Insidious (2011)

Insidious (2011)

Synopsis:

This film starts out illustrating your typical middle class picture perfect family...or so they thought. After moving into a new home their son, Dalton, had an mysterious accident in the attic of the house. The next morning he wouldn't wake up and he fell into a what they thought was a coma, but there is more to Dalton's heath problem than they know. Even the doctors couldn't seem to figure out why Dalton wont wake up, for three months the mystery seems to continue until strange things start happening in the house and the boys mother starts seeing ghosts and demons. The mother is almost positive that the house is haunted and convinces her husband to move to another home. Dalton's mother is still seeing ghosts and it is getting worse at this point. She is losing her mind at this point until her mother in law said she was having strange premonitions of demons in his room. They invite a specialist and a ghost hunter team to investigate the boy and the supernatural incidents going on in the house. The specialist soon finds that Dalton is a astro traveler who can leave his body. Now that his body is without a spirit there are demons trying to get into Dalton's body to cause pain to others. Then come to find astro traveling is a hereditary trait and his father has to travel to find him and bring him home. 

Review:

In this thrilling horror film every scene had me at the edge of my seat throughout the duration of the movie. I really enjoyed the way the plot was set up because all the information was given throughout the film was spaced fairly evenly making the whole film suspenseful. It was super creepy when the mother finds out her son was possessed by a demon and I think that she played her part very well in the film. The dramatic irony that took place in the film when Dalton's mother knew that there was something not spiritually right with her surroundings and Dalton, yet her family was not quick to believe her, really gave more excitement to the film because you were just waiting for the next scene to take a turn for the worse. The pop up shockers that make you jump from your seat in this movie is what really made it exciting for me. Although, towards the end of the film I didn't enjoy the large chunk of time that was spent wandering in the darkness, It kind of made the film drag a bit, but other than that I would highly recommend this film.  

Top 9 Back to School Horror Flicks!

1. Carrie
This film explored the darkest and most evil sides of adolescent torment. All this young girl wanted was to be accepted by her peers and considered normal. It leads up to the famous scene of a bucket of pigs blood being dumped on Carrie's head in front of the whole student body. This movie is a very haunting film about one girls life and how the mental abuse from her school mates and mother drive her to insanity. 

2. A Nightmare on Elm Street
Freddy Kruger haunts the dreams of high school students. He follows them no matter where they are and he brutally and attacks them when they are in dream land. This is a gruesome account of a group of high schooler's nightmares becoming reality. This film includes wrongful accusations of murders, premarital sex and teens abusing themselves with sleep deprivation.

3. The Faculty
Herringtons high school's is being taken over by a legion on alien parasites (like slugs). They find their ways into their victims minds through their ears and control every action they make through the inside. This movie is very gruesome with its alien executions and eye stabbings.

4. The Craft 
Is about a group of girls that go to a Catholic high school who are named social outcasts by their peers. The girls meddle in witchcraft and they terrorize their high school peers in order to get what ever they want, even if that means going against each other to do it. The girls eventually get themselves into trouble by using spells that cause horrible permanent curses ending in some lessons learned the hard way.

5. Jennifer's Body
A demonic spirit makes its way into a beautiful young girls body that controls all of her actions. The young girl goes out killing men in order to gain power as her best friend  the only one who knows whats going on, watches the situation grow out of control. This is a dark tale about a demon possessed girl wrecking the lives of her "so called" friends. I found that Megan Fox really did a good job playing this role.

6. Prom Night
A serial killer torments a high school prom by slowly killing off the students one by one. It's your typical teen horror flick that includes topics such as revenge, sexual assault, and brutal murders. Make sure you check out the original film with Jamie Lee Curtis, they have made a re-make in the past years.

7. Scream
The original film Scream is set in a high school, the protagonist is a young girl named Casey who soon starts getting strange phone calls from who she thought was her boyfriend playing a prank on he, yet she comes to find that it is a mysterious caller that is calling and has her boyfriend held hostage. Casey then comes too see that his life and her own are in great danger.

8. Buffy the Vampire Slayer
A film about a young high school cheerleader names Buffy Summers. When the movie begins it seems that she is your typical high school girl, only worried about shopping, cheerleading and boys. Then as the movie progresses she is assigned the job of becoming a bad ass vampire slayer. I personally enjoyed this movie a lot.

9. I Know What You Did Last Summer
A group of young teens find themselves in a sticky situation when they are driving home from a beauty pageant. They were involved with an accident where they hit someone and killed them. The teens decided the best idea was to get rid of the body in the ocean and move on with their lives. Or so they thought, everything seemed fine until they found a note the next summer saying "I know what you did last summer".

Characterizing Asian Horror

After reading a post about the differences between Asian and Western Horror by our buddies at Hail Horrors, Hail I wasn't aware at of the many vast differences between the both types. According to Hail Horrors, Hail's post, Asian horror films have prospered because of the great horror films made in Japan, Thailand, Hong Kong and South Korea. In Western horror films it seems that the more independent and lower budget films mimic the way Asian horror films are put together, yet, Asian horror tends to reflect the Western horror of the 1970's and 1980's. 

Asian horror usually uses special effects such as masks, prosthetics and mechanized monsters in their films and for the most part use cinematic techniques such as jumps and cuts in order to get their desired scary affect. The main messages of the films usually have to deal with personal issues or social themes crossed with supernatural horror ( or they try to evoke more human emotion). 

Asian horror also typically has a lot of ambiguity throughout the film and Hail Horrors, Hail says that Asian horror usually goes in one of two directions.

• Typical ghost/monster horror story with a large amount of symbolism 
• or disjointed theme/plot that is hard to follow and leaves a lot of room for viewers own interpretation

They also found that in Asian horror the monster or the source of the horror is never really there to terrorize but to convey a deeper message to its viewers. It allows the audience to jump to their own conclusions about the film that were not intended by the filmmaker in the first place. A great example of this would be the movie Dark Water (2005).

Ultimately, Asian horror will tell a story that lets the audience make connections and tie it to a deeper lesson and they still think of horror itself as a great cinematic tool for success. I completely agree with our friends over at Hail Horror, Hail, and anyone familiar with Asian horror should agree that they are cinematic gods when it comes to creating a horror film that will have your mind spinning and you at the edge of your seat. However, does the evidence I've cited prove conclusively that Asian horror film are better than Western horror films?

What do you guys think about Asian Horror? Did this open your eyes to how different horror films from around the world can be?

Top Ten Groundbreaking Horror Movies of All Time!

I thought that you guys might enjoy to see something a little bit different from a short synopsis and a review. So, I did a little research and I found a blog forum in my community called dreadcentral.com and it is also a blog dedicated to all things horror! (how exciting:)!) They have a link on their site for top 10 lists. There were many to pick from to share with you guys, but I thought the best one would be the top ten groundbreaking horror movies of all time! Now, remember that this is according to our buddies at dead central and there are also other plenty of sites dedicated to the top horror movies, but I found this one to be pretty accurate and knowledgeable! Here are the top 10 groundbreaking horror movies according to dead central! Hope you enjoy:) and don't be afraid to provide some feedback!

1. Nosferatu(1922) Directed by FW Murnau

• This is the film where vampires all started! All inspiration from vampires today can be followed back to this film.

2. Frankenstein(1931) Directed by James W. Hale

• A classic movie monster who became an iconic figure for monsters to this day.
• An original piece of artwork that originated in the U.S. 
• Derived from a classic piece of literature.

3. Freaks(1932) Directed by Tod Browning

• Hired actual circus performers to play the protagonists roles.
• "Circus Freaks" were portrayed as hero's and normal people.
• Opened the doors to what was "acceptable" in films.

4. Psycho(1960) Directed by Alfred Hitchcock 

• Often credited as the first slasher film.
• Inspiration for horror films to use more gore!
• first time viewers saw a toilet (yes, a toilet) on the big screen!

5. Night of the Living Dead(1968) Directed by George A. Romero 

• Defined the modern zombie! and influenced a massive amount of zombie entertainment today.

6. The Last House on the Left(1972) Directed by Wes Craven

• A horror film that opened doors for all other extreme violence/cruelty movies!

7. The Exorcist(1973) Directed by William Friedkin

• The first time the big screen sees a movie that mixes religion, reality and horror. Taboo subject.
• Super Scary!!

8. Jaws(1975) Directed by Steven Spielberg

• Became the first film to be considered a "summer blockbuster" and it reshaped the way that studios distributed films 
• Took the fear of a shark and turned it into a realistic nightmare!

9. Halloween(1978) Directed by John Carpenter 

• First horror film that gave us a horror villain that killed for no reason and haunted its viewers.

10. The Blair Witch Project(1999) Directed by Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sanchez

• First film that used a different type of cinematic technique called first person footage style.
• Makes you feel like you are watching real footage. (SO SCARY!)
• Different style of filming and marketing approach that would change film making forever!

The Final (2012)

The Final(2010)

Synopsis:

The horror film The Final is a about a group of high school outcasts who have had it with the embarrassment, torture and harassment that their popular classmates have inflicted on them. The group of social outcasts plan to get revenge in the most rewarding way to them. They plan to make their classmates suffer just the way that they made them suffer, yet they will carry a permanent mark of their actions for the rest of their lives just as the social outcasts have been carrying the burden of their own torment for years. The ring leader of the outcasts name is Dane, he plans a have a Halloween costume party for his popular peers at a secluded lake house he inherited from his deceased uncle. The group of disguised outcasts then spike the parties alcohol with a drug to render all who drink it unconscious. The classmates then wake to find themselves chained together surrounded by the outcasts whose disguise's are inspired by their favorite horror movie characters. The horrific torturing then begins to the popular classmates right in front of all their eyes to teach them a lesson that they will never forget. 

Check out the trailer!!

Review:

The Film The Final is directed by Joey Stewart, and is a disturbing account of a group of social outcast's revenge on their popular peers for their suffering and torment that has been inflicted on them for years. This torment that happened every day of these kids lives in school and at home. These misfits group together to try and teach their classmates a lesson by chaining them together and brutally torturing them all in front of each other at a fake Halloween party that they constructed just for the purpose inflicting this pain or "lesson" upon the "cool" kids; is the way that they phrased it. The outcast's torture included but not limited too the stabbing of a classmate in the shoulder with a sword and forcing him to drink a liquid that would paralyze his muscular system, Stabbing a guy with needles all over his torso, smearing acid on the face of two girls, and the dismembering of body parts. This movie was a very dark movie and is definitely not for everyone. So my advice to those who are interested and decide to take a peek at it make sure you have a strong stomach!! 

This film started out a little slow in the beginning and it took me a few minutes to actually get into it. When it started to pick up towards the middle I found it hard to take my eyes off the screen as I was sucked into the drama of the situation and emotion that was flying off the screen. You could almost feel how scared the classmates of the outcasts were as they suddenly realized that this was no joke and their lives were in great danger. A great twist that took place in the movie is that the outcasts made some of there popular peers turn against each other in order to save their own lives! (Now, that's crazy! So much for being "friends"). Thus, the outcasts start achieving the revenge that they have always hungered for. 

I think that even with this being a horror film there is a huge point that is trying to be made, That bullying can make kids go to extraordinary measures and you should never intentionally physically or mentally abuse someone because you never know what someone else is going through. This was evident at the end of the movie when one the outcasts said "it's too late" and "there are more of us out there." before committing suicide. I have heard this to be a film that is heavily inspired by the tragic Columbine massacre. I found this information out after viewing the film;  Look here for a second review!. In my opinion I don't believe that we are ready for a film that is based on such serious events but non the less the movie had a very serious message.  

Fear Island (2009)

Film Review:

Fear Island (2009)

Synopsis:

Fear Island is a horror/thriller film about five friends who go to a secluded island for their spring break vacation. After only one night of drinking and partying they come to find the cabins watchman was horrifically murdered and the only boat to get them off the island is gone. The five friends find themselves stranded and the mysterious murderer begins to kill them off one by one. The Murderer wants revenge for a young girls tragic death that was at fault of of the two young men. It was all fun and games until someone got buried and forgotten.

Review:

This movie was definitely a movie that you had to watch from beginning to end to understand. The beginning of the film starts out at the end when the main protagonist, Jenna, played by Haylie Duff is on the island holding a bloody knife after it looks like she was running from the killer when the police find her and her six dead friends. Jenna is then taken into custody for questioning and psychiatric help where she recants her version of what really happened on the island. The film is told through Jenna's "flashbacks" (not sure how accurate they are, she seems kinda guilty or crazy... maybe both!) on the events that took place on the island. I found this to be a little confusing at times to follow. I didn't think that the acting was all that great, but the suspense that the plot held made the movie a good one for me.

The film had some pretty crazy murder scenes that ranged from a man being hung from a tree by his feet; to being locked and drowned in a hot tub; to a guy being shot with a nail gun and then bit by a rattle snake both in the chest; to another guy falling off a balcony and breaking his neck. The suspense from constantly questioning who was going to be the next victim really made the film exciting for me.

All in all I thought the movies ending was a great twist to a story that seemed super predictable in the beginning. The whole time you thought that Jenna was innocent (maybe a little insane also), but she was actually Megan (Megan was the younger sister of the girl who got killed and buried on the island after the wild rager that went wrong, thus her seeking revenge for her sister); she undoubtedly pulled one over on the detective and psychiatrist and got away with the deaths of her five (so called)friends and avenging the death of her sister. My advice is to watch the film if you ever get the chance! You will be at your edge of the seat the whole time wondering what is going to happen next. 

My Review of Todd Martin's Horror Film Review

Film Review: 

Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers (1988)

After doing some short searching on the world wide web I discovered many other blogs just dedicated to horror films. My favorite place that I came across is called www.horrornews.net and they have an abundant amount of horror movies to read and discuss about as well trailers, upcoming horror movies and even summary and reviews on books regarding horror. I found a short synopsis and a review of Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers (1988) by Todd Martin in the general horror movie review section. 

In the review of the film, Mr. Martin first begins with a short synopsis. Which tell us more or less that after ten years of Michael Myers being dead he returns to his hometown of Haddonfield to begin his slayings again, but this time he isn't going after Laurie (like he had in the series previously). Instead Myers decides he is going to go after Laurie's daughter, Jamie. Nothing will stop him from trying to get her and he will slay anyone that gets in his way. Michael's old psychiatrist Dr. Loomis will try to put an end to the madness before its just too late!

Mr. Martin then goes on to review the film. I liked how in his review he included why the 4th Halloween movie was his favorite and the others in the series are not. I have to completely agree with Mr. Martin when he states, "Without a doubt the Halloween series is one of the most successful and influential horror film series of all time." and I find this to true in my opinion also because when I was younger Michael was the only horror monster to grab my undivided attention! 

"In my opinion Halloween 4 was probably the last good movie of the franchise. I thought that part 5 was pretty much just part 4 all over again and brought in the silly and confusing Thorn cult into the mix. Part 6 was a muddled mess of a film (though the Producer’s Cut is a little better), and H20 was a cinematic abortion. Halloween Resurrection is high on my list of worst movies ever made, and Zombie’s remake and sequel were pretty bad too. One of the reasons that I really like part 4 so much (in addition that it brings Michael and Loomis back) is that it just catches the feel of the first two films."

I liked the fact that he was short and concise in his explanation and opnion of the other movies in the series without losing focus on the actual film itself. At the same time that I believe the 4th Halloween film is the best well put together one in the series, I also believe that the first two movies really added to the excitement of the 4th. Mr. Martin's review goes from talking about his favorite part in the film to how the story-line is very plausible and flows well with the first two films in the series. He also shared with his readers that he thinks Michael as a character is more "hardcore" in the 4th Halloween as opposed to the others. He describes the multiple ways he killed his victims besides his famous butcher knife and I think the small detail he adds in the review really makes the review that much better.

Horror News!

Hello there fellow readers & welcome to my blog. 

With this being my first blog post I want to take a moment to tell you guys a little about myself. My name is Megh and I'm a Sophomore at the University of South Florida, I'm currently studying to become a biology major and believe it or not I constructed this blog for the purposes of my Expository Writing class. Therefore, it is a grade! but I'm trying to keep my blog as interesting and fun as possible. I have never had an actual blog before so when taking on this project I have to admit I was a little intimidated, but after taking a deeper look into blogging I am extremely excited to start my blog project. 

Now, with all that being said, you can see I'm calling my blog Hollywoods Hauntings:) and for the most part I'm going to be blogging about Horror movies. I will be giving insight and reviews into some of the scariest movies out there as well as giving some film summaries for those scary films that are hard to follow. I want to touch on ALL kinds of different horror movies ranging from crazed vampires to raging zombies to those scary horror films that are based on real life stories! (EEK!) I can already feel the suspense building! 

Also, you might be interested to hear that up until about a year ago I RARELY watched ANY kind of scary movie EVER. you ask, why? Well honestly I was always too afraid (I know.. I know.. such a wimp.)but now that I've conquered my fears of the unknown depths of horror films I cannot bring myself to stop watching them! I've come to find that Horror films can be extremely thrilling and exciting to watch. I can't wait to share all my Hollywood Hauntings with you!