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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Maniacal Music 6

One of the scariest videos ever made is ''Come to Daddy'' by Aphex Twin. 
Try not to have nightmares........

Aphex Twin - Come to Daddy

Black Water

Directors: David Nerlich, Andrew Traucki
Writers: David Nerlich, Andrew Traucki
Released: 2007
Labels: Creature|2000's

Black Water is based on a true story in which we find three tourists that take a guided fishing trip out to the backwater mangroves of Australia. A large ''saltie'' (saltwater crocodile) attacks the boat and capsizes it, killing the tour guide. The three tourists are left to fend for themselves in the murky waist-deep water, they will have to use their initiative and find great courage if they are going to outwit the killer croc and make it back to safety.

Black Water is an intense film experience, it is filmed fly-on-the-wall style which really puts the viewer into the action. The tension that builds throughout is considerable and that sets you up for the shocks when the crocodile appears. The crocodile effects are completely convincing, as is the acting from all three leads, the performances leave you in no doubt as to the terror that these unlucky tourists are experiencing. This film is an out-in-nature-survival movie that very much reminded us of ''Open Water'' (that one was Sharks), both movies are less about being a ''Creature Feature'' and more about the reaction of humans trying to survive in unfamiliar and threatening surroundings.

This movie is not a ''Jaws'' or ''Lake Placid'' nor does it try to be and it is all the better for it, definitely worth a watch.

Black Water Theatrical Trailer

Black Water Official Website

Black Water on IMDb

Black Water on Wikipedia

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Walled In

Director: Gilles Paquet-Brenner
Writers: Serge Brussolo (novel), Rodolphe Tissot, Olivier Volpi, Sylvain White & Gilles Paquet-Brenner
Released: 2009
Labels: Chiller|Suspense|2000's

Walled In is a ''spooky building'' chiller set in a large apartment block built in a rural location. Sam Walczak, a young female demolitions expert, is sent in to examine the building shortly before it's scheduled to be razed. The building's past holds a dark secret, many of its inhabitants were buried alive within its thick concrete walls by the architect. Sam becomes increasingly tormented by her surroundings during her stay and as she delves deeper into the mysteries that haunt the building she realizes that the last remaining residents are a part of the horrifying story.

Walled In sounds pretty good on paper, the ideas about the buildings history and its architect are interesting but (and it's a massive BUT!) after the shocking opening scene, the film becomes completely incoherent. It sets itself up as a supernatural chiller then wanders unsatisfactorily into trying to be a psychological thriller. The film-makers opened up their bumper book of horror cliche and threw everything they could at the first half an hour. We have such predictable scenes as: 

Newspaper clippings in titles.

Woman submerged in a bath-tub opens eyes suddenly.

Blood oozes from the wall.

Enigmatic old lady with tales to tell.

Enigmatic old black man with tales to tell.

Shadowy figure lurks in hallways.

Mirrors aren't what they seem.

Intriguing room but the door is locked.

Children heard singing nursery rhyme creepily.

etc, etc, etc........

None of the screenplay made any sense either. Why was the large concrete apartment block situated in a field in the middle of nowhere? Why did Sam even stick around after creepy moment #1? It's only a job right?? Which one of the bad-guys is actually the bad-guy and what made them so bad??? How did Sam manage to send the office a demolition report when she clearly did NO work???? 

This movie will give you more questions than it answers, in fact it will give you more questions than it poses! (Why!!?? in God's name Why oh why!!!?? was one we asked a lot), and the ending just adds insult to injury.

Admittedly the film does look pretty good, the sets are creepy in an industrial kind of way and the coloring is washed out and somber. The acting is entirely average though, the dialogue is dull at best and character development or motivation is absent. 

If Scooby-Doo and the gang had been sent to investigate a haunting at Hannibal Lector's mansion, we would have ended up with something akin to this film, although the Scooby cartoon would be a lot more entertaining, probably more scary, and definitely more three-dimensional than Walled In.

Walled In Theatrical Trailer

Walled In on IMDb

Walled In on Wikipedia

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La Horde

Directors: Yannick Dahan and Benjamin Rocher

Writers: Arnaud Bordas, Yannick Dahan, Stephane Moissakis, Benjamin Rocher & Nicolas Peufaillit

Released: 2009

Labels: Action|Zombie|2000's

A small tight-knit group of police officers seek revenge on the criminal gang that killed one of their ''family." The cops raid the gang's hideout high up a derelict apartment building in a run-down part of a French city. The raid goes horribly wrong, two cops and their informant are killed and the remaining cops end-up as hostages. Suddenly and inexplicably the informant rises from the dead and ferociously attacks the gang members. A bloody fight ensues and shortly the apartment is littered with bodies, bodies that soon re-animate and attack. The remaining uninjured cops and criminals successfully fight back but soon realize that the apartment building is under siege from a city full of these bloodthirsty un-dead. Reluctantly they team up and look for a way down to the ground floor to take their chances outside.

La Horde (aka The Horde) is yet another re-telling of the ''band of humans vs the un-dead'' story (of course that's no bad thing because there's no point of having one without the other if you set out to make a film in this genre). Romero's influence is here in bucket-loads with our motley crew holed-up in a large multi-level building, think ''Dawn of the Dead," but in this case the zombies (for want of a better word) are the fast moving, infected type rather than the shuffling, back-from-the-grave type and it's that, combined with the gritty urban setting, that puts us in mind of ''28 Days Later."  

What is interesting about this film is that it dwells somewhat on the characters back-story, their emotional reaction to the situation and to each other, in doing so it gives them some depth and motives for their actions. It could also be argued that there is social commentary here that highlights the film-makers' fears about mans' inhumanity to man and society's self destructive nature. 

Although apocalyptic, La Horde is never a somber film, there are some brief moments of levity (the ''chop off his leg'' scene is one to look out for) and the action is thick, fast and positively brutal. The quantity of blood splattering is magnificent and, as well as the extensive range of weaponry in use. The heroes are not scared to engage in hand-to-hand combat with the zombies which makes for some gory slapstick moments.

There is nothing particularly new that this film adds to the genre but it gives you all that you should want from a film of its kind, and it delivers it with a firm slap across the face!

La Horde theatrical trailer

La Horde at IMDb

La Horde at Wikipedia

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