Nine Dead

Director: Chris Shadley
Writer: Patrick Wehe Mahoney
Released: 2010
Labels: Thriller|2010's

A masked gunman kidnaps nine strangers, chains them up in a small cell and threatens to shoot one of them every ten minutes. In order to survive, they must work out what connects them to each other and to their captor. As the clock ticks away, who of the nine will live and who will die? 

It's an over-used premise for a horror/thriller movie nowadays, but if executed well (forgive the pun), there is no reason why the "strangers in a room in peril" theme can't be an absorbing and exciting movie experience. Sadly though, Nine Dead offers little excitement. In fact, it can be described as positively pedestrian. 

The kidnapper has been granted too much sympathy and comes across as a nice guy, whereas the "victims" are annoying and earn no sympathy from the viewer whatsoever. What does keep you from ejecting the dvd (or relinquishing your Netflix subscription) is the story behind why they are all there and what it is that links the nine. You only find out the reasons for the kidnapping and the links between the victims as they work it out. 

So for that, it does hold your interest until the end; it's just a shame that it is such a dull ride that takes you to the film's conclusion. Equally disheartening is the conclusion itself. The film has a natural point at which it should end, and it would have been a better movie if it had, but then there is this last ten minutes sitting uncomfortably looking like it's been tacked on by the filmmakers in order to appease the star and her pushy agent mom.

Nine Dead on IMDb

Nine Dead on Wikipedia

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Isolation

Director: Billy O'Brien
Writer: Billy O'Brien
Released: 2005
Labels: Thriller|Creature|2000's

Bovine genetic experiments at a desolate farm leads to cows with mutated offspring. The result bears a life form with razor sharp teeth and a penchant for burrowing into flesh in order to incubate and feed. Only the handful of people on the farm can stop this nightmarish creature spreading into the outside world.

The premise for "Isolation" sounds laughable, mutant killer cow fetuses, but in actual fact the filmmakers have produced a credible horror and made a comment on modern science practices to boot. The completely run-down desolate farm is the perfect setting for a suspenseful horror movie and the quiet background noises of the wind, rain and machinery are quite unsettling. The film builds slowly at first but gains momentum when we first catch sight of the creatures in question. Some good use of mechanical effects here and much like "The Thing" (which this film has a lot in common) these effects add to the realism, CGI just wouldn't work in this instance.

  

There are only seven actors in the whole film (not including the cows) but the necessary range of stock characters is well-catered for including the obligatory "mad" scientist. There is plenty of body-horror to go with the unending tension, a lengthy and well-constructed finale with plenty of hide and seek action and a decent (albeit obvious) twist in the tale.

This film fulfills its potential and although it treads a well-worn path it does so with a good breath of fresh country air.

Isolation on IMDb

Isolation on Wikipedia

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From Dusk Till Dawn

Director: Robert Rodriguez
Writers: Robert Kurtzman (story), Quentin Tarantino (screenplay)
Released: 1996
Labels: Vampire|1990's|Thriller

On the run criminal brothers Seth and Richard Gecko take a vacationing family hostage on their way to the Mexican border. Once safely across, they hole up at a bar for the night and insist that the family wait with them. Things take an unexpected turn as the group and their fellow patrons find themselves on the bar menu and fighting for their lives, as all the working strippers, bar staff and even the house band turn into vampires. 

"From Dusk Til Dawn" is clearly defined by its two halves, first is the escape from the US by the two brothers. The direction of Rodriguez and the pen of Tarantino are clear to see - it's slick, witty stuff with smart-assed dialogue and some trademark gunplay and explosions thrown in for good measure. George Clooney is excellent as Seth in this early film role and really steals the show for much of it. 

The film's second half, inside the bar, shifts up a gear - the wit and dialogue remain but the action gets a whole lot crazier. The battle with the Vamps is messy, chaotic and relentless as if Evil Dead era Sam Raimi were given this section to play with. The Vampires look great, they beef up, become all gnarly and scaly and look more monsterfied than the usual pasty-faced romantics that we see nowadays. There's a really imaginitive use of the plentiful SFX with some inventive and often hilarious deaths of both human and vamp (watch out for the clever range of weaponry the heroes come up with). Expect solid, safe performances from the likes of Harvey Keitel, Juliette Lewis and Tarantino himself. Also noteworthy are appearances from Salma Hayek, Tom Savini and Rodriguez favorites Cheech Marin and Danny Trejo.

It does look a little tired around the edges at times, particularly the dated CGI but it has such an energy that it still remains an exhilarating watch. 

From Dusk Till Dawn Official Website

From Dusk Till Dawn on IMDb

From Dusk Till Dawn on Wikipedia

Predictably it has a killer soundtrack too.....

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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

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Deadgirl

Directors: Marcel Sarmiento & Gadi Harel
Writer: Trent Haaga
Released: 2008
Labels: Thriller|Zombie|2000's

Two teenage tearaways, J.T. and Ricky, make a startling discovery deep inside an abandoned mental institution - the body of a young woman naked and tied up. Not only that, but she is also one of the un-dead. J.T. decides that this is a good opportunity to get some "free-pussy'", Ricky remains unconvinced by this idea, however both agree to keep her a secret, but for how long?.............

After looking at various responses and reactions to Deadgirl, it is clear that it totally polarizes opinion (in fact here at HMF we were divided by this flick). There are some that view this as just a roughly made, sick-minded, exploitation piece and others that regard it as a compelling study in human nature when faced with an (im)moral dilemma. 

There's no doubt that some of the scenes are pretty disturbing and you do feel like the film excuses this by presenting the girl as "already dead" but nevertheless she is still a young woman. Watching the teenagers acting in such a savage way is hard to stomach at times, but your distaste is directed more to the low moral character of the young men themselves rather than their indecent acts (and this, it seems, is the filmmakers intention).

The same degree of emotional interest could have been created without so many scenes of nudity or molestation, so it is gratuitous to some extent. The bad guys' actions do not go unpunished, but the final twist makes you wonder if any of it was worth it.

It's not a bad film and its intentions are well above being just another piece of "torture-porn". The atmosphere is heavy with teenage angst and small-town claustrophobia (reminded us of Donnie Darko for that). The acting is good (quite a few of those, "I'm sure I've seen them before" faces in the cast) and as far as for a low budget independent film it's visually great.

There's a lot in Deadgirl to set you thinking, but there will definitely be some who just can't wait to forget it.

Deadgirl on IMDb

Deadgirl on Wikipedia

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