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**

Witchcraft (1964)

            “After she was condemned they took her out and buried her alive…”  Good evening ghosts and ghouls, and welcome to Wicked Wednesday (a bit late, but better late than never I always say).  I only had time to review one film this evening, but it was pretty wicked! Witchcraft, directed in 1964 by Don Sharp, is a witchy tale of disruption and revenge.  This is a black and white film, and I simply adore black and white for horror – it gives the medium a darker…eerier feel than those in color do.  This film is no exception, with the majority of the beginning of the film shot in a graveyard with curling fog and creepy tunes.  The premise of the film is that an English town is ‘clearing’ a local graveyard by bulldozer, and they disturb the grave of an old witch (Vanessa Whitlock, portrayed by Yvette Rees), who then wrecks havoc on the town.

            The witch begins by utilizing a voodoo doll (called a ‘devil doll’ in this flick) to drown Mr. Lanier.  Another doll is found by the townspeople and there’s much discussion about whether or not it is witchcraft and if such a thing even exists.  She then appears in Helen Lanier’s bedroom at night, pulling at her covers.  It appears she attempted to kill Helen as well, only Helen woke up and screamed before anything else happened.  Another voodoo poppet appears to be attached to the back of her car as well, which causes her to think she’s driving normally as she drives herself right off of a cliff.  I rather enjoyed this particular use of voodoo dolls; it was original conceptually and was filmed well.  When Bill Lanier almost drives off the same cliff, he finally begins to realize that something supernatural might be going on (he was on the side of skeptic to begin with).  Finally, viewers find that this isn’t just the one witch but an entire coven of witches that are working their magic underneath the Lanier house.   

            Now I cannot say this film has the best cinematography I’ve ever seen for black and white films, but it isn’t by far the worst.  Some of the lighting is done well and some of it isn’t.  I will say that it’s definitely not a Hitchcock-level film.  The soundtrack is also not extremely great, though I do enjoy it in some parts.  And when they choose to forego the music in favor of clocks ticking and church bells chiming, those sounds aide in the ambiance and overall tone of the film – making up for any cheese that might be going on in the soundtrack.  Vanessa Whitlock never actually makes a sound throughout the entire film, she just walks creepily toward people, and makes hand gestures.  This is reminiscent of silent film, where most of the acting was done with the eyes (facial expressions) and the body.  It’s done well in this movie for the most part, though some of is it boarder-line cheesetastic.

It is pretty impressive to see blonde Amy challenge the witch and burn her alive (as apparently she should have been 300 years prior, instead of buried alive).  The house burns to the ground, of corpse, and Amy fails to make it out alive.  There was actually a decent Body Count in this film with five total deaths (I didn’t expect so many from a 1960s film).  Number of killers? Two.  Boob Count? Zero. Cheap Thrills? None. Actual Chills? None.  Raven’s Scream Meter Says: 2.5 out of 5 Screams.  Was decently made for an older film, but needed a little pizzazz when it comes to the acting.  Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed the review, and please feel free to discuss below!  Xx ~ Raven    

Haunter (2013)

            Good evening, fiends!  Last movie up for review on this fine Teen Scream Tuesday is Haunter (2013), directed by Vincenzo Natali.  This film begins with viewers meeting Lisa, a girl who appears to be living the same exact day over and over again (similar to Bill Murray’s Groundhog Day, if you will).  Her family is on the same repetitive cycle with her, only they seem completely oblivious to it.  She is, as she calls it, ‘awake,’ in that she is the only one of the family aware that she is dead.  As the movie continues the creaks and other strange sounds in her home appear to be both other dead people as well as the living that are currently occupying her home.  I have to say I really dig the way this film is shot from the perspective of a dead person that is ‘haunted’ by the living.  We are used to seeing ghosts irritated by the presence of the living, but never haunted by their presence quite in this way.  Lisa notices there is another presence in the house, a malicious presence that is both male and appears to be the cause of Lisa’s death, though she isn’t sure how he is connected with them.  When Lisa attempts to contact the living people in the home to warn them of the presence and tell them to get out of the house, the presence appears to her as a man and tells her to stay away from the living and to not shake things up or she will suffer the consequences. 

            Another thing I noticed I fancied right off the top with this movie is the cinematography.  The director and crew really came together and this movie is beautifully shot from start to finish.  The acting was decent as well, and the characters were mostly believable. Most of the actual horror was done with CGI (which as loyal readers I’m sure you know I’m not a huge fan of), so it was not perhaps the most innovative when it came to the effects, but it still managed to be a bit spooky from time to time.  The CGI was tolerable because of the other aspects of the film that already tickled my sensibilities, so I rolled with it.  I honestly cannot tell you anything about the score, aside from that it must be quite un-memorable because I cannot remember a thing about it other than I’m sure it was there in the background somewhere. 

            The Body Count was somewhat difficult in this film, since there were quite a lot of dead girls buried in that home prior to the family of four that we know for sure is dead.  But for lack of a better count, I’ll say 5 plus (it appeared the killer had been burying ‘missing’ girls in the basement for something around two decades).  Number of Killers?  Hard to say, but I will say at least 2.  Boob Count? Zero. Cheap Thrills?  One.  Actual Chills? A couple.  Raven’s Scream Meter Says: 3.5 out of 5 Screams.  This one grabbed me from start to finish, and even though I had to get past the CGI I felt like it was worth it.  I greatly appreciate your readership, and hope you thoroughly enjoyed the review!  Please feel free to comment/discuss below.  Xx ~ Raven   

Ring of Curse (2011)

            “The feelings of death make me understand more about it.”  Next up for our Teen Scream Tuesday is Gomennasai or Ring of Curse, directed in 2011 by Mari Asato.  The flick begins with three typically adorable Japanese girls, sitting in front of the camera and talking about the making of the rest of the film (as though it is based on a true story).  After their short introduction, the film ‘really’ begins.  Viewers are introduced to Yuka Hidaka and her classmates, including one Hinako Kurohane, who is regarded as one of the best writers in school because she won a contest the year prior.  What the kids don’t know, is that Ms. Kurohane can curse people through her writing…so as they pick on her and bully her, they unwittingly sign their own death warrants.  Fun fact:  Gomennasai translates as “I’m sorry,” in English. 

            The film begins from Yuka’s perspective and then switches to the diary of Ms. Kurohane, then back to Yuka for the denouement.  In Yuka’s original account, Hinako appears to be simply disturbed/crazy.  But when viewers see that the girl is fighting a malignant lymphocyte tumor, and how her family disregards her very existence, one can see why the sociopathic behavior developed.  It becomes hard to not sympathize with Hinako at this point, as she is going through serious pain both literally and figuratively, and has been given a very early death sentence due to the cancer.  She was in a desperate place.  Yuka realizes this as well in reading Hinako’s diary (sent to her prior to her death, as Hinako knew she would be dying).  But Yuka is still young, and still alive, and so she spreads the curse further unintentionally and inadvertently subjects herself to its wrath. 

            I felt the deep breathing in place of a score in parts of this film was very effective in setting the tone of the film, and often makes one think of one’s own breath and breathing (perhaps even providing the feeling of being short of breath).  The sequence of Hinako’s sister when she is out of breath for a month and scratching at her throat is also particularly chilling, and is probably the most gruesome thing in the movie’s entirety.  I wanted the girl to suffer, though, after the cruel things she said to her sister about her illness – and I’m betting most audiences probably feel this way.  I also dig that Hinako prefers to write her curses in her own blood (apparently even from early childhood), and that she actually fills a pen with blood and writes with it.  That was morbid and awesome.  The cinematography was decent as well throughout the film, and I enjoyed the different perspectives tying the storyline together.   

Though this film has a decent Body Count, clocking in at eight deaths total, there isn’t any gore to speak of.  This film is creepy in subtle ways, not in-your-face gore.  The Number of Killers completely depends on if you consider the jumper to also be a killer (his own killer).  In that case there are two.  Boob Count?  None to speak of, not even any kissing.  Cheap Thrills?  Zero.  Actual Chills?  One.  Raven’s Scream Meter says:  3 out of 5 Screams.  It is a subtitled film, and I generally prefer subtitled to dubbed, but I figured my fiends would want to be aware prior to popping it on for an afternoon of mindless horror (it becomes less mindless when one has to read).  Not as jump-out-of-your-skin as many Asian horror films, but still ranks as pretty great in my book due to its plotline and subject matter.  I hope you enjoyed the review, and please feel free to leave comments or begin dialogue below.  Thanks for reading! Xx ~ Raven   

Silent House (2011)

            Good evening fiends, it’s Teen Scream Tuesday!  We have some great flicks on the docket today, beginning with Silent House (2011), directed by Chris Kentis and Laura Lau.  The movie begins with protagonist Sarah (portrayed by Elizabeth Olsen) and her family, who are renovating their lake house before it is sold.  The movie doesn’t actually give you more than this before suddenly the girl’s family is no where to be found and she is being followed around the house by a mysterious male figure.  All the doors and windows are locked/boarded tight, and she’s unable to find her way out of the house.  She clearly feels trapped and this person, whom neither she nor the audience knows, is after her. 

            Truth be told, this movie doesn’t make a whole lot of sense for the first 30/40 minutes when this strange man is after her and we don’t know who he is or what his motive is, and the uncle leaving and the father getting hurt all at the same time before this maniac appears is pretty convenient.  But things become clearer as Sarah begins to realize that her father and uncle molested her when she was little, and the man that is ‘after her’ is part of her repressed memories of the event.  Sarah exacts her revenge on her father while her uncle watches, then pleads for his life.  The only death in the entire film is a bludgeoning by sledgehammer, which is pretty cool but wasn’t particularly gruesome.  The cringe-worthy elements of this film were the molestation (which isn’t shown, only alluded to) and the feeling of being trapped in the house during the initial guy-is-after-me-for-no-reason sequence. 

            The music in this one was mediocre, as was the cinematography.  It had all the elements I don’t care for (shaky camera, fuzzy camera, etc), though it is rare in that it attempts to portray itself as one continuous shot a la Hitchcock’s Rope.  This is no where near the quality of Hitch’s work, though I will give the directors and cameramen kudos for trying, and it is known that the movie was not shot all in one take (so that sort of removes the credibility, in my humble opinion).  I can’t say I was particularly taken with Elizabeth Olsen’s performance as Sarah either.  She wasn’t horrible but she just didn’t quite do it for me as a scream queen.  I also had issues with the plot in some parts…for example why on earth would her uncle, after seeing her show up bloody and crying and saying her dad was hurt, take her back to the house to ‘help’ without calling some sort of emergency response?  That just simply doesn’t make sense. 

            As I mentioned before, this movie has a wickedly low Body Count of just one.  That’s not quite enough blood for me!  Number of Killers?  One.  Boob Count?  None, but since this movie dealt with molestation and pedophiliac behavior, I’m quite glad for the lack.  Cheap Thrills?  Two.  Actual Chills?  Two.  Raven’s Scream Meter Says:  2.5 out of 5 Screams.  Decent for a teen-scream, but definitely won’t go down in the books as a horror ‘classic.’   I hope you fiends enjoyed the review, feel free to leave comments below!  And thanks, as always, for reading.  Xx ~ Raven

Stitches (2012)

            Can’t sleep, clowns will eat me.  Can’t sleep, clowns will eat me.  Can’t sleep, clowns will eat me.  Stitches, the horror comedy directed in 2012 by Conor McMahon, begins in typical horror fashion…ok maybe not.  It begins with a clown (in makeup, even) screwing some girl in a trailer while she yells expletives.  He realizes he’s late, tosses the wench aside, and runs to a young boy’s birthday party to perform as the clown.  While he is there, the kids are particularly nasty to him and they wind up accidentally killing the clown…which is a very bloody (but funny gory, not scary gory).  Six years after the incident, Tom (who is more a teen now instead of a child) is on anti-anxiety medication, and seeing clown faces in his breakfast platters.  In other words, he’s kind of a mess when we catch back up with him.

            The rest of the film is based on revenge, with the clown coming back to seek it on the bratty kids that killed him during the party six years ago.  This film is sort of an American Pie meets It, which is an unlikely combination.  No matter how silly the gore in this, I will never be a huge fan of clowns.  Anyway, the kid’s mom is out of town for his birthday weekend and, of corpse, he tries to throw a party with three people and winds up with an e-vite sent to the entire school.  Stitches arrives as the party is heating up, and begins taking out every single one of the kids that were at the party.  Most of the kills during the party are not very original, though many of them are deliciously gory (and still funny).  The party ends as people begin realizing the killer clown talk is for real.  Tom figures out that if they break Stitches’ egg, they may free his spirit and he might disappear.  They race time and the clown to the graveyard where the clown and his egg are buried. 

            The cinematography is done nicely, the soundtrack is decent (though not exactly memorable), and the acting is fair.  I enjoy the British so the thick accents and people calling each other crass things throughout the movie brought a smile to my face.  After much shenanigans, threats, and running around, Tom’s theory proves to be valid and the clown is no more.  The only thing (besides that this was a comedy when I would have preferred this be a straight up slasher clown film) that bugged me about the film was when the clown kills the cat.  The cat?  Really?  What for?  Anywho, it was a fun-filled and funny romp with jokes galore, a real scream for you clown-lovers out there.  Number of deaths?  I counted five in total.  Number of Killers?  One.  Boob count? .5, you only see one, not even a full set, so I don’t count this as a full flash.  Cheap thrills? None.  Actual chills? None.  This is much more a comedy than it is a horror film.  Raven’s Scream Meter says 2.5 out of 5 Screams.  Silly and sardonic, the film is an unlikely mix of horror and comedy that may leave you in stitches.  I hope you enjoyed the review, and as always thank you for reading!  Xx ~ Raven