Title: God Told Me To Writer/ Director: Larry Cohen Cast: Tony Lo Bianco, Deborah Raffin, Sandy Dennis, Sylvia Sidney, Sam Levene, Robert Drivas Year: 1976 Min: 91
A series of violent mass murders hits and terrorizes the residents of New York City. Before each of the killers get taken down or kill themselves, they all answer, when asked why, because, ''God told me to''. On the case is detective Peter J. Nicholas (Tony Lo Bianco), a deeply religious man. As such, he becomes obsessed with unraveling this case, which gets more wild and insane as the truth reveals itself.
One of the most interesting films from sometimes underrated horror filmmaker Larry (It's Alive, Q) Cohen, God Told Me To is a fascinating and wholly original mix of crime drama, horror, and science fiction. Moving at a slow and deliberate pace it builds up bit by bit, as it gets weirder and wilder. Throughout its running time, it remains a fascinating and intriguing bit of genre work by a sometimes overlooked master.
Cohen's script is smart and unlike any film that I can think of. It does a great job at looking at religion and the sometimes fanatical following that it has. It certainly comes off as bold and imaginative. The movie eventually becomes a total ''what the fuck?!" fest, as reveals more and more of its truths. Cohen's interest in police dramas may make some think it is a slow moving film. But, the movie never fails to capture the audiences interest.
Aside from the plot and ever increasing weirdness level, Cohen also builds up tension in the action and suspense scenes. They are edited perfectly, with the opening sniper shooting in New York City at the film's start being a prime example of this. It's a scary and startling scene that grabs you by the throat. This is something that could happen (and has, just not in NYC, at least not that I know or recall). While, not exceptionally gory, it is violent with gun shots, stabbings, and throat slashings peppering the proceedings, all of which is done with that wonderfully bright red Dawn of the Dead 70's style of blood-letting.
The acting is excellent, especially from Tony Lo Bianco as the lead. He is believable and easy to get behind in his quest to unravel the truth. The fact that he is a man of faith makes it all the more interesting, as he faced with horrifying atrocities done in the name of the God he so loves and faithfully worships.
God Told Me To is an original and wild ride from one of the most talented and overlooked masters of fright. Cohen slowly builds the tension and shocking reality of the film's crazy plot ever so slowly. Questioning religion, faith, and the dangers of following it in a fanatical manner, the movie is as timely now as it was in the 70s, maybe more so. Coupled with excellent acting, especially from Lo Bianco, and a cool mix of genres, this is a film that needs to be seen by more. If you have never seen it be sure to check it out, as it is currently streaming on Shudder.
Two girls who are friends watch the cursed video tape from Ringu (AKA The Ring), first Natsumi (Aimi Satsukawa), then later, Yuri (Mizuki Yamamoto). They both have two days to live (cut down from the original film's seven days), as Sadako (Elly Nanami) will come and kill them. After an awesomely funny and failed exorcism, they end up getting help from a man named Kyozo (Masanobu Ando) and Tamao (Maiko Kikuchi), the blind and psychic girl who assists him in his ghost hunting. The only way to save them he demises would be for Sadako to battle another vengeful spirit.
At the same time that this is going, Suzuka (Tina Tamashiro) has moved next door to the house from Ju-On (The Grudge). Haunted by nightmares, learning of the house's murder history, and hearing about some boys who disappeared, she pays it a visit. Of course, this means she is cursed by the ghost known as Kayako (Runa Endo). Ultimately, Kyozo and Tamao decide to help all these girls by getting them to cross curse each other, thus causing their evil ghost chicks to battle each other over them.
For much of Sadako Vs. Kayako, it feels like two movies spliced together. The Sadako stuff is wilder and more fun, while Kayako part is slightly weaker and little more predictable. This isn't to say that part is bad, it most certainly isn't. Whenever Kayako and her creepy-ass son are onscreen, it's still good fun. It's just the Sadako part with its more interesting female protagonists, crazy ghost hunters, and, most especially, the aforementioned exorcism really stands out. At the last third of the movie it finally does become the crossover it promises to be, and then things get really crazy! But, the ultimate truth is that this movie is more fun that it has any right to be.
The acting from the cast is good. Though Tina Tamashiro's Suzuka is slightly less interesting than the other heroes in the film, her performance is fine. But, honestly, it's Masanoby Ando as Kyozo who really steals the show. He is so much fun to watch and is really the character that you will enjoy watching the most.
The more terrifying nature of both of the movies that make up this crossover is largely left on the wayside. Though, there are a few creepy moments, here and there, most of the feeling of the movie is one of just being a good time. It is more interested in entertaining you than outright scaring the shit out of you. There is a little more blood than the US counterparts of these franchises but is hardly a gorefest. The FX contained in the film range from the pretty decent to very good.
Sadako Vs. Kayako feels like two partners that keep teasing each other a lot, only to finally get to the actually fucking. But, the fact is that movie is continuously entertaining and fun, even if the levels of the entertainment do change, at times. Yes, it is a little bit dumb and kind of silly, but come on, one of this movie's precedents is fucking King Kong Vs. Godzilla! And, this movie is, I think, better than that camp favorite. It is possible that you will be disappointed that the movie takes so long to actually crossover, but this didn't happen to me. I just enjoyed the hell out of a movie that really should be not as wonderfully entertaining as it is. Also, I can honestly say that it is infinitely better than either the The Ring Two or any of the American The Grudge movies. Exclusively available to view on the new horror subscription channel Shudder, I say kick back, relax, and just enjoy the hell out of it!
Title: Resident Evil: The Final Chapter Writer/ Director: Paul W.S. Anderson Cast: Mila Jovovich, Iain Glen, Ali Larter, Shawn Roberts, Eoin Macken, Fraser James, Ruby Rose Year: 2016 Min: 106
Alice (Mila Jovovich) is told by the AI, known as the Red Queen (Anderson and Mila's own real life daughter Ever Anderson), that there is an antidote that will destroy all organisms infected by the T-virus, hence ending this nightmare. It is held inside the HIVE in Raccoon City. Which means that she will have to return to where it all began. Thankfully she has help from her frequent teammate Claire (Ali Larter) and her new rag tag group of survivors. Standing in their way are two of Alice's most persistent foes from the Umbrella Corporation, Wesker (Shawn Roberts) and Dr. Isaacs (Ian Glen), who it, turns out, ain't dead. This is not including all the zombies and assorted other monsters created by the T-virus.
Resident Evil: The Final Chapter is the sixth (!) of the long running action/ horror franchise, loosely based on the horror survival video game series of the name, and is said to be the end. As such it is actually a pretty decent flick. One that is a huge improvement over the last two films, Afterlife and Retribution, both of which were complete shit. It would actually be an even better movie if not for some major film-making choices which hurt it a lot.
The main culprit is the godawful editing, which is some of the worst that I have ever seen. Now, you might say, eh bad editing is par for course here. But, here is the thing. It's worse than it usually is for this series. Everything is cut so fast that it is dizzying and hard to see. There were times when I was not sure what the fuck I was looking at, and my eyes felt like they were bugging the fuck out. Which is a shame because the movie has some genuinely good and thrilling actions.
The bad editing also hurts the FX. It is hard to see the very cool looking monsters or the gore. There are bullet hits, head shots, decapitations, amputations, dismemberment, and more, but you will hardly see any of it. This is even further compromised by an ever moving camera. Stop moving that shit and stand still, goddamn it! And, then, on top of that, there is a lot of dark lightning. Why?! Its maddening as hell, and even just writing about it annoys me.
As is the norm for this franchise characterization is non-existent. A bunch of new characters are added but you won't give a flying fuck about them, among them is Abigail played by Ruby Rose. If you are a fan of hers and are excited about her being this film, don't be. Her role doesn't amount to jackshit.
Thankfully, Mila Jovovich and Ali Larter both kick major ass and make for great heroines, yet again. They also look gorgeous, but with these two it is a fucking given. Jovovich is actually given a little more to work with, which is pretty cool. Our two villains, Wesker and Dr. Isaacs (Shawn Roberts and Ian Glen, respectively) are quite a hoot. They are not given that much depth or anything, but they are fun as hell to watch being bad.
As I said the action scenes, though awesome, are poorly shot, but the movie moves at a breakneck pace. There is very little, if any, boring scenes. It might not give us any real character moments, but it keeps the movie fast and fun.
As a final entry, it ties up some stuff from the series, while making some head scratching decisions in other parts. Is it really the end? Without giving too much I away, I say yes and no. But, considering it has tanked at the box office over here, I think this is the end. But, as such it is satisfactory enough.
Resident Evil: The Final Chapter is horribly edited and shot poorly. But, it is fast paced and action packed. Sure it could use more character moments, but the fact is this just meant to be a fun action/ horror movie. And, it does a pretty job at that. If you hate these movies, this one ain't for you. But, if you enjoy them for what this series is, dive right into this final chapter. That being said do you need to see it in the movies? I suppose not, but do see it nonetheless.
Title: Death Race 2050 Director: G.J. Echternkamp Writer: G.J. Echternkamp, Matt Yamashita Cast: Manu Bennett, Malcolm McDowell, Marci Miller, Burt Grinstead, Folake Olowofoyeku Year: 2017 Min: 90
In the year, 2050 the latest Death Race, a race in which one gets extra points by running over pedestrians, is happening in a large arena. Reigning champ and cybro-gentically enhanced Frankenstein (Manu Bennett) is among the competitors. But, he has some stiff competition including the vein and genetically enhanced Jed Perfectus (Burt Grinstead) and the insane and deadly Tammy the Terrorist (the lovely Anessa Ramsey) who has her own religion/ cult that centers around her. Helping Frankenstein out is his proxy the gorgeous Annie Sullivan (Marci Miller), though from the get-go he is annoyed by her presence. The rebellion try to stop Frankenstein, because of the fact that he is loved by the spectators. Meanwhile, the evil Chairman (Malcolm McDowell), who is running the whole race, is treacherous scum. This all leads to what will be the most difficult and dangerous race of Frankenstein's career.
Death Race 2050 is the sequel (yes sequel, not remake) to the Roger Corman (who also produced this flick, of course) produced cult classic Death Race 2000. Unlike the more serious tone of the wild and ultra-violent big-budget remake from 2008 (which was also co-produced by Corman), this film is much closer in tone to the original movie. It's campy, bloody, and filled with political satire. The later, of which, is very welcome in the current political climate. It should be noted that you do not need to see the first movie to see this one, but why the hell wouldn't you see that movie? It's fucking awesome!
That being said, it is never as good as either of those two movies. I can't compare it to the two sequels the 2008 film had, though, as I never saw those. But, I digress. 2050 is wonderfully blatant in its proudly campy manner. This doesn't necessarily work all the time, as the humor, sometimes, comes off a little forced or is just not funny. However, a good amount of it does work and is really quite hilarious.
The CGI is pretty bad, but somehow it just adds to the camp factor. It helps it look and feel cheap, which in this case is a welcome. I would venture in saying that I enjoyed the bad CGI here, more than I enjoy a lot of the shitty CGI featured on movies that air on SyFy. The cars look wild and are very much in tone with the first film. The gore FX are wonderfully over-the-top. Included among the mayhem are bodies getting run-over (of course!), exploding bodies, impaling, decapitations, splattering blood, flying entrails, and more. Nothing is ever done in a serious tone or manner so there is never a morbid or mean-spirited feel to it.
Being a Corman movie you will wanna know if it succeeds in the other exploitation staple: nudity. And, I can happily say that it does! Various babes show ample T&A, but the only central character to show the goods is the quite nice ass of Anessa Ramsey in her as Tammy. That said, Marci Miller does wear a sexy, tight outfit that shows off her ample curves.
The acting is, admit ably, good. Manu Bennett, best know for Spartacus and playing Deathstroke on Arrow, seems to be having a hell of a good time playing Frankenstein. He is great at both the action scenes and playing with the humor of the movie. Malcolm McDowell is equally fun as the evil Chairman, who is an excellent and welcomed parody of now President Donald Trump, right down to the ridiculous, parted hair. Like I said this movie has great social commentary for our current state! Miller adds some bombshell sex appeal, and killer curves, with her role of Annie. She, too, is great at combing said sex appeal with humor. The rest of the cast is equally fun and good at their roles.
Death Race 2050 doesn't always work or hit all of its goals. But, when it does it is quite a good time. With its campy and silly feel, it can be quite funny at times. Throw in some wild bits of ultra-violence and some welcome babes, it succeeds in its exploitation based heart. The biting social commentary is funny and scarily fitting today's world. Despite this, much of the movie has a breezy mentality that is perfect to just lie back and chill with it. The fact that it is currently on NetFlix means there is no reason you shouldn't being see it. 2.5 out of 4
Title: Split Writer/ Director: M. Night Shymalan Cast: James McAvoy, Betty Buckley, Anya Taylor-Joy, Haley Lu Richardson, Jessica Sula Year: 2016 Min: 117
Three pretty, young girls are kidnapped. They wake-up in a room where they held by a man with 23 very distinct personalities (James McAvoy). His psychiatrist, Dr. Karen Fletcher (Betty Buckley) tries to unravel what is going on and find him and the girls, before it is too late. In the meantime, a 24th and truly terrifying personality is going to emerge from him known as The Beast!
Split is one of those movies that talking to much about its plot has the potential of ruining it. Hence, I'm keeping the synopsis short and sweet. You don't need to know anymore about it beyond what I just said. Nor should you, to fully enjoy the movie. So, let's jump right into the review.
M. Night Shymalan is a director who started out great, then somewhere along the way, he got lost and gave us some utter shit. It seemed that all hope was lost until 2015's surprisingly good found footage horror flick, The Visit. Split continues that return to solid film-making, by surpassing that film and becoming the director's finest film since The Sixth Sense (yes, I think it is even better than Unbreakable or Signs).
Shymalan is always at his best when he tells small, quiet horror stories. And, that is exactly what this is. He builds up tension quite well. There are some genuinely creepy and suspenseful moments, particularly at the film's exciting, white knuckle climax. It's a wee bit slow at times and maybe a teensy bit overlong. Also, at times it gets drowned in too many metaphysical ideas and exposition. But, the pay-off is great, not just in the climax, but in the cool twist ending. Yes, there is a twist, but I loved it and got a real kick out of it.
The cast is all quite good, from top to bottom. But, it's James McAvoy who really shines here. He is flawless at playng essentially multiple characters. At times, he can be downright scary as fuck. In fact, it's one of the finest antagonist performances in the genre, in recent memory. Also, worthy of praise is Anya Taylor-Joy (who I thought was one of the few things truly memorable aspects from the overrated The Witch). She's great in her role, as one of the kidnapped girls, Casey Cooke, a withdrawn one with a dark past of her own. Between those two movies and Morgan, this lovely and talented actress is making a name for herself within the genre.
Split is Shymalan's second best movie. It's an entertaining and, at times, suspenseful horror/ thriller that features a tense climax and a cool twist ending. It is further strengthened by good acting, in particular a star turn by McAvoy. While, it has flaws that keep it from reaching that next level of quality, it's still a movie I can wholeheartedly reccomened. Between, this and The Visit it's great to see Shymalan back to what he is best at. Let's just hope he stays on this path. 3 out of 4
Title: Underworld: Blood Wars Director: Anna Foerster Writers: Cory Goodman, Kyle Ward Cast: Kate Bekinsale, Theo James, Tobias Menzies, Lara Pulver, Charles Dance, James Faulkner Year: 2016 Min: 91
Selene (Kate Bekinsale) is on the lam from vampires and Lycans (werewolves, duh), who still want her dead. Now, though, the Lycans also want to find her daughter who as hybrid has the blood they badly desire to finally beat the vampires forever. The Lycans have been united and are more dangerous than ever thanks to being lead by some new dude named Marius (Tobias Menzies). Helping Selene is David (Theo James) whose father, Thomas (Charles Dance) is on the council. Recently having joined said council is the beautiful Semire (Lara Pulver). She has come to the conclusion that they need Selene to defeat Marious and his band of evil, killer fleabags. The vampires convince our leather-clad sexy heroine to return and join them. She proceeds to train the vampire Death Dealers. The question becomes who can Selene trust and will Marius and his crew be victorious?
By now we are the fifth entry in this horror/ action franchise and you know what to expect. You also know whether you care for it or not. If you don't like these movies stop reading. This one won't change your mind, and you'll fucking hate it. However, if you are a fellow fan, please read on.
The plot in Underworld: Blood Wars, as it is, is kind of ridiculous. However, within the context of the series mythology it makes some degree of sense and kind of works. There are enough swerves and double and triple-crosses to give former WWE/ WCW/ TNA wrestling writer Vince Russo a full blown hard-on. I don't know if it all works or is necessarily enthralling, but what it is, is highly entertaining and fun.
This is due really to first time director Anna Foerster who keeps the action unrelenting. The movie moves at a breakneck pace. Breaks are short lived as it's more interested in violence and mayhem, than deep character development. And, what violence we have! Bloody bullet-hits, stabbings, slashing, and hacking abound, with a full body bisection and a spinal column getting ripped out (which should make fans of Mortal Kombat cum in their geek undies) serving as undeniable highlights in the gore department. As with other entries, most of the monsters and splatter is CGI created, which ranges in quality. But, at this point it's kind of expected in these movies, isn't it?
The acting is adequate. No one here is given the deepest of material to work with, but they all handle it well. Kate Bekinsale is gorgeous as always and as such looks great in leather kicking ass and gorily disposing of monsters. Sexy as fuck Lara Pulver is a welcome addition the cast and looks fucking hot especially in more cleavage revealing outfits. Her character of Semire is cunning enough to remain at least enjoyable to follow around. Our main villain Marious, played by Tobia Menzies, is passable but other than being really strong and nearly unstoppable he isn't given any real depth, whatsoever. But, in the midst of all the action you probably won't care much. I know I didn't and honestly until I stopped to think about for this review, I had not even given his lack of development any real thought.
Underworld: Blood Wars gives fans of this franchise what we want: mindless violence coupled with graphic gore and non-stop action, lots of monsters, hot goth chicks (and not just Bekinsale and Pulver!), and, of course, Bekinsale in tight leather killing said monsters. It piles on the action and barely ever lets up. Sure it is all rather silly and empty-headed but the fun factor is so high that it doesn't really matter. One more thing: the following rating for the film is strictly for fans of the franchise, anyone else will surely hate this movie. But, honestly this late in the game you already knew if you wanted to see this movie and were only curious just how much, how badly, and how soon, you needed to do just that.
Title: Intruders Director: Adam Schindler Writers: T.J. Cimfel, David White Cast: Beth Riesgraf, Rory Culkin, Leticia Jimenez, Jack Kesy, Timothy T. McKinney Year: 2015 Min: 90
Beautiful Anna (Beth Riesgraf) lives with her brother who is bed-ridden and dying from cancer, until one night, in which he passes away. She is left with an amount of money that so large that she tries to give some of it to the young and kind deliveryman (Rory Culkin), who refuses it. When it is time to go to her brother's funeral, she does not attend it and instead stays home, which saddens her, deeply. But, that is the least of her problems as three men looking for the aforementioned money break into her house. They thought she would be at the funeral, so are surprised to find her in the house. They soon discover that she suffers from a crippling case of agoraphobia, fear of the outside. So much so that even when she has the chance to escape she doesn't. Thus, she is trapped in the house by them, but they have underestimated her.
Intruders is an intense and excellently acted home invasion horror flick that turns the sub-genre on its ears. I haven't seen any movie that takes this type of story into this route. The results are refreshing and shows that adding a few things here and there makes a story that looks predictable, into something different and new. Intruders works best the less you know of it. The trailer reveals A LOT, so unlike my other reviews, I didn't post it here. In fact, DO NOT SEE THE TRAILER BEFORE WATCHING THIS FILM!
The script by T.J. Cimfel and David White is filled with twists and turns. The little revelations keep adding to the story. Under lesser hands these may have come off as ridiculous but everything is handled with an air of the believable. Everything that happens in the course of the film works and makes sense.
Director Adam Schindler keeps things intense. He builds tension well, especially when it comes to Anna. We fear for her, even when it looks like she might have the upper hand, we are never sure that she fully does. The climax is exciting and edge of your seat intense. Schindler doesn't have a problem with graphic violence. Although the body count is relatively small, the bloodletting comes hard and, at times, shocking.
The other major draw is the acting. Our villains are suitably despicable, in vary degrees throughout the film. They play their roles with the right amount of menace. Meanwhile, Rory Culkin gives a nuanced performance as Dan the delivery boy and is given a lot to do emotionally.
But, it is the beautiful and talented Beth Riesgraf who gives a tour de force performance, here. She is simply wonderful in the complex role of Anna. Sometimes we fear her, other times we feel for her, then we may feel sorry for her, but mostly we genuinely fear for her well being. We cheer Anna on, even though there is a moral grey area the film hits. It is all so well handled by Riesgraf who gives her everything when doing even the most emotional of scenes, that she just draws and sucks into the film fully.
Intruders shows that by adding twists and turns an old story can be new again. Suspenseful, emotional, and violent the movie plays on many emotions and feelings throughout its duration and does it all solidly. Starring a great cast of mostly unknowns, it is headlined by its immensely talented heroine. The movie is bound to draw comparisons to last year's hit on NetFlix, Hush. While, I did like that flick, I think Intruders is more emotionally challenging and complex. I caught this movie on Chiller TV and highly recommend that you see it as well.
It is Christmas Eve and Angela (Rachel Nichols), a young and beautiful business woman working in Manhattan, NY, is ready to head to her family's house for the holidays She soon realizes that her car isn't working. She asks the parking attendant, Thomas (Wes Bentley), for some help. Unfortunately, nothing seems to be going her way. She is trapped inside the parking garage with and by Thomas who has a sick obsession with her. His violent, psychotic behavior terrifies her, and this Christmas Eve becomes a fight to escape with her life.
P2 is slow building and nail-biting, suspenseful, horror/ thriller. This sometimes overlooked movie really ranks among the best of the Christmas horror movies. Though simple in its structure and nature, it succeed thanks to tense directing and excellent acting.
Co-writer and director Franck Khalfoun slowly but surely builds on the tension. The movie increasingly keeps you on the edge, as it builds to the exciting and rousing climax. The use of the holiday of Christmas is great because it adds to making her ordeal of being trapped by him alone very real and believable. This is upped by choosing the parking garage as the setting of the film, which can be by their very nature desolate and creepy. That being said, we New Yorkers will wonder why she drives to work and not takes public transportation. In fact, this movie reaffirms my desire to never drive to the city!.
While, there is not a huge body count, it is very violent and bloody. The first kill in particular is gruesome and realistic looking, thank to the excellent make-up FX. The movie's gruesome violence helps to raise the stakes and me it more shocking and white-knuckle experience.
Besides the nerve-shredding directing and excellent setting, the other true highlight is the acting. For the most part, the movie is a two person movie. And, you need excellent acting for this to truly work. Thank goodness then that both Wes Bentley and Rachel Nichols deliver this in droves. Bently is terrifying and creepy as fuck. On the drop of the dime he can realistically go from sweet to dangerously angry and threatening. But, even when he is being "nice" there remains an air of total creepiness. It's my favorite role of his.
Just like the role of Angela is my favorite of Rachel Nichols. In fact, she is one of my favorite final girls ever. Nichols plays her so believably and strongly that we cheer her on. She is vulnerable with the right amount of toughness; a good person caught in nightmarish situation. Of course, Nichols is absolutely gorgeous. I recently added the to this site's Horror Crushes, as she is most certainly a horror crush of anyone who sees this movie. And, let's call a spade a spade, she has some of the greatest cleavage that you will ever see in a horror flick. Both Nichols and Bentley pay so well of each other and have a great protagonist/ antagonist relationship that really drives the movie to the stratosphere.
P2 is a Christmas holiday season viewing tradition of mine for good reason. I've loved this movie since I first saw it as a blind buy when it first hit DVD. Suspenseful, violent, and with two superlative leads; it's a movie that deserves to be seated next to other holiday fear classics. If you have never seen it, you need to change that right fuckin now! And, if you have watched this nerve-shredder, watch it again. You need to make P2 part of your holiday viewing traditions as well. In all P2 holds an excellent level of holiday fear and tension.
Title: All Through the House Writer/ Director: Todd Nunes Cast: Ashley Mary Nunes, Jessica Cameron, Melynda Kiring, Natalie Montera, Lito Velasco Year: 2015 Min: 88
Rachel (the lovely Ashley Mary Nunes) has come home for the holidays during her college break. But, there are two mysteries that she and the rest of the neighborhood doesn't know the answers to, still to this very day. Those are: what happened to her mother and what happened to the little girl, Jamie, that was Rachel's neighbor. In the meantime, Jamie's mother, Gia (Melynda Kiring) is trying to put up the last of her Christmas decorations in and around her house. Rachel tells her that she will give her a helping hand to do just that. She gets her two pretty friends to accompany and help her out. Gia it ends up being, is going on a "date" leaving the girls alone in the admit ably creepy house. The thing is a scary and psychotic guy dressed in a Santa outfit that is heading to that exact house and has been racking up the body count on his way there, with the three of the girls being next.
I am a sucker for a good Christmas horror flick, and All Through the House is just that. In fact, it ranks with the best of the lot. A bloody slasher, it is a great throwback to the sub-genre's heyday. It's fun and gory and is sure to become part of your annual Christmas horror viewing habits.
The movie moves at a quick pace, leaving little quite moments during it's 88 minute duration. From beginning to end, it just flat-out rocks. In fact, it really takes very little time to set-up, as drop dead gorgeous scream queen and horror filmmaker Jessica Cameron (below) gets offed early on. Jessica has quickly become one of my favorite scream queens in the genre. And as such, it was great to see her in this movie. Although her role is short, her death scene is one of the movies most shocking scenes. The pull no punches aspect of this kill sets up the tone of the rest movie, as not only is super gory and explicit but also accompanied some admit ably funny tinges of humor.
writer/ director Todd Nunes has a great use of Christmas imagery in way that is super-creepy. Gia's house is filled with some of the scariest shit, I have ever seen used for Christmas decor! His use of Christmas colors and lighting adds a nice and stylish look to the movie. He also delivers a kick ass and suspenseful climax, as the film really hits on all cylinders during the last 15 or 20 min or so.
The gore FX that are a big draw of the film. These bloody kills would NEVER get an R-rating. Our killer Santa has an affinity for using garden sheers to end the life of his victims. This causes some gruesomely realistic splatter that includes: breast stabbings, graphic (and funny!) castrations (yes plural!), stabbings, sheers to the head, eye gouging, and more. Another wonderful special effect is the movie's beautiful female cast. So, that it hits all that is needed for a destined to be loved slasher.
The acting of the cast ranges from adequate to quite good. Ashley Mary Nunes (below) and Kiring really shine in their roles. Nunes, who is an absolute stunner, makes for a great and tough final girl. She is put through the ringer and really delivers in her role. Kiring is simply great as the unhinged Gia. She is given a lot to do and a chance to give different emotional levels, which she handles with much zest.
As with most slashers, it does fall under most of the trademarks and beats of that type of movie. However, it's done in such a fun manner and flair that it works. You can tell and feel that it is being done by someone who has a real love for slashers and does it out of his love of them, and not cause he is some unoriginal hack.
Try not think to much about our killer though, who seems to pop in front of victims at each and every turn, even when it makes no real logical sense. Maybe he is actually Nightcrawler from the X-Men? In a lesser movie it would totally sink it further (Friday the 13th Part VII: Jason Takes Manhattan anyone?), here it is done in the context of such an enjoyable film that I just shrugged it off and enjoyed the movie, itself. Also, the killer, himself, looks creepy as fuck. You gotta love that mask he is wearing being accompanied by the Santa suit. It's just a fucking great look for him!
All Through the House is a great time to be had. It's fun, super bloody, filled with pretty girls, and has a real love for the subgenre(s), as in both slashers and Christmas horror movies. Moving at a breakneck pace and leading to kick ass climax, it is destined to be a cult favorite. Make sure this Christmas season it joins your viewings of Black Christmas, Silent Night, Deadly Night, Gremlins, and the rest of the holiday horror flicks you watch. And, I predict that it will continue to do so in years to come.
