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Evil Dead Rise (2023)
Rise is Appropriate. Don't Allow Reviews to Drag it to Hell
Really, truly, absolutely stunned by any review (in comparison within the horror genre,) that sells EDR as anything less than an 8.
The only more appropriate title for Evil Dead Rise might have been Evil Dead Fresh- this has been an amazing series between features & the Ash vs Evil Dead TV series, but our first 3 films feature ED2 which is almost a note for note rehash of OG ED, a 3rd film that manages to be both a fun sequel, yet takes a bit of a turn from horror-comedy to comedy-horror, a TV series that, (and rightfully so,) stayed the course with Ash, but REALLY needs to be fans' fond adieu to the character, and the 2013 sequel/rehash that took very few chance story-wise, away from the 1st two films 30+ years prior.
At Evil Dead's BEST, it was an outright assault on the senses (including those 1st 2 films & 2013) where viewers were given nary a breath to catch up to what was happening onscreen. (This was the case when I brought ED2 home to show my own father, who got me into horror, who eventually surrendered because it was just too much for him to take in lol).
Evil Dead Rise, when announced, scared me as sounding far too much like the second in the sublime Demons series from the 80s out of Italy... I was glad to be wrong. The cabin in the woods formula transfers nicely here by having this building condemned, leaving us with a nice number of victims without going overboard.
But, the most... and best familiarity will be the near non-stop assault on the senses EDR also pulls from the lifeblood of the ED films. In what may be a first in a LONG time in my 50yrs of horror, even the necessary reading of the Necronomicon that takes place in almost every iteration was- in the theater, and I'd presume with a solid speaker setup, unnerving enough to me that my body wanted out of that theater during the scene.
Is EDR perfect? No. A couple too many breaths, perhaps a bit more gory bits could have been added once they realized they had a winner on their hands that could hit big screens and not be, as originally planned, sent off to streaming.
Outside of that- even my typical "not buying" of youngsters in horror films was allayed with great acting all around.
Don't hesitate on this one. Amongst horror over quite a few years, this has "risen" as one of the very best. Here's hoping that this accomplishes what the 2013 film didn't, and that's make Evil Dead- a franchise that has excelled whether it be horror-comedy, comedy-horror, or straight horror- be one we can get a new entry in more than once every decade.
À l'intérieur (2007)
Far Too Much Hype
I LOVE horror. Whether it's built around a strong premise or story, or for the gore, or just plain entertainment value, I consume it by the blood buckets.
This had been on my list for awhile, so when it hit Shudder, I watched it straight away after all the praise- heck, even during a long conversation one afternoon with the legend, Ken Foree of the OG Dawn of the Dead, he gave this a recommendation, so I was psyched!
The premise here is strong, the gore is strong, (earning its place among the New Grench Extremity films easily,) but where it falters... and just as strongly as the copious amounts of blood sprayed on screen is its characters- while the primary protagonist and antagonist are relatively solid, it's every single other person who pops on screen. They're all... and I mean every last one of them, amazingly stupid or incompetent. (And while I say this about all the secondary characters because of how long a shadow they cast, even our two leads aren't safe from this same criticism; they'll have you shaking your head in disbelief, as well).
It's as if with each encounter, the director was attempting to determine if upping the ante in asking the audience to buy what he was selling would finally make the audience roll their eyes.
If you are of the horror breed that enjoys a "torture porn" genre film, its certainly worth the watch. But, the hype around this film seems to be drawn more based around the taboo that it was a pregnant woman being put through the ringer rather than applauded for on its own merits, because if reviewers were actually being honest with themselves about what ACTUALLY occurs on-screen, rather than bedazzled with the type of victim boldly put in this situation, I can't imagine the reviews would have been as strong as they were.
Honestly, you'll end up realizing that watching a Hostel film... and I mean even Hostel 3, in fact, will ask you to suspend your disbelief far, FAR less than almost any portion of this film where characters have to interact, make decisions, or for that matter, be asked to have two of their brain cells shake hands.
Check it out if this genre appeals to you and you haven't seen it, but if you're looking for the BEST amongst the New French Extremity films, go directly to Martyrs, do not pass "go" and do not collect $200. Martyrs is SUCH a strong film out of the NFE movement... no, in horror in its entirety, that it's made this numb to horror freak actually LIMIT my viewings to once every few years simply so I never lose the sense of power behind it or the sickly gut punch it leaves me with after a viewing. You'll thank me later.
Injustice (2021)
Largely Enjoyable, But Wasted Opportunity
First, anything that brings in Plastic Man as a major player will almost always end up as a lot of fun, and Injustice does just that.
Overall, this is a middle of the pack outing for DC Animated films, and one worth watching, but if you've enjoyed the games or the comics that have played in the Injustice mythos, I'd warn about setting your expectations too high.
Major players are removed from the chess board quickly by killing them off before having room to breathe or just outright not getting involved due to convenient reasons.
This would have been served better as multi-part feature length presentations or a longer running miniseries. Very few of the changes are improvements, (if any,) and it felt like it was just trying to get on The Boys & Invincible train and striking while the iron was hot, rather than planning it out with the care it deserved.
Packing this much into a 78min feature just doesn't allow for the satisfaction of seeing the sides decided and the battle lines drawn, along with the various acts of subterfuge and moral dilemmas so many of the heroes in previous media go through on their journey.
Captain Atom & Captain Marvel (Shazam) Flash, Aquaman, Green Lantern all make quick, overly-convenient exits before being involved in this story, yet had major roles to play in prior tellings, and that's the frustrating part of this- they deserved more and if you can't work in this many big names, it probably would have been a better attempt had they made this a three or four part series in order to not feel nearly stripped to the bone.
That said, despite my frustrations, it's still worth sitting down and watching this short delve into a rehashed & revamped story, but overall, the mythos of a grieving, half-insane god driven to the act of putting the world under his rule, as portrayed here, still feels like it's been done a great... "Injustice".
Freddy's Nightmares (1988)
Some Rose-Tinted Nostalgia May be Necessary
Freddy's Nightmares ran from 1988 to 1990 in syndication and the fact that it ever saw the light of day, using the R-rated film series framing device and antagonist, is a fairly significant accomplishment for that day & age.
Horror anthologies were big business at this point, both in theaters and on TV. While the Creepshows and Cat's Eyes' filled seats at the cinema, Tales from the Darkside and The Hitchiker had come and gone on cable & syndication while paving the way for Monsters ajd pop culture phenomenon, Tales From the Crypt. Both "Tales" shows would crossover to the big screen, the inverse of Freddy's Nightmares.
While Darkside and Monsters were generally found high up on local station dials, Freddy, as due his superstardom, was found late nights on local affiliates of major networks- all of these things- the national syndication, reversing a big screen success to a small screen, and even the accomplishment of landing on major networks all played into its semi-success, and certainly made executives feel they could draw in the numbers of fans who flocked to TV sets and cinemas for "bite-size" horror tales.
FN also offered 2 unique additions; one, that each one hour episode was, generally, two episodes connected, sometimes uniquely, sometimes by the most tenuous of threads, where characters sharing the same time and place would each get their own haunt. Secondly, and most importantly to the "Fred-heads," was that our host, Robert Englund reprising his role as Freddy Krueger, wasn't always there to just introduce each segment and then close it out with his brand of humor, he would, by the end of FN's run, be the antagonist, just as he had in his feature films, a grand total of 8 times.
Episodes ran the gamut, from pretty poor to surprisingly good, ESPECIALLY considering the restrictions put in place by being aired on good old regular TV.
Sets are often the most unwelcoming to first time viewers, but may be both a budget restriction and a stylistic choice, often looking like stage plays or early sitcom TV sets. Once that roadblock is overcome, it's easily seen as a charm rather than a distraction.
The second issue some may encounter, (although, if you're a fan of the films, it's no more an issue here as it is there,) is that when it comes to the Freddy-centered episodes, there's minor to major liberties taken with the backstory. It remains as pliable here as it is in the films, so don't expect any neatness in that regard.
Despite the subjective nature of the quality of the series, objectively, it's a rather important early stepnforward for mature content on local network TV in order to keep up with the burgeoning successes of completely smaller local TV and cable TV in particular.
It also features some great "notes" for movie buffs, like the great Tobe Hooper directing the first episode, "No More Mr. Nice Guy," the Freddy "origin story," that would inject a side story of two sisters, one severely traumatized by Freddy. The sisters would return for a sequel later in the season, marking a near "feature film" length story of Freddy's earliest adventure.
Many recognizable faces appear throughout, whether 80s era stars from film and TV or fresh faces (at the time,) that would go onto bigger careers... look for a young Brad Pitt in an early starring role.
Its a very interesting series in its "feel"- if one would take its contemporaries, Monsters (where its production values most appeared similar, that of low budget,) and Tales From the Crypt, (where, although still early, its Crypt Keeper had gained a cult of personality rivaling Freddy,) you'd end up with Freddy's Nightmares, only one where tye host often ended up starring in episodes along the way ratger than sitting on the sidelines each week.
Is Freddy's Nightmares amongst the greats of anthology horror? Probably not by critics' ratings. But, for fans and those with an interest in TV history, it's often ranked higher than it deserves. Heck, I probably rabk it too high, but Freddy was always my favorite horror icons and I grew up glued to my TV every Friday night, sucked into whatever story would pop on that week, hoping that THIS week, I'd see my horror "hero" be the center of attention.
It really is a shame that the only way to catch these is through links leading to questionable quality recordings, the same off quality bootleg DVDs, or the handful of episodes of great quality episodes included as a bonus in the NOES blu ray complete collection. It's a series ripe for being rediscovered or discovered for the first time and crying for a release by a Shout Factory, with tgeir track record of high quality restorations and creating extras.
With its level of scarcity, if you get the opportunity to see any of the episodes, take a chance. Be aware, a bad episode is almost as likely as a good one, so view any potential opportunity as only a chance to view an episode, not as one to pass judgment on the series as a whole, until you can find more... a way to revisit an old friend in Freddy and oftentimes a little goofy fun.
The Barn (2016)
Fun movie made better by reading the history in the Trivia section
I'm kind of torn on where The Barn truly scores- went with an average of a 7, can see it one point higher or lower by lovers of "heart & soul indie horror," but, don't have much argument with those being a bit more disappointed.
To get a few clarifications out of the way: one, I'm NOT a lover of films that believe their love for a genre outweighs polishing and whose reach is further than their grasp. Why? In MOST cases, the filmmakers' exuberance often wanes as they realize what they envisioned simply isn't coming across in their dailies due to their limited means. It often comes across harshly on-screen and their reliance on passion keeping viewers invested falls apart. Sadly, this happens in 90% of the indie films I'm told to check out.
Secondly, as background, I was very much alive, well, aware, and invested in pop culture in the 80s, where, outside of the prelude, this film takes place.
Both of these are taken into consideration for this review.
I'm extremely happy to report that, in regards to number one, The Barn never loses its "I'm excited to be bringing this story to life!" Sensation- not just from the director, but from the actors on-screen. You can argue that there's varying degrees of talent among those telling the story, whether in front or behind the camera, but the enthusiasm by all makes up for many; not all, but most, of The Barn's technical shortcomings.
The inclusion of a couple special guest appearances will most certainly be welcome, especially that of Linnea Quigley, who's given an extended cameo and is still stunning as someone who consumed anything with her name on a VHS box as a hormone-driven teen. Just wonderful to see her on-screen again, and one can hope she returns in an extended, even starring role if the sequel comes to fruition. Her inclusion here is, if Trivia be believed, is based largely on seeing the preview and feeling that palpable enthusiasm emanating from it. Heck, perhaps they can convince her to revisit her graveyard dance from ROTLD set in the pumpkin patch for the sequel? 16 year old, and even pushing 50 year old me can dream.
With all the appreciation I had as a viewer for being handed a film in which entertainment, not profit, was front and center, there are some things that threatened, or occasionally succeeded in, removing the suspension of disbelief SO necessary to a horror film, but amazingly, none was centered around the monsters or behaviors of the characters.
Primarily, (and again, referencing my preamble, specifically the second point,) the 1989 setting seems more like both just typing on the screen with how little reference is made, and made somehow worse when a reference is actually made.
This is perhaps the biggest (and really, only,) example of The Barn reaching for something it might not have been able to grab hold of.
There's no real feel that it's taking place at the sunset of the 80s. Whether via the setpieces, the lingo, dressings of people or locations, it just seems haphazard or less enthusiastic about picking 1989 as its era. Sure, one guy wears a Walkman, and every once in a great while, as if someone behind the camera suddenly remembered the film was set in the 80s, would have an actor spit out an 80s euphamism... "Quick, remind the audience we're in the 80s! Use "grody to the max!"" But, even those are far and few between. It seems largely a wasted opportunity and more an excuse as to why there's no cell phones than any important piece to the story.
Outside of the wasted chance at making the 80s actually relevant here and more than a date flash on the screen, I had only one other instance where it felt a bit "off," and my apologies to the adult actor if I'm mistaken, but when we encounter the grown-up survivor from 1959, he seems much more aged than he should be 30 years later. It was actually a bit of a surprise once that realization hit.
Still, in the scheme of an indie film, made on a low budget, that lost its FX guy, had to reshoot those scenes, then had its financing pulled, had actors move and then return on their dime, unpaid, to finish a project based in love for the film, there was so much that could have kept this film from being finished or being put out as the mess it very well could have been with all that went wrong during production, it's an impressive feat born from heart, soul, passion, enthusiasm, and in all likelihood, no shortage of blood, sweat and tears. It's worth your hour and a half to see what can be done when everyone involved believes in what they're making. It's a film that a viewer would love to see bring success to all and, much like a Sam Raimi, perhaps even be remade with a larger, proper budget (make no mistake, even with the limited budget here, most FX are impressive and better than is usually expected,) and tightened up, much as Evil Dead 2 did with the original ED.
As is, it seems a sequel to The Barn is being planned, and I, for one, am anxiously awaiting it to see where the story goes from here.
Sleepstalker (1995)
Long lost B-Movie fave
While Sleepstalker certainly fails to reach the lofty goals you can see those involved reaching for, it still falls into one of those "guilty pleasure" movies. The acting's weak, the special effects are underwhelming, (even for 20 years ago,) and it overstays its welcome by a bit, but you can see that effort was put in to attempt to create a new Freddy/ Jason/ Pinhead character that might, at the very least, capture some of that audience. While most of the actors involved aren't horrible, you can tell that many were still in the early parts of their careers, and while they give it their best shot, the performances are always on the wrong side of good, but they never fail so profoundly that it makes you want to shut the movie off. You'll recognize the ever-present Ken Foree from his long career in these types of movies in a limited run as a police officer. William Lucking, "Piney," from Sons of Anarchy, also takes a small role as another detective, and a young Giuseppe Andrews, (Deputy Winston from Cabin Fever,) also makes one of his early film roles. The main characters however, have had mostly middling success in front of the camera since- with Kathryn Morris as Megan, Michael Harris as The Sandman, and Jay Underwood as Griffin all gathering more than 50 roles apiece in their careers, you're bound to have seen one of them at some point. Michael Harris as the Sandman is perhaps the best of the three, (although Kathryn Morris is perhaps the most consistent of all of them throughout,) actually making the Sandman reasonably creepy at times with his lullabies that are also inconsistent, with occasional attempts to sing, while other times reciting them eerily. It's a shame, because some of the acting inconsistencies would oh so easily be overlooked if there had simply been a little more money tossed at the budget. The Sandman is not just a name given to the killer- although that is how it begins. Eventually, like all good movie maniacs, the supernatural angle kicks in, and he actually becomes a being of sand. While the look of Sandman is reasonable when he takes form, just not enough is done with this great power with the exception of traversing under doors and through ventilation shafts. They do make attempts within budget to show a few things, ie: accidentally dipping fingers into water, making the tips disappear, or using the abrasive sand as a weapon on 2 occasions, but when they do try for these more dramatical effects, it usually looks, at its best, bad... at its worst, horrible. One thing I did remember after watching this again for the first time in nearly 20 years was just how eerie the lullaby playing (Sleep Baby Sleep, sung by Teresa Straley,) on the record player during flashbacks actually is. I remembered it sticking with me for a long time after I viewed this 20 years ago... I watched it quite a bit- was a favorite fallback B-Movie of mine at the time. And after rediscovering this gem tonight, I know that song will stick with me again. A sorrowful lullaby that fits the tone of the movie quite well. And that's where Sleepstalker, besides the music, hits another high note... As the pieces begin falling in place, this movie becomes a bit more than the sum of all its parts. As the movie begins linking past with present, antagonist to protagonist in multiple ways, it achieves a level of sadness that most B-Movies cannot do- mostly because they make the mistake of trying to force emotion down your throat. Sleepstalker waits until the last 1/3 of the movie to begin giving you everything you'll need to put it all together successfully, (although certainly, it can be figured out before that,) but it allows you to come to your emotions on its background on your own. Will it put you in tears? No. Yet somehow, it strikes a chord much more naturally and, despite its supernatural maniac derivative, full of real feeling that the likes of Freddy Krueger's child killing or Jason's revenge killing just never really achieve. It truly is a shame that this movie didn't quite make the cut. There's so much here that really could have made for a great franchise, but you can tell that the studio wanted a new maniac, they just weren't sure if there was room for one, and the budget suffers at times. After viewing this, I have to believe that the extra budget and time would have proved there WAS enough room for another maniac on the big screen. Still, with the limited resources available, I applaud the filmmakers for still putting out a movie well worth viewing once. This movie seemingly reformed in my memory, much like the Sandman is capable of doing after drifting under a doorway, and I'm glad it did- and I'm glad that it urged me to find a copy on DVD (I'm grateful Lion's Gate ever even put it on DVD,) and after sitting down and watching it tonight, I'm more than happy I made the purchase.