I know it's a lot of people's spring break time so, I brought you five films in this week's Bloody Streams, spanning the current and last three decades! The kids won't become Deviants watching only Nickelodeon. Sit back, relax and let the blood flow.
We Are What We Are (2013)
I loved this movie. I honestly didn't want it to end. I loved the mood, the pacing, the gore, the performances, and the cinematography. I was really blown away because I was such a huge fan of the original and I wasn't sure that this could even come close to the film that was. It’s different though, in my opinion. It has a much different feel to it. It’s the only way that a remake really works for me – if it can stand on its own. Movies like the Psycho remake (which is just a shot-for-shot rehash of the original) are just cheating. They're Andy Warhol silk-screening works of other artists. They have no pulse and, for that reason, no validation. The daughters here really drive the film. After their mother dies, it’s now their responsibility to provide their family with the multi-generational sustenance that they believe god wants them to take communion of: human flesh. But, the girls know the mother was sick and the father is becoming increasingly ill and they believe that this custom is to blame. Also, they just don't like fucking killing people. Is that so wrong? As a sheriff with a missing daughter becomes closer to finding out where she is, the home life for this family becomes more unstable; culminating in a crazy finale that really pleases my horror geekdom. I know the purists will say the original is still better and it very well may be, but this one still has the teeth that deserve the respect of any good horror fan and deviant.
Stake Land (2010)
I’m at a loss for words. I’d heard that this film was great, but just had never forced myself to give it the time of day. Then I watched We Are What We Are, also directed by the man at the helm of Stake Land, Jim Mickle, and because I loved that movie so much – I finally took the plunge. Often times when writing my brief synopsis for my Bloody Streams recommendations, I’ll wait until I’m done with it and see what Film Deviant’s own bryan had to say about the film. However, I already knew he loved it so; I went ahead and read his review before I began writing this. I kinda screwed myself because his review of the film was perfect. I couldn't and wouldn't have said it better myself. So, I'll just say this is almost the perfect vampire film and it is a perfect horror film. Please Read bryan’s review here and do yourself a favor and watch this film.
30 Days of Night (2007)
**Warning: If you watch this via the link below, be sure to click Settings and check Annotations: OFF or you’ll be inundated with annoying text boxes the entire time. End of Warning**
I know a lot of people that don't care for this movie, but it’s got many great horror aspects and casting choices that I think really make it a great flick. Based on an amazing comic book, a small Alaskan town that is about to experience a month full of darkness is also about to be flocked with crazy blood-suckers. Why haven’t vampires thought of this before? No sunlight, a community shut off from the rest of the world; it’s like “shooting ducks in a pond”. Of course, it wouldn't be a movie if the local Sheriff let his town get picked off that easily. Because of the setting, the film obviously has elements of classics like The Thing and newer films like Whiteout. And, because of the constant feeling of claustrophobia, it also has elements of a number of Stephen King miniseries like Storm of the Century and feature films like The Mist. There’s less gritty tension here, though, as much as there is just plain gruesome blood. And there’s lots of it. The film features some mediocre acting from the always bland Josh Hartnett, a recent genre favorite Melissa George and the always amazing Ben Foster in a short, but memorable role. Don't watch this for the cinematic quality; watch it for the fun, for the blood and, if you like barren, snow-covered and dimly-lit towns (which I do), for the scenery.
The Blair Witch Project (1999)
The Year is 1999. We had Fight Club, The Matrix, the steaming pile of shit that was Star Wars: Episode I, South Park, American Pie, American Beauty and Austin Powers. Not a lot decent was happening in the Horror genre though. Bats, End of Days, Stigmata, and Idle Hands were, for the most part, wastes of time. There were a few decent flicks, like Stir of Echoes, Audition and The Sixth Sense, which had fairly big budgets and well-known stars…and then came the little engine that could: The Blair Witch Project. A movie made for 20-30,000 bucks, the quality was grainy and extremely unstable, all of the actors were unknown and it was being sold as actual “Found Footage”. We're used to the term these days, 15 years later, but at that time it was a fairly new concept. And, boy, did it work effectively. The film’s basic premise, as I've discussed its rehashing before, is that the three filmmakers are going out to search for a local legend known as the Blair witch. They document the preparation, the days, the nights, the fights and the ever-growing strange occurrences. The film was pretty frightening upon first viewing. The grainy quality helped to add a layer of terror to the night shots and tension for the day time falling-out among the group. The nation didn't know what to think. Was this real? Where are these people now? Etc. Even 15 years later the film still works in the right setting. The lights need to be off, talking kept to a minimum and your disbelief suspended. Horror at its base level, always works. P.S. I won't even go into the sequel that it spawned.
Demons 2 (1986)
And, finally, I have a bonus for you: bask in the awesomeness of the 80’s and awful dubbing that is Demons 2!!! This time, the demons move from the movie theater to a ten story apartment complex. Of course, it’s not as good as the original “gore-fest”, but it’s still a damn good time.
Matt, Signing Out
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