Movie Review: The Devil Inside (2012)

As anyone who is familiar with various other pieces I have written will know, I hate The Exorcist. With all the bad films I watch, all the low-budget, no-budget crap that passes through my line of sight, I still consider The Exorcist to be the worst horror film out there. Over-rated and extremely boring! If this opinion offends anyone, I implore you to make your case.... No, I’m right, it’s just 122 minutes of self indulgent tripe that sends me to sleep just thinking about it!

Rant over. While I didn’t enjoy The Exorcist or any of its sequels or prequels, I still opted to give Emily Rose a try... That didn’t really ignite my imagination either. While I have thus far skipped past The Last Exorcism, purely because of past experiences, I found myself watching The Devil Inside. I was instantly intrigued and continued watching. By the end, I discovered a new found appreciation for exorcism films in general and I am now adding The Last Exorcism to my list of “to Watch” films. 

The Devil Inside follows Isabella Rossi on her journey to understanding the bizarre circumstances surrounding her mothers’ incarceration and subsequent transfer to a special unit in Rome. The film starts with a special news report chronicling the events of October 30th 1989 in which Isabella’s mother, Maria murdered three people during an exorcism which was being performed on herself. 

Isabella, along with Michael, who is documenting the whole thing, travels to Rome. Not long after she arrives, she takes her mother’s case to two priests (Ben & David) who have decided to help her in understanding what is happening. Ben and David spend their free time studying and performing exorcisms which are unauthorized by the church, either deemed to be fake or other, they take matters into their own hands behind the church’s back and attempt to exercise the demons alone.

With the help of sophisticated medical equipment and video cameras to document everything, they first take Isabella to a work in progress. This proves to be the first real entertaining action of the film as we see what is perceived to be a real demonic possession in the process of being exorcised. The camera angles, while limited make the whole experience that little bit more “real” as we watch a poor woman contort and writhe, the initial feelings conjured are the kind that could only be fully described with a sound rather than a word but I will give it a go, OOEEUGHH!!! Obviously uttered with one eye half open, a huge squint and curled up nose.

That’s the basic gist. While The Devil Inside breaks no barriers in terms of plot or even production it has a lot of things going for it. Firstly, for someone who loves horror films but doesn’t necessarily want to invest hours into storyline and characters that ultimately mean nothing in this genre, The Devil Inside lasts almost 90 minutes, total runtime and in that 90 minutes we are treated to some great visual delights and some edge of your seat, intense and creepy action.

Like I said, it’s not going to be nominated for awards and most people may just read the poor reviews from the critics and dismiss this film but I would implore you to reconsider. I would definitely recommend this film as one to watch and although it somewhat steps on the toes of my Exorcist argument by being a fairly hyped “big” film, I thoroughly enjoyed every minute and if it wasn’t such a “big” film, I would class it a hidden gem. Enjoy.

 

Released: 2012

My Rating: 7

Movie Review: Monsters (2010)

This film was first brought to my attention a few years ago while perusing my monthly copy of Total Film magazine. It wasn’t until recently that I finally got around to purchasing the film and giving it a watch.

I will start by saying, not far into this film, the misses and I were happily sat on the sofa watching the film and drinking some happy juice when from outside we heard some suspicious noises. I don’t need to tell you that with the current subject matter permeating our consciousnesses’, we were startled! We paused the film and stood in the doorway... Being that we are both from a town very close to an army barracks, it didn’t take long to deduce that the sounds were in fact those of soldiers close by running exercises!

Although Monsters is far from a horror film, I have been branching out to more genre’s recently and Sci-Fi is a personal favourite. Especially when the budget is low and the techniques used were so inventive. A statement that perfectly describes this film. Made with a budget less than $500K and with very little in the way of actual filming equipment, the writer, producer, director, editor etc etc Gareth Edwards used every bit of nit, grit, knowhow and any other trick up his sleeve to make this film. I am led to believe that they only had the two actors, Whitney Able and Scoot McNairy and all the extras who feature in the film were actually people they met on their travels and asked them to be in the film. For me, that is old school film making that needs to shown the massive appreciation that it deserves. Hats off to Mr Edwards!

The film starts in the aftermath of an alien invasion. A brief back story is described on screen but then we are invited to a world that is coming to terms with their situation. On the whole, people are getting on with life. Andrew, a photographer for a media outlet must help escort Elizabeth (his boss’s daughter) back to America. One thing leads to another and their only route ends up taking them through the dangerous “Infected Zone”.

With a slightly different twist on the standard invasion movie and the intrigue and wonder of the films transition from mind to screen, Monsters proves to be a highly enjoyable and brilliant sci-fi flick. The special effects, which were completed by Edwards himself using bog standard adobe software was a real selling point in this film. To look at them, it is very hard to believe that the film was made for the money it was. Some great imagery and a fantastically “genuine” atmosphere is also created, one which develops so well in fact, that towards the end of the film, I forgot I was watch a fantasy sci-fi and part of me believed I was watching a BBC documentary! That is something which is nigh on impossible to create with such an out-there plot.

It is very difficult to find anything negative to say about this film, so I won’t even try, all I will say is this; If you haven’t seen Monsters, try to watch it and if you have seen it and don’t agree with me that it is quite possibly one of the best sci-fi/alien invasion flicks out there then you’re watching the wrong type of film and I feel sorry fo you!

Released: 2010

My Rating: 8

8 Random Films to watch on November 10th!

Well, there we go. Halloween is over for another year. All those people who decide to make that one day something special will have a long wait for the next one. As for the rest of us, you know, those people who are horror 365 days a year and don’t necessarily need that one day to cement the fact are continuing on. Business as usual! 

I know, how very cynical of me and I don’t mean it really. I love Halloween. Being from England, there is very little to get excited about on Halloween. The day passes by with very little notice in most places. Example, we dressed our house up, carved the pumpkin went trick or treating and my daughter received a handful of sweets! In contrast, our street contains approx 30 houses. Of which, 4 were dressed up, 20 were in complete darkness so as to look empty and the rest were playing ball to an extent but all in all, very disappointing.

As a Brit, we see films, TV shows and other media from the States and the wonder of Halloween is something to behold. I am not sure if it is some kind of misconceived perception but it looks as though Halloween in America would be awesome! 

Anyway, to the films; the usual searches at this time of year consist of best films to watch on Halloween etc etc. I decided to mix it up a bit and wait until after Halloween and then issue the best "random" films to watch on November 10th!

Why November 10th I hear you say? No reason. I just looked at the calendar and decided on this Saturday! As with anytime of the year, moods change, seasons change and with that, so do your selections. Sometimes on a warm summers evening I find myself watching slasher’s, yet on a cold winters night, I can happily sit and enjoy some supernatural horror!

With all that being said, here is a Random List of Horror movies to watch next Saturday:

Please remember this list in no way represents my favourite or indeed anyone’s favourite films. I obviously can’t speak for everyone, for all I know, your favourite may be on this list. It is purely a “Random” list compiled of the first few films chosen at random that stray slightly further from the time honoured selection process than most...

8. The Silence of the Lambs: 

This film would quite possibly find its way onto most peoples’ rundown of favourite films. Anthony Hopkins plays Hannibal Lecter in the second story (First film, excluding Manhunter) of the series. Jodie Foster plays Clarice Starling who must enlist Lecter’s assistance in tracking down a serial killer known as Buffalo Bill (Ted Levine). Amazing imagery and atmosphere is generated by Jonathan Demme in this multi award winning masterpiece.

7. A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors:

It’s not the original, it’s not the “best” but for some reason of the seven

original films in the series and not even considering the abysmal re-make, this was the most all-round enjoyable film of the lot!

6. What lies Beneath:

Harrison Ford battles his demons of the past in this chilling supernatural thriller. Not really a horror film per se but an enjoyable thriller with Ford alongside Michelle Pfeiffer. Some creepy scenes coupled with a nice twist influenced the decision to include this on my random list for films to watch next weekend.

5. Saw 2:

Although many believe the original to be a master stroke in film making and storytelling, I personally guessed the outcome fairly early on as a “stab in the dark” reaction that turned out to be true so in that respect, I was slightly let down when it actually happened and the great twist everyone was talking about was somewhat expected. But, when I watched Saw 2, I was more than impressed and the franchise really took off from this one. Not everyone’s favourite but entertaining enough to find its way onto this list.

4. Diary of the Dead:

There is a pattern to this list and that pattern continues with Diary of the Dead. Far from Romero’s best and if I’m honest, after Survival of the dead, this one is the poorest but poor by the standards set in Night and Dawn still makes Diary an extremely satisfactory entry to the dead series from the master of Zombies himself. Diary plays on the recent trend of handheld “true events” films in the vein of [REC] and Cloverfield. Even though with timings etc, Romero may have jumped the lot and restarted the trend?? I’m not sure. Either way, Diary of the Dead provides us with an exceptionally original and wholly enjoyable film.

3. Alien 3:

There’s that pattern once more. Alien is regarded as one of the greatest films ever made, never mind horror film. Ridley Scott providing us with as close to perfection as a sci-fi film can be. Aliens and James Cameron took the franchise down a more action packed route and Alien Resurrection seemed a little bit like a money making exercise. However with all that noise, people sometimes forget about Alien 3. I thought this film was a great way to finish what would have been one of the best trilogies ever made. A trilogy that was not so much spoiled by Resurrection, if anything it only left us unfulfilled and wanting more, that little extra taste of Ripley kicking ass after having died and been resurrected as a hybrid was more than compelling. Having recently watched Prometheus I have to say I am very excited to see the next instalment and watch as the franchise evolves from the other end.

2. The Hills have Eyes:

I refer you to the remake from 2006 directed by Alexandre Aja. The first time I watched this one, I hadn’t yet seen Wes Craven’s original but I have to say I enjoyed it immensely and after watching the original, I almost grimace to admit, I prefer the remake. Sorry Mr Craven. Mutant Hill folk left horribly disfigured through fallout from nuclear testing swoop in and cause havoc upon an unsuspecting family travelling through the desert. It is left in the hands of Doug (Aaron Stanford) to save the day and rescue his kidnapped baby girl. A fast paced gorefest with shocks galore make this fantastically enjoyable remake and a great addition to anyone’s collection.

1. Dog Soldiers:

A low budget British Werewolf film pits a squadron of soldiers in a training exercise against a family of werewolves in the highlands of Scotland! What more do I need to say? Possibly the most all round enjoyable werewolf film ever made and when you consider the money that goes into making big budget Hollywood films, it makes this low budget effort all the more enjoyable. Funny, gory and action packed from start to finish. Any fan of Shaun of the Dead or Severance would love this film and its one that should be seen by all fans of the genre.

Movie Review: Triangle (2009)

Triangle first came to my attention after buying something on Amazon. It was under the “Customers also bought” scrolling bar that often proves helpful in searching out the vast library of Random Horror films that are available. It wasn’t until a chance visit to a newly opened DVD/Games outlet that I saw the opportunity. £3.50 on Blu-Ray! Needless to say, I jumped at the chance.

It was this weekend, in the wake of Halloween that I decided to sit down with the misses and watch said film. Triangle is a 2009 thriller that stars Melissa George as Jess. The film starts with Jess at home with her son. Nothing untoward appears to be going on until the doorbell rings. When Jess goes to answer it, she is confronted with nothing. Your mind goes on and story continues...

Jess soon heads off to go sailing with some friends but before too long, a huge storm comes and threatens their lovely excursion. After some bizarre radio transmissions which seem to go unsolved, their boat is battered and capsized by the huge storm.

The group, originally consisting of Jess, Greg, Victor, Heather, Downey & Sally face the massive barrage head-on and somewhere along the way, one of them is lost. As the remaining crew sit in wait on the overturned hull, a huge cruise liner approaches. They board the liner and begin to look for the crew on a seemingly empty ship. More strange occurrences begin to plague the survivors as Jess begins to have vivid thoughts of déjà vu but things soon turn from bad to worse as it becomes apparent that the massive cruise ship is hiding something worse than they imagined!

I think I will leave it there as for anyone who hasn’t seen this film, I would not want to spoil anything for you. All I can say is the twists and turns in this eerily creepy, atmospheric and thought provoking psychological horror film will keep you on the edge of your seat for the entire runtime!

Triangle was written and directed by Christopher Smith who has previous pedigree with the dark and sinister Creep and again with the violent horror/comedy Severance. Both of which impressed greatly and he continues that trend here. As for the cast, Melissa George impressed more in this role than any other I have seen her in previously and she is more than ably backed up by Michael Dorman (Greg), Liam Hemsworth (Victor), Henry Nixon (Downey) and Rachel Carpani (Sally).

When it comes to this type of film, there is very little I can actually say besides compliments. A vastly deep and twist filled horror, I wouldn’t want to give anything away, so I will end with;
Triangle made up for some disappointing watches recently and although it didn’t fair too well as a commercial enterprise, I wouldn’t let that put you off if you were thinking of watching it. Highly recommended, original and enjoyable British horror film. It also raises an obscure yet poignant question of suicide but I’ll let you decide for yourselves....

Released: 2009

My Rating: 7.5