Stag Night (2008)

I really had high hopes for this movie. The trailer was very interesting. I almost thought it was going to be something like Midnight Meat Train. However, it was NOT Midnight Meat Train. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't all bad... it just wasn't as good as I had hoped it would be. There were two major problems with this movie. For one, it was way too dark. I realize it is filmed underground in a subway, but it was almost to dark to see at times. Second, during all the kill/fight scenes, they used the shaky camera technique. This made it very difficult to see what was really happening. The scenes were brutal, but you could really tell what was going on. The acting and the storyline were fine, but the photography direction sucked. I wanted to like this movie... I didn't hate it, but I really wanted to like it. Both Tina and I were very disappointed how dark it was. We really don't care for those type of movies, but they can be well done. The Descent and The Cave were dark type movies, but you could see and understand what was going on. I recommend both those movies. I'm not totally down on Stag Night, it had some good moments. There was an ample amount of tension and the story was interesting. However, if you can't see it well enough to know what is going on, then it really isn't all that great of a movie.

2009 R 83 minutes

Next time they'll take a taxi: This is the lesson learned by a group of New Yorkers who, fresh on the heels of a bachelor party, hop on the subway so that they can continue to celebrate in this thriller written and directed by Peter A. Dowling. The night quickly goes south, however, when the gang witnesses the murder of a transit cop in an abandoned subway station. Now, they must traverse the underground tunnels on foot to escape the killers.

Cast: Scott Adkins, Kip Pardue, Vinessa Shaw, Breckin Meyer, Karl Geary, Suzanna Urszuly, Luca Bercovici, Nikolai Sotirov, Sarah Barrand, Rachel Oliva
Director: Peter A. Dowling
Genres: Horror, Slashers and Serial Killers, Crime Thrillers, Suspense, Lionsgate Home Entertainment
This movie is: Violent, Suspenseful



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My Favorite Horror Characters...

Re-posting this... Few characters in the horror genre have been as evil as Pinhead. The whole concept of his character makes him the total package. Enjoy and comment if you like!

I have to say without hesitation that Pinhead is the greatest horror character ever created. He is the embodiment of what Hell must be like. Thriving off the fear and pain that he creates, Pinhead stands alone as pure evil, with a touch of sarcasm that punctuates what little regard he has for human life. Clive Barker's creation of Pinhead set in motion some of the most unique and evil creatures in the horror genre. Pinhead was their leader... he was the king of pain! I have seen all 8 Hellraiser movies. Only the first 2 or 3 were quality movies, the rest have been attempts to make money off the Hellraiser name. Granted, they weren't terrible movies, but they all could have been much better if Clive Barker had been directing them. Either way, I watch because of my love of horror and my respect for the character of Pinhead. My only complaint about any of the Hellraiser movies is that Pinhead doesn't have enough screen time in any of them. This is one of my favorite scenes from any of the Hellraiser movies... to me, it shows the total disrespect that Pinhead has for God and anything defined as "Holy". This is a great clip and you really ought to check it out!



Another one of my favorites is The Wishmaster. The Wes Craven film was one that really grabbed my attention with the whole concept of granting wishes in trade for your soul. The Djinn were evil and the wishes they granted were never intended to hake the person receiving them happy. Definitely a be careful what you wish for scenario. Andrew Divoff played the evil Djinn perfectly. It should be obvious by now that I love my horror characters to be somewhat sarcastic, and Divoff's character was. The Djinn needed souls in order to bring his realm to this world to destroy and conquer it. The movie has all the elements in it that make horror a great genre... fear, greed, death, gore, tension, and good verses evil. This is an interesting look at the greed that makes us want something for nothing. Ask for a million dollars and the Djinn will comply... but at what cost? The first two were good, but 3 and 4 didn't have Divoff as the Djinn and were so inferior to the first two. I love these two horror characters, Pinhead and the Wishmaster. I find them to be so much more interesting than a Michael Myers or Jason for that matter... check out the trailer below!







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What is Horror???

What really is horror??? The genre is full of "different" types of horror. Just go to the horror genre menu in NetFlix and you will see no fewer than 12 different varieties ranging from Slashers and Serial Killers, Vampires, Satanic Stories, to Teen Screams. With that kind of variety, it is not hard to find a favorite. Back to the question at hand... what is horror? Horror to me is all about fear. Everyone has an opinion, and I would never fault any one for theirs. However, the best horror movies are the ones where it is remotely possible for the event to happen. I'm not discounting the supernatural, monsters, alien, or zombie films, but they are not as likely to happen as say a Hannibal Lecter.

My wife is not a fan of unrealistic horror. I will watch just about any horror movie and enjoy it, but she doesn't care for the ones that are too out there. Give her a serial killer movie and she's on the edge of her seat so to speak. Watch Predator... not so much. We all have varying taste. Me, I loved Night of the Living Dead from the 60's, but I really don't care that much for zombie movies. Most are way too cheesy for me. I love comic relief in horror films, but I hate unintentional humor. I guess that is why I really don't care for "B" horror movies. I feel they do a terrible disservice to the genre. How can horror be taken seriously when treated in the manner so many of the "B" movies treat it. A film like The Shining has all the elements of great horror... fear, tension. a sick, disturbed mind, and a taste of bloodshed. If you're not afraid while watching a horror movie, then it is not doing it's job. Fear and tension are the primary elements that make great horror... not gore. I love the Saw movies, but there is fear and tension throughout. It is just filled with over the top gore. The movie I posted about the other day, Chain Letter, it was over the top gore. However, it had enough tension to satisfy me. I saw a site called "Best-Horror-Movies.com" and they list their top 100. Here's their top 10:
10. Friday the 13th (1980, Directed by Sean S. Cunningham)
9. The Evil Dead (1981, Directed by Sam Raimi)
8. Psycho (1960, Directed by Alfred Hitchcock)
7. A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984, Directed by Wes Craven)
6. The Shining (1980, Directed by Stanley Kubrick)
5. Night of the Living Dead (1968, Directed by Dean Lachiusa & George Romero)
4. Halloween (1978, Directed by John Carpenter)
3. Dawn of the Dead (1978, Written and Directed by George A. Romero)
2. Alien (1979, Directed by Ridley Scott)
1. The Exorcist (1973, Directed by William Freidkin)

Can't say I really agree with their choices, but it is an interesting list. Demonic movies like The Exorcist really creep me out. I believe it can happen. so therefore, the movie was really in the fear factor. I could go on forever with this rant, but I would be beating a dead horse. To sum it up, The Shining, The Exorcist, Frailty, Silence of the Lambs, and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre are some of the best horror movies ever made. I think I will discuss gory movies next time!

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Chain Letter (2010)

I'm back!!! It has been so long since my last blog post. I've missed it and I hope to get back in the swing of things! Tina and I watched this movie a few days ago and I will tell you up front that it is not a Golden Globe nominee. However, it is one of the goriest movies we have seen in some time. The concept is pretty simple... receive a chain letter text/email and forward it to five of your friends. If you don't, you die. It will remind you somewhat of the Saw series in that the "victims" are chained up and killed in various vicious ways. There are some downsides to the movie. For one, the killer is a generic individual who is really not developed at all. We have no idea who he is or why he is doing these horrific crimes. We can assume that he hates technology because there are many references to the "evils" of technology. Despite these annoying political views, the movie moves well and has adequate actors. The story does keep your interest because you are anticipating how the next person will die... and die they do. A lot of the Netflix reviews are very negative... not really sure why most of these people were so harsh. I'm not sure what they were expecting. Tina and I were pleasantly surprised by this movie. Yes, there were some holes in the story and it could have been written much better, but for a violent, serial killer movie it was very entertaining. If you really enjoy a good serial killer movie, this one will fit the bill!


2010 UR 89 minutes

When a group of tech-savvy high school pals receives an electronic chain letter that demands they each forward the message or face consequences, they laugh it off as an online prank and delete the posts. But when the deranged sender of the message starts hunting them down one by one, they find themselves in a fight for their lives. This tense horror film from director Deon Taylor stars Nikki Reed and Keith David.

Cast: Nikki Reed, Keith David, Betsy Russell, Brad Dourif, Ling Bai, Brian Tee, Noah Segan, Clifton Powell, Matt Cohen, Cherilyn Wilson
Director: Deon Taylor
Genres: Horror, Slashers and Serial Killers, Teen Screams, Blu-ray
This movie is: Violent



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