Halloween Night (2006)

DIRECTED BY
Mark Atkins

STARRING
Derek Osedach - David Baxter
Rebekah Kochan - Shannon
Scot Nery - Christopher Vale
Sean Durrie - Larry
Alicia Klein - Tracy
Erica Roby - Angela
Amanda Ward - Kendall
Jared Michaels - Daryll
Nicholas Daly Clark - Todd

Genre - Horror/Slasher

Running Time - 85 Minutes


PLOT
A kid named Chris Vale (Scot Nery) watches his mother get raped and murdered by two men with white masks, something his father had set up. Chris tries to get away, but it seen by the killers. One of them shoots a bullet his way, but it hits a pipe that blasts hot steam into Chris' face.

Ten years later, Chris is locked inside of a mental institution burned without recognition. The kind orderlies decide to boost Chris' self esteem by making fun of him while wearing similar masks that his mother's killers had worn. Chris decides to murder these idiot orderlies and escapes the asylum.

Now a fugitive, Chris decides to head back to his childhood home. What he doesn't know is that the house is the location of a Halloween party hosted by David (Derek Osedach), who is planning a prank to scare his guests. Unfortunately for David, Chris has murdered one of his friends (Nicholas Daly Clark) and has taken his costume as a disguise - leading to the guests believing he's their friend. This allows Chris to murder guests one by one, making this HALLOWEEN NIGHT one these characters won't forget. I'll probably be forgetting about it two weeks from now though.

REVIEW

I was very hesitant to watch The Asylum's HALLOWEEN NIGHT. Judging by the film's cover and the official synopsis, I was not looking forward to another film about a mental patient who escapes to kill people in his hometown. It's also supposedly based on a true story, although I'm not sure what the ratio between truth and fiction is. Surprisingly though, HALLOWEEN NIGHT is not a rip off of John Carpenter's classic 1978 "slasher", despite killers in white masks and the whole escapee mental patient deal. HALLOWEEN NIGHT is more inspired by several slasher films, trying to turn something old into something new. And while the film isn't terrible, there's still a lot to be desired by this Asylum production.

The screenplay, written by Fangoria editor Michael Gingold, isn't the best script I've ever seen play out - but it's not the worst either. The main narrative plays out pretty much as one would expect from a film like this. You get the killer's tragic backstory. The killer escapes a mental institution and heads to his hometown wearing a mask. You get one-dimensional characters who are nothing but cannon fodder. You get a twist ending. HALLOWEEN NIGHT plays out exactly as you'd expect it to. And that's not necessarily a bad thing. It plays to its conventions well enough and the film is easy to follow on the surface. Sometimes you just want a slasher film to be a slasher film, without any self-referential stuff to make itself feel smart.

Instead of just ripping off HALLOWEEN like it could have, HALLOWEEN NIGHT takes things from several past slasher films. Chris Vale being a killer burn victim reminded me of THE BURNING. The killer murdering people who are in his home is sort of similar to HALLOWEEN: RESURRECTION. And the Final Girl isn't killed by Vale due to some necklace that belonged to his mother, similar to FRIDAY THE 13TH PART 2. This film isn't as good as most of the films mentioned, but it's a nice homage.

However, I wish the script was stronger and written better. Is it entertaining for the most part? In a disposable way, sure. But there are a lot of issues that will make one scratch their heads. The main one, for me personally, had to be Chris Vale's motivation to murder. What I'm trying to say is - WHY was he killing people? Who was he getting revenge on? Just because someone is mentally unhinged doesn't mean that he's going back to his house to kill people. Yes, a slasher film needs slashing by some deranged killer. But Jason Voorhees wanted revenge on camp counselors over his drowning and the death of his mother. Freddy Krueger wanted revenge on the Elm Street children for what their parents did to him. Michael Myers was just a force of evil that was the local Boogeyman. What's Chris Vale's excuse? There's nothing about this character that's interesting. You want a villain you can somewhat identify with as a character in terms of his motives. You don't get that here at all.

Also, the dialogue isn't that great. It's pretty generic stuff and doesn't really flesh out the characters all that much. For older characters, they behave pretty childish and don't sound as mature as horror characters should sound. The dialogue should have fleshed out the characters a bit. I don't need three-dimensional protagonists in a slasher film, but they should be beyond stereotypes so we can care about them. Besides maybe a couple of them who showed personalities, Chris Vale could have killed them all off and it wouldn't have made much of a difference to me. I get that Gingold wanted to pay homage to past slasher films - and as an editor of a famous horror magazine, I know he understands the genre extremely well. But it felt pedestrian to me and I wasn't really invested in much at all.

The highlight of the film has to be the death scenes. They're not masterful or anything, but at least they are stimulating eye candy. In fact, for a low budget flick, I thought the execution of the death sequences were handled very well. We get a lot of blood and cool effects that I was not expecting at all. A lot of them involved an axe. An axe to the spine. An axe to the face. A sword through the skull. A hanger to the eye. Even some nicely filmed slit throats as well. The special effects team did well when it came to showing the "gore". I do wish the burnt look to Chris Vale looked better. He looked like a California Raisin rather than a burn victim. Just my two cents.

The direction by Mark Atkins wasn't terrible either. HALLOWEEN NIGHT looks like it was shot on a small DV camcorder, but it looked nice enough. The editing was good, especially during the kill scenes. The establishing shots of the locations around the Vale house were nice looking. Countless scenes involving lesbian sex and boobs definitely helped the entertainment portion of the movie. I wish the film had more tension and suspense. But it's not a terribly directed film and I felt the visual presentation told the story well enough.

The acting in HALLOWEEN NIGHT is a mixed bag. Rebekah Kochon was pretty good as Shannon. She's been in a couple of The Asylum's horror offerings, and I thought she handled her role well. Scot Nery was decent as Chris Vale, playing the awkwardness of the role well. Sean Durrie was likeable as the geeky Larry. I wish he had more to do. Jared Michaels played the bad boy well as Darryl. Again, he should have had more to do. The only actor I had any real issue with was Derek Osedach as David. I was confused as to how to deal with his strange line reading. He would mumble lines, and stutter at times, almost as if he was trying to act as if he didn't rehearse from a script. It was just odd and I wasn't sure whether to laugh, or roll my eyes at how bad it came across. I know Osedach has directed and produced stuff for The Asylum. Maybe he should stick to behind-the-scenes stuff rather than perform in front of it.

THE FINAL HOWL
While HALLOWEEN NIGHT wasn't as bad as I was expecting it to be, it didn't wow me either. The screenplay left me cold for the most part with an interesting killer, bland characters, and generic dialogue. However, the acting was decent, the direction was fine for what it was, and the death sequences/special effects were handled better than I would have imagined. HALLOWEEN NIGHT is an okay slasher film by The Asylum, but I probably won't watch it again any time soon. I'll stay in Haddonfield, Illinois for my Halloween fix.



SCORE

2 Howls Outta 4

The Abominable Dr. Phibes (1971)

DIRECTED BY
Robert Fuest

STARRING
Vincent Price - Dr. Anton Phibes
Peter Jeffrey - Inspector Trout
Joseph Cotton - Dr. Versalius
Virginia North - Vulnavia
Norman Jones - Sergeant Tom Schencley
John Cater - Waverly
Terry Thomas - Dr. Longstreet
Caroline Munro - Victoria Regina Phibes

Genre - Horror/Mystery

Running Time - 95 Minutes


When it comes to October, and Halloween season, I always manage to sneak in at least a Vincent Price film in my viewing rotation. I mean, how can it be Halloween without one of the most iconic horror actors of all time? I grew up watching Vincent Price movies, marveling at the man's talent in becoming weird, eccentric characters that left a lasting imprint on my young mind. The man was class all the way, which I feel modern horror is sadly lacking today.

I've never hidden that my personal favorite Vincent Price film is 1959's THE TINGLER. Something about that William Castle production just puts a genuine smile on my face. In fact, I watched that again this year when Turner Classic Movies [who are doing a bang up job with the classic horror this season] showed it a few days ago. But as much as I love Vincent Price in THE TINGLER, it's not his finest performance. No, Price's masterpiece came later in his career in 1971's THE ABOMINABLE DR. PHIBES - a film so magnificent, so elegant, and so ahead of its time. In fact, it most likely inspired the most successful horror franchise of the 2000's - SAW. And even after 42 years, THE ABOMINABLE DR. PHIBES still resonates and entertains as it probably did all those years ago.

PLOT
Dr. Phibes (Vincent Price) is a lot of things. He's an expert in the medical field. He's an accomplished organist. He's also a cunning serial killer bent on revenge over the murder of his wife (Caroline Munro in an uncredited role) at the hands of a shaky handed surgeon, after a terrible car accident that left him scarred both physically and mentally. Unable to cope, Phibes decided to bury himself with his wife. But feeling she didn't get the justice she earned, Phibes decided that vengeance was in order.

Following the Pharoah's Curse of the Old Testament as his method of revenge, Phibes and his lovely assistant, Vulnavia (Virginia North), decide to hunt down the nine doctors responsible for Mrs. Phibes' death. One is stung by bees. Another gets bitten to death by bats. There's even locusts, rats, and a frog mask that crushes a doctor's skull. Phibes saves Dr. Vesalius (Joseph Cotton), the man who performed the botched surgery, for last. As Inspector Trout (Peter Jeffrey) is on to Phibes after realizing he's still alive, Phibes puts Vesalius through the ultimate test before casting darkness on those who have wronged him.

REVIEW
THE ABOMINABLE DR. PHIBES is a vicious, vengeful tale that's quite beautiful to look at and admire. With colorful sets, souring orchestral music, and energetic and campy performances that bring humor to the tale, the film still manages to be menacing and dark. While 1960's PSYCHO changed the rules in horror, I think THE ABOMINABLE DR. PHIBES really set the tone for the rest of the genre in later years, especially in terms of the presentation of the death sequences. While the movie may look a bit dated, I think its narrative is still contemporary, which I think would allow modern horror fans to enjoy it and respect it.

The story of THE ABOMINABLE DR. PHIBES plays out pretty straight-forwardly. It's a revenge tale about a man who seeks sick vengeance for his wife's death through the use of a popular series of curses from the Holy Bible. For modern audiences, it's sort of like what Jigsaw was doing in those early SAW films - using elaborate traps as revenge on those he felt didn't appreciate life. And in both cases, the acts of murder are there not only to develop the villain's character somewhat, but as way to stylize the film and shock audiences.

However unlike SAW, which makes the victims sympathetic until the truth is learned about them, THE ABOMINABLE DR. PHIBES doesn't have real victims at all. Some of them don't even realize they're being murdered until their final minutes, taking away any sort of empathy we may have for these one-note characters. We only know them through Dr. Phibes reasoning of hate towards them, which makes us side with the film's villain. This type of storytelling makes Phibes an anti-hero - a man who does wrong things that we feel are justified in some way. These doctors had a hand in taking away the love of his life, regardless if it may have been accidental or not. Any person could understand that feeling of loss, and wanting to use some sort of vengeance to fill up that hole. The other characters in THE ABOMINABLE DR. PHIBES are nothing but pawns in Phibes' game of Chess.

The use of the 10 Plagues of Egypt from Exodus is a great tool to showcase how these people will eventually die. Watching characters succumb to bats, rats, locusts, and other curses is pretty clever, and a lot of fun to watch. Plus, most people have heard of these plagues, making the guessing game as to how these doctors will die somewhat entertaining. It also makes Dr. Phibes act like he's God in a way, controlling the fates of those who have sinned against him and his family. THE ABOMINABLE DR. PHIBES isn't a religious film, but the implications are there. I think it's a smart plot device that's easy to understand. Plus, it makes our villain pretty clever in how he takes down his victims one by one. The fact that he has a symbol written in Hebrew is a nice reference to the Old Testament as well. The writing and thought behind the murder methods is very smart, yet simple.

I also like that THE ABOMINABLE DR. PHIBES plays as a murder-mystery. We know that Phibes and Vulnavia are behind the murders, and we see how they commit each act. But the supporting scenes with the inspectors, mainly Inspector Trout, are quite good as well. I like how Trout and his colleagues figure out what's going on. Is Phibes alive? If he is, how did he survive his accident? What do the 10 Plagues represent for Phibes? Who are the next victim and why is he saving a certain doctor for last? So many questions get answered, giving us a backstory to why Phibes is doing what he's doing without using expository language to tell us. The more we learn, the more we care and want to know more. We think we know the answers, because we see a lot of things visually. But as the protagonists investigate further, we realize there's much more to Phibes' story than we had believed. It's an intelligent script.

Plus, I can appreciate that the film uses a bit of camp and black comedy in the narrative. While the murders are terrible, you can't help but sort of laugh at their methods. The frog mask, in particular, is pretty humorous - even though a man's skull is getting crushed while wearing it. We never feel unsettled by these sequences, instead enjoying them as a visual spectacle and wanting to see more. Plus, you gotta love when people call Inspector Trout, "Pike". It wouldn't be funny if just one character made that reference. But several do, which makes the mistake funnier. There's a sense of humor that counters how bleak the story really is, making the viewing experience an interesting one, but in a good way.

The death sequences in THE ABOMINABLE DR. PHIBES aren't gory [this is 1971, after all]. But they are quite cool to watch. We don't see the bee death, but we get bats, and rats, and a crushing frog mask in a funny scene. There's also the complete draining of blood in multiple jars. We get locusts. Someone gets frozen to death. I love the unicorn statue death, which becomes the butt of jokes within the film. And probably the most influential one is the death of the first born, where Dr. Vesalius must save his son by getting him out of chains. How does he do that? By cutting open his body to take out a key placed inside his ribcage. Sound familiar? They're pretty memorable moments, showing how far ahead of itself this movie really was for the genre.

The direction by Robert Fuest is fantastic. I love everything about the visuals in this film. The opening sequence is just Dr. Phibes, in an extreme wide shot with his back towards the camera, playing the organ. The sets are colorful and vibrant, creating this happy look on film that hides the darkness of the actual tale. In fact, it's a more colorful and dramatic PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, with Phibes wearing a mask over his deformed face for much of the film. It's grandiose and quite wonderful to watch. In fact, THE ABOMINABLE DR. PHIBES is a Technicolor dream - with vivid hues of green, red, and gold that are disconnect to the pale look of Dr. Phibes himself.

Fuest also handles the death sequences well, given them tension and suspense, even though we know what the end result will be. The frog mask scene is wonderful through its quick editing, as well as the POV of the victim slowly turning red as blood fills inside the mask. The scene with the key inside the ribcage is pretty nail-biting for its time, definitely inspiring James Wan and Leigh Whannell for SAW. And the acid drip death trap is elaborately shot. It's a visual wonderland of horror that feels surreal and magical, teasing you with vibrant colors and spectacle that hide a mean streak. I don't think Fuest has made a better film than THE ABOMINABLE DR. PHIBES. It's a beautifully shot movie.

As for the acting, it's wonderful as well. While the supporting actors, like Joseph Cotton, Peter Jeffrey, and Virginia North, are all great in their respective roles, the driving force of the film is the awesome Vincent Price as the dangerous Dr. Phibes [in his 100th film, no less!]. It's a legendary performance by a horror icon who barely says a word in the entire film. Price's body language and serious facial expressions really capture the character's personality and motivation towards his victims. You'd think with a limited performance due to wearing crusting make up on his face [which had to be reapplied countless times due to Price always laughing between takes] would hinder Price's acting. But it just makes Price more interesting to watch, and helps make Phibes more compelling as a character. Price creates a man of mystery, who plays music and dances with his assistant as some sort of spectre that shadows the entire film. It's a brilliant performance and one that makes Price one of the greatest in the history of cinema.

I also must make mention to the score of the film. It's really fantastic, setting the tone and mood right away. The ending credits that play a strange rendition of "Over the Rainbow" puts a smile on my face because it fits the movie so well in an oddball way. Basil Kirchin and James Nathan do a wonderful job crafting a memorable score for an amazing film.

THINGS I'VE LEARNED WHILE CLAIMING "NINE SHALL DIE" ON MY PHONOGRAPH

- Dr. Phibes is an accomplished organist. With that face, he probably had a ton of practice playing with his instrument.

- Dr. Phibes placed a group of deadly bats in the bedroom of one of his sleeping victims. Those trolling about Ben Affleck's next career move better watch out!

- A psychiatrist had his head crushed by wearing a frog mask. Conal Cochran is applauding this next to his slab of Stonehenge.

- Dr. Phibes drained a doctor of his entire blood supply. Man, the local hospital must have desperately needed more Type O!

- Phibes is killing the 9 doctors involved in his wife's death. He's wasting his time. Joe Spinnell was probably behind it. He's usually stalking and tormenting Mrs. Phibes in other films.

- Another doctor was stabbed to death by the horn of a unicorn statue. He must've been a member of the Westboro Baptist Church.

- Dr. Versalius had to save his first born son by getting a key out of his ribcage that would unlock his son's chains. Dr. Phibes came, SAW, and conquered with this trap.

THE FINAL HOWL
Nothing short of a horror masterpiece, THE ABOMINABLE DR. PHIBES is a must see for any cinema fan - whether you enjoy horror or not. The beautiful visuals, the camp factor, the colorful murder sequences, and the intelligent and clever script deserve anyone's attention, respect, and appreciation for this work of art caught on film. But it's Vincent Price's performance as the title character that give this classic life. THE ABOMINABLE DR. PHIBES is probably one of my favorite horror films, and definitely one of my favorite Vincent Price performances. Many say this was Price's finest hour, and it's really hard to disagree with them. An amazing film from beginning to end.



SCORE

4 Howls Outta 4

Carrie (2013)

DIRECTED BY
Kimberly Peirce

STARRING
Chloe Grace Moretz - Carrie White
Julianne Moore - Margaret White
Judy Greer - Miss Desjardin
Portia Doubleday - Chris Hargensen
Alex Russell - Billy Nolan
Gabriella Wilde - Sue Snell
Ansel Elgort - Tommy Ross
Zoe Belkin - Tina

Genre - Horror/Drama/Supernatural

Running Time - 99 Minutes


So it's finally here - the long anticipated second remake [or third film adaptation, however one wants to see it as] based on Stephen King's first novel from 1974 - CARRIE. I've already established how much I love the 1976 Brian De Palma adaptation starring Sissy Spacek and Piper Laurie - one of those rare horror films that got some love from the Academy Awards, even if it didn't win anything. It's one of those horror movies that's still as powerful today than it was almost 40 years ago.

As I've done for the past several weeks, I've been looking back at other films related to CARRIE. In 1999, there was a sequel called THE RAGE: CARRIE 2. While intended to continue from the first film, this sequel was also somewhat of a remake for the 90s generation. While I don't think it's completely terrible, the fact that it wasn't needed probably ruined its chances at the box office. In 2002, NBC decided to make a series out of CARRIE by producing a television remake starring Angela Bettis and Patricia Clarkson. Even though it was extremely faithful to the novel, while taking moments from the De Palma adaptation, the first remake was a ratings disaster - ruining any chances for a television series.

Now in 2013, we've gotten our second remake with heavy hitters Chloe Grace Moretz and Julianne Moore in the main roles, while BOYS DON'T CRY director Kimberly Peirce handles things behind the camera. All these elements had gotten people excited about this project, whether people believed that Moretz was too pretty and/or young to play Carrie White, or whether people thought another remake was necessary. Even Stephen King himself felt that there wasn't any need, feeling the original film did a great job on its own. However, we heard that more elements from the novel would be implemented into the narrative, as well as Peirce wanting to give the narrative a modern twist that would bring in a new generation of viewers who may have never seen the original. Plus, the topic of bullying and acceptance has never been as relevant as it has been now. So why not remake CARRIE? It couldn't hurt if all the right players and all the right elements are aligned, right?

Unfortunately, I felt really disappointed in this remake. While I groan anytime a remake is announced, especially one that doesn't need to be made, I'm not a remake hater. A lot of the Universal films were remakes, or different adaptations, of theater plays or novels. Some of the modern remakes are actually quite good, if done in a way that sets them apart from the original. I was hoping this CARRIE remake would be one of those. The original adaptation is pretty outdated, so adding modern touches and different sort of character twists while maintaining the essence of the novel would have worked for me. But when a remake is 80% the original adaptation word-for-word [and sometimes shot-for-shot], while the rest of the new material is interesting, yet meaningless since the film doesn't take its time to develop it, then you have a pointless remake that leaves you underwhelmed.

I won't get into the plot summary since everyone knows the story by now. You get the familiar scenes - Carrie's shower scene with her first period, Margaret White slamming Carrie for becoming a woman and locking her in that closet, the gym teacher punishing the girls, Sue Snell asking Tommy Ross to ask Carrie to the prom, the dirty pillows bit, the pig's blood at the prom, the massacre, and then the end battle between Carrie and Margaret. It's all here, which it has to be, but I wish a lot of these moments were treated differently.

The modern touches were nice, especially Chris Hargensen actually filming Carrie's fright about her menstrual period on her cell phone [which she eventually uploads on YouTube]. We even get the footage playing at the prom to humiliate Carrie, which was taken from THE RAGE: CARRIE 2. But I liked that the use of social media and the internet played in humiliating Carrie. Unfortunately, there's not enough of it - at least in this cut of the film [I'll get to this more later]. We also get more CGI in this film to explore Carrie's powers. Carrie has more in control of her powers in this version, which is fine, and the CGI really makes the viewer aware of that. Carrie can levitate things and people. She can make the ground break just by stomping on it. She can even hover this time around. Some of it may sound silly, but at least it was different. So I won't harp too much on it. I can harp on that pig's blood being CGI though when it's pouring on Carrie. That was just lazy.

We also get a new beginning, with Margaret giving birth to Carrie all alone at her home. We watch her struggle with killing this "sin" of having a child, wanting to either murder Carrie or love her as a mother. The dynamic between Carrie and Margaret was a bit different here, although I couldn't really buy that Carrie was scared of Margaret. Still, you felt more here that Margaret really did love Carrie and wanted to protect her - unlike in other adaptations where it seemed Margaret wanted to control her and torture her. It was somewhat refreshing. I also liked that they put Margaret's self-mutilation in this adaptation, which was taken from the novel. I wish more was done with it though.

We also get moments that spotlight Chris Hargensen. In the other adaptations, she comes across as just pure evil, with this undeserved hatred towards Carrie White. In this version, we see that she's an upper class teenager who uses her lawyer father to get out of things [just like in the novel]. But there are moments where you see her conflicted over her actions towards Carrie. While Chris wants to hurt Carrie, she wonders if these actions are a bit too extreme. In one of the things that I didn't like, it seemed her boyfriend, Billy Nolan, was the one really instigating all the actions against Carrie White [the pig's blood in particular]. Chris and Billy's relationship seemed more abusive than I had remembered, with Billy threatening Chris to carry out with her revenge on Carrie with warnings of death. In this version, it seemed Chris had second thoughts about pouring the blood on Carrie, while Billy was all for it. Strangely enough, Chris wants to hit Carrie with Billy's car to kill her, making the sudden change strange. But at least this remake fleshed out Chris a bit, which was interesting.

We also get more scenes between Sue Snell and Tommy Ross, focusing somewhat on their relationship and their feelings towards Carrie. Sue is guilt-ridden throughout the film, moments after she throws tampons at Carrie during the shower scene. Tommy even admonishes Sue for it, asking her what did Carrie ever do to her for Sue to even participate. But then he tells Sue a story about a similar situation he was involved with, which brings the couple closer. In fact, I really liked Tommy Ross in this film. He was sweet to everyone around him. While he didn't want to go to prom with Carrie, he does it for Sue. And while Tommy treats Carrie like a friend and makes sure she has fun, he's still thinking about Sue when he texts her about how the night is going. Honestly, I wish there was more of the guy, because I could see why so many people were drawn to him [besides his looks and popular status, of course]. Tommy is the really the only genuine person in Carrie's life besides gym teacher, Miss Desjardin. And it's Tommy's exit via the bucket falling on him that sets Carrie off during the prom. Also, Tommy is a big deal in Sue's new subplot [I won't spoil it], which wasn't really explored enough for me.

Other than that, we get the same film that we've seen in other adaptations - sometimes word for word, and even shot for shot. What was the point? Hell, the screenwriter of the original 1976 adaptation, Lawrence D. Cohen, gets first billing over new screenwriter Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa. If you've seen the original as many times as I have, you could recite the dialogue for this remake pretty much line by line. I was let down that CARRIE played things way too safe, not bothering to change certain dialogue for this version to accommodate the actors better and making the story feel fresh. I was expecting a remake that was closer to the novel, but what I got was the De Palma film with different actors and director. No Carrie destroying the town. No meteors. We get one testimony at the end about Carrie White and her powers, and it barely registers. What makes it worse is that most of the narrative feels rushed, just to get to what studios feel the audience wants to see - the prom massacre. There's not enough time for things to simmer, making us care about the relationships or the situation at hand. Even though some of the character portrayals were interesting, they still seemed a bit one-note due to the pacing. It's a shame, because the story is so good that it deserved to be paced better.

As for the prom scene, a total let down. It flies by really quick, and while Carrie does some damage [as if she's Jean Grey from the X-Men], the amount of casualities may surprise you. Chris' and Billy's exits are done well, but seemed to take a bit too long. I don't want to compare it to the De Palma adaptation, but De Palma really infused that moment with style to make it so memorable. It falls flat here.

The direction by Kimberly Peirce is fine, but I would really love to see a Director's Cut of this film. There were times where I could sense Peirce's voice through her visuals, but they would be undermined by the way the film was edited. There were moments I found interesting and clever, but the post-production really did things that took away from it. It's a real shame because I'm sure Peirce wanted to make this film as different from the more popular adaptation as possible. Still, the film looked great and the CGI was handled a lot better than I was expecting, with some good moments coming from it. I also liked the approaches to familiar characters that she made different for her version of the story to shine through. Peirce is a very good director who I feel was under the influence from the studio, who I believe interfered somewhat with this project. I think if the studio had let Peirce handle this adaptation on her own, this review would have been a lot different - and probably more positive.

The acting in CARRIE is probably the highlight. Chloe Grace Moretz doesn't outdo Sissy Spacek, but she's very good as Carrie White. I do think her youth takes away some of the understanding of the Carrie character, but Moretz does her best to make the role her own. She carried this film very well and I loved her body language and facial expressions throughout the film. This girl is a star. I thought Portia Doubleday was a surprise as Chris Hargensen. While being beautiful, she also presented a lot of attitude and viciousness in the villain role. But I thought Doubleday also made some nice character choices, showing that Chris doubted herself a lot of the time when it came to hurting Carrie. I don't think any of the other actresses in the same role have played Chris that way until now. I liked Doubleday a lot. Judy Greer was great, as usual, as Miss Desjardin. I wish she had more screentime. Gabriella Wilde was pretty decent as Sue, but not given enough to do really. And Ansel Elgort was really good as Tommy Ross. I could believe any high school girl would have a crush on this guy.

As for Julianne Moore, she was good but I felt miscast as Margaret White. She played the role in a quieter, more passive aggressive way - similar to Patricia Clarkson's subtle version in the 2002 adaptation, mixed with a bit of Piper Laurie's loopiness in the 1976 film. But something about Moore's performance was off for me. It may have been that Moore had to recite a lot of the dialogue that Piper made so famous in the earlier version. The dialogue is made for a character that's a bit more over-the-top than Moore had played it. It just felt off.

THE FINAL HOWL
CARRIE (2013) is an average flick that's pretty much a lesser version of a better adaptation. The cast is decent, and some of the changes done are interesting. But Kimberly Peirce's voice seems to have been tampered by studio interference. And since this adaptation is 80% the same in terms of dialogue and even some shot-for-shot moments from the 1976 Brian De Palma adaptation, it just makes this version of CARRIE seem inferior and pointless. And man, I thought that ending sucked. It's not terrible, but I was expecting more out of this adaptation. Good if you've never seen any of the CARRIE films, but only worth a rental if you have. Pretty much a let down, as far as I'm concerned.



SCORE

2 Howls Outta 4

The Beyond (1981)

DIRECTED BY
Lucio Fulci

STARRING
Catriona MacColl - Liza Merrill
David Warbeck - Dr. John McCabe
Sarah Keller - Emily
Veronica Lazar - Martha
Michele Mirabella - Martin Avery
Maria Pia Marsala - Jill
Gianpolo Saccarola - Arthur
Giovanni De Nava - Joe
Al Cliver - Harris

Genre - Horror/Supernatural/Zombies

Running Time - 82 Minutes


Italian director Lucio Fulci has been a heavily debated director within the horror community. Some people think he's great, creating surreal and disgusting visuals that leave a huge impression on you. Others think he is a hack, believing that he's all shock and style, and no substance. While I'm not the biggest fan of Fulci's work, I do respect the man for presenting non-linear narratives meant to confuse, yet entertain you - leaving different imprints on the audience as to what they saw and how they saw it.

There's no denying that ZOMBIE/ZOMBI 2 is an absolute 1979 zombie classic that has inspired many future zombies films since its release. And while some of Fulci's giallos are worth mentioning, the films people think of [other than ZOMBIE] when it comes to the director are the Gates of Hell trilogy - which includes CITY OF THE LIVING DEAD, THE HOUSE BY THE CEMETERY, and probably Fulci's most beloved work - 1981's THE BEYOND. Now why would anyone claim that THE BEYOND is Fulci's best film? It doesn't make sense. The gore is there to shock people and make them uncomfortable. The direction and acting is what it is. Why so much praise?

Maybe it's because, sometimes, we just want to experience something so strange instead of wondering if it's logical or not. We want to be disturbed. We want to be confused. We want to know what the hell we're watching. Only certain directors can get away with things like that. Lucio Fulci is one of them. And yes, THE BEYOND is his finest work in my honest opinion for all of those reasons.

PLOT
In 1927 Louisiana, an angry mob enter a hotel to attack a painter named Schweick (Antoine Saint-John), who's staying in Room 36. Apparently, Schweick is a warlock of sorts and he's working on his latest, and final painting. The mob grabs Schweick and crucify him to a wall in his room, then dump acid on him so he can melt. Meanwhile downstairs, a blind woman named Emily (Cinzia Monreale) is reading a scary prophecy from the Book of Eibon before it bursts into flames.

We move to 1981 Louisiana, where a New Yorker named Liza (Catriona MacColl) has inherited the same hotel from her rich uncle. Liza realizes she has her work cut out for her, as she needs to hire construction workers, painters, and plumbers to fix the hotel up. When a worker is frightened by a pair of white eyes in a window, Liza meets Dr. John McCabe (David Warbeck), who becomes sort of her confidant.

Since the hotel basement is flooded, Liza hires a plumber named Joe (Giovanni De Nava) to deal with it. As he investigates a moldy wall and knocks several bricks out of it, a demonic hand reaches out and gouges out his eye. Soon enough, more demonic zombies begin to invade the town, causing grief for our characters. Meeting Emily, Liza learns that the hotel contains one of the seven gateways to Hell. And now that the gateway has been opened, the dead will roam the Earth.

REVIEW

I haven't seen THE BEYOND is many years. In fact, the last time I watched it had to be on VHS. As a teenager, you could only imagine my feelings towards this surreal film. I kept asking myself what I was watching, and why I had this urge to continue seeing these bizarre images unfold. THE BEYOND unnerved me because I didn't understand it. Hell, I still don't really understand it myself now that much. But that's why I dig it. I'm not meant to understand it in a logical sense. THE BEYOND is like a dream that we all must decipher for ourselves, taking away what it means to us individually. Not everyone will get it. But for those who "do", we can appreciate what a weird masterpiece Lucio Fulci crafted with this one.

To dissect the narrative of THE BEYOND would be like teaching Kanye West some humility - I'd be wasting my time. Just because the plot you read up there is pretty coherent doesn't mean the storytelling is. Even Fulci himself called THE BEYOND a "series of images" put to film. Things happen randomly. A cast of characters who don't really have to do much with each other pop up and are murdered for whatever reason. Hell, I couldn't tell you why this gateway to Hell is at this hotel and why it's being opened now. Why do certain people get killed, and why do others become blind with white pupils? And why do these characters, who know that shooting the brain will kill these zombies, continue to give them body shots? Shit, who ARE these characters and why should I care? If these things matter to you, then you're going to hate THE BEYOND.

However, if you enjoy watching strange, surreal imagery spliced together to tell a visual dream-like narrative, then THE BEYOND is one of the best films you'll watch. And boy, are there some doozies when it comes to memorable moments. Most of them are gore related [thanks to Germano Natali and Gino De Rossi], with gooey liquid and pouring of entrails meant to make the viewer uneasy. We get a spike going through the back of someone's head, pushing the eyeball out of their socket to great effect. We also get many moments where acid is thrown on people, making their skin melt into foamy goo. And probably the best gore moment of them all - a person getting shot in the head, to the point that the force of the bullet bursts their head wide open, splattering their brains and leaving them without a forehead. I read that this moment [which takes place during the zombie filled final act] was actually forced on Fulci due to the popularity of ZOMBIE and CITY OF THE LIVING DEAD. But it's so damn great and probably the highlight in terms of special effects. It's pretty awesome.

It's funny - watching THE BEYOND as an adult made me see the film much differently then I did as a teen. For a film without much plot, I think I understand what Fulci was trying to tell the audience. THE BEYOND is a 82-minute nightmare for each of the characters involved. Liza is struggling with her hotel, hoping she doesn't fail. So the hotel is a gateway to hell. Dr. John McCabe considers himself a great doctor. So the dead at the hospital are coming back to life. Joe the Plumber has a difficult task clearing a flood. So he's murdered before the job can be done. Joe's daughter, Jill, is upset losing her father. So her mother is murdered too. And it continues. THE BEYOND seems to be multiple nightmares for respective characters, displaying their worst fears right in front of their eyes. While the themes aren't exactly visible on the surface, you can definitely see what Fulci is trying to say here. While some say there is no substance in THE BEYOND, I think it's quite the opposite. You just really have to look deep into the visual storytelling to see it. It's a reflection of these one-dimensional characters' fears - leaving an impression on not just them, but on us as an audience as well.

Still, THE BEYOND has its flaws. The dialogue is very silly at times. Some Italian to English translations are chuckle worthy. "Do Not Entry" at a Louisiana hospital - really? Of course, we have characters shooting the bodies of the zombies instead of their heads, even though they can clearly see that head shots take them out for good. And of course, hooking corpses to monitors that measure brain waves and heart beats is always logical. Still, I thought these moments added to the entertainment value rather than hurt the film.

Fulci's direction is quite great here, as THE BEYOND is one of his more beautiful looking films. The scene where Liza meets Emily on that desolate road is just stunning. The ending sequence is also quite beautiful in terms of composition, shot scale, and framing. I love how Fulci shoots the beautiful exterior of the hotel in comparison to the dark, dingy remains of the hotel's interior - almost as saying "never judge a book by its cover". The gore effects are shot extremely well, and Fulci loves to linger on them - especially any sort of ocular violence. I thought the sepia tinted prologue in 1927 Louisiana was quite nice and inspired. And I love the music score by Fabio Frizzi. It's really creepy stuff that fits the film and the early 1980s for sure. The visual presentation for THE BEYOND is probably Fulci's strongest work.

The acting is fine for what it is. Catriona MacColl is fine as the female lead, Liza. She's a beautiful woman who takes her part seriously. David Warbeck is probably the best actor as Dr. John McCabe, playing the classic male lead in a horror film. He sure seemed to enjoy shooting zombies during the last 15 minutes of the film. Sarah Keller is a bit melodramatic as Emily, but it worked for the role she was playing. We also get Fulci regular Al Cliver, as well as a Lucio Fulci cameo as a librarian. THE BEYOND isn't about the acting, but about the visual work. But the acting wasn't terrible, which was a plus.

THINGS I'VE LEARNED WHILE NEVER FIXING ANYTHING IN MY BASEMENT EVER AGAIN

- Schweick was tortured by a mob, whipping him for being a Warlock. Or maybe he stepped on a crack and broke some mother's back. Either way, they whipped it good.

- Hot liquid thrown on Schweick's face caused it to quickly melt. Looks like he took a trip too many to the plastic surgeon. Looking at you, Kenny Rogers!

- Arthur, sweating like a pig, was supposedly looking for keys in Liza's room. Yeah, I like to "look for keys" several times a day myself. It's sore on the forearms though...

- A demonic finger gouged the pupil of Joe the Plumber in the basement. I can see that was an eye for an eye, huh? Eh, that was such a cornea joke.

- A 60-year-old corpse still had brain waves and a heartbeat. His career may be dead, but Don Johnson is still alive and well!

- A group of spiders smothered and tore apart Martin after he learned about the secret of the hotel. I guess they thought he was pretty fly for a white guy...

- Martha got the back of her head slammed into a nail by an undead Joe. Usually it's a lower body area that gets penetrated from behind. But hey - as long as her eyes pop out after getting nailed, it's all good.

THE FINAL HOWL

THE BEYOND is a great nightmare put to film. When it comes to Italian horror cinema, it's one of the finer films anyone could watch in this sub-genre. It's probably the best Lucio Fulci film out there, although I'm sure many will disagree with me. But they will agree that THE BEYOND proves that Fulci wasn't a hack director who made movies just to shock and disgust people. While the story may not make a lot of sense to many, you'll definitely "get it" if you look deeper into the surreal narrative. Plus, you gotta love those gory moments that still hold up today. THE BEYOND is a classic horror film that deserves to be respected and appreciated for what it is.



SCORE

4 Howls Outta 4

Son of Celluloid: What Halloween Means To Me '13

Nathan Hamilton, of the great Son of Celluloid, asked me to contribute to his annual "What Halloween Means To Me" theme this year for his blog. It's not exciting as you'd think. But both Nathan and I would appreciate it if you took the time to read my thoughts on this very topic. Thanks!

"So the question still stands: "What does Halloween mean to me?" Horror movies, simple as that. It's the one time of year where I'm not looked at as a freak for liking violent movies where masked killers butcher stupid victims for doing drugs, having sex, and being ignorant to the situation they're in. It's the one time of year where networks will unleashed all kinds of horror films on their networks, overwhelming me in multiple choices when it comes to what to watch. From classic Universal Monsters, to zombies, to Hitchcock, to slashers, to vampires, to werewolves, to everything in between - Halloween is the one time of year where I feel "normal" by those around me. Sure, some folks get my love for all things horror. But they are few-and-far between."

Read The Rest @ Son of Celluloid

Curse of Chucky (2013)

DIRECTED BY
Don Mancini

STARRING
Brad Dourif - Charles Lee Ray/Voice of Chucky
Fiona Dourif - Nica
Danielle Bisutti - Barb
A Martinez - Father Frank
Brennan Elliott - Ian
Maitland McConnell - Jill
Summer H. Howell - Alice
Chantal Quesnelle - Sarah

Genre - Horror/Mystery/Supernatural/Slasher

Running Time - 97 Minutes


PLOT
In a creepy mansion, paraplegic Nica (Fiona Dourif) receives a package for her mother, Sarah (Chantal Quesnelle) - a Good Guy Doll that both ladies believe is one of those joke gifts. Sarah dumps the doll into the trash, which sets off a familiar chain of events that lead to Sarah's mysterious death.

As Nica grieves and blames herself, the rest of her family show up to pay respect, as well as wanting to sell the mansion to make money off of it, much to Nica's displeasure. Nica's young niece, Alice (Summer H. Howell), takes a liking to Chucky - who wants to be Alice's friend til the end.

As the family settle in, the members begin dropping like flies as they bicker over the past. As all things point to Alice, it's soon realized that Chucky (Voiced by Brad Dourif) is alive and well - back to his old tricks to even a score from his Charles Lee Ray days that he has not forgotten.

REVIEW
CURSE OF CHUCKY is probably one of the most anticipated horror films of 2013. There hasn't been a CHILD'S PLAY film since 2004, with the much disliked SEED OF CHUCKY [I liked it though] bombing at the box office and making many fans question the future of the franchise. While a sequel was picked over a planned reboot [which would change the tone back to horror and away from comedy], the anticipation rose. But then news came out that Chucky's look would be part-CGI, as well as the film receiving a direct-to-DVD/Blu-Ray instead of a theatrical release - the first for the series. When you learn that a film is going straight to home video, it's usually not a good sign. Then the trailer was released and I had mixed feelings about Chucky's look and the premise somewhat. I was still excited for the film, but I wasn't going to raise my expectations to soften the disappointment I was sure to experience.

I finally got to watch CURSE OF CHUCKY and... I really liked it to my surprise. I was expecting a lame sequel, and instead I got a film that took the franchise full circle and made it pretty awesome again. After 25 years [God, I'm old], Chucky is still a force to be reckoned with and has a group of people supporting him to create a sequel that should have been released in theaters - it's that good.

I won't get too much into the narrative. There are twists and turns in the story that would be too easy to give away, and I want the viewers to be surprised by the cameos and the character arcs taken throughout the film. I will say that I did like the script. The dialogue felt believable. I felt the connection to the first film didn't feel forced at all, since we never really got to see much of anything when Chucky was still human. I love that CURSE OF CHUCKY plays out like a haunted house movie, just without ghosts and spirits scaring those inside the house. There's a genuine creepy atmosphere that I appreciated, as most of the film was pretty bleak.

The characters, while not fully fleshed out, were still written well enough to be interesting. Nica, stuck in a wheelchair, made for a strong and intelligent heroine who was an unwilling participant in Chucky's latest scheme. Her sister, Barb, was a real bitch who had her own secrets that made her a total hypocrite. She treated Nica like crap because the girl is handicapped and she resented the attention Nica received because of it. She neglected her husband, and hired a nanny so the nanny could take care of Alice. Alice was like a female version of Andy Barclay from the original CHILD'S PLAY films. It was actually nice to have a kid in these films again, as it made Chucky's motivation to "Hide the Soul" more threatening.

As for Chucky himself, this was probably the best use of the character since CHILD'S PLAY 2. While you see a lot of the doll, he doesn't utter a real word until 45 minutes into the film, where he reveals himself. The mystery of the film is not about Chucky. It's about the reasons as to why Chucky wanted to be at this mansion to begin with. And the reasoning will not disappoint, as I was convinced by Chucky's scheme and wanted to see where it would all go. Chucky is still the same sarcastic, foul-mouthed doll that he's always been. But it's not played for laughs. Chucky is pretty serious this time around and I appreciated that. The doll was on a mission and he was not fooling around. I really enjoyed this version of Chucky, because it reminded me of the old Chucky from the first two movies.

If I did have any issues with the narrative, it probably stems from the multiple endings CURSE OF CHUCKY seems to suffer from. I'm usually not a fan of the multi-ending some films seem to have these days. It's as if Don Mancini [returning to direct after SEED OF CHUCKY] didn't know how to end the film to please everyone, so he decided to leave all the endings in. Are the endings themselves terrible? Not even close. I liked all of them. But I wish he had just stuck to one, because the last two end scenes seem to contradict each other, making me wonder which one actually happened. Honestly, I would have preferred the after-credits scene [which must be seen for old-school CHILD'S PLAY fans] to be the final ending, as I felt it was better than the actual one used. There was more fan service in that final scene that would have made enough sense to work.

Also, I wish Alice was in the film more. I like the fact that Chucky attaches himself to a child, just to mess with them psychologically before attempting to transfer his soul into them. The little girl is missing for much of the final act, making that feeling of danger lessen because Chucky isn't really threatening her. I think it would have made for a nice throwback to the original film, as Chucky used Andy to get his body. More of that would have been appreciated in this sequel. But the focus wasn't really on Alice, but on Nica. In terms of the story, I'm good with that. But it just felt like a tease when it came to Alice.

The CGI used in CURSE OF CHUCKY was really distracting to me. It was as if the special effects team were unable to maintain one specific look for Chucky, for whatever reason. In one scene, he would look like a Good Guys Doll. In the next scene, he'd look Asian. Then he looks like something else. It took me out of the film a bit. Maybe it was a budget issue, I dunno. But I felt like I was watching HALLOWEEN H20 all over again, with the mask constantly changing looks from beginning to end. Fortunately, the CGI issue was non-existent during the last half of the film, thanks to a cool narrative twist. But during the first half, you'll chuckle at the many looks of Chucky.

The direction by Don Mancini is fantastic in CURSE OF CHUCKY. He did a good job with SEED OF CHUCKY, but he upped his game with this sequel. I think that had a lot to do with cinematographer Michael Marshall, who really helped Mancini create a dark, moody flick that used its setting extremely well. The mansion had a lot of components - bedrooms, bathrooms, the elevator, the attic - all used to the film's advantage to create memorable creepy moments that put a smile on your face, knowing that silly Chucky is gone after two sequels. The use of light and dark was great. I loved many of the angles and shot scales used in the film to enhance the tension and suspense. The flashbacks were done really well, and shot a bit differently to set them apart. And the kills, while not gory like in previous films, were still pretty neat due to their subtlety. In fact, it reminded me of a giallo film - only difference is that we know who the killer is. If there are more sequels, and I'm hoping there will be, Mancini and Marshall are the team to make them happen. I thought the visual presentation was fantastic. And it's hard to say that about a sixth movie in a horror franchise. But I loved the look and vibe of this movie quite a lot.

The acting, to my surprise, was probably the best since the first film. Brad Dourif still sounds great as Chucky. I also loved him as Charles Lee Ray in some flashbacks. It's obvious Dourif loves this character. Brad's daughter, Fiona Dourif, was a revelation as Nica. I thought she carried the film perfectly. She was extremely convincing as this smart, intelligent, yet vulnerable paraplegic lead who took initiative and fought back against Chucky. Fiona Dourif really created a fleshed out character you can root for. She's also very easy on the eyes, which made her presence all that more inviting. I want to see more of her in movies. I thought she was great.

The supporting actors were very good as well. Danielle Bisutti played a perfect bitch as Barb. Bisutti does an excellent job making you hate her, which worked for the film. Brennan Elliott was good as Ian, while Maitland McConnell was hot as nanny Jill. It was great to see A Martinez in a movie, as he played Father Frank well. And Summer H. Howell was one of those child actors who didn't annoy me, as I enjoyed her portrayal as Alice. Just a really great cast that made watching CURSE OF CHUCKY more entertaining than it had any right to be.

THINGS I'VE LEARNED WHILE MAKING SURE I HAVE BATTERIES INCLUDED THIS TIME AROUND

- The delivery guy was hitting on Nica. Usually the woman needs a wheelchair after the act, not before it.

- Nica's family members believed that bringing in religion would ease the pain of Nica's mom's death. Yeah, because religion did a marvelous job for Carrie White and her mom.

- Chucky enjoys listening to little girl's pee. Who knew that was his Number One priority?

- Chucky poisoned a bowl of chili, making one of the characters ill. Looks like he's not the Next Food Network Star...

- "The 80s were awesome." Tell me something I don't know, like "Where's the beef?"

- Jill, the nanny, likes to strip to her bra and panties before bed. Fran Drescher eat your heart out. This chick is making me MARY POPPINS in my pants!

- Chucky got decapitated at one point. That's no way to get ahead.

- Chucky tortured the hell out of Nica. Who knew training for the Special Olympics were so intense?

THE FINAL HOWL
Who knew that CURSE OF CHUCKY would actually be one of the better entries in the CHILD'S PLAY franchise? It has a very good script, solid acting, stylish and atmospheric direction, some nice kills, and even throwbacks to previous films that fans will remember and love. While the CGI bugged me towards distraction, and some of the story arcs could have been better [too many endings too], I still managed to have fun with Chucky's latest adventure. I'm so glad Don Mancini has brought the franchise back to its horror roots, as SEED OF CHUCKY had taken the franchise too far into the comedy zone. This film was definitely an unexpected surprise, as I didn't think a sixth CHILD'S PLAY movie would be this good. This should have been theatrical, but what can you do? I'm looking forward to another sequel if the same team works on it. There's no CURSE when it comes to this CHUCKY movie.



SCORE

3 Howls Outta 4

Mask Maker (2010)

DIRECTED BY
Griff Furst

STARRING
Nikki Deloach - Jennifer
Stephen Colletti - Evan
Anabella Casanova - Annette
Ross Britiz - Mike
Terry Kiser - Mr. Peck
Mariah Bonner - Hillary
A.J. Allegra - Ken
Lara Grice - Lydia
Michael Berryman - Fred
Treat Williams - Mr. Tucker

Genre - Horror/Slasher/Witchcraft

Running Time - 88 Minutes


PLOT
Jennifer (Nikki Deloach) and Evan (Stephen Colletti) are a young college couple celebrating Jennifer's birthday for the weekend. Evan's present is a huge one - a house for the two of them in a woodsy area. And it's not just any house - it's an American gothic house that he got cheap, but with all the furniture, silverware, and history left inside. As Jennifer and Evan celebrate with four of their friends, they don't realize that a killer [who wears masks made of his victim's skin] has been buried in their backyard. Apparently, some Native American magic has kept him hibernating for years, keeping the small town at ease. But once Evan pulls out the stick to study it, all hell breaks loose as this masked killer continues where he left off.

REVIEW
MASK MAKER was expiring on Netflix this past weekend, so I decided to check it out. I wasn't expecting a whole lot to be honest, already set that this film wouldn't turn out to be any good. But to my surprise, MASK MAKER was actually a decent little slasher!

There's nothing really special about MASK MAKER, as it's a very generic slasher that follows the standard conventions while taking moments from more popular slasher films. The killer wears masks made of human flesh, like Leatherface from THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE. There's a person warning the characters about the danger of the land where the house is built, like FRIDAY THE 13TH. Jennifer wears the clothes of the killer's mother to trick him, like FRIDAY THE 13TH PART 2. And even the killer's demise is similar to FRIDAY THE 13TH: THE FINAL CHAPTER. Each character has a stereotypical role to play, and the film follows a predictable path. If you're looking for something original, MASK MAKER is not for you.

What the script does well is make the characters very likeable. They're all stereotypes. We have The Final Girl. We have the Good-Looking Boyfriend. We have the Two Outcasts Who Fall For Each Other. We have the Weird Sex-Crazed Couple. We even have the Old Man Who Warns of the Killer's Legend. And while they all play their roles to a tee, at least none of them are annoying. In fact, you would really think the younger characters were real friends, wanting to celebrate Jennifer's birthday with alcohol and sex. The dialogue is fairly realistic and the characters even react realistically to this creepy house that Evan bought. In fact, Jennifer is upset about the house, wanting an engagement ring and thinking about finishing school and getting jobs. It's not the best characterization ever, but at least the screenwriter put some thought into making the audience feel something when each character got murdered.

My issue really comes with the legend of this killer. We get flashbacks and exposition about the killer's backstory, which involved adultery between his mother and her boss, witchcraft, and skin diseases. There's also that Native American stick that kept the killer at bay, which really didn't get much development as a subplot. I wish more was done with this aspect of the story because I found these moments pretty interesting. But they were brought up few and far between. I didn't really connect with the killer's past as much as I wanted to, even though I understood what the deal was.

The gore in MASK MAKER was well done for a low budget film. The editing by director Griff Furst hid the effects they couldn't do, making the violence more implied and brutal at times. But there are pretty graphic moments, like barbed wire to the throat, a scythe slicing a throat, neck twists, axe and pitchfork fun, decapitations, and even a head slicing down a stick via THE FINAL CHAPTER. It's all been there and done that, but at least it was done well.

The direction by Furst was pretty good too. There was actual tension in the film, which pleasantly surprised me. The picture quality looked crisp. The editing was strong. The framing and composition made certain moments pop. I didn't hate the visuals in MASK MAKER at all.

The acting in the film was also better than average. The only actor I really knew by face and name was Stephen Colletti, who was a reality TV star on MTV's Laguna Beach years ago. Who knew he was a decent actor outside of reality television? I thought he was pretty good. Nikki Deloach was really cute, and carried the Final Girl role well. The other younger actors varied in performance, but none were terrible. We also get cool appearances by Treat Williams, Michael Berryman [in a different, non-typecast role], and Terry Kiser. I thought the cast was fine.

THE FINAL HOWL
I wasn't expecting much out MASK MAKER. It's not original, it's very predictable, and has some narrative flaws. But this modern slasher still managed to entertain me with its decent acting, inspired direction, better than expected death sequences, and characters that came across as very likeable. Sometimes I get weary about these lesser-known horror/slasher films I see on Netflix Instant. But MASK MAKER was a pleasant surprise and worth a look if you want to see a slasher that rips off THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE and several FRIDAY THE 13TH films in a pretty decent manner.



SCORE

3 Howls Outta 4