Scream 2 (1997)

       "Nothin like a funeral to bring a family together!"  Hey there spooks, and welcome to Teen Scream Tuesday.  I love the Scream collection, and since I've only reviewed the original Scream, I figured I'd go ahead and get my Scream 2 review on. 
       The sequel to one of the best 90s slasher films begins with a couple (Maureen and Phil, portrayed by Jada Pinkett Smith and Omar Epps, respectively) settling in to enjoy the feature film "Stab," a Hollywood version of the frightening events that occurred in Woodsboro 'a couple years ago,' according to the teens in the theater.  When Phil is stabbed in the bathroom, and the killer comes out and sits with Maureen, the movie begins living up to the original in an unexpectedly awesome way. 
       We then are transported right back into Sidney Prescotts life, only now she is in college and has to change numbers somewhat regularly due to people calling her and asking if she likes scary movies.  When Sid sees that two people were murdered during the opening night of "Stab," she immediately seeks out Randy for assistance.  Suddenly all of the survivors from Scream have congregated to this college, worried about what appears to be a new serial killer on the loose.  First we see Sid and Randy, then Gail, then Dewey.  I'm thinking that whenever these four get near each other, random acts of violence and gore are about to take place.  Not by them, but they seem to attract horror like poop attracts flies. 
       The death of sorority girl "Cici" (Sarah Michelle Gellar) isn't incredibly surprising OR innovative.  I was slightly disappointed by this death, but felt that perhaps it was necessary so the characters become aware that the movie deaths are not 'random.'  Viewers probably all think the cameraman is going to get it, but when Randy (Jamie Kennedy) gets killed its a pretty big surprise (even though his killing is pretty much exactly the same death as the cameraman in Scream).  The best part of this sequel, in my humble opinion, is when Sidney and her dorm mate Hallie (Elise Neal) are trapped inside the car with the killer.  Sid has to crawl over the killer to get out of the car, and the scene feels very tense while watching.  Well done!

       I don't know if anyone recalls Sidney's snarky comment about Tori Spelling playing her in 'the movie version' of Woodsboro, but Scream 2 ensures that Ms. Spelling is indeed the lead role for the "Stab" movies. So hilarious and fitting with the original, I'm glad they tossed that detail into the plot.  As far as the acting, it was not sub par from the original Scream, but then again it entailed most of the original cast (well, any who were still alive that is).  Cinematography was great quality, as typical of the Scream films, and they still included "Red Right Hand" by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds in the soundtrack.  Though I will say that aside from the Nick Cave song, the soundtrack kinda sucked.  I mean, there were WAY better songs in the 90s that could have been utilized for this soundtrack.  I don't know who exactly was in charge of that, but they didn't impress me.

       Body Count?  This flick boasts a strong body count of TEN!  That was pretty impressive for a sequel!  Number of killers?  Technically, there were five killers total, but only two don the Ghostface costume.  Boob count? Zero! Scream continues to not be gratuitous with nudity in this sequel.  Cheap thrills?  A couple, but its Scream so you kinda expect people to die throughout it.  Actual spooks endured?  Just one, in my opinion.  Raven's Scream Meter Says: 3 out of 5 Screams!  Though I tend to agree with the notion that sequels are detrimental to the horror genre, the simple fact that this movie actually makes that statement within itself shows that this is different from many and doesn't take itself too seriously.  Good spooky teen fun! 

The Quiet Ones (2014)

"What if you could prove that the supernatural was merely a manifestation of what already exists in the mind, the subconscious?"
            Hello again fiends!  It's been entirely too long since I reviewed anything, and I've decided it's time to start regularly updating this and my other blog.  Sorry that I've been away for so long, I was invested in two jobs for awhile and now I'm back to just one, so I have the time I need to sit and watch a film for review.  So without further adieu, I bring you my newest review of Hammer films' The Quiet Ones, for our Spooky Saturday feature.
            Any movie that starts out declaring that it's 'inspired by actual events,' generally gains more credibility in the creep factor area for me, however loosely inspired.  The Quiet Ones begins by asking the question "What is the supernatural?"  Quickly viewers come to understand that there is a professor (Coupland, portrayed by Jared Harris) working with a group of students to try to prove that the supernatural exists in what they each are calling "The Experiment." The professor leading this experiment keeps referring to a previous patient he had, 12 year old David Q (Aldo Maland), who had made up a supernatural entity named Mr. Gregor to explain away his telekinetic capabilities.
           We meet young Brian (portrayed by Sam Claflin), who likes cameras and is apparently going to be the filmographer of the "experiment." He is a nerdy and very quiet fellow and he enters the compound eager to meet and film the subject of the experiment, Jane.  Jane is fresh out of the asylum after being abandoned and going from family to family.  Each time she would get taken in, 'things' would happen that couldn't be explained, and she would get moved again.  They run Twisted Sister's "Come On Feel the Noise" to keep Jane awake, and the professor apparently wants her to manifest telekinetic abilities so that they can extract it from her mind. Only after a while some of the 'experiments' done on Jane are not exactly moral concerning human rights.  For example, he asks if her 'supernatural entity' (Evey) is afraid of fire, and then proceeds to hold the girls arm over an open flame to observe if she flinches or not. 

           The lighting was done decently, but I wasn't hugely into the sound.  Anytime the EMF activity was happening the sound was so loud it was obnoxious to listen to.  It could have been sufficiently creepy without the volume. The cinematography was well done, not a whole lot of what I like to call 'shaky' camera, all the motions seem very fluid in this film from one scene to the next.  I can't say the acting was the best I've ever seen, though I'm not sure if that is because of the way they were written or due to the actors choices.  Maybe it was a combination of both...because with lines like "Even God rested on the seventh day," this movie doesn't have anything very deep to say, even though it seemed promisingly profound at first (for a supernatural story, that is).
          Needless to say, I can't totally cast it aside as a decent spooky story, as it has plenty of cheap thrills coupled with charming English accents and if anything the way that the character Jane is treated is horrific all on its own. Body Count? Four.  Number of killers? One. This film actually brought forth quite a few cheap thrills (6 total, in my opinion), some interesting and some just plain cheesy.  As far as actual spooks endured, unfortunately it didn't really give me the hebie jebies... but since it was based on a true story it does get two points for this category.  The other point being when the tub begins to boil!  Boob count? Two. Raven's Scream Meter says: 2.5 of 5 screams.  It's worth a watch, especially if you really dig supernatural stories, but don't expect a miracle.


**I just now realized I missed a day, and posted my Spooky Saturday on Freaky Friday.  My bad!  I'll do a Freaky Friday review next week! lol**