I loved this movie. Hilary Swank acts beautifully in it, making us truly believe that she's the brainiac her character portrays. The biblical revelations in this movie actually make you believe that things like this can happen. I really enjoy how her character tries to debunk the events that occur, only to hit a wall when her theories go blank.

There are a few gory and bloody scenes and many flashbacks to explain what happened before Hilary Swanks character arrives and how this little girl, whom the town thinks is causing all this mayhem, really fits into the scheme of things. Just when you think you know what happens... bam! Another curve is thrown at you. And the ending, in my opinion, is magnificent.

Most of the movie takes place in the swamps and bayous and in the little town of "Haven" where Swank is sent to to investigate the mysteries behind these series of events. You won't be disappointed, it's got it all. You will be on the edge of your seat to find out what is going on to make this all happen.
 

Honestly, it sounds better than it actually was. It's a good thriller for teenagers but if you're looking for spooky and gore-filled, then this is not your movie. I found it more baffling to watch the lead character try to find a way to lead people to his body because nobody can see or hear him. And the girl who started all of this mishap is just as bumbling as him. Her character goes from tough, to sensitive, to tough again. Emotions are flying everywhere with her! And how in the hell couldn't she see that she was being set up? You don't have to be a genius to figure that one out.

Usually in this type of genre I don't take things too seriously, but there are so many obvious flaws to it that I can't help myself. The storyline is thin, the acting is mediocre but it's one of those movies you have to see for yourself. You will either really like it or really hate it. Decide for yourself.
 

This is not your typical horror movie.  I would actually call it more of a creepy psychological thriller. Originally written by Stephen King as a short story to his novel Everything's Eventual : 14 Dark Tales, this movie expands more on the main character, Mike Enslin, played wonderfully by John Cusack.

Mike Enslin is a writer who writes books on creepy and haunted places he's visited. Tormented by a horrible occurrence in his past, Mike has yet to experience any hauntings or paranormal activities for himself. When he receives an anonymous postcard about the Dolphin Hotel, telling him not to go to Room 1408, Mike can't resist the temptation to see it for himself.

When he visits the hotel, he's warned by the hotel manager, played by Samuel L. Jackson, that the room hasn't been rented out in years due to numerous deaths in that room. Undeterred by these warnings, Mike decides to stay the night in Room 1408, preparing himself for yet another bust of "haunted" places.

But what awaits him in Room 1408 is anything beyond what he could have imagined. After strange occurrences start to happen to him in the room, he decides to leave... but the room won't let him!

Even though I don't consider this movie to be an actual "horror" movie, it does have its moments. I love the reaction of John Cusack whenever something creepy happens. We get to find out about the history of the hotel and it's room and the many ways Mike Enslin tries to make sense of what is happening to him. There are many times he thinks it's a practical joke, only to realize that there is no possible way that any of the hotel staff could pull it off, especially when he realizes that he's stuck right in the middle of it all.

I don't want to give too much away, you will just have to find out for yourself. But if you decide to watch this movie... make sure you are not alone!
 

I have always been a huge fan of the Saw movies.  When I heard that it was coming out on DVD I was ecstatic, seeing as how I never got a chance to see it on the big screen.  Even more thrilling is that it is also out on BluRay, which I happen to own a PlayStation 3 to play it on.  I was even willing to wait the extra week for the BluRay to come out just so I could get the full effect on my 50 inch T.V.  I was NOT disappointed!

Saw III was actually one of the few horror movies I have seen in a long time that actually made me flinch! I thought there would be no possible way that it could get any bloodier and graphic than the first two... boy, was I wrong!

As per Saw I and II, someone is put to the test with a series of devices and traps to prove their worthiness for life. Jigsaw (played by Tobin Bell) and Amanda (played by Shawnee Smith) are back to create havoc and chaos to some unlucky victim. However, this time Jigsaw has kidnapped a doctor to keep him alive while Amanda puts someone to the test. These tests are different than any of the other tests we've seen yet.  Unlike previous tests where the traps and gore was swift and quick, these ones are long and dragged out so as to get every nuance of blood, guts and the lovely sound of crunching bones.

Another good aspect to this movie is that it answers a lot of questions we have about Jigsaw, Amanda and how this all started.  We get an in-depth view of Amanda's background and her relationship with Jigsaw and her role in the other Saw movies. Also, a lot of the scenes are unpredictable, making me question how much more I can actually handle of the movie.

Overall, I loved it. The acting is superb, especially by Shawnee Smith. The gore is quite a bit more graphic than the other two Saws, which only makes you grab a stronger hold of your seat. And I love how Saw III ties the other two Saw movies together.  Definitely a must see!

I was sent a DVD to watch of an indie movie called "Watch Me". Now don't get me wrong.  I do love indie films. But some of them can be a bit cheaply done. But since Melanie Ansley, who wrote and directed the film, had asked me to view it and review it, and since she asked so nicely I thought I would give it a chance and give you, my readers, an honest opinion of this movie.

This movie is only 78 minutes long and was filmed in Australia and parts of Beijing. At first glance I thought this movie was going to be similar to some other horror movies I've seen, such as Stay Alive, Pulse or even The Ring. But the more I watched it, the more intrigued I became.

It is about a cinema studies student named Tess whose friends one by one end up horribly murdered after opening an email attachment called "Watch Me". Each murder is the same: a red-headed woman, email attachment being opened, and the victim's eyes sewn shut. Tess ends up at a local illegal film dealer in the hopes that he can help her find out about this attachment. With his help, Tess tries to find out how she can stop these murders from happening again before she is the next victim.

The actors in Watch Me are relative unknowns. But their acting abilities were so strong in this movie that I found myself becoming emotionally involved in their quest to stop the email. Frances Marrington, who plays Tess, gives a strong performance as the heroine with a haunted past. And Sam Voutas, who plays Taku the film dealer and also produces the movie, gives a creepy performance as the slimy dealer who seems to have ulterior motives for the attachment. He made my skin crawl whenever I saw him.

The scenes were simple and believable. There is no orchestrated music but the background "sounds" are creepy and memorable. And yes, there is blood and gore in this movie.  However, it is not overdone and fits appropriately into the scenes.

For a short-length movie this movie packs a lot of punch. And I found the more I watched it the more I wanted to get to the bottom of the email attachment and find out all about it.  This movie will not disappoint.  I sure wasn't disappointed at all.
 

The other day I watched the movie "Slither". I had been looking forwards to seeing it ever since I first heard of it in Fangoria Magazine. So while I was in Vancouver sitting in my hotel room, I decided to try it out on PPV. Here is what I found:

This movie rocked! It's a comedy/horror, so of course, it's got its moments. But by the end of the movie my gut was killing me from laughing so much. The one-liners were cheesy but SO appropriate for the moments I couldn't help myself. And lots of gore to please even the most hardened psychopath.  This film is well balanced between both horror and comedy and very well cast.

It is set in a small town where Grant, played by Michael Rooker (Days of Thunder), finds a meteorite which has landed in the woods. He becomes infected by a parasite worm and slowly he becomes transformed into a monster. His wife, Starla, played by Elizabeth Banks (The 40 Year Old Virgin), the town sheriff, played by Bill Pardy (Firefly), and the local mayor, played comically by Gregg Henry (24, CSI), try to stop Grant and his "plague of worms" from turning everybody into zombies.

Henry's performance as the wacky mayor is priceless.  Who in their right mind would vote for an idiot like this? Hardened on the outside and cowardly on the inside, Henry's roll as the mayor is one of the highlights of this movie.

But don't worry, there is plenty of gore with the comedy.  Dead and gutted animals, alien worms penetrating body parts, and lots of flesh eating zombies, make for a lot of great queasy scenes.

Slither will make you scream and laugh at the same time.  So grab hold of your popcorn and beer and prepare yourself for a rollercoaster of a movie that promises lots of laughs, splatter and blood.

The Descent

This was another movie which I had first heard about in Fangoria Magazine.  The premise seemed great and the special effects I saw in the magazine looked creepy.  Being stuck in a deep, dark cave with little light and weird noises sure would creep anyone out! But what I found was severely disappointing.

It is about a cave expedition of 6 women that goes horribly wrong.  After one of the women experiences a tragic accident, the six decide to reunite for a caving expedition.  Little do they know that one of the girls, who is supposed to be the "expert", has neglected to mention that the cave they are going into is uncharted.  After a series of mishaps, they find out that they are not alone and are being stalked by bloodthirsty creatures.  Being hunted, and turning on one another, they try desperately to find a way out.

Doesn't this remind you of the movie "The Cave"?  I liked THAT movie. At least they had a reason for being down there and the changes that happen in one of the characters.  But The Descent goes nowhere. The acting is horrible... I couldn't even feel bad for the characters when something awful would happen to one of them.  And what was with the tragic accident at the beginning of the movie? It had NOTHING to do with the movie at all.  I believe it was just "filler".

Yes, there is some gore in it. Some caused by the women and some by the creatures.  But it wasn't even scary.  The few times I did jump in my seat is when something popped up, but that was it. And there were so many goofs and lack of continuity in it that it isn't funny.  I actually found myself concentrating more on the goofs then the actual plot (was there actually a plot????).

Anyways, for what it's worth, by the end of the movie I had lost 2 hours of my life that I will never get back again!