shady402 Reviews

The Mist (2007)

What an AWESOME movie! Compelling character study & exploration of human emotion!

[8/10 · 13 April 2011]

This film was intriguing, full of tension, the effects were amazing and more than anything, despite how much I had to suspend my disbelief at the events of the film, the characters made it real for me.

This is characteristic of many Stephen King movies i.e. the characters bring a human element that we can sympathise with and empathise with regardless of how unrealistic or bizarre the situation may be. I felt the characters' fear, pain, sense of hopelessness etc. I also loved the religious nuts that often feature in Stephen King stories.

The film was gripping from start to finish. It was just a GREAT movie!

A MUST SEE!!!

The Last House on the Left (2009)

For once...a DECENT remake...

[7/10 · 13 April 2011]

When this was initially released I refused to see it as I was angry that it had been remade as the original is one of my favourite films. I have always considered the original to be a flawed masterpiece but one that didn't need to be remade as despite its flaws, it genuinely disturbed me and left a lasting impression on me and so did what it set out to do.

I was therefore expecting to hate the remake but I surprisingly enjoyed it. As far as remakes go, this one actually held my attention and was very well made. It was clearly more 'Hollywood' and less raw & gritty compared to the original as most remakes usually are but as a stand-alone film, it was a compelling and gripping watch. It's less disturbing than the original but more disturbing than your average Hollywood horror film.

Definitely worth a watch!

Diary of the Dead (2007)

Not as bad as people make out. An interesting movie.

[7/10 · 27 April 2008]

I love the original trilogy but was greatly disappointed with 'Land', so didn't really know what to expect going into this.

However, I enjoyed it and found Romero to be on top form again. I was expecting more in terms of gore and violence to be honest and I was expecting to see more zombie carnage than I did but regardless I thought it was entertaining and found the commentary to be spot on. I really liked the way it was filmed. I love the way everything was shown to us from different angles and even different cameras. It's as if nothing was left out and we were shown absolutely everything that happened, which is something that the media and the government do not do. They show us and tell us what they want us to see and hear. They distort the truth and Romero has exploited that fact in his latest instalment to the 'Dead' saga.

The film was witty i.e. there was a scene in the film where Jason filmed a zombie and said something like 'see the dead do move slow', which was clearly Romero speaking and having a dig at the recent trend of running zombies in films! However, the film also retained that sense of utter hopelessness, which is present in his previous 'Dead' films. The closing lines were also spot on. The perfect way to end the movie.

The film didn't blow me away to be honest but the commentary did. Although it was over-explained and glaringly obvious, in an age where people blindly believe what they see and hear, isn't it a good thing for someone like Romero to just spell it out bright as day and drum it into people's heads?

Overall, I was thoroughly impressed.

The Cottage (2008)

Mindless, twisted mayhem!

[6/10 · 27 April 2008]

The best way to sum up this film is 'interesting...!' The violence, blood and gore is fantastic. If you want to see people decapitated and hacked to bits and want to laugh at the same time, this recent British horror comedy is definitely for you. The main characters are fun, likable and witty, Andy Serkis is fantastic, the dialogue is hilarious and the film is just entertaining from start to finish.

However, the storyline is quite simply all over the place. It's an incoherent mess to be exact! The film just twists and turns in different directions raising a number of questions, which it then leaves unanswered. Characters and subplots are introduced and then forgotten about. However, I'm guessing most people would not want to see this for the plot so if you just want some mindless, gory fun, go and see this.

The Orphanage (2007)

Chilling yet beautiful!

[8/10 · 27 April 2008]

I really enjoyed this film. To be honest I didn't find it to be the masterpiece that people are professing it to be but as a ghost story, it's definitely up there with the likes of 'The Innocents' and 'The Others', especially with regards to atmosphere and overall eeriness.

I thought it was brilliantly filmed, from the opening credits, which were great, to the closing scenes and found myself really engrossed by the story. I personally find ghost films to be the scariest kind of horror in that they rely on suspense and atmosphere to frighten as opposed to loud sound effects and jump scares and in that regard, 'The Orphanage' really delivered.

My only complaint was that there were scenes in the film that really built up the suspense but then fell flat and left me wanting more but overall, I was impressed. As far as ghost stories go, this one is up there with the best of them.

Slither (2006)

Grossly fun and entertaining! A must-see!

[8/10 · 27 April 2008]

I will keep this short and sweet although sweet is really not the right word to describe this superb horror comedy.

'Slither' is a highly entertaining film that manages to be funny, gross and bizarre all at the same time whilst concurrently paying homage to a range of horror movies. The plot is strange yet engaging. The acting is top notch from all involved and the excessive use of CGI is understandable in a film of this nature as it actually delivers! I watched it with low expectations but was pleasantly surprised by just how much I enjoyed it.

I can't recommend it highly enough!

Disturbia (2007)

Surprisingly enjoyable...

[7/10 · 29 September 2007]

This film has received some very mixed reviews but I've just got back from seeing it and enjoyed it.

It has a gripping opening, is full of tension and suspense, has well developed characters that you actually care for and features some action-packed, nail-biting scenes towards the end. I guess the only thing I can fault with this film is how predictable it is as I knew exactly how it would pan out just from watching the trailer and that is exactly what happened. I don't think it's a bad thing at all though as in an age where horror films are full of twists and turns, it's actually refreshing to see a straight-forward yet effective film that delivers.

Some say that it rips off 'Rear Window' but I personally consider it to be a modernisation of Hitchcock's classic. It should not be forgotten that Hitchcock's film was made in 1954 so modern audiences (unless they're avid Hitchcock fans) will be unaware of it. So is it not a good thing that 'Disturbia' has been made as whenever the film is mentioned, 'Rear Window' also gets mentioned so it sheds light on a great film that modern audiences may not have looked up otherwise..?

Overall, 'Disturbia' is a simple yet effective little thriller.

Signs (2002)

Brilliant, suspenseful, thought-provoking film that people JUST DON'T GET!

[8/10 · 25 August 2006]

'Signs' is one of Shyamalan's best movies because it is atmospheric, suspenseful and eerie from start to finish but is also a compelling tale of fate, which many people don't seem to understand.

All people seem to take away from this movie is that 'water kills the aliens?!?!?!? why invade a planet that is literally made of water?, why harvest humans who are mostly made of water?' and 'how can these aliens master space travel and not be able to break down wooden pantry doors?!?!?' etc etc when in fact this has little to do with the plot.

You need to look at the bigger picture. It's about the lead characters journey in the film, from having faith, to losing it, to finding it again. It revolves around the theme that everything happens for a reason (which is PRECISELY WHY the aliens who have an aversion to water invade a planet that is mostly made out of it), looking out for the 'signs' is also why the girl conveniently leaves glasses of water all over the house and why the boy has asthma as it ends up saving his life!

For all those who dislike this film, just remember that it is not about the aliens. It's so much deeper than that. Shyamalan is a master storyteller but when his stories don't seem to make sense or appear to be ridiculous, look a little deeper as his themes and morals are often disguised in his intricate and visually stunning films.

Beautiful, over-looked,under-rated gem. 8/10!

Wolf Creek (2005)

GREAT movie - VERY slow start but the finale is well worth it - raw, gritty and intense!

[8/10 · 5 January 2006]

'Wolf Creek' was released in the UK quite some time ago and I loved it. It just has a very intense and gripping storyline. If you feel that you can sit through an hour of annoying characters doing nothing first though, before the horror comes, go see it as although it takes a while to get going, it's well worth it in the end. Just go in with low expectations. Don't expect blood, gore and violence or you'll set yourself up for a fall as a lot of it is implied in this movie.

You know what the funny thing is, I went into 'Wolf Creek' without having seen any of the trailers, presuming that it was a werewolf movie. Yes, a werewolf movie 'based on a true story!' Haha! Then part way through, I thought, 'No...I get it...it's an alien movie!' Then after that; I was like 'hang on a minute, what the hell is this, a documentary? I thought this was supposed to be a flippin' horror movie?!?' Then...when I was least expecting it, it turned into a horror movie! And a very good one at that and that's the beauty of the film. It has a very slow start, it takes an hour to get going but when the horror comes, it really hits you because it comes out of nowhere.

It's a good tactic. I mean, showing an hour of nothing and then 20 minutes of violence shows just how easily things can take a turn for the worse. I mean nothing happens in an hour yet everything happens in those mere 20 minutes. The characters were annoying but saying that, their stupidity made the movie what it was. Stuff like going back when they could have escaped, whilst stupid and clichéd, allowed the plot to progress and built up the tension and seeing them falter actually made me want them to escape because of the sheer horror of the situation they were in. It shows just how easily moments of sheer bliss can turn into moments of sheer hell, how your life can turn into your most terrifying nightmare almost instantaneously.

It's just a gritty, raw and compelling horror movie and one of the best of 2005...well in my opinion anyway.

Deliverance (1972)

Brilliant film; one that really makes you think and question the world we live in!

[8/10 · 3 January 2006]

This film traces the adventures of four men on a canoeing trip, which soon turns into the trip from hell when they run into a spot of trouble, which escalates out of control! This is one of the most ambiguous movies I've ever seen because it seems as if the director intentionally leaves a lot of questions unanswered. I guess that is the beauty of the film though, that we're right there with them; seeing everything through their eyes. We know as much (or as little) as they do and therefore never really learn the truth about anything.

We never really discover whether their actions in this movie were right or wrong but that's the whole point, the question of whether they deserve 'deliverance' from their sins is left open for the characters in the film and us, the viewers, to ponder and decide.

I don't want to give too much away but this is a film that deals with serious thought-provoking issues including rape, murder, death, sins, the law and morality and really lays such important issues down and questions them. It's an raw and intense roller-coaster and I can definitely see where films like 'Wrong Turn' got their influence from.

This movie is an absolute must-see, it's gritty, realistic and intense and shows just how easily sheer bliss can turn into sheer hell whilst questioning morality, conscience, human nature and the society we live in along the way.

Open Water (2003)

Surprisingly intense, realistic and one hell of an experience!

[9/10 · 3 January 2006]

This was one of the most intense movies I have ever seen. Now that is what you call terrifying - being stranded in the middle of the shark-infested ocean - and this movie actually captures the sheer horror of that situation perfectly.

I loved it because it was so bloody real to the point that you actually felt that you were in the water with them. I also don't know why people feel the need to compare it to 'Jaws' because they're so different in the sense that this movie is not about the sharks, they just happen to be there, it's about those two people stranded and how they cope with the situation and about the negligence of the other people involved.

***SPOILERS***

The ending completely threw me! I just sat there silent for a bit because I simply couldn't believe it! That has to be one of the most powerful endings I have ever seen in a film. I assumed that since it was based on a true story and as that fact seemed to be emphasised with this movie, that one of them must have lived to tell the tale.

So the actual reality is that we don't know what happened to the real couple. They probably endured a fate much worse than the one the couple in the movie went through. They probably survived for days. Who knows?

Anyway, it really makes you think because if I turned on the news today and heard that 2 divers had died, I wouldn't even think twice about it. As tragic as that sounds, people die every day and sadly that's all you ever hear on the news. But watching this film does make you think. I mean, 2 divers didn't just die...they suffered slow and painful deaths due to the negligence of man...and their plight and suffering is worth remembering!

Anyway, I'm going off on a tangent so back to the film. I absolutely loved the scene where the sharks surrounded Susan and we kept catching glimpses of them when the camera dipped under the water. Quite possibly one of the most terrifying scenes I have ever seen in a film.

***END SPOILERS***

Yeah, so basically, 'Open Water' is one of the best and most powerful films I have ever seen. Gripping, intense and so damned realistic with very powerful imagery throughout and one hell of an ending!

Oh another thing...I really disliked 'The Blair Witch Project', which is why I thought I would hate this film...so don't assume that if you hate one, you'll hate the other as I personally found 'Open Water' to be everything that the former isn't i.e. scary, realistic, unnerving, intense etc. Just my opinion of course!