Recent Horror Films Watched

[richardburton]

Okay, rather than post several threads I thought I'd keep it to one. Here's the last few horrors I've watched recently...

Paranormal Activity
It got shed loads of hype, but I thought sod it I'll wait for DVD. This was a cracking low budget handheld cam flick in the vein of Blair Witch. Very atmospheric with a slow but very believable build up. The two main performances are believable and understated. Even on such a low budget the effects are very effective. Overall quite a deliciously unsettling film.

Shutter Island
I suppose not strictly horror - more psychological thriller, but enough creepiness to allow into here. This is a bloody good film which keeps you guessing. I managed to work out the gist by about mid-way through, but I was sufficiently unsure for it to continue to hold my interest. Even with guessing the main twist it didn't detract from my enjoyment of a very clever and very atmospheric film. I'm not a big fan of Leonardo, but his performance was top notch. The supporting cast was exceptional too with Mark Ruffalo, Ben Kingsley, Max von Sydow and Buffalo Bill himself (Ted Levine). Very good film.

Stay Alive
I came across this one in Asda for only £2, so despite never hearing of it I decided to give it a go. It's not particularly original (people playing a game start being murdered in the same way they die in the game), but it was a pretty decent film with some good scares, decent plot and some pretty decent acting (couple of names in it - Frankie Muniz of Malcolm in the Middle fame and Adam Goldberg from Saving Private Ryan). Worth a watch.

That's it for now!

[mrgrotey]

Agreed about shutter island, great film, I have never been a great fan of Leo either but he did good in that one. I didnt guess the twist so that was a bonus

I couldnt bring myself to watch paranormal activity. The whole ghost thing is just laughable to me. 'Most Haunted'? 'Most Wasted Screen Time' more like
People actually get paid to make that tripe? I see the film as the same as that and I dont think I could get into it.

You bought an unknown horror from Asda for £2? you're brave!

[richardburton]

The whole haunting genre is massive and open to abuse. Some films can be exceptional - take The Shining or The Exocist as examples. But there is a lot of tripe about too. It's just a case of picking and choosing more carefully. Just because you don't believe in ghosts you shouldn't avoid a whole genre of potentially highly entertaining films. Give it a go!

[richardburton]

Got around to watching the Del Toro remake of The Wolfman last night. After the caning it got from a lot of reviewers I wasn't expecting much. I was actually pleasantly surprised. It had plenty of gothic atmosphere. Del Toro, Emily Blunt, Anthony Hopkins and Hugo Weaving were all on good form. The story was good keeping you guessing up to a point. The effects were decent and there was a fair amount of claret being spattered about. All in all a decent remake of a classic.

[mrgrotey]

I liked it too, saw it in the cinema. I didn't know it got slated. Nice lot of gore

[richardburton]

Yep arms and heads flying off everywhere - gotta love it!

I saw The Fourth Kind the other night and thought that was pretty good too. Very well made in the mockumentary style but with some really convincing 'real' audio and visual footage throughout. I had to go look it up online to make sure it wasn't real! There's a bit with one of the abductees who lauches himself off the bed which is a really freaky scene. Scary because they really do go the extra mile to convince you that it's all real. Worth a watch.

[richardburton]

I watched the third installment of Paranormal Activity the other night and, although not as good as the first two films, I thought it was pretty good. There was several genuinely creepy moments in it, but it did have one or two plot holes and I felt that it jumped too quickly into the action. The good thing about the first two was the slow build up of tension - much of that was lost in the third film. But overall not bad.

I also watch Apollo 18, which was basically Blair Witch on the Moon. I thought it was good, but not outstanding. The retro look of the footage worked very well and the acting was good, but the story was a little predictable. But again, not bad.