Halloween: Lightning Bug

In the independent drama “Lightning Bug”, Bret Harrison stars as Green Graves, a tormented dreamer whose only aspiration is to become a horror film makeup artist. Graves struggle to reach his goal is plagued by his unlucky mother, Jenny (Ashley Laurence) and his new highly abusive stepfather, Earl (Kevin Gage).

But Graves does everything in his power to keep dreaming and to help that dream stay alive is his girlfriend and amateur actor, Angevin Duvet (Laura Prepon).

“Lightning Bug” is a relentless drama about one boy’s struggle to overcome his abusive surroundings. Everything from his alcoholic stepfather, hopeless mother and white trash surroundings are all key plot points to keep this boy in check.

What is strange about this film is that it is being marketed as a horror film when really it’s an unforgiving drama.

The best part of this film is the stalwart performance by Bret Harrison, who is a relative newcomer to film. He has so much emotion and personal depth in a lot of scenes. He is a great find. I will look forward to seeing more from this kid.

I have always liked Ashley Laurence and her portrayal of a lost white-trash single mother is captivating and so unforgiving that I often forgot it was her.

Another thing I really liked was the film’s original music from singer-songwriter Kevn Kinney. It brought so much extra flavor to the film.

The biggest problem with the film is that it never lets up. It is just so depressing and relentless the audience is never allowed to breathe or laugh. I also really got annoyed with the sub-plot involving Laura Prepon’s character’s mother. This is such a tedious subplot to create even more conflict for the boy. He gets enough at home.

If you happen to see this film, enjoy the performance of Bret Harrison but prepare for a very bumpy and dark ride.

(3 out of 5)

So Says the Soothsayer

Retro Review: Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2

Written: March 2002

The spine-tingling thriller that shocked the box office in the summer of ‘99 returns with a sequel. Does every film that makes $200 million need a sequel? I think that’s the question people should ask before watching see this one.

“Book of Shadows” opens with a group of 20-somethings scurrying off into the woods near the town of Burkittsville, Maryland. Burkittsville was the town nearest to the events that happened in the first film, “The Blair Witch Project”. As this group meets and greets each other, the film lays claim that a variety film fanatics have flocked to the place where the first film actually took place.

In a sweeping shot that follows the group’s van through the thicket of Maryland we learn that the group’s leader is a tour guide of the “Blair Witch Hunt”.

His name is Jeff Patterson and he is convinced that the first film was full of factual evidence that could lead them to uncover the actual secret of the real Blair Witch. If they could just capture the witch on film.

As the film lets the audience get to know the group we find that there really is something wrong in Burkittsville and that this group could be cursed by it.

The actual film, “The Blair Witch Project” was a fluke at the box office and showed that a small independent film could enchant the masses with a couple shaky handheld cameras. I liked the whole idea of what the film entailed and the pure magic of how it grasped a lot of attention. But how do you make a sequel to a fluke?

What Artisan, the company who spawned the whole Blair Witch phenomenon, did was hire a documentary film director and tell him to spawn a sequel to the phenomenon.

What the final result becomes is a cross between an early Friday the 13th sequel and a “Wiccan” haunting.

Can all you horror fans remember the early Friday the 13th sequels? I am talking about 3 and 4. The first film in the Friday the 13th’s was made on a shoe-string budget and eventually spawned 7 sequels.

This tradition became a horror phenomenon in the early 80’s with other series like “Nightmare on Elm Street” (Freddy Krueger) and “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” (Leatherface). Each of these franchise spawning ventures became a phenomenon and electrified generations. They were a lot like “Blair Witch” is today. Create an original horror concept film for peanuts and then cash in on the sequels to make a studio.

Hollywood still says that “New Line Cinema” is the house that Freddy Krueger built. Could Artisan be far behind?

I guess I should make my point about the film itself. “Book of Shadows” is so very similar to the early Friday the 13th sequels that it was almost déjà vu. We have a very basic premise that allures some co-eds back to the horror. The tour in this case is the excuse. Then we always have to have a naked drunk girl get killed to send the film into a tailspin. Then you have the other co-eds stop and say, “Oh gee, are we really apart of something bad?”. This film should be shown to students about how horror hasn’t changed in 15 years.

I shook my head for nearly ¾ of this film as I just couldn’t believe how desperate a studio like Artisan is being in producing this sequel. There are blatant scenes that involve an excuse to play a “heavy metal” anthem so that we are reminded or coerced into buying the soundtrack. What about the only food left in the tour guide’s house happens to be “Kentucky Fried Chicken”? Come on.

The only saving grace I found in this trip down cliché lane were the characters played by Erica Leershan and Kim Director. Erica is a strong woman figure who really stands up for what she believes. I liked that she wasn’t like all the other horror genre girls. She was strong and did all she could to follow her path.

Deep down I think a lot of society outcasts will like the persona of “gothic” Kim. Kim is by far the most interesting character in the film and injects some desperately needed sarcasm into some scenes. She was a scene stealer.

To conclude I can really only say one thing, Artisan is the house that the “Blair Witch” built. Nuff Said!!

(1 out of 5)

So Says the Soothsayer.

Retro Review: Fright Night (1985)

Before there was Buffy, pimply-faced Charlie Brewster (William Ragsdale) discovers that he has a vampire (Chris Sarandon) living next to him.

No body believes him and Charlie decides he needs to recruit television personality and vampire hunter, Peter Vincent (Roddy McDowell) to stop the “lord of the undead”.

“Fright Night” is probably one of the best vampire films ever made, that sadly nobody saw. The film has such a simple premise and has such great execution. Sometimes that is all you need. But what makes the film so enjoyable seems to be its simplicity.

Roddy McDowell is brilliant as the washed-up TV personality. It is probably one of his best roles to date, besides his breakthrough role in Planet of the Apes.

I also really liked Chris Sarandon who is brilliant here. Chris’s work here would get him ready for comedy in The Princess Bride as well as tackle Chucky in the original Child’s Play.

Ragsdale is capable as Charlie but mostly forgettable, kinda like Zach Galligan in Gremlins or Waxwork. Zach, who?

I really liked Stephen Geoffreys as Evil Ed, Charlie’s slowly turning psychotic friend. That character should be a part of the classic horror lexicon.

The movie also stars the forgettable and bland Amanda Bearse as Charlie’s naive and self-centered girlfriend. Here is a bit of trivia, Stephen and Amanda played boyfriend-girlfriend in the romp, Fraternity Vacation that same year co-starring Tim Robbins and Barbara Crampton.

What is amazing about the film is its perfect blending of horror and spoof. And it delivers in spades on both accounts.

The comedy from McDowell and Geoffreys and the horror from Sarandon. This is a movie worth seeking out.

So Says the Soothsayer.

Extra Note: The sequel to this 1985 hit, Fright Night Part 2, in some ways out does the original but just can’t maintain the humor and horror balance as well. The film also marks one of the last great performances by the late Roddy MacDowell. It also features a dynamite performance by Julie Carmen as Regime, the vampiress seeking revenge on Charlie Brewster and Roddy MacDowell. There is a remake of Fright Night coming in 2011 starring Colin Farrell. But you and I know there will be no laughs in that remake.

SUBURBAN VAMPIRE MOVIES
FRIGHT NIGHT: 4 out of 5
FRIGHT NIGHT PART TWO: 3.5 out of 5
LOST BOYS: 4 out of 5
NEAR DARK: 4 out of 5
SALEM’S LOT (1979): 4 out of 5
RETURN TO SALEM’S LOT: 3 out of 5
SALEM’S LOT (2004): 2 out of 5

Retro Review: Soul Survivors

The producers of “I Know What You Did Last Summer” and “Urban Legend” dream up another horror franchise.

“Soul Survivors” stars Melissa Sagemiller as Cassie, a co-ed trying to overcome one of the greatest tragedies of her young life. You see, Cassie has just lost the man she loves (Casey Affleck) in a horrendous car crash.

Trying to deal with his death, Cassie relies on her two best friends (Eliza Dushku and Wes Bentley) and the sympathetic ear of a priest (Luke Wilson).

Cassie’s life becomes a struggle as she starts to lose her sanity but is it her mind playing tricks or is our world really not the one she belongs in.

I place “Soul Survivors” in the same category as “Valentine”. It’s a teen horror-soap that features a lot of good young talent but really never hits its mark in the horror or chemistry fields.

The script often tries to be too clever for its own good as it tries to confuse us with interesting camera and editing tools.

The stupid thing is that the film is less than 80 minutes and you have figured it out less than 20 minutes in. At least “Valentine” did a lot better in keeping the suspense alive.

Beautiful Melissa Sagemiller will be forever known as a “Marley Shelton-Sarah Michelle Geller” clone. Dushku will always be “Faith” from the Buffy TV show. Wes Bentley probably will never extinguish his creepy boyfriend persona from “American Beauty”. And finally Luke Wilson will be, well, Luke Wilson.

I like how Sagemiller and Dushku really try to bring us into the flick. These actresses really try to make their roles memorable. But Bentley and Wilson seem stoned, lost or bored in their roles opposite the actresses.

Dushku has a lesbian connection with co-star Angela Featherstone throughout the film. This ‘horror-gothic-lesbian” angle to Dushku’s character makes that relationship the most interesting of the film. Dushku really pushes the envelope on her “dark-gothic-chick” persona with this role.

This film has been sitting on the shelf for over 2-3 years and its no wonder. It is very short, very predictable and very painful to watch. Unlike last week’s “O”, this is a film that should have stayed on the shelf.

(1 out of 5)

So Says the Soothsayer.

Retro Review: Stir of Echoes

The new Hollywood player “Artisan Entertainment” offers up its second outing in the wake of the “Blair Witch Project”.

The “Stir of Echoes” is based on a long out of print novel which has been adapted by screenwriter/director David Koepp.

Koepp is responsible for writing such huge hits as both “Jurassic Parks”, “Mission: Impossible” and “Men In Black.”

His last directing effort was 1996′s “Trigger Effect” which told of paranoia erupting during a mass blackout in LA. In “Stir of Echoes” we encounter more paranoia and its effects on a Chicago-based family.

The cause of the paranoia comes when the head of the family (Kevin Bacon) is hypnotized by an unlicensed hypno-therapist (Illeana Douglas). The hypnosis opens an unlocked chamber of Bacon’s mind and unleashes a long kept secret come to life.

“Stir of Echoes” is a very light and subtle ghost story thriller. How can a film like this overcome the flooded horror genre market?

Well the standout performance by Kevin Bacon is probably a good start as he gives one of his best in recent years. His protective nature towards his boy, his obsession with trying to solve his polluted mind and his reactions with the supernatural phenomenon bring out every reaction in Bacon.

The portrayal reminded me a lot of Craig T. Nelson in the classic “Poltergeist” as an every day man trying to battle the unknown.

Other evidences of “Poltergeist” were in the “little boy” who knows more than his parents and seems to be in tune with the corporeal world. As the plot unfolds and eventually ends we never really witness any real shocks which are key in a supernatural thriller.

Putting these story flaws and obvious comparisons aside, Echoes is fun.

One aspect of Echoes which is never fully explored is the “open-minded” underground where the wife learns that only 8% of the population have the ability to see the corporeal world.

Begging for help this intriguing subplot could have been the key this supernatural thriller needed.

Except the story takes the obvious road and we end at the conclusion.

Was this fully explored in the novel? We may never know. So if you are a Kevin Bacon fan see “Stir of Echoes” and if you want to see a light ghost story why not see this film.

(3 out of 5)

So Says the Soothsayer.

Retro Review: Urban Legends: Final Cut

The teen slasher genre returns with yet another entry. But this sequel is going to turn some heads.

“Urban Legends: Final Cut” or “UL2″ has very little to do with the first film except for Campus Security Alumni Reese played by Loretta Devine. In this outing Reese has relocated to an Ivy League Film School where she is trying to put the past behind her.

At the new campus she meets an emerging director named Amy (Jennifer Morrison). Loretta tells Amy the tale of the last campus she worked on and Amy gets hooked. The whole “murders based on urban legends” becomes her thesis for her graduation film.

Amy enlists the aid of her motley film crew to help her complete her vision. As Amy’s film begins each one of her crew dies one by one leaving Amy to uncover a murderer and the reason behind the killings.

On the surface UL2 is just another excuse to build a horror franchise and carry on the teen slasher genre. But what I found within this little film was a little magic. I liked the fresh rookie performances of all the film’s cast.

I know I am probably going to be a minority on this but it is one of the better sequel teen slasher features. It’s rare that in this genre that you have a film that is better than its predecessor.

In the past only two real benchmarks really approached this threshold, Halloween came close to bettering the original with Halloween 2. Also Nightmare on Elm Street 3 became very memorable as it started the “Dream Trilogy” which shot Freddy to the top and is still considered one of the better horror trilogies.

There were even some moments in the Friday the 13th series that topped the original. In that series the budget got bigger on each film and that could be the soul reason for the longevity of the series.

Don’t get me wrong UL2 is predictable and has some awesome scenes coupled with some real dumb ones. But it’s the cast and the fresh faces that breathe new life into a stuffy genre.

I always hated the slasher films where they use guest appearances to further the series. (ie: The Scream Trilogy) I also liked the fact that this film did do its best to stand on its own and not appear as a sequel.

Throughout the whole film there were only 2 scenes that connected it to the first. In the Freddy, Jason and Michael Myers series it was always the same guy slicing and dicing. Scream had the same mask and the killer was always related to somebody in the previous film. UL2 breaks new ground there also because it doesn’t follow that trend.

It was right for the studio to bring back Reese because it was her uncanny nature in the first film that made that film. The only other surviving character was Rebecca Gayheart (the killer in the first one) and you will be tickled on how they actually showcase her here. Genre fans are going to love this angle.

If you are a slasher genre fan and love the tension, UL2 is a must. Just the kidney bathroom scene is worth the admission for horror lovers. If you need a psychological thriller where you use a lot of brain cells to keep you guessing then UL2 may feel flat.

Check your brain at the door, embrace the talents of some new actors and watch the movie. That’s all that is necessary the enjoy this wild ride.

(3 out of 5)

So Says the Soothsayer.

Retro Review: The Grudge

Sarah Michelle Gellar stars as Karen, a foreign exchange student working at a Tokyo medical clinic that provides palliative care for its patients.

One day Karen hears that her co-worker Yoko hasn’t shown up for work and is asked by her supervisor Alex (Ted Raimi) to cover for Yoko.

When Karen arrives at the designated address she finds an elderly catatonic American woman named Emma (Grace Zabriskie) and the whole house in disarray.

As Karen pieces together what went on in the house she finds herself facing off against an evil and ancient curse, known as “The Grudge”.

What triggers such a curse? What is the meaning behind its awakening? And will Karen be able to figure it out before it swallows her whole?

The best way to describe “The Grudge” is that it is a cross between “Lost in Translation” and “The Amityville Horror”.

What makes it such an interesting horror film to watch is that for nearly 85% of the film there is no soundtrack and the film relies on the actors, creaks, nasal releases and echoes to deliver its horror.

This kind of horror film hasn’t probably been seen in quite sometime.

The film’s direction and overall subtleness reminded me a lot of old Hitchcock films.

Hitchcock probably would have loved Gellar as one of his leading ladies. The layout and feel is very Hitchcock but the film doesn’t ever reach the quality scares found in a lot of the old Hitchcock classics. It does deliver with a whole lot of creepiness, though.

The director and creator of “The Grudge”, Takashi Shimizu has been retelling this story from all sorts of angles for nearly four years now and this is his fifth film about the subject matter.

The Japanese horror legend started in 2000 with “Ju-On: The Curse” which spawned the four film Japanese series and this American remake.

In the film you can see that the director has been doing this along time. There seems to be no real effort in trying to explain itself as the film chugs along. Shimizu’s playing with the film’s linear direction is interesting but tends to take away from telling the story.

I liked Sarah Michelle Gellar’s very subtle and withdrawn approach to this character and that in a lot of ways helped me make the Hitchcock jump.

What I didn’t like was that Gellar was never really able to use her acting chops except with maybe facial expressions.

There are a lot of seemingly mimed expressions and gestures in this film.

I liked a lot of what “The Grudge” was trying to get across but felt it should have left more of an impact and had a genuine horrific Hitchcock thriller ending.

Instead it seems to end on an insincere Hollywood cliché.

(3.5 out of 5)

So Says the Soothsayer.

Retro Review: Thir13en Ghosts

Written: October 27, 2001

Well with the film “Ghost” we had a lot of fun with just one ghost. If there are thirteen this time it should be 13-times the fun, right? Not exactly.

Father and widower, Arthur Kriticos (Tony Shalhoub of TV’s “Wings”) has two children, Kathy (Shannon Elizabeth of “American Pie”) and Bobby (Alec Roberts). It has been six months since the Kriticos have lost their mother. Arthur has been depressed and heart-broken causing his parental support and career to suffer.

Practically out of nowhere, Arthur inherits an original and captivating house from his mysterious Uncle Cyrus (F. Murray Abraham of “Amadeus”). Composed mainly of glass and steel, the house is an architectural marvel, filled with walls covered in “Latin” writing and filled with priceless antiques. As the Kriticos explore their new home, a strange secret dwells within the house’s walls and an obsessed man’s quest is about to materialize.

The two keys to the house’s secrets lie in the mind of a tortured psychic named Rafkin (Matthew Lillard of “Scream”) and a fortune hunter named Kalina (Embeth Davidtz of “Army of Darkness”). These two characters know a little about went on inside the mind of Cryus Kriticos.

The opening sequence for “Thirteen Ghosts” starts like a lot of other “creature” films as an unseen beast terrorizes some explorers.

Except these explorers come off as a cross between “Ghostbusters” and those government guys from “Predator 2”.

Actually a lot of the beginning reminded me of the “Predator” films especially the sequel.

I really liked the house in which the film is set. It’s like living inside a giant “wind-up watch” probably made by Swatch since its see-thru. The set design and craftsmanship of that house is unbelievable.

The “ghosts” themselves and parts of the plot reminded me a lot the “Hellraiser” films. Even the creatures themselves resemble some of those ghastly creatures from that series. They have one creature that is covered in nails that in theory reminded me of “Pinhead” himself.

The best scene of the film is when Kathy (Shannon Elizabeth) finds her own bathroom and revels in its brilliance. As the director uses the camera to peer through the glasses (used to see these ghostly apparitions), we in fact see what the bathroom really looks like. I loved the camera work, suspense and clever way this scene was filmed.

Aside from the hi-lights mentioned above, “13 Ghosts” was probably one of the worst movies I have seen this year.

The way the film is laid out confuses the viewer for 80% of the film, as we never really get any key plot-points until we are “knee-deep” in blood. Matthew Lillard is really the only standout performance as all the others are very forgettable.

The worst part about the film is that about 56% of it has “epileptic” light flashes through it as we are supposed to flash between the “ghost” reality and our own. It was so hard to watch.

The film says that to achieve greatness one must be able to make sacrifices. Well, I am not sure what greatness is going to come from this film because I sacrificed a good 90 minutes of my life to see this film.

(1 out of 5)

So Says the Soothsayer.

Retro Review: Halloween: Resurrection

Written: July 13, 2002

A summer season wouldn’t be complete without a Mike Myers film. Oh, that’s right. We are talking about the rubber-faced serial killer named Myers.

That seems to be consensus when I tell people I saw the latest entry in the “Halloween” franchise.

It’s been four years since “Halloween: H2O” where Jamie Lee Curtis squared off against Michael Myers for “supposedly” the final time and a conclusion to the “slasher” series that has spanned 2 decades.

Curtis played Laurie Strode, the tormented sister of the psychotic killer in the first two films and returned in 1998 for the seventh film in the series.

The seventh film would have been a great capper for the series but since it was a hit we are now have the eighth Halloween film.

Why I asked myself as I got ready to watch the rubber-faced Myers stalk some more coeds.

In this sequel the angle is that some students are paid with scholarships by a “reality-based” TV show to stay in the house that spawned Michael Myers and Laurie Strode. Rapper-turned-actor Busta Rhymes leads the motley crew of housemates.

First off how they bring Michael Myers back after a “decapitation” in the last film is quite pitiful and summed up in five minutes or less. It kind of reminded me of that awful “Bobby shower scene” from the 80’s soap opera “Dallas”. Placing that aside we also finally witness the fate of Laurie Strode and then we meet the potential victims. The whole film is sort of a slap in the face to the 20+ year old series.

I liked 1998’s “H2O” because the final battle between Strode and Myers kind of wrapped up the series. But overall my biggest problem with the Halloween series is that it hasn’t been interesting since Donald Pleasance departed. Pleasance was sort of the “Van Helsing” of the series and brought some much needed depth to the whole story.

I loved that character and since he has been gone this series has gone from interesting to laughable. I used to say that the “Halloween” series was so much better that the “Friday the 13th” films but after this sequel they seem to be getting closer and closer to par.

If this series is to continue I just hope the fans forget this movie and they find some way to bring some dignity back to this series. I would really like to see John Carpenter return to the Halloween movies with a relative to the Donald Pleasance character. If not just leave the series where it rests. Nuff said.

(1 out of 5)

So Says the Soothsayer.

Retro Review: Gothika

Halle Berry goes crazy and “rings” a little to close to another popular horror film.

Halle Berry stars as psychiatrist Miranda Grey, who works in an elaborate mental institution headed by her husband, Dr. Douglas Grey (Charles S. Dutton). Miranda’s friend Pete (Robert Downey Jr.) also works with Doug and Miranda.

During a freakish rainstorm, the institution suffers from several power-outages and forces Miranda to return home to Doug.

During her trip home, she is detoured across a country bridge where she narrowly misses a naked girl wandering in of the middle road.

This is all Miranda can remember.

And now she has just awoke within the walls of her own institution not as a doctor but as a patient. Is she crazy?

She might just be because during her memory relapse, she also murdered Doug.

The first half of the film has a lot of the tension and paranoia audiences felt in last year’s horror phenomenon “The Ring” but by the second half I was waiting for Morgan Freeman’s Alex Cross to come out from the shadows and solve Halle’s case.

Halle Berry’s desperation, sweat-soaked institution attire and frayed hair add oodles to her powerful performance.

But even as the role does allow her to go way over the top we still don’t feel a lot for her character.

Within this performance is some of what we got in “Monster’s Ball” but not enough to make the film really captivate.

Downey Jr. is bored to tears in the pining for Halle role.

It is such a waste to see such a natural and brilliant actor reduced to this “Demerol-induced” drone.

The performance by Penelope Cruz is strong and daring. It is her scenes with Halle that are the most memorable of this film. The two actresses together are quite impressive as we can see them feeding off each other.

The whole mass patient shower scene where Halle is struck down was in such poor taste that I was literally shaking my head thinking was I actually seeing a late-night “Cinemax” moment on the silver screen. It was awful probably the worst excuse for a shower scene since “Starship Troopers”.

The film did have a few frights and some very interesting camera angles. Some of the slow motion effects and visual effects were impressive and made for nice moody mental moments. But for the most part we had seen all of it before.

It is a shame this is Halle’s first giant role since her Oscar win but without Halle and some clever camera uses, this could have been a “Full Moon Entertainment” horror film instead of a “Dark Castle” production.

Oh and one last thing, “The Ring” girl is back.

(2 out of 5)

So Says the Soothsayer.