Insidious: Chapter 2 Film Review

by The World Weary

Director: James Wan

Cast: Patrick Wilson, Rose Byrne, Ty Simpkins, Lin Shaye, Angus Sampson, Leigh Whannell, Steve Coulter

Series: Insidious

MPAA Rating: PG-13

Length: 105 Minutes

 

Dark Vader 

 

(This review features heavy spoilers for Insidious).

As far as supernatural horror goes, most recent entries in the genre have been easily forgettable. Even 2011’s Insidious was somewhat disappointing, despite having a solid opening act and brilliant sound. Until The Conjuring, horror fans were best off watching old classics like The Shining and The Exorcist. With such a powerful and positive response to The Conjuring, James Wan alleged that he was taking things he learned from that experience and applying them to his follow up to Insidious. Sadly, it seems he was just blowing smoke, as Insidious: Chapter 2 is a mostly stale exercise in conventional PG-13 horror.

Army of Darkness Film Review

by The World Weary

Director: Sam Raimi
Cast: Bruce Campbell, Embeth Davidtz, Richard Grove, Marcus Gilbert, Ian Abercrombie
Series: The Evil Dead
MPAA Rating: R
Length: 88 Minutes

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This, is my BOOMSTICK!

(This review contains spoilers for Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn).

Army of Darkness is a follow up to Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn that is just as zany, but nowhere near as original. The film feels less like an Evil Dead film, and more like a bastardized Lord of the Rings. It’s still a good time, and Bruce Campbell has hardly been more fun to watch. However, if you’re looking for another descent into maddening horror, look elsewhere.

This Is The End Film Review

by The World Weary

Director:
Cast: Seth Rogen, Jay Baruchel, James Franco, Jonah Hill, Danny McBride, Craig Robinson
MPAA Rating: R
Length: 106 Minutes

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Friends Til the End

We’ve all seen the articles, “So-and-so did x amount of drugs (photos included)” or “drama queen actor shuts down production with narcissistic rant”, but rarely do we actually get a look at the method behind the madness. Well, you won’t get that here either. Taking the freshest and most recognizable faces from contemporary pop culture, This Is the End blows every single personality trait that big cheese stars are often mocked for, and blows them cartoonishly out of proportion.

Freddy vs Jason Film Review

by The Wanderer

Director: Ronny Yu

Cast: Monica Keena, Kelly Rowland, Jason Ritter, Chris George Marquette, Lochlyn Munro, Ken Kirzinger, Robert Englund

Series: A Nightmare on Elm Street/ Friday the 13th (Crossover)

MPAA Rating: R

Length: 97 minutes

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Crossover Cash Grab

The final film in the Friday the 13th sequence and the Nightmare on Elm Street sequence, before each series was rebooted was this crossover disaster that each franchise would be better off forgetting ever happened.  Freddy vs Jason pits the invincible super strong machete wielding Jason against the dream manipulating clawed glove of Freddy.  The film looks to draw people in by asking which of these two popular slasher villains will come out on top?  I honestly could care less and as the movie dragged on the only thing I was wishing for was that all that terrible teen actors would just shut up and die.

Evil Dead (2013) Film Review

by The World Weary

Director: Fede Alvarez
Cast: Jane Levy, Shiloh Fernandez, Jessica Lucas, Lou Taylor Pucci, Elizabeth Blackmore
Series: The Evil Dead
MPAA Rating: R
Length: 92 Minutes 

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Swallow this…

Sam Raimi’s The Evil Dead, billed as the “Ultimate Experience in Grueling Horror” is one of the most beloved and renowned horror films of all time. The tale of five college students who must fight off their own friends as they each become possessed by a malicious force won audiences over and has achieved worldwide fame. The film even stands out with a 98% certified fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The Evil Dead was so good that it really, really, did not need a remake. However, Raimi, and the star of the originals, Bruce Campbell, under pressure from the fans for a new sequel, decided instead to produce a remake of the first film.

Wes Craven's New Nightmare Film Review

by The Wanderer 

Director: Wes Craven

Cast: Heather Langenkamp, Robert Englund, Miko Hughes, John Saxon.

Series: A Nightmare on Elm Street

MPAA Rating: R

Length: 112 minutes

Buy on Amazon!

 

So Freddy’s Not Dead … He’s Actually Real?

(Spoilers for the previous six Nightmare on Elm Street movies are below).

It turns out Freddy’s not dead … rather he’s not even fictional.  He’s a real terror in the filmmaking world.  Wes Craven’s New Nightmare is a metafilm about it’s own production starring a number of key actors from the original movie.  Breaking from the original Nightmare sequence was definitely the right idea – you can really only resurrect Fred Krueger and kill him so many times before it gets old. What follows is a tense and entertaining horror film, but it also runs with some serious flaws, too.

A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge Film Review

by The Wanderer

Director: Jack Sholder

Cast: Mark Patton, Kim Myers, Robert Rusler, Clu Gulager, Hope Lange, Robert Englund

Series: A Nightmare on Elm Street

MPAA Rating: R

Length: 85 minutes

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Crack That Whip …. Licorice Whip

(Spoilers for A Nightmare on Elm Street are below).

Hoping to capitalize on the success of A Nightmare on Elm Street, a sequel A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge, was quickly put into production soon after. Wes Craven, the original director and writer opted out of this movie because he originally wanted Elm Street to be a standalone. Jack Sholder took over as director. Along with the switch in direction and writing, and none of the original cast returning except for Robert Englund, this film begins with little promise. By its end it had lived up to its underwhelming expectations.

A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child Film Review

by The Wanderer

Director: Stephen Hopkins

Cast: Robert Englund, Lisa Wilcox
Series: A Nightmare on Elm Street

MPAA Rating: R

Length: 90 minutes

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Better Not Dream and Drive and/or Making This Movie

(Spoilers for the previous four Nightmare on Elm Street movies are below).

If A Nightmare on Elm Street 4 was a movie that signaled that the Nightmare franchise was in decline, then the fifth installment of this series all but confirms that decline has shifted to free fall.  

The Dream Child looks to take the franchise in a newer and darker direction, but it does so by ignoring a lot of the previously established rules in the franchise. Normally I wouldn’t care except they’re continue the story from Nightmare’s 3 and 4, so logically the rules should remain the same, or new differences should be explained.  This never happens, and along with some terrible acting performances this turns into one of the worst films in the franchise.

A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors Film Review

by The Wanderer
 

Director: Chuck Russell
Cast: Heather Langenkamp, Patricia Arquette, Larry Fishburne, Priscilla Pointer, Craig Wasson, Robert Englund
Series: A Nightmare on Elm Street

MPAA Rating: R

Length: 96 minutes.

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Welcome To Prime Time

(Spoilers for the previous two Nightmare on Elm Street movies are below).

Freddy’s Revenge was a less then compelling sequel, and as result for the third Nightmare film the series starts to go back to its roots.  Returning to the fold from the original Nightmare on Elm Street film are Nancy Thompson (Heather Langenkamp), her father Donald Thompson (John Saxon), and of course Freddy (Robert Englund). The most significant return has to be Wes Craven, who returns exclusively in a writer’s capacity. The end result is a pretty entertaining horror movie, at the very least one that certainly improves upon the last.

A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010) Film Review

by The Wanderer
 

Director: Samuel Bayer
Cast: Jackie Earle Haley, Kyle Gallner, Rooney Mara, Katie Cassidy, Thomas Dekker, Kellan Lutz
Series: A Nightmare on Elm Street

MPAA Rating: R

Length: 94 minutes

Buy on Amazon!

 

Rorschach’s Journal … On Friday Night A Comedian Died In New York 

 

(Spoilers for the 1984 Nightmare on Elm Street movie are below).

I yelled “shit” as a I saw Michael Bay’s name pass by during the opening credits. I wasn’t expecting that, and sadly that was the biggest and albeit crappiest surprise for me during the entire movie.  From the second I saw that name, I dropped my expectations tenfold, and even with greatly reduced expectations I still wasn’t able to enjoy watching this movie.  I hate the cash grabs behind Hollywood remakes, but I believed with the new innovations in filmmaking technology, the Nightmare franchise could have really put together some innovative or at the very least entertaining dream sequences. It never happened in this movie, and granted Michael Bay was only a producer, you can still feel the touch of his filmmaking ineptitude all over it.

A Nightmare on Elm Street Film Review

by The Wanderer

Director: Wes Craven
Cast: Robert Englund, Amanda Wyss, Jsu Garcia, Heather Langenkamp, Johnny Depp
Series: A Nightmare on Elm Street
MPAA Raing: R
Length: 91 Minutes  

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One, Two Freddy’s Coming For You

A Nightmare on Elm Street has been regarded as a classic slasher film since it’s release in 1984.  Taking a look at it over thirty years later, this is a hot and cold movie. What it does well with, it does better than any of the other popular slashers, like the way it explores dreams and reality and the way it’s villain kills its victims. However, there are other aspects to the movie that haven’t aged well like it’s film score and terrible acting.

Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare Film Review

by The Wanderer

Director: Rachel Talalay

Cast: Robert Englund, Lisa Zane, Shon Greenblatt, Lezlie Deane, Yaphet Kotto

Series: A Nightmare on Elm Street

MPAA Rating: R

Length: 89 minutes

Buy on Amazon!  

 

This Is Freddy On Drugs … Beep! Beep!

(Spoilers for the previous five Nightmare on Elm Street movies are below).

Realizing how bad the last Nightmare film was, Freddy’s Dead (also known as A Nightmare on Elm Street 6: Freddy's Dead) looks to wrap up the lingering story of one of horror’s most legendary slashers.  Instead of trying to give Freddy a quality and meaningful exit, one that’s actually true to the origins of his creative existence, the filmmakers thought this would be the perfect time to create a horror comedy. In the process they turn one of the scariest film villains into a “park and spark” punchline.

A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master Film Review

by The Wanderer

Director: Renny Harlin

Cast: Robert Englund, Lisa Wilcox, Danny Hassel

Series: A Nightmare on Elm Street

MPAA Rating: R

Length: 93 Minutes

Buy on Amazon!

 

Not As Good As A Wet Dream

(Spoilers for the previous three Nightmare on Elm Street movies are below).

Watch this opening!



You know when a movie starts like that, you’re going to be in for a rough ride … especially when it’s a horror film.  Despite an intro that suggests what you’re about to watch is a softcore porn, DreamMaster is not as bad as it looks… which by this point it should look awful. There are some entertaining deaths, ridiculous fight scenes, and a even a few trippy moments.  This isn’t a good movie, or a truly terrible movie, it’s just entertainment with a whole mess of silly flaws and creative decisions.

The Conjuring Film Review

by The World Weary

Director: James Wan

Cast: Patrick Wilson, Vera Farmiga, Ron Livingston, Lili Taylor

Series: The Conjuring

MPAA Rating: R

Length: 112 Minutes

Buy on Amazon!

 

The Power of Good Filmmaking Compels You!

There are many fine horror films that could be counted among the scariest ever made. The Shining, The Exorcist, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, etc. However, no one would name anything that has come out in the past decade (or perhaps even longer) as the scariest. Sure there have been fine films, like The Woman and Stoker, but these films weren’t necessarily scary. That has changed now. Like a rising tide, The Conjuring has become the surprise horror smash of the decade.

Carrie (2013) Film Review

by The World Weary

Director: Kimberly Pierce
Cast: Chloe Grace-Moretz, Julianne Moore, Portia Doubleday, Judy Greer
MPAA Rating: R
Length: 99 Minutes

Buy on Amazon!

Now with 30% More CGI Pig’s Blood and Slow Motion!

Brian de Palma’s film adaptation of Stephen King’s novel Carrie is one of my favorite horror films. With astounding performances from Sissy Spacek and Piper Laurie and superb direction it became an instant horror classic upon its release. It also featured a legendary climax that is one of the most recognizable scenes in film history. Now, with a paltry offering of scares in theaters this Halloween season, MGM decided to greenlight a remake of the 1976 classic.

Re-Animator Film Review

by The World Weary

Director: Stuart Gordon

Cast: Jeffery Combs, Bruce Abbot, Barbara Crampton, David Gale
MPAA: R

Length: 86 Minutes

Buy on Amazon!

 

I Gave Him Life!

The 1980’s was a great decade for horror fans. With tons of B-movie style splatter flicks all over the cinemas, gore aficionados had a lot of choices. This was also the decade that the ultimate horror classic, The Evil Dead, took the horror world by storm with its madcap mix of horror and comedy. There was another all time horror classic that came out in this decade that is a little overshadowed by the success of the Evil Dead films. This film is absolutely legendary in its own right, and has gained a massive cult following since its release. It’s loosely based off a series of short stories by horror master H.P. Lovecraft, and features some of the most hilarious and infamous scenes in horror history.

It is Re-Animator.

The Faculty Film Review

by The World Weary

Director: Robert Rodriguez
Cast: Elijah Wood, Jordanna Brewster, Shawn Hatosy, Josh Harnett, Laura Harris, Clea DuVall
MPAA Rating: R
Length: 104 Minutes 

Buy on Amazon!

Drop Outs

With the massive success of Scream and Scream 2, it seemed that the late 90’s horror market was going to be flooded with more self aware horror comedies. Desperate to capitalize on the trend, the famous Weinstein Brothers pulled a script out of hell and hired a writer to add some hip 90’s feel to the film. Hiring a director that was hot off the success of the hilarious B-Movie love letter, From Dusk Til Dawn, seemed like another surefire bet. Sadly, we all know what happens when Hollywood becomes greedy and milks something for all it’s worth.

You’re Next Film Review

by The World Weary

Director: Adam Wingard
Cast: Sharni Vinson, Nicolas Tucci, Wendy Glenn, A.J. Bowen, Joe Swanberg

MPAA Rating: R

Length: 95 Minutes

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Hotline Mansion

The slasher genre is a really hit or miss niche of horror film. You could wind up with something truly great like Halloween, or something truly awful like Jason X. In recent years there hasn’t been much for slasher fans to digest, what with the surging popularity of supernatural, zombie, and apocalyptic horror. It seemed to be a genre that was just about dead. Thankfully though, Adam Wingard has given us a great slice of horror with his home invasion slasher flick You’re Next.

Devil’s Due Film Review

by The World Weary

Directors: Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Tyler Gillett
Cast: Zach Gilford, Allison Miller

MPAA Rating: R

Length: 89 Minutes

Buy on Amazon!

Cheating the Devil

This article will feature spoilers for Devil’s Due in a clearly marked paragraph.


Found footage movies are the worst. Not only are they shaky disasters visually, but the style is inherently counter conducive to good filmmaking. Yes, it’s easier to get under the audience’s skin and elicit those cheap scares, but you sacrifice your ability to make something unique and in the end the audience is never satisfied. Take the film Cannibal Holocaust for instance. This is a film that spent most of its running time showing the gory end of several people, and even, some actually live animals. In all that time, not a second thought was given to the overarching themes the filmmakers wanted to push to the audience.

You’re just given scene after scene of traumatizing gore. Then at the very end of the movie, some asshole in a business suit casually says, “Maybe we’re the monsters,” or some inane, cliched horseshit like that, as if that one moment suddenly makes the rest of the film into an intellectual feast. Surprise, it doesn’t (and for those of you who haven’t seen Cannibal Holocaust, don’t waste your time with that trash). Film is, primarily, a visual medium. It is the art of telling stories with rapidly flashing pictures. Using a gimmicky first person view is not original, or even that intelligent. And when someone resorts to this kind of half assed technique, we, the moviegoing public, are subjected to films like Devil’s Due.

The Evil Dead (1981) Film Review

by The World Weary
 

Director: Sam Raimi

Cast: Bruce Campbell

Series: Evil Dead Film One

MPAA Rating: R

Length: 85 Minutes

Buy on Amazon!

The Ultimate Experience in Grueling Horror

The Evil Dead is a classic of independent horror. With unrelenting gore, and constant creepiness, this film truly stands out from most other films in the genre. The acting is not so great, but the thrills, chills, and special effects wizardry make this the most unforgettable horror film of all time.