deep stuff, and I think this film could have become a massive cult hit. I think what's stopping it reaching that status is the ending, which is unclear and ambiguous, with not enough resolution. Sometimes it feels a little silly, and sometimes it feels like its taking itself too seriously. All in all it's an enjoyable two hours, and for £2 it's a bargain! It is gory, and disturbing, but if you think you can handle it, I totally recommend this! I got my copy from Rise but it's also available from all the usual places!

The Stepfather: A Review

To start off my daily horror film review, I've chosen one of my favourite horror films, The Stepfather. Though it was remade last year, the one I'm talking about is the 1987 original, starring Terry O'Quinn aka JOHN LOCKE FROM LOST! The trailer is pretty uninspiring but definitely elludes to the slow-burning story and of course, Terry O'Quinn's fantastic acting.
The basic premise of this film is that a man is able to prey on vulnerable single mothers, easing himself into the role of a stepfather in the hopes of recreating the "perfect family". Of course, nothing can ever live up to his expectations, leading to the unpleasant demise for all the families he is a part of, as he finally snaps and moves on to greener pastures. The film focuses on one particular family and the stepfather's decent into madness. Will the family escape him with their lives? You'll have to watch and find out!

This film boasts one of the most chilling opening sequences I have ever seen on screen. Unlike most horror films where you see a murder happen within the first five minutes, to draw you in and give you that initial rush, this film does so in a much scarier way. To watch someone literally go through the motions of washing, and shaving and packing with his chilling calmness gets me every time. I managed to find the opening on Youtube, you can watch it safe that there are no spoilers, it's literally the opening of the film:
See what I mean?! The way he picks up the toys like his kid has just left them there before he went off to school, the whistling as he goes down the street, it's just INSANELY GOOD. Now you have to watch this son of a bitch for two hours wondering when he's going to strike next!

The film also has a great supporting cast, everyone is believable in their roles and the daughter is charming, though part of a questionable shower scene considering how old she is meant to be. Even with the remake, this film stands the test of time. Who out there hasn't ever wondering if their stepfather was a seriel killer? This film really is a forgotten gem. I see a lot of American Psycho in it, with a seemingly normal guy, who has it all, having these terrible urges.

I also like to view this film as a commentary on middle class suburban (particularly American) life. Everyone wants to be perfect with kids who behave and do well in school and you all sit around having block parties, but in the end you're all hiding your flaws, everyone has secrets! And that's just one of the things you're left to think about when the credits roll!

I watched this film for free with my LoveFilm subscription, I'm sure it's still up there. It's also available to buy on DVD, everywhere I imagine after the remake came out. The film also spawned a pretty good sequel 'The Stepfather II', though I would give 'The Stepfather III' a miss (probably because it lacks Terry O'Quinn)!

A History of Horror with Mark Gatiss

Second only to Christmas, Halloween is my favourite time of year for great telly viewing. For all of October you can expect spooky films and film marathons to keep you occupied whilst you ignore trick-or-treaters and sexy cat costumes. I always look forward to the yearly viewing of The Exorcist or Friday the 13th and this year hasn't been much different! If I recall, FilmFour was my favourite Halloween channel last year, but this year BBCFour have outdone themselves with not only showing some great films (it was the original Dawn of the Dead last night) but also showing this great three part series called 'A History of Horror with Mark Gatiss'. The premise is to inform and delight either vetrons or newcomers to the horror genre, leading you on a journey from the silent beginnings of horror, through Hammer House and up to the birth of the American slasher film.

I would definitely recommend this program, as they're on BBC iPlayer at the moment (and bound to be repeated) if you have an interest in horror films, it's got some great little interviews and behind the scenes of famous films such as The Omen and Halloween. One thing that makes it a joy to watch is Mark Gatiss's enthusiasm. From when he was a child, he explains, he's always had a love of horror. It shows, whether by the smile on his face as he interviews Tobe Hooper (director of Texas Chainsaw Massacre) or revisiting set pieces (from the original Frankenstien films)

My only problem with the show would be the final episode, in which Mark mentions off handedly that there haven't been any significant moves in the horror genre since the birth of the American slasher. It was disappointing that he didn't touch on 'monster' films like Godzilla, King Kong or Jaws. No mention of horror comedy like Scream or Shaun of the Dead, nothing to do with the new craze of 'gore porn' like Hostel or Saw and not even a whisper about hand-held camera films like Cloverfield or Blair Witch Project. Only briefly was Asian horror touched on, with just a tiny mention to The Ring. But as he said, this was a series created for himself. But perhaps he should have called it 'The Origins of Horror' instead?

Still, my list of films to watch now is miles long, starting at Hammer House of Horror. I'm a big fan of Christopher Lee, and you should be too! Watch the series here and try not to have nightmares!!

For the rest of this week I'm going to reviewing my favourite horror films, right up til Halloween. Keep checking back, maybe you've never heard of some of them before!