I applaud any director who goes through the effort of using creature effects to create their monsters, rather than going the CG-route.  It seems like CG is used for pretty much everything nowadays, even so far as using it instead of squibs for blood in movies.  Director Jon Knautz is big on the same line of thinking – his Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer features tons of great looking creatures that were done using makeup and prosthetics, not a computer.

The problem with Jack Brooks ultimately boiled down to one main issue: it was boring.  It was a short film, but it took way too long to get to the punchline and, despite the punchline being pretty darn good … the slow parts just weren’t interesting enough to make it worth the wait.  Did The Shrine fair any better? Read the rest of this entry »

So not many people know that, concurrent with production on Paranormal Activity 2, there was an alternative sequel being filmed in Japan, entitled Paranormal Activity: Tokyo Night.  Released in November 2010, and directed by Toshikazu Nagae, the film follows a brother and sister in Japan who are dealing with strange happenings very similar to those from the American movies.  Pretty odd, huh?  Well, it’s an officially sanctioned sequel!

In Tokyo Night, a young man named Koichi is welcoming his sister back from her trip to America.  While  she was there, she was in a car accident that left both of her legs broken.  Their father heads out on a business trip, and, not long after, the strangeness begins.

With “two bedrooms…twice the fear,” does Tokyo Night live up to the standards set by the American films?

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Insidious, the new flick from Saw and Dead Silence director James Wan, has had kind of an odd marketing campaign, in my opinion.  I don’t get the slogan they’ve been using…”Insidious is…Insidious.”  Ummm….okay?  Not  only that, but the trailer appeared to give away what I assumed was intended to be a twist – “it’s not the house that’s haunted…it’s your son!”

With a reported budget of just under $1M, and a cast featuring Watchmen’s Patrick Wilson and 28 Weeks Later’s Rose Byre, Insidious comes to us from the producers of Paranormal Activity, and is written by Leigh Wannell, who also wrote the first three Saw movies, Dead Silence, and also stars in the film.

So with a healthy horror pedigree, Insidious really should knock it out of the park right?

Well…..

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You know, usually the words “SyFy Channel Original Movie,” are not indicative of any kind of quality.  In fact, they’re more indicative of a lack thereof.  However, they’ve teamed up with After Dark to produce a series of After Dark Originals.  Since 2006, After Dark films has put on an annual horrorfest, featuring “8 Films to Die For,” with varying success.  Some shining moments have included great horror flicks like The Abandoned, Frontier(s), and Mulberry Street.  Of course, After Dark has also produced stinkers like The Hamiltons and Unearthed (with Charlie Murphy!).

After a run in a couple of movie theaters in the middle of nowhere (seriously, it was pathetic), these After Dark Originals are now premiering on SyFy Channel and also being released on DVD, starting at the end of March.  The first out of the gate?  Husk, a scarecrow horror film and one of my most anticipated of the bunch.  But was it any good?

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Relatively new horror movie director Christopher Smith is definitely going to be someone to keep an eye on.  His first feature-length, Creep, was a creepy flick set in a subway and starred Franka Potente (Run Lola Run).  From there, he did the pretty damn great Severance (imagine Office Space meets Hostel), then his American debut, Triangle, featuring Melissa George in a “Twilight Zone”-ish tale of creepiness on the open seas.

Black Death is his first period piece, starring Sean Bean (Lord of the Rings) as the leader of a group of knights tasked with investigating the tales of a small town practicing necromancy, returning the dead back to life.  They take a young monk with them as a guide.

mild spoilers follow…

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