Creepy

The Creepy Doll (2011) Review

February 16, 2014 by Eric S. Leave a Comment

Synopsis: Newlyweds Jason and Kate Carraway are expecting a baby, but when Kate’s grandmother sends them Kate’s childhood doll collection, things get, well, creepy. Jason notices his bride slowly turning into someone he doesn’t recognize, and the doll may be causing it.

Leslie’s Review: I’ve heard they are making a movie about Annabell, the doll from The Conjuring, and this story reminded me of that subplot (I loved everything about The Conjuring), so I really wanted to like this movie.

It’s independent, it’s low budget, and the premise is intriguing. The one review on IMDB is favorable, so I thought I’d give it a try. It’s a good idea, but the movie lacks polished execution. There are a few dynamic shots (I really liked the black and white shots from the point of view of the doll), but the acting was a bit off, and the relationship drama dulled the horror feeling for me.

It comes together pretty well, but by the time we finally arrived at the end, I didn’t really care anymore.

At one point, Kate explains that where her grandmother’s family is from, little girls receive guardian dolls as gifts. Sometimes a bear or wolf would be found dead in the village, with bloody tracks leading away from the house. People said that the dolls came to life to protect the children. Occasionally, they’d find a man who had been killed the same way, and that was how the people knew he was a, “good-for-nothing scoundrel.”

I honestly feel like a movie about that story would have been more entertaining. Amazon Prime members can stream it for free right now, and I applaud the filmmakers for their idea and attempt, but I’m not sure I can recommend it.

Director: P.J. Woodside

Origin: US

Click Here if you want to Watch The Creepy Doll Online Now!

This post was originally written by Leslie Shaip. You can follow her rants and movie reviews on her blog: Gallimaufry

The Banshee Chapter (2013) Review

January 8, 2014 by Eric S. Leave a Comment

Synopsis: Journalist Anne Roland explores the disturbing links behind her friend’s sudden disappearance, an ominous government research chemical, and a disturbing radio broadcast of unknown origin.

My Quick Review: I was pleasantly surprised by The Banshee Chapter, a genuinely creepy movie with well-earned jump scares that gave me jolts a few times.

The film is an effective mix of traditional filmmaking, ‘found footage’, and even actual documentary and news reels. The subject matter is based on real experiments conducted by the CIA during the Cold War.

Fans of the X-Files and HP Lovecraft stories (From Beyond is even cited by one of the main character) will find themselves right at home watching the Banshee Chapter and will look past through its shortcomings: poorly written dialog, awkward editing at times and some unconvincing acting.

What does work here like gangbuster is the tension building. First time director Blair Erickson manages to pull off many scary moments almost as well as James Wan did in The Conjuring. Sure, some of the jump scares are being abused but it almost always works.

In conclusion, The Banshee Chapter offers us many great scares and a creepy atmosphere while giving some new twist to the already tired found-footage genre.

My Rating: 6.5/10

Director: Blair Erickson

Origin: US

Click Here to Watch The Banshee Chapter Online Now!

YellowBrickRodad (2010) Review

January 2, 2014 by Eric S. Leave a Comment

Synopsis: In 1940, the entire population of Friar, New Hampshire walked up a winding mountain trail, leaving everything behind. 2008: the first official expedition into the wilderness attempts to solve the mystery of the lost citizens of Friar.

My Quick Review: YellowBrickRoad (YBR from now on) is the first feature from writers/directors Jesse Holland and Andy Mitton, whose segment in Chilling Visions: 5 Senses of Fear, was one of the highlight of the movie.

Music, and its influence on people, is a recurring theme in both of those stories. In YBR, the music is a conduit that drives people to madness while they are hiking on a secret trail through the woods.

While not getting into too much details, it’s never really explained how or why the music is being played on the trail but it doesn’t really matter since YBR is more about the journey than the destination (there are plenty of The Wizard of Oz references throughout the movie, another journey-type movie).

The movie itself is about human relationships and the slow slip into madness. It’s the story about what might happen to a group of people who start to lose their bearings, as well as the story of the perpetual search for life’s answers.

While the scope of YBR is ambitious, and the first half of the movie entertaining, the plot is already running on fumes by the two-third mark. At that point everything has been said and there is nothing much left to keep viewers engaged.

Jesse Holland and Andy Mitton might have bitten more than they could chew since YBR could have benefited from a shorter length (75mn or so maybe) and better editing near the end, but for a first full feature, YellowBrickRoad shows great potential and I’m looking forward to what they have in store next.

My Rating: 6/10

Director: Jesse Holland, Andy Mitton

Origin: US

Click Here to watch YellowBrickRoad Online Now!

Wither (2012) Review

December 31, 2013 by Eric S. Leave a Comment

Original Title: Vittra

Synopsis: Ida and Albin are a happy couple. They set off to a cabin in the vast Swedish woodlands to have a fun holiday with their friends. But under the floorboards waits an evil from Sweden’s dark past.

My Quick Review: So, this year’s Evil Dead Remake actually came from Sweden?

Wither is a gruesome movie clearly inspired by Evil Dead, with a Swedish folklore story twist. Unfortunately Wither suffers from the same problems that plagues this year’s Evil Dead Remake: plenty of gore does not necessarily make for an entertaining movie experience.

The buildup to the expected massacre is boring, most of the dialog is ludicrous (probably not helped by the subtitles) and all of the character’s decision are extremely stupid (even more so than usual for a cabin in the woods type movie).

Despite the low budget, most of the gore effects are quite impressive and add to the ick factor the same way the new Evil Dead did. But that’s about the only redeeming factor of Wither, a swedish import that fails to recapture what made the original Evil Dead such a horror classic.

My Rating: 5/10

Director: Sonny Laguna

Origin: Sweden

Chilling Visions: 5 Senses of Fear (2013) Review

December 29, 2013 by Eric S. Leave a Comment

Synopsis: Five short films based on the human senses.

My Quick Review: If you find yourself wanting to quit watching Chilling Visions after the first 2 or 3 stories, DON’T. The last 2 stories alone make Chilling Visions worth investing your time into it.

All the stories in Chilling visions are somehow interconnected, not only through their themes (the human senses) but also through the recurrence of a big corporation doing experiments and products based on the 5 senses.

The first segment, Smell, directed by Nick Everhart is about an elixir that gives attractiveness to the person using it, but has devastated side effects. The story is a bit on the goofy side and feels like an average episode of Tales From the Crypt.

The second one, See, by Miko Hughes follows an ophthalmologist turned vigilante who can capture people’s visions. While the pitch is intriguing the output is too conventional and way too predictable.

The third story, Touch, is directed by Emily Hagins who made headlines a few years back when she directed her first full feature zombie movie when she was only 13. Here, a blind boy is in a car accident with his parents, looking for help in the woods where a serial killer awaits. This short might be the weakest of the bunch mainly because of a pointless script.

Chilling Visions finally delivers with the 4th story, Taste, directed by Eric England (Madison County, Contracted). We are introduced to Aaron, a hacker going in for an interview in the same big corporation that we’ve seen glimpses from in the other stories. Once there, things start to go bonkers and the less said about this segment the better. Fans of Saw will enjoy this one 😉

The last story, Listen, from Jesse Holland and Andy Mitton (Yellowbrickroad) takes the found footage angle and shows us disturbing footage about a song that can kill people listening to it. This story is again strongly connected to the one before and culminates in a great gory scene showing what happens when a guy plays the song in front of other people.

Thanks to the last 2 stories (that deserve the title chilling) and the fact there is an unifying theme connecting them, I can say that Chilling Visions is a must see for horror anthology fans. Since it was shot on a very tight budget and under 4 days for each segment, I can only applaud the whole project and hope for a sequel that could share even more light on the mysterious corporation playing with our senses.

My Rating: 6/10

Origin: US

Click Here to Watch Chilling Visions: 5 Senses of Fear Online Now!