Month: October 2015

Movie Reviews 101 Halloween Midnight Horror – A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010)

Post author By Darren Lucas
Post date October 31, 2015
No Comments on Movie Reviews 101 Halloween Midnight Horror – A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010)

Director: Samuel Bayer

Writer: Wesley Strick, Eric Heisserer (Screenplay) Wesley Strick (Story) Wes Craven (Characters)

Starring: Jackie Earle Haley, Kyle Gallner, Rooney Mara, Katie Cassidy, Thomas Dekker, Kellan Lutz, Clancy Brown, Connie Britton

Plot: The spectre of a dead child rapist haunts the children of the parents who murdered him, stalking and killing them in their dreams.

There may be spoilers the rest of the review

Verdict: Remake Deserves Better Praise

Story: A Nightmare on Elm Street starts by taking us back to Springwood and puts us into a nightmare of Dean Russell (Lutz) where he meets Freddy Krueger (Haley) before waking up and introducing to all the characters, Nancy (Mara) working in the diner Kris (Cassidy), Quentin (Gallner) and Jesse (Dekker). Continuing the opening sequence we see Dean fall back asleep and it is here where Freddy takes his first victim.

We start to see the side effects of the death of Dean as Kris starts to try and learn about why she was in photos as a young girl with Dean and never remembers being friends with him at that age. The friends all start having the nightmares about Freddy and the friends have to try and find a way to stay alive. The truth about who Freddy is takes a different turn this time around which brings the connection to him a lot closer to home for our characters.

A Nightmare on Elm Street is a re-imaging of what can only be put as a classic, people slammed this movie right left and centre. I have gone through all of the Elm Street films in a week and I can safely say this remake deserves higher praise that what it got. The film doesn’t waste too much time explaining about Freddy but instead looks into the idea that the children actually have a connection with Freddy before he is killed. I also liked the idea that the story teases the idea that Freddy could have been innocent. On the negative side of this we lose the serial killer side downgrading Freddy to child molester (which I know is still bad but he doesn’t have the same level of threat). We do end up having a couple of similar deaths which doesn’t seem to fit the idea of the re-creation, we also have re-hashed lines that don’t fit the situation. I also hated the final scene but both films use this to make us question everything we have seen. Overall the story does give us new ideas but it is the ideas of repeating older storylines ruining the idea of a re-imagination. (6/10)

Actor Review

Jackie Earle Haley: Freddy Krueger is the serial killer from our teenager’s dreams he is darker than previous outing but still possess his sinister laugh. We learn what happened to Freddy but what is much more interesting in this outing is we get teased about his potential innocence. Jackie does a good job in the role bringing a new darker style to the icon. (7/10)

Kyle Gallner: Quentin Smith is the fellow student who has a crush on Nancy and as Freddy starts taking his victims he ends up working with her to save themselves before it is too late. Kyle does a solid job in the role but doesn’t really shine to the level required. (5/10)

Rooney Mara: Nancy Holbrook is our leading lady who works with Quentin to try and save herself from Freddy, she digs into the past to learn the terrifying truth about who Freddy really is. Rooney has openly admitted she did this role for the money and you can see in her performance because we all know the potential she has. (5/10)

Katie Cassidy: Kris Fowles is the false lead in the film much like the original had who starts getting visions of Freddy but most importantly starts putting together the connection between her and her friends at a younger age. Katie gives a solid performance continuing her horror trend as a victim. (6/10)

Thomas Dekker: Jesse Braun is the teenager who is left to be responsible for the killing of Kris even though we see he had nothing to do with it. Jesse helps pass on the message about what is happen to Nancy before being killed. Thomas does a solid job but never really gets enough time on screen to make an impact. (6/10)

Support Cast: A Nightmare on Elm Street has a supporting cast that includes the parents that are covering up the secret and for the most part that is all we have as extra cast members.

Director Review: Samuel Bayer – Samuel does a solid job directing bringing a new approach to a much loved film which works in places but not in others. (6/10)

Horror: A Nightmare on Elm Street brings a creepy darker side to the story but struggles to reach any real scare levels. (7/10)

Mystery: A Nightmare on Elm Street adds in a mystery angle about the connection between the children and Freddy. (9/10)

Thriller: A Nightmare on Elm Street keeps you guessing to what the connection is because it goes in a different direction that we have seen previously. (7/10)

Settings: A Nightmare on Elm Street keeps the settings similar to what we would expect to see and have seen before adding to the horror levels. (7/10)
Special Effects: A Nightmare on Elm Street uses good effects to create the nightmare sequences and Freddy make up. (8/10)

Suggestion: A Nightmare on Elm Street is one to try, I know people love the original and will always compare it but as a stand-alone movie this is actually a solid horror film. (Horror Fans Try)

Best Part: Teasing the idea of the innocent Freddy.

Worst Part: Showing us he wasn’t innocent.

Kill Of The Film: Dean because it is the only original one.

Believability: No (0/10)

Chances of Tears: No (0/10)

Chances of Sequel: No

Post Credits Scene: No

Oscar Chances: No

Box Office: $115 Million

Budget: $27 Million

Runtime: 1 Hour 35 Minutes

Tagline: Never Sleep Again.

Trivia: Johnny Depp accompanied his friend Jackie Earle Haley to auditions for A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984). Instead of Haley being chosen for a role, it was Depp who was spotted by director Wes Craven, who asked him if he would like to read for a part. Depp got a part in that film, Haley didn’t, but Haley would go on to play Freddy in this remake 26 years later.

Overall: A brave re-imagination that brings new ideas to the franchise while still using the older ones, better than people give it credit for but no classic.

Rating

Tags A Nightmare on Elm Street

Movie Review

Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982)

Post author By Darren Lucas
Post date October 31, 2015
3 Comments on Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982)

Director: Tommy Lee Wallace

Writer: Tommy Lee Wallace (Screenplay)

Starring: Tom Atkins, Stacey Nelkin, Dan O’Herlihy, Michael Currie, Ralph Strait, Jadeen Barbor

Plot: A large Halloween mask-making company has plans to kill millions of American children with something sinister hidden in Halloween masks.

There may be spoilers the rest of the review

Verdict: Slow start, but Great Finish

Story: Halloween III Season of the Witch starts with a man running for his life and a group of suited man chasing him down. The man ends up in hospital giving us a chance to meet our leading man Doctor Daniel Challis (Atkins) who treats the man before he finally get killed with the killer committing suicide afterwards.

For some reason we have one scene telling us next to nothing to show each day passing towards Halloween, before Daniel teams up with Ellie (Nelkin) the deceased man’s daughter to look into his obsession with a new line of Halloween masks being released.

Daniel and Ellie’s investigation takes them to the small town with the factory in, it has strict rules and the mysterious toy maker Cochran (O’Herlihy) keeps everything involved with outside people and if anyone bad mouths the copy the usual end up dead. When Daniel and Ellie finally learn the truth the race against time to stop the evil toy makers plan from happening.

Halloween III Season of the Witch is the follow on the to Halloween, without the Halloween major character from the original idea, yes, NO MICHAEL MYERS, but still the film actually works out well by the end. I was hugely disappointed and bored during the first half and very confused about the lack of witch inclusion. In the end it was a twisted version of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory with a very good twisted idea of trying to take over the world. I was surprised with the end that fully pulled me in even after the slow start. (7/10)

Actor Review

Tom Atkins: Daniel Challis is a doctor whose patient is murdered under his care, he starts to investigate with the man’s daughter only to find himself in the middle of a cult like community manufacturing Halloween masks. Tom does a solid job in the leading role. (6/10)

Stacey Nelkin: Ellie Grimbridge is the daughter of the first victim who wants to know the truth but when she ends up learning the truth she must fight to survive the evil toy maker. Stacey makes for a good partner in investigating. (6/10)

Dan O’Herlihy: Conal Cochran is the evil toy maker planning to use his new Halloween masks to control the children of the world, he is calm and calculated with his plan which has devastating effects. Dan does a good job as the evil toy maker. (7/10)

Support Cast: Halloween III Season of the Witch ha your trademark disposable character for a horror film.

Director Review: Tommy Lee Wallace – Tommy does an interesting job with this film giving us a slow start but great ending. (7/10)

Horror: Halloween III Season of the Witch doesn’t really give us enough horror early on but in the final act we get some true terror. (7/10)

Settings: Halloween III Season of the Witch brings us into a new town where everyone works for the toy company. (7/10)
Special Effects: Halloween III Season of the Witch has good special effects used for the kills. (8/10)

Suggestion: Halloween III Season of the Witch is one film that many people criticise but by the end people will enjoy. (Horror Fans Try)

Best Part: Testing.

Worst Part: First half.

Kill Of The Film: Test room

Believability: No (0/10)

Chances of Tears: No (0/10)

Chances of Sequel: The Halloween franchise did continue.

Post Credits Scene: No

Oscar Chances: No

Box Office: $14.4 Million

Budget: $2.5 Million

Runtime: 1 Hour 38 Minutes

Tagline: Witchcraft enters the computer age, and a different terror begins.

Trivia: After Michael Myers died at the end of Halloween II (1981), the plan by John Carpenter was to make a new “Halloween” movie each year, each telling a different Halloween-related story. After this movie underperformed at the box office, the film-makers decided to bring Michael back to life for future sequels.

Overall: A surprisingly good horror film because of the final act of the film.

Rating

Tags Halloween III: Season of the Witch

Movie Review

Halloween Kingathon – The Shining (1980)

Post author By Darren Lucas
Post date October 31, 2015
4 Comments on Halloween Kingathon – The Shining (1980)

Director: Stanley Kubrick

Writer: Stanley Kubrick, Diane Johnson (Screenplay) Stephen King (Novel)

Starring: Jack Nicholson, Shelly Duvall, Danny Lloyd, Scatman Crothers, Barry Nelson

Plot: A family heads to an isolated hotel for the winter where an evil and spiritual presence influences the father into violence, while his psychic son sees horrific forebodings from the past and of the future.

There may be spoilers the rest of the review

Verdict: A True Classic

Story: The Shining starts with the Jack Torrance (Nicholson) going to the isolated hotel for an interview for the new caretaker during the off season. Jack has a family with wife Wendy (Duvall) and son Danny (Lloyd) who has the ability to see into the future with his finger named Tony. With the family moving into the Overlook Hotel they get the grand tour from Dick Hallorann (Crothers) who has a connection with Danny through mind reading known as The Shining.

The family now alone in the hotel Jack starts to write his novel and as the days go past we start to see a change in Jack as he becomes more hostile toward his family before going over the edge with the help from the ghosts haunting the hotel.

The Shining will always go down as a true classic and what can I really say that hasn’t been said already? The film uses the isolation idea to a new level that rarely gets used anymore, with brilliant shots throughout and with the horror moments being measured perfectly. Nothing more to be said than the perfect horror thriller. (10/10)

Actor Review

Jack Nicholson: Jack Torrance is the writer who takes the job as the caretaker in an isolated hotel with his family for the winter, it seems like the perfect job but when he starts getting haunted by the hotels ghosts he becomes dangerous to his family as he wants to keep these ghosts happy. Jack gives one of his best performances of his career in this film that will always be remembered for Here’s Johnny. (10/10)

Shelley Duvall: Wendy Torrance is the wife of Jack and mother of Danny, she likes the idea of the job which gives the family time to spend away from the busy world, but once she finds out what is happening to Jack she has to fight to save her own and Danny’s lives. While Shelley could be considered to over play this role I think it works great opposite Nicholson’s performance. (8/10)

Danny Lloyd: Danny is the son of the family who has the ability to talk through minds known as the shining as well as having an imaginary friend Tony that warns him of things happening. Danny does a good job in this early role for the young actor. (7/10)

Support Cast: The Shining doesn’t have much a supporting cast with most being the ghosts haunting the hotel and the cook who connections with Danny.

Director Review: Stanley Kubrick – Stanley brings us one film that could easily be his masterpiece and a stand out for horror. (10/10)

Horror: The Shining builds on every side of horror throughout the film, with wonderful suspense and no need for jump scares. (10/10)

Settings: The Shining keeps nearly the whole film in the hotel creating a real sense of isolation from start to finish. (10/10)

Suggestion: The Shining is one that every single horror fan and film fan in general should see at least once. (Must Watch)

Best Part: Jack coming after family.

Worst Part: There isn’t one.

Favourite Quote: Jack ‘Here’s Johnny’

Believability: No (0/10)

Chances of Tears: No (0/10)

Chances of Sequel: No

Post Credits Scene: No

Oscar Chances: No

Budget: $19 Million

Runtime: 2 Hours 24 Minutes

Tagline: The Horror is driving him crazy

Overall: A true masterpiece in the horror genre

Rating

Movie Review

Movie Reviews 101 Halloween Midnight Horror – Freddy vs. Jason (2003)

Post author By Darren Lucas
Post date October 30, 2015
1 Comment on Movie Reviews 101 Halloween Midnight Horror – Freddy vs. Jason (2003)

Director: Ronny Yu

Writer: Damian Shannon, Mark Swift (Screenplay) Wes Craven, Victor Miller (Characters)

Starring: Robert Englund, Ken Kirzinger, Monica Keena, Jason Ritter, Kelly Rowland, Chris Marquette, Brendan Fletcher, Katharine Isabelle

Plot: Freddy Krueger and Jason Voorhees return to terrorize the teenage population. Except this time, they’re out to get each other, too.

There may be spoilers the rest of the review

Verdict: Most Entertaining Entry in Both Franchises.

Story: Freddy Vs. Jason starts by filling us in on Freddy Krueger’s (Englund) back story because we haven’t heard it before, wait a minute. Freddy has been forgotten by all the kids of Elm Street and now Freddy has search hell for a way back, his answer is Jason Voorhees (Kirzinger) the machete wielding killer or Camp Crystal Lake. Freddy brings Jason back from the dead forcing him to go to Elm Street to start killing again.

Time to meet our teenage victims Lori (Keena), Kia (Rowland), Gibb (Isabelle), Blake (Kopp) and Trey (Hutch) who are, wait for it home alone on a stormy night with drinks. Lori has been struggling since the disappearance of her first love Will (Ritter) many years before. When the first kill happens in the Elm Street house the name Freddy Krueger starts popping up in conversation, but keeping it quiet from the teenagers.

When Freddy isn’t strong enough he starts appearing in the dreams but can’t kill his victims leaving Jason to build up the scare factor on the teenagers. We meet Will and his friend Mark (Fletcher) who have been institutionalized by the parents of Springwood so they can keep Freddy and his story from coming back. The teenagers of Springwood start suffering the nightmares of Freddy Krueger but Freddy doesn’t realize just who he has released into the world as the two killers start competing for the kills where neither staying awake or sleeping is safe.

Freddy Vs. Jason is the mix of two iconic franchises where we get to see two icons of the horror genre fight, we have seen 10 Friday the 13^ths and 7 Nightmare on Elm Streets so it would be fair to say both franchises had started to run dry. This film breathes new life into both of the franchise and even giving us the back story the next generation might not know about. The film is hugely over the top but that works for it because the kills are so entertaining you just don’t know what will happen to the characters. It would be honest to say this is just pure entertainment that will be enjoyed by the fans of both franchises. (8/10)

Actor Review

Robert Englund: Freddy Krueger is our dream killer who the town has forgotten, he recruits Jason to bring back the fear to his town Springwood but his plan goes wrong when Jason just doesn’t stop killing the victims before he can get his hands on them. Robert gets his darkest look to date in the series and gives a great performance. (8/10)

Ken Kirzinger: Jason Voorhees is the silent serial killer who is following his mother’s instruction or so he thinks to go to Elm Street and start killing the teenagers, but we all know he simply can’t be stopped once he starts killing. Ken makes for a very imposing Jason that brings the fear to the character. (8/10)

Monica Keena: Lori Campbell is our leading lady who just so happens to live in the very house where the first Nightmare on Elm Street’s victim Nancy lived. Lori has to team up with her friends and her lost love to try and stop not just Freddy but Jason. Monica does a good job as the leading lady being hunted down by two serial killers. (7/10)

Jason Ritter: Will Rollins is the first love of Lori who gets put in an institute to help cover up the existence of Freddy Krueger but when the killings starts up again he breaks out to try and save Lori. Jason does give a good performance as the caring boyfriend fighting the killers. (7/10)

Support Cast: Freddy Vs. Jason has a large supporting cast that pretty much make up the victim lists and we do have generic teenagers making the list here, over protected best friend, slutty girl, stoner, the virgin and the troubled past. We also see the adult characters used very well to create the cover up against Freddy Krueger.

Director Review: Ronny Yu – Ronny brings his style to the iconic horror film that is filled with blood, gore and a mega body count. (8/10)

Horror: Freddy Vs. Jason brings the old school slasher into the next generation showing how to build a body count but never truly scaring us. (7/10)

Thriller: Freddy Vs. Jason does keep you guessing to how, who and by whom the human character will meet their fate. (9/10)

Settings: Freddy Vs. Jason pays respect to the franchises by taking the action to iconic locations used in previous outings. (10/10)
Special Effects: Freddy Vs. Jason uses great effects for the kills through the film but there are a few questionable uses of effects. (7/10)

Suggestion: Freddy Vs. Jason is one for all the horror fans to watch, it could easily be one of the most enjoyable re-watchable horror films this century. (Horror Fans Watch)

Best Part: Final battle.

Worst Part: Loses any suspense.

Action Scene Of The Film: Final fight.

Kill Of The Film: This is a hard choice so many great kills but I will have to go with Trey.

Believability: No (0/10)

Chances of Tears: No (0/10)

Chances of Sequel: No, but did end up in Graphic novel form against Ash from the Evil Dead too.

Post Credits Scene: No

Oscar Chances: No

Box Office: $115 Million

Budget: $25 Million

Runtime: 1 Hour 37 Minutes

Tagline: Freddy Vs. Jason! Place your bets!

Trivia: Ken Kirzinger had to undergo some dental work during filming, but it would have taken too much time to remove his makeup and costume and reapply them. When he arrived at the dentist’s office still dressed as Jason (without the hockey mask), people were afraid he was an escaped psychopath and almost called the police.

Overall: The battle to end all battles between the icons of horrors.

Rating

Tags Freddy vs. Jason

Movie Review

Continuum AKA I’ll Follow You Down (2013)

Post author By Darren Lucas
Post date October 30, 2015
1 Comment on Continuum AKA I’ll Follow You Down (2013)

Director: Richie Mehta

Writer: Richie Mehta (Screenplay)

Starring: Gillian Anderson, Haley Joel Osment, Victor Garber, Rufus Sewell, John Paul Ruttan, Susanna Fournier

Plot: After the disappearance of a young scientist on a business trip, his son and wife struggle to cope, only to make a bizarre discovery years later – one that may bring him home.

There may be spoilers the rest of the review

Verdict: Basic Time Travel Theory Film

Story: Continuum starts by showing our loving family Marika (Anderson), Gabe (Sewell) and son Erol going their separate ways for work just for a couple of days. When Gabe goes missing while on the trip, Marika’s father Sal (Garber) is joined by Marika to investigate what happened to him and only find a mix of his studies along with all his personal belongings.

Erol (Osment) has grown up to reach college age now that never learnt what actually happened to his father. Sal still working on what could have happened has been looking into the potential of time travel and leaves the ideas to Erol to solve the mystery. After Marika continues to struggle with the loss of her husband she eventually commits suicide, this motivates Erol to team up with his grandfather to complete the research and save his family.

We watch how Erol has to make the decision on whether to start his own family or save his parents but Erol just can’t catch a break because tragedy strikes again pulling Erol back to work finding his own way to fix everything in his life.

Continuum is a time travel film that only really looks at the theory and practise of time travel. It looks at the idea of certain paths were predetermined and you can’t just change them. The drawback of this style of storytelling is that very little actually happens during the film, we get technology talk that goes straight over the head. When we finally get to the actual time travel it is also just about trying to change one moment with very little happening. I feel this is a very disappointing film that does have a good concept because most of the ideas would make a time travel film interesting, it is just it could well just be a documentary for the most part about one man trying to build the machine until the time travel happens. (3/10)

Actor Review

Gillian Anderson: Marika grieving mother who has lost her husband and never really recovers, she eventually commits suicide because of the loss. Gillian is only a supporting character and doesn’t get a chance to shine through the film. (4/10)

Haley Joel Osment: Erol is a young man who wants to finish his father’s work so he can travel back in time to correct the tragedies that have hit his life. Haley is trying to rebuild his career and this does show his ability to try another genre but he doesn’t reach the levels you would expect from him. (5/10)

Victor Garber: Sal is Marika’s father who has been trying to find out what happened to Gabe and when he reaches as far as he can he brings in Erol to complete the work. Victor is the strongest performance and that is only a solid one at best. (6/10)

Rufus Sewell: Gabe is Erol’s father who has gone back in time and been murdered leading to the idea that no one really knows what happened to him. Rufus is only in part of the film and does what he can with what he has. (4/10)

Susanna Fournier: Grace is the long term childhood sweetheart of Erol who tries to keep Erol focusing on the real time rather than wasting his own time changing everything that has happened. Susanna struggles to make an impact the way her character needs too. (4/10)

Support Cast: Continuum doesn’t have any more characters to add to the story or even get involved.

Director Review: Richie Mehta – Richie has a good idea but doesn’t pull it off to the level time travel requires. (4/10)

Mystery: Continuum does offer a mystery but seem to tell you what the answer is early on and we are only left with the idea of trying to figure out how they can change the outcome. (5/10)

Sci-Fi: Continuum does give us the time travel idea really well. (8/10)

Settings: Continuum does keep the settings realistic for each time period. (7/10)

Suggestion: Continuum is a time travel film that is an interesting idea but slightly dull, it could be worth a watch but don’t expect anything special. (Try it)

Best Part: The Basic Idea.

Worst Part: The execution of the idea.

Believability: No (0/10)

Chances of Tears: No (0/10)

Chances of Sequel: No

Post Credits Scene: No

Oscar Chances: No

Runtime: 1 Hour 33 Minutes

Tagline: What would you do to change the past?

Overall: Continuum really is a disappointing film that had a lot of potential.

Rating

Tags Continuum, I'll Follow You Down

Movie Review

Halloween Kingathon – Apt Pupil (1998)

Post author By Darren Lucas
Post date October 30, 2015
2 Comments on Halloween Kingathon – Apt Pupil (1998)

Director: Bryan Singer

Writer: Brandon Boyce (Screenplay) Stephen King (Novel)

Starring: Brad Renfro, Ian McKellen, Joshua Jackson, Mickey Cottrell, Michael Reid MacKay, Ann Dowd, Bruce Davison, James Karen

Plot: A boy blackmails his neighbour after suspecting him to be a Nazi war criminal.

There may be spoilers the rest of the review

Verdict: Solid Thriller

Story: Apt Pupil starts with high school student Todd Bowden (Renfro) who takes notice of an elderly man Kurt Dussander (McKellen) who he suspects of being a Nazi war criminal. Todd uses his upper hand of knowing who Kurt is by blackmailing him into helping learn about what really happened during the war.

As the conversations become a regular occurrence Todd’s parent Monica (Dowd) and Richard (Davison) want to meet him but Todd is dealing with his own nightmares. The deeper the two get involved in the stories we get to see the darker side of Kurt but more worryingly we see Todd start to become psychotic.

Apt Pupil builds up tension through the story very well and as the film continues you really don’t know what either character is really capable off, but saying that I think most of the tension gets lost in the final acts which go on slightly too long. I liked the idea of Nazi war criminal being blackmailed into doing what the kid wants but also like how it all get turned on its head half way through. This is an interest story and the change in both characters as the film continues often comes off disturbing. (7/10)

Actor Review

Brad Renfro: Todd Bowden is a straight A high school student who uncovers the true identity of a Nazi war criminal, first he tries to blackmail him into giving him the stories but when his grades go downhill he ends up changing becoming obsessed with the idea of what the Nazi’s were doing. Brad does a good job in this role showing a full range of what he could do. (7/10)

Ian McKellen: Kurt Dussander is the Nazi war criminal living a normal life in America, he gets forced to too tell the stories about his time in the war before turning the tables on his blackmailer as he continues his ways. Ian is great in this performance flawlessly pulling off the performance as the German. (8/10)

Support Cast: Apt Pupil has a supporting cast that includes Todd’s parents, family and teachers each one noticed a change in him in different ways.

Director Review: Bryan Singer – Bryan continued to show his talent behind the camera here showing he can pull off all sorts of thrillers. (7/10)

Drama: Apt Pupil shows what you could or couldn’t do when you learn the true nature of somebody. (8/10)

Thriller: Apt Pupil keeps you guessing to what both characters are capable off from start to finish. (8/10)

Settings: Apt Pupil uses basic settings of the two homes mainly with a large part in Kurt’s home. (7/10)

Suggestion: Apt Pupil is one to try, it does bring you right into the story but does let it go near the end. (Try It)

Best Part: Tramp scene.

Worst Part: Ends slowly.

Believability: No (0/10)

Chances of Tears: No (0/10)

Chances of Sequel: No

Post Credits Scene: No

Oscar Chances: No

Box Office: $8.8 Million

Budget: $14 Million

Runtime: 1 Hour 51 Minutes

Tagline: If you don’t believe in the existence of evil, you’ve got a lot to learn.

Trivia: The movie is based on a novella (a long short story) by Stephen King from a book of short stories called “Different Seasons” which also includes “The Body” which becameStand by Me (1986) and “Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption” which became The Shawshank Redemption (1994).

Overall: A thriller that keeps you guessing.

Rating

Movie Review

Movie Reviews 101 Halloween Midnight Horror – New Nightmare (1994)

Post author By Darren Lucas
Post date October 29, 2015
1 Comment on Movie Reviews 101 Halloween Midnight Horror – New Nightmare (1994)

Director: Wes Craven

Writer: Wes Craven (Screenplay) Wes Craven (Characters)

Starring: Robert Englund, Heather Langenkamp, Miko Hughes, Wes Craven

Plot: A demonic force has chosen Freddy Krueger as its portal to the real world. Can Heather play the part of Nancy one last time and trap the evil trying to enter our world?

There may be spoilers the rest of the review

Verdict: Fresh Prospective

Story: New Nightmare starts with the filming of the next Freddy film where Heather Langenkamp (Langenkamp) her partner Chase Porter (Newsom) and son Dylan (Hughes) are going to star but when the mechanical hand breaks down and starts killing the crew we learn it was only a dream. The three are really just going through an Earthquake.

Heather is dealing with a stalker while trying to get her acting career back on track before getting haunting phone calls from Freddy. Heather gets to meet her fellow co-star Robert Englund (Englund) before being offered a chance to return for the next Nightmare film with the original director Wes Craven. When Dylan continues to act strange it becomes clear that not everything is safe when he uses his toy dinosaur for safety from a mysterious man trying to take him in his sleep. Meanwhile Chase is on route to home when Freddy takes him and we learn the truth that Freddy is trying to break into the real world. This brings the battle into a whole new dimension as we have to see the former stars of the franchise fight against the very much fictional killer or so they thought.

New Nightmare manages to take what looked like a dead franchise and breathe brand new life into it. The idea of bringing everything into the real world works brilliantly because we get to see the everyday problems of the stars and that Freddy was just a character in a film they made together. Another huge plus in this film is that the child been haunted by Freddy is actually only a child not a teenager which shows that Freddy will go after any aged person. On the bad side I didn’t like the idea that Freddy was a demon being killed every time a Nightmare on Elm Street killed him and now the franchise was over he wants to burst out. In the end this really is a great imaginative story that changes the way a franchise was going and should be used as an example to dying franchises. (8/10)

Actor Review

Robert Englund: Freddy Krueger/Robert Englund, we see Robert playing himself a friendly good natured actor supporting the friends of the franchise. We also see him reprise the role as the serial killer but this time he wants to enter the real world through the actors he has killed in the franchise. Robert makes his Freddy the scariest too date in this film and seeing his normal look adds to the scare factor. (8/10)

Heather Langenkamp: Heather Langenkamp is the actress celebrating the tenth anniversary of Nightmare on Elm Street, she has her own family now but with fame comes its bad side, she has herself a stalker and to make matters worse Freddy is trying to break into the real world through her dreams. Heather does a good job as the leading lady playing herself taking on Freddy this time around. (7/10)

Miko Hughes: Dylan is Heather’s son who starts acting strange when Freddy starts using him to try and break into the real world. He is struggling with the loss of his father and seems to want to use a toy dinosaur as his defence against Freddy. Miko does a good job as the youngest person Freddy has taken on to date. (7/10)

Support Cast: New Nightmare is filled with cameo like performances from the stars of the original films, we also have plenty of doctors thinking they know best.

Director Review: Wes Craven – Wes returns to finishes his franchise with his first outing since the original one, he plays the game changer card giving this the award as best sequel in the franchise in the series. (8/10)

Horror: New Nightmare brings back the scare levels we want to see in a Freddy Krueger film and manages to make them feel fresh. (8/10)

Thriller: New Nightmare makes us guess right the way through about just what will happen next. (8/10)

Settings: New Nightmare brings the settings to LA where we see how the actors are getting haunted while trying to continue their careers. (8/10)
Special Effects: New Nightmare still has solid effects but it would be fair to say certain ones have dated now. (5/10)

Suggestion: New Nightmare is the one film in the franchise you can go and watch and not wonder why you did after. (Franchise Fans Must Watch)

Best Part: The idea.

Worst Part: Freddy being a demon.

Believability: While the whole story is fictional the idea is to make us feel like it is real. (0/10)

Chances of Tears: No (0/10)

Chances of Sequel: Last in the series

Post Credits Scene: No

Oscar Chances: No

Box Office: $17 Million

Budget: $8 Million

Runtime: 1 Hour 52 Minutes

Tagline: On October 14th, terror no longer stops at the screen

Trivia: Director Wes Craven had intended to ask Johnny Depp to make an appearance as himself in the funeral scene. Craven never worked up the courage to ask him, but after the film’s release, they ran into each other. Craven asked Depp if he would have made an appearance in the movie and Depp said that he would have, and that Craven should have asked him.

Overall: Refreshing, Brave, Game Changer all words that could describe this outing of Freddy Krueger.

Rating

Tags New Nightmare

Movie Review

Halloween Kingathon – Riding the Bullet (2004)

Post author By Darren Lucas
Post date October 29, 2015
4 Comments on Halloween Kingathon – Riding the Bullet (2004)

Director: Mick Garris

Writer: Mick Garris (Screenplay) Stephen King (Novel)

Starring: Jonathan Jackson, David Arquette, Cliff Robertson, Barbara Hershey, Erika Christensen, Barry W Levy

Plot: When a man finds out his mother is dying and tries to hitch-hike his way to the hospital, he is picked up by a stranger with a deadly secret.

There may be spoilers the rest of the review

Verdict: Unchallenging Horror

Story: Riding the Bullet starts by showing our main character Alan growing up with his mother Jean (Hershey). With the credits over we meet art student Alan (Jackson) who has a fascination with death whose girlfriend Jessica (Christensen) is leaving him. This leads to a failed suicide attempt even though it was only a prank to throw a surprise birthday party.

Even though Jessica still leaves Alan she leave him with two tickets to Toronto rock concert to see John Lennon’s band but due to Alan’s mother having a stroke he has to return home to be with her. Alan has to hitch-hike back home where he relives moments of his childhood while being tested by the crazed George Staub (Arquette) who makes him pick his own life or his mother’s life.

Riding the Bullet plays out that a trip down memory lane with elements of horror while giving our character a real trip. The mix of flash backs works well but the needless false awakens get boring quickly because you give up caring about whether they will be shocking or not. I also feel this film never captures the full effects of horror leaving us stuck in the middle of genres and not sure if it will be a growing up film or a horror film. (5/10)

Actor Review

Jonathan Jackson: Alan Parker is the art student that hitch-hike homes to see his sick mother only to find himself facing up to his own demons as well as being tested by the ghost of a victim on of the road he is travelling along. Jonathan does a solid job in the role. (6/10)

David Arquette: George Staub starts off as a help driving picking up Alan but it soon becomes clear that he is in fact dead and haunting the road looking to collect souls and this time he puts Alan in the impossible position of having to pick himself or his mother. If anyone can play crazy it would be David and he does a god job in the role. (7/10)

Support Cast: Riding the Bullet has a supporting cast that includes the people Alan meet on his journey as well as the friends from college, they all effects the thinking of Alan as the film unfolds.

Director Review: Mick Garris – Mick is often the go to guy for Stephen King adaptation but I do feel this one is one of his weaker efforts. (6/10)

Horror: Riding the Bullet doesn’t reach the horror levels you would like to think it could have. (5/10)

Thriller: Riding the Bullet doesn’t really make you want know what happens and doesn’t pull you to the edge of your seat. (4/10)

Settings: Riding the Bullet keeps most of the settings along one road as Alan tries to find his way home. (7/10)

Suggestion: Riding the Bullet is one for the King fans to enjoy otherwise it could be one you miss. (King Fans Watch)

Best Part: David Arquette really stands out.

Worst Part: Too many dream sequences.

Scariest Scene: Under the hat

Believability: No (0/10)

Chances of Tears: No (0/10)

Chances of Sequel: No

Post Credits Scene: No

Oscar Chances: No

Budget: $5 Million

Runtime: 1 Hour 38 Minutes

Tagline: The dead travel fast

Overall: Road Trip with hallucination

Rating

Movie Review

Movie Reviews 101 Halloween Midnight Horror – Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare (1991)

Post author By Darren Lucas
Post date October 28, 2015
No Comments on Movie Reviews 101 Halloween Midnight Horror – Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare (1991)

Director: Rachel Talalay

Writer: Michael De Luca (Screenplay) Rachel Talalay (Story) Wes Craven (Characters)

Starring: Robert Englund, Lisa Zane, Ricky Dean Logan, Breckin Meyer, Yaphett Kotto

Plot: Freddy Krueger returns once again to haunt both the dreams of his daughter and Springwood’s last surviving teenager.

There may be spoilers the rest of the review

Verdict: Knowing It Has Gone On Too Long

Story: Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare starts by informing us that ten years from now I am guessing the year 2000, mysterious killings and suicides wipe out entire populations of children and teenagers, remaining adults are experiencing mass psychosis but there is new evidence of one surviving teenager. We do meet the last remaining teenager who is desperately trying to escape Freddy Krueger (Englund) but Freddy is using him to meet his newest victims.

Freddy sends the boy known only as John Doe (Greenblatt) to a new city where he gets taken to a youth centre. The centre has Doctor Maggie Burroughs (Zane) where she is treating Tracy (Deane), Carlos (Logan) and Spencer (Meyer). Maggie has to try to figure out what is wrong with our John Doe but only discovers a terrifying truth about her own nightmares.

Maggie seeing a chance to solve both the dream problems takes John Doe back to Springwood to face the reality only to be joined on the journey by Tracy, Carlos and Spencer. Arriving in Springwood they found out that not a single kid is at the town fair. What we learn is of the truth about Freddy but who will survive the latest battle against the dream hunter.

Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare is the first one in the franchise that accepts that it has gone too far in the series, it never takes anything too serious but does actually have a serious side to the story. I know that sounds contradictable but it does sacrifice the scares for comedy level but yet again dives deeper into the Freddy Krueger origin story. I will give this story credit because it tries something different moving the story along because it was getting tiring seeing Freddy just coming back to take on a small group, with this he has taken out all of the kids and actually won in his revenge but he just needs new victims who haven’t heard about his legacy. In the end this film is tongue in cheek about the classic but it embraces this fact. (6/10)

Actor Review

Robert Englund: Freddy Krueger is back once more and this time he wants more children to kill after he has taken all of the rest, but he ends up coming face to face with the one child he could never kill. Robert shows that he can handle the comedic side of Freddy with this performance. (7/10)

Lisa Zane: Maggie is the Doctor trying to help the troubled youths and ends up taking them back to Springwood and the birthplace of Freddy Krueger only to discover she has a connection to the killer. Lisa does a solid job taking over the leading lady but sometime looks out of place in the scare scenes. (5/10)

Shon Greenblatt: John Doe is the stranger sent by Freddy to find new victims even if he doesn’t realise it. He is the last surviving teenager in the town where he was sent from and now he could have released the killer from his latest trap. Shon does a solid performance but doesn’t live up to previous characters in the series. (5/10)

Support Cast: Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare has a supporting cast that includes the latest victims, yes that is all we are having yet again. They all do a solid job and end up meeting creative ends.

Director Review: Rachel Talalay – Rachel does a good job directing letting the film accept that it is going to be going in a different direction to previous encounters with Freddy. (7/10)

Comedy: Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare takes the horror into the comedy genre and gets good laughs with Freddy’s lines and kills. (7/10)

Horror: Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare continues to lose its horror to satisfy other genres here. (2/10)

Thriller: Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare doesn’t keep you guessing as much but does give you one question about who Freddy’s child is. (6/10)

Settings: Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare shows the effects of Freddy on Springwood which is effective for the settings because in previous films it still always looks fine like nothing happened. (7/10)
Special Effects: Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare is part of the attempts to use 3D in film which don’t really come off but would have been good upon release. (6/10)

Suggestion: Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare is a franchise fan must watch but not a one off horror film to watch (Franchise Fans Watch)

Best Part: Freddy’s origin story continued.

Worst Part: Even though I praise the comedy side, I think it is a shame the franchise has fallen into the comedy world.

Funniest Scene: Spencer and the Game

Kill Of The Film: Carlos

Favourite Quote: Freddy (while fighting Spencer on a video game) ‘great graphics’

Believability: No (0/10)

Chances of Tears: No (0/10)

Chances of Sequel: Has only one more sequel

Post Credits Scene: Shows clips from previous outings through the credits.

Oscar Chances: No

Box Office: $35 Million

Budget: $8.5 Million

Runtime: 1 Hour 29 Minutes

Tagline: Evil has finally met its match.

Trivia: Peter Jackson’s original screenplay for Freddy’s Dead saw Freddy aging and growing weak within the dream world. The teens of Springwood would have drug-fuelled slumber parties for kicks, and enter the dream world to beat him up.

Overall: Freddy has turned into a comedic genius with his kills mixing the serial killer with Schwarzenegger.

Rating

Tags Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare