The Horror Library - The Best in Horror Fiction

Mini Movie Reviews
By R.J. Cavender

Mini Movie Reviews
by R.J. Cavender

JULY 2006

RATINGS

- PUTRID TRASH

- THAT WHICH DOESN'T KILL YOU...

- EH. NOT TOO BAD. PASSABLE.

- VERY GOOD, IF NOT GREAT.

- INCREDIBLE, POSSIBLY A CLASSIC!

Spooked: The Ghosts of Waverly Hills Sanatorium (2006)
Now, I don't want to give anything away, but...this documentary that aired on The Sci-Fi Channel was one horrifying true-life tale. The show focused in on a group of film makers who went to the location to film a horror movie, and found themselves interested in the history of the site and interacting with the spirits contained there. A very intriguing documentary about a very haunting place. For a good companion piece, hunt down the copy of "Ghost Hunters" where they explore the Waverly. I watched them back-to-back on the network, and I found it to be a fascinating night of historical chills. Any place where over 60, 000 people died of tuberculosis has absolutely got to be haunted. If the Waverly isn't a haunted building, I don't know where is.

The Hills Have Eyes (2006)
Now, I don't want to give anything away, but...I have to admit something before I go on with this review. I've NEVER seen the original 1977 Wes Craven Classic. So, I don't have that to compare to, and I'm sure I just lost some 'horror credibility points' already. I do have the original on it's way from Netflix, so I'm sure I'll have that up for next time. But, all that said...this 2006 update totally blew my mind. Maybe seeing this redux left me without any expectations, but as a stand-alone entity I'm going to say this is one of my favorite horror films of the last five years. Hell, it even makes it onto my Top 20 horror films of all time. It had it all, and lots I didn't expect to see as well. This film made me uncomfortable at times, and because of it's over-the-top intensity...I really found myself rooting for these people to make it out of their predicament. This film had me totally riveted. I didn't stop the DVD once, and I went straight into the 'making of' featurettes. Awesome movie, lots of extras on the DVD. Great package, all together!

Night Watch (Nochnoi Dozor) (2005)

Now, I don't want to give anything away, but...this first installment of a trilogy of films based on novels by Russian writer Sergei Lukanenko, is a complete and total mind-bender. The special effects alone are worth the price of admission, but underneath all the flash there is a truly brilliant story unfolding. A story the meanders just a little, but a great story of good and evil and the struggle for each to gain ultimate control. This is one of those films that really crosses some genre borders, being both horror and fantasy and a little sci-fi...but if you don't mind truly suspending belief for an a few hours, this movie is definite 'must watch'. And for those of you who don't like subtitles, the dubbed version is quite bearable. I watched it the first time with subtitles, then again dubbed so I could catch more of the visual aspect and things I hadn't noticed the first time around. A very clever film. The second installment of films, "Day Watch" is said to be in release on DVD in Europe, but that's only what I hear online...nothing solid on that.

Masters of Horror: Incident On and Off a Mountain Road (2005)
Now, I don't want to give anything away, but...FINALLY in this series...we have a WINNER. Based on a Joe Landsdale short story and directed by Don Coscarelli (Phantasm), "Incident" follows the actions of a young lady stranded in the mountains, and the lengths to which she'll go to survive when pursued by a killer. It was fast-paced, thrilling, and an overall gripping installment of what (so far) has been a slightly disappointing series. But, with "Incident" I feel this instalment has finally lived up to the title of "Masters of Horror" and have faith that the series has finally seen how good an episode can really be. I'm hopeful for the next ones to be released now.

Three ... Extremes II (2002)
Now, I don't want to give anything away, but...I'm going to say something kind of off track here. My recommendation, and that of many who have watched the film...are to skip the first two stories and move to last of the three entitled "Going Home". I watched all three, and for sure...this third story is worth renting the DVD alone. Not quite as good as the first installment, but this is said to be a project that was actually done before the first "Extremes" and simply re-titled for non-Asian markets. Not as "Extreme" or as well selected as the first installment, but surely worth a look if you liked the original.

Oldboy (Oldeuboi) (2003)

Now, I don't want to give anything away, but...if you want a revenge/action flick that had a razor sharp edge, and a few nasty little secrets..."Oldboy" is your film. This one is just shocking, in a lot of different ways. Don't try to out-think this film, it's already way ahead of you. Won't say anything more about it than that. "Oldboy" has a lot of secrets, and secrets sometimes have a way of catching up with you. A one-of-a-kind film, for sure.

When a Stranger Calls (1979)
Now, I don't want to give anything away, but...I've always been a Carol Kane fan. I'm not going to hide that. But, that said, I think this film has a lot of stylistic tension and dread that you just don't see in a lot of horror. The 2006 update is put to shame by this one. See the review below. But, this film just has a aura and intimacy about it that can't be recaptured, or at least wasn't by the update. The second revisiting of a popular urban legend, but clearly the place most people heard and saw it first...unless they watched 1974's "Black Christmas" prior to this film.

Pulse (Kairo) (2001)
Now, I don't want to give anything away, but...this film wasn't quite what I expected. Quite a few of the reviews I skimmed over at Netflix were 4 and 5 Stars, where I found this film very slow and rather anticlimactic. I will say there is a lot to be said for the atmosphere and overall vibe to this film, but past that the story doesn't really strike me the way that I thought it was going to. An interesting film, if you have the patience, but I expected a bit more of a bang for where the story was going.

The Skeleton Key (2005)
Now, I don't want to give anything away, but...I'm not really sure how I feel about this film. On one hand, it has a somewhat interesting premise, but on the other hand...I felt like this film was sort of talking down to the viewers intelligence. Played more like a "Tales from the Crypt" than a feature-length film. Atmospheric and visually interesting, but not something that I felt lived up to it's potential.

Room 6 (2006)

Now, I don't want to give anything away, but...this film could have been so much better. I really was hoping for something great, as I like the actor Jerry O'Connell, one of the main leads. I really like Christine Taylor, the female lead. Something about this movie just didn't mesh with me. I think maybe this film just suffered from a budget one size too small. Sometimes I felt like I was watching a very polished professional production and other times I felt like I was watching a Made-For-TV thriller. It absolutely had some moments, and overall...it wasn't that bad. But, the potential I saw for this film in it's first 30 minutes just was not followed up for the remainder of the picture.

When a Stranger Calls (2006)
Now, I don't want to give anything away, but...this is a horror film, without any horror. Why do a remake, if you're not going to do it right? Or, for that matter, if your going to take the original 30 minutes of a film and stretch it out to full-length. Please, tell me your not going to have a sequel of this one with the huge surprise ending that was revealed at the end of the 1979 original. Could have easily stuck with the first script and had a chilling movie, but Hollywood has a way of envisioning things that oft times mean more dollar signs than pleasing the true horror fans. A real disappointment and a lost opportunity.

Last House on Dead End Street (1972)
Now, I don't want to give anything away, but...sometimes that old word-of-moth hype that circulates concerning old cult movies, just doesn't live up to expectations. From what I've read, there were once rumors that this film was a snuff film of some sort...while mildly disturbing in parts, I can thankfully assure you, no one died in the making of this film. To even consider that is laughable, as the make-up effects are honestly quite bad. The film hits some of same nasty notes as "Last House of the Left" but without any of the build-up or payoff. Obviously, just an exploitative romp that was meant to get people talking. It might have worked back then, but now it's not much above tired trash. Watchable, but nothing much more. For completest exploitation film fans only, I'd say.

Masters of Horror: Chocolate (2005)
Now, I don't want to give anything away, but...this installment just fell flat for me. Sure, it was bearable...but neither the story nor the execution would I consider worthy of a "Masters of Horror" title. A convincing performance by Henry Thomas was not enough to save this one, sadly enough. It just wasn't scary. Didn't do much for me at all.