Family Blood (2018)

Mothers to depend on; mothers with dependencies

By: JWBM

It's disappointing how certain aspects in life can come between a potentially hopeful and happy family. Especially where the bond starts to split at the seams from something as trivial as a few man-made pills at the bottom of a bottle.

"Family Blood" is a drama/horror that mixes pharmaceutical addiction with another more supernatural kind. It deals with the chaotic, distrusting environment of two teenage kids living with an addict for a mother. Except, this is every kid's nightmare times two when something more sinister enters the family portrait.

The mother goes through this pull and tug dynamic of chemical dependency and living a normal life as an enveloping wing that swoops in to provide for and protect her kids. As the tables turn to the supernatural portion of the film, it begins to lose that inner struggle that made the story start out strong. It then turns into a kind of Stockholm syndrome angle with the villain's shadow taking over every crevice of their household till survival is the only option. It makes it feel like it had a great, wide-open premise but then wrote itself into an ordinary box.

The villain is supposed to come across as a powerful, commanding entity that makes stern, matter-of-fact statements, but he ends up feeling stiff, forced, and emotionless. It could have made him a key element to a true mental and physical struggle between the mother and her kids, but it instead gave him this more primal, black and white facade that made decisions and outlooks more clear cut.

With little more to show for itself, the subtle, careful tone and direction starts to drag its feet with a trailing driving point. It makes it feel like the story and characters lost their tragic struggle and turned more into a lost cause. It's a shame as this could have been much more powerful of a film and experience to dissect the layers.

Rating: 5/10

Director: Sonny Mallhi (Anguish)
Actors: Vinessa Shaw, Colin Ford, James Ransone
Info: IMDB link
Trailer: YouTube link

Mara (2018)

Wide eyed and helplessly frozen

By: JWBM

Sleep: the true reset feature us humans have to maintain our health and carry on to the next day without seeing pesky hallucinations or losing our minds to a maze of utter confusion. A chain of events leads to a husband being killed in his own bed. The wife—a little raving mad at the moment—appears to be the primary suspect. A criminal psychologist is called in to investigate the wife's mental state and motivations, but ends up getting more than she signed up for on her first murder case.

What's interesting over your typical one-body-down-another-to-go horror film is the story here gives a human connection between the characters. The desperate circumstances, and then the growing number of deaths, begin to affect the psychologist—Kate, played by Olga Kurylenko. To make matters worse, she's becoming afflicted by an unexplainable, helpless frozen state as she looks on to a horrific creature that gets closer and closer. The concept in itself is both creepy and curious. The film lays it all out in the open as a carefully crafted formula—elevated stages that get increasingly more dangerous and all. That makes it predictable to what happens next, though for anyone who has had sleep paralysis happen to them, it still comes with a sense of dread and loss of control once played out.

The manipulation of volume here will get you to jump no doubt. Though it's the point of being frustrating at times in how low the normal sound effects are or how the characters talk, then BAM there goes your ear drums and a knock from the neighbors. The direction has a tendency to go from dragging its knuckles to white-knuckle intense in a split second. In some respects it gives this a certain energy after a slower scene from the raw emotions and helter-skelter action, though in others it makes it over-the-top in a not-so-believable way that jars you out of it. For instance, a character at a group for sleep paralysis sufferers starts spouting off like a cartoonish superstitious peasant that's all fear and no sense. I get that it's a tough nut to crack for a performer, though it doesn't always translate well on screen. On the other hand, Craig Conway—as Dougie—strikes a certain balance between a sense to survive and a fearful, sleep-deprived mind that goes in and out of rationality. He gives the character a certain on screen presense and a driving point to accelerate the events.

Rating: 5.5/10

Director: Clive Tonge
Actors: Olga Kurylenko, Craig Conway, Javier Botet
Info: IMDB link
Trailer: YouTube link

The Nun (2018)

Festering evil

By: JWBM

When growing up, some people realize—either through word of mouth or experience—that there are places that come with certain vibes. There's a little bit of the good and bad in every place. Though some areas come with more of a tip to that balance. In the world of "The Nun," unholy forces seem to utterly dominate an abbey deep in the wilderness of Romania. It's the kind of domain where crosses and holy scriptures are strewn about, but it might not be enough for this kind of festering evil.

The Vatican sends in two of their own—a priest with knowledge of exorcisms, and a nun-to-be with special visions—to investigate. They meet a feisty foreigner who drops them off by horse and carriage at the abbey and points them in the direction of a resent death there. From then on out, the trio must find some answers before the sinister forces gain the upper hand.

There are plenty of set ups for scares and attempts at atmosphere with "The Nun." This makes full use of its budget for some elaborate sets and locations, not to mention some effort was put into the grisly effects. Though one can't help but sense a formula going on here to the point that it feels more a tingling head rush than it does something more substantial to walk away with. The sets are drenched in fog, shadows, and more crosses than one can count. It's a play of your nerves with spirits so vile that they were able to corrupt even the holiest of the holy. Some devote catholic viewers might be on edge just for the sake of it. Though some devote horror freaks might have crossed arms that get tighter and tighter.

There are some genuine surprises and unique scenes sprinkled about, such as a neat set up with dormant nun-zombies with their faces covered and one of the characters must slowly walk by without disturbing them. It was like "The Exorcist III" stepped into a "Silent Hill" nightmare. Yet there are plenty of others that rinse and repeat. Such as constantly having the characters walk into similar scenarios of the did-I-see-that-did-I-not variety. Till, yes, you did see and hear that. Stop repeatedly following spirits into traps! The comic relief with the foreigner made this go from potentially against the grain with an evil nun angle, to dulling its edge by making an obvious attempt at being a well-rounded film to sell tickets.

The character motivations and backgrounds—villains, good guys, the lot—feel quickly thrown together. It's to the point that if one were unaware of the later films—"The Conjuring" series—you could easily replace the characters with anyone else with official looking clothes to fill their shoes. It's the difference of making this world feel real and with a driving point, or..."Hey, what time is it? I've got things to do tomorrow."

There's little tension of why they should stay and torture themselves despite there being an obvious evil manifestation that's well over their heads. Yeah, there's the truth, sure, but not at a convincing cost that the story lays out. Eventually, there's the whole good must triumph and oh-crap-we're-finally-trapped reasoning, but with everything leading up to it, it felt more a forgetful and formulaic amusement park ride than it did an all-around convincing or credible tale to get fully invested with.

Rating: 5/10

Director: Corin Hardy (The Hallow)
Actors: Taissa Farmiga, Demian Bichir, Jonas Bloquet
Info: IMDB link
Trailer: YouTube trailer

Malevolent (2018)

Tragedy and consequence

By: JWBM

A group of young paranormal investigators—a brother and sister, brother's girlfriend, and a friend kind enough to film the whole spectacle—take on small-time house calls that usually involve a client convincing themselves of a pesky entity in their midst. They rig a series of smoke and mirrors, so to speak, in order for the client to feel like they got a resolution, while the gang walks out with fat wallets for their expertise. Where's the harm? Except they are going to meet their match with something truly dark and twisted at a school where a group of girls died by questionable means.

To its credit, the acting is fairly believable, with Jackson—Ben Lloyd-Hughes—playing the main con man who's confidence is a demanding give and take. His sister Angela—Florence Pugh—presents a mysterious and gravitating element to her personality that comes with a certain aura. While the first half of the film works as a crime-drama, when the story switches over to a horror experience it feels somewhat pulled out of a hat and lacking in scope that it built up to be. I mean, there are layers beforehand, such as dealing with unresolved tragedy: from Angela and Jackson's mother's life and death swirling with rumors, to the girls losing their lives so young to something sinister. It feels relatable in a sense and gives you someone to root for, though its idea of terror feels somewhat contrived and formulaic to seal the deal with a steady, towering nail into the coffin.

This generates interest with certain, unique powers, yet they feel only there to bridge a transition, making them feel underutilized as something further awe-inspiring. We're to be on the edge of our seats with a case of stubbornness and bad decision-making leading up to unnecessarily putting innocent friends' lives in danger. This generates some action, though there are certain points that will make you slap your forehead for them. What's disappointing is it's like watching a careful documentation of the preparation before a big race, only to have said participants trip over their own feet on game day.

What ends up being its saving grace, is where the direction has hiccups it doesn't dwell. While this wasn't outright original or inventive, or even thought provocking after the fact, it has a certain flow to it that doesn't look back or overlap, and it manages to generate a little mood here and there.

Rating: 5/10

Director: Olaf de Fleur Johannesson (City State, Brave Men's Blood)
Actors: Florence Pugh, Ben Lloyd-Hughes
Info: IMDB link
Trailer: Youtube trailer

The Open House (2018)

Can't trust anyone these days

By: JWBM

A mother and son befell by a sudden tragedy, end up staying at a family member's house till they can get back on their feet. The catch is they will be alone in a remote area of the woods, and the house is on the market with a series of strangers coming and going. As any fan of horror knows, this spells trouble from the get-go.

A majority of the film plays out as a drama/suspense with some tension between the characters over their recent event and new situation at hand, along with some mischievous happenings in between that start to go from mildly annoying and uncomfortable, to seriously strange and creepy. One of those, we're stuck, police can't do much, and a Joe and Jane are up against something over their head.

We get to know the inner workings of the characters—which have ordinary habits and patterns just like you or I. This is a more traditional take on horror, with tried and true mechanics to put you in their place, and then to get under your skin and create some tension. It has a basic formula to it, though to its credit, it also creates interest by building from scratch and involving more ingredients to the mix as time presses on. Both main stars have a certain chemistry together, and a natural way of fleshing out the individual scenes. 

A majority of the film is essentially one grand culmination till a climactic showdown. I say showdown instead of revelation, because it uses the playbook from "The Strangers" with little explained except what you see before your eyes. This draws a line in the sand: The idea is to keep the nervous insomniacs in check, or to infuriate all-too-comfortable viewers looking for a generous reward—take your pick. This isn't going to be as well-rounded like, say, "Rear Window" with an inventive story, a good deal of tension and mystery, or where you know who's who, or what's what by the time things are wrapped up. It's still better than "Open House" from 2010, which felt aimless and pretentious.

There are some portions that fill space to throw your scent off, making the atmosphere more odd and curious at times than outright scary. This also makes what happens beforehand more for shocking emotional impact, rather than something that's going to peel back further layers after the fact. Having the mindset of it being more cinematic than logical might save yourself useful brain cells and energy. That, in turn, makes this a one-shot wonder that works up to a certain degree for a quick, late-night distraction on a weekday night, but doesn't have much power to return to it after the fact.

Rating: 5/10

Director: Matt Angel, Suzanne Coote
Actors: Dylan Minnette, Piercey Dalton
Info: IMDB link
Trailer: Youtube trailer

Unsane (2018)

When help spells violation

By: JWBM

Now, imagine both protagonist and antagonist are unlikable and not what society would deem a "good" or upstanding person. You don't have this hero and villain story, but more like the odd versus the ruthless. In a sense, they're both relatable in that we're all just trying squeeze what we can from life, whether that's real or fantasized. For some it's nature in the woods with a one-sided love angle, for others it's rising the corporate ladder for power while stepping on some toes. Realism may ground us, yet some delusion may be healthy to ease the mind. What it boils down to, is there are certain rationale and motivations that separate us: some live entirely in Candyland, while others make appointments for dentists.

A woman who looks like a lady, but lacks in most social graces—candid, direct, and doesn't feign interest if not interested—finds herself in a new city at a new job. She's far from happy or making others around her happy, so she sees a counselor in an attempt to reconcile her past and why she moved away from everything she knew. In some sudden move, she becomes institutionalized—forget the Pepsi—against her will. She encounters one stressful and violating moment after the next, until she starts to act like a caged animal to escape, while simultaneously toppling her fears that make her edgy and distrustful. If there's anyone that can do it, it's someone like her: being capable of throwing coffee in your face, or slapping you at the mere opening of a door. She's not a princess or in anyone's voting roaster for etiquette committee, that's for sure.

What makes the overall experience somewhat disappointing, is the tone of the film is all over the place. It feels scatterbrain: where one motivation or thought would connect with the next, it's as if another person was read the gist of what was going on and attempted to pick up the pieces. From one person's personality and driving point playing leap frog, to even the music over top doesn't always seem to match the emotional context underneath. It makes the acting and editing in between scenes not always come across as a smooth transition. Being a thriller with touchy subject matter, you often feel uncomfortable for the story, and also for the jarring sense of disconnect to the characters and events.

This centers in a place where the mind is often held together by thin fragments, though instead of feeling real or even surreal, it comes across as believable as the message on a fortune cookie written over in pen. The direction and script attempted to juggle too many personalities, too many complex questions, and one too many genres in the same breath. It's one of those stories that you either fall under its spell or become disenchanted. While it's not a disaster, it's also not up there with other solid psychological thrillers such as "Perfect Blue"—that likewise deals with a stalker—or "Jacob's Ladder"—that deals with the fragility of the mind. Those films had subject matter that twisted and turned into a visceral, mutated mass that still managed to deliver in the moment by moment, while also being capable of holding on to its sense of logic, mystery, and suspense without losing touch.

Rating: 5/10

Director: Steven Soderbergh (Kafka, Traffic, Ocean's Eleven)
Actors: Claire Foy, Joshua Leonard, Jay Pharoah
Info: IMDB link
Trailer: Youtube link

Delirium (2018)

Probation has never been so strange

"Delirium" is mostly a dark mystery with some parts resembling the supernatural: the tone is a mix of the playful, suspenseful, and secretive.

The story follows a 30 something man, Tom, who was recently released from a mental institution for something dark occurring in his past. He's to carry out the next thirty days under a probationary period—ankle bracelet to boot—with the catch being he's going to be all alone in his parent's extravagant mansion to prove he's a sane member of society. Munching kid's cereal and jamming to dated '90s tunes might not help his case. It might be his first chance at having freedom as an adult. Will it last?

In order to keep the mystery going at all times, a bulk of the experience is a shake-up of your senses with perceived delusions: Is this imagined, or really there? Strange characters appear and disappear faster than your friendly neighborhood ghost, except these manifestations may have ulterior motives in store for Tom who bides his time exploring the seemingly endless rooms and hidden passages in his all-to-himself home. He seems to take it on with a grain of salt by living life with no restraints or rules, except he can't leave even when things start to get weird.

Topher Grace, as Tom, plays the character as a sort of bumbling dweeb that's lacking in most social aspects, or even other more complex attributes, such as someone dealing with genuine solitude, or building up to white-knuckle retribution. He lacks a more layered mental health issue that would have given this some gravitating ambiguity, not just dulling its edge with a game of peak-a-boo mirages whenever the lights go out or he finds a new corner to explore.

No doubt, Grace is likable and brings a sense of fun with his boyish charm and reserved nature, but it's at the expense of creating a relaxed environment that tends to lose its grip when it comes to summoning its mental demons. It makes him go from a happy-go-lucky fool, to hiding-in-the-corner scared. While no one would second guess his acting with what he's given, it still doesn't make either angle challenging to a viewer. He eventually falls into a little bit of potential lust, and then some love, though it doesn't feel believable, but rather tacked on for drama's sake.

The biggest shortcoming of "Delirium" is that it has one foot in, one foot out to a share of the tones and plot points it throws at the viewer. While it's a somewhat smooth experience and mostly a well-rounded film, it's not something so pivotal that it jars the senses or becomes memorable, other than passing the time for some entertainment that glides on the surface without necessarily digging far below for a greater reward.

As far as psychological thrillers go, it fails to keep you on the edge of your seat; the overall experience feels like it holds itself back and pads itself out till a bigger pay off that isn't as groundbreaking as it makes itself out to be. It guides you with a guessing game as to what genre you're actually dealing with. Other films, such as "The Shining," or "Session 9," made the is-it-real, is-it-all-in-my-head angle work from an overall ambiance that backed you into a corner with no escape, and with more concrete or impressionable aspects to unfold in the story. "Delirium" is neither terrible nor outstanding, but one of those inoffensive films with some of its own personality to stay afloat.

By: JWBM

Rating: 5/10

Director: Dennis Iliadis (Hardcore; The Last House on the Left 2009)
Actors: Topher Grace, Patricia Clarkson, Genesis Rodriguez
Info: IMDB link
Trailer: Youtube link

Nacho Cerdà's shorts I: The Awakening (1990)

                                                              Lo, death calls

                                                                 By: JWBM

This is an earlier 8 minute short by the director of the now infamous "Aftermath" film. The tone is a challenge to place as it's so brief that it could have taken multiple directions from the outset: from horror, supernatural, science fiction, to even mystery. Though as it is, it has an otherworldly vibe similar to the look and feel of an earlier Lynch or Cronenberg short with a strange, black and white quality reserved for a rough outline of a dream. 

Essentially a bored student lacking in motivation falls asleep and finds himself traveling past the physical world into something more enlightened on the other side. Time itself freezes and we see a series of surreal imagery while those around him look on. This certainly had potential, though what makes it a challenge to get into is that there is little connection or background to the people in the story. Stuff happens—cool stuff at that—though it's loose enough to feel like a balloon that took off and is now hard to make out in the distance. The farther it gets away, the more your motivation dwindles. It's the difference of being there at the outset of some sudden event, compared to walking past a situation on the streets with complete strangers and a story too far distanced to fully concern yourself. 

"The Awakening" feels like it was going for something along the lines of "Carnival of Souls" meets "Jacob's Ladder" of the same year. Something that makes the mind melt and the senses never settle from out-there, supernatural ideas. I'd mention "Soultaker"—with a similar out-of-body experience—in the same sentence, but fortunately it doesn't have many dated gags to pick at for the year. While in many ways it's unfair to compare an experimental low-budget short just testing out the waters to a worked-through feature length film, however those—while unique and atypical—still had a certain backbone to them that one had more interest and investment to get behind. Possibly with some more time and some more ideas to tap into, this could have been a more worthy addition. 

Rating: 5/10

Director: Nacho Cerdà

Info: IMDB link

Playback (2012)

Home movies used to be a time of innocence

By: JWBM

This is a horror film that mixes a ghostly tale from the past with video technology of the present. Back in '94, a young man by the name of Harlan Diehl films himself going "Amityville Horror" on his family. Now in 2012, a group of pretty and privileged seniors are making a shoe-string budget horror film to re-enact the murders without actually knowing all that much about the inner details. Julian—the director—digs a little further into this hush-hush story that the town would rather forget, but eventually finds himself neck deep to escape the clutches of something more sinister.

The biggest issue with "Playback" is it's too caught up with little subplots and substanceless filler. The pacing is likened to an everyday high school drama-lite that attempts to evolve into a more serious horror film. The two tones feel separate enough that one could draw a distinguishable line between, rather than providing a smooth overlap that would lure one in. I can see the logic: to get to know the characters and to make a surreal situation feel real, though it also never attempts to make them interesting past what they look like on the outside.

This plays out more as a cut and dry, back and forth experience: one moment things are a fun and promising party, to the next attempting to play investigative journalist, to then actually concentrating on the horror. About two-thirds of the way through, when things should be coming to a heart-racing culmination, it starts to lose its bearings and has trouble gaining momentum. You're left to watch the creepy post-graduate guy drive around town in his kidnapper's looking van in a fit of self-loathing, while the hopeful main star simultaneously attempts to put the pieces together of the mystery surrounding the Diehl murders.

The coolest set-up this movie had going for it was the opening when the murders were taking place. The atmosphere was at an all time high with these nightmare-like first person shots and a scratchy effect layered in. You had no idea what was going on, though it grabbed you by the throat and didn't let go. Sure there's gore and violence sprinkled about, but it's not as effective as, say, building up to it to make the audience feel the impact. The horror formula that follows after feels muddled; your brain works more to connect the dots than to find a way to run and hide. Then there are other awkward side-plots such as the character of Frank Lyons—Christian Slater—being a random pervert who pays for tapes of girls of questionable age.

As many cliches and predictable moments as there are, this isn't an outright terrible film. What saves it in areas, is the acting is mostly natural, the dialogue has a certain smoothness to it, and the direction and editing while the individual scenes are played out have a certain flow. It's just not able to come together as a whole and overcome being an overall average horror experience due to a focus that is either here or there.

Rating: 5/10

Director: Michael A. Nickles (Do You Wanna Dance?; This Is Not a Film)
Actors: Johnny Pacar, Ambyr Childers, Toby Hemingway, Christian Slater
Info: IMDB link
Trailer: Youtube link

Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh (1995)

Gumbo, honey, and a pinch of blood

By: JWBM

This is a series known for compounding general fears: from its blind-sided, hook-to-backside attacks; making the sight of an innocent ol' bee a deadly act in itself; and generating additional fear to those lost and dilapidated areas few ventured into before, but now are forced to endure them.

From Cabrini-Green in Chicago to the French Quarter in New Orleans, this film is more of an origin story to interweave past and present characters. Ethan Tarrant—who's father was viciously killed years earlier—is now the prime suspect when an author of the Candyman stories ends up as a gory decoration on the floor of the men's room in a seedy Louisiana bar. His sister, Annie—a middle school teacher—makes a grave mistake by calling upon Candyman in front of her whole class in order to relieve tensions with one of her so called "strange" students with a penchant for dark artwork. Soon, the boy ends up missing and Annie ends up scrambling to find him while also attempting to put the pieces together before any more people meet the end of a meat hook.

There are certain films that still hold up and become rewatchable again and again for particular reasons: whether that be something as simple, though alluring, as the setting the filmmakers put you in, or be it something as gravitating as the story and what transpires from scene to scene. The second installment was actually the first film I saw of the series back in the '90s when it came out on VHS. It seemed like a new concept that got stuck with me over the years. Then I saw the first film that started it all. "Farewell to the Flesh" has most of the same general aspects as the '92 film, along with a return of key players—from main villain, Tony Todd, to composer, Philip Glass—though as far as progressing the momentum forward, I feel like it made some steps backwards.

Instead of being a unique and different take on the slasher genre, this treats it like one of the pack: a by-the-numbers feature that's not terrible by any means, though not always adventurous either outside of its formulaic trappings. This doesn't seem to have the same flow as the first film that—while loose at points—was still an edge-of-your-seat affair that never lost its sense of mystery or terror. The difference is like being cornered against a wall with a lunatic hovering their finger just over the trigger of an AK-47. Whereas the second film is like being held up with a Walther PPK and an aim-this-way-that-way, unfocused attitude from the gunman. "Jaws" taught us that if you make it seem like your villain is anywhere and everywhere, your audience is always with you and searching. Instead, Candyman makes sudden appearances when it suddenly suits the occasionally disjointed plot. You could actually safely take a snack break and return to where you left off without skipping a beat; or, say, being capable of making the hair prematurely white.

The biggest shortcoming of "Farewell to the Flesh" is how it feels less ambiguous to the first—could it be all inside Helen's head, or the real deal?—and more towards a formula of a one-body-down-another-to-go, main-character-must-dodge-the-murder-weapon feature. It does go into different avenues: such as giving sympathy to its monster, having the main actress show some genuine emotion from time to time, and giving an attempt at some personality to the old and festive city of New Orleans with a flavor of its own. Though with all things considered, it never fully steps out of the shadow of the first film to be an equal or greater force.

Rating: 5.5/10

Director: Bill Condon (Sister, Sister; Murder 101)
Actors: Kelly Rowan, Tony Todd, William O'Leary
Info: IMDB link
Trailer: Youtube link

The Omen (TV pilot - 1995)

Scientifically evil

By: JWBM

Instead of being born to evil, or being just another relative to Damien Thorn, the premise of this short lived '90s TV pilot is going for a kind of "ER" meets "Outbreak" vibe, though with a sort of unexplainable possession angle to tie in the mediums. The tone is going for a cross between scientific and spiritual, with it being more of the former. An evil force is capable of traveling from person to person with mixed results: some inexplicably die, some live long enough to do some kind of malicious deed, and others fully embrace the force and turn into evil masterminds to carry out maximum chaos and carnage. A hard-nosed reporter who's wife mysteriously died years earlier, a professor of epidemiology, an all-knowing old man on the hunt, and a nurse recently in a coma find themselves with a commonality at a hospital in Boston that has a military secret about to be unleashed if not for some keen intervention.

Not all TV pilots are fully fleshed out. Like a potential date, they are essentially an overview of what's to come: it might not be love at first sight, though great things may come from it if you stick around from some initial characteristics that stand out. I feel like the filmmakers here gave it their best go for the material at hand. The story has a steady pace to it, the actors show some feeling behind their roles, and there's potential for more to come. The action at points felt a little rocky, such as a reporter going from do-what-it-takes-to-get-the-scoop, to John McClane responsive and being a pivotal force to stop dark entities from having their way. The biggest hang-up, though, is that this has little to do with "The Omen" franchise. It was a wild and fresh idea from anything before, no doubt, however it feels like it was also trying desperately to keep up with the times of what was happening in '95 with the medical and scientific approach over a more good versus evil one of the '70s when the first was released. Yet, it still felt more entertaining than the fourth in the series if that tells you anything.

Rating: 5/10

Director: Jack Sholder (The Hidden, A Nightmare on Elm Street 2)
Actors: Brett Cullen, William Sadler, Chelsea Field
Info: IMDB link
Trailer: Youtube link

Lights Out (2016)

An alternative to saving on your power bill

By: JWBM

As a child, what do you do if your mother is just a tad bit strange? The kind that has a tall, dark friend, talks to herself, and says it all with a charming, nothing's-wrong smile. Well, you've got your older sister to protect you. She grew up in the same household—and might be more towards the normal side—but is still not all the way caught up with the rest of society to be the best of role models.

"Lights Out" introduces you to a creature of sorts that thrives in the dark. Let in even a shred of light, and she disappears. Though that doesn't stop her from lingering on the edges of the shadows till just the right moment. In turn, the filmmakers use this to create more jump and scare theatrics than one can count on their razor sharp talons.

There's a dark family secret that threatens to tear everyone apart. Whether they had anything normal at any point, it's hard to say. This leads to an overcasting theme of trust issues: either between son to Mom, from Mom to Dad, from daughter to Mom, or from girlfriend to boyfriend. Plus the dark. Hard to trust that anymore after what they've seen, or felt with searing pain.

The writing attempted to go for a natural progression to feel out the characters. Though it has tendency to be noticeably restrained by sprinkling crumbs of the story throughout. It's to the point of not flowing smoothly from scene to scene and stretching itself out. Then at some point, the meat of it just falls into the lap of the daughter with all of the secrets to the past in one convenient package. Guess it's just another way of cutting right to the chase instead of the age ol' horror trope of a homeless person popping out of nowhere to shed light on all of the mysterious things afoot.

The vengeful, dark-past of a villain, Diana, seems interesting in the way they keep her half-in, half-out of the spotlight. However, the same can't be said about the other characters. The daughter has the looks, but doesn't come across as adept or adjusted to anything in particular to have her stand out. The boy is a token piece to play out some childhood fears, and feels more there to create drama between the Mom and daughter. The boyfriend says all of the right things at the right time to win the daughter over. Subtract his character and you're not missing much, except for maybe emotional support and a cool leather jacket. The story attempts to take on mental health issues, but then ends up not saying much if anything at all about them besides using it and an out of place antique looking house to act as a catalyst.

"Lights Out" isn't a bad film. Though it feels like the pacing has issues shifting between its gears without puttering from time to time. It attempted to do all of the right, little tricks, but didn't come together with a reasonable amount of fluidity. The writing feels somewhat formulaic without actually overcoming that with something that would stand out: such as an outstanding concept after the more intriguing short film with the same name; being more than an excuse to make you superficially jump; or actually being concerned with its own drama, than just being something to fill in the spaces between to show the more alluring villain. Even that is not enough to overall save this.

Rating: 5.5/10

Director: David F. Sandberg
Actors: Maria Bello, Teresa Palmer, Gabriel Bateman, Alexander DiPersia
Info: IMDB
Trailer: Youtube

Last House on the Beach (1978)

3 criminal men, a nun and a group of virgins at the beach

"Last House on the Beach" is an Italian made thriller about three sadistic bank robbin' guys who need a place to hold up from their latest heist. And where else do they pick for their several day lay over from the law? Why some "random" tucked away beach house with none other than a nun heading a group of all female students innocently practicing for a stage play. You know, just the thing deviant kidnappers dreams are made of.

The biggest underlying theme here is if an ordinary group of people, as well as someone of the "divine" cloth, who's ultimately human underneath, is capable of bringing out their inner vengeance to reap on their captures what they sowed. The nun angle one can imagine was a scolding hot topic for someone from the homeland of Catholicism in their collective borders. Similar to earlier Giallo mysteries presenting the finale with a priest holding the knife must have been a real whopper of a shake up to the daily hail Mary spoutin' folks that have unwavering traditions and rituals ingrained in them from the moment they take a first breath. With other movies that present a question it usually lingers after it ends, this, however, directly asks and answers which limits some of the challenge.

The violence comes and goes, there are moments when the kidnappers give break and others when it's let loose such as boredom leading to drinking, drinking leading to groping, and groping leading to raping. There's blood and nudity, yet it isn't relentless or always in the audience's face compared to other exploitation films. Which leads me to believe that the filmmakers were balancing out the shocking physicalities as well as the ominous underlying question that was also asked in its precursors "The Virgin Spring" and "The Last House on the Left": Could a citizen give an eye for an eye if the tables reversed, or turn the other cheek and forgive and forget? The idea is if a thought to be untouchable clergy woman could, so could you.

What's in its favor is the film was shot well for its genre type with a crisp wide angle lens that doesn't always need to zoom or move around a lot as a result. A share of this has random, funky, larger-than-life, rock-tinged music inserted that doesn't always add to making the claustrophobic environment smaller or the situation any more terrorizing. Though they slowly escalate their lusts and push and prod the women into feeling backed into a corner. There was a strange, if a little too stylish for its own good scene that stood out from the rest. It involves a series of chaotic voices that stream overtop of a sleazy, upbeat hard rock number while two of the goons rape one of the young woman from behind in ultra slow motion and with a randomly painted face. There is another surreal one with a scenario similar to "Night Train Murders" with an even larger object forced into a victim--all in slo-mo again with exaggerated, contorted facial expressions in uncomfortable close ups to make a viewer feel every agonizing inch.

The events skip around the several day episode to get to the meat of it, though the pacing still feels somewhat sporadic, causing the film--despite some memorably heinous scenes--to not always be consistently gripping or tension filled. At a few points they step outside to break the single environment archetype of being trapped in a house, though even with Bolkan's subtle acting as the nun and Ray Lovelock's charming looks and dangerous demeanor, this isn't as gripping as it could have been. The bad guys are, well, simply bad guys with few things on their minds. A few areas break the molds of what you would expect a criminal to act like, such as one being a good natured looking drop out of college or another being a pervert who reads Faulkner. The women whisper their escapes but get easily pushed around like the filmmakers wanted in order to lead up to their main agenda towards the latter part of the film. A balance wasn't always struck to give a solid relation between the characters or their plight, causing the audience to look about impassively and make their own loose assumptions.

Rating: 5.5/10

Director: Franco Prosperi
Stars: Florinda Bolkan, Ray Lovelock
Link: IMDB

Death Game (1977)

The most whacked out and impulsive women you'll ever meet!

This wasn't a rape/revenge feature per se--more like sex/revenge if there ever was a genre--as no one actually gets raped. But it still plays on sex and violence after the fact from one man giving in to urges but quickly regretting the decision when the women use it against him in a series of long, terrorizing mind games. This came out well before "Fatal Attraction" and I'm sure if mainstream audiences would have seen it, it could have made some men second guess which loose women they choose to take on the side that initially look to give it up so easily.

Two young women named Jackson and Donna turn up soaking wet from storms at the door of a family man named George's house when looking for someone else. He's home alone with his wife and kids out of town and allows what he thinks are nice ladies to use his phone inside to get a ride. This leads to using his bathrobes, bathroom and eventually they seduce him in his bathtub no less. He reluctantly goes along to what looks like guilt free gratification, though morning comes and they still haven't left. They begin to take advantage and act rambunctious to the point where he sees red and wants to call men in blue. He drives them to San Francisco but when arriving back home, they're hiding in wait. They tie him up and play a series of sadistic, psychological games while George squirms and pleads for them to let him out.

This has a simple story that plays out somewhat straightforward with no complex layers to get in the way. It's more about atmosphere, which set out to make one uncomfortable as the unpredictable women push buttons and get under one's skin. It's supremely irritating and can cause one to tap their foot or cross their arms but that seems to have been the point. This has more hyena-like cackling and incessant calling of George's name than memorable dialogue. Even most of their bizarre actions are so out there that it can't be described rationally. Some of the scenes are supposed to be nothing but just weird, sadistic fun, with a number of them that look improvised by the actresses. There are some scenarios that play on natural interaction rather than doing anything significant or substantial. It makes it feel like a loosely connected series of events in a bad dream with no chance of waking up.

There are a few quick nude scenes with tops and behinds of the pretty but dangerous women--you can see why he got tricked. The sex scenes use more rubbing and kissing and quick cuts to get around showing penetration shots. Seymor Cassel, playing George, feels like a caricature of the everyday guy with standard look and dialogue that's the epitome of getting the message across to the point of not generating a spark of interest. However, the two performances of the women have areas of standing out. One of which includes Donna acting out a prior molestation in her mind or that really happened while beating on George and simultaneously screaming like a lunatic--must have been fun to make this film to be able to let loose like that. The camera angles and quick edits can be jarring, not to mention the lighting set-ups can be strange in certain areas, with the music even odder due to being so upbeat and contrasting. The film eventually starts to lose a driving point and wane on tension--apart from him getting his mock verdict by the women and an hour glass counting down--but even then it feels like padding. It turns over to an incredibly abrupt, unsatisfying ending that makes you think the filmmakers either ran out of money or ideas--possibly both.

Rating: 5/10

Director: Peter S. Traynor
Stars: Sondra Locke, Colleen Camp, Seymour Cassel
Link: IMDB

Hunger (2009)

The threshold for civility

This is a low budget, single location horror about human beings put in a pitiful situation to see how long they can keep civil. The experiment is controlled with only one goal in sight, so the events unfold more gradually than a natural occurrence as the characters have to get adjusted to their pseudo environment if they choose to give in. Movies like "Saw" and even "Kill Theory" in the same year treated their captives with a little more engaging, over-the-top games and personality than this, which leaves the more measured out "Hunger" with more of a message but still left with some areas that are better described in theory than actually played out for the cinematic experience.

A woman, later named Jordan with a medical background, wakes up alone in the dark with another female screaming for help. Soon enough there are five total in the same dire situation with no clue as to how or why they're there. The lights turn on to reveal a different room that has barrels of water and a hole for sanitation. Meanwhile a man is shown operating controls and cameras and jotting down notes to his own superior satisfaction, as if he knows what's to happen next. Yet, little does he know what the final result will yield... The captives try and pick up common clues amongst themselves as to why they're there when their true answer comes when they find a scalpel and a message along with it: "The average human body cannot last for more than 30 days without food."


This shares a formula of past efforts, which can take away true shock, though it actually tries to take the torture subject more seriously with a little more to think about than its past counterparts in horror that spilled all its guts in the first scene. That might have been refreshing for more of a psychological experience, except the issue is this single location film doesn't fully shed its skin to be more than just a concept and seems to play it so basic at times to the point of keeping the audience unconcerned. Their dreariness is felt except to the point of tedium for the viewer as well. This gives little snippets about themselves to keep up some kind of mystery element but they aren't always given enough to make them steadily captivating. The medical background of Jordan feels more included to provide answers than an inherent trait. Even potential for a drama angle feels rudimentary about who they are up till then.


There are flashbacks for a tragic event with the kidnapper. The transition of what made him get to the present point or why he never let it go is eluded to the point of being somewhat far-fetched, especially considering how orderly and productive he is in present state. But, on the other hand, probably rightfully so as it might bring into play logistics and it does give a self-fulfilling reason albeit a lunatic one. A few goals and some false hope occurs but aren't enough to be a driving point as a layover till the desperate hunger begins. If you happen to watch the doom and gloom local news, you'll realize how vile people can get, though double that with the desperate set of circumstances by this point here.

There are some noticeable inconsistencies when it skips ahead some days with not only their clothing and appearance but their behavior as well, which can take one out of believing it's all really happening. For a low budget film there's still less areas to compensate on than others that have patches left and right for their lack of production. The performances come with some hits and misses--such as some scenes being over or underplayed--but are mostly adequate for what they're given with a basic script that doesn't always come with a full outline of where they're coming from.

The message of "Hunger" doesn't seem to be about putting fear into a viewer to where it can happen to them. The events go from modest beginnings to balls to the wall for what the captives are capable of. It shows once someone gives in or reaches that point there's no going back. When people act terrible all of the time those with restraint and conviction stand out instead of what should be the other way around. That sentiment gives this film a certain level of hope for a horror film, albeit still a small shimmer for humanity's sake.

Rating: 5.5/10

Director: Steven Hentges (Jacklight)
Link: IMDB

Fertile Ground (2011)

Singles, beware of this place!

This is a drama that plays around with the supernatural in forms of visions, nightmares and pop-out scares accompanied with jarring music to momentarily rile senses. The main component of its story centers around a couple who are trying to conceive but due to complications it puts a strain on the relationship with a stay at home wife and a painter who keeps the family afloat with his art galleries.

Emily and Nate Weaver are attempting to have their first child, until during a dinner party Emily excuses herself and profusely bleeds out. They move out to an old farm house to get away from everything and restore their happiness. The property used to be in Nate's family in the early 20th century and was constructed 100 years prior to that. Soon enough, the old house gives off something more suspicious than the usual odd creak or two, such as a hand print on the window, voices in the cellar and some old photographs of past relatives. They stumble onto a human skull buried on the property. Emily heads over to the local eccentric historian who rattles off a list of speculative dark events that occurred at the residence over the course of its history. Her husband is frequently away due to his line of work and she's alone in the big, empty house by herself. Random, ominous occurrences are on the rise as if something is trying to communicate to her for help or ward her away. As you can already guess from the title's sake, she gets pregnant in their new house, though it's a high risk, causing her to stay off her feet and away from stress, which ends up only mounting to even more stress from the loneliness and isolation.

"Fertile Ground" tries to play on if it's the pressure of her situation, leading to just imagining it, if it's coincidental or if it's really happening and you're indeed watching a supernatural tale with ghosts. This is gradually paced and unfolds somewhat organically than coming right out and stating its intentions. It's partly a mystery, though in the meantime there isn't always a strong subtext to latch onto. It doesn't always hold steady with interest or with relating points and part of the experience feels somewhat like routine stuff, only to remind you that you have better things to do than to occupy yourself with the dramas of a couple in a country house in who knows where. The movie doesn't always grab you and pull you in or make what you're watching significant or an exceptional to the rule until the latter half that picks up to a thriller like pacing. Though getting there doesn't always work with the sum of its collective parts, since the audience will get just an abrupt scare every now and again in comparison to the main story. Some of the drama feels somewhat forced despite the film moving one moment at a time, especially when the situations going for tension don't always feel detrimental enough.

It boils down to the slow degradation of a married couple who's got a strong case of cabin fever or a wicked case of possession. "Fertile Ground" does the ambiguous ending well, with enough information to fairly choose a side and your own interpretation. That's definitely its strength and it's evident that the filmmakers worked back through the movie to make that happen quite possibly to a fault since the rest is anchored on something you haven't even seen yet till you get there.

Rating: 5.5/10

Director: Adam Gierasch (Autopsy, Night of the Demons 2010)
Stars: Leisha Hailey, Gale Harold
Link: IMDB

Mimic 2 (2001)

Mimic this!

The Judas Breed never completely died out and is killing again--the franchise making company Dimension Films should have told you that as these things never go away, unless it becomes a trilogy, of course. This time it's taking out people that are related to a grade school teacher named Miss Remi Panos who has issues finding men with a wall of shame to show for it. She was Dr. Tyler's assistant from the first film: the strange woman with red hair who liked her Polaroid camera. A detective is attempting to put two and two together of what the connection might be or if she's directly involved in the murders that came with flayed faces. At the same time, the defense department shows up with their equipment and a chip on their shoulder that it's their investigation now--who called them or why they got an inkling, who knows? Remi, a younger student who's aunt forgot to pick him up and a former pupil that is now a homeless alcoholic with an attitude, get trapped in the delipidated school building after hours. Their paths are blocked with obstructions and they spend their time coming up with survival tactics, such as a camera with a blinding flash, to escape the clutches of the giant Judas bug who's got an ulterior motive and is getting closer to its knack for mimicry.

This starts out fine with momentum, though after awhile there doesn't feel like there is enough story to keep the continuation intriguing. The Remi character has some connections to the first, and some areas bring a tone of amusing quirkiness, though halfway into it and we're getting the same explanation retold to a new person of how they work. Instead of a valid new chapter, it feels like a retread. The performers have to react to their newly found situation but still don't carry this as if you care what happens to them. They're just caught at the wrong place at the wrong time. This has some decent suspense scenes come and go, cinematography, setups and effects. There's nothing necessarily wrong with how it was shot, even though some might initially think so--myself included--with the direct to video tag and being the first full length feature from a TV director. Filmmaking wise, this surprisingly wasn't that bad. However, it feels like "Mimic 2" doesn't always kick into high gear or put something in front of the audience that would glue one's attention to move beyond the first film. It tried to wrap up with a state of gripping anticipation with a final twist, except it felt like they didn't have enough to work with, then held it out there too long and made it obvious a few steps ahead, terminating its effective culminating impact.


Rating: 5/10

Director: Jean de Segonzac (Homicide: Life on the Street (TV), Oz (TV))
Stars: Alix Koromzay, Bruno Campos, Will Estes
Link: IMDB

Memorable quote:

"You two, go to the door and keep an eye on the hall."
"Why?"
"'Cause I'm the fucking teacher and I said so!"

Primal (2010)

What great teeth you have!

Many, many years ago, 12, 000 years ago to be exact, a primitive man is painting on a rock face until he gets attacked from behind by something unexplained. Fast forward to the present day Australia with six individuals trekking some ways out for those same rock paintings for one of their studies. The first sign of trouble hits when they park and take a shortcut. "There's something wrong with that tunnel, we shouldn't go through it," says Anja before she blackouts from a claustrophobic panic attack...or something else. "Some point, you got to get over this," says Mel as the rest still walk through and have her drive around alone. Hey, what are friends there for?

This begins somewhat innocently with random jokes and pokes of fun. It's obvious from the beginning which character has tenacity when the gears of horror start to grind, but the filmmakers still gave surprises as to who gets it apart from their originally perceived character archetypes. They ignore a strange animal attack, and then live it up with some love making, substance abuse and acoustic guitar playing around a fire--a bunch of hippies they are! Mel goes skinny dipping, only to come out of the water covered in leeches and eventually show signs of fever and bloody gums. Soon enough tensions flare about who should have done what or if they should leave or not, and in the process find out what they really mean to each other as friends and companions.

They discover more odd organisms when microscopic insects eat through objects. They can't get help till morning, except by then Mel gets transformed with superhuman strength and a long set of chompers. Survival mode kicks in for the rest of the film with a bunch of in-fighting, denials, ruthlessness and haphazard plans to make it out alive from their former friend Mel who now wants to eat them without mercy. It's hard to feel sorry for nearly all of the characters because most range from either being too general to just plain unlikable. Though there are a few setups with irony to give grin to their folly. And, of course, there's going to be blood and some gore when they get it to keep the lynch mob satisfied.

The beginning has a decent exposition that unfolds the events in a forward motion, though when it comes time for the survival aspect it jumps back and forth, causing the element of suspense to reinvent its own wheel. The monstrous woman randomly appearing and disappearing comes with some effective pop outs when she shrieks her head off, but starts to lose its impact when she's not given more to do beyond a few modes for awhile till someone else turns. The terrain isn't always used to their advantage rather than staying in a general, unmemorable area, which makes it rely on the characters to carry the events. This is going for the tried and true and it unabashedly knows it with a few scenarios of the tongue-and-cheek kind, as well as a few jabs at their own devices and storyline.

This requires you to keep bending your imagination the further it goes as potential explanations are only alluded to. Especially by its finale when a random, choppy looking CGI entity appears but feels physically misplaced despite being loosely hinted at earlier. That ambiguity might have been fine to leave room for mystery, but there aren't always enough substantial or diverting scenes in the meantime to make you forget about the technicalities when they're just running around to save their own skin or deciding if they should kill or not. It's not really ponderous or completely emotionally driven stuff to get you fully locked in because most of the characters by that point are showing less and less strength that you could possibly relate to and are pushing more and more away by being selfish, indecisive or whiny. Not really the most cinematic of times even with the humor and bloodshed, which carries it only so far. In "The Descent," for instance, they're working with and against each other but have a goal to get out to the other side, which you know they're not going to all make it but it creates more tension for its duration with their friends, the creatures, the terrain and the light at the end of the tunnel all competing at once.

There's some potential with "Primal" and it has some fun in the meantime. The dialogue doesn't make you want to slap your forehead like other pictures and the performers give out some serious effort for what they're working with, even if they don't always put everything they've got into it. And the picture quality looks pretty sharp and consistent with some inventive modes, if not always capturing the best vantage points.

Rating: 5/10

Director: Josh Reed
Stars: Krew Boylan, Zoe Tuckwell-Smith, Wil Travel, Rebekah Foord, Damien Freeleagus, Lindsay Farris
Link: IMDB

Conan the Barbarian (2011)

He'll shoulder press you AND the army you came with

As much as I enjoy the 1982 film, I'm going to review this as its own separate experience. The story element for the "Conan the Barbarian" 2011 felt pretty straightforward, as potential for more weighty subject matter was there but wasn't always emphasized, rather than jumping into one showy scene after the next. The quick pacing doesn't always give breathing room to think instead of a share of it just passing through. Since it doesn't always take advantage of one place for long, it often does itself a disservice for replay value when there aren't many layers to peel back.

A boy born in battle is destined to be a warrior, he grows up at first somewhat small and unappreciated, has another family member taken away from him and then seeks revenge at a much later time in his life when the villain so happens to be close to his master plan. It felt like too many flashy scenes surrounded by little substance of narrative to fully clench its epic proportions. It did give off certain sensations the first time around, I'll give it that, though there wasn't much to ponder on below the surface about the characters or the journey after it ended.

Jason Momoa held a presence of his own with a bulky and commanding physique, even if not ridiculously cut to the point of striation. He has a distinctive look on screen and a booming, almost professional wrestler voice. He appeared tough with some added scars and a deadpan stare, but ultimately well balanced when he was naturally wielding a sword like he owned it. Now, that's just his presence, because as for his aura there's not much else in the way of creating mystery about him, a relating ideology beyond the sword or fully capturing someone who's torn up with emotions about his lost relatives and village. He pretty much just moves from one place to the other with a loose strategy plan and it doesn't make this as gripping as the filmmakers intended with the fast flow.

The movie is very bombastic. There are various macho guy vs macho guy action scenes that include a share of candid blood shed and cruel wounds to show for it without pulling away. A particular creature scene with sand spirits was an inventive addition as they can appear from all around. There's a tad of humor, T and A nudity, a short lived love connection which leads to rescuing the damsel in distress, and then various sets of the real and CGI type that give presence of being splendid to dismal. Some of the dialogue and character setups give a sense of grand scope, though others can go over the mark to the point of hokiness. Especially some of the lines from both the villains Khalar Zym (Stephen Lang) and his odd, finger-bladed daughter Marique (Rose McGowan). I've liked both performers in other films, and they look their part here, just some of the lines delivered aren't always shown in the best light.

I've seen a share of 3D films by now and this one was somewhat distracting out of the bunch. The tight action sequences were jarring to the point of frequently throwing out my focus like no other 3D movie I've seen to date to the point of having to sit farther back than usual. For the regular, every-other-time cinema goer, I'd say "Conan the Barbarian" 2011 isn't worth the pricey ticket as it's not pressing to see beyond a fan of the genre or the prior source material. As for an action-fantasy movie it included a large amount of action to whiz by one's head, though for fantasy it had a fairly to the point unfolding of the story for the genre, which can make the experience more titillating than impacting.

Rating: 5/10

Director: Marcus Nispel (Pathfinder, Friday the 13th 2009)
Stars: Jason Momoa, Ron Perlman, Stephen Lang, Rose McGowan, Rachel Nichols
Link: IMDB, comparisons to 1982 film and Robert E. Howard stories

Final Destination 5 (2011)

Death's pissed for the 5th time!

At one time, before it became the franchise and formula it is today, "Final Destination" was entirely fresh and new. It created a twist to the revived slasher genre that was building up and starting to die off again when it hit theaters in 2000. There were teens and they got knocked off one by one just the same, but it had such an ingenious reason for doing so: a deadly shadow was following them around to collect owed lives for dodging its originally intended plan. How are you supposed to escape that? An invisible killer that can be anywhere at anytime, not just some psycho that you can at least run through the woods from, or get on a plane and fly to some other country. But here this is the supernatural we're talking about, something that's probably as ancient as the first people to accidentally die doing an everyday thing like eating the wrong plant and berries or running off a cliff chasing a sabertooth.

"I had a vision," Sam (Nicholas D'Agosto) said as he's being grilled by the no-nonsense agent Block (Courtney B. Vance) before all the facts are in about the bridge collapse that he and his friends got away from just in the nick of time. At first the eight survivors don't think anything more than they're just lucky, that is until the snide, low-toned William Bludworth (Tony Todd) shows up with ambiguity because he either has a message to tell--or is it a warning?--or he's just passing by to do his job as the local coroner. Each of the other movies had a gal and a guy who tried to prevent each accident but, of course, were always just too late. This plays on that somewhat with a cell phone call here and a show up there, but instead proposed a new rule that would allow said person to accumulate someone else's life total if you kill them. It creates a moral dilemma and inner tension to the story, though it got quickly stopped by its own creative hand when it pulled the plug on itself for a shock--a shock that might just make the audiences' mouth do an "Ohhh."

There are a few aspects thrown in to give the new set of characters--or should we say victims?--personalities, such as the young foreman named Nathan (Arlen Escarpeta) at the factory catching flack from the union rep, and Sam going through a split decision with a far away internship or a life with his girlfriend named Molly (Emma Bell) in New York. Though the thriller-like pacing often moved so fast as to run over its own dramatic scenes at the same time as building them up. It feels like a few back and forth views on what the filmmakers thought the flow should have been in the editing room. One foot in to make them memorable, one foot out because it's going to eventually not matter.

If you have no recollection of the other films, then this might be a more titillating experience. You can still definitely count on it to deliver the gory bits but it didn't always capitalize on the nail-bitting anxiety and anticipation of something chasing the characters. The performers often act oblivious, helpless or like hamsters in a cage with something so much bigger to the point of being a condescending bully looming over top that they can't even focus on it with their eyes. The other films had a certain nervousness at the forefront about them, especially the first film, in that Death could be anywhere at anytime. "FD3" at least proposed the question of: Would you want to know or not know when you're going to die? Because knowing comes with extreme unease and paranoia, and not knowing comes with numbness, even though you don't get to say your goodbyes. "FD5" could have taken it to the hilt but plays on a tense and release outlook instead. It has a number of quips and one-liners to get the audience loosened up--especially with P.J. Byrne and David Koechner--but it makes the shadowy, people-dying-left-and-right experience less oppressive than made out to be to cater to the portion of the audience who's a cross-armed skeptic of the supernatural.

The gore traps look pretty grisly and can often catch you by unawares. Though some deaths aren't always playing on something that would be a relating experience to a general audience, since they have to tap into what hasn't been done beforehand. It creates some distancing from the screen, as the first and second film had more relating elements that made seemingly innocent areas now have a deadly shadow cast across in your mind: a kitchen, a bathroom, a stove, an elevator, crossing the street. For instance, here, a factory with dangerous machinery is only going to lead to dangerous accidents or most people aren't going to touch a gymnasium.

The cinematography and the picture quality looked great on screen compared to the slapped together job "FD4" was. This time around the new director has the technical side well worked through and used the 3D aspect to its advantage at points with various objects actually projecting out compared to the depthless job the recent "Harry Potter" had and "Captain America" with only so many things popping out. "FD5" still feels more a ritual and routine than a complete refresher. Though there's still some sadistic fun to mine and effort put into this as a fifth installment, even if the novelty is diluted if you've kept up since the beginning or at least watched the previous films a few times.

Rating: 5.5/10

Director: Steven Quale (second unit director "Titanic," "Avatar")
Stars: Nicholas D'Agosto, Emma Bell, Miles Fisher, Ellen Wroe, Jacqueline MacInnes Wood, P.J. Byrne, Alren Escarpeta, David Koechner, Courtney B. Vance, Tony Todd
Link: IMDB