Creepshow

10/10!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

When George Romero and Stephen King team up, one could expect something pretty cool. In 1982, this miracle actually took place, leading to the creation of "Creepshow."  The final product was something better than I could've ever imagined. It was a film of humor, and horrors that only a genius could imagine.  Being the "Heavy Metal" of live action, it is an anthology movie, and definitely the best of them all. 

The movie begins on a dark and stormy night. A young boy named Billy is seen being disciplined harshly by his father for having a horror comic book called "Creepshow." The boy is very upset by this, because the horror genre is very much his love. As he looks out the window, a ghoul looks right at him, and the opening credits begin. Personally, I thought this was great, because I can connect with Billy's passion for horror, and one feels a lot of sympathy for him. The intro credits were also awesome, because of the snazzy animation, and spooky music. 

The rest of the film is an anthology that includes five horror stories with black comedy. It is meant to go through the very comic book that Billy's father threw away, and the stories were all either written for the movie, or adaptations of Stephen King's short stories.  I thought this was very cool, because it saved us from being bored by one plot the whole time, and gave a 5 in 1 deal. 

1. Father's Day: I thought that "Father's Day" was a very good story, because it gave a lot of good horror moments, while also being hilarious because of its morbid elements. It basically tells the story of a man rising from the dead getting revenge on his family for not giving them his cake. This plot sounds absurd, but honestly that makes it all the better. I really thought that the cast was pretty great in this number, with Ed Harris giving a cool and sarcastic performance as Hank, and Elizabeth Regan being the other standout with her unmistakable sass as Hank's wife Cass.  The ending to this short was also absolutely crazy, and everything one would expect with King's disturbing supernatural narrative. 

2: The Lonesome Death of Jordy Verrill: Fast paced, bizarre, and much funnier than "Father's Day," "The Lonesome Death of Jordy Verrill kicked the sophomore slump right in the butt. It tells the story of a simple man named Jordy Verrill, whom finds a meteor in his field.  Making a very bad decision, Jordy touches the space rock, and begins to get lumps on his fingers. These small marks turn into green patches of weeds, and they spread onto everything he touches.  This story was absolutely hilarious for a few great reasons. The first was Stephen King's performance of the lead.  I never really thought of his acting skills before, but this really showed the depth of his talents. He gave such a goofy and over the top performance, while still staying appropriate for the story.  I could almost call his portrayal a crossover between Jim Carrey and Jack Nicholson.  The faces he made were priceless, and he gave such a satirically perfect performance as a hillbilly. The next thing that made this story hilarious were the dream sequences. Even though they were dark in nature, there was such a light hearted and macabre way about them that I was laughing so hard.  The ending of the story was also potentially sad in a lot of ways, but it was handled well to the point that I could still laugh. Overall this story really gave me even more interest for the film, and I was thoroughly impressed. 

3. Something to Tide You Over: This third installment in the anthology was one of the darker(if not the darkest) of the bunch. Obviously being influenced by the works of Poe, "Something to Tide You Over" tells the story of a man named Richard, whom decides to get revenge on his wife and her lover Harry.  He forces them to bury themselves on the beach with sand, and they have to withstand the tortures of the tides.  While Richard thinks he will get away with this, there is an event to later take place that he would have never expected. I thought it was an interesting move to have the two funniest people in the whole movie(Ted Danson and Leslie Nielsen) be in the least comical story of the movie. Luckily, both of them have incredible depth in their acting, and they pulled it off to the max.  Nielsen's evil side was actually terrifying in my opinion, because instead of being his bumbling self, he took his wit to portray a character that was sadistic beyond all belief. The ending of this chapter was particularly insane, and it ended on a humongous laugh showing how bad Richard messed up. At this point of the movie, this story was second to the previous one. 

4. The Crate: The next story takes a turn even further into darkness with a tale of lying, sabotage, and death. Henry Northup is a man unhappy with his marriage. He is controlled, and not even loved by his wife, who seems to only want him for his money.  His friend Dexter is just about the only person who keeps him sane, yet he still fantasizes of killing Wilma(Billie) all the time.  Dexter has recently been informed by a janitor named Michael at the college that he teaches at that there is a mysterious crate from an expedition in the 1930's.  The two men go to check it out at night, and it ends up holding a murderous creature.  Completely shocked by this revelation, Dexter runs to Henry for help. Northup decides to go to the college to check things out, and when he sees what has happened he thinks of a plan that will affect the lives of many.  Honestly, this was my favorite story in the whole film. It was gorier than all of the others, and it was also the funniest in my opinion. It had such a macabre sense of humor, and I was honestly laughing most of the time. The cast in this one was also pretty awesome, with Hal Holbrook as the unhappy husband Henry, the notorious beauty of the era Adrienne Barbeau as Billie, and Fritz Weaver giving a paranoid and emotional performance as Dexter. The thing that really set this chapter apart from the others was the attack scenes with the monster; now credited as "Fluffy." The puppetry for this character was actually the main reason I watched this movie, because the details of the body and movements were so intricate, and it was some of the best work in the field I have seen since "The Muppets."  The last quarter of this one was pretty mindblowing, because the insanity really flows, and even though the ending was somewhat predictable, it still had an ounce of suspense left in it. 

5. They're Creeping Up On You:  The final story in this amazing anthology is a tale of karma. Upson Pratt is the scum of the earth.  He shows no kindness to people at all, and he is just plain unhappy. This man is also a huge germaphobic, and he freaks out when he starts to see roaches in his house. Calling for help immediately, he hopes this can be fixed. To his bad luck, people don't come quick enough, and the house begins to swarm. Will he be able to make it? Or is this his horrifying end?  I thought that this was the second best of all the parts in the movie, because it was so well done. E.G. Marshall gave a perfect performance as who may be the meanest man on the earth.  The sight of his insanity that he creates from the isolation is priceless, and I thought that this was one of the darkest chapters. The ending scene was absolute shocking in my opinion, and it stands to be one of the greatest clips of horror history. 

I thought it was very neat how the film followed comic book format of its inspiration. There were so many cool touches to add to this, including pauses with banners shooting to the screen in scenes of fear, funny sound effects, and the color schemes; especially during the attack scenes of "The Crate." I also loved how after each story, a page in the comic flipped to the next one.  The animations for the book were absolutely beautiful, and they were so intricate that there ended up being a graphic novel in the future.  All of these factors really reminded me of a classic cartoon movie called "Heavy Metal," because they followed the same formula in a different format. 

Another great thing about the film was the special effects.  Tom Savini did a beautiful job with the gore and makeup, because everything looked so natural, and it was nasty and detailed.  The puppetry work throughout the film was also pretty awesome, and it including movie skeletons, ghosts, and the iconic "Fluffy."  I think that while they all could be construed as cheesy now, it was such a great artistic achievement, and I love them dearly. 

The ending of the movie brings us back to Billy's house again. The garbage men find the comic book, and take it home in fascination.  Then to our surprise, Billy does something that blew my mind immensely. I thought that the ending was so morbid, and so unexpected that it completely lived up to every story from before. 

It is very rare that I feel the way I did after watching this movie. I was so full of awe, because this film was a true masterpiece. It was sharper than a knife, it made me laugh like crazy, and it had some truly amazing scenes of horror. The acting was superb, and the writing/special effects were just top notch. I definitely see this as my favorite Romero film, and probably my second favorite Stephen King movie(behind "The Shining").  I definitely recommend it to all fans of the genre, because it is probably one of the all time  best, and it will be the most fun horror experience of your entire life. 

Carrie(1976)

10/10!!!!!!!!!

In 1976, Brian De Palma directed the first ever adaptation of a Stephen King book. "Carrie" too the world by storm with its shocking content, and it's realistic look at the angst of teenagers. This movie is tied with "The Shining" as the best Stephen King movie, and I can't ever see any other being better. 

The movie begins at a volleyball game. At this tournament, we meet Carrie White. Carrie is an outcast, a "weirdo," and she is picked by everybody.  After the game is over, all of the girls go into the locker room to shower. This scene was so masterfully done, because everything is in slow motion, and there is a beautiful soundtrack in the background. Every shot of the camera is so intricate and beautiful, and it shows how careful of a job the filmmakers did.  Even though everything seems fine at first, Carrie then has her period, and everyone starts throwing tampons and such at her.  She then has a nervous breakdown as this happens, until her teacher Miss Collin saves her.  Miss Collin and her principal allow Carrie to go home, and this is much to her reluctance. We then meet Carrie's crazy and abusive mother Margaret, whom is a radical "Christian," yet she basically tortures her own daughter.  With all of these horrible things happening in her life, there is also something very weird taking place. Carrie worries that she may be a telekinetic. She is able to shatter mirrors, move objects, etc.  She learns that she can use these to her advantage, as a way to get back at all of the people that had been cruel to her.  This results in one of the most shocking proms to ever exist, and a change in the life of many.

The cast in this movie is one of the most superb lineups ever.  Sissy Spacek blew me away as Carrie, because she is such a likable girl, and one really feels so much sympathy for her during all the hardships she goes through. She also really knows how to portray so many emotions, whether they are kindness, panic, or complete insanity.  Piper Laurie really freaked me out as Mrs White, because she was so convincing in the role of a mentally imbalanced woman.  She would try to act kind at moments, but then she would be completely psychotic with her brutal behavior toward her daughter. The way that she projects herself is truly scary, because it almost seems like the behavior is natural for her.  I really liked William Katt as Tommy Ross, because you could really sense the good in his personality, even though he is one of the populars that picked on her. He just had a very charismatic presence to him in the way he acted, and seemed to care a little for Carrie. Betty Buckley was exceptional in her role of Miss Wilson, mainly because of her ways to realistically change personality. There are moments where she will be the sweetest and most laid back person in the world, and then in a split second she will become completely furious. Amy Irving was pretty cool as Sue, because much like Tommy, she was completely likable, and she really let off the vibe that she liked Carrie. The most hated character of the movie is Chris, and she was played by Nancy Allen. Even though she was attractive by looks, she had the worst personality in the world, and Allen portrays this perfectly. She played the role of a cruel, heartless, and shallow girl that wanted nothing but to ruin the life of Carrie. John Travolta came in as a close second as the biggest jerk in the school as Billy. He was a rude, abusive, and dumb punk that had no redeeming qualities. I thought that Travolta did a good job at the role, because he is usually so likable, but in this one one can't help but hate him. 

I mentioned earlier that the cinematography in the opening scene was amazing, but this actually takes place throughout the entire movie.  Mario Tosi had such a genius way of capturing the mood and environment in his camera work.  When there was peace, the lighting was bright, which made it feel like a dream(or actually one). I think the most clever use of this was when Tommy and Carrie dance at prom together, because she must've felt like it was unreal.  When the darkness of Carrie's revenge came about, the screen tinted red, which made it scary as can be.  During the scenes where Carrie gets very scared, the camera really zoomed into to her expression, because the look on her face showed better than anything of how she felt. Overall, I think that this aspect of the film was brilliant, just like "The Shining," and it is really a big part of why the movie is still a masterpiece now. 

Being the movie was released close to 40 years ago, there are many activities that take place that are extremely dated. The first is the fact that Miss Wilson has the ability to strike her students, which would not fly now.  The next is when Billy drinks and drives casually. Even though this still happens now, it would not be shown as lightly as it was in the media. While none of this hurts the film in any way, shape or form, I just found it funny to compare society in present to then. 

The climax of the film really starts at prom, where life is looking good for Carrie. The romance between her and Tommy begins, and it really felt good for her to find someone to be close with. The scenes where they dance and such really gave me chills, because they were both so happy, and the chemistry between the two actors was absolutely priceless. Sadly, the happiness can't be forever, and some unnamed characters do something horrible to Carrie. My heart literally split in two when this happened, because Carrie was so likable, and the fact that I had to see her be hurt again was just awful. I loved how even though people talked, all of the sounds were drained out. Because of this, all we see is lips moving, and I feel that this really shows the shock that people were feeling at the time. Right after, the iconic scene takes place. Carrie gets her revenge..... This scene was so shocking that my eyes bulged out of my head.  Everything turned into a disaster, and it was like hell broke loose. Even after she leaves the dance, the vengeance takes place.  This really effects everyone that surrounded her in life, and even herself. I really found this climax and ending to be perfect, because every moment was unexpected, and they engrossed my emotions majorly. 

"Carrie" is much more than your typical movie, because it is also a movie about adolescent life. You get both spectrums of these years, which are the magical moments, and the times of great pain. Even though Carrie's life is probably a lot harder than most, there are still little things that everyone can relate to. Whether it's bullying, abuse from family, or just pure loneliness in the world, everyone has experienced at least one of those.  Outside of the negative moments, we also get to see Carrie go through her first love, which is something that everyone does at some point. The girl also witnesses /causes death in the film, and this is relevant because every teenager goes through loss. So overall, the underlying messages of the movie helped it set itself apart. 

It is rare for me to feel the way that I did after watching this movie. I was completely flabbergasted by what I had seen, yet totally in love with the masterpiece I had experienced. "Carrie" is most definitely one of the best horror movies ever. I would actually go as far as to tie it with "The Shining," because they both gave me the same effect. I highly recommend this movie, because it will be a movie that makes you cry, a movie that makes you cringe, and a movie that will freak you out in every possible way. 

The Shining: Movie Review

10/10!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

"Here's Johnny!"

Are you afraid of being isolated from the rest of the world?  If not, then you definitely will be after watching the 1980 classic "The Shining."  This film tells the story of a man named Jack that goes completely insane in the hotel he has taken over. I have honestly never seen a movie so scary in my life, and I also feel that it is a masterpiece that should be watched by every person in the world. 

The film begins beautifully, with shots of mountains and woods.  The scenery is extremely gorgeous, and although it was filmed in Oregon, it still seems like it could be Colorado. Even though nothing happens at all in this intro, it may be one of the coolest I've ever seen for these reasons.

In the next moments, we meet Jack Torrance, and his wife and son. Jack is a writer that is taking over a hotel called the Overlook Inn for the winter. Him and his family all seem like extremely likely people, and Jack gets along with the owner Stuart Ullman very well. Ulmann does warn Torrance though that some very weird things happened at the location, including a completely normal man having a breakdown and killing his family.  Soon after, Jack's son Danny starts to have weird occurrences, and the movie's bizarreness begins. 

The first thing that makes this film a masterpiece is its choreography.  The man behind it all John Alcott made sure that every scene was shot so uniquely, and it put me in complete awe.  In the opening scene, the way that the camera hovers makes the viewer feel like a plane, as they fly over a car.  This happens in other ways throughout the entire movie, because the camera walks just like the characters, and make it seem like it's stalking them. The coolest shot scenes in my opinion were when Danny rode around on his bicycle. As he looks down the hall, it looks so long, even though it really isn't.  This kind of illusion really plays games with the viewer, and I found it to be so intriguing. 

Stanley Kubrick's direction of this film was absolutely amazing.  Every scene flowed so well together, and every detail in the filmmaking was so intricate, and filled with care. He really outdid himself from any work he had done before, and proved that he could do absolutely anything.  I personally find the fact that he got nominated from the Razzle award of "Worst Director" to be a crime, because it is completely inaccurate of the product he made, and I feel it was pure jealousy and ludicrous. 

Another great factor of the movie is its overall tone. I found it quite brilliant that because the hotel is so big, there is a complete feeling of isolation that really rubs off on the viewer. This causes the entire film to be very intense, and it added to the fright factor.  There really aren't any jump scenes at all in the movie, but is so freaky, because it's bizarre nature plays with your mind, and makes you go insane.  This comes from crazy noises, psychological problems, and weird dreams/occurrences that just blew my mind. 

The special effects in the movie were absolutely perfect, because they were all practical, and they looked so real. The scenes where blood fills the hotel are so cool, because it flows like water, and it is done with a slow motion that makes it absolutely epic. This slow motion is also used in many other scenes, and I feel it is one of the iconic traits that helped this film become a classic. 

The film's score is very unique, because it isn't just a normal orchestra, but it is different sounds and instruments that make the music extremely chilling and intense.  Wendy Carlos and Rachel Elkind may not be the biggest names in the movie business, but their musical work in this film was the real deal in every possible way.  I feel that behind the original "Planet of the Apes," it could be one of the best ever. 

I intentionally put my thoughts on the cast near the end of the review, because you truly have to watch the full movie to truly appreciate each character, and to see the depth of talent that each and every one of them put into their effort.  Jack Nicholson gave the absolute greatest performance in cinema history. He started out very likable, but he turned into the scariest person I have ever seen. No person could've pulled this off but him, because he naturally had the gift to be psychotic and sadistic, and this role was made for him.  The fact that he didn't win an Oscar or any award is possibly one of the biggest snubs ever. Shelley Duvall was very good as Jack's wife Wendy, because she did what her character, and that was to be scared as hell.  She definitely didn't have the diversity of Nicholson, but she gave a memorable performance that only made the movie better. I really thought that Danny Boyle was fantastic in the role of Jack's son Danny, because he could pull off being possessed better than any child I have ever seen.  His performance was so convincing, and at times I forgot that he was only acting.  Lisa and Louise Burns really gave a chilling performance as the "Grady Twins." Even though they were only in the film for a couple minutes at most, they put fear into people that hasn't been forgotten all these years later.  The last cast member that was significant was Scatman Crothers in the role of Dick Hallorann. Crothers was really the most normal person in the movie, and he made a balance for the rest of the insanity. He was a very chill and likable guy, but at times he had a tiny bit of quirkiness to himself. 

The last 40 minutes of this film took on a whole different level of scary when Jack goes completely nuts and starts to try to murder his family.  I have never been so pumped with adrenaline in my life, and I can honestly say this is the greatest climax of movie history.  There was so much terror that came out in this time, whether it was Nicholson's antics, or the atmosphere itself. I found the scenes where Danny ran away from Jack in the snow tunnel to be especially exceptional, because it gave off such a claustrophobic vibe, and it made the fate of this poor young boy totally unknown.  The final results were also very shocking, and I was interested right to the last second. 

If you call yourself a movie buff, then you have to have seen this movie. It is the single greatest piece of cinema history that I have ever seen. There is so much artistry in every single clip, and there was a scariness that came from the movie like no other.  Please give this movie a chance, because it will really change your life. 

Children of the Corn(1984)

8.5/10

Everyone knows that little kids can be pains in the butt sometimes, but who would've thought they would be vicious adult killers?  This 1984 film based off of of a story by Stephen King is one of the most morbid films of the 80's.  I am currently in watching it for the first time, and I can tell you for a fact that I was blown away in the first five minutes.  With Linda Hamilton as a lead, you could either have a fantastic film, or A disaster(King Kong Lives).  It is more than great though, because it is as freaky as you can possibly get(if it freaks me out, then it is bad), and if you're a horror fan, then you definitely need to watch this right away. 

The movie starts in a diner, as a bunch of elderly folks socialize.  Things seem completely normal, until a bunch of children start to suspiciously stare around the joint.  In just a minute, things turn into a brutal murder fest.  I was not expecting this scene to get nearly as crazy as it did. There was blood flying all over the place, and they even out a man's hand into a blender-like tool. I always look for a film that can really hook you in a beginning, because if the introduction is dry, a viewer really starts to lose interest in watching the film at all. This film most definitely did this, and in a better way than I have seen in a long time. 

The film then picks up in a hotel, as a couple played by Linda Hamilton and Peter Horton as they prepare to leave for further travels. I really like the two lead roles in this film, because they have a fantastic chemistry together.  Hamilton was very different in this film if you compare her to bigger performances like Sarah Connor in the Terminator franchise.  Instead of being the ultra tough hero to women of the world, she is much easier to frighten, and almost a little helpless at times.  This helplessness definitely works well for the film, because she is much easier to have sympathy for. Horton is also very likable, because he portrays a male character that is extremely caring for Hamilton, and is also very capable in keeping them alive. 

As the Burt and Vicky drive down a rural road, they run into a child and kill him.  They are both horrified by the accident, and they wrap him up and put him in the trunk. What they find out as they wrap him up was that the child was already dead.... But by who?  This is where the mystery begins.  The cool thing is that although the audience knows that it was one of the vicious teenagers that was responsible; we don't know why it was done, and Burt and Vicky have no idea of who even did it. 

The killings in this film are quite disturbing if you ask me.  I wasn't expecting much being the film is about children, but right from the first bloodshed, my eyes flew out of their sockets, and I was actually quite shocked. Even though not every kill is on screen, they're still extremely brutal, and there is quite a bit of blood shed.  One of the cool things about the gore in this film is that it is very realistic. Instead of being a pool of blood, it is a gash, or a slow sprinkling of blood.  One of the greatest examples of this is when the young boy is murdered in the beginning, because the blood just comes out a little at a time for each time he is slit, and it is actually extremely disturbing. Another thing I really like is that many times they don't even show the specific child that is doing the killing, because it gives more of a disturbing factor to the events. 

The evil children are played very well in this film.  You almost get the feeling that they aren't even humans anymore because of their heartless nature.  The leader of the cult Isaac is played extremely well by John Franklin.  Franklin was 25 at the time the film was made, and I find this to be fantastic, because even though his small stature made him look like a child, his attitude makes him seem bigger than the rest. The other standout child of the film was Malachi, whom was played by Courtney Gains.  Gains is the best actor of the entire film, because he makes his scary nature seem super easy.  The way he moves his mouth as he speaks is even terrifying.  He also has the perfect look for the role, with his long red hair, and his tall stature, because it makes him more intimidating than the others. His voice is also piercing as a knife, and every word he speaks is full of terror. 

The cult and satanic aspect of this story really adds to the disturbing nature of the film.  It is a social norm to stay away from these practices, and the fact that these little children have basically been taken  over it is frightening as hell.  I think the worst thing of all about it is that some of the kids are still innocent children, not yet possessed by this horrible nature yet, and that they're surrounded by the evil constantly. 

You can definitely tell that this film is based off of a work by Stephen King, because it is extremely tense.  Bad happenings are not instant in this film, and they are dragged out in a very stressful and disturbing way.  If you look at films like "Cujo," the dog doesn't attack them, but they sit in the car for most of the film at the risk of it.  In this film, Vicky and Burt aren't killed right off the bat, but they have the risk of it throughout the whole second half of the film.

If there was one thing I would change in the film, it would be the narration.  The young boy Jobe tells certain parts of the story, and his voice is so high pitched that it makes the film feel like a children's film at those moments. I understand why they chose him, being he was a witness and runaway of the situation, but I wish they would've done a more evil narrating, as it would bring more fear to the viewer. While this doesn't ruin the movie in any way, I just think it could've been done better. 

Watching this film, a big breaking point in my movie life was made.  I have never been phased by a horror movie before.  While I won't be having nightmares or stuff like that, this film was definitely freaky. I highly recommend it to any fan of horror cinema, because it is the second best Stephen King horror film I have seen so far, and it is one of the best horror films ever.