Quarantine 2: Terminal (2011) Better Than It Should Be

By all rights, I shouldn't have enjoyed Quarantine 2:  Terminal.

It's a sequel to a remake that was virtually shot-for-shot like the original.  While I thought Quarantine was OK - it starred the phenomenal Jennifer Carpenter, after all - it weakened itself by not going with the original's ([REC]) premise of an evil force and instead going with a "super rabies" disease infection.  A sequel, by all rights, shouldn't have been good.

But it was, and I really did enjoy it.  Every so often, dear readers, the movie planets align and a sequel that shouldn't exist, not only does but does it pretty well.

Written and directed by John Pogue, the film takes place a short time after the events of the first film, in which a Los Angeles apartment building is sealed off when an infection runs rampant inside.  A variety of passengers board a plane on its way to Memphis.  After being bitten by a rat in a teacher's carry-on, one of the passengers begins to exhibit signs of infection.  When he nearly bites off an attendant's nose, it's safe to say he's on the sick side.  Making an emergency landing in Las Vegas, the survivors make it into the terminal, but it's soon quarantined (see what I did there?) and that's when the fun starts.  They not only have to evade infected staff, they have to deal with infections to each other, and a betrayal from within.  One of the survivors is not what they seem.

There's a great string of tension running through the movie, even as the sequences run toward the formulaic.  I've always said that sometimes formulaic works because the formula might be good.  You know something will happen at certain times, but in this case it's OK because it falls into place.  The added mystery that ties it to the first movie provides the underlying threat, the insinuation that no matter what happens to this motley group of survivors, the story really won't be over.

Quarantine 2:  Terminal was a pleasant surprise, and it's nice to have one of those every so often.  I'm not sure if the good luck would extend to a sequel, but hey, I'll take this one.

The Devil Inside (2012) How Not To End A Film

I was warned.

People told me not to see last year's The Devil Inside.  "You'll be mad," they said.  "You'll hate the ending," they cautioned.  Did I listen?  Nope.  I was reckless.  I laughed in the face of movie-time-wasting and put the pedal to the metal.

Ah, yes, I was warned.

Let me say this right off the bat:  if you replace the very last moment of The Devil Inside with a good, solid ending - hey, even an ambiguous one - you'd have an honest-to-goodness decent film.  I wasn't angry at the film.  No, I don't get angry at films.  Unless they're Hardly Working.  Not angry, but disappointed.  The movie had my interest, then snatched it away like Charlie Brown's football.

Directed and co-written by William Brent Bell, The Devil Inside begins with a 911 recording and news footage of the aftermath of a triple homicide that involved the local clergy.  A dazed woman, Maria Rossi (Suzan Crowley) - the one who called 911 and admitted to the murders - is led out and eventually locked away in an asylum in Italy.  Years later, her daughter Isabella (Fernanda Andrade), enlists a documentary crew to help her reconnect with her mother and investigate allegations of demonic possession.

She meets two young priests, Father Ben (Simon Quarterman) and Father David (Evan Helmuth), who perform exorcisms on the side, and they promise to help her with her mother's little problem of too many tenants in her soul's apartment.  Needless to say, things don't really go as planned.  The entity inside of Maria is immensely powerful and doesn't stay confined to just one little place.  It's a real go-getter.  Well, there's a climactic scene at a hospital then in a car and then...

The ending.

I usually have a no-spoiler thing here but I don't think at this point I'm spoiling anything.  The movie ends by telling you to go to a website to find out more.

That's right.  Go to a website.  To find out more.

It's been called one of the worst endings ever.  Like I said, it's not that the movie itself - to me - was bad.  I was actually enjoying it, and that's where the disappointment lies.  The movie ends with the website and just walks out the door.

Ah, well.  You can't win 'em all.

Still, it was no Hardly Working.

Sinister (2012) Films In The Attic

You know that idiom about curiosity and what it does to cats?  Yeah, well, if you ever happen to stumble across an old box of Super 8 film reels in your attic, it's probably best that you smile politely, say "well-played," then pack up the family and get the hell out of there, speed limits be damned.

If Ethan Hawke's character in 2012's fine horror offering, Sinister, had heeded my advice, things would have been a whole lot easier.  Then again, we wouldn't have this surprisingly good and creepy movie to give us a cautionary tale about leaving some things alone.

Written by C. Robert Cargill and director Scott Derrickson, Sinister sort caught me by surprise like that old friend you accidentally run into on a sidewalk after eating a delicious pizza.  A pleasant surprise, and you feel pretty good about it.  The movie kicks right off with a disturbing mystery seen through the lens of a Super 8 film camera.  Four hooded figures - a family, one would rightly presume - slowly hung in a tree as a falling branch hoists them up.  Scratchy, off-putting ambient music plays as we get an unflinching view of their demise, and it's a mystery as to who they are and why it happened.  Months later, true crime writer Ellison Oswald (Hawke) and his family move into the very house where the murders occurred so Oswald can produce his next blockbuster, which he sorely needs.  Things aren't easy though:  he "forgets" to tell his family about the house's history and the townspeople, like the sheriff (former senator Fred Thompson), don't exactly like his sensationalism in their mourning town.

Going through the house one night, Oswald finds a box of old Super 8 film canisters labeled with such innocent titles as "Pool Party '66" and "Sleepy Time '98."  As he watches them, the sweet scenes turn into horrific ones, as each family is brutally murdered - all but one, as with each tragic event, one child in the family goes missing.  At first, the murders don't seem connected, but Oswald becomes obsessed and he's no slouch in the detective department.  Much like in The Shining, Oswald becomes more involved with his book and the investigation than his family, who is not adjusting well to the new digs.  His daughter wants to go back to their old house and his son's night terrors increase in intensity.

Oswald sees a mysterious figure in one, then all of the videos, presiding over all of the murders.  He also uncovers an occult symbol and enlists Professor Jonas (Vincent D'Onofrio) to help decipher it.  When he discovers the truth, he pretty much wishes he hadn't asked in the first place.  With the help of a local deputy, Oswald puts most of the pieces together and it isn't exactly a yellow brick road from that point onward.  Yep, that's right...not gonna spoil it.

I had heard that Sinister was pretty good, and those rumblings were correct.  It has a familiar plot - mystery with a family in possibly supernatural danger - but the way in which it's presented delivered for me.  The Super 8 shots provide just enough "found footage" that it fills in certain blanks and makes your skin crawl.  The ambient sound and music, especially during those scenes, was a highlight.  There's a mythology, but the movie didn't get lost in it.  It gives you just enough information without going too far with it.  Ethan Hawke is quite good as the burned-out writer looking for his comeback, balancing between being excited for juicy new secrets and being horrified by what he sees on the films.  It's a creepy film, eschewing the "pretty people" formula of most mainstream horror flicks.  I just realized how "hipster" that made me sound, but it's true.  It's honestly a step in the right direction.  There were a couple moments of "jump scares" that made me utter a slightly disappointed "bah" sound, but other than those, it was very, very effective.

So, hey, moving into a new house?  Kids drawing strange pictures on the walls?  Find a box of old films in the attic?

Yeah, you might want to get out now.

Paranormal Activity 4 (2012) Might As Well Finish It Out

I always have some high hopes for stories that play out a mythology.  But with those high hopes comes a caveat:  if you're building a mythology, you best back it up.

I've been mostly pleasantly surprised by the Paranormal Activity franchise, and I can certainly appreciate telling captivating stories on a shoestring budget.  But there's a little matter of running out of steam, reaching that point where the story strains to be told instead of simply falling into place.  As much as I hoped Paranormal Activity 4 would wrap up the mythology of the demon-plagued sisters, it sort of just peeked in to show what happened to one loose thread while not really answering much of anything else.

Directed by Henry Joost and Ariel Schuman (who did Paranormal Activity 3 and Catfish) and written by Christopher Landon based on a story by Chad Feehan, Paranormal 4 intends to wrap up the story began with poor, possessed Katie (Katie Featherston).  We know that she's disappeared along with her nephew, Hunter, leaving a trail of bodies and mystery in her wake.  In this fourth installment, a strange young boy named Robbie (Brady Allen) wanders over to the featured family's house after his mother goes to the hospital.  He's an odd duck, making the daughter Alex (Kathryn Newton) and her best friend Ben (Matt Shively) suspicious, especially since he takes an interest in Alex's adopted younger brother, Wyatt (Aiden Lovekamp).  Robbie stays with the family for a while, and of course, strange things begin to happen.  Weird gatherings happen at the house across the street and the family's computers - which Ben has rigged to record video 24/7 - pick up some really bizarre things.  Most aren't too frightening, to be honest, but I really, really liked the use of the night vision camera along with the Xbox Kinect, which casts a sea of small dots over everything in the room.  There is a sequence late in the film where that really looks tremendous.  Things get really crazy when Robbie's mom re-appears, and they mythology gets tied together somewhat.  It hurtles toward a weird, tragic ending that frankly left me wanting a little more story.

That's not to say there wasn't anything to like.  Newton and Shively were natural, believable,and likable as the amateur detectives.  They both hit home runs in terms of creating characters with whom a viewer could identify.  A couple instances during the climactic chase at the end were really nice, and as I mentioned before, I really enjoyed the use of the Kinect as a new visual device.  Maybe others got more out of the film than I did, and I hope that's the case.  For me, personally, I wanted more in the way of what the demon's endgame was.  I assume it wants the world, or does it just want to be a nasty little menace?  I don't always need to be led around by the nose, but I would've enjoyed more direction in the mythology.

It wasn't altogether horrible, but when compared to the other films in the series - which I enjoyed - it fell a bit short.  But hey, not every franchise can be perfect.

And now I'm going to go play some Kinect with my invisible friend, who always wins at Fruit Ninja...

Let's Get 2013 Rolling Here

You know, one of my New Year's resolutions was to pay more attention this poor blog and to my other blog about comics, Born In The Silver Age.

Now - 15 whole days after 2013 starts - I finally get around to writing my annual year-end entry.  Ah, well.  Guess I'll have to practice being a little more timely.

First and foremost:  thank you to all of you who read, enjoy, are entertained, and don't steal my words.  I write this blog for fun and to keep the writing wheels juiced and I hope you get some fun out of it as well.

I had the pleasure of watching some really crazy, really insane, and in some cases, really great horror films in 2012.  Every year, I like to make a list of the ten movies I enjoyed reviewing.  They don't have to be films that were made that year, just ones that I reviewed. during the year.  I also like to throw in some classics and short films as extras just to spread the love.

But hey, let's get to my list.  Here they are, in no particular order, the horror films I enjoyed reviewing the most in 2012:

The Inkeepers - Atmospheric to the point where the setting is a character in itself, a Ti West specialty.  A great little closed-door haunted mystery with some solid acting and chills.  It's a quiet, slow burn that leaves you clues to how you see the ending.

The Cabin In The Woods - The horror movie equivalent to riding a rollercoaster backward after drinking five Red Bulls and staying up all night. Like I say in my review, I can't begin to get into this utterly insane, madcap love letter to the horror genre without revealing a lot, so just see it and try to keep your arms and legs inside the vehicle at all times.

Behind The Mask:  The Rise of Leslie Vernon - Another in the "insane" category, this leaps from fake documentary to get-out-of-the-house classic horror with expert delicacy.  You really can't take your eyes off this story of an up-and-comer in a world where all the classic slasher villains exist as inspiration to young Leslie.  Funny, clever, and scary, just like Mr. Vernon.

The Pact - I'm a huge fan of atmosphere and, if you want to get technical, the use of space in the frame of the movie screen.  The Pact delivers on those in a big way.  Twists and turns, and a stellar performance by Caity Lotz (and a really good showing from Casper Van Dien), made this quiet little film a favorite among some of us humble horror folk.

[REC]3: Genesis - As well as being a fan of atmosphere, I love a little insanity, as you can tell.  A real departure from the other installments in one of my favorite franchises, this chapter leans more of the wacky as we're privy to what happens when the disease ravages a wedding party and what the lovers will do to reunite.

The Loved Ones - Probably one of my favorites this past year was this Australian gem.  Utterly outstanding performances and a plot that dances like that slick kid that wasn't from your school but knew all the "big city" moves.  I haven't cheered this hard for a horror protagonist in ages, and that speaks to the cast and crew of this wild flick.

Vampires - I'm not huge on vampires, but this Belgian horror-comedy about a dysfunctional vampire family trying to maintain its status among the elite of its neighborhood really grew on me.  Another fake documentary, it had interesting characters who forge their own paths through an odd and sometimes goofy dynamic laced with real scenes of horror.

Kill List - Oh, this one had both of those things I mentioned:  atmosphere and copious amounts of crazy, albeit on a more "slow burn" level.  And then some.  What starts as a "hitman out for one final job" road picture turns into something entirely different.  By the end, you're saying "What.  The.  Hell?"  A great buildup of tension leads to that "did I just see that?" ending.

Lovely Molly - Gretchen Lodge is so good in this movie, you're then surprised to learn how little acting she had done before it.  She carries this movie like a Heisman Trophy winner as a young woman left to her own devices in her childhood home, haunted by memories and...something else?  Very strange, with that performance by Lodge making one hope she gets more roles.

Rare Imports: A Christmas Tale - The last movie I reviewed in 2012 turned out to be a real treat.  An import from Finland, it explores a more pagan Santa Claus myth with gorgeous scenery and one of the smartest and bravest kids ever in a horror film.  The movie is strange and spooky, but with a nod and a wink...just like old Saint Nick.

And one classic film that I must mention:

The Thing (1982) - It was about time that I reviewed this wonderful John Carpenter film.   Claustrophobic, stark, and utterly terrifying, it's got so many levels and stories within stories.  It bears repeat viewings.  And honestly, I didn't dislike the prequel of the same name.

And one short film:

Exit 7A - What a simple, straightforward, entertaining short in the same vein as Twilight Zone and with a kind of ongoing story potential that could sustain a series based on the premise and certain characters.  I like being sent short films that I really enjoy, and this was definitely one of them.

And one so-incredibly-bad-it's-incredibly tremendous-film:

Troll 2 - Yep, I finally saw this...film.  It is EVERYTHING I wanted it to be and more.  It's something that truly must be experienced at least once in a lifetime.  It also led to one of my favorite reviews to write.

Some honorable mentions: Absentia, The Woman In Black, We Need To Talk About Kevin, The Caller, and V/H/S.

Again, I thank everyone for reading as this little blog heads towards its fourth year.  Hopefully, I'll have some new things to spice up the old place and provide some more of my words and thoughts.

Happy New Year!

Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale (2010) Be Nice To That Mall Santa

You see Santa Claus everywhere this time of year.  The old guy's fixture in malls, town squares, television shows...hey, I've even played the joyful old elf.  The modern version tends to be a gentle soul but what if he wasn't always that way?  Much like many legends, what if Santa had a darker past?

Directed by Jalmari Helander, the Finnish film Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale explores the older, scarier version of Santa seen in European legends.  I mean, hey, the Dutch version is a good guy, but he also beats naughty kids with a willow stick.  He also arrives by a steamboat from Spain, so you can also see Santa's a little different wherever you go.  I saved watching this film until this time of year, but hoped it wouldn't be too dark or mean-spirited; I just haven't been in that kind of mood lately.  What I got was a beautifully-filmed, fun little movie with a smart protagonist and an interesting twist on the Kris Kringle mythos.

An American-funded excavation on a lonely mountain near a small Finnish village uncovers something strange:  a layer of sawdust surrounding a larger area buried deep within the hill.  It's not a natural mountain after all, they figure.  It's a burial mound.  Young Pietari and his older friend Jusso overhear the conversation, and it shakes Pietari.  He researches the Santa Claus myth to discover a belief in a monstrous creature that punishes naughty children in pretty un-holiday-ish ways.  This is what he thinks is there, but no one believes him.  When the highly-anticipated reindeer harvest - the main way the town earns its revenue - yields only a handful of animals, an investigation quickly turns up over 400 slaughtered and eaten reindeer.  Pietari's dad, Rauno, joins the others in believing it was a pack of wolves being forced onto their land by the mountain excavation - which has recently gone oddly silent.  Pietatri knows what's up.  The kid's pretty smart and he recalls a local legend of "Santa" being captured and buried by a local tribe ages ago.

Shortly, Rauno captures a strange, naked old man in one of his traps and, thinking him dead, prepares to get rid of the body.  Oddly, the old man is still alive and soon recovers from his wounds.  Pietari sees him and proclaims that this is the Santa Claus that's been buried in the mountain.  But things are, shall we say, less than festive.  Kids have disappeared from the village, as well as heating elements like ranges and hair dryers.  The old man bites off a villager's ear and is in the possession of items from the now-abandoned excavation, including a radio.  Hoping to swap "Santa" for the money lost from the slaughtered reindeer, Rauno concocts a plan that just might work...except the exchange reveals that not everything is as it seems, and that's when the snow hits the fan.

Nope, not going to tell you how it ends.  Things get even weirder, and young Pietari demonstrates why he's the smartest, bravest kid in the room.  It's a bizarre tale, to be sure, but it's actually short on scares.  That's not a bad thing - it's meant to be more of a Christmas-time adventure, really.  The countryside of Finland is a character unto itself, gorgeous mountains and snow-blanketed land are featured pretty prominently.  The characters are fairly basic, but again, not a bad thing.  The true focus of the movie is idealistic and smart Pietari.  We see most of everything through his eyes, including his strained relationship with his father and his belief in the old legends.  He believes he's naughty because of clipping a hole in a fence (that he thinks let in wolves) but he's truly the top of the nice list.

So if you want something a little more bizarre, yet not totally nihilistic, for your holiday horror viewing, you might have fun with this truly twisted Christmas tale that will make you think twice about making fun of that Santa you see in the mall.

Until next time, everyone, have a wonderful holiday and be sure to treat each other well!

Now watch the hilarious, tongue-firmly-in-cheek trailer!

Lovely Molly (2011) Not-So-Happy Homecoming

A few years ago, I went back to the house in which I grew up.  It had literally been 20 years since I set foot in there, and the people who live there now were kind enough to let me come in and take some pictures - they knew my family anyway, so that made it easier.  If there were ghosts in that house on the lake, they were friendly and welcoming.

Let's just say that the homecoming Molly receives in Lovely Molly isn't exactly friendly and welcoming.

Directed by one of the co-creators of The Blair Witch Project, Eduardo Sanchéz (who also shares writing duties with Jamie Nash), Lovely Molly is one of those quietly terrifying films that stick with you after you've watched it, as you try to decipher the code left by the filmmakers.  Not everything is clear-cut, and yet the answers are there, depending on how you see them.  While the movie isn't perfect, the underlying story and the incredible acting help make it one to at least check out.

Newlyweds Molly (Gretchen Lodge) and Tim (Johnny Lewis, shortly before his death) move into Molly's childhood home, not far from her more grounded sister Hannah (Alexandra Holden).  It's a spooky old place, and former heroin addict Molly has a rough go of staying there alone while Tim out on the road as a truck driver. One night, Molly hears crying coming from a lonely closet.  We never see what she sees, but from there, it's all downhill for poor Molly.  Her behavior becomes increasingly strange.  She gets back on the "horse," so to speak.  She swears to her sister that their father is still alive and once again assaulting her, although no one ever sees him.  Film evidence shows nothing and Molly retreats into a drug-addled, fugue state that sees her wandering at night, having problems at work, and making lewd advances on the local pastor.  Oh, and something about a deer.  You'll see.  Things spiral out of control until the odd, subjective ending.

The film is undeniably creepy, with many of the scares coming during night scenes and when Molly is alone.  Is Molly being haunted by her evil father from beyond the grave?  You will have to decide as the end credits roll.  There are multiple interpretations, and a good deal of them make perfect sense.  The acting is tremendous, with Lodge as the focal point.  With little film experience, she masterfully conveys happiness, familiarity, rage, fear, and something quite spooky all within the runtime.  Holden is great as her sister, and Lewis shows just how much talent was wasted with his sad, short life.  The answers to the film are not all there, but it still stands as a pretty decent outing - despite one sort-of "what-the" scene.  I won't spoil it, but I did say "what the?" out loud during it.

So you want to visit your childhood home?  Just make sure it doesn't involve creepy sounds and horse imagery...unless you lived on a ranch.  Even still...

Here, enjoy the trailer: