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The Seasoning House (2012) Review

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The-Seasoning-House-reviewSynopsis:  Young girls are captured by the military during the war in the balkans and prostituted. An orphaned deaf mute is enslaved to care for them. She moves between the walls and crawlspaces, showing the little kindnesses when she can. When fate brings the men that murdered her family and the reason she ended up in the whore house, a chain of events begins that will grant her revenge on the soldiers that destroyed her life.

My Quick Review: Sometimes the true horrors in life are worse than any supernatural horror seen in movies.

Case in point with The Seasoning House, a gruesome, hard to watch look into the horrors of war and, more specifically, prostitution in the after-war balkans.

The violence in the movie is psychological first but very visual as well. Some outbursts of violence are extremely graphic (one knife fight is extremely well made) so kudos to the practical FX team. This is after all the directorial debut of Paul Hyett who worked as a make up specialist on some of the best recent Horror movies from the UK (The Descent, Eden Lake, Attack of The Block…).

Some have described the violence in The Seasoning House as being gratuitous without any strong message. It is true that the movie ends up being more a traditional Rape and Revenge movie than an in-depth look into prostitution rings in eastern europe but the director’s intention was probably not to make a potential academy award movie.

As it stands, The Seasoning House is a riveting, shocking Horror Movie with bursts of violence that will leave non one indifferent.

My Rating: 7.5/10

Director: 

Origin: UK

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You’re Next (2011) Review

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you're next reviewSynopsis: When the Davison family comes under attack during their wedding anniversary getaway, the gang of mysterious killers soon learns that one of the victims harbors a secret talent for fighting back.

My Quick Review: It’s unfortunate that 2013 saw 2 home invasion movies and even more so that the weakest one, The Purge won the Box Office battle.

You’re Next was actually first screened 2 years ago at Fantastic Fest 2011 and stayed on shelves for way too long. Meanwhile the hype machine was launched and I, for one, could not wait to watch it.

I had the chance to catch a screening at my local theater yesterday and boy, I’m glad I did. It was worth the wait.

Sure, it could not have lived to its own hype but I was still pleasantly entertained, and surprised, since I did not care much for Adam Wingard’s previous movie A horrible way to die.

What’s most impressive about You’re Next is actually the acting, Sharni Vinson is great as the main heroine (and she seriously kicks ass) as is AJ Bowen, once again proving to be a serious asset in any movie he plays a part in.

The script is tight and the tension is always palpable. It’s a huge improvement on A horrible Way to die in that matter (if not for the first attack scene where the director overuses shaky cam shots and quick editing again). For gorehounds, there is plenty to like and for the others, the movie delivers a few scares as well.

You’re Next does not really reinvent the genre but, thanks to a flawless script filled with dark humor and convincing acting, it belongs to the best Home invasion movie out there and will stay a highlight of horror movies in 2013.

My Rating: 7/10

Director: 

Origin: US

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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I Spit on Your Grave (2010) Review

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i spit on your grave reviewSynopsis: A writer who is brutalized during her cabin retreat seeks revenge on her attackers, who left her for dead.

My Quick Review: Since the sequel is being released now, I thought it would be a good idea to revisit the remake of one of the classic of rape-revenge movies, I spit On Your Grave.

It’s amazing to think that this movie was directed by Steven R Monroe who also directed House of 9 for 4 times this film budget. The least I can say is that It’s a huge improvement.

I spit on Your Grave looks great, is well shot and scored, and the acting from all the cast is plain brilliant with a special mention to Andrew Howard who plays one of the most despicable character ever put on screen, and of course, Sarah Butler who plays her role as convincingly as possible.

The movie is divided into 2 parts, the rape and the revenge. And if the rape is already tough to stomach (not the worst put on film but still disturbing) the torture scenes that will follow when Jennifer is getting her revenge, are some of the most gruesome, and imaginative I’ve ever seen.

This was my second time watching I Spit on Your Grave and it hasn’t lost its intensity despite having seen numerous revenge/torture movies since.

I have to applaud the cast and crew of the movie to have make one of the best horror remake out there and I’m now ready to dive into the sequel, I Spit on Your Grave 2, still directed by Steve R Monroe.

 My Rating: 7.5/10

Director: 

Origin: USA

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Chernobyl Diaries (2012) Review

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chernobyl-diaries-reviewSynopsis: Six tourists hire an extreme tour guide who takes them to the abandoned city Pripyat, the former home to the workers of the Chernobyl nuclear reactor. During their exploration, they soon discover they are not alone.

My Quick Review: For some reason I had it in my mind that chernobyl diaries was a found footage movie. I had seen it in some found footage list, and the trailer, as i recalled, looked to be this way as well.

Apart from some scenes, Chernobyl Diaries is shot in a traditional way, albeit using a lot of tricks and jump scares found usually in found footage movies.

But I believe Chernobyl diaries is actually a better movie this way. The first half of the movie creates the right amount of tension and characters exposition to get us ready for what is to come.

Unfortunately, once the nature of the “monsters” who are after our group of tourists is revealed, Chernobyl Diaries starts to accumulate genre cliches at an alarming rate. What was a fine chiller during the first 45mn or so, become a generic “run for your life” movie that never really lives up to its potential.

Despite its problems, I would still recommend Chernobyl Diaries as I did enjoy the ride and never looked at my watch once which is already more than I can say about most of the movies I review.

My Rating: 6/10

Director: 

Origin: US

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