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#1
08-31-2007, 11:37 PM
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14 upcoming horrors
the one i most want to see is ...
 heres the list Black Water The Signal Teeth All the Boys Love Mandy Lane Cold Prey Storm Warning worng turn 2 The Devil Dared Me To girl next door Botched The Zombie Diaries km31 Spiral The Orphanage Black Water Three Australians decide to go on a backwater boat trip whilst on holiday in the outback, only to find themselves trapped in a tree with a particularly cunning crocodile waiting patiently for them below. This is that unusual horror movie that actually takes the time to get to know the characters (a beautifully realized credit sequence which has one of the characters flicking through digital photos of their holiday springs to mind as an additional touch that adds an extra level depth to their characters). It is equally unusual in that the characters actually react the way that people would when faced with impossible circumstances. These are not your stock movie leads that instantly become screaming croc-fodder but fully realized intelligent people weighing up their options, only losing their grip on sanity as these same options get struck off one by one. And then there's the croc. It' been a long time since I've seen a 'monster' movie (I use the term a little loosely) where the 'monster' projects so much character whilst having so little screen time. This croc is one evil, hungry bastard and very soon the film becomes more a battle of wits than you might first expect. It is also unrelentingly bleak. Things do not necessarily follow the conventions of the genre and there are more than a few surprises to jolt the audience. Technically the film is deliberately lo-fi in appearance which adds significantly to the film's atmosphere. The deceptively effective sound design deserves a special mention. The acting is also uniformly excellent. These guys feel like real people, making their situation all the more tense as the audience can completely relate to them. I have to say I really liked this movie. My two fellow travelers (and it seems most of the audience) were not so keen as they felt it was a little too slow for their tastes. The Signal A mysterious signal is beamed to the Tarkovsky-esque titled Terminus, a generic western city, and drives otherwise normal people to kill each other indiscriminately. Against this backdrop unfolds the story of a woman torn between her idyllic lover and her abusive husband, leading the audience in very unexpected directions. Told in three 'transmissions' (chapters to you and me) this American indie shifts from flat-out horrific violence via broad comedy to heavily satirical drama. What struck me immediately was the subtlety of the shifts in tone from section to section, which helped maintain an utterly credible cohesion to the film overall. Soon after I left the movie I discovered that three different directors had filmed one 'transmission' each. Clearly each had interpreted the script in their own style allowing the actors, who are all excellent, to showcase the full range of their abilities. This is a highly original movie whose ever-shifting tone lends it an unease which is brutally effective. We are never sure which way a character will react to a situation because, like the society of Terminus, all the conventional rules are stripped away before our eyes. Teeth Replacing the originally scheduled P2 was the dark (and I do mean dark) comedy Teeth. Jess Weixler is Dawn, an abstinent teenage girl who discovers that she suffers from the rather unfortunate genetic abnormality known as Vagina Dentata (that's razor sharp teeth in her vagina to you and me). This proves even more unfortunate for the boy who pushes his luck a little too far, resulting in the first of many severed penises to come. Oh, and did I mention the hateful adoptive brother who believes she is saving herself for him? This is one seriously unusual film which is unlikely to start a penis-severing sub-genre any time soon, but, once you get over the pitch black subject matter, it reveals itself to be quite enjoyable as both a slyly amusing satire on religious fundamentalists and a very left-of-field take on both coming of age and female avenger movies. Technically it's nothing to write home about and is a little languid in its pacing to say the least. The performances, however, are a different matter. John Hensley deserves credit as Dawn's brother Brad, a far cry from his role in the TV drama Nip/Tuck, but it is Jess Weixler's movie through and through in a performance that deservedly won her a best actress award at Sundance this year. I'm sure we'll be seeing a lot more of her in the future. Hopefully in movies with a few fewer shots of diced genitalia. All the Boys Love Mandy Lane In Jonathan Levine's slasher movie, Mandy Lane is the sweet, virginal girl that all the guys at the model agency high school want to hook up with. With that objective in mind, a group of the popular kids invite her for a weekend of partying at one of their parents' farms. But apparently they are not the only ones who are interested in Mandy as, one by one, they are picked off by a seriously unpleasant killer. The whole style of the movie is deliberately retro, from the de-saturated, slightly over-exposed visuals to the perfectly chosen music and, at first, All The Boys presents itself as a highly stylized and effective homage to the slasher movies of yesteryear - lots of pretty, highly-sexed high schoolers being murdered in a variety of horrifically matter-of-fact ways in a remote location. Along the way though, it becomes something more sophisticated. If you can see through the spraying blood, you'll find a subtle commentary on the disaffection of modern youth and high school politics, loaded with razor sharp dialogue, which packs a hefty final punch. It is a truly bold horror movie that not only touches upon the tragedy at Columbine but also revels in revealing the identity of its killer at the halfway mark of the narrative. Technically the movie is very slick and the performances, most notably Amber Heard as the titular character, are all very good. Who would have thought the freshest stalk-and-slash movie in years would be that which most rigorously adheres to that genre's conventions and style? Cold Prey (Fritt Vilt) Five friends go snowboarding and find themselves seeking refuge in a deserted ski resort, only to come face to face with a killer who is much better equipped to deal with the freezing conditions than they are. This Norwegian slasher movie knows its genre and doesn't try to break the mold. Instead, director Roar Uthaug concentrates on getting all the conventional elements pitch perfect to deliver what may be the best film in the genre for at least a decade. In what may be a first for a slasher movie, every character is likeable enough for the audience to find something to empathize with. The comic best friend with a crush on the heroine is deeply vulnerable without being pathetic; the handsome boyfriend is also a nice guy; the female best friend is sexy without being sluttish; while the tough heroine is just sassy and resourceful enough to be believable without becoming superhuman. When the killer strikes you really care about the victims as they are people you have come to know and relate to. The location is treated with the same respect. You get a real sense of the geography of the building and its surroundings, and Uthaug makes great use of the many hurdles that his sub-zero setting throws in the way of the heroine and her friends to ramp the excitement to the highest level. The movie also looks and sounds amazing. I have never seen a film shot on Super 16mm look so great - frankly, few 35mm films look this good. Simply put, this movie is fucking awesome and was my clear favorite of the festival. As one of my fellow travelers put it "Cold Prey is probably the most perfect slasher movie ever made". I wouldn't disagree and, judging by the energy of the audience leaving the theater, neither would they. Storm Warning An Australian city-dwelling couple become stranded on an island during a fishing trip and stumble across a farmhouse. Breaking in to find a phone, they accidentally stumble across a barn full of weed, just in time for the unsavory owners to return home. This is hardly an original premise and, quite frankly, isn't done in a particularly original way. Designer-dirty Chainsaw Massacre-style locals.check. Grubby habitat complete with rusty tools and porn strewn everywhere which only a movie art director could create.check. Evil hick dad and his two loony sons with contrasting levels of intelligence.check. Middle-age lawyer with his sassy foreign trophy wife.check. Attempted rape and suitable revenge.check. Yep, all the clichés are present and correct. Against all odds, however, it is actually very entertaining. In large part this is due to the inventive kills. To reveal more would be a shame as, for fans of this genre, these would justify the ticket price alone. I guess it's credit to the director, Jamie Blanks (of Urban Legend fame), that the film works so well - the audience were cheering at several points (rather worryingly in some cases) - but it must be said that the grotty styling of the movie is getting as old as the clichés it dresses up. Wrong Turn 2 Because I just can't get enough of over art-directed redneck rampages. I present the direct-to-DVD Wrong Turn 2. Only this time I get to add the cliché of toxic waste causing hideous genetic mutations. Henry Rollins is Dale Murphy, an ex-special forces vet (of course) who is hosting a reality TV show called Ultimate Survivalist in which six contestants must compete in an environment supposedly set up to simulate the aftermath of Armageddon (because nothing says "nuclear fallout" like lush green woodland). The six, mind-numbingly irritating contestants and their TV crew spend several minutes spouting ridiculously inane lines of dialogue, shedding their clothes and having sex, before the hillbilly mutant carnage begins. And these are several minutes too many as far as I'm concerned. Why even bother trying to shoe-horn a plot into a movie that so clearly doesn't have one? Once the needless and ridiculous set-up is out of the way, the film actually becomes a lot more entertaining, largely owing to the presence of Rollins who brings a much-needed sense of knowing humor to an otherwise straight-faced cast. In fact, the more the movie devolves into complete gory lunacy, the more fun it becomes; culminating in what I can only imagine is an intentional homage to the dinner scene in the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre. The Devil Dared Me To A crazy New Zealand comedy by local comedy troupe Back of the Y, The Devil Dared Me To tells the story of Randy, the latest in a family of stuntmen, determined to follow in his legendary father's footsteps. His plans are thwarted, however, by the arrogant Dick Johansonson, a vile opportunist rival, who uses Randy to accelerate his own career. Best described as screwball comedy, this is a movie with few boundaries. Bad taste humor abounds as we race from one surreal sight gag to another (the highlight of which must surely be the multiple amputee - you'll know what I mean when you see it). It's also a witty parody of the Hollywood 'underdog' movie, liberally lampooning the likes of Rocky and its ilk. The Girl Next Door In 1950s small town America, a young boy befriends the girl next door - sent to live with her aunt when her parents are killed - setting off a chain of events that lead to her systematic abuse and torture at the hands of her aunt and a group local boys. I can categorically say that this is the first film I have ever nearly walked out of, not because it was so bad but because it is so hard to watch. There were moments where I honestly felt sick to my stomach as the boys' actions became so harsh that it became almost unbearable. Make no mistake, this movie is not for the faint of heart and the fact that the source book is based on a true story makes it all the harder to take. That said, it's actually not a very good film. Whilst some of the performances are very powerful (notably Blanche Baker as the aunt and Blythe Auffarth as the girl), others (particularly Daniel Manche as the hero David) are just not strong enough to carry the movie. The ending, which desperately needs to provide an audience catharsis, is ludicrously anticlimactic and rushed, as though the filmmakers had run out of money and had to edit ten pages of script into two minutes of film. Additionally the whole style of the movie feels a bit like a made-for-TV after-school special, which, whether intentional or otherwise, cheapens the impact of the story. It is utterly horrifying that things like this can happen in the world and on that level you are unlikely ever to see a more disturbing piece of cinema. It's just a shame that the subject matter wasn't honored with a better film. If it had, the effect would have been completely devastating. Botched After a botched robbery, a thief is sent to Russia to steal a bejeweled cross as penance, only to find himself and a group of hostages trapped on a disused floor of an office block, pursued by a lunatic killer. Don't be fooled into thinking that the presence of Stephen Dorff makes Botched a bad movie. He's actually pretty good and I found myself wondering why he's not cast in bigger movies more often. No, it's everything else that makes this a bad movie. And when I say bad, I mean absolutely fucking god-awful. Where do I begin? How about the actors? A bunch of 2nd rank English actors pretending to be comedy Russians running around like they're in a stage farce. Or maybe the location? The most generic, boring, obvious studio set ever committed to celluloid. Or maybe the music? Imagine a Russian version of a Benny Hill track played endlessly for 90 minutes. Or the way it is shot? Flat as a fucking pancake. Or the killer? A bloody, overacting Barbarian in full armor wielding an axe as he skips (yes, skips) through the corridors. Or the script? Let's not even go there. To give the director, Kit Ryan, his due it is a mighty impressive achievement that he has managed to gather the money together, get all the talent involved and commit his vision to screen. He surely is a charmer off-screen but, I'm sorry to report that his own comparisons with the likes of Raimi's Evil Dead 2 and Jeunet and Caro's Delicatessen are as misguided as the film itself. The movie plays out as though it is the product of an unholy union between Satan and the lesser members of the Carry-On team managing throughout to be neither funny nor thrilling. Botched A British movie in which a jaded New York cop and his rookie partner investigate a series of murders linked by the fact that each of the victims has the letters w-a-z carved into their body. To reveal more of the plot would be unfair as, once you get over Stellan Skarsgard's curious Swedish-American accent, Waz becomes an engaging and intelligent spin on the serial killer genre with more than a few surprises up its sleeve. Filmed partly in Belfast (doubling for New York) and New York itself, the director, Tom Shankland, has been forced to be creative with his use of locations and it pays off in a big way, lending the movie a very fresh and realistically downbeat look. On the acting front, Skarsgard and the Australian Melissa George are very good as the cops, but the screen belongs to Selma Blair and the British Ashley Walters as a victim and gang member respectively. The Zombie Diaries Three video diaries document the outbreak of a virus that turns everyday folk into zombies. Another British movie but, I'm sorry to say, a far less successful one. When The Blair Witch Project was released back in 1999 it was a genuinely fresh and inventive use of digital video to mask the budget of the film within the context of the script. Eight years later and the conceit is as hackneyed as the zombie genre, so I suppose on that level at least, the two are a perfect match. You have to admire the drive of the directors, Michael Bartlett and Kevin Gates, who struggled with the help of friends and a small crew to shoot the movie at weekends over a period of several months. Unfortunately this is exactly what the movie feels like, never really escaping a prevailing air of amateurism. Having said that, it's not by any means a total disaster. The way the three video diaries eventually interconnect is quite smart and effectively chilling and there are a few nice shocks but, ultimately, the film is just a little boring and brings nothing new to the party. KM31 Speaking of bringing nothing new to the party... Based on the local legend of The Crying Woman, Rigoberto Castaneda's KM31 tells the story of a young woman left in a coma following a serious accident, and her twin sister who tries to get to the bottom of what caused the accident. This Mexican ghost movie has already been a huge success in its native country - which is slightly puzzling given that it has to be one of the most derivative ghost stories ever made, covering just about every modern cliché in an already over-worn genre. Aren't people getting bored of the long, dark-haired female ghost? Or perhaps the ghostly young boy with the dark eyes? Or even the crazy old mystic woman who lives in a small cottage in the forest? Or the bend in the road where ghosts suddenly appear to cause accidents? The list is almost endless, to the point that I found myself more amused by trying to spot the clichés than by watching this interminably dull movie. Spiral At last years Frightfest Adam Green showed his retro slasher debut Hatchet. A year later he's back with Spiral, a psychological thriller co-directed by and starring Hatchet's Joel David Moore, which couldn't be further away in style from the earlier movie. Where Hatchet was full-on rock'n'roll, Spiral is pure jazz all the way. Essentially a three-hander, it follows Mason (Moore), a timid and disturbed young artist who works for his best friend (Zachary Levi in a career-making performance) as an insurance telesales operator. Gradually the solitary Mason strikes up a relationship with Amber (Amber Tamblyn) who works in the same building, and it is not long before he's painting portraits of her in various states of undress. To reveal any more about the plot would be a crime as the beauty of the film is how it carefully reveals more about Mason's life, culminating in an awesomely satisfying pay-off. The Orphanage The final film of the festival, Juan Antonio Bayona's The Orphanage, is also a close contender for the best (for me Cold Prey just edges it out, but it's a close-run thing and my fellow travelers were split between the two). Laura returns to the orphanage she attended as a child, with her husband and young son in tow, to open a home for handicapped children. Before long, however, her adopted son Simon is making brand new imaginary friends. Then he disappears and strange things begin to happen in the house. It has been a long time since I've seen a movie that has made me jump this much. Repeatedly the audience let out a collective gasp of shock followed by nervous laughter. The film builds tension to an almost unbearable point where the viewer is hanging on every single sound. It is also a beautiful and very sad exploration of guilt and grief which will haunt you long after you leave the theater. . 
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#2
09-01-2007, 12:18 AM
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All the Boys Love Mandy Lane is definitely one I'm looking forward to. It looks absolutely amazing and one I'm definitely going to enjoy. The trailer got me hooked and I just LOVE that poster. The rest I really haven't seen much of except for Wrong Turn 2 which looks like fun but I'm not too excited for it. Just bring on Mandy Lane!
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#3
09-01-2007, 12:38 AM
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Re: 14 upcoming horrors
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Mexican cinema = Horrible. Mexican horror cinema = Even more horrible.
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#4
09-01-2007, 12:48 AM
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Re: Re: 14 upcoming horrors
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#5
09-01-2007, 12:52 AM
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Re: Re: Re: 14 upcoming horrors
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We need to stop making movies and television.
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#6
09-01-2007, 12:55 AM
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Re: Re: Re: Re: 14 upcoming horrors
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#7
09-01-2007, 01:47 AM
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Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: 14 upcoming horrors
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Masterpieces like "Children of Men", "Babel" or "Pan's Labyrinth" couldn't have been made here. Ever. The last decent mexican movie was "Matando Cabos" 4 years ago, and that's such a sad statement. And I had hopes for "El Búfalo de la Noche" and "Sultanes del Sur", both of which apparently do suck. Gael García Bernal said it best. "Seeing these three movies doing so well this year doesn't speak well of mexican cinema, quite the contrary."
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#8
09-01-2007, 02:05 AM
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Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: 14 upcoming horrors
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bring on mandy lane i think it comes out this year,it better.plus The Orphanage sounds good.
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#10
09-01-2007, 10:01 AM
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Isn't the horrorfest coming again this year?
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#11
09-01-2007, 10:37 AM
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Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: 14 upcoming horrors
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#12
09-01-2007, 11:00 PM
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I'm also looking forward to All the Boys Love Mandy Lane, even though the title sounds a bit porno-esque.
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#13
09-04-2007, 03:57 AM
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didn`t know about this one.from stuart gordon i think he did some master of horror stuff.
new flick called STUCK. basically homeless dude stephen read gets hit by mena suvari car and gets STUCK in the windscreen.she goes home as she freaks only to find out he is still alive .tense battle of wits etc etc follows. review Stephen Rea plays Tom. Tom just became homeless and due to burocratical bullshit he lost his qualifications to wellfare money. So he seeks a place to sleep and gets thrown out of the park by the police. Just when he thinks, that his life couldn´t get any worse, he is hit by a car… Mena Suvari is Brandi. She works in an old folks home and is well liked by the people she takes care of and her colleagues. Her boss even offers her a promotion. She has everything she could wish for, so she celebrates the night, gets drunk and swallows some pills from her drugdealing lover. On the ride home, she hits Tom. Tom crashes through her windshield and gets stuck there (hence the title). She panics and loses her mind over the situation. She is too terrified to drive to a hospital, since she doesn´t want trouble, which she thinks might cost her the promotion. So she hides the car with the deadlooking bum in her garage and pretends nothing happened. But soon after that she finds out, that Tom is still alive and what follows is a quite bizarre fight between the two of them. Tom begs her to call an ambulance or at least to just help him out, he promises to tell nobody about her, but she doesn´t believe him. In one bizarre moment, she even asks the man, who is lying on/in her car with his broken legs and smashed face, "Why are you doing this to me?!" While Tom tries everything to get out of the garage, Brandi comes to the decision, that she has to get rid of the man in her garage by all means. I won´t spoil the rest of the film. Even if the film mostly takes place in the garage there happens so much and the suspense just won´t end. Gordon took this mean "little" story, which is basically a three person play and put so many twists and surprises into it, that you will want to watch it again, as soon as it ended. Tom´s fight for survival becomes even more gruesome, when you realize, that the film is based on real events. Fans of Stuart Gordon might wonder, if there is any gore in the movie. Well, while Tom tries to escape from his prison, there are some scenes showing him dealing with his injuries, that are really really painful to watch. This is no overthetop reanimatorsplatter, this is godawful real pain this man lives through and it is played out long and nasty. Stephen Rea plays Tom with a nice subtlety. He suffered some setbacks, but at least tries to keep his dignity. And this is the worst thing for him, that the girl takes his humanity from him and treats him like an animal. Mena Suvari tends to overact every now and then in the film (as does her macho, wannabegangsta boyfriend in the comic relief scenes), but ends up as a believable overstrained young women that just keeps making incomprehensible and absurd decisions, which only make sense in her little world. The whole audience loved the movie and applauded plenty. This is not as gritty as KING OF THE ANTS or as heavy as EDMOND. It is a mean character-based thriller and as suspenseful as entertaining. I highly recommend to check this film out, as soon, as you have the chance to. You won´t regret it. Jens
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#14
09-04-2007, 04:54 AM
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Holy shit...
That sounds like it would be right up my alley! I'm so there. Guess it's not on DVD yet because I immediately went over to NetFlix to look for it. Thanks for the heads-up and for the awesome review. I'll definitely be looking out for it.
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#15
09-04-2007, 06:01 AM
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Anything directed by Stuart Gordon is worth seeing for me, I don't think i've been disappointed with anything he's done and this sounds like it could be a lot of fun.
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#16
09-04-2007, 10:09 AM
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Black Water - I'm not very much looking foward to this, cause the trailer previously let out did not look so tasty. But since you said it's the lo-fi appearance they are trying to make to match the atmosphere, I'll still check it out. I like croc movies
 All the Boys Love Mandy Lane - Definitely going to watch. Wrong Turn 2 - It reminds me of several other recent slasher movies like Wilderness and HHE2, for some of their sequences are pretty much alike. But as a direct-to-dvd sequel, WT2 is still decent in gore and violence. The Girl Next Door - Bad bad movie. The Zombie Diaries - Sounds like it is not well done. I thought it was good  The Orphanage - Any movie related to del Toro is a must see 
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#17
09-04-2007, 09:01 PM
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 THE ORPHANAGE  TEASER TRAILER FOR IT(SPANISH) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5m0IN1QRmmo YIKES SCARY TRAILER(SPANISH) starts scary then goes like a drama then scary at the end.looks good. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5m0IN1QRmmo Last edited by yorrick brown; 09-04-2007 at 09:06 PM..
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#18
09-05-2007, 04:51 AM
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All the Boys Love Mandy Lane seems promising like everyones saying, hopefully pans out to be as good as it sounds.
The Signal looks damn good, hadnt heard anything about it till that little trailer was posted in the headlines on the Joblo homepage. And Teeth sounds TOOOO damn fun to pass up! Im there as well.
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#19
09-05-2007, 10:04 PM
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#20
09-07-2007, 01:29 PM
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Looking forward to the Zombie Diaries.
Any zombie movie - even a bad one - is usually worth checking out.
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#21
09-15-2007, 04:49 AM
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my top 5 seem kinda different from most
1-100 Feet 2-return to house on haunted hill 3-Last Resort AKA Killers 4-resident evil extinction 5-funny games
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#22
09-17-2007, 02:02 PM
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Read some great things about ZD , and the trailer looks fantastic , i may have to import that one since it's out on region 2 dvd , i don't buy standard dvds anymore , but i may have to make an exception this time , if anything it can be an excellent primer for Diary of the Dead .
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#23
09-18-2007, 03:05 AM
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As for the Girl Next Door--I'd imagine it also sucks because Ketchum, the guy who wrote the book, sucks too. His books are agony to read, yet considered great horror. I just don't get it.
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#24
09-18-2007, 04:05 AM
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#25
09-18-2007, 03:25 PM
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