Ancient Evil: “Carrie” review (2013)

Posted by charlottekenvyn1994 on October 1, 2014

This 2013 horror film featuring Chloë Grace Moretz, unbeknownst to me when I watched this, is a remake of Stephen Kings’ 1976 film Carrie (which further derived from his 1974 novel of the same name).

Above: “Tampon scene”
(This is the scene in which Carrie begins her first ever period. She absolutely freaks out and bizarrely has no idea that this is a completely natural occurrence. She screams and spreads (period) blood everywhere. Instead of helping her, her fellow classmates prefer to throw sanitary towels and tampons are her.)

I didn’t plan to watch this film, I just happened to stumble upon it on Netflix one night. I had a come over completely absent-minded and didn’t realise at first that it was a remake. I haven’t seen the original yet but I know Stephen Kings style and that it is a widely-known film, successfully kick-starting Stephens’ career. I love Chloë Grace Moretz in both Kick-Ass 1 and 2 because she performs her role flawlessly, seemingly born to play a bad-ass. This is the reason I put the film on with no hesitation. Chloe plays Carrie, a young girl who has a manically religious mother (Julianne Moore) and is constantly ostracized by her fellow students.

This is Carrie just after she unleashed hell and killed the majority of her school year. She was voted prom queen but her wonderment soon turned to disbelief when she was covered in pigs’ blood. Her path of destruction continues.

The film focuses entirely on Carrie being a victim of severe bullying (and of course her bizarre mother and their uncertain relationship). Throughout the film she is being viciously bullied and much to her surprise she discovers she has the power of telekinesis. Her powers are gradually used for evil until a prom night prank forces her to unleash all of the sinister and hellish destruction she can manage. She further kills her mother and herself. I was hugely disappointed with the film and I am amongst thousands who believe this film was a colossal mistake. Although Chloe definitely delivers in the blood-shedding scenes, she hasn’t shown me that she’s capable of playing a vulnerable character. Her timid scenes are not convincing at all, to say the least. The fact that they altered the storyline so Carries powers are shown over time totally dissipates the suspense of the entire film. A story about a teenage girl who doesn’t fit in, many people can relate to this… but that doesn’t make us like it. I can’t really comment on whether it was bad casting or a bad re-make because I just don’t know. I also don’t know why in the final scene Carrie reveals to Sue Snell (Gabriella Wilde) that she (Sue) is pregnant with a girl. Telekinesis is the ability to move objects without physically touching them. I don’t know the explanation they’d give for her having physic powers too. In conclusion I do suggest you watch it to make your own opinion but this comes with the warning for you not to expect much.

The House that Holds Evil! “Slasher House” review!

Posted by Steven Lewis on September 26, 2014

Here is an entertaining little piece of UK slasher horror that will sure be appreciated as well as thrilling. “Slasher House” had finished filming and was wrapped up in a nice bow two years ago but, finally, made an appearance on DVD just last year in the UK. A whole another year later and “Slasher House” hits retail shelves this past Tuesday in the States – about damn time – courtesy of Sector 5 Films. In all honestly, the good old USA missed out on releasing “Slasher House” as this English film’s crew and cast were the highlights of turning a run of the mill survival film into a great little unknown gem of a movie.

Red wakes up stark naked in a cell of a grungy rundown prison. Plagued with amnesia, she can’t remember who she is let alone how she how she got here. When her cell door opens up, Red discovers she isn’t alone as their other captives, but these captives are not so innocent. Within these iron bars and walls, she is trapped with notorious serial killers who are being released from the cells one by one. With no way out in sight, Red must elude the killers as they hunt for her in the corridors. There are more sinister means behind this game, but she must go through the players first to find out why she’s here and who she really is.

Leading lady Eleanor James was labeled one of Britain’s new age scream queens. Though she delivers no real scream here in “Slasher House,” James’ character resembles more of Milla Jovovich’s Alice character in the Resident Evil series – more so with the red dress, calm demeanor, and feistiness with less kung fu, ESP abilities. Her performance as Red has you rooting for her all the way because she is the first and last “last girl” in “Slasher House” against a handful of murderous sonuvabitches.

Each notorious slasher has a trademark and a unique personality – a child killer, an operator, a brute, a dual personality – leaving no room for boring characters. Their backstories are briefly told in a flashback anecdote just short enough to give you their whole persona. The plot is a bit more complex than it’s unique cast of characters. I like the idea of bringing a lineup of serial killer allstars into a dirty old prison and letting them face off. I wish there was more of that. Half of “Slasher House” was trying to find an exit and the other half was escaping the maniacs. No real dull moments plagued the film, but with a premise that involves a battle royal amongst the worst of the worst, you would think you’d be up against a blood spattered wall and heads would be constantly rolling. The other half of my mind says the slowed down story goes better with a film like this to build the characters up for a great and glorious downfall.

“Slasher House” plays out like a graphic novel and could be well turned into one. A great one in fact. “Slasher House” also delivers a twist ending that you won’t see coming until the very end! Speaking of the movie’s end, the open ending doesn’t explain much to the character’s situation. One could only guess to the purpose behind the game, but none of the plans are plainly explained.

“Slasher House” is a must buy from Sector 5 Films. Two years have I waited for a film like this that could entertain me on a budget while pulling off major production status. I’m very impressed by director MJ Dixon and his vision and his future is bright with indie pictures and possibly get a gig in Hollywood if he keeps turning out good films. If you have a fear of clowns you may want to stay away; other than that, pick this DVD up that was released this past Tuesday the 26th!

Trailer: The Houses October Built

Posted by Steven Lewis on September 14, 2014

Independent horror is a firm fixture and an appreciated business here at Its Bloggin’ Evil and when The Houses October Built came across my lap, I had to post the trailer. Being released just in time for Halloween on October 10th, the film revolves around a group of documentarians looking for the ultimate and most extreme haunted attraction only to end up finding something more sinister – an extreme haunting attraction that found them.

The Houses October Built is based off director Bobby Roe’s documentary of discovering haunted attractions across the nation.

Image Entertainment acquires the Steven Schneider (“Insidious”,”Paranormal Activity”) produced film that also stars Zack Andrews, Mikey Roe, Brandy Schaefer, and Jeff Larson.

Trailer: Extraterrestrial

Posted by Steven Lewis on September 11, 2014

The Vicious Brothers are back! The “Grave Encounters” directors are bringing the terror from the stars with “Extraterrestrial” and a new trailer has been released today!

The film follows April who is going through the struggles of her parents’ nasty divorce and is coerced into going to her summer vacation cabin to relive fond memories of her childhood. Her childhood memories come crashing down with a fiery ball from the sky and as her and her friends investigate, they soon realize that they’ve interfered in an intergalactic struggle between human and alien life

October 17th is the release date for VOD and November 21st for select theaters. Extraterrestrial stars Brittany Allen and Freddie Stroma.

How About A Nice Evil Plate of Hillbilly, Long Pig Meat? Legend of the Hillbilly Butcher!

Posted by Steven Lewis on September 5, 2014

Taking after his demented butcher of a father, Carl Henry Jessup (Paul E. Respass) is a backwoods living hunter whose local delicacy amongst his surround neighbors is serving up grade-A human meat for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Carl relives the past with the tragic death of a murder-suicide of his parents and tries to summon them to live again with the help a demon named Sam Bakoo. When the loner cannibal doesn’t get his wish from Sam Bakoo, he curses and rejects the demon starting a whole new set of problems for poor old Carl. All this is told in narrative story of the “Legend of the Hillbilly Butcher” to three young children by an old man who knows Carl and his murderous history.

Director Jaoquin Montalvan could be considered the underground doppleganger of Rob Zombie in filmmaking especially in “House of a 1000 Corpses” or “The Devil’s Rejects.” In the “Legend of the Hillbilly Butcher”, all the makings of a Rob Zombie like film are accounted for with the exception of hard rockabilly music. White trash and white trash dialogue? Check. Grindhouse style editing and cinematography? Check. Cannibalism and demon summon horror genre? Check. It isn’t like Montalvan exactly mirror’s Zombie’s films from scene to scene. Montalvan makes this film his own in the subtlety of the work; many of the scenes are low key and not over the top with dialogue and heavy moments of stimulating effects. And the indie director does make this into a bit of a horror comedy. In a number of scenes, the characters will sit across from each other, have a meal or a drink of moonshine, and bullshit in a quippy could of way. End scene.

The cannibalism story tangent takes a bit of a backseat to the demon that plagues Cary Henry. The quick switch in plot direction is a good, positive change for the Hillbilly Butcher as monotony would set in with the cannibalism plot line. Much of the “meat” effects were a bit scarce and cheesy. The dead bodies were not so realistic. But the quick edited dream sequences of Sam Bakoo and Carl Henry’s visions of Sam Bakoo were intense, surreal, and welcomed. What also helped was the performance from amateur actor Allen East as Sam Bakoo – a scrawny, bald man who can conform with the best of them like Doug Jones from “Hellboy.”

Another good actor (or actress in this case) is Theresa Holly. A blue eyed, black haired beauty with a bust that would break hearts. Her character Rae Lynn, a friend of Carl Henry, is sweet and tender but when push comes to shove, her salvation lies with her fighting for her life. While there were no nude scenes for her character, Theresa Holly does do some bra and panty scenes in a, and again in a Rob Zombie like way, montage scene.

With any cannibal archetype or cannibalism film, I expect a lot of gore and with a title like the Legend of the “Hillbilly Butcher”, there comes an expectation that meat would be separated from the bone for consumption. Well, prepared to be mostly disappointed with only one real scene of disembowelment. The scene is fairly gory and intestinally jarring, the movie is practically over by the time we get to this scene. The film does speak more to it’s tone toward placement in the world and in the afterlife; how the good become better and those who do wrong get what they deserve in the end.

MVDVisual is releasing this 2012 festival hit on September 23rd, 2014 and while I won’t expect this to be flying off the shelves, reaching cult status in a matter of weeks, I do expect a pretty good following for poor old Carl Henry.