Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Frozen (2010)



Frozen (2010) Dir. by Adam Green

Three skiers are stranded on a chairlift and forced to make life-or-death choices that prove more perilous than staying put and freezing to death

Adam Green seems to be one of those directors where you either love him or hate him. Personally, I love the guy's work. In fact, I think he is getting quite a bit of love in the horror universe and I am all for it. I imagine he is going to have a long and prosperous career in filmmaking. He has show so much versatility not just as a writer, but as a director. He jump starts his career making a comedy movie from $400, friends and family, and borrowed equipment. That movie got picked up and turned into TV show. From there he goes on to make Hatchet, a complete 360, making a film the pays tribute to the great horror slashers of the 80's and essentially has started to become a cult classic of its own. Then he goes on to make Spiral, which happens to be one of my personal favorite psychological thrillers with an outstanding cast. Then he RETURNS to making short films for a few years. That's right, even with his booming career taking off, he returns to making short films. And finally we get back to Frozen. It happens to be completely different than any of his previous movies, and provides a whole new type of scary. Sure some of the things might seem a little far fetched, but well within the realm of believability.



The acting in the film was surprisingly well. Kevin Zegers probably being the weakest link, and even with that said he didn't do a bad job either. Emma Bell and Shawn Ashmore give extremely strong performances as two out of the three leads. In a movie that tries to be realistic, dialogue is often extremely important and it is so in this film as well. It drives it, and I don't know if it is mostly improve or if Adam Green's writing skills are even better than I had originally thought, but the dialogue is great. The raw emotion of the film is brought to life by strong situations, and the characters react just like people should. Great job on every one's part and keep an eye out for Mr. Kane Hodder, and a funny cameo from bash brothers of horror Joe Lynch and the director Adam Green.



The film itself just oozes intensity. From a fifteen minutes into the film to the very end, I was on the edge of my seat. The situations the characters were in felt so real, and it felt like it could happen to me. My wife Kim said it best, "Now I refuse to ever go skiing." While it is the complete opposite type of horror as Hatchet, it does not lack in the gore department. There was even a particular moment that made me feel uncomfortable, and that never happens. I watch gory frickin shit all the time, and yet it still made me feel a little queasy. Maybe it was just the realistic part of the whole film. Andy Garfield, Green's close friend, is the one who truly deserves a large amount of the credit here. Without his Original Music, Frozen would not be able to deliver the emotional intensity that it does. The music runs a perfectly parallel line the the events in the film.

All in all, with its intensity, shocking moments, perfect music, and spot on acting, Frozen delivers on all accounts and will leave me trembling at the thought of hitting the slopes any time soon.

Entertainment Value: 9/10 Bunny Hills
Cinematic Value: 9/10 Bunny Hills

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Candyman (1992)



Candyman (1992) Dir by Bernard Rose

Helen Lyle is a student who decides to write a thesis about local legends and myths. She visits a part of the town, where she learns about the legend of the Candyman, a one-armed man who appears when you say his name five times, in front of a mirror. Of course, Helen doesn't believe all this stuff, but the people of the area are really afraid. When she ignores their warnings and begins her investigation in the places that he is rumored to appear, a series of horrible murders begins. Could the legend be true? Written by Chris on IMDB.com



I have always felt like Candyman is always a forgotten film. I know in the years after its release it was the topic of many horror discussions. What happened to that? When talking about Top Slasher movies of all time, why isn't Candyman brought up more often? I honestly don't know what happened by Candyman is a movie not to be forgotten. I view it as one of the most surprising, intelligent, and visual slasher movies ever created. It probably doesn't hurt that it was born from the seriously disturbed mind of the insanely creative Clive Barker. The same guy that brought us such mildly gory (sarcasm) movies as Rawhead Rex, Hellraiser, Nightbreed, Lords of Illusion, Midnight Meat Train, Book of Blood, and Dread! That is one hell of a messed up list. I'm not going to ramble on about Clive too much. Everyone knows who he is and what he has done, but why does this movie fall in the shadows then?

The movie is critically acclaimed worldwide. An award winning actress leads the cast in Virginia Madsen (Sideways, The Number 23). Not to mention the iconic performance by Tony Todd as The Candyman. A performance that he would repeat in two less impressive sequels, although his performances were not less impressive. The man is insanely scary and I have thoroughly enjoyed a large amount of his films.



When it comes down to it, the only weakness I can find in this film is the Director, and he wasn't weak in this film. He just didn't use this great film as a stepping stone, and instead let his career fall into a continuous loop of mediocre films, and is still doing so to this day. None the less, Bernard Rose Directed a brilliant, visually stunning, truly terrifying film with an amazing story and great acting. I think this movie is so intelligent and well written that it is more often considered a thriller and not a slasher film. I think if you have forgot about this film then you need to go back and watch for a refresher.

Entertainment Value: 9/10 Bloody Bee Covered Hooks
Cinematic Value: 8/10 Bloody Bee Covered Hooks

Thursday, November 11, 2010

Horror Barbie Blog



Horror Barbie Blog

Are you familiar with the amazingly talented Devanny Pinn? If not, you should be. She is someone who has already reached Scream Queen status in an extremely short time.
Her film credits include: Orgy of Blood, Song of the Shattered, Piranha 3D, 15 Til Midnight, and a load of upcoming films coming out in the next two years; including the highly anticipated "Cut" by the badass Writer/Director Joe Hollow.

If you want to check out more of her filmography, go to :
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1922788/



Now let's cut to the chase. Not only is this beautiful woman Writing, Producing, and Acting in movies galore, but now she has decided to tackle the Blog world! I have taken the task of welcoming her to the blog world and making sure everyone knows about her new site.

Have you ever wondered what a Scream Queen thinks? I know I have, and now you have a chance to find out. There are plenty of Devanny's random thoughts on her site as she tries to spark up some conversations with her fans. She even tackles religion! (sounds risque if you ask me, haha) Don't fret horror fans, as it is not reading through a written log of The View. There is plenty of blood and guts on the site as well. It is a one stop shop for all the trailers for her upcoming films. No need to try perusing Youtube when all you have to do is hop on her blog.



If you like what I have told you then I think it is time you check out the Horror Barbie Blog!

http://devannypinn.blogspot.com/

Enjoy it as much as possible, I know I will.

Thursday, November 4, 2010

What is your favorite Holiday for themed horror movies?!! (other than Halloween)

What is your favorite Holiday for themed horror movies?!! (other than Halloween)




Halloween is the almighty holiday when it comes to horror movies, and we all know it. It has had hundreds of horror films that have taken place on that particular day, and spawned one of the greatest slasher kings in it's name, but what I want to know is what do you horror freaks do for the rest of the years. If one of you tells me you don't watch horror movies for 364 days until next Halloween, I will slap the crap out of you. Just answer these two questions for me.

1- What is your favorite Holiday for HORROR outside of Halloween?

2- What is your favorite themed HORROR movie from that Holiday?

Let the comments.... BEGIN!!!!