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Hashima Project (2013) Review

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Hashima project reviewSynopsis: A group of film students are being sent on a mission to shoot a documentary about the infamous haunted Hashima Island in Japan. When they come back something evil has followed them.

My Quick Review: Went to see this one in my local theater the first week it was showing. I’m a big fan of Thai Horror and so far 2013 has been quite disappointing, with most of the movies trying to replicate Pee Mak formula.

I was glad that Hashima project wasn’t another poor attempt at horror comedy and did come back to the roots of thai horror: ghosts and possession.

Its a pity that the talent behind the camera does not quite match the one in front of it. From the trailer, I guessed, wrongly, that there would be a lot of found footage style scenes and the movie looks to be a good mix between traditional thai horror and found footage movies such as Grave Encounters.

The problem is that the first half of the movie has a great real location but lacks any creepy tension that you might expect from such movies. There are some jump scares but they are not well timed and totally unoriginal.

The second half goes more into ghostly apparition/possession stuff but again the director fails to create any kind of atmosphere and we are left watching the unfolding events without any emotion.

My Rating: 5/10

Director: 

Origin: Thailand

Silent House (2011) Review

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Silent House reviewSynopsis: A girl is trapped inside her family’s lakeside retreat and becomes unable to contact the outside world as supernatural forces haunt the house with mysterious energy and consequences.

My Quick Review: Usually, when I watch a remake, there is always a slight disappointment about the end product due to fond memories of the original mateiral.

It’s not the case with Silent House, the remake from “La Casa Muda” since I did not enjoy the original uruguayan movie and could actually barely sit through.

Silent House, on the other hand is an entertaining ride with brilliant direction and convincing acting from the lead actress, Elizabeth Olsen. What starts as a classic Haunted House movie proves to be much more complicated/mysterious than that and, while the resolution was a bit predictable, the journey kept me on the edge of my seat.

I loved the fact that the camera is almost always kept on Sarah, as it does makes us closer to the danger and as disoriented as she is. Silent House has a found footage-like feeling to it without the burdens of the format. Some scenes are actually technically quite impressive (when Sarah is running outside at one point, the camera is moving all around her and we can almost touch her distress) and when looking at the credits I wasn’t surprised to see that the movie was made by the team behind Open Water (a favorite of mind that kept the action very close to its main leads as well).

So, despite an average script and a disappointing ending, I can only recommend Silent House for its technical achievement and convincing performance by Elizabeth Olsen. It does deliver enough creep factor and a few chills to make for a good bedtime movie.

My Rating: 6.5/10

Director: , 

Origin: US

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The Possession (2012) Review

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the possession reviewSynopsis: A young girl buys an antique box at a yard sale, unaware that inside the collectible lives a malicious ancient spirit. The girl’s father teams with his ex-wife to find a way to end the curse upon their child.

Quick Review: The Possession is a very bland effort to create the Jewish Exorcist but, with only talent in front of the camera, the movie falls flat and does not provide any scares whatsoever.

I don’t know exactly what went wrong with The Possession but, contrary to other PG13 horror movies, such as Insidious or Dark Skies, it never brings anything to the table. The script is a blatant ripoff of every kids-possessed movie out there and despite having great kids actors and recognizable faces as parents (Kyra Sedgwick and Jeffrey Dean Morgan) it’s not enough for us to care.

Visually, the movie looks average at best, and the music/score is definitively lacking any creep factor.

This might be a family friendly scary movie but it’s definitively not a horror fan friendly one.

My Rating: 4.5/10

Director: 

Origin: US

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Severed Footage (2012) Review

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Severed Footage ReviewSynopsis: Twelve severed feet in running shoes found on the shores of Western Canada have baffled the Police. A videotape is leaked anonymously from the authorities. This paranormal thriller may solve the mystery of the severed feet.

My Quick Review: If you’ve been reading my reviews for a while now, you already know that I’m a fan of Found Footage movies. So I was looking forward to watching  Severed Footage, a canadian horror movie based on actual events.

With that being said, while I’m much more patient with the format than most of my fellow horror critics, I have to admit that it takes way too long for anything to happen on-screen and I’m afraid by then, most people would have already turned their TV off.

I did not, thanks to likable characters (Mathieu Lessard is a hoot) and an acceptable and believable use of the camera throughout the movie (this is supposed to be a student documentary and it works this way). But still, more than 2/3 of the movie is just a few college students having fun and trying to get more information and footage for their school project. And if the characters are likable and believable, some of the acting is too amateurish not to notice (it becomes a real problem when the tension rises and the victims are clearly acting, especially the 2 girls).

In terms of scares, Severed Footage does deliver in the last 20mn or so. There is nothing you haven’t seen in other similar movies (Blair Witch being the most obvious here) but a couple of jump scares are efficient. The fact that all the background information and location are true add to the eeriness of the story as well.

As far as Indie horror movies go, and despite a very limited budget and no real professionals behind or in front of the camera, Severed Footage does its job. It is nevertheless a movie that only fans of the found footage/mockumentary genre might appreciate. If you’re not into this type of movie, Severed Footage will definitively not change your mind.

My Rating: 4.5/10

Director: 

Origin: Canada

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Devil’s Pass (2013) Review

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Devil s Pass ReviewOriginal Title: The Dyatlov Pass Incident

Synopsis: Five young filmmakers retrace the steps of a doomed group of hikers in pursuit of an unsolvable mystery.

My Quick Review: What a surprise to see Renny Harlin, a director who made such action movies as Die Hard 2 and The Long Kiss Goodnight at the helm of a Found Footage Movie.

With that being said, Renny Harlin started his career directing horror movies such as Prison and Nightmare On Elm Street 4. Devil’s Pass is also not his first foray into movies involving a mountain settings, he directed Cliffhanger after all.

Devil’s pass is similar in its settings to TrollHunter with its team of young moviemakers trying to do a documentary about some mysterious happenings in a remote place.

And while the movie is a bit too long in its exposition, once things start to go wrong, I was gripped and enjoyed the ride till the end.

Sure, I was shaking my head a few times at the decisions of our group of filmmakers. Biggest of them all is: Why would you go to a remote mountain trail with no local guide and no real experience in mountain climbing?  And of course, why keep filming when something or someone is chasing after you (but you could say that about ALL found footage movies).

I did enjoy the mystery surrounding the real disappearance of the original crew and what the current group of students uncover is actually more frightening and original than all original theories.

Devil’s pass is a mix between a good X-Files episode  and an above average Found footage film, with higher production values. Renny Harlin proves he still knows how to shoot action scenes and keeps the momentum going in the last act of the movie.

If you like the genre, don’t miss out on Devil’s pass it’s one of the better found footage film in recent memory.

My Rating: 6.5/10

Director: 

Origin: US/Russia

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