Wicked Little Things

Director: J.S. Cardone
Writers: Boaz Davidson & Ben Nedivi
Released: 2006
Labels: Chiller|Supernatural|Zombies|2000's

The bereaved Tunney family move to their newly inherited house in the remote, wooded hills of Pennsylvania. Nearby is a deserted mine where a group of working children were mistreated and died many decades before. An evil presence lies in the woods and the family soon learn that being out after dark can be dangerous.

Wicked Little Things looks creepy, it has a good lead cast and the SFX are well handled.  However, these few plus points come no where near saving this movie from being a slow, labored, uninspiring affair. Every cliche in the book is thrown at this flick, things like: vehicles that just won't start (or are stuck), staring yokel locals telling you not to go into the woods/out at night and creepy sounding children's laughter. 


Instead of increasing the tension, these well-worn devices clog up the screen making you lose touch with the actual story or any characterization. In short, you are never engaged. Zombie kids....so what?, Daddy died.....who cares? The Mine shaft has a dark history?....wow. On top of the lack of interest, we are subjected to some ridiculous moments that defy all logic (even when faced with Zombie children), most notably the standing in a shower of blood scene in the barn at the end (just move one step forward you dumbasses!!!!).

Wicked Little Things is not even a good idea ruined by bad filmmaking, it was just a bad idea from the start.

Wicked Little Things on IMDb

Wicked Little Things on Wikipedia

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Forget Me Not

Director: Tyler Oliver
Writers: Tyler Oliver & Jamieson Stern
Released: 2009
Labels: Supernatural|2000's

Sandy Channing, a popular High School graduate, fears for her own sanity when one-by-one her best friends go missing but she seems to be the only one that has noticed. A barely remembered night and the vengeful spirit of a girl from Sandy's past will help her solve the mystery.

Forget Me Not Graveyard Game

Rules of the Game: "1 person is the ghost and everyone else hides, once you're caught, you turn into a ghost...last one alive wins."

Rhyme: (chanted while holding hands in a circle) "1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 - Release the one ignored by Heaven...8, 9, 10 - Now run and hide or join her at the Devil's side...11 comes, the clocks will chime, forgotten souls erased by time...Midnight comes, it's not too late, so kill the ghost or seal your fate!"

The game becomes a reality in this original and enjoyable movie. The disappointingly slow start eventually gives way to a story that will keep you hooked and some ghostly demons that will have you reaching for the pillow! 

It would be fair to say that this film is an amalgam of Asian horror such as "Ring" and American teenkill flicks like "Final Destination", but the added twist of the dead being "forgotten" by history really makes this story stand out.  

The movie moves at a good pace once the action starts and the whole back-story is well explained in flashback.  There are a few twists and turns that please even if they are a bit predictable. On the downside, the film suffers from an under-par cast and rushed editing. It would be interesting to see this film re-made with a big budget, some leading names in the cast and a competent hand at the helm (Sam Raimi would be our choice!)

If you want something a little out of the ordinary then give "Forget Me Not" a try!

Forget Me Not on IMDb
Forget Me Not 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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Trick 'r Treat

Director: Michael Dougherty
Writer: Michael Dougherty
Released: 2007
Labels: Supernatural|Chiller|2000's

An interwoven collection of Halloween stories featuring a murderous high school principal, a virginal college girl looking for Mr. Right, teen pranksters taking a joke too far and a grumpy recluse, along with a neighboring couple, being visited by a zealous trick-or-treater.

"Trick 'r Treat" pays homage to many horror flicks from the 1980's, not least the anthology movies like "Creepshow" or "Twighlight Zone: The Movie," but unlike those movies the stories and timeline here are beautifully interwoven, reminiscent of Quentin Tarantino's "Pulp Fiction." The comic book feel (lovingly lifted from EC comics "Tales from the Crypt" series from the 1950's) along with the small-town setting, gives this a charm rarely seen in modern horror. All the tales have enjoyably dark and sinister twists and reveals that make sure the movie doesn't stray into cheesy sentimentality and although it isn't particularly scary or overly gruesome it's definitely not one for the kids. 

All the actors put in good performances, most notably Dylan Baker's turn as the quietly psychotic Steven. The costume design is inspired, particularly the creepy school bus children's make-and-mend Halloween outfits and the impish Sam (future horror icon!). Also the set design and cinematography work perfectly to ensure each shot looks like an expertly drawn panel from the afore-mentioned comics.

This really is one to own and enjoy every Halloween and, despite it being mishandled upon release and receiving little attention, we are sure that it is destined to become a seasonal classic.

Trick 'r Treat Official Website

Trick 'r Treat on IMDb

Trick 'r Treat on Wikipedia

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Dreamcatcher

Director: Lawrence Kasdan
Writers: Stephen King (novel), Lawrence Kasdan & William Goldman
Released: 2003
Labels: Thriller|2000's|Supernatural

Four long-time friends with a mysterious history discover that the remote area in which they are vacationing is being plagued in an unusual fashion by parasitic aliens. They find that it is no coincidence that these events center around them and must re-connect with friends from the past in order to fight the invasion. 

Dreamcatcher - Stephen King adaptations range from the sublime to the ridiculous and this one does tend to lean towards the latter end of the scale unfortunately. The story is just too complex and lengthy to fit neatly into a movie (even if that movie is over two hours!). If it were made as a three or four episode TV mini-series that explored the story more deeply like "IT" or "The Stand" it would have fared much better. There are so many elements of horror, sci-fi and fantasy in this one movie that just as you get comfortable with the genre you are watching, it lurches into another. That said, it is undoubtedly entertaining and the individual elements are well made. The film looks great, particularly the snowy wilderness setting, and the special effects are bountiful, bloody and above average. The cast list is pretty impressive (Morgan Freeman, Jason Lee, Thomas Jane to name but three) and the acting is great all round, even down to the youngsters playing the lead characters in flashback. 

It's worth a watch (if only for the grossly funny bathroom scenes) but expect to feel a little bewildered by the time you're done.

Dreamcatcher Official Website

Dreamcatcher on IMDb

Dreamcatcher on Wikipedia

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Poltergeist

Director: Tobe Hooper
Writers: Steven Spielberg, Michael Grais and Mark Victor
Released: 1982
Labels: Chiller|Supernatural|1980's

Poltergiest is an exciting and somewhat comedic romp about a family terrorized by an incredibly active haunting. The haunting occurs because the family live in a house built over the top of an old graveyard. The ghostly activity focuses its attention on the youngest member of the Freeling family, five year-old Carol Ann who, soon after announcing ''they're here'', gets ''kidnapped'' by the disgruntled spirit. Reluctantly (it's ALWAYS reluctantly) the father, Steven, agrees to call in a team of parapsychologists, the spirits taunt and unsettle the team and they decide to get help of their own in the (diminuative) form of spiritual medium Tangina Barron. 


The family, under Tangina's instruction, set about rescuing Carol Ann by entering a whirling portal guarded by a demonic Beast that seems to be the orchestrator of the mayhem. The plan seems to work and Carol-Ann is freed, Tangina announces that ''this house is clean'', and the family relax in their spirit-free home. Not for long though as they have understandably decided to move on and not a moment to soon as, on their last night in the house, it becomes obvious that the Beast is not done with them yet and it makes a new bid to capture Carol Ann. The house positively erupts in a frenzy of activity and the mother, Diane, must battle the demon to save her kids.....

Although ''directed'' by Tobe Hooper (Texas Chainsaw Massacre), it is certainly arguable that most of the decision-making about the feel and look of Poltergeist comes from producer Speilberg himself. You are constantly reminded of films such as E.T. (which Spielberg made back-to-back with Poltergeist) and Close Encounters of the Third Kind, with the small town setting for other-worldly events, the way the haunting is introduced slowly at first, how it is treated by the family with some amusement and how it escalates rapidly into full-on action. Also the inevitable ''everything seems ok now, oh, no it isn't'' plot twist is classic Spielberg.

Considering this was released in 1982, the visual effects are varied and sophisticated, there are animated ghosts, stuff moving (and/or flying) on its own, rotting corpses, gore and goo. The plot on the other hand, isn't particularly sophisticated and the reasons for the haunting focusing on this house in particular are never satisfactorily explained but, as an entertaining, well-acted, exciting visual treat, Poltergeist really does come up with the goods. 

Poltergeist Official Website

Poltergeist on IMDb

Poltergeist on Wikipedia

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