Chain Letter

Director: Deon Taylor
Writers: Michael J. Pagan, Deon Taylor & Diana Erwin
Released: 2010
Labels: Gore|Slasher|2010's

A group of High School students become the focus of a technology hating serial killer when they choose not to forward his chain-letter.

Chain Letter is one of those horror films in which we see a series of gruesome deaths strung together with some loose storytelling. The person responsible for the murder spree here is a serial killer that hates technology and those that use it (dunno why). That's all we are told really. It would have been interesting to explore the killer's motives but we are not given the oppurtunity because the film-makers simply want to display their best array of long, protracted killings using (yup, you guessed it)....CHAINS. 

Nothing is explored here, all the characters are left narrow and one dimensional, including the killer. There is no coherency in the storytelling. It is hinted that the killer is working with others in the movie, but it's not really revealed one way or the other and just moving the story along one kill at a time becomes a bit pedestrian after a while. The finale is simply a repeat of the opening scenes of the movie, spoiling any potential surprise, and it all seems a little confused at the end (much like the viewer will be). 

You get the feeling that this movie is attempting to launch a franchise like "Final Destination" or "Scream" but the atmosphere of the film is overwhelmingly dark and cynical and certainly does not leave you eager to see more.

Chain Letter Official Website

Chain Letter on IMDb

Chain Letter on Wikipedia

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Night of the Demons (2010)

Director: Adam Gierasch
Writers: Jace Anderson, Adam Gierasch & Joe Augustyn (Original 1988 film)
Released: 2010
Labels: Gore|Supernatural|2010's

Seven party-goers get locked in a creepy mansion and have to fight evil demons in order to survive and stop hell being unleashed upon the world.

This is a dumb movie,... but in a good way. A reworking of 1988's "Night of the Demons", this version has all the feel of a film from that era. Like other 80's classics, "The Evil Dead" or "Return of the Living Dead" it never takes itself too seriously. It mixes salacious sexiness with nasty body-horror, it knows how to use a relatively low-budget to full gooey effect and the actors do a passable job at being humans but a great job over-acting as the Demons. 

The history of the house and the reasons behind the demonic possession are told clearly in flashback, so there is no confusion in the viewers mind as to what the heroes must do in order to defeat the evil and there is a clever little climax to the action. 

It won't scare you, but it still gives plenty of thrills and the sheer enthusiasm and energy from all involved is clear to see. 

Night of the Demons (2010) on IMDb

Night of the Demons (2010) on Wikipedia

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Hatchet

Director: Adam Green
Writer: Adam Green
Released: 2006
Labels: Gore|Slasher|2000's|Comedy

A group of unwitting tourists take a boat trip into the steamy Louisiana bayou and find themselves being stalked by a mutated swamp dweller intent on bloody murder.

Hatchet, as its tagline suggests, is indeed "old school American horror", so old school in fact that there isn't a single original bone in its dismembered body. Don't let that dissuade you from giving it a view though as it has enough decent humor and deliciously gory moments to keep any fan of the slasher genre amused, from its tongue-in-cheek nod to all that it inspired it (note the cameos from Robert Englund and Tony Todd), down to a really well crafted screen monster Victor Crowley (played by slasher veteran Kane Hodder).

The practical SFX are good and gory with some excellent artistic license taken with how a human body can come apart. The low-budget sets and lower-budget acting really only add to the B-movie fun of it.

Victor Crowley isn't going to rank with slasher icons like Jason Vorhees or Michael Myers but given time and a few more dodgy sequels (Hatcher 3 is due out 2012) his horribly disfigured face will become enjoyably familiar among even the most casual horror fans.

Hatchet Official Website

Hatchet on IMDb

Hatchet on Wikipedia

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Creep

Director: Christopher Smith
Writers: Christopher Smith
Released: 2004
Labels: Gore|Slasher|2000's

The network of sewage and rail tunnels under the city of London are home to a terrifying being, one that stalks and kills anyone unfortunate enough to find themselves in his hunting grounds. Kate is one such unlucky soul, having missed the last train late at night and finding herself locked in the underground station. She must try to find a different route out if she's to survive the night....

With its deserted underground setting and brutal violence Creep is genuinely ... well ... er ... creepy. However, it doesn't set the screen alight with anything new for the viewer. 

The films first half offers us the thrill of not knowing what is carrying out these killings in the tunnels or when it will strike next, this makes you wonder if it is man or beast or if there is a lone killer or many hands at work. We are introduced to our heroine Kate and assorted (doomed) cast members and the atmosphere of the underground system, quiet and deserted, certainly is unnerving.

Just when you are starting to get annoyed with the trails of blood, running through tunnels and off-screen killings it's time to meet the murderer, which we do in a sudden, lingering close-up. Our psycho is of the mutant-human kind, (think ''Wrong Turn'' or ''The Hills Have Eyes'') and rather horrid he looks too! Sean Harris does a great job portraying the simple yet sadistic ''Craig'' through all that SFX make-up to the point of almost making you feel sorry for him when you realize he is a product of some (presumably illegal) medical experiments that took place in a subterranean surgery.

You never feel sorry for ''Kate'' though, partly because of her shallow and unlikable personality and partly because of Franka Potente's lack-lustre performance and unstable accent, so at the end, you are left feeling quite pleased about her comeuppance.

There is plenty of nasty bloody scenes and a good amount of scares and creepy moments, but as a whole the film lacks either the spark or the extremes to stick with you long-term.

Creep on IMDb

Creep on Wikipedia

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The Evil Dead

Director: Sam Raimi
Writer: Sam Raimi
Released: 1981
Labels: 1980's|Gore|Supernatural

Five friends on vacation head to a remote cabin in the woods where in the basement they find a strange book and tape recordings of incantations that they play and unwittingly release sleeping demons. The woods that surround them become possessed; the demon spirits attack the cabin and one by one the friends become evil incarnate turning on each other with a thirst for blood. Only one remains untainted by the demons touch and must fight the woods and his friends in order to survive the night.

It's difficult to know where to start with The Evil Dead because over the past three decades it has transcended being just a horror movie; it's one of the most referenced and the most revered films of its era.  The Evil Dead combined a rarely seen level of SFX, gore and bloody mayhem with a tongue in cheek humor and maverick camera techniques, but what gave it such notoriety was the fact that it polarized its viewers. It was as despicable for some as it was enthralling for others, in fact in the 1980's in the UK it became a 'poster-boy' for the whole video-nasty furor and got itself banned.

What director Sam Raimi (Darkman, Spider-Man, Drag me to Hell) achieved (aged 21) for little over $375,000 is truly remarkable considering that would not even cover five blood-filled minutes of a Hollywood torture-porn set piece nowadays. The make-up effects by Tom Sullivan and the use of prosthetic body parts are convincing and clearly the actors relished every second of poking, chewing, stabbing and dismembering. Speaking of the acting, it must be noted that The Evil Dead sees the birth of a cult movie icon, Bruce Campbell (Bubba Ho-Tep, My Name is Bruce). Longtime friend of Sam Raimi and his brother Ted, Campbell was executive producer of the movie, was involved in many aspects of the cinematography and was chosen as the "actor" of the group because he would be the one that "girls wanted to look at." Campbell reprises his role for the continuation of The Evil Dead story in two further movies "The Evil Dead 2 : Dead by Dawn" (1987) and "Army of Darkness" (1992), increasingly witty one-liners and the coolest shotgun/chainsaw melee weaponry galvanized Campbell's cult status.

The trivia and interesting facts about this movie are seemingly endless but you can check out the best of them here.

If you like a movie with plenty of scares, laughs and splatter then this is most definitely for you.

The Evil Dead Theatrical Trailer

The Evil Dead at iMDB

The Evil Dead at Wikipedia

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Other than film spin-offs The Evil Dead has spawned comic books, cellphone apps and there's even been a stage musical made based on the movie!

Horror Movie Friday has also heard that The Evil Dead remake is in development with Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell as producers, Uruguayan filmmaker Fede Alvarez has been commissioned to direct after Raimi saw his short film  Ataque de Pánico!  and apparently academy award winning screen writer Diablo Cody is revising the script!