Tag: Horror

In The Mouth Of Madness

Movie Review By Brian Stidham

I’ve recently been revisiting a few of my favorite horror movies of the past. Love them or loathe them, I’ve always felt drawn to John Carpenter’s movies. IN THE MOUTH OF MADNESS is one of my favorite John Carpenter classics. I felt like the movie was underappreciated and that it deserved a review to share it’s mind bending glory with everyone.

First off, IN THE MOUTH OF MADNESS boasts a great lead in Sam Neill. Neill is a tremendous actor who has appeared in numerous projects but is probably best known as Dr. Alan Grant in the JURASSIC PARK movies though he has had other forays into horror such as the OMEN III: THE FINAL CONFLICT and the scifi/horror flick EVENT HORIZON. Neill truly sells his character as first a smarmy investigator then a horrified participant in a nightmare of insanity.

The movie tells the tale of John Trent (Neill), a prickish insurance fraud investigator that is called in by Arcane Publishing to investigate the disappearance of their prize horror author Sutter Cane (Jurgen Prochnow). If he can’t find Cane, they want Cane’s draft of his final book. Just prior to this meeting Trent is almost killed by an ax wielding maniac asking him about Cane. Thinking the disappearance is some form of publicity hoax, he takes the case and starts an investigation that leads him to a town that isn’t supposed to exist. There he faces the truth about Cane’s writings and learns he’s trapped in a horror story that he can’t stopping living in.

The movie is heavily influenced by the writings of H.P. Lovecraft. Elements of his stories such as the fear of insanity and eldritch horrors lurking at the threshold of our world waiting to devour us, are scattered throughout the the movie. Some of quotes frm Cane’s books are actually quotes frm Lovecraft’s writings. There is also that raw old world mysticism that seems to seep through in stories set in New England, a place where ghost stories seem to have planted their first primal roots in America.

What really seems to make the film work on an unnerving level is that there is this wild metafictional theme about what makes up reality. The characters debate a few times about what constitutes sanity versus insanity and what would happen if those notions reversed themselves. This gives the supernatural horrors that appear afterward such a freakish tone. Is Trent insane or are these things he’s experiencing truly happening?

Although the film really hasn’t aged that well in the era of highly evolved special effects, the practical effects are a huge part of the appeal of this movie. The monsters have a presence that feels far more grounded than fancy CGI. There is one transformation effect that did come across fairly hokey that doesn’t quite capture the full horror of what it’s supposed to convey but it’s still kind of disturbing . Plus, there are creepy children involved. Those are always good.

The movie may not be everyone’s cup of tea. It is surprisingly light on gore. It is a little cerebral, with all of it’s talk about reality versus fiction and the blurred lines in-between, and it does build a pretty bleak story about the end of the world. However, even though it could have done so much more with it’s great premise, the movie does a commendable job of bringing a different type of horror story to the screen.

Although the movie didn’t do so well at the box office, it has gone on to acquire a respectable cult status. I believe it is one of John Carpenter’s overlooked gems and one of the best homages to Lovecraft’s mythos. Definitely not as good as THE THING or HALLOWEEN but stands right up there with PRINCE OF DARKNESS.

If nothing else, you’ll remember the phrase “DO YOU READ SUTTER CANE?”

You can find IN THE MOUTH OF MADNESS for rent on Vudu and Amazon.

 

Malevolent

Film Review by Brian Stidham

Malevolent is an example of how a film can have a completely different flavor from its trailer. It is a British film by an Icelandic director that was picked up for US release by Netflix. I’ll let that sink in for a second.

The trailer wasn’t the typical trailer with screams peppered throughout fleeting images of potentially the best parts of the movie like many trailers today. It seemed a bit quirky with a dash of menace. It felt like a non-domestic offering, something I feel hints at potential, since those movie aren’t mainstream Hollywood. Sadly, the movie fell a little flat in comparison to the trailer.

The movie starts off with an intriguing premise. Siblings Angela and Jackson run a fraudulent paranormal investigation team in Scotland in 1986. The four member team, rounded out by cameraman Elliot and technician Beth, scam their clients by claiming Angela can cleanse their haunted homes with her psychic powers. Complicating matters is the fact that Angela’s talents as a medium may not be entirely fictitious, as she has started to see disturbing visions. Things take a sinister turn when the team is called to cleanse a country manor house with a very dark history.

Paranormal teams biting off more than they can chew is not exactly a new story yarn to spin. Some might even call it cliche at this point but the added facet that this team are con artists has at least made the story feel like it has a fresh coat of paint. In a time when TV is saturated with paranormal investigative programs, this element teases the viewer to hang around to see what happens.

Regrettably, the movie does not pay off the decent set up. The first hour of the movie builds a reasonable amount of tension about the gruesome nature of the murders in the old foster home and the spooks that still lurk about. Some eerie ambient music sets a nice gloomy tone. However, without spoiling the movie, there is as a reveal in the third act of the movie that severely changes the dynamic of the movie, taking it from a simple ghost story to a bloodier, uglier tale.

I liked the movie up this point but I personally thought this was where the movie sort of fell apart.

The movie is under 90 minutes, so it doesn’t have time to drag. It gets to the meat of the story quickly but about the time you have settled into the ghost story then the story switches gears. The ending gets intense in the last 20-25 minutes but, again, the tonal shift in the third act makes it feel like a different movie and, frankly, a bit muddled.

There are tidbits of sweet potential sprinkled in the mix in the earlier parts of the movie. A few obligatory jump scares, some that work but others don’t quite hit on all cylinders. There is some creepy mythology that goes into creating the story behind the haunting that could have been fleshed out to build more suspense. Based on the siblings’ family history, there is some doubts presented whether Angela is truly gifted or just mentally disturbed. Neat idea to introduce to keep viewers on their toes but it’s largely ignored.

Unfortunately, the end result just isn’t that scary. There were a few scenes that the shots meant to build up tension dragged on a little too long without much payoff. The ghost’s were little girls, and dead kids are always a bit disturbing, but these ghost girls weren’t all that frightening. I’ve seen scarier ghost in network TV shows like Supernatural or The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. There is some modest gore in the last act but it was more wince inducing than terrifying. The scares just never fully manifested.

The acting is good but can be spotty as the movie progresses. Florence Pugh, who plays Angela, has starred in a few critically praised films. She doesn’t get much of a chance to flex her talents though as Angela’s character is a written as detached and bit sullen. Ben Lloyd-Hughes does a commendable job of making Jackson unlikable but sometimes gets too hammy. Celia Imrie, a well accomplished British actress, plays Mrs. Green. She more or less steals the show and is the only one that gives a real solid performance.

Again, elements were there for a respectable movie but it feels like the director, Olaf de Fleur, may have let some juicy facets of the story go underdeveloped. The switch between supernatural horror and more mundane terror in the third act left the movie feeling a bit disjointed.

What came out was a lukewarm story that felt like a filler Supernatural episode without the Winchesters. Certainly not a terrible movie but just a mediocre ghost story with a tiny smidgen of torture porn thrown in.

Malevolent is currently playing on Netflix.

 

Hereditary

Film Review by Brian Stidham

Hereditary is a rare breed of horror movie, in that it is not only genuinely chilling but it also received an enormous amount of critical praise. It was nominated for multiple awards at several award events including the Chicago Film Critics Association Awards, the Gotham Awards, and The Los Angeles Film Critic Awards. It even managed to score several wins, among them Best Director and Best Screenplay, at the 2019 Fangoria Chainsaw Awards. What makes these wins more impressive is that Hereditary is writer/director Ari Aster’s first feature film. Continue reading “Hereditary”

CC Ann Our Newest Co host SF13 E3

Here it is true believers, not only is there a new co-host but the Scarefest sausage party is proud to welcome a brilliant young lady to the broadcast family, CC Ann. Tonight Wes introduces us to CC Ann, and like any good superhero, she has a great origin story from having a connection to a person in Wes’ past to Scarefest XII being her first horror con ever to becoming a new co-host.

CC Ann comes to us all the way from Baltimore and shares her opinions on the supernatural,, how she feels about remakes, and why TV series are not necessarily her cup of tea. We are looking forward to much more from CC and she will be giving us her first official show soon from the World Oddities Expo. Plus she has some unbelievable art on display during her interview.

Wes also reminds us that the Scarefest wines from this season will still be available through Christmas. And we wonder what wackiness would happen if Wes had been one of the researchers stuck in the Antarctic during John Carpenter’s THE THING.

 

John Kassir SF12 E47

Good evening boils and ghouls, tonight Wes and co-host Chad Harlan interview the one and only John Kassir, the brilliant voice talent behind the Crypt Keeper on TALES FROM CRYPT. He brings his own special blend of fun, excitement, and ghoulish humor to our ears as a multi-talented comedian, thespian, voice actor, and lacrosse player. Yes, a lacrosse player. What can’t this guy do?

John walks us through his decades long career from being a theatrical performer to Star Search winner to his multitude of roles in film, television and even video games. And what a career he’s had. He beat Sinbad to win Star Search. He appeared in several seminal HBO series, namely 1ST and TEN and DREAM ON. He has voiced a host of characters, not just the Crypt Keeper, but many other favorites including Deadpool, who he portrayed in various video games years before the character ever appeared in movies. He also shares a little insight into his craft in regard to the difference in roles that are voice only versus appearing in the flesh.

Towards the end of the show we have a few announcements of pre-sale celebrity photo packages and other assorted events for Scarefest XII, just a few weeks away. We also learn that Wes may be able to get John double what Wes makes. So, double of zero is still zero, right?

 

Sam Iam Mason SF12 E40

Director, writer, producer, actor and all around multitasker Sam ‘Iam’ Mason joins Wes and cohost Jason Boyd this week to discuss his ever growing list of projects.

Normal Terror is Sam’s recent production and he breaks down the inspiration behind his character and how his films take on a different approach to horror. In addition to his film productions, Sam also hosts a podcast as well as creates special effects makeups and set designs. Sam, Jason and Wes discuss the future of horror films and Wes gets on his soapbox for a moment to talk about his worries for the future of horror films.

To find out more about Sam’s work be sure to look him up at sacrificialpawnproductions.com or listen in on his podcast, Sacrificial Terror