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Slasher - Evil Pleasures

Movie Review: Scream 4

April 14th 2011 01:36


What can I say about Scream 4? I won tickets to see the QLD premier, but I wasn't really sure I wanted to go. The original Scream was released when I was the ripe ol' age of 9, and was one of the classics of my childhood.

To be fair though, Scream is an excellent movie in it's own right. It is a brilliant sendup of the slasher genre, without resorting to cheap gags (unlike Scary Movie, which is just stupid). Scream 2 was entertaining, but I think it's safe to say it lost it's way; it focused too much on being a serious slasher flick without ditching the satire entirely, much to the movie's detriment. Scream 3... I'd rather not talk about. It was a hopeless mess of a movie, and has left a sour taste in the mouth of many Craven fans (myself included) for the last 10 years.


And so, a decade later, I approached the latest installment of the Ghostface saga with a sense of trepidation. And I have to say... I was blown away. While maybe not quite as good as the first Scream movie, it is easily superior to the second and third movies and goes right back to the roots; horror parody with a healthy dose of brutality.

Plot: Seriously, it's the 4th installment and you need a review of the plot? Sheeh... Sidney Prescott, survivor extraordinairre, returns to her hometown of Woodsboro to promote her new book. Dewey and Gale have married with Dewey taking the role of sheriff, but Gale is struggling with the small-town life after giving up reporting. Of course once Sidney returns the killings begin anew, and it's up to Sidney and the gang to stop them! Will they survive a fourth bout with the ghostface killer?


Script: I'm happy to say it's the highlight of the movie.
The script was the reason that the first Scream was so great, and they have obviously put work into this one. Of course there are some corny-as-they-come moments (like the entire cinema yelling 'DON'T GET OUT OF THE CAR... just before the girl climbs out of the car), but they are just there to remind you it's a Scream movie, and don't detract from the experience. The dialouge is witty, and there are some truly funny scenes in between the splatter. Speaking of which...

Gore: pretty brutal. The second and third movies were released in the aftermath of the Columbine shootings, and so there is noticeably less gore in those two as part of a general toning-down of movie violence. Thankfully that phase has passed, and what we receive in S4 are plenty of close-up stabbings, disembowlings, and a particularly memorable knife through the forehead (awesome: yes. Plausible? less so). This is Scream as it should be, and it doesn't pull any punches.

Acting: Neve Campbell kind
of disappeared off the rader for the last few years, and I am very happy to see her back in the spotlight. She's still got it. Courtney Cox and David Arquette don't really pull their weight... they are decent enough, and watchablebut I just don't seem to relate to them like I did in the previous installments. The younger cannon-fodder victims cast members are photogenic and believable, especially the delectable Hayden Panetierre, to whom I would do terrible, unspeakable things.

Overall: Fans of the franchise are going to froth over this one, and for good reason, but it isn't just the die-hard fans that'll love it. It's a quality movie in it's own right, carefully treading that fine line between comedy and horror without degenerating into silliness (too often)... and it's great to see a classic franchise back in form.
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Movie Review: Severance

July 10th 2009 15:02


Premise: A group of employees working for a weapons manufacturer go on a team-building weekend, led by their boss Richard (Tim McInnerny). After being kicked off the bus by their Hungarian driver for reasons unknown, the group continue on foot until they supposedly find their lodge. It isn't long before they find that they are being hunted by an unknown enemy. apparently because of the company they work for.

I had no idea what to expect from Severance.... to tell you the truth, I hadn't even read the back of the DVD before watching it... I saw Tim McInnerny's name and picked it straight up. I watched some Black Adder Goes Forth not long ago, and spent the entire movie waiting for someone to waltz into the room and yell out 'hello, Darling!'. Needless to say, it doesn't happen, and I was very disappointed. However, he does bring the character of Darling back to life, and his awkward mannerisms help make this a humorous carnage-fest.

The plot is pretty flimsy.... The group of employees are being hunted by one or more people, because someone is pissed off at the company they work for. The group try to escape. End movie. However, despite the flimsy pretense, the script is wickedly clever. There are some moments that are just so dark... and yet so funny! I couldn't help but wince during a scene where one character stands on a bear trap, and in the process of trying to get him out the other group members end up chopping his leg off... and yet it was funny too. Darkly funny. Real dark. Or another scene where a female of the group is tied to a tree, and the bad guy douses her in petrol, and then can't get a match to light... so he turns around with a flamethrower and torches her. Not all of the comedy is black: there's the usual druggie of the group tripping out on mushrooms, and McInnerny's bumbling talks keep you giggling between brutal action sequences.

Gorehounds will definitely be pleased with this one: There is a copious amount of blood spilt in this movie, and definitely a few wince-worthy moments.

The acting in this film is just superb, and reflects the fact that casting took 4 months because the director wanted to find the perfect actors for their parts. I could not fault a single performance, as every role was near-perfect. Even down to the slutty mail order brides who get down to their undies in about 5 seconds flat... just perfect.

Overall, definitely worth a viewing. Funny, and brutal. If you are after a serious horror, probably give one a miss. There are some scenes where plausibility is sacrificed for the sake of comedy, which makes the movie work in it's way, but people looking for terror will be left shaking their heads.

It was apparently shown along with Black Sheep .... Now THERE'S a double-feature that you'd want to go to!
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Movie Review: Eskalofrío (Shiver)

June 22nd 2009 04:27


Premise: Santi (Julio Valverde), a boy with an allergy to direct sunlight, and his mother (Mar Sodupe) move to an isolated village, where the geography means less direct sunlight and more freedom. When they get there, Santi realizes that there is someone, or something, lurking in the woods. When it starts murdering people, Santi is accused, and must prove his innocence before either the thing in the woods or the villagers target him.

I'm not going to beat around the bush: This movie is fantastic. My DVD was shithouse, and didn't come with the original Spanish soundtrack, only the English dubbing. However, despite that, this movie impressed the hell out of me.

Acting: Hats off all round. Valverde does an excellent job as the protagonist, and we can clearly see the fear and determination in his character. Alot is asked of him, as his character carries the entire movie, but he is certainly up to the challenge. The supporting characters, while not as impressive as the lead, all hold their own, and provide convincing performances.

Normally, I tend to enjoy movies more if there is a certain level of visceral satisfaction. Don't get me wrong, I love tension in movies, but I am still a little bit of a gorehound at heart. That being said, this movie did not have much gore... and I wouldn't have it any other way. We get to see one disembowled animal, and that's about as gory as this movie gets. However, like I said, this film doesn't suffer for it.

There's a formula I have seen developing in run-of-the-mill horrors. For the first third-ish of the movie, we only catch glimpses of the killer/thing/whatever, as the director tries to create a bit of tension. Then, after it is revealed, all thought of tension is put aside and the creature/killer/whatever gets heaps of screen time as it kills off most of the remaining characters.
Thankfully, Eskalofrío avoids this formulaic approach. Yes, for the first portion of the movie, we only catch glimpses of the 'forest-dweller' (trying to be vague here), and the tension is almost palpable. However, once we've had a good look at it, we go back to just glimpses. This is a breath of fresh air, and helps to sustain the tension right up until the thrilling climax.
Also, I read a complaint about the pacing of the movie. I wish I could remember where, so I could tell the author what an idiot he is. By Hollywood standards, the movie is slow-paced. The action doesn't occur well into the second half of the movie. Clearly, the focus is on creating tension, which the movie does highly successfully. The slow pace helps keep the audience tense, and although there is a lack of 'action', this movie kept me engaged and, I have to admit, fearful, which I don't think has happened since I watched Alien for the first time a while back.

This movie manages to combine artistry and tension, and thus is able to shock and awe, which is what you want from a great horror. Pilar Revuelta (who shared in the Oscar for best achievement in art direction for Pan's Labyrinth) served as the production designer for Eskalofrío, so you would expect a good deal of artistry, which this movie delivers. As you might gather from the premise, the movie plays strongly on the struggle between light and darkness, both literally and figuratively. Also worth mentioning is the use of the scenery... this movie makes great use of the forest setting, which is so often under-utilized in the horrors I have seen.

Overall, as I said at the start, fantastic film. I haven't seen El Orfanato yet, but it looks like there are some fantastically artistic movies coming out of Spain (if this and Pan's are anything to go by), so it definitely won't be long 'til I do.
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