Tag Archives: dread

Bambi

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Vampire Owl: I feel that I know this particular animal.

Vampire Bat: Well, there is no vampire deer around here.

Vampire Owl: There are no new vampire appointments?

Vampire Bat: There has not been a vampire transformation in a long time.

Vampire Owl: But Dr. Frankenstein was transformed into a vampire.

Vampire Bat: He is not a vampire. Mr. Frankenstein just has some really bad teeth.

Vampire Owl: Well, he is known as the first vampire scientist in the media.

Vampire Bat: The media is just exaggerating things. They even talked about the hunt.

Vampire Owl: There was the great monster hunt which spread further.

Vampire Bat: It was not really a hunt. It was just a random experiment.

[Gets an uzhunnu vada and three cups of Ooty tea].

What is the movie about? :: A young deer is shown as losing his family members, to poachers, to vehicles carelessly driven through forest roads and finds the rivers contaminated with radioactive waste. Drinking this contaminated waste transforms the deer into something else, a mutated creature known as Bambi. It drives him into vengeance, as he, as part of the forest, decides to take back the world which used to belong to them, and finish off whatever humans he finds on the way. Greatly increased in size and stronger than ever, the mutated version of him is something which would now stop at no force, seemingly becoming the apex predator which would not hesitate to kill at will. A big truck carrying toxic waste from a local radiation company known as Wibexr Pharmaceuticals would be a special target. At the same time, there are also other creatures of the forest, mostly herbivores, but have turned carnivores due to the same effect of the contamination. There might not be any innocence left in the forest yet.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: A few days after the contamination, a mother Xana (Roxanne McKee) and her son Benji (Tom Mulheron) take a taxi to spend the Thanksgiving holidays with Xana’s husband Simon (Alex Cooke) with whom she might get separated soon – and his family is also there including his dementia-stricken mother Mary (Nicola Wright), his brothers Andrew (Russell Geoffrey Banks) and Joshua (Luke Cavendish), Andrew’s wife Harriet (Samira Mighty), and their son Harrison (Joseph Greenwood). As Simon promises to arrive before dinner and celebrate with the family, the family stays waiting. On the way, Bambi attacks the taxi and brutally kills the driver while Xana and Benji manages to get out of the vehicle and somehow reaches the family house. The residents of the house do not believe in the story of a giant deer attacking, and feels that there is something else at work, but decides to be careful. Maty also seems to know the name of the deer and there are drawings of the creature in the house.

And what more would happen here as the world seems to be scariest with a contamination within a forest? :: Soon, Bambi reaches the place and attacks the house and kills Harriet splitting her into two with her reinforced antlers, forcing the family to flee in a caravan, losing the creature for some time. They drive into the forest only to find the road blocked and thus an unexpected dead end. Andrew tries to remove it, but Benji who panics upon seeing Bambi on the rear-view mirror drives off with him, Xana and Mary inside and Andrew is accidentally dragged behind them and dies on the road. Harrison who is left behind gets caught in a trap for animals and are brutally killed by a group of mutated rabbits. The group of Benji, Xana and Mary come up against Michael (Adrian Relph), a co-worker of Simon. Soon, they come across some truths which would be better if remained hidden, but then there is that mutated deer with some other ideas. Can the family and friends at least survive this night?

The defence of Bambi: The Reckoning :: The movie strikes well with its fear induced out of the cuteness of nostalgia, with such an inversion which goes so well with the situation that nature faces in front of human induced disasters. As this one flips into a horror revenge deer turned monster, the mood is so well-arranged and the environment is so much perfect. The Twisted Childhood Universe of horror taking on beloved characters gives it an appeal that we do not forget with ease. The monster deer created out of radioactive waste is designed very well and some inventive kills and gore also looks interesting. The haunting feels good and the presence of that kind of danger which seems to be present everywhere leaves the options of running, and there is the effective survival mode. The deer scares us like a rabid dog, as the looks shift to the face of a dog with antlers and the body of a horse, as this mutation never ceases to be scary. The dark mood is always present throughout the movie and there is also the talk about the need to save nature or it will hit back as forest would find a way for revenge.

The claws of flaw :: The movie could have spready the horror further with moments which would be remembered for the variety of terror as a classic slasher, but that much is not there. The elements of the classic slasher are less explored here as there seems to be some confusion about how the induced evil on cuteness should progress. The character development is rather less, and the humans feel like just provided here to be prey with the scope to save only the expected characters by the end because the movie just wants to keep playing safe. The low budget effect also shows at times, and seems to limit the movie from getting to the next level, especially with a seemingly unstoppable creature on the hunt. The darkness in the movie seems to be created more to hide what could be a terrifying thing beyond all imaginations if provided with the best budget. It is sometimes too much away from the usual serious horror and the reminder of the childhood tale does not strike everyone that well as we look at it. This is not that much of a classical childhood thing for people around here as much as some of the others.

How it finishes :: Bambi: The Reckoning gets a cute little creature grow up to become a demonic mutant monster that would change many childhood stories. The original Bambi of Disney would not get that treatment here, and the direct inverted cuteness is something that will stay with the viewers who would also have a related childhood nostalgia going the other way. This is the movie which comes as an unexpected interesting entry. It becomes the reminder that the sweetest could be the evillest, and as William Golding’s Lord of the Flies had told us, there is always that evil in the cuteness which is always ready to come out. We can now have the feeling that this evil is actually right out of the inherent evil of children that was delivered against Piggy and Simon in that novel and its multiple film adaptations. After all, the movie reminds us that evil is real, and the horror is the ultimate reality. You will surely get the entertainment and a special nostalgic feeling out of this one in Amazon Prime Video, but if you expect more substance or a polished horror experience, you might need more.

Release date: 25th July 2025
Running time: 81 minutes
Directed by: Dan Allen
Starring: Roxanne McKee, Tom Mulheron, Nicola Wright, Samira Mighty, Alex Cooke, Russell Geoffrey Banks, Joseph Greenwood

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✠ The Vampire Bat.

Oddity

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Vampire Owl: I would like to say that we are all odd.

Vampire Bat: We are odd for the humans indeed.

Vampire Owl: We have called odd by Dr Frankenstein millions of times.

Vampire Bat: Mr Frankenstein knows nothing about vampires.

Vampire Owl: Yes, he is a man of science and an expert in the same.

Vampire Bat: He is a man of pseudoscience like no other.

Vampire Owl: Well, humans call us as part of this pseudoscience too.

Vampire Bat: The lack of belief in God is slowly eating humans from inside.

Vampire Owl: I have heard that the demons of the night are also burning them.

Vampire Bat: I know that there is a great war coming among humans, bigger than they have ever known, and the godless world of theirs which twists religion for politics is going to burn.

[Gets a masala bonda and three cups of tea by Fort Cochin Beach].

What is the movie about? :: Dani Odello-Timmis (Carolyn Bracken), wife of Ted Timmis (Gwilym Lee), a renounced psychiatrist, moves to a new country house which is located in the middle of nowhere. As Ted works during the nights, and as the hospital is short-staffed, she decides to stay at the new house through the night and arrange a few things even though there is a lot of work to be done. She tries to call her twin sister Darcy Odello (Carolyn Bracken), who is a clairvoyant, but is unable to get to her on the phone. Olin Boole (Tadhg Murphy), a former of patient of Ted visits Dani on the might and asks her to let him in so that he can help her with the people who had gotten inside her home. Even though she feels that she heard some sound inside, she is reluctant to get him inside and asks him to go away. Olin tells her to call the police and seems to walk away. She is scared, but decides to stay inside and not open the door. But in the morning, she is found dead, and Olin is believed to be the murderer.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: Soon, Olin is also found dead in the mental hospital where he was admitted, and he seemed to have met his death in the most brutal manner. One year later, a woman named Yana (Caroline Menton) starts living with Ted as his new girlfriend. She is not happy about living in home in the middle of nowhere which had seen that one mysterious and brutal death. She feels that there is something sinister at work there, and she gets visions of the dead woman all the time. Even though she credits the same to sleeplessness, she wishes to moves to the city as her new boyfriend is always at the hospital during nights in the name of extra work and too many patients. Meanwhile, the twin sister Darcy, who has been talking to the spirits, seems to be in need of investigating the murder as she feels that there is something more to that particular murder. She decides to visit the house where the murders took place – what will she find there? Is there anything to find out?

The defence of Oddity :: The movie remains highly atmospheric, and this country mansion in the middle of nowhere is the perfect place to live as long as you are looking for horror. The setting justifies everything else, as we have the feeling that the supernatural is always around, even though the presence of a human killer or a psycho is also around to be felt. The movie has its own unsettling moments, and there are some red herrings which comes right out of nowhere. The movie does feel clean, with nothing unnecessary being put into use here. There is a lot of evil that runs through the background of the movie which can be used for a sequel too. The supernatural elements of this one can have another movie or even get multiple spin-offs. There seems to be a limitless journey like The Conjuring in store here, but due to the nature of this movie, we need to doubt such an existence. Maybe, this is only a beginning which will stay fine at the beginning.

The claws of flaw :: The movie remains too slow and continues to lag even with such a short run-time which could have been a boon here. There are too many moments when nothing much is happening, or at least make us feel so. Too many dialogues also send the movie into a struggle, as there are too much words and less action. There could have been some big action at least with those hallucinations, but that is not so. There are moments which are predictable, and at some point, we have already guessed a number of main things here – for a movie like this, it is not too acceptable. There are some elements and some characters who needed a detailed exploration, but that focus is certainly not here to be taken. The lack of focus comes back to haunt the movie at times, as the emotional attachment also leaves us on the way due to the same reason. Something at the centre of all these, also needed some explanation instead of coming alive in the end.

The performers of the soul :: The movie is led really well by Carolyn Bracken who plays two roles, one of an unsuspecting lady who is excited to move to a new house and loves her sister and husband very much, while there is the second sister who is blind, but is in contact with the supernatural as the one sister who is more determined than ever, and yet makes one feel that there is something strange as well as psychotic about her, along with being psychic. These are the characters so well-played that we fall in love with both, and there is that nice divergence from each other that we love to have. Gwilym Lee comes with the classic work as the man who does all the job, and is the man to look out for. Tadhg Murphy plays a memorable character and does it in a convincing way even though not present throughout the movie. Caroline Menton plays her character in a believable way with no pretentions. Steve Wall also stays in a notable role which becomes more relevant as the movie reaches the final moments.

How it finishes :: Oddity had so much scope to be something bigger, but it resists that tendency to search for grandeur with ease. The movie takes too safe a path here, and the same is evident at times. The movie could have been a psychological and supernatural masterpiece with elements from both sides, but that heavy load is not taken here, as there seems to a certain reluctance to go big. Therefore, as it is, this is one movie which works, and gives us some fine moments to remember, but there is nothing much that would extend its stay. This one is not going to be a Sinister, Insidious, Oujia, The Conjuring, Annabelle, The Nun or The Curse of La Llorna, establishing certain evil that we are going to remember for long. Instead, it is that common safe route horror movie which brings some innovation and shoots the scares that work with an abiding mystery all around. Let us watch this one and keep guessing on what is to happen next with its own suspense creeping into the classic space for horror.

Release date: 30th August 2024
Running time: 98 minutes
Directed by: Damian McCarthy
Starring: Gwilym Lee, Carolyn Bracken, Tadhg Murphy, Caroline Menton, Jonathan French, Steve Wall

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@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Amelia’s Children

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Vampire Owl: We have not been reviewing many Portuguese movies.

Vampire Bat: We have only managed one, and it was not out of Portugal either.

Vampire Owl: I am sure that Bacurau will still count as Portuguese.

Vampire Bat: Yes, Brazilian movies are in Portuguese, so it counted.

Vampire Owl: So, this is the first Portuguese film from Portugal we are reviewing.

Vampire Bat: Yes, this is indeed a milestone too.

Vampire Owl: Yet we have so many Spanish movies here.

Vampire Bat: Some of these Spanish movies were true classics.

Vampire Owl: I hope that this one will inspire us to watch more Portuguese films.

Vampire Bat: Well, we are immortal and can watch them all.

[Gets a paneer masala dosa and three cups of Wayanad tea].

What is the movie about? :: Edward (Carloto Cotta) has been looking to find his family as he has always felt without roots. One day, his girlfriend Riley (Jack Haven) provides him with a DNA test kit. The results reveal more about his birth, and that he has a twin brother, Manuel (Carloto Cotta) and also their mother named Amelia (Anabela Moreira) who live in a small village in Portugal. Edward and Riley travel to the huge villa in the middle of the woods so that he can finally feel like having a family. This is a strange, but an emotional reunion. But Riley feels that there is something wrong, as the locals are hostile to them, and both the twin brother and the mother seem to be hiding something. There seems to be not much of interest being talked about, and Amelia looks and acts strange. She even hears something weird from outside the room where Manuel and Amelia are found sleeping together in a bed, making her question the kind of family which seems to exist in that seemingly perfect building.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: Riley notices a strange bonding between the brothers that feels unnatural, even though they are seeing each other for the first time, and Edward was once not really sure about the meeting. Riley tries to uncover the secrets that seems to plague the villa, and feels that Amelia has some supernatural powers and is part of a ritualistic system of which Manuel is also a member. The mother-son relationship is not what seems to be from a distance. Riley’s growing realization is also supported by nightmares which seem to come to her at regular intervals. The question remains if she knows this particular world within the woods well enough and whether she can escape from it. Edward seems to be ready to remain there as part of the family, but he is also having his own dose of hallucinations. The people of the village seem to hope that they will leave soon, as if it is the right things to do. Will there be escape or will there be death?

The defence of Amelia’s Children a.k.a. A Semente do Mal :: The world has been nicely built here, and finding the roots itself was a starting which seemed to mean much more than what met the eye. This idea of discovering a long-lost family through DNA testing, only to find something supernatural associated with it, makes the whole thing interesting. The mixture of psychological with the supernatural elements gives it much more depth. Then there is the setting, the atmosphere that does a fine job. The building itself has something like we ha in Crimson Peak to add to the structural fear, even though this is not that much of a scary architecture, and never is an attempt to made to elevate the level to such a world of fear. The creepiness is always present, even they do not really come to the front. The premise has already done most of the work here. The presence of a witch provides the much-needed boost to a world which has started off well. The ending, even though not that deep into the situation, leaves us with a scope for a sequel to expand this better.

The claws of flaw :: The struggle of long run-time seems to plague this movie even though it is not long at all. There might be a little bit too much revealed early, and that might have plagued the later run and might have kept it running without much happening to create an impact. The twist should have been kept better hidden with red herrings or at least by deviating to something less important. It seems to stretch due to not trying to do well enough with the content and let everything unfold – even the leading performers seem to be left on their own rather than their characters undergoing anything. The mood seems to be mixed here, as the strongest element of supernatural horror often losses the way. The main lady character should have been the central point, and the one who should stay scared and attacked, but she seems to have a run without that big sense of danger. She does not become that big a scream queen as the usual elements of horror, and even that of slasher remains largely forgotten when dealing with her character.

The performers of the soul :: The performances are pretty good, but not much when we consider the possibilities of the horror. This is a world of scares, and the usual do not satisfy the environment that much – The Well had realized the same in Italy, but in Portugal, that blending is paused due to the lack of pace which seems to plague the characters as if it is an old award movie where not enough happens to provide the performers with scope. Carloto Cotta does quite well in the two roles, even though it is nothing out of the box, and not much expands. Anabela Moreira does well to manage the strangeness present there, while Alba Baptista who portrays her younger version does the same perfectly – she has the looks and expression to bring the strangeness of a mortal immortal. Jack Haven does a fine job, but does not seem to try that hard. There is a certain amount of predictability in the work and the journey is just accordingly, nothing more or less. The same is also applicable to the final moments when there is nothing grand in the performances, but just enough, as if playing by the safe side.

How it finishes :: Amelia’s Children could have been a classic, but it chooses not use that many scares even though it is in a village with woods and a strange villa in the middle of all – this could have been horror unleashing itself, but the movie holds itself back. The same is also done in the last moments when this could have come with a shock, but chooses to go for the unexpected. The titular character wanders in the old form too much, and the young form would have been nice if appeared at least in hallucinations often. There are moments when the mother could have been young, and there are situations when fear could have had many different faces, and even darkness could have been used better. Yet, the movie keeps us interested, thanks to the mystery that prevails throughout its run. There is always the feeling that something bigger is to come and that it is going to be a shocker, and it is that feeling and the existence of terror ready to be unleashed keeps us going. It was never going to be The Conjuring, The Nun, Annabelle, Insidious or Sinister, but manages to do enough.

Release date: 18th January 2024
Running time: 91 minutes
Directed by: Gabriel Abrantes
Starring: Jack Haven, Carloto Cotta, Anabela Moreira, Alba Baptista, Rita Blanco

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✠ The Vampire Bat.

Sector 36

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Vampire Owl: Have you travelled through Sector 36 of the extended castle?

Vampire Bat: It is not an extension of the castle, but our graveyard.

Vampire Owl: Nowadays, we consider it as part of the building itself.

Vampire Bat: Why are you making the castle feel bigger?

Vampire Owl: A bigger castle means better respect.

Vampire Bat: It also means more taxes for all of us.

Vampire Owl: Aren’t we the government? So, we are paying ourselves, right?

Vampire Bat: It is not that direct. There is a procedure for it.

Vampire Owl: You mean to say that we do not get most of it?

Vampire Bat: Well, we can only explain it as part of a system.

[Gets a sambar vada and three cups of extra light tea].

What is the movie about? :: In the busy city of Noida, the number of missing kids has been on the increase. A lot of cases reach the police station, but the cops are not much bothered about them as the lost children are of migrants from villages around the city. Inspector Ram Charan Pandey (Deepak Dobriyal), the corrupt inspector of the police station is not interested in anything, and does not even lodge an FIR for these cases, as the life of these commoners do not matter to him, and is of no profit either. His senior officers also ask him not to bother about the same and work with those which matter. Prem Singh (Vikrant Massey) is the house help of a wealthy and powerful businessman Balbir Bassi (Akash Khurana), and is involved in kidnapping the kids, whose bodies are not found later. He murders them and chops them into pieces without remorse, and no remains are usually found. When part of a skeleton is found, the police dismisses the same as the bones of a monkey which came through the sewers.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: Ram Charan gets serious only when Prem attempts to kidnap his daughter, but fails. Prem had misunderstood that the girl was a migrant’s child, and leaves her behind when chased. This leads to Ram Charan going on a hunt for the person who has been trying to kidnap the kids, with the help of Constable Shravan Kumar Pathak (Ajit Palawat). But DCP Jawahar Rastogi (Darshan Jariwala) stands on his way, as he would not let anything bad happen to the owner of the house, Balbir. He asks Ram Charan to leave the idea of any investigation near that house, and soon gets him suspended. But he would not stop, and will come up with other plans. But it remains to be seen if he can stand against one of the richest men around, and get to his house worker. This also puts his own family in danger, and the cops of his own police station are now against him. Can he stand as one unstoppable force against them all or will he be destroyed like many others before him?

The defence of Sector 36 :: The movie follows a realistic mode from the beginning itself. There is nothing that seems to be not possible as far as this particular movie is concerned, especially due to taking inspiration from a real-life incident featuring killings. It keeps a chilling mood with the realism that keeps the audience expecting more all the time. There is also a grim, claustrophobic setting that brings the unease and dread with ease. The fear stays on, and the tentacles of the serial killer keeps the movie going forward, and with the police officer finally ready to face him, the audience is left with those high expectations. It also serves as a reminder that the poor never really stands a chance when the highly influential is on the other side. Even though it is not shouted about, the world indeed belongs to the rich, the ones who belong to the one percent or even ten percent. The middle class that tries to side with the poor, would also suffer, as shown here. Well, if you need support, you need money, and that is indeed the point here and the core of realism.

The claws of flaw :: The strength of thrills is low in this one, as the pace itself is low, and that seems to align with the need to keep the whole thing realistic. The transformation of the protagonist also sems to be too quick, and that pace also seems to confuse the writing related to the character, who does not become any smarter despite getting out of the chains that were binding him. The system feels like having no loopholes at all, as if there is no way to escape – there should be some flaw in the design to keep the optimism alive. The ending is also weaker than one would expect, and even if it was done so for the purpose of supporting a sequel, there would be better options. With serial killers or psychos in hand, even within the realistic mold, more is always possible. The absence of a real good figure outside the subaltern is rather disappointing too. The terror her is implied, but the escape is never shown as an option.

The performers of the soul :: The move rests on Deepak Dobriyal and Vikrant Massey to do the expected work, as they play the two characters getting the most screen time, and both needed to perform on different layers. Both characters undergo many changes and are not the same people that we see in the beginning of the movie. While the former is successful in showing the cop being the father and undergoing a positive change, which he emotes really well, the latter who is damaged from the beginning to the end, shows the different shades of his character. There is a lot of depth related to the two characters, and we see the effectiveness with which they are portrayed, and how the same elevates the movie to another level even when it is just going on and on in the usual manner. Akash Khurana plays his role exactly as one would expect from such a character. Darshan Jariwala plays the corrupt side that makes us believe with ease. Ajit Palawat also shows a similar side that works. In comparison, the female characters are to do less work.

How it finishes :: Sector 36 might not be as interesting as the other movies featuring psychos and serial killers, for movies like Memories, Abraham Ozler, Forensic, Anjaam Paathira, Kooman, Antakshari and others will always be above this one by some way. The pacing is slower, and there is no attempt to make it that thrilling. Yet, the fantastic performances and a realistic feeling runs through this one more than ever. As it is based on the 2006 Noida Sector 31 serial murders, that feeling will be more. I do not remember much of it, but the movie follows the realistic mode and the connection is not something that we can think about now. If you are looking for a slow-moving and realistic story about serial killings, this could always be the right movie for you. Then, it also gives a reminder about the system, and how it works, for there will always be something missing and something beyond repair, something about which it is good to be reminded at times.

Release date: 13th September 2024 (Netflix)
Running time: 124 minutes
Directed by: Aditya Nimbalkar
Starring: Vikrant Massey, Deepak Dobriyal, Akash Khurana, Darshan Jariwala, Baharul Islam, Saikia Ihana Kaur, Tanushree Das, Subir Bisawas, Kacho Ahmed, Ajit Palawat, Mahadev Lakhawat, Fareed Ahmad, Trimala Adhikari

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✠ The Vampire Bat.

Damsel

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Vampire Owl: So, we are going to have a damsel without distress.

Vampire Bat: Distress is for all, and there is no escape.

Vampire Owl: I would believe the vampire world to be free from them.

Vampire Bat: Distress in vampire world would still return in case of a war.

Vampire Owl: The werewolves, zombies and witches are not good enough for another war.

Vampire Bat: The werewolves are preparing for an attack. The others would follow.

Vampire Owl: So, you say that even brainless zombies are coming for war.

Vampire Bat: Yes, there has been the rise of the Lich Queen.

Vampire Owl: Dr Frankenstein had warned me about it.

Vampire Bat: This will surely be a lot different than what Mr Frankenstein had said. This is going to be a bloodbath one day.

[Gets a chicken dosa and three cups of Vagamon tea].

What is the movie about? :: The Dragon (Shohreh Aghdashloo), the last of its kind, had faced a human king of the Kingdom of Aurea with his army of knights, and had managed to defeat them. There is not much known about the dragon after the incident, but the riches of the kingdom have been well-known throughout the realm. Many centuries later, Elodie (Millie Bobby Brown), the daughter of Lord Bayford (Ray Winstone), receives a proposal from Queen Isabelle of Aurea (Robin Wright) asking her to marry her son, Prince Henry (Nick Robinson). Despite confusing in the beginning, Elodie agrees to the marriage due to the situation of her lands, which is undergoing lack of resources and people are dying in need of food. Her younger sister Floria (Brooke Carter) is particularly interested in this situation with a Prince Charming and a Fairy-tale kind of kingdom associated with the wedding. Lady Bayford (Angela Bassett), Elodie’s stepmother, also feels that this is for the best interest of their dying lands.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: After arriving in Aurea, the family is very much impressed by what they witness in the rich kingdom with greenery and abundance. Elodie and Henry, even though uninterested in each other in the beginning, becomes attached to each other due to their interest in horse-riding and travel. Lady Bayford, becomes suspicious of the motives of Queen Isabelle, and warns Elodie, but Bayford remains reluctant to act. The family decides to go on with the wedding ceremony anyway, as there are not many options left for them. The wedding is a grand ceremony which was to be remembered for long. After the function, they go to take part in an ancient ritual far above on the mountains to further celebrate this with a ritual. Following this ritual in which their palms are cut and held together, the most unexpected happens, and Elodie would not have expected something like this. But she has to survive this battle with more than what she would have done in a usual situation.

The defence of Damsel :: Damsel has done a good job in building the fairy-tale kind of world and providing that medieval age effect of kings, queens, nights and castles set with a classic dragon wandering around. The movie does look good, even though the caverns should have looked better with more detail, the whole thing is powered up by visuals nicely. The main character goes through this well, especially during those survival moments involving climbing and the glowing worms, even though not that much with a fight brought to the dragon – the tension is definitely maintained even though the sequence feels stretched. The message against the rich and the royal would stand beyond all times, and as it is implied again, one can only be successful by birth or by treachery; there would always be a dark side if one gets to triumph with that much ease life – this is also shown in a Malayalam movie starring Vineeth Sreenivasan, but I see that people cannot accept that because they are used to celebrating the winners and detesting those who try so hard, but would not be successful enough.

The claws of flaw :: The movie, even though not that long, still feels stretched, and it is because of those moments within the dragon’s cavern which do not provide that needed effect. There seems to be a confusion on what the movie is trying to prove, and the flashback is not that really well executed, even in the later stages. The movie remains predictable throughout its run, and with the beginning that it had, the same was surely expected to come – we know most of the things that are to come, and none of the seemingly twisty moments seem to bring any surprise at all. There is also the case of people of the kingdom and the dragon being dumber than anyone would expect, despite the later even having human qualities. The quick rush to remove the damsel in distress also feels rather foolish, as it is not really thought enough about, and made to be believed rather than constructed with smartness; just like the emotional shifts and wasted characters.

The performers of the soul :: The movie rests on the shoulders of Millie Bobby Brown, as expected, with focus clearly on her. She has to carry this one a long way, as the moments with focus on her are rather too much, and we do not even remember the others, except for the dragon. We are glad to see that she does her job so well, that she becomes the titular character with such ease. Even when it is often lost in those forced messages and dull sides of caves, she elevates the movie, and raises expectations as the adventurer as much as the princess in waiting. Angela Bassett plays the stepmother, and a good one, but with some expressions, one feels that she is more evil than the evil queen herself, very well portrayed by Robin Wright. Nick Robinson is clearly wasted in her role and Ray Winstone could have also done more to do in this movie which is too much fixed on the main character than it forgets that this is no one character flick. Brooke Carter does well as the younger sister at the same time.

How it finishes :: Damsel just serves its purpose, not trying to elevate itself to that huge divergence and not trying to stay strong in its own territory either. It is not that big an action thriller or adventure that we will remember for long, and it never stays in the fairy-tale or even reverse fairy-tale categories, and the dark fantasy idea seems to be non-existent in the proceedings. With the queen and step-mother around seemingly looking strange, this could have easily been another Maleficent with more power. With the plot holes and lack of focus except for the love for the main character, the movie remains entertaining and can be worth watching for most of the time, and when it tries to be over smart, just avoid those moments. After all, a fantasy level movie with dragons cannot be that bad, whatever absurd things a film tries to put in there. Even without that grand an execution, this one works, and entertains, keeping us in the fire-breath of that dragon looking out for vengeance.

Release date: 8th March 2024 (Netflix)
Running time: 109 minutes
Directed by: Juan Carlos Fresnadillo
Starring: Millie Bobby Brown, Ray Winstone, Nick Robinson, Shohreh Aghdashloo, Angela Bassett, Robin Wright

<<< Click here to go to the previous review.

<<< Click here to go to a true thriller.

<<< Click here to go for a classic fantasy.

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Smile 2

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Vampire Owl: Vampires are not really supposed to give good smiles.

Vampire Bat: Our smiles are the shadows of the smiles.

Vampire Owl: You mean to say that shadows have smiles.

Vampire Bat: Yes, those are the perfect scares that anyone can have.

Vampire Owl: The shadow of a smile. Sounds like it would make a fine movie.

Vampire Bat: Well, vampires make no movies at all.

Vampire Owl: Dr Frankenstein once told me about a particular movie.

Vampire Bat: That vampire movie was not made by vampires.

Vampire Owl: Well, Mr Frankenstein talked about a half-vampire.

Vampire Bat: I warn you – do not trust anything that smiles, even a Frankenstein.

[Gets a chilli porotta and three cups of Munnar tea].

What is the movie about? :: Joel (Kyle Gallner), a police officer who was cursed by an evil entity tries to transfer the curse to a new person by killing someone in front of another, as it would make him commit suicide and transfer itself to the watcher otherwise. The curse passing in the usual manner past smiling hallucinations when he dies – right to someone he knew would be unbearable to him, and therefore he chooses a murderer and his brother, killing one and making the other witness. But in the resulting shootout after he kills a brother, the witness is also murdered. But a drug dealer named Lewis (Lukas Gage) is a silent victim to all of these incidents and the curse lands right up on him. With Joel getting hit by a truck while running away, nobody gets to know about this particular evil spreading to Lewis, and ready to bring the horror working through people and their smiles. Lewis is unaware of this, but begins to have hallucinations.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: Skye (Naomi Scott) is a New York-based pop music star who is ready to make a reappearance to the public after a long struggle with substance abuse and a car accident which killed her boyfriend and severely injured her. She still feels her health, and with the need to get back to the drugs, she reaches the home of Lewis, one of her high school friends who continues to deal with drugs even after the incident. At his apartment, Skye witnesses Lewis screaming and panicking, but soon finds him smiling, and brutally killing himself. A scared Skye leaves the place, not wishing to be found near the corpse and the drugs. This makes her situation worse, with the hallucinations all around and seeing people with some terrifying versions of smiles feels like a natural thing for her. At the same time, she receives a message from an unknown number, talking about her presence at the apartment when the friend was killed, and about the knowledge of what is going on with her with the hallucinations resembling a supernatural presence. But can this smiling evil be stopped in time?

The defence of Smile 2 :: This one has a new idea, and even though shown in its predecessor, most of us might not have watched it. The franchise is indeed a setup for some new kind of horror, which transforms smiles into something terrible, the evil that needs to be feared. There are not many occasions when innocent smiles from children can be scary, but this one surely has that quality and keeps us in the lair of fear. The main character keeps us glued too, as the performance is of top quality and the same person works out of trauma. The creepiness never leaves the movie, and we know that from the beginning itself. There is the challenge to see beyond what meets the eye, and beyond the surface and the jump scares, this one raises the bar. The psychological elements and celebrity culture, all gets a few moments here. There is a certain emotional side here too, as the terror goes beyond everything that could be imagined. The smiles, you take them scared, and those scares coming out of nowhere with an even terrifying finish.

The claws of flaw :: The movie does not use its resources to the maximum effect, with hallucinations taking too much time than reality, and seemingly wasting time to make this movie longer than the usual horror flick. These visions could have actually been more terrifying and far away from reality, instead of keeping us in confusion. Too many false visions with incidents that do not happen only spoils the overall quality, and an ambiguous side helps nobody. This is also too powerful a supernatural force, and with all realities of perception changed, there is not much to fight with for the protagonist, making the movie feeling a world without hope, especially with that particular ending. When there are too many things shown, and with none of them happening or even leading to a change in the end, too many things feel to be unnecessary. In the end, the movie might be found guilty of overdoing certain things, and in the end, it remains not that movie which everyone, or every horror lover would like to watch.

The performers of the soul :: Naomi Scott does a perfect job in this movie, and she is the one person who elevates the flick by a long way – there are so many moments of her to remember, like Margaret Qualley and Demi Moore did in The Substance, another movie which had enough of the drug abuse and something far away from reality with hallucinations playing a major role. That movie had more to work with, and there is quality written all over it, but with the help of horror, this one surge forward led by Naomi. The movie almost completely rests on Naomi, and she makes sure that it stays that way. The next significant character seems to be the one played by Dylan Gelula, who stands strong to give her company. Lukas Gage makes a fine impression in the beginning stages itself. Peter Jacobson’s role could have been more significant to the incidents which were to follow, but it is moved to the backside, but we hope there will more from him in a sequel. The other performers also play along, even though the focus remains on the lady in the centre.

How it finishes :: Smile 2 makes one wonder why the first movie was missed, and it is strange that such a horror movie was not brought to the theatres here – the first one would have set a better beginning to the series, but watching the second one first feels fine too. The idea of smile itself is so well used here, and when we see someone smiling so well and when that makes us scared, it provides another level of scares. Smile 2 is quite a creepy horror movie, but remains predictable, with too much of hallucinations that deviate the movie from its original path and at times confuses people. The scares do work and the social commentary is effective, making it that movie which often stands above the usual horror movies with supernatural presence. With a third entry in the series, any confusion could be solved, and the ending is just nicely setting up for the same. This one surely adds to those nice deviations in horror.

Release date: 18th October 2024
Running time: 127 minutes
Directed by: Parker Finn
Starring: Naomi Scott, Rosemarie DeWitt, Miles Gutierrez-Riley, Kyle Gallner

<<< Click here to go to the previous review.

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Fear Street: Prom Queen

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Vampire Owl: I remember watching all those Fear Street movies.

Vampire Bat: Yes, they were good, and making some fine impact.

Vampire Owl: Three horror movies at once meant a lot then.

Vampire Bat: We are never really short of serial killers.

Vampire Owl: Each human being is a potential serial killer.

Vampire Bat: Well, a serial killer is a human thing.

Vampire Owl: It bothers me that humans have so many psychos.

Vampire Bat: It is natural in a fake world as they are all acting and not living.

Vampire Owl: We vampires need to have some psychos too.

Vampire Bat: We have lived so much that we know none of these matter in the end.

[Gets a chilly chicken puffs and three cups of Munnar tea].

What is the movie about? :: It is the year 1988, and Lori Granger (India Fowler) is an outcast who tries to run for prom queen for the senior class of Shadyside High School, with only her best friend Megan Rogers (Suzanna Son) by her side. Megan who is a horror enthusiast is also considered to be a freak by her classmates. Lori has her family history going against her, as the town believes that her mother stabbed her father on the face and killed him, even though there is no suitable evidence to support that claim. Tiffany Falconer (Fina Strazza) is the favourite to win the title, as she is supported by her wolfpack of young girls who are also competing to be the prom queen. Christy Renault (Ariana Greenblatt) is her biggest rival, as she seems to be someone whom nobody seems to dislike that much, even though she is known to be selling some drugs, and has been dating elder men regularly much to the dismay of the institution.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: Megan creates situations with her arm being cut off and having Tiffany’s head in a bowl to make the environment feel weird, as she does not believe in this whole prom queen thing. But Lori is determined to bring a change to the whole situation by winning the title herself. Tiffany has her friends Melissa Mckendrick (Ella Rubin), Debbie Winters (Rebecca Ablack) and Linda Harper (Ilan O’Driscoll) trying to make sure that nobody from outside their gang wins the title, and it is then that Christy is murdered by a masked figure, but as the school only finds her missing, disqualifies her from the run for prom queen. At the same time, Melissa is disheartened to see Tiffany’s attitude towards Lori, and decides to help the outcast, much to the dismay of Tiffany. Her other two friends seem too much occupied with their boyfriends, while the school principal declares a strict adherence to the rules. But can they do so with so much hatred for each other running through with a psycho killer also around?

The defence of Fear Street: Prom Queen :: There might not be anything new with the franchise or the genre to be added here, but this one play along nicely as we watch its progress. The classic slasher mode returning to form is something that we would love to keep watching. The killer lurking in the shadows as a programme is taking place, will keep us going for long, like those old times, even during these days when the genre of horror has been weakened. The attire with the mask stands out reminding us of a past, but also add a classic variety. The twists are effective, even though there is a little bit too much information given in between. There are some fine dialogues added in between, and we also have some interesting characters added. The killings are all nicely done, with a fine classic serial killer effect. It seems to have scope to get more movies added in the list too, as we look at it closely.

The claws of flaw :: The movie could have used more innovation at work, as we would have the feeling of seeing the same thing again and again, at some points. The serial killer gives away more information than it should have, which affects some audience who had taken that into heart earlier. The final moments of the movie seem to be too usual for anyone’s liking as it may have been rushed to have that ending which is rather a common one, but is also the safe one. Some more innovative killings, and the usual moments of classic horror could have been part of this one too. After all, we are watching slasher movies to see its classic elements maintained. The movie could have also been scarier, with such evil wandering around, and with people not suspecting a thing. Well, too much focus on the safe side is restricting horror movies these days, isn’t it? But this is a world of innovations, and this franchise needs its wings extended further to fly higher.

The performers of the soul :: The one character that we would fall in love with is Suzanna Son, even though that might come as a surprise for many. She plays the only loyal character in the whole movie and there is something sinister about her all the time, with her love for horror keeping her apart, and as someone special. She manages this role really well. India Fowler plays the main character and faces the usual challenges of such a character which she manages with ease. Fina Strazza does make a fine impact in between, as she feels like the one evil wannabe prom queen that needs to be brought down, the villainy which she manages to perfection. Ariana Greenblatt should have had a bigger role, as she starts really well here. Ella Rubin has the normal likable character who is also on the other side. Katherine Waterston and Lili Taylor also have their moments. The male characters have much less to do as we look at them.

How it finishes :: Fear Street: Prom Queen coming to the OTT is a good relief for all the horror fans and for those who have been waiting to watch some good English movies in a world which rarely have Hollywood movies in theatres these days, mostly due to cheap imitations coming to the screens these days. There have been so a smaller number of English films in the theatres, and there is too much of a rush of local movies most of which nobody seems to have watched. Without the English movies in the theatres, we have to go back to the OTT platforms again, and this movie breathes some fresh air to the old style of slasher horror. If you are fans of those horror films which follow the old model, you are going to like this one, and if Fear Street Part One: 1994, Fear Street Part Two: 1978 and Fear Street Part Three: 1666 kept you going, you can also try this one, but there is more chance that those movies would interest you more than this one.

Release date: 23rd May 2025 (Netflix)
Running time: 90 minutes
Directed by: Matt Palmer
Starring: India Fowler, Suzanna Son, Fina Strazza, Chris Klein, David Iacono, Ella Rubin, Ariana Greenblatt, Lili Taylor, Katherine Waterston

<<< Click here to go to the previous film review.

<<< Click here to go to the previous Hollywood film review.

<<< Click here to go to the previous serial killer film review.

<<< Click here to go to the previous English serial killer film review.

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Terrifier 2

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Vampire Owl: We are the most terrifying ones.

Vampire Bat: I don’t think that we are that terrifying as we used to be.

Vampire Owl: It is due to Twilight and Vampire Diaries. They don’t count.

Vampire Bat: They do count for the humans.

Vampire Owl: Well, sometimes I feel that only they count for them.

Vampire Bat: Humans are not that aware about true vampires.

Vampire Owl: There are no true and false vampires. There are only us.

Vampire Bat: We have been children of the night for too long.

Vampire Owl: There are no vampires of the day.

Vampire Bat: Well, the vampires that sparkle have other opinions.

[Gets a chicken biryani and three cups of cardamom tea].

What is the movie about? :: Miles County Massacre was one of the most traumatizing events for the people of the town. Art the Clown (David Howard Thornton) who was responsible for the brutal murders does return though. He was considered dead, even though the body was not found – he is once again here though. The police had only provided the statement that the body had just disappeared, and some people do spend the legend that the clown is not dead and might return at some point. The Little Pale Girl (Amelie McLain) is another mysterious entity which wears similar clown costume, and seems to join forces with Art. Meanwhile, a teenager named Sienna Shaw (Lauren LaVera) is finishing the Halloween costume which was designed for her by her father who recently died due to brain tumour. Sienna’s younger brother Jonathan Shaw (Elliott Fullam) is obsessed with Art the Clown though, and wishes to dress like him for the Halloween, after finding details about him from his father’s sketches. Sienna ends up having a nightmare about the clown, and wakes up to find the room on fire, yet has a sword from her father as the same as it used to be. She had also seen people being murdered by the clown in her nightmare.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: On Halloween, Jonathan sees Art and The Little Pale Girl at school playing with a dead animal, and he is held responsible for bringing the creature to school as they disappear without a trace. As the school calls the parent, he is grounded at home. Sienna goes to the Halloween costume shop to buy a replacement pair of wings to fit with her costume as the earlier one was lost in fire, and there she encounters Art who stalks her without mercy, and later brutally murders the shop vendor who is left alone in the store. He also manages to make the later customers believe that it is all part of a Halloween show. Sienna is the only one who believes her brother and that the clown might be real as she had seen him in the shop. Sienna’s friend, Allie (Casey Hartnett) finds herself in trouble too, as Art gets to her home pretending to be trick or treating. Allie who is rude to him for asking for candy at an old age is brutally attcked by the clown and left in pieces. Allie’s mother is also killed in the same way, and her head is kept for putting sweets for Halloween.

And what more is to follow with this brutal adventure featuring a clown? :: Art is well-supported by the clown girl in his actions, even though the brutality is committed all by himself. He also resorts to cannibalism at times, even though the act of brutal murder seems to be the one thing that satisfies him more than anything else. He also seems to display a supernatural side to him after returning to the seemingly unstoppable killing spree which goes mostly undetected as the victims are not found. Jonathan shows the paintings of his father to his mother Barbara Shaw (Sarah Voigt), but unhappy with his obsession with the clown and not believing in his stories, she tears them off. She feels that his son requires some serious counselling. At the same time, Sienna goes to a Halloween party dressed in the costume designed by her father, but it seems that Art has other ideas about this particular celebration, and it would involve her family. She becomes drunk at the party and begins to see the clown girl, while the clown attacks their home. Jonathan runs away from home only to find the clown girl in the way. Art seems immortal evil, but how far will he go?

The defence of Terrifier 2 :: For a slasher, the character development of this movie is at an all time high, especially with Lauren LaVera playing Sienna Shaw. She leads the movie here, and as a battle angel, becomes the last hope for a family and the town in general, a role into which she evolves really well. This is one character who rises above the horror tropes with ease, and promises to continue the peformance into a sequel too, if such a thing happens. Lauren in the Halloween costume fighting the clown is a joy to watch. Elliott Fullam who plays her brother also does a fine job. The movie, with blood and gore as well as the representation of the evil on screen lives up to the name, as a work of terrifying nature. The ambience is very well used too, and the Halloween world as well as the carnival attraction works like a fine nightmare here. As you get transported into the world of a seemingly immortal evil clown, the feeling is forever, and here, the grand clown rises above Stephen King’s It as a movie and its second part as the demonic clown of the century.

Positives and negatives :: Terrifier 2 blends into its genre really well. It has some of the very gory scenes which might not be that good for everyone. The signs of such brutality can be seen in the beginning itself. The border lines for gore has been crossed here and most of the natural horror film fans who prefer only those works like Ouija, The Conjuring, The Nun, Annabelle, Curse of La Llorna, Insidious, Sinister and other would not go further with this after the first scene. A murder on the bed might feel to be too brutal even for the best of fans of the genre. The final moments have a little bit of of too much of the supernatural side added to it, which could have been kept to the minimum, especially as both the protagonist and antagonist deserves more in the form of two people going at each other. The movie does remind of those older slasher films with moments which takes us back to the past memories of slasher horror, a genre which has kept us close to the darker side of humanity, the horror which has been inherent in human beings since the beginning of time. While doing the same, the scares work so well.

How it finishes :: Terrifier 2 is the nice slasher horror which we rarely see around these days. After all, it is easy to lose the way whenever a slasher gets a chance to make it big. The movie delivers most of what it promises, and in the end, leaves an open door for a possible sequel, as death does not come easy for antagonists like this, as proven by many slashers including Halloween which has overused the idea. Most of us around here did not hear about the first movie, and a lot of people still need to hear about this movie. It is the kind of movie that has raised the level of slashers in a decade when it hasn’t scored much. With a third movie, things can get even better, as characters are better developed here. Well, we need to celebrate the horror in raw forms when we see them, as this is one example of the same. One can be sure that Terrifier 2 will have its fans, and can develop into a cult classic horror as most of the old slasher horror films have stopped bringing reboots and remakes of relevance to keep the legacy moving on.

Release date: 6th October 2022
Running time: 138 minutes
Directed by: Damien Leone
Starring: Lauren LaVera, Sarah Voigt, Elliott Fullam, Kailey Hyman, Casey Hartnett, David Howard Thornton

<<< Click here to go to the previous review.

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Scream

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Vampire Owl: We have been good friends with Ghostface for a long time.

Vampire Bat: This is not about that person from the Halloween night.

Vampire Owl: Well, I have seen those movies.

Vampire Bat: The movie you watched was I Know What You did Last Summer.

Vampire Owl: I don’t feel that there is any difference.

Vampire Bat: You are generalizing the slasher horror.

Vampire Owl: I am generalizing the killers who do the job well.

Vampire Bat: We have had enough psychopath vampires around here.

Vampire Owl: Vampires are not psychopaths, for we are just being natural.

Vampire Bat: And humans are naturally psychopaths.

[Gets a chocolate muffin and three cups of mixed tea].

What is the movie about? :: Many years have passed after the earlier attack, and Tara Carpenter (Jenna Ortega) is brutally attacked by the Ghostface killer, leaving her hospitalized. This leads to Samantha Carpenter (Melissa Barrera), her sister returning the town after a very long time, and she is also accompanied by her boyfriend Richie Kirsch (Jack Quaid). Sam feels that some lunatic keeps trying to use the Ghostface mask to become famous. As she reaches the hospital, she meets Tara’s friends, Amber Freeman (Mikey Madison), Wes Hicks (Dylan Minnette), Mindy Meeks-Martin (Jasmin Savoy Brown), Liv McKenzie (Sonia Ammar) and Chad Meeks-Martin (Mason Gooding). It is then that another murder by Ghostface occurs outside a bar. Samantha also finds her under attack by the Ghostface, and due to other hallucinations, she is forced to reveal the truth to Tara that she is the daughter of a serial killer, and they are step-sisters. Tara doesn’t take this secret seriously, and wouldn’t want her presence in the hospital.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: Samantha looks for help from the earlier survivors of the Ghostface attacks, Dewey Riley (David Arquette), Gale Weathers (Courteney Cox) and Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) who have now settled down in different places. Dewey meets up with Samantha and Tara’s friends, only to feel that someone is recreating the whole thing in a different way, in the form of continuation of a narrative, but still borrowing heavily from the plot of the original tale – thus it has the new generation as well as the legacy characters. When another death occurs in the town, it brings Gale to the town to cover the incident. When the sheriff is the last one to be killed, and with the police officers in the hospital at the crime scene, Samantha realizes that her sister would be in trouble. But the killer is not someone who has things going in a direct path. Someone would be murdered if the killer really wanted. If it is not about Tara whom he keeps missing, who would be the next one to be killed?

The defence of Scream :: There is a certain standard which has been maintained by the franchise yet again, and it is a level which could be followed by the other films of the genre. The build-up is nice, and the first scene does bring some nostalgia to us. The Ghostface remains a force that the slasher horror can’t avoid. The cast seems to have been nicely chosen, even though some of them deserved more. The movie is a reminder of how bad the fans can be, and even without that much of an influence of the slasher horror genre, the fan fights in this part of the world have already proven the same fact. The sixth movie of the franchise seems to be nicely set from the trailer. Ghostface seems to be forever, even though there is no Halloween kind of killer who seems to be supernatural – this serves the slasher horror world really well. A horror film loving serial killer never ceases to be a person of interest. The elements of horror stays close to the existence of the maniacs at all times.

The claws of flaw :: There is the feeling that we could have nothing new with this franchise, as repetition often gets into the nerves. As the franchise hesitates to move away from the predictable, one just wonders if change can ever be a part of this series. The twist is not that strong as one would expect, as there is at least one antagonist whom one would have guessed with ease. Multiple twists would have done this movie a lot of good, and this is the kind of a franchise which could have afforded to leave better openings in the end. Scream along with I Know What You did Last Summer was the slasher horror that we have always remembered whenever the name of the genre came into the picture. There were so many moments of horror being missed out in this movie, and this was one flick which could have thrived on it using the Ghostface appearances and killings. Terror was there to be spread, and this one hesitates rather too much.

The performers of the soul :: Melissa Barrera leads the slasher here as the new scream queen of the franchise, who has a legacy to maintain here. She gets something bigger to do in the final stages of the movie, and Jenna Ortega who plays the younger sister also gets more to do than being the victim of the Ghostface as one would have expected from the initial stages. Jenna would have done well in most of the main roles in the movie, as she seems to have blend into this environment really well. Neve Campbell and Courteney Cox make an interesting return to the franchise here, but one might also wonder if they were needed, as horror slashers are often made as new films with quality. Among the other performers, it is Mikey Madison who catches our attention the most, while Jasmin Savoy Brown has some of the most interesting lines in there. David Arquette’s return could have actually been better and longer, but the fans would have actually had enough.

How it finishes :: Scream with its return has worked well to suit these times when horror has suffered due to lack of ideas, even though it has not been innovative enough with the content. The opportunity to become the one classic horror slasher to remember has not been taken here. With this base of Ghostface already set, there was so much more which could be achieved. The movie holds on to its past, and has the elements for the fans of the genre, but the repetition is something that could have been kept to the minimum. It could have also added some scares here and there to bring further effectiveness to the idea which is present there. After all, a serial killer like this could do more, but we are still happy with what is shown around here. For those who need more of terrifying sequences, there is always another kind of scary Sinister, Evil Dead, Annabelle, Nun or Conjuring coming up.

Release date: 14th January 2022
Running time: 114 minutes
Directed by: Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Tyler Gillett
Starring: Melissa Barrera, Mason Gooding, Jenna Ortega, Jack Quaid, Marley Shelton, Courteney Cox, David Arquette, Neve Campbell

<<< Click here to go to the previous review.

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

X

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Vampire Owl: I have always wanted to have the title, Vampire X.

Vampire Bat: You have been identified as Vampire O for a long time.

Vampire Owl: Well, why not X? Everyone has wanted to be Agent X.

Vampire Bat: Agent X has never been real – there was only a hoax related to it.

Vampire Owl: I have heard that most of the mass movies of humans have such agents.

Vampire Bat: They have such things because they run out of ideas.

Vampire Owl: I do feel that the X letter suits this movie better.

Vampire Bat: Well, its better suited for a slasher movie for sure.

Vampire Owl: You know how much we have missed the true slasher films.

Vampire Bat: Well, they should come back now for classic horror stories – the encounter should happen now or never.

[Gets some French fries and three cups of Munnar tea].

What is the movie about? :: Maxine Minx (Mia Goth) has always wanted to become a famous actress, and she does not mind how it comes, as the easy option seems to be to become a pornographic actress. As she wishes to be part of such a film during a time when theatrical pornography market is booming, she goes on a road trip with her friends and crew for an upcoming adult movie. The crew includes her own boyfriend and producer Wayne Gilroy (Martin Henderson), other actors Bobby-Lynne Parker (Brittany Snow) and Jackson Hole (Scott Mescudi), director RJ Nichols and his girlfriend Lorraine Day (Jenna Ortega). While Nichols want it to be a serious piece of cinema, Lorraine is not happy with the work. Bobby-Lynne and Jackson seems to be very much interested in each other as far as the work is concerned, but as they reach the farm where they are supposed to shoot, things do not seem to get any better. The whole place is supposed to have had soldiers staying there during the Civil War, but that might not be the only history that the house would have.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: In the early moments itself, it seems to be clear that there is something strange about the area as well as the old couple who owns the house, but the crew doesn’t seem to mind as they are able to shoot in peace around such a deserted area. The name of their movie is The Farmer’s Daughters, and the setting and the atmosphere seems to suit it very well. The old lady is very much attracted to Maxine, and wishes that she was young like her and friends who seems to enjoy their youth so much. At the same time, Lorraine, who is tired of being considered prude by others, wishes to participate in one of the intimate scenes, much to the dismay of Nichols who finds the change to his script and his lover’s change of heart to be depressing. He decides to leave the place, but finds out that it is not that easy to leave the farm, and others would also discover the same sooner or later. Now the question remains if any of them could manage to leave the place alive.

The defence of X :: The movie provides the feeling that it goes straight to the good old horror slasher roots, without hesitating like the newer additions to the genre which seems to have a few more doubts than required. This would be like sending an e-mail to those older generation of slashers and letting them know that we are still here, even though instant messaging is more of the trend. There are some memorable scenes including the alligator attack which just misses the protagonist, the meeting of two characters played by the leading actress, the elder woman invading the protagonist’s room and the final scenes of gore. The victims here are not that dumb as the characters who run around in horror films either, as the danger here would feel minimal for anyone. The movie is very much atmospheric, and the world here is suitable to be place any terrifying creature. The idea of being in a cabin in the middle of nowhere never really gets old, and never limited to Evil Dead and The Cabin in the Woods which serve as perfect examples.

Positives and negatives :: This movie is an example of something coming out of nowhere all of a sudden and keeping us interested. One might feel that there could have been more strength with its evil presence, but that side is kept rather realistic here. There are no supervillains who keep coming back for more after they seem to be dead, a case which has been repeated so many times, very recently with Halloween. The movie does have the stereotypes, but none of them used for the sake of being there, as there is some fine blending happening around here. This is also the kind of movie which makes you long for those old slashers, and a return to the past is provided with elements of nostalgia. The ideas of beauty and its fading with old age gets a special attention here, as we look at the process leading to disastrous events. The ending could have actually been more powerful, as the use of some elements resemble deus ex machina. What rises above all of these is the certainty that this is a worthy slasher horror that takes us to that childhood which had horror that lasted and eternity.

The performers of the soul :: Mia Goth was part of A Cure for Wellness with a mysterious performance, and it is nice to see her again in a genre which seems to suit her so well – the looks also come as a bonus along with her performance. It would seem that she blends in here so well that we never feels that she is not that any of those characters. Even when nothing happens, there is something about her – the swimming scene of her might be one of the spookiest among them, as danger is on the trail, and so seems many other mysterious elements. Such natural performances have been rare in slasher films. The makeup for the older version is also well done. Jenna Ortega is there as what seems to be another version of the protagonist, but there is the feeling that we do not really see enough of her here. There could have been something eerie about her in the end, but there is the feeling that the character is abandoned. Brittany Snow’s role is rather predictable, but still leaves a mark. The rest only needs to play along according to the needs here.

How it finishes :: We have not had many classic slasher movies around here which could bring us some nostalgia along with quality. This one does the job pretty well though, and in a world where slasher horror is losing power, a movie like this is very much required. There might be many reasons to deny the slasher its due, but we can always have more to accept it as a genre that demands our attention. When we consider the horror movies of the year, X is that film which has managed to grab less attention. But it is also that kind of a movie which deserved more. It would not be the perfect slasher film with that near unstoppable killer on the loose, but does manage to gain the success that it deserved with moments that will stay with us for some time. After all, being in a cabin in the woods or in the middle of nowhere makes all the impact in different forms. There is no better place to be, for any horror fan – we enjoy watching the terror unfold in such a setting, with atmosphere playing a major part in raising the level here.

Release date: 14th April 2022 (Amazon Prime Video); 18th March 2022 (Theatre)
Running time: 106 minutes
Directed by: Ti West
Starring: Mia Goth, Jenna Ortega, Brittany Snow, Martin Henderson, Owen Campbell, Stephen Ure, Scott Mescudi

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@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Ghostbusters: Afterlife

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Vampire Owl: You mean to say that they want the ghosts dead.

Vampire Bat: I am pretty sure that vampires are not included in the list of ghosts.

Vampire Owl: So, they wish to kill us in some other movie.

Vampire Bat: Still, not as much as they have murdered their own kind.

Vampire Owl: That was not enough for an extinction event though.

Vampire Bat: Humans will be extinct sooner or later.

Vampire Owl: Have you checked all possible extinction events?

Vampire Bat: Yes, humans are part of nine thousand out of ten thousand of them.

Vampire Owl: They do have a fair chance to go extinct then.

Vampire Bat: Yes, good for the world around them, right?

[Gets a chocolate cake and three cups of elaichi tea].

What is the movie about? :: It is shown that there is a hunt for a supernatural entity which leads to the death of the man who tried to trap the creature. This leads to his daughter Callie (Carrie Coon) inheriting the farm. As a single mother, she struggles to pay the rent for her apartment. Her children Trevor (Finn Wolfhard) and Phoebe (Mckenna Grace) are not that fond of the happenings around there. The three moves to the house with the farm which is passed on to them. The new town where they live seems to have earthquakes at all times despite having no seismic activity recorded – there is no volcano around, and not even some loud noise in this town where nothing much happens. Trevor is infatuated by Lucky Domingo (Celeste O’Connor) who works at a nearby diner, and seeing a vacancy there, joins the place for work. Meanwhile, Phoebe joins the class of Gary Grooberson (Paul Rudd), who is there just for the sake of it, and plays movies for the students.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: She also meets Podcast (Logan Kim), another student who is interested in science as much as she is. The three becomes infatuated with a device which Phoebe finds at home, and it turns out to be a ghost trap. Gary who has been a fan of the Ghostbusters for a long time, tampers with the trap with the help of his students, releasing one of the spirits that scares them and immediately flies into the nearby closed mine – the locals used to believe that the place was haunted too. Callie and Gary seem to instantly attracted to each other as the three comes to the inherited home in the middle of nowhere to find clues related to ghosts. Meanwhile, Trevor and Lucky on a trip with their friends also come across a spirit which they seem to dismiss as some random smoke coming out of the abandoned mine as part of some natural process. But a word seems to stay stuck with them.

Now, where would the ghosts lead further in this tale? :: Soon, Phoebe discovers a secret laboratory underneath the outhouse on the side of their house, and it seems that there was more to her grandfather than what met the eye of the villagers who called him the dirt farmer who farmed nothing other than dirt. He was doing some special work indeed. It turns out that the ghost of the grandfather is still there, and he hopes that his grandchildren will take over the Ghostbusters procedures. Phoebe seems to be able to enjoy that prospect very much. But will the very young new generation be good enough to come with a new level of ghostbusting while working against all odds? With a new terrifying evil ready to be unleashed, how good can a group of kids leading a team be? With the evil predating everything that they know, how good can modernity work against such evil grandeur of ancient times?

The defence of Ghostbusters: Afterlife :: The movie would be very interesting for those who grew up watching the original movies of the 1980s – seems like some doses of nostalgia being in store here and there. The setting at a town in the middle of nowhere with some nice locations which are even more remote – things one get better from there. The humour works well in here too. The action is big enough, and there is a lot happening in the final stages with the fights going on against the creatures from the other world. The special effects are pretty well done, even though not with every ghost – the final demonic arrival is a sight to be appreciated though, with the background effects also playing some fine roles. Mckenna Grace remains the soul of this movie, and the one child ghostbuster that you are going to remember for long, with moments to remember. Carrie Coon – Paul Rudd moments also bring some unexpected fun. Celeste O’Connor – Finn Wolfhard team is also an enjoyable one around here.

The claws of flaw :: Anything that is specifically intended for the old fans of the franchise which started in the 1980s won’t work for us, as the series didn’t have much of a fan base in this part of the world which was more into those spirits of Evil Dead, Nightmare on Elm Street, Friday the 13th and others. It was also a reason for the reboot making no impact around here. This one which take place more than thirty years after the 1980s works seem to do better, but doesn’t make an impact around here either. Well, with The Conjuring having brought its own methods of hunting spirits, this method would surely seem less effective – this still seems to be twilight times of The Conjuring franchise and that brings some chance for another sequel. There could have also been some deviation from what seems to be less suited moments around here. It could have also been less inclined to be suitable for children, as ghosts have evolved enough during these days. The beginning stages also take some time to get going, thus stretching the movie to something above two hours.

How it finishes :: Ghostbusters: Afterlife works well with its elements, and seem to know the strength to use to the advantage – the same is done in most parts, even though the film doesn’t go on to become the perfect return vehicle for such ghosts of many people’s nostalgia. Not to be confused with Resident Evil: Afterlife, this movie has enough hunting of ghosts to keep us interested. With another sequel, much more can be achieved by this particular franchise, which seems to have enough family-friendly ghosts in action. Well, this is one film with ghosts which can be watched with all kinds of people as audience. One one side, we have The Conjuring, Insidious, Ouija, The Curse of La Llorna, Sinister, The Nun, Annabelle and team, and on the other side we have this one which is not really for the scares, but has its own ghosts to keep the haunting going strong. Well, as much as we need those other films, this one is in requirement too – no doubt about that.

Release date: 19th November 2021
Running time: 124 minutes
Directed by: Jason Reitman
Starring: Carrie Coon, Finn Wolfhard, Mckenna Grace, Annie Potts, Ernie Hudson, Paul Rudd

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@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

A Quiet Place II

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Vampire Owl: Well, this one is quite a place.

Vampire Bat: They are talking about quiet places only.

Vampire Owl: Well, our castle is quiet enough, especially during day time.

Vampire Bat: There is too much of murmuring in there.

Vampire Owl: You are talking about the intellectual voice transfer.

Vampire Bat: How can you give it such fancy names?

Vampire Owl: It is the name which the vampire elders preferred.

Vampire Bat: The vampire elders are too old to call anything by any name.

Vampire Owl: It is also another Dr Frankenstein approved thing.

Vampire Bat: Mr Frankenstein can’t even approve himself as a doctor.

[Gets a vancho cake and three cups of Vagamon tea].

What is the movie about? :: Evelyn Abbott (Emily Blunt), Lee Abbott (John Krasinski) and their children, along with other spectators, witness the arrival of a strange object resembling an asteroid landing on Earth, while attending a little league game. Even though it lands some distance away from them, it scares them due to the size and sound being involved there. People in the town seems to be already in a state of panic. The police seems to be heading there, but already, some strange extraterrestrial creatures are attacking people. As the aliens cause chaos everywhere, the vehicles on the street are out of control, and people look for shelter. It turns out that the creatures are extremely hostile, tearing people into pieces using their extreme speed and strength, while being protected by what seems to be armoured skin. But the creatures are blind, and yet with hypersensitive hearing, would attack anything that makes even the slightest noise. The police seems to be ineffective against them, as their skin can stand the gunshots with ease.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: An year later, the alien creatures have brutally murdered most of the Earth’s population. With her husband dead while trying to protect her, Evelyn tries to survive with her kids, while their Regan Abbott (Millicent Simmonds)m their dumb and deaf daughter discovers a high-frequency audio feedback which can make the aliens vulnerable, and the same could be transmitted from her implant through a microphone. Her son, Marcus Abbott (Noah Jupe) also hopes to make something out of it, while also searching for a new home. On the way, the group accidentally triggers a sound alarm, alerting the creatures. At the same time, Marcus also steps into a bear trap and screams, thus alerting the creature again. They manage to one creature using the audio device and gun, while escaping from the other. They are taken to a soundproof hideout by one of their old friends, Emmett (Cillian Murphy) who lives in an abandoned steel foundry.

And what more is to follow in a world infested by ruthless alien creatures? :: Emmett had turned cynical and with no hope at all about future after all members of her family died, leaving him to survive for no reason. He feels that the humans who are left are not worth saving at all, even if there is something left. He also asks them leave the very next day, but after hearing the song, “Beyond the Sea” which according to Emmett has been playing continuously for four months, Regan feels that it is a signal which is telling them where to look, and it is on an island. She wants to go to that tower and use her high-frequency signal there, using it as a special weapon against the alien creatures. But it won’t be that easy, as the path in that direction is infested by many creatures, and Regan’s idea of going alone wouldn’t get the support of anyone. Yet, she would leave, and Emmett, with some love left for his old friends, will have to find her. Now, the question remains if her journey is really worth it. What awaits her near the tower? Is it going to work?

The defence of A Quiet Place Part II :: Just like the predecessor, this movie also depends on the same strength of sound effects which the predecessor displayed a few years ago. The alien creatures are also as good as they used to be, maintained the strength yet again. We also have more hope than there used to be. Emily Blunt continues what she was doing in the first film quite well, and she does have the warrior strength which she had displayed in the movies like Edge of Tomorrow and The Huntsman: Winter’s War. There is no loss of determination in her character here too. It is up to Millicent Simmonds and Cillian Murphy to become that characters who further to save the world though, and they are very much effective in doing the same, despite the early doubts put in there. Noah Jupe also joins well with newly found courage and wisdom in the character. Djimon Hounsou plays the man of another lands with authority. John Krasinski appears in the flashback moments, as the director also gets the acting in here again. Scoot McNairy as the leader of bandits could have had more screen space too.

Positives and negatives :: The movie still doesn’t bother to come up with any science fiction explanations about the origins of the creatures – people might have expected that, but they do get a flashback about their arrival with objects from space, which proves that they are indeed from another planet, moon or some interstellar object beyond our understanding. The movie is also in short of dialogues to keep the aliens away, but there is surely more than what we had in the first movie. The strength of the family and the importance of not giving up, also comes into the picture here. There is the idea that there is always hope for humanity, even though one does wonder if the aliens bringing extinction to humanity would have been the right thing to do, considering what mankind has done to their own people as well as the environment around them. Well, we don’t really know what the aliens were up to, as the focus is not on those scientific elements yet again, but we can be sure that there could be a sequel explaining all of these. One more sequel showing the ultimate battle of humanity against the creatures, and we can be done with it.

How it finishes :: The movie nicely continues the world which was left by the first part – the expansion that this world receives is almost as good as the first. Things continue to be kept simple as it used to be, in a post-apocalyptic world infested by ruthless alien creatures. The possibility of terror is always there, and we keep remembering about 10 Cloverfield Lane which dealt with similar creatures, but with not much of the visuals. The idea of the divergent horror movie is maintained here, as it was seen in Malignant, The Witch, The Autopsy of Jane Doe, Don’t Breathe, It Follows and Lights Out. A Quiet Place Part II continues a world of divergence which in this case has the aliens bringing all the horror and very less science fiction. These are the movies which keep the horror alive in different patterns, and with noises at the very centre of everything. Even though it is currently on Amazon Prime Video, this is one movie which could have feel better on the big screen, as there is so much of silence and the sudden sound effects that make the big impact – moments which one needs to live through rather than just get hold of.

Release date: 28th May 2021
Running time: 97 minutes
Directed by: John Krasinski
Starring: Emily Blunt, Cillian Murphy, Millicent Simmonds, Noah Jupe, Djimon Hounsou, John Krasinski

<<< Click here to go to the previous review.

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Raccoon City

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Vampire Owl: We have all been the fans of Resident Evil franchise, right?

Vampire Bat: Yes, the franchise about zombies coming over.

Vampire Owl: Well, these are surely not the zombies that we know well.

Vampire Bat: The zombies of science, not the kind of our realm.

Vampire Owl: I am sure that the zombies of science might be even stronger.

Vampire Bat: Yes, they have the technology to make zombies that strong.

Vampire Owl: Yet, they are will never be as strong as vampires.

Vampire Bat: But, you have never really battled a pure undead zombie.

Vampire Owl: The pure bloods have been dead and buried for centuries.

Vampire Bat: You don’t see them that often. They are like the vampire elders.

[Gets a vegetable pizza and three glasses of oreo shake].

What is the movie about? :: Claire Redfield (Kaya Scodelario) returns to Raccoon City in 1998, where she and her older brother Chris Redfield (Robbie Amell) lived in an orphanage there which was run by the Umbrella Corporation. William Birkin (Neal McDonough) who ran the institute was using the children for his experimental research at the Umbrella Corporation, and Claire had noted a disfigured little girl in particular. Claire has returned to the city to find her brother, but Raccoon City which used to be the home of the Umbrella Corporation, the world’s largest pharmaceutical company had turned into a ghost town with the company moving to a new location. Only a small crew of the last few employees remained there. As Claire returns by hitchhiking in a truck, which accidently hits a woman in the middle of the road. But as the two argue over what is to be done with the body, the woman stands up and disappears without a trace. The woman seems to be walking strange, as if affected by some strange disease, and the trucker’s dog does drink some of the blood on the road and begins to act strange and bites him later.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: Leon S Kennedy (Avan Jogia), a Raccoon City Police Department rookie officer who just got there visits a diner and finds the waiter having blood coming out of her eyes. The waiter dismisses is as nothing of significance, and is also not ready to see a doctor. She finds her brother Chris Redfield (Robbie Amell), who is a member of the STARS Alpha Team along with Jill Valentine (Hannah John-Kamen) and Albert Wesker (Tom Hopper). Claire feels that there is something wrong with the city, and asks Chris to get out of there, but he feels that he owes to the Umbrella Corporation which looked after him after she had run away. Claire tries to convince him that there are many theories about what is going to happen to the city which has been abandoned by the corporation on purpose, but there is nothing that can make him change his mind, as he is also not happy about her leaving her as a child. Chris leaves for the police station after an alarm is activated by the Umbrella Corporation.

And what more is to happen in this world of some strange chaos? :: Claire is attacked by a strange woman who keeps saying “Itchy Tasty”. She manages to keep her away and escape on Chris’ motorcycle. At the police station, it is said that an earlier team had gone missing while investigating the Spencer Mansion which was owned by the head of the Umbrella Corporation – it is investigated by the team led by Chris. At the same time, the truck driver who was bitten by his dog is transformed into a zombie, and crashes his truck in front of the police station, soon dying. As the police chief tries to escape, Leon remains the only person in charge of the police station – he would also be forced to return to the police station as there seems to be no way out of the city now, with Umbrella Corporation guards trying to keep the people inside and contain what seems to be an outbreak. There is the zombie dog of the trucker and many zombie-like people outside the police station, and there seems to be no way out of there of the police station now. With the mansion also overrun by zombies, the team also struggles to find a way out.

The defence of Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City :: I have always been happy about video games made into movies. As I was a gamer since my childhood, I would always feel some nostalgia when my favourite games of the past become movies of the present – it makes me go through the journey again. It is the same reason why I was only happy to hear about a reboot of this big franchise of adaptation. The movie does start well, and it does focus on Claire and Jill in the beginning itself – they are two of my favourite characters. There are some interesting shots of zombie attacks here, and a lot of shooting follows. There are some good-looking camera shots with the help of darkness, and some of the music also manages to come up with effectiveness, even though you know that there was the chance to do things better as we remember the original. The scope for a sequel is pretty much there too, but one might feel the need to add some more of interesting characters and have a better horde of zombies, as the audience has already seen so much. The performances are not that much, but fine.

The claws of flaw :: Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City is not that heavy in action in comparison to the original movie franchise or the games. It is also not that scary as the movie which started the movie adaptations with a similar setting. The waking up of Alice in the bath tub and the lift scene are only a few of them. That movie had a lot of stylish and iconic moments which we continue to remember. There were also some memorable dialogues to add to it. Even the costumes of the main characters lets the fans down up to an extent. Releasing so many years after the first movie, this one could have had better special effects. Some more innovation to the tale and its presentation could have suited the present scenario better. There is not enough strength in the attempts made around here. There are movies in the earlier series which are worse than this one, but for a reboot which had all the chances to start again in style, this one lags – remember that the games were the kind which kept us so much immersed in them. One really seems to lose the way so much while trying to make adaptations of video games.

How it finishes :: We have already watched so many movies of Resident Evil, and have played so many games in the franchise. The games have been integral part of our childhood, and still brings us the nostalgia about those which CDs which we received with the computer magazines – those were the demo versions of interest. If we go back to the first movie of a very long franchise, it was also something of a lot of interest – things started to change only with the third movie, as the second one had also continued the proceedings of the world really well. The earlier Resident Evil franchise starring Milla Jovovich was indeed something of interest, even though losing its way with the story at times – yet, we are happy to have a reboot which can also come up with some interesting titles as it progress. Well, we know that we are all standing close to a biohazard created by human manufactured viruses, and corona virus might only have been the tip of the huge iceberg. As we heard in that original movie long ago, everyone is going to die down here.

Release date: 24th November 2021
Running time: 107 minutes
Directed by: Johannes Roberts
Starring: Kaya Scodelario, Hannah John-Kamen, Robbie Amell, Tom Hopper, Avan Jogia, Donal Logue, Neal McDonough

<<< Click here to go to the previous review.

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Nightmare Alley

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Vampire Owl: This could be the name of one of the halls in the castle.

Vampire Bat: There are already enough alleys with nightmares around here.

Vampire Owl: You think that vampires are affected by nightmares.

Vampire Bat: Yes, we just consider them as dreams.

Vampire Owl: Nightmares are just small part of the dreams.

Vampire Bat: You shouldn’t use the word “nightmare” anymore. It is overused.

Vampire Owl: We are the true nightmares, the living dead ones, right?

Vampire Bat: You feel that the nightmares can be true?

Vampire Owl: Now, you are acting like Dr Frankenstein.

Vampire Bat: You mean, like Mr Frankenstein! No, never!

[Gets an aloo paratha and three cups of black tea].

What is the movie about? :: The year is 1939, and Stanton Carlisle a.k.a. Stan (Bradley Cooper) wanders around different cities of the United States of America, and while going on as a free guy, a drifter, gets a job at a big carnival which seems to have lit up the world of night beautifully. There, he notices a geek show in which he sees a man eating a live chicken. This performance which is also known as freak show, is always about a single man called a geek who chases live chickens and finally has him killing the bird and eating it alive. It was something common among circus and carnival professionals to be part of a troupe that included geeks. The geeks were often heavy alcoholics or drug addicts, and instead of money, liquor was used to pay them for the performance. In this case, the man who was part of the performance is seen to be further deranged than he is supposed to be. While he is working, Stan is told that the geek is now running around within their attraction, and they have to somehow catch him before he ruins the performances.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: The geek seems to be hiding in a scary attraction, and attacks Stan, only to be taken down. He is taken into a cage, and he seems to be too violent and mentally disturbed to be fit for any show, seemingly getting close, but being out of death for now. But they keep him locked up with the feeling that people will love to look down on him and forget their own misery. It seems that many people like to enjoy that particular show, and is a major attraction which nobody wishes to miss, even though it is indeed costlier. After helping them to find the geek, Stan is offered a full time job at the carnival instead of that temporary one which was provided to him earlier. He is only happy to be with them as he has nowhere to go anymore. After using their tub, he begins working with the clairvoyant performer known as Madame Zeena, originally Zeena Krumbein (Toni Collette) and her alcoholic husband, Peter Krumbein a.k.a. Pete (David Strathairn). Zeena definitely feels that there is more to him than what meets the eye.

And what more is to follow in this interesting world? :: Mary Margaret Cahill a.k.a. Molly (Rooney Mara) also helps them at times, as Pete often losses control after drinking too much. But Molly also performs as the “Electric Girl Unforgettable”, seemingly taking electricity through her in one of the other star performances. Stan seems to be falling in love with Molly slowly, but steadily. The team of clairvoyance uses gestures, some coded language and certain cold reading tricks to make their work more effective. There are some fine guesses which work out of effectively at times, even though Pete is not fond of her pretending to speak to the dead. Pete shows the methods to Stan too, and he seems to be a very quick learner. Stan understands that the geeks are originally alcoholics whom he has forced to stay with opium-laced alcohol which has been affecting the minds of the geeks terribly. Most of them were affected by the First World War one way or the other. These geeks are nicely taken into the carnival where they become nothing less than slaves due to their addiction gone terribly wrong.

Then you look forward further in this movie, and what awaits us? :: As they are going on with the carnival, Germany has just started the invasion of Poland, setting the beginning of the Second World War. Things still seem to go normal at the carnival, as a new geek takes the place of the previous one who is dead. Stan asks Molly to leave the carnival with him, and start a new grand performance with him, which everyone in the United States of America, and all around the world will remember forever. But she is not ready to leave with him, as she has been a part of this performance and this particular place for quite a long time. Soon, Pete who keeps drinking more and more, finally dies out of alcoholic consumption. It is then that a sheriff comes there and threatens to close the illegal performance which has cruelty to humans and animals, while Molly who performs her act in her undergarments is to be arrested for too much of cleavage and thighs, thus enough indecency to be in the prison. Stan saves her and the whole carnival from the sheriff using the skills he had learned from Pete. As the sheriff leaves, Molly agrees to leave the Carnival with him, but what would the future hold in that case?

The defence and flaws of Nightmare Alley :: The movie has a beautiful world belonging to the past in store for us. Even though slow at times, it is an effective movement forward, which we are all going to enjoy. The time period during the Second World War is beautifully created, and we become a part of it. Even though there is the common idea that this is a psychological thriller, the movie is more of a drama rather than anything else. It might be due to its jumping through the genres that the movie feels slow, and the over all length does feel as a little too much for our liking. It is not the kind of world with which the director, Guillermo del Toro is at full strength – this could be the same reason why the director’s other movies continue to stay a few levels above this one. But the performances from Bradley Cooper and Rooney Mara are too good, and they have us interested here throughout the movie. The others who don’t have a full run in the flick, Cate Blanchett, Toni Collette and others also have a fine run when they are around here. The movie also has a fine message running through here about what awaits an over-reacher who find evil to be okay.

How it finishes :: Nightmare Alley does have that feeling of watching the movies of Guillermo del Toro like before. Still, it doesn’t have any haunting creatures like in Crimson Peak or the huge robots fighting giant monsters like in Pacific Rim. This is also no Pan’s Labyrinth or The Shape of Water. The director does take a divergent path with ease, and successfully goes through the whole thing and keeps us engaged in the same. A movie without any supernatural element for him, and he still continues to be the visionary director like nobody else. The movie is based on the novel of the same name written by the American writer William Lindsay Gresham published in 1946, and how well it has taken the spirit of the book will be known only to those who have read the book. The movie was nominated for four Oscar Awards, including the Best Picture, at the 94th Academy Awards held in Los Angeles in March 2022. Well, one would only feel that this is only deserving, as this is a film is a world which is for us to be immersed in, at all times.

Release date: 17th December 2021
Running time: 150 minutes
Directed by: Guillermo del Toro
Starring: Bradley Cooper, Cate Blanchett, Toni Collette, Rooney Mara, Mary Steenburgen, Ron Perlman, Willem Dafoe, Richard Jenkins, David Strathairn

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@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Antlers

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Vampire Owl: I haven’t seen a more interesting poster in a very long time.

Vampire Bat: Horror does need such posters to show divergence in fear.

Vampire Owl: Fear should always be the same, right?

Vampire Bat: Unless you are a vampire, or maybe zombie.

Vampire Owl: You are talking about a different smell of fear.

Vampire Bat: You should be aware of the fear potions of the witches.

Vampire Owl: Those potions never really work.

Vampire Bat: I know that you trust the pseudo-scientific elixirs of Mr Frankenstein better.

Vampire Owl: Doctor Frankenstein has opened portals with elixirs.

Vampire Bat: Those were ancient portals found hidden in the caves beneath the castle!

[Gets a red velvet cake and three cups of cardamom tea].

What is the movie about? :: In the beginning, there is a warning that Mother Earth has been pillaged, with her life’s blood taken away, and this terrible act has awakened a spirit which needs to be feared – it would seek the lost, frail and the depraved, and asks the viewers to hope and pray that it won’t take one among them. The scene cuts to Cispus Falls, a small town in Oregon which feels dark with an eerie feeling. There, in an inactive mine, Frank Weaver (Scott Haze) runs a meth lab within an inactive mine which used to serve the town’s economy a long time ago. Frank and his co-worker hears some strange noises from within the mine, and goes on to check the same. As they doubt that it is an animal and tries to escape, find themselves attacked by an unseen creature. Frank’s son Aiden Weaver (Sawyer Jones) waits for him outside the mine, failing to understand what has happened inside. His elder brother as Lucas Weaver (Jeremy T Thomas) is considered to be strange by his classmates and teachers, but Julia Meadows (Keri Russell) who teaches about myths and fables is determined to help him.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: Julia remembers the abuse she suffered as a child in the hands of her alcoholic father who was also mentally ill – she feels that he is also suffering from something similar. Paul Meadows (Jesse Plemons), her brother is the local sheriff – she had abandoned him a long time ago, but has now returned home from California following the death of their father. She feels that she shouldn’t have left the place, and tries to help another person as she can, this time, Lucas. She tries to bond with him, but there is no success at all – she tries to visit his house, but leaves after hearing some strange noises from inside. Lucas seems to have some some mystery locked within his house, and also takes dead animals and birds to his home. He stays awake at night and makes strange drawings. Julia feels that she really needs to get to the bottom of this, and also informs her brother, who reaffirms that Frank was considered fit to be the guardian of the two children after the mother’s death – now, what would she do?

The defence of Antlers :: It can be seen that Antlers does take the deviation from the usual horror, and this divergence is taken seriously throughout its narrative – it lets the surroundings contribute to the same really well. The environment and the setting serve effectively for the movie too. The small town with its dark and wet weather really suits the situation presented around here, and there is enough of the woods to keep one going in the mood of terror. The idea of the “diabolic wickedness that devours humans”, the spirit that takes many forms, makes a powerful myth around here. There is also a connection made to the destruction of nature which the humans managed to come up with. One wouldn’t be able to blame the monsters considering how evil the humans happen to be at every point. We also have the moments of scares, and that gets stronger with the understanding that there is a seemingly unstoppable force of nature at work. Add the performance, especially from children, and things only get much darker and scarier in nature.

The claws of flaw :: There is no doubt about the fact that Antlers had the premise to be something greater, but doesn’t use the same to the best of advantage. We do see the moments which we feel could have been better. When you have such a near-unstoppable monster at the centre, there are many things that can be done – it could have surely been designed better too. The emotional side doesn’t seem to work that much, even though we are waiting for those elements to be effective too. The myth could have also been given a boost with certain elements from the past, and a history to be remembered. One can generate enough fear out of that too. The scope for sequel at the end seems to be forced, as if there was a certain need rather than anything else. One can feel the need to remind the viewer of a myth that goes missing, but that requires more of a better origins story with roots in a mysterious past – let the horror run through there too.

The performers of the soul :: Keri Russell has been among my favourite actresses from a long time ago – she carries a certain amount of charm with her roles, even though horror hasn’t been the genre we would remember her the most for. She would make it to the list of performers who don’t seem to age much as years pass. She blends in really well as this protagonist who has her own problems from childhood itself. Jesse Plemons supports her really well as the brother figure and the policeman. Jeremy T Thomas gets his moments as the struggling child who is forced to make too many decisions at such a young age. Scott Haze gets into the terrifying moments around here well. Sawyer Jones plays the other child of significance in a role which brings a fair challenge to him. Amy Madigan ends up having a smaller role to work with than what was expected. Rory Cochrane’s work is another thing of support here. The monster when shown, works as a performer by itself.

How it finishes :: Antlers keeps on moving the world of horror forward in a different path for a change, and the world of fear continues to make its points in one way or the other. One does feel that the Malayalam movie Odiyan could have learned a few things from this one with the creature attacks and the atmosphere to make it darker – if you see the looks, there seems to a visual connection. The earlier divergent horror movies like Malignant, Lights Out, It Follows and Don’t Breathe had scored better, but this one tries to make it count. Maybe, something like the creature in this movie is the need of environment itself to take care of the humans who are destroying nature as we have known it. Well, Corona virus did try, but they were not successful in getting rid of humanity and its use of science to destroy environment. It does make us feel that there can be the moment when nature can get it back running – The Blackout surely made us think about human extinction. Until something like that happens, let us enjoy this horror out of nature.

Release date: 29th October 2021 (Theatre); 15th December 2021 (Hotstar)
Running time: 99 minutes
Directed by: Scott Cooper
Starring: Keri Russell, Jesse Plemons, Jeremy T Thomas, Graham Greene, Scott Haze, Rory Cochrane, Amy Madigan

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@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.