Every so often, I will encounter a film that really surprises me. I'll sit down all ready to watch a movie and think I know what I'm in for and then the film manages to pull the rug out from me and really, genuinely surprise me. That was what happened when I watched the film You're Next. From the ridiculous title to the overly familiar home invasion horror film set-up, I thought I knew how this movie was going to play out. Much to my surprise, the filmmakers anticipated this and repeatedly threw in curveball after curveball, keeping me on my toes the whole way through.
The Davison family is gathering at their large, rural country home to celebrate the wedding anniversary of their parents, Aubrey and Paul (played by Barbara Crampton and Rob Moran). Their son Crispian (played by A.J Bowen) is bringing his girlfriend Erin (played by Sharni Vinson) home to meet his family for the first time. Also arriving are Crispian's two brothers, Felix (played by Nicholas Tucci) and Drake (played by Joe Swanberg) As the family gathers for dinner, old rivalries between the siblings begin to re-emerge. Just as the tempers begin to flair, crossbow bolts start sailing through the dining room windows, attacking the family. The house is under attack by three lethal killers in animal masks. The Davisons have an unexpected ace up their sleeve in Erin though. She quickly springs into action, getting the family out of the line of fire and securing the house. However, their cell phone signals are jammed and with no way to call for help, they need to figure out a way to get help while also fending off the attacks of the three killers outside.
That's it, that's all the plot summary you're getting from me on this one. Director Adam Wingard and screenwriter Simon Barrett created a brutal and thrilling horror flick with a liberal dose of dark humor. They seem to relish in planting surprises for who they know their main audience will be, horror buffs. There were scenes that were set up for me to expect one thing only to be completely caught off guard when it was something else entirely. The film is still a home invasion film and it does follow those genre conventions to an extent, but at the same time knows when to tweak those expectations and play with the audience.
One thing the film doesn't do is make their characters complete morons. There may be some desperate actions made by some characters, but given the situation, I can see why they made those decisions. Especially with the character of Erin. I think a big reason why I loved this movie was her character. There has been an annoying trend in movies like this where the heroine will hit the killer once or twice, the killer slumps over and the heroine drops the weapon and wanders off only to be attacked again. This always drove me crazy in movies and this film finally addresses this with a marvelous (and brutal) scene where Erin doesn't do that and instead repeatedly wails on her attacker until she basically caves his head in. The first time I watched this movie I wanted to stand up and cheer because that is exactly what you should do in that situation. She continues to show a fantastic level of ingenuity and cleverness throughout the film that I don't think I've seen in a horror movie since Nancy Thompson in A Nightmare on Elm Street.
You're Next is a visceral and at times grisly horror film that also at times has it's tongue firmly planted in it's cheek as it blends dysfunctional drama with a slasher movie creating a strange but entertaining brew of a film. It's a nasty and twisted little film and I have to admit I enjoyed every minute of it.
There are certain films that I have nostalgic ties to, memories associated with them that may prevent me from being overly critical towards a certain film. One of those films was John Carpenter's Village of the Damned. I freely admit that the film is not one of Carpenter's best. But it is still one I enjoy a lot, in part because I distinctly remember going with my Dad and my Brother to go see it at the local theater one spring evening while my Mom was out of town visiting family.
The Northern California coastal town of Midwich suddenly experiences a strange occurrence that causes every living resident and animal to suddenly lose consciousness. This event lasts for six hours and as soon as it started, it stops and everyone wakes up. Well, everyone who hasn't had the misfortune of been driving when it started, or in one grisly case, was grilling and subsequently fell asleep on said grill. The event has attracted the attention of Army Doctor Susan Verner (played by Kirstie Alley) and local physician Alan Chaffee (played by Christopher Reeve), who makes the alarming discovery that ten women in town, including his own wife, are all pregnant with the time they became pregnant dating back to the day of the black out. Soon, the children are born and all but one are healthy babies, with one coming out stillborn.
As the children grow, they begin to demonstrate incredible mental powers, including the ability to read minds and control the actions of others. Each one has white, silvery hair and they remain isolated from the other children moving around town, marching in a row with girls on one side and boys on the other. The lone standout is David (played by Thomas Dekker), who is the outcast of the group since the girl he was supposed to be paired with didn't survive. As a result, his development is different as he begins to gain human emotions while the others remain cold and calculating. This becomes a growing concern with the leader of the group, Mara (played by Lindsey Haun). Meanwhile, at the urging of David's mother Jill (played by Linda Kozlowski), Alan takes the post of teacher to the children because most of the other adults are terrified of the children. He tries to teach them something about humanity and caring for one another with little success and frequently butting heads with his own daughter, Mara. As it becomes clear that the children intend to conquer rather than co-exist and as the bodies of anyone that gets in their way begin to pile up, it becomes clear that a full scale confrontation between the two sides is inevitable.
I don't know if it's just the age I was when I saw the film for the first time or the fact that I saw it before the original film but I always kind of dug this movie. I'll be the first to admit that it's not a perfect movie, but it's got enough going on in it to make it entertaining and thought provoking. Pairing these cold, calculating and emotionless kids who may have these incredible powers but an inability to feel against normal humans and have them interact with one another creates some engrossing drama. The film has a strong cast, with Christopher Reeve as his usual stoic hero character gets a few juicy scenes to sink his teeth into when trying to talk with the children and find out if there is anything remotely human about them. Kirstie Alley gets to play a different character in this as a much more shady and slightly sinister character. Her character's interest in what is going on is mostly academic and wants to study the children. Linda Kozlowski gets some strong scenes as well as she recognizes pretty quickly that her son, David, is different from the rest and continuously tries to reason with him that he doesn't have to follow the other kids. They also found some great actors to play the children, especially Thomas Dekker as David and Lindsey Haun as Mara. Those two had the biggest parts and both nailed them wonderfully. Dekker is so wonderfully expressive especially as things progress and he does a great job showing David's growing discomfort with the other children's actions. Lindsey Haun in many ways has the tougher role having to portray the sinister and evil Mara, a character wise well beyond her years and she manages to create a genuinely chilling character, an impressive feat for an actress who was only nine years old at the time.
There is something about this movie that has stuck with me over the years. It's far from being one of John Carpenter's best films (although it probably has one of his best scores, which Carpenter co-wrote with Dave Davies). I can admit that freely. The film has a curious pacing and there really isn't much tension or suspense in the film. But the themes of humanity, compassion and empathy versus cold, emotionless, strictly intellectual beings and exploring who truly are the superior beings is an intriguing one and carries through the film's rougher patches. There are moments and scenes that stuck with me for the whole 21 years since the movie was released, so that has to say something for the film, right? I never owned the film on VHS and did eventually pick up the DVD when I found it in a bargin bin at Wal-Mart several years ago and was surprised how well I remembered it. I also more recently acquired the Blu-Ray released by Scream Factory because I was intrigued by the Special Features, which includes a documentary featuring both John Carpenter and several of the children now all grown up, which was a fascinating and fun watch. Re-watching it again for this review, I can see where people would criticize the film and they are valid points. But, I still enjoyed it and maybe even enjoyed it more now than I had in the past. So, there's that, at least.
Every so often, I stumble across a hidden gem of a movie that didn't get a lot of attention when it was released or didn't get much of a release. Attack of the Werewolves aka Game of Werewolves aka Lobos De Arga is one such movie (it's known by a few names, depending on the country). Deftly blending comedy and horror against the backdrop of a cursed Spanish village, this is one funny little monster movie.
Tomas (played by Gorka Otxoa) is returning to the village of Arga where he grew up to accept an award for his writing, despite only writing one not very good novel. Soon after arriving, he begins to reconnect with the locals, including his childhood friend Calisto (played by Carlos Areces) and his uncle Evaristo (played by Manuel Manquina). Even his sleazy editor Mario (played by Secun de la Rosa) shows up, although he is also be hiding from his creditors and/or police. Tomas soon discovers that he was not brought to the village to be given an award, but rather to be sacrificed to the werewolf that has been terrorizing the village for the past 100 years. There is a chance to break the curse on the village 100 years from the day it was cast if the werewolf devours the descendant of the original cursed family, which means Tomas. If the curse is not successfully broken on the 100 year anniversary then a second and even worse curse will befall the town. Not wanting to become werewolf chow and not particularly caring about the welfare of the village, Tomas, Calisto, and Mario find themselves desperately trying to escape the village, all the more difficult when the villagers are hunting them and destroyed their transport.
The film was written and directed by Juan Martinez Moreno, who manages to create a thoroughly entertaining movie with three amusing characters at the center of it. The film's script throws in one amusing gag after another, some I didn't even see coming and others I did, but were executed so well I was laughing already in anticipation of them. There are a couple more horror moments, but by and large this film is much more of a comedy. The film is anchored by three great comedic performances. Gorka Otxoa is great as Tomas, exasperated by the events transpiring around him and trying to find a way out of the mess he's found himself in, with only hinderance from his two friends. Likewise, Carlos Areces is fun as his childhood friend Calisto who tries to help Tomas escape but at the same time comes up with some rather idiotic plans that I won't spoil here. And then there is Secun de la Rosa as Mario, Tomas' shady publisher from Madrid. I was cracking up at his antics as we found out more about his character and just how shameless he really is.
Sadly, Attack of the Werewolves did not get the release it deserved in the U.S, only playing a few foreign film festivals before quietly being released on HBO on Demand (which is where I finally got to see it) for some time before disappearing. For a film that I would liken to Shaun of the Dead with werewolves (although it's not quite as good as that film, but it's in the same spirit as that film), it's a shame. I had to import the Blu-Ray from the U.K even (thank you U.K for making it region free!). So, once again, I taunt my faithful readers by reviewing a film that is *extremely* hard to find. But, if you want to watch it and you know me, let me know because I'd up for it anytime.
It was only a matter of time before Hammer decided to shake things up with their Dracula series and bring the Count into modern day. That time came in the early seventies during a strange trend with sequels where they would just tack on the year the film was made to differentiate them. Still, there is a certain charm to Dracula A.D 1972, with Dracula working his way through a group of hippies in swinging London, with Peter Cushing making his triumphant return to the series as well.
The film begins in 1872 as Dracula (played by Christopher Lee) and Lawrence Van Helsing (played by Peter Cushing) are in a fight to the death on a runaway carriage. Soon, the carriage crashes and both Dracula and Van Helsing are thrown from the wreckage. Somehow, Dracula has managed to impale himself on the spoke of a broken wagon wheel and Van Helsing manages to stab it into the Count, staking him before expiring of his injuries. In hot pursuit of the two is an unnamed servant of Dracula (played by Christopher Neame), who collects some of the ashen remains of the count in a glass vial and Dracula's ring. Later, he buries some of the remains near the grave of Lawrence Van Helsing and marks the spot with the wheel spoke stake (and this miraculously remains undisturbed for 100 years!).
We then move ahead 100 years to 1972, where a young man, Johnny Alucard (played by Christopher Neame) suggests to his friends that they hold a Black Mass for giggles in a nearby desanctified church (because in 1972 you had to make your own fun, of course). Of course, Johnny is a descendant of the servant of Dracula looking to resurrect the Count for his own ends (basically he wants to be a vampire). Of course, one of the members of their group is Jessica Van Helsing (played by Stephanie Beacham) and is looked after by her grandfather, Lorrimer Van Helsing (played by Peter Cushing). Of course, the Black Mass goes off without a hitch and Dracula is resurrected in modern day London. Dracula only has one objective on his mind though, revenge against the Van Helsing family.
This film is probably one of the more maligned entries in the series for many reasons, but I must confess I thoroughly enjoyed it. It has a certain kitschy and campy sensibility to it. The acting is so over the top that I was more prone to laughter than fright but it was all so entertaining at the same time. After the previous seven entries all taking place in the 19th century, the series was ripe for some re-invention and bringing it into the modern day was an obvious choice and works wonders for the film.
Peter Cushing once again rocks it as Van Helsing, carrying the same sort of deadly serious swagger that made his first turn in the role in Horror of Dracula so memorable. Adding his Granddaughter into the mix and having her fall into the cross hairs of Dracula helps add an emotional weight to the film and up the stakes for Van Helsing as he has a much more personal investment in what is happening with Dracula. Unfortunately, Christopher Lee isn't given much to do for the bulk of the film, left to skulk around that moldy, desanctified church for much of the film until the climactic showdown between Dracula and Van Helsing, which was suitably epic. The whole point of bringing Dracula into modern day would be to see the character interact with it. Although Tim Burton's Dark Shadows showed the dangers of going too far down that route, so perhaps we are better off. This film is campy enough as it is. I also have to call out Christopher Neame as Johnny Alucard. Neame creates this perfect blend of sexy and menacing. It's easy to see why the girls in the group go for his bad boy charm, but yet they don't know just how bad he really is. What we're lacking in Dracula, Neame more than made up for, at least for me.
Deep down, I know I should hate Dracula A.D 1972 but I just can't. The groovy funky soundtrack, the over the top acting, the silly plot and the chance to see Lee and Cushing square off once again as Dracula and Van Helsing. Add in the sexy bad boy antics of Christopher Neame and the whole thing just works for me on some sort of crazy, campy level. Oh well, we all have our guilty pleasures, I suppose.
Following directly from the climax of Dracula Has Risen from the Grave, we move right into the next film, Taste the Blood of Dracula. Hammer kicked things up a couple notches with this outing, crafting a clever return for the Count as he continues his reign of terror, this time moving the action from Eastern Europe to Victorian London.
Three British Gentlemen, William Hargood (played by Geoffrey Keen), Samuel Paxton (played by Peter Sallis), and Jonathan Secker (played by John Carson), have formed a social circle under the guise of being for charity work but actually the three frequently visit a brothel together. On one such visit, they are disrupted by the appearance of a young man, Courtley (played by Ralph Bates), who is tended to immediately despite the brothel keeper's objections. Intrigued, the men ask about him and discover the man was disinherited after practicing a Black Mass. Intrigued and seeking a more intense thrill, Hargood meets Courtley outside the brothel. The young man promises the three gentlemen a thrill to remember and after purchasing some Dracula artifacts, including a vial of Dracula's dried blood, takes the three to an old, abandoned church. He places some of the powdered Dracula blood in four goblets and then adds some of his own blood, which causes the blood to liquify and fill the goblets. He encourages the men to drink, but they are too disgusted to do so. Courtley drinks it instead and begins to scream and fall to the ground. Horrified, the three gentlemen kick and beat Courtley, not stopping until he is dead and then flee the scene. Courtley's dead body is then transformed into Dracula (played by Christopher Lee), who rises once again, pledging to avenge the murder of his faithful servant Courtley.
The film was directed by Paul Sasidy and written by Anthony Hinds, who also wrote the previous film. As with most sequels, this one ups the ante for the latest installment and in fact has the distinction of being the only Hammer Dracula film to carry an R rating. But yet, the film maintains the same distinct gothic horror flavor that this series has been known for, but just with a slightly harder edge to it. However, despite the set-up, this outing is very similar to the previous film with the Count swearing vengeance against those who have wronged him and setting his sights on both the individuals and their families. It even falls to a young lad named Paul (played by Anthony Higgins) to defeat the Count and save his girlfriend. But yet, this outing is more consistently thrilling than the preceding film and the plot, though similar is a bit more intriguing. Likewise the characters are better drawn this time and a bit more interesting and subsequently the performances were better too. I was just more drawn in with this one than the previous film, although there is plenty to recommend with that one as well.
Overall, Taste the Blood of Dracula may be my favorite of the Dracula sequels I've seen thus far. Granted, the plot is remarkably similar to the previous film but at the same time offers enough new elements as well as better and more interesting characters to create a more intriguing, spooky and entertaining film.
The fourth film in the Hammer Horror Dracula series and the third to star Christopher Lee in the title role was Dracula Has Risen from the Grave. The film once again brings the Hammer brand of gothic horror to the screen with Lee haunting as ever and adds a few interesting new dimensions to the Dracula series.
Monsignor Ernest Mueller (played by Rupert Davies) has traveled to a small European village to check on the local Priest (played by Ewan Hooper. He finds the church deserted as the villagers refuse to enter it since it falls under the shadow of Dracula's castle. The Priest has lost his faith and the altar boy is a frightened mute. Mueller and the Priest travel up to Count Dracula's castle to exorcise it of it's evil. The Priest only makes it halfway and Mueller continues on his own. Mueller is able to complete the exorcism but the resulting thunderstorm causes the Priest to flee. In the process, he stumbles and falls, knocked unconscious when his head hits a rock. The blood from the resulting head wound trickles into a frozen creek and into the mouth of Count Dracula contained within and reviving him. Dracula brings the Priest under his control and once he discovers his castle is now barred to him, sets out to get revenge on Mueller and his family, his widowed sister-in-law Anna (played by Marion Mathie) and his niece Maria (played by Veronica Carlson). It then falls to Mueller and Maria's boyfriend Paul (played by Barry Andrews) to try and defeat the count and save their loved ones.
The film was directed by Freddie Francis and written by Anthony Hinds. The film has the same sort of fantastic gothic mood that Hammer Films became known for. The film also weaves in some interesting spiritual elements with a priest becoming an agent for evil, albeit against his will, and one of the main heroes of the film, Paul, being an atheist. In order for Paul to defeat Dracula and rescue his girlfriend he must accept that there is a God, which I thought was an interesting arc for a character in a film like this. The performances in the film are overall decent. Christopher Lee has the character of Dracula down at this point, striking an imposing figure and a character of few words but imparts more with a mere imposing glance. Likewise, Barry Andrews makes for an appealing hero trying to save his girlfriend from the vengeful Count.
Overall, Dracula Has Risen from the Grave is a decent and entertaining chapter in the Hammer Dracula series. It's paced a bit slower than Horror of Dracula and suffers from a lack of Peter Cushing, but is still a reasonably thrilling film, with a few unique twists to spice things up.
When Christopher Lee passed away last year, I realized to my surprise that I had not actually seen any of his Dracula films all the way through from beginning to end. I had seen bits and pieces over the years, but never the whole thing. Then, more recently, I found a great deal on a four pack of four of the nine total Dracula films made by Hammer Studios and thought that would be a great way to kick off the Halloween season this year, starting with his first, Horror of Dracula.
In 1885 Klausenburg, Romania, Jonathan Harker (played by John Van Eyssen) travels to the castle of Count Dracula (played by Christopher Lee) to take his post as the Count's librarian. He finds the house deserted and comes across a note asking him to make himself at home. Later, he comes across a woman begging him to help her escape. He ignores her pleas when a short time later, his host, Dracula, appears. At first, Dracula appears to be a charming host and shows Harker to his room. Dracula is quite taken with a photo Harker has of his fiance, Lucy (played by Carol Marsh) That night, as he writes in his journal, the truth is revealed. Dracula is a vampire and Harker has traveled there under the guise of being a scholar to destroy the fiend. The woman who begged Harker to help her earlier turns out to be a vampire and he manages to stake her before Dracula gets the drop on him. Some time later, Dr. Van Helsing (played by Peter Cushing), travels to Dracula's castle in search of Harker. As he approaches the castle, a hearse carriage speeds by with a coffin in the back. He finds the castle deserted and Harker in the crypt, now a vampire himself. Realizing that Lucy's picture is missing and after reading Harker's journal, Van Helsing realizes what has happened and races back to Lucy's family's estate in an attempt to protect her and her family from Dracula.
Horror of Dracula was very loosely based on the novel by Bram Stoker and directed by Terence Fisher from a script by Jimmy Sangster. The film was produced by Hammer studios as a follow-up to their previous hit film, The Curse of Frankenstein, which also starred Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee. Their roles in this one as Van Helsing and Dracula were arguably their most iconic as both reprised their roles several times more throughout the series of Dracula films. Both actors are fantastic in their roles. I've only seen one of these thus far but already Christopher Lee is my favorite Dracula and I can say double for Peter Cushing as Van Helsing. There is just something electric between the two, especially during their final confrontation at the end. After all these years, it still held up for me as these two squared off.
At a brisk 81 minutes in length, Horror of Dracula moves along at a steady pace. One could argue this could be titled Dracula: Only the Good Parts as the film hits each of the main story points without dragging things out too much. Any sort of deep characterization is lost in the process but the gothic atmosphere of the film makes up for it with some genuinely interesting set design as well, especially with Dracula's castle.
Overall, Horror of Dracula is an entertaining variation of Bram Stoker's classic tale with some rather glaring differences. Anchored by two fantastic and iconic performances by Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee, I found the film really stands the test of time, remaining just as thrilling and entertaining. It will be interesting to see if the same can be said for the sequels.
