Tag Archives: Horror

International Horror Film Review: From the Dark (dir by Conor McMahon)

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

It’s an Irish horror film!

As a reviewer, I think it’s important for me to be open about my biases.  Especially in October, I think it’s important for you to know that I love horror movies in general and that I especially tend to like low-budget horror films.  You should also know that I tend to value positivity over negativity and, as a result, I’m always going to spend more time on what I like about a movie than on what I don’t like.  I have no interest in joining in with the parade of bitterness that’s consumed so many otherwise intelligent people.

You should also know that I take a lot of pride in my Irish heritage.  Whenever I get stressed out here in America, I remember visiting Argdlass two years ago.  It calms me down.  It makes me happy.  I hope to be able to visit again soon.  As a result, I’m naturally biased towards Irish films.  That’s particularly true now, when I find myself often thinking about what life was like before the start of this year.

Needless to say, with those biases in mind, I was probably the ideal audience from From The Dark.

From The Dark open with a man named Mark (Stephen Cromwell) and a woman named Sarah (Niamh Algar) in a car.  As I watched them drive across Ireland, I shouted, “I’ve done that!”  When Mark and Sarah got lost while trying to navigate the Irish roads, I said, “I’ve done that.”  When the car ends up getting stuck in mud, I said, “Yep, I’ve done that.”  Finally, when Mark and Sarah approached a scary-looking farmhouse in the middle of the night while looking for help, I said, “Oh, Hell no!”

Once you’ve seen enough horror movies, you know that it’s always a mistake to approach a farmhouse in the middle of the night.  Farmhouses are always full of either zombies or inbred rednecks or blood farmers.  Stay away from the farmhouses!  That’s what Sarah and Mark should have done because they soon find themselves being chased and attacked by a monster who seems to thrive on the darkness of the night….

Albeit uneven, From The Dark has its moments.  The low-budget is obvious in almost every shot but the film makes good use of that farmhouse location and, even more importantly, it keeps us guessing about the monster that’s living there.  Wisely, the film keeps the monster off-camera for as much as possible, leaving both the audience and Mark and Sarah to wonder where in the darkness it could be hiding.  I’ve always felt that horror is more effective on a low-budget than a big budget and From The Dark shows why.  The more expensive a monster is, the more obligated the filmmaker is going to be to show it off.  Low-budget monsters, though, are usually kept off-camera for the majority of the film and therefore, they’re much more intimidating.  There’s nothing scarier than what the human imagination can come up with and nothing sparks one’s imagination quicker than trying to figure out what might be hiding in the dark.

From the Dark does have some pacing issues.  As much as I enjoyed the footage of the Irish countryside, the scenes of Sarah and Mark driving dragged a bit.  As well, Sarah and Mark aren’t always the most sympathetic of protagonists.  Usually, I don’t mind it when characters in horror films do stupid things because, quite frankly, we all do stupid things.  But when there’s only two humans in the entire film, it’s a lot easier to dwell on the dumb things that they did that led to them getting in their dire situation in the first place.

Taking all of that into consideration, From the Dark may be imperfect but, when it works, it’s effectively creepy.  Plus, it’s Irish!

4 Shots From 4 Jack Arnold Films: It Came From Outer Space, Creature From The Black Lagoon, Tarantula, The Incredible Shrinking Man

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

4 Shots From 4 Films is just what it says it is, 4 shots from 4 of our favorite films. As opposed to the reviews and recaps that we usually post, 4 Shots From 4 Films lets the visuals do the talking!

This October, we’re using this feature to recognize and honor some of our favorite horror directors!  Today, we honor the one and only Jack Arnold!

4 Shots From 4 Jack Arnold Films

It Came From Outer Space (1953, dir by Jack Arnold)

Creature From The Black Lagoon (1954, dir by Jack Arnold)

Tarantula (1955, dir by Jack Arnold)

The Incredible Shrinking Man (1957, dir by Jack Arnold)

Horror Film Review: Everfall (dir by John Kissack)

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

The 2018 horror film, Everfall, tells the story of Eva and Daniel.

Eva Saint (Jessica McLeod) is a figure skater who, at one time, had a bright future.

Daniel (Joe Perry) is the world’s worst boyfriend.

Daniel is also the reason why Eva’s skating career get derailed.  Daniel hosts his own “extreme sports YouTube channel,” which he calls “The Daniel Show.”  Daniel is the type who tends to say things like, “This is going to be a totally new direction for the Daniel Show!”  One of Daniel’s new directions was to convince his girlfriend to stand on a ledge.  Unfortunately, while Daniel was showing off for the camera, Eva fell off that ledge and broke her leg.

A year later, Eva’s leg is scarred but healed.  She wants to get back into the world of competitive figure skating but she’s struggling.  She’s no longer as confident in herself as she once was.  None of her old partners want to work with her anymore.  Even worse, she’s still going out with Daniel.  I’m not sure why.  If I was dating a guy who was responsible for me falling off a roof, I’d probably break up with him as soon as I regained consciousness.

Eva’s coach gives her one last option.  She can go to an obscure little town called Everfall, where they have an annual skating competition.  Eva’s never heard of it before but she knows that she has to do something so she agrees.  And again, for some reason, she takes Daniel and Daniel’s cameraman, Jordan (Kristian Wang), with her.

The competition at Everfall turns out to be even worse than Eva was expecting.  First off, the ice skating rink appears to be on the verge of collapse.  Secondly, there don’t seem to be another other skaters around.  The mysterious Mrs. Redgrave (Catherine Gell) sends Eva to Dressing Room #5.  Dressing Room #5 turns out to be a not very pleasant place to be….

Everfall is an effectively creepy film, one that makes good use of its eerie location and which features an excellent performance from Jessica McLeod.  Everfall is also a film that never really makes much sense but, in this case, that’s acceptable.  When you’re dealing with a skating rink that may or may not be haunted by several ghosts, you can get away with a little incoherence.  The film is full of surreal moments and disturbing imagery.  Characters appear to die and then, just as quickly, they show back up again.  It’s a film that was obviously influenced by Kubrick’s The Shining — particularly the final few scenes — but it also manages to carve out its own rather odd identity.

While Eva, Daniel, and Jordan are wandering around the skating rink from Hell, there’s also wildfire raging around the town of Everfall.  Amazingly enough, Eva’s father is a fireman but he refuses to acknowledge that Eva’s in any sort of danger.  Eva’s parents are played by Jayson Therrien and Julie Orton.  They bicker through the entire film and, to be honest, I could have done without the majority of their scenes.  The scenes between Therrien and Orton wreck havoc on the film’s narrative momentum.  Whenever you’re really starting to get into whatever’s happening to Daniel, Eva, and Jordan, Eva’s parents pop up and start arguing with each other.  The main theme of these scenes is that Eva’s dad isn’t willing to rescue her from a fire despite the fact that he is a fireman and that’s literally his job.  You really can’t help but feel sorry for Eva.  She never had a chance.

Everfall has its flaws.  This is one of those films where the camera is always moving, even when it should be sitting still.  That said, there’s enough strange details and out-there plot twists to make it an effective head trip and it ends on a nicely surreal note.  That’s always a good thing.

Horror on the Lens: An Evening With Edgar Allan Poe (dir by Kenneth Johnson)

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

What better way to get ready for Halloween than spending a little time with Vincent Price?

In this 1970 film, Price recites four of Poe’s works in front of a live studio audience.  Price performs as only Price could, proving once again that he was not only an iconic figure in the history of horror but an iconic actor as well.

Enjoy!

Music Video of the Day: The Shining Main Titles, covered by Kevin Bias (2016, dir by Kevin Bias)

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

For today’s music video of the day, we have a cover (by Kevin Bias) of the main title theme from Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining.  As I’ve often said on this site, The Shining is one of my favorite horror movies and I think it has one of the best scores to be found in a non-Italian horror film.

This is taken from Bias’s own description of the video on YouTube:

Written by Wendy Carlos & Rachel Elkind
Cover of the original from the opening credits of Stanley Kubrick’s 1980 film ‘The Shining’.
Equipment: Alesis Ion, Ensoniq Sq2, OP-X PRO II emulation software

I pre-recorded my own sound effects and ambience which are not reflected in the visuals in the video. All of the visual takes seen in the video are the takes heard in the audio and mixed using Sonar X2.

If you like this cover, be sure to check out Kevin Bias’s YouTube channel and subscribe!

Horror on TV: Baywatch Nights 2.1 “Terror of the Deep” (dir by Gregory J. Bonnan)

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

During the month of October, we like to share classic episodes of horror-themed television.  That was easier to do when we first started doing our annual October horrorthon here at the Shattered Lens because every single episode of the original, black-and-white Twilight Zone was available on YouTube.  Sadly, that’s no longer the case.

However, there is some good news!  Twilight Zone may be gone but every episode of Baywatch Nights is currently available on YouTube!

Baywatch Nights was a show that ran for two seasons in the 90s.  It featured David Hasselhoff as a guy who was a lifeguard during the day and a private detective at night.  The first season featured Hasselhoff solving crimes and hardly anyone watched.  The 2nd season featured Hasselhoff fighting monsters and other supernatural forces.  Again, no one watched but the 2nd season was still a lot more fun.

Now, I’ve shared random episodes of this show in the past but, for this year’s Horrorthon, I’m going to share every episode from the 2nd season of Baywatch Nights.  It’s not easy keeping those beaches safe!

For tonight’s episode, we have the first episode from season 2.  In this episode, Hasselhoff and company investigate a boat that may have been sunk by a sea monster.  Assuming that you’ve spent the first 40 or so years of your life believing that there’s no such thing as sea monsters, how would you react upon discovering that they actually did exist?  I think it would drive most people crazy.  That’s my theory.  Hasselhoff and company, however, handle things pretty well.

Anyway, here’s the episode, which originally aired on September 26th, 1996!  Enjoy!

The TSL’s Horror Grindhouse: Blood Rage (dir by John Grissmer)

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Filmed in 1983 but not released until 1987, Blood Rage tells the heart-warming story of two twin brothers, Todd and Terry Simmons (both played by Mark Soper).

In 1974, young Todd and Terry go to a drive-in movie with their mother, Maddy (Louise Lasser) and Maddy’s boyfriend.  (It’s suggested that Maddy has had many boyfriends over the years.)  The twins fall asleep in the back of the station wagon but, when they wake up, they discover that Maddy is making out with her date.  This inspires Terry to sneak out of the car, grab a nearby hatchet, and walk from car to car.  When he comes across another couple making love, he hacks the man to death and then watches as the man’s naked date runs into the night.  Realizing that he’s about to get in a lot of trouble, Terry hands the hatchet to Todd and then rubs blood on his brother’s face.  As a result, everyone assumes that Todd is the murderer.

Nine years later, Terry is living with Maddy at a secluded apartment complex called Shadow Woods.  Todd, on the other hand, is stuck in an asylum and not very happy about it.  On Thanksgiving, Todd escapes from the asylum and heads off to Shadow Woods.

Here’s where things get strange.  Everyone assumes that Todd is heading to Shadow Woods to get revenge.  That’s certainly what I assumed when he first escaped.  But it turns out that Todd, despite all he’s been through, is still a gentle soul.  He just wants to be free and to see his family.  However, when Terry learns that Todd has escaped, he sees it as a perfect excuse to go on another killing spree.

So, while Todd is sneaking around the complex, Terry is killing Maddy’s latest boyfriend and all of their neighbors.  Everyone who sees Todd asumes that he’s Terry and almost everyone who sees Terry assumes that he’s Todd.  It’s an intriguing premise that has a lot of potential.  Unfortunately, Blood Rage never gets as much mileage out of the idea as it should.  It’s not until the last few minutes of the film that it really digs into just how messed up Maddy and her sons really are.

Every by the standards of an 80s slasher film, Blood Rage is brutal.  Hands are hacked off.  Heads are separated from necks.  One unfortunate victim is chopped in half and spends what seems like several minutes feeling around for the lower half of her body.  As opposed to emotionless killing machines like Jason Voorhees and Michael Myers, Terry Simmons seems to get real kick out of what he’s doing, which makes him all the more disturbing.  Interestingly, it’s not just the killing that Terry enjoys.  Terry also seems to enjoy knowing that he’s specifically going to get Todd in even more trouble.  He’s the ultimate bad sibling.

Mark Soper plays both Todd and Terry and he does a good enough job in the role that you can tell the two twins apart.  Occasionally, Soper does occasionally go a bit overboard as Terry but then again, most murderers aren’t known for their subtle personalities.  The film is pretty much stolen by Louise Lasser, who gives a memorably eccentric performance as Maddy who is, in her own way, just as unstable as her sons.  Some of the performances from the surprisingly large number of victims are inconsistent but, in the end, everyone dies convincingly and that’s what really matters in a film like this.

As I mentioned at the start of this review, Blood Rage was filmed in 1983 and sat on the shelf for four years.  Apparently, several different versions of the film have been released.  There’s a version called Nightmare at Shadow Woods that has almost all of the gore cut out.  The version that’s on Shudder is apparently uncut but it also opens with a title card that reads Slasher.  Blood Rage is a bit of a generic title but it is appropriate.  There is a lot of blood and there’s a lot of rage.

In the end, Blood Rage is an effective, if uneven, slasher movie.  Though the budget was undeniably low, the gore effects are convincing and the whole twin subplot allows from some unexpected moments.  The low-budget look of the film actually works to Blood Rage‘s advantage.  The grainy images occasionally give the film a rather dream-like feel.  At its best, it looks like a filmed nightmare.  At its worst, it just looks like another low-budget slasher flick from Florida.

Blood Rage may not be a masterpiece but it is a good film for the Halloween (and, given the film’s set-up, Thanksgiving) seasons.

 

Anguish (1987, directed by Bigas Luna)

Posted on by Jedadiah Leland

John Pressman (Michael Lerner) is a mentally unbalanced, middle-aged, diabetic mama’s boy who is losing his eyesight.  When his mother (Zelda Rubinstein) orders John to go out and collect healthy eyes, it leads to John going on a rampage that eventually brings him to a movie theater.  After he barricades everyone inside, he starts to pick off the patrons one-by-one, removing their eyes with a scalpel.

Meanwhile, in another theater, an audience watches John’s rampage on the big screen.  Is the story of John Pressman just a movie?  Maybe.  But in the audience, people start to react strangely.  A woman breaks down in tears.  When John Pressman starts to kill people in his movie, a man in the audience starts to kill people in the real theater.  When the mother in the movie-within-a-movie sends her son out to get eyes, is she after the eyes of the people in her movie or the people watching in the audience?  Has the madman in the audience been possessed by the movie or is he just another spree killer, an ever-present threat in both the movies and the real world?  And how will his rampage be stopped?

Anguish is a clever, multi-layered Spanish horror film.  Watching the film, it’s important to remember that it was produced in the middle of a worldwide moral panic about whether or not people could experience violent movies without becoming violent themselves.  At first, it seems like the film is saying that horror movies are a bad influence but then there’s a twist ending that turns the entire premise on its head.  As the movie peels away layer after layer of plot, you’ll find yourself wondering what’s real and what’s just a movie.

An unheralded horror classic, Anguish is two good movies in one.  Obviously, the film about John Pressman and his crazy mother is considerably more cheesy than the one about the madman in the “real” world but both films are full of atmosphere, suspense, and a some surprisingly grisly violence.  The movie-within-a-movie also features Michael Lerner and Zelda Rubinstein, two actors who just seem like they were destined to play a henpecked son and his crazy mother.  Lerner is one of the best character actors around and Anguish gives him a rare leading role.  Lerner makes the most of it, carefully cutting out eyeballs while his mother’s voice echoes in his head.

Anguish is a good head trip of a film.  It’s long been rumored that Anguish contains subliminal images and sounds that are designed to make the people watching feel nervous.  I don’t know if that’s true, though the film does open with the following classic warning:

During the film you are about to see, you will be subject to subliminal messages and mild hypnosis.

This will cause you no physical harm or lasting effect, but if for any reason you lose control or feel that your mind is leaving your body — leave the auditorium immediately.

Luckily, Anguish is available on DVD and Blu-ray so you can watch it in the safety of your own home.

Game Review: Spring 2020 (2020, Philip J. Rhoades)

Posted on by Jedadiah Leland

Click to Enlarge

In this existential, sequester-inspired horror film, you start in a room.  You cannot leave the room.  There is something appears to be food in the room.  You can do two things.  As the game puts it, “You can only eat or wait.”

The game’s not lying about that, either.  I tried all sorts of tricks to see if maybe I could fool the game into letting me do something else.  I tried to look at the food.  I tried to get the food.  I tried to go north.  I tried to go east.  I tried to go west.  I tried to go south.  I tried to examine the room.  I tried them all.  Just to be told, “You can only eat or wait.”

So, during one game, I ate.  During the next game, I waited.  I did both of those for several turns and things did not go well for me at all.  This is a game that you cannot win but it also captures the way many people feel about 2020.  This is the year when no one wins so why not play a game where no one wins?  It’s a simple game but it captures the mood of the year.

If you want to play this game, you can download it from here.  

Just remember, you only eat or wait.