Tag Archives: monster

Salem’s Lot

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Vampire Owl: I remember this as America’s answer to Dracula.

Vampire Bat: Do you think that Uncle Dracula would ever want to visit the United States?

Vampire Owl: Some parts of the nation are suitable for him.

Vampire Bat: You are talking about New Orleans where he won’t be an alien.

Vampire Owl: Uncle Dracula would need more than just one town or city.

Vampire Bat: You think that he still wishes to spread the undead curse?

Vampire Owl: I have read that it was the dream of the vampire elders.

Vampire Bat: Well, the vampire elders, even for a vampire lifespan, were too old to be alive.

Vampire Owl: They were still in their senses, even though tortured by light.

Vampire Bat: They are only that much in their sense as Dr Frankenstein during a science exhibition.

[Gets an egg puffs and three cups of tea with boost].

What is the movie about? :: In the 1975, a strange man from Europe opens an antique store in the town of Jerusalem’s Lot and starts residing in the long-abandoned Marsten House, which has a history of murders. It is then that Ben Mears (Lewis Pullman) has returned to this hometown after a very long time, this time as a writer. He falls in love with Susan Norton (Makenzie Leigh), who also wishes to leave the town one day. The place seems to be a peaceful little town where almost nothing happens, and there is almost nothing of interest. But the new entrant from Europe has a huge coffin in there, and something sinister seems to be lurking in the shadows of the night. There are boys who go missing, and as no clue is found, the locals begin to be suspicious about Ben who had only recently arrived and after which these missing cases started. The police is unable to find any clue about the particular missing.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: After the disappearance of the boy named Ralph Glick (Cade Woodward), his brother Danny Glick (Nicholas Crovetti) is also attacked, and after spending some time in the hospital, the boy dies, and is soon buried. Mike Ryerson (Spencer Treat Clark), gravedigger who buried the boy is soon attacked by the undead version of him and gets sick. It is Matthew Burke (Bill Camp) who first notices and identifies the signs of vampirism in the gravedigger and is able to connect the same to recent disappearances, illnesses and corpses. But things are worse than he could imagine as this is not a case of a random vampire attacking a few people in the town. Kurt Barlow (Alexander Ward) is an ancient vampire whose origins go a long way back, and is a source of pure evil. He would stop at nothing as the intention is to turn the whole town into a vampire colony and spread the undead curse even further. Can anyone even come close to stopping him?

The defence of Salem’s Lot :: The movie takes us to the 1970s feeling, and we see that again, and most of us who were not alive during the time can only know them through movies – this one seems to show that nicely, and place the vampire curse right in between. Finding the vampires around would be more chilling at that time as it is displayed in the movie, because there is no friendly neighbourhood vampirism as it has been popularized now. The movie maintains that original essence, and has vampires as the true evil creatures of the night, all prepared for some nocturnal hunting of humans. The setting is really well-constructed and the world suits works with perfection. The vampire attacks are shown with all the required intensity and the fear elements get good dose as the movie demanded. With the old style vampires with the long-established weakness and fear generation, the nostalgia returns like it has wings.

The claws of flaw :: The movie struggles to rise from the tag of just another old-style vampire movie which offers nothing new, and do not even make the book feel better with its content. There is the feeling of lack of depth at times, and the movie struggles to maintain pace. The length of the movie does not seem to justify itself and we see a lot of lagging in between. The struggle feels real, but it should not have been the case with a film which has the base material set from a long time ago – the whole things should have been as safe as adapting Dracula and adding so many new things to it, and still having the vampire world to work like a dream. Some characters do not really develop and we do not feel for them, even when they are dead. The emotional strength feels to be lacking, and the establishment of pillars of the movie might have been the problem as they threaten to fall. The mystery could have been deeper and it is to be noted that the new world would never cease to be terrifying even without vampires, as there are already existing monsters.

The performers of the soul :: The cast nicely blends into the 1970s setting and their work and appearance give us the best feeling of the time period. The blending into that world and characters work like a dream. The journey is led well by Lewis Pullman, who plays the protagonist who comes across the least possible evil and has to react quick enough to survive. Bill Camp is solid in a role which could be this movie’s Van Helsing, even though he does not survive that long with the undead curse spreading faster than that of Dracula. Makenzie Leigh seems to be the one person best suitable for the age with the work, and the character holds on so well. Alfre Woodard also keeps the anti-vampire battle going on well. John Benjamin Hickey could have had even bigger role to play when we see how things have been going. And then, the master vampire works really well, reminding one of Nosferatu.

How it finishes :: Salem’s Lot could have improved on the content of the book, but here it seems like just trying to use the available content and do nothing much to add to the same. There were lots of opportunities to bring a classic touch or visualize better, but the same are not taken by the movie. But the horror arrives well, and we are ready to accept the same. After all, horror is the one true feeling that everyone experiences and believes in, unlike the movies with college romance which is more myth for people who do not experience them. As part of the one true genre of horror, the movie has managed well. We are not supposed to expect more than what meets the eye as a usual thing though. This journey is indeed in the right direction to bring more horror to the scene, and take us back to the original vampire world – not that of the blood-drinking entities that glitter and live in the house on the other side of the street.

Release date: 3rd October 2024
Running time: 113 minutes
Directed by: Gary Dauberman
Starring: Lewis Pullman, Makenzie Leigh, Alfre Woodard, John Benjamin Hickey, Bill Camp, Jordan Preston Carter, Nicholas Crovetti, Spencer Treat Clark, William Sadler, Pilou Asbæk

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✠ The Vampire Bat.

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.

Munjya

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Vampire Owl: The universe of Stree always have our attention.

Vampire Bat: Well, they have the vampires, werewolves and witches who form seventy five percent of the population in our realm.

Vampire Owl: I still do not know if anything could match Stree and its sequel.

Vampire Bat: Well, we never know how far horror comedy can go.

Vampire Owl: Comedy can never be horror enough.

Vampire Bat: It is yet to be seen, and we can only wait for the best.

Vampire Owl: I did not know that you have Jio Hotstar.

Vampire Bat: I use a Jio connection with a good plan. So, I would have always had that.

Vampire Owl: We use this in the vampire world? It is news to me.

Vampire Bat: There is nothing that a vampire cannot use, for we are an experienced species.

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

What is the movie about? :: In 1952, somewhere in the Konkan coast, a boy in his early teenage years tries to marry a woman more than seven years older than him much to her dismay, but they end up getting him a purification ceremony and gets her married off earlier. The relatives feel that everything is solved now, and the boy has also left the impure thoughts, but that was very far away from the truth, as he had other intentions, soon fleeing the village to the forests on the outskirts with his only sister. The boy named Gotya (Ayush Ulagadde) who is not happy with the happenings, plans to perform a human sacrifice as part of black magic, and this is about to happen under a peepal tree in the Chetukwadi forest in the outskirts of the village, but he finds himself falling down while chasing the girl, getting hurt and dying in the process. His remains are buried right beneath the tree to contain the spirit called Munjya which would do anything to get what it wishes for, no matter how many years pass.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: In the present day in Pune, Bittu (Abhay Verma) a young man who lives with his family which consists of his mother Pammi (Mona Singh) and grandmother Gita (Suhas Joshi), and runs a family saloon where he assists his mother while hoping to go abroad for studies. As his childhood friend and crush Bela (Sharvari) gets engaged to her British friend Kuba (Richard Lovatt), Bittu is highly disappointed. When his family travel to their ancestral village for his cousin Rukku’s (Bhagyashree Limaye) engagement, Bittu overhears a conversation about his late father’s mysterious death linked to a peepal tree in a haunted forest. There is a fight regarding his visit to the forest and the possessed tree, and the circumstances leading his father’s death have been unknown to him as they speak about it for the first time in front of him. Disturbed, he visits the mentioned place, and ends up releasing the creature, known as the brahmarakshas in the past, and it also kills his grandmother.

And what more is to follow as the demon wishes to haunt more? :: Bittu is devastated as the villagers feel that he was responsible for the death of his grandmother. His father’s brother Balu (Ajay Purkar) particularly feels the same and is not hesitant to assert the same in front of others even on the day of funeral. He leaves for Pune with his mother, but understands that the demon has imprinted on him and has followed him to the city. It is revealed that only someone who is related to his father’s family can see the demon, and therefore, his mother would not understand what is happening to him. The demon never really stops haunting him as it keeps appearing after the sun sets, and it comes out of him like in the tale of Vetala, as if attached to the person. Everyone around him feels that he is too sad about the demise of her grandmother and the related guilt that he has been taking drugs, explaining his strange behaviour. The demon says that it will not leave him until it gets what it wants, and it is not a simple thing. It wishes to get married to the girl whom the boy of the past wished to marry, but could not, despite even trying black magic. Can Bittu get him the same or destroy it in the process?

The defence of Munjya :: The movie, like the others of the same franchise, takes the roots of its horror from the folktales which had spread through the villages, and this time through the Konkan coasts which are less explored. The details are really good with the scary visuals of forests, big trees and villages making an impact. The Computer Generated Imagery works in favour of he same, and the demon’s detailing also works in its favour. The acting is also very good, led by Abhay Verma who gives life to this character incredibly well. Sharvari Wagh in this role, proves that she can do almost anything, up to that final dance, from that memorable work in Vedaa. Bhagyashree Limaye who plays the cousin also scores so well, and she blends in here really well – hoping to see her as lead soon too. Sathyaraj is the one person who handles most of the comedy, and the same works because of him – whenever he is around, this is just too much fun. Taranjot Singh also supports the humour while Suhas Joshi and Mona Singh remains memorable. The thrills feel real as much as the danger, as scares work and the atmosphere remains a gem.

The claws of flaw :: The movie does not have its humour working that well, and it is a surprise when you consider its premise – to have the jokes somewhat working around here and tries to pull this one by parts. Its feeling of the need to bring a British man to the story to make joke out of his situations was surely not funny and would remain the lowest points of the movie. The movie’s romantic side is weak, and the one romance that does seem to do dome good is that of the demon that hopes for immoral bonding in love. There is a certain amount of predictability about the happenings by the end, as we look at the whole thing. The demon could have been scarier too, when we keep thinking about the situations where the same could have been reflected. After all, so much of work has already been put into this group of movies, and one cannot help thinking about so much more that could have added as extra here. When there is a demon like this one involved, there should be no limit for scares.

How it finishes :: The movie becomes another bonus to the Stree series, and has managed to come up with a fine folktale legend with so much of ease. This is the kind of idea which has been made better by Lokah Chapter 1: Chandra now, and that much of a blending of local folktales has not happened here. Yet, we know that with the kind of demon this movie uses, it is not that easy to make things work, but we some skills at display here for sure. With a cameo in the end, the movie is nicely set in the universe of folklore. I would say that we surely require more of such movies, as local legend and folklore have been often forgotten in comparison to the commonly accepted religious narrations. It is our duty to support the local folklore as much as we keep on going through a view of the world internationally. These movies will keep us energized enough to do the same and will also keep the stories of different regions in the spotlight, for those are as much needed as the stories that come as a whole.

Release date: 7th June 2024
Running time: 123 minutes
Directed by: Aditya Sarpotdar
Starring: Abhay Verma, Sharvari Wagh, Sathyaraj, Mona Singh, Suhas Joshi, Taranjot Singh, Ajay Purkar, Bhagyashree Limaye, Ayush Ulagadde, Shruti Marathe, Richard Lovatt, Anay Kamat, Padmini Sardesai, Shrikant Mohan Yadav, Reema Chaudhary, Rasika Vendurlekar, Radhika Vidyasagar, Akshay Vengulikar, Abhijeet Chavan

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✠ The Vampire Bat.

The Well

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Vampire Owl: Wells are some fine containers for the supernatural.

Vampire Bat: We, vampires are not people of the wells.

Vampire Owl: The demons can stay in the well though.

Vampire Bat: Even werewolves and zombies do not mind. But we do.

Vampire Owl: Can a well without water serve as a coffin during daytime?

Vampire Bat: A coffin needs to have a lid at all times.

Vampire Owl: I believe that Dr. Frankenstein can arrange that.

Vampire Bat: I knew that it was his idea only.

Vampire Owl: I do not see how great men like Frank bro cannot have such ideas.

Vampire Bat: Such villains always have similar ideas.

[Gets a kadai paneer puffs and three cups of Vagamon tea].

What is the movie about? :: Lisa Gray (Lauren LaVera) is the daughter of a renowned art restorer and they run a famous firm which is known for their expertise in the field and operates in multiple countries. One day, she gets a very significant assignment from a small village in Italy where a wealthy aristocratic family living in a castle-like mansion has a damaged painting which needs to be restored in a very small amount of time. Her father Mr. Gray (Giovanni Lombardo Radice) forces her to take the assignment as he cannot travel that long and their company is in desperate need for funds – a failure there would leave them bankrupt, and at the end of their art restoration journey. The painting is owned by Emma Malvisi (Claudia Gerini) who seems to be too charming and beautiful for her age. On the way, she meets two American biologists Madison (Courage Oviawe) and Tracy (Taylor Zaudtk), along with their guide Toni (Gianluigi Galvani) who are traveling to a nearby campsite located in the woods.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: Lisa is asked to restore a centuries painting that has been damaged in a fire, with almost nothing visible. She begins work on the painting, and is forced to speed up, as the contract signed by her father promised that the job would be finished in two weeks, despite her feeling that it would take more than a month. The painting starts revealing demonic figures which also appears in Lisa’s dreams which turn into nightmares. Emma’s teenage daughter, Giulia (Linda Zampaglione), gives Lisa some warnings about the paintings despite acting unfriendly. Emma assures her that it is just a personality disorder and the girl has too many fantasies due to which she could not stay in the school. Meanwhile, Madison, Tracy, and Toni are attacked by an unknown figure and are held captive in cells surrounding a well. There seems to be something sinister going on in the area, and can Lisa and her newfound friends survive this terrifying reality filled with terror?

The defence of The Well :: The Well is that movie which has come out of nowhere to make the perfect Gothic impact, and open that world of ancient horror taken into the medieval and beyond. The terrifying reality which the Gothic and the Dark Romantics provided in the past with its classic elements comes alive again, and we keep thinking about that world of supernatural chaos yet again. The demon is also nicely done and the painting is something like no other. The curse of the past coming to haunt in a medieval castle with secret passages and traps never gets old, no matter how much the modernity comes upon us. The imagination of our age can work well with the Gothic of the past – hence proven. The darkness with that kind of lighting which inspire further horror is also to be appreciated. This one becomes an inspiration to travel to Italy, becoming the one location that horror fans would prefer in Western Europe like Romania in the eastern side. I would travel to Eastern Europe any day, but Italy and Spain would be in the list if there is an extension; after all, I am also a vlogger now.

Positives and negatives :: There would always be people questioning these types of smooth horror movies, especially as it does not bring that inescapable terror. The castle could have even added more horror, and the well could have been further terrifying, despite us feeling the Gothic strength all the time. The fear elements keep gripping us, and we know what Italian movies can do right from Don’t Kill Me with the zombies, A Classic Horror Story with its gore-fillers, Security with the thrills, among the others. Well, this one requires a sequel like The Conjuring, Annabelle, The Nun and Insidious had, and such a setting is added to the ending, even though forced – the scope is a lot there to be taken. Even though a lot of people might have missed the movie – even I never really heard about it, the release of the movie on Amazon Prime Video with Hindi audio is surely going to help. In the world of modernity where nothing is a sin, let this one remind one of the presence of evil and its ability to take over in an environment which seems perfectly not supernatural.

The performers of the soul :: Lauren LaVera is someone whom we remember from Terrifier 2, and it was one fantastic performance from her in a slasher movie that kept us immersed there – the last fight with the clown was epic. There was the note that she began as a body double for Anya Taylor-Joy and others in that memorable psychological thriller Split – this reminds us that we had the seen the girl somewhere before too. She continues her great work in this particular movie, as from the beginning, we know that this one would make a fine scream queen and can continue the great job to more movies of horror too. She goes through the scares, slasher situations and nightmares in a convincing manner. The next significant candidate for the scream queen role is Taylor Zaudtke, who has also done a fine job with the girl who tries to escape from the evil, and is too terrorized at times. Claudia Gerini’s work is solid and we feel like she is part of that aristocratic world all the time. Linda Zampaglione as Giulia does not fall behind in doing the same either. The rest of the supporting cast also contributes pretty well.

How it finishes :: There might be no better place to shoot a Gothic horror film than Italy, which seems to have the settings that would keep us horror fans enlightened with the older medieval buildings of its past as much as the Renaissance structures. The Gothic never got such close its soul in horror movies like we have here, with a medieval castle, mysterious painting, secret passages, underground dungeon, hidden traps and darkness that shines like the light of the moon with a haunting past. If there is a perfect Gothic world, it should be this one, and the other one would be Guillermo del Toro’s Crimson Peak which kept breathing Gothic till the end. This one remains scary, entertaining, and as mysterious as any such movie should be. We know that there is more than what meets the eye from the beginning itself, and we enjoy the same. When you feel that horror is losing its strength, we get transported to this world, and that is indeed something great – we enjoy our existence in such a world of old model horror awakened again.

Release date: 1st August 2024
Running time: 92 minutes
Directed by: Federico Zampaglione
Starring: Lauren LaVera, Claudia Gerini, Jonathan Dylan King, Yassine Fadel, Gianluigi Galvani, Taylor Zaudtke, Courage Oviawe, Giovanni Lombardo Radice, Linda Zampaglione, Lorenzo Renzi, Melanie Gaydos, Stefano Martinelli, Toni Pandolfo

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✠ The Vampire Bat.

Pechi

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Vampire Owl: Are we now looking for witches again?

Vampire Bat: We have stopped looking for witches since a long time ago.

Vampire Owl: Well, the war can restart any time now.

Vampire Bat: The next war will not be of this realm.

Vampire Owl: You talk like we have had enough of war, but not all species have been part of them.

Vampire Bat: The war affects the whole realm, whether or not they are part of it.

Vampire Owl: If it affects the advanced the vampire civilization, yes.

Vampire Bat: You should know that the magic used in our wars are nuclear in nature.

Vampire Owl: You are talking about the mythical weapons which are never used.

Vampire Bat: The witches are known to have a magical powerhouse which stores sorcery of the unknown supported by necromancy.

[Gets a chilli chicken puffs and three cups of black tea].

What is the movie about? :: At Aranmanaikaadu in Kollimalai, Ram (Murali Ram) and his wife (Aadhirai Soundarajan) are spending their peaceful time within the forest. After a lot of difficulty and getting a few days off from their busy schedule, they look forward to spend some time of their own in the lap of nature. They venture far deep and sets up a camp there. The temperature drops very soon, and while looking for some firewood, Ram ends up cutting the branch of a tree which reveals a nail, followed by a witchcraft doll. There seems to be something else coming out of the tree, and has him scared, but his wife who is listening to music do not hear a thing. Soon, he is taken away by an unknown force, and the same evil entity also captures his wife. But this evil presence is not identified by anyone. But three weeks later, another group of youngsters come to the area with a desire to venture through this lesser-known area of the forest as part of a trekking adventure. Maari (Bala Saravanan), a forest guard who acts as a part-time guide is asked to escort them all the way into the forest and back, as the paths can be confusing and some animals might also be around.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: The five friends, Charan (Dev Ramnath), Meena (Gayathri Shanker), Sethu (Jana), Charu (Preethi Nedumaran) and Jerry (Mageshwaran) are looking for adventure, and are not interested in listening to their guide who talks to them about restrictions due to wildlife and traditions that have been followed for a long time. Meena is frustrated with the restrictions imposed on her, as she feels that they could go through the walk all by themselves and that a tourist guide is only an extra burden. Meanwhile, an arrogant Charu destroys a blockage to an area considered restricted by tradition to the local villagers, ignoring the warning signs. Sethu who considers him to be courageous one among them supports the same, much to the dismay of Maari who continues to ask them not to disturb the nature of the beliefs of people that runs through the area.

And what more happens in the forest where the villages rarely choose to enter :: There seems to be something strange going on though, as Charu almost falls from a cliff and Jerry feels that something grabbed his legs. As Charu and Sethu makes fun of him, he challenges them to go back to the area where the warning board was kept and tie a scarf. Both are not really worried, and accepts the challenge telling everyone that Maari is just creating random stories and is trying to keep them scared as if they are children. On the way there, Charu and Sethu comes across a house, which they enter and finds witchcraft dolls and elements of black magic. Charu is startled to see an unknown figure appearing out of nowhere. Maari and Charan begin searching for them, only to find Charu lying motionless. But soon, they realize that is was not really Charu, and Maari tells them a story, that of a woman from a long time ago who learned black magic and started ritual sacrifices of children. But how is it relevant now? Can they escape whatever is in the forest?

The defence of Pechi :: The movie thrives on its atmosphere and an ancient tale of folklore than runs right through it. Bala Saravanan comes up with the best among the cast, and he plays the only fully sane person around there who seems to understand the gravity of the situation – we remember him in those funny sequences of Godha. Gayathrie Shankar, the actress of Nna Thaan Case Kodu, has provided a memorable performance here, and excels in the last few moments and the flashbacks. The rest of the cast nicely follows the procedure as a cabin in the woods, or lost in the forest tale would unfold. The antagonist here is strong, and is not just another demonic presence – it is the kind of creature from where escape seems almost impossible. There are the moments which provide us with those quick scares and above that, there are the times when it keeps us scared at all times. The fear factor with an inescapable fate brings the terror here. Along with that, the visuals are too good, whether of horror or of the green and dark woods.

The claws of flaw :: The flashback feels repetitive at times, and comes in at a time when it was not to enter. There are moments in between which feels rather confusing, and the scares could have been more visual – it is the kind of scare that would work the best in these situations. Here it seems that the horror elements are not innovative enough and inspired from others instead. The use of darkness is also not at the best. As a cabin in the woods, or journey to the woods story with the usual horror background, there is always a lot more to be added. It also becomes repetitive, and that grand scares which should have come in the end is never there to be taken. A visual terror in the end could have served the best, and combined with the twists would have brought wonders. The twist in the end, even though effective, does not bring that grandeur on the screen, and the flashback provided, even though clear, could have been more detailed. The present situation of the villagers in relation to the witch could have also been shown.

How it finishes :: The movie manages to be an interesting horror flick that elevates itself with the setting and folk-tale power. In a world where there is a shortage of good horror, this one score well, and becomes a good example of bringing working scares out of folklore and myth, something only Stree could do so effectively. As visuals and performances support the scares, fine horror is born. The movie could have still been better, but it is worth watching for sure considering for fans of folk-horror who can appreciate mood over momentum—but it is not for all. There is still a lot to come in a possible sequel, considering how the movie ended, and with one of these main characters having an even bigger role to play there, we will be only glad to wait for more of fear. Until then, we have this movie, and something to remember when we go on trekking, and a reminder to respect nature, local traditions and those who guide the way and advice for the best.

Release date: 2nd August 2024
Running time: 110 minutes
Directed by: Ramachandran B
Starring: Gayathrie Shankar, Bala Saravanan, Preethi Nedumaran, Dev, Jana, Mageshwaran, Seeniammaal, Murali Ram, Aadhirai Soundararajan, Shanthimani

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

@ 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.

Frozen Empire

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Vampire Owl: I feel that this movie is about the Lich Queen.

Vampire Bat: Are you talking about that witch who called herself the Lich?

Vampire Owl: She is the Lich Queen, and it is a status bigger than the regular witch.

Vampire Bat: Only an undead female sorcerer qualifies as a lich.

Vampire Owl: Well, witches are hard to kill in the world of magic.

Vampire Bat: You should see that undead sorcery is of another level, outside regular magic.

Vampire Owl: I am sure that she possesses the ancient frozen power.

Vampire Bat: Well, only if she is already dead and risen.

Vampire Owl: That would make her a vampire, a nosferatu, right? A vampiric officer on duty?

Vampire Bat: Liches once tasted the frozen evil would never be vampires. They also have no nocturnal qualities, and wait until dawn to unleash their full potential. The separation can be clearly seen in the atlas.

[Gets a masala bonda and three cups of Munnar tea].

What is the movie about? :: The team of Gary Grooberson (Paul Rudd), Callie Sengler (Carrie Coon), Trevor Spengler (Finn Wolfhard) and Phoebe Spengler (Mckenna Grace) goes through a fight in the streets of New York, three years after the battle in the countryside. The come across Hell’s Kitchen Sewer Dragon which they manage to capture, but only after causing quite some destruction to the city. The mayor of the city Walter Peck (William Atherton) finds this as a fine opportunity to threaten the team and close the Ghostbusters down for the best. He fins Phoebe to be under eighteen years old, and as a minor, warns her in specific. This leads to the team leaving Phoebe behind during their adventures, much to her dismay. As she is disappointed and wanders around in the park, she comes across the ghost of a girl who was killed in fire, Melody (Emily Alyn Lind), with whom she becomes a friend and plays chess to free her mind.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: Things change when a man named Nadeem Razmaadi (Kumail Nanjiani) sells a strange brass orb with Mesopotamian ritual markings to them. There seems to be something sinister about it, as Nadeem also disappears, and it also seems to affect other artefacts. As something seems to be coming and as they can feel the energy, they contact Dr. Hubert Wartzki (Patton Oswalt), a New York Public Library research librarian and anthropologist, but what they do not understand here is that an ancient power is ready to be awakened, and it would not stop until it takes over the world. It is revealed that the orb was supposed to be a prison built over four thousand years ago somewhere in South West Asia by four sorcerers serving as the masters of fire to imprison a creature of ice that wished to conquer humanity with its power of Death Chill. Now, things would get more serious – can they stop this villain from being unleashed in the modern world?

The defence of Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire :: The movie tries to keep up with the spirit of its predecessor and is partially successful in doing the same. There is fun in between and the spirit has its role to play too. The presence of a dumb little kid who makes all the mistakes to unleash the evil is once again here in the form of the foolish daughter who is not really old enough to be even talking to ghosts, as revealed in being the silliest creature in the universe – well, we require a usual dose of such dumb people to bring evil upon this world so that it can be saved. There are some fine visuals at the end of the movie to support the same time too. The ancient monstrous entity looks good, even though it is there for only a few moments. The ghosts look fine, even though there could have been bigger and better-looking ones. The combination of science and supernatural is good, even though the talking could have been less and action should have been more. The performers do try to bring as much fun in here as possible.

The claws of flaw :: The movie is surely too long for anyone, and there are too many dialogues in a film that should focus on action. It would have served the previous movie more as some introduction was needed, but not this time. Too much talking kills more than one ghost cinema for sure. After all, people in this part of the world are not fans of this particular series of movies, and the nostalgia that means to these people about it is very low. This kind of an approach is also not going to be appealing for the children of this age who are looking for quick results and have very less patience in comparison to our generation and the one that follows it. The funny side could have also been stronger, and the danger often leaks in its strength, even though there Is something greater needs to be there for this work for bringing the entertainment. Well, with kids not acting like they need to be, you know this movie also has its limitations. The grandeur that we were expecting is not really there and the evil struggles even though it is ancient and all – it should have been creating that demonic spectacle that we never get here.

The performers of the soul :: This seems to be one fun-loving cast that tries to keep this world interesting, even when there seems to be some limitations regarding the same. They also seem to keep a certain amount of nostalgia going, even though most of do not have it due to our love focused on other movies like Evil Dead and more. But this cast makes it work indeed. Paul Rudd is the one who leads the way in style, even though we keep wondering why he was not given more action. The movie focuses more on Mckenna Grace, and even though she does good, there is too much of focus on her character while others are shown less in comparison. Carrie Coon and Finn Wolfhard follows well, even though gets limited. Kumail Nanjiani nicely adds to the fun and there is some humour whenever he is around – he also gets it big in the final stages of the film. Emily Alyn Lind makes a fine ghost with a melancholic side that would stay with us for long. The other characters play along well.

How it finishes :: This version of ghostbusting tries the best to bring some nostalgia along with some scares and fun, and all these are partially effective as we look at them. There are many funny and scary ways that this film could have gone, and it is surprising to say that it is sticking to the minimum instead of bringing some innovation of our times. Without even a classic ending, it does struggle, but manages to hold on at times to keep some entertainment going. The movie required to have more of a soul than what it displayed. The lack of enough screens here does not come as a surprise as people do not really think about a movie like this, as it might not have had much with the earlier version too. It is that kind of a movie which we can go through on an OTT platform, and speed things up in between. This will make us feel like the overall length has been reduced, and is enough for us to spend a weekend when there is not much to do.

Release date: 22nd March 2024
Running time: 115 minutes
Directed by: Gil Kenan
Starring: Paul Rudd, Carrie Coon, Finn Wolfhard, Mckenna Grace, Kumail Nanjiani, Patton Oswalt, Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson, Annie Potts, William Atherton

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

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Nosferatu

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Vampire Owl: Finally, our Count is coming back to the big screen.

Vampire Bat: This one is not really the true Dracula Uncle.

Vampire Owl: Well, Count Orlok is not lesser than Count Dracula.

Vampire Bat: I have heard from humans that this Orlok is an illegal version.

Vampire Owl: Well, there are no such rules in vampire kingdom, right?

Vampire Bat: Human rules need not apply here, but we should know.

Vampire Owl: We will never really know the humans.

Vampire Bat: We will know everything except their inherent evil.

Vampire Owl: Well, which is why we do not transform humans into vampires anymore.

Vampire Bat: I am sure that they want to; the greed for eternal life and perpetual youth.

[Gets a tea cake and three cups of Ooty tea].

What is the movie about? :: Ellen Hutter (Lily-Rose Depp) is a recently married young woman who has had too many nightmares in her life in the past, and it is revealed that her recent bad dream about being married to death and everyone around her dead. It is revealed that while looking for consolation from her loneliness and depression in life, during her random chants and prayers, she had ended up creating a psychic link with Count Orlok (Bill Skarsgård), or what they villagers of Romania used to call Nosferatu, with Romanian roots. The nocturnal creature of pure evil had marked Ellen from thousands of kilometres away, and this connection often led her into situations of seizures and sleepwalking. She keeps having hallucinations and a feeling of being with death, from which escape seems almost impossible. She has been living in the German town of Wisborg with her husband Thomas Hutter (Nicholas Hoult) and is irreversibly in love with him as it seems, but this connection seems to have journeyed through the unimaginable, the darkest of the woods and deepest of the rivers and lakes.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: It is then that Thomas accepts the offer to sell the partially ruined Grünewald Manor to a reclusive lord named Count Orlok located somewhere in Romania. Ellen talks about her nightmares and pleads Thomas not to leave for those unknown lands where a certain cursed evil lurks, but the offer from his employer is too much for him not to accept this opportunity of a life time. He leaves her in the care of his wealthy friend and famous shipbuilder Friedrich Harding (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) and his wife Anna Harding (Emma Corrin) who lives with their two little daughters. As he arrives at the Carpathians in the Transylvanian area of Romania, Thomas is warned not to wander around during the nights and not to visit Orlok. During the same night, he still wanders around and witnesses a group of gypsies running a ritual with a fully naked woman on a horse which ends with the exhuming and impaling a vampire’s corpse with a wooden stake, ending the undead life with a lot of blood coming out of its mouth. The next morning, he finds no help or support, and leaves for the count’s castle alone and on foot.

And what is to follow as the Count maintains all the control over the world known to him? :: In his castle, Count Orlok welcomed Thomas as the aristocrat that required respect at all times. But soon, his existence as something more than human is revealed to Thomas, who hopes to escape, but the paths of the castle only lead to the crypt where the count is sleeping in his coffin, and he is not able to attack him as the vampire awakens, and so do his demonic hounds. He understands that he will have to remain a prisoner in the castle forever, as the document which the count made him sign might not be the Romanian version of the deal concerning the property, but a document dissolving his marriage to Ellen and the vampire had also taken his locket, containing a lock of her hair. He understands the vampire is going after his wife, and jumps into the river below the castle to escape. But the count has already started his journey and has infested a ship which is on its way to Germany. He will not stop at anything unless he becomes together with Ellen. Can anyone stop this evil from embracing her and also spread through the whole of Western Europe? Or will the blood-seeking demon have a blood feast that will last forever?

The defence of Nosferatu :: The movie achieves atmospheric horror and thrives with the sound effects as much as the visuals. There is fear running through the air, as we rarely see a world thriving on light here. The psychological side very strong here, and the performance of Lily-Rose Depp is truly magical here, with so many moments to remember, and the final few moments of her is out of this world. I cannot stop myself from not being the new admirer of Johnny Depp’s daughter as I have been a fan of him. I can say that I have never seen the main female character of any version of Bram Stoker’s work getting such attention which is supported by a performance of grandeur. The connection to the demonic creature and talk about all of this terror has never been so perfectly detailed and connected to the female lead. Nicholas Hoult and Willem Dafoe works the roles just as expected, while Bill Skarsgård’s demon is something we have not seen before, well divergent in looks and actions to create more terror. Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Emma Corin move through expected paths. These are not just characters, but people who immerse us in their wisely created world with fine performances.

Positives and negatives :: It can be said that there is no movie based on Bram Stoker’s work that has provided an emotional and haunting touch like this one, and a terrifying vampire movie becoming an emotional tale of love and selflessness keeps us rooting for the film even more, like never before. The movie basically like music which strives for a fight against the most terrifying form of evil with love. By the end, here we know that as evil always finds a way, so does goodness and self-sacrifice. Finally, we know that the melancholy of the main character is not hers alone, but of all of us. It is a poetry on what it takes to thrive against the most ancient forms of evil. The sequence in the forest makes a fine reflection which is to come, and there are some classic shots in the castle that elevates this movie to a psychic-psychological mood which is rarely seen in the adaptations. The final image from where the camera zooms out reflects the same, and that too with a melancholic beauty. There is also some work with demonic possession, which is actually shown without any overdose. This is indeed a fine Gothic work that reflects the Victorian Age even when not in Britain. The one thing that we might really be missing is the Brides of Dracula.

How it finishes :: This is the one movie which becomes a fine divergent tribute to both the 1922 version of Nosferatu and the many later versions of Dracula as well as the original book, along with being a different entity in itself. There seems to be so many inspirations, and many creative ideas placed around here. This version is sure to be remembered as a classic in future, no matter problems critics would find, which would be lost in the process. This version might be the one which needs even more attention than what it has managed. This is that version of the vampire that maintains all kinds of feeling which are related to a vampire as a nocturnal creature that feeds from the lifeforce of humans. There are not many movies which can pay homage to so many of its predecessors and still remain something new. This one, with some fantastic performance and an atmosphere which would put even the high-budget movies to shame, manages to rise and seek theatre experience – it is quite depressing that the movie was not really found in theatres when it released.

Release date: 25th December 2024
Running time: 132 minutes
Directed by: Robert Eggers
Starring: Bill Skarsgård, Nicholas Hoult, Lily-Rose Depp, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Emma Corrin, Willem Dafoe, Katerina Bila

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

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Alien: Romulus

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Vampire Owl: Do you remember those days when we watched alien movies and believed in them? Those were the wonderful days with alien fear, right?

Vampire Bat: We still do not deny their existence. Aliens are the kind of creatures who are not limited to any shells.

Vampire Owl: So, we are going with the parallel world theory. We might end up finding some interesting creatures that we are not aware of.

Vampire Bat: We already have that discovery of the shadow world, and so this is also possible.

Vampire Owl: It was discovered by Doctor Frankenstein, right? Isn’t the great scientist responsible for all the great inventions and discoveries?

Vampire Bat: It was discovered by the vampire scouts, not that fake doctor.

Vampire Owl: The scouts just discovered the portal, and Mr. Frankenstein discovered the rest.

Vampire Bat: It was actually a work of fiction on real discoveries.

Vampire Owl: You should know that the shadow demons come from a portal to another planet.

Vampire Bat: Well, these are surely not the same kind of aliens.

Vampire Owl: I have known these aliens since the first movie too.

Vampire Bat: People seem to like the second, but for me, the first scores the best.

Vampire Owl: And the newer versions – Prometheus and Covenant.

Vampire Bat: I would not deny their strength either.

Vampire Owl: So, we will trust them to do well again. As they have always done, making us more and more interested in the franchise which has so many secrets to unveil and worlds to witness.

Vampire Bat: Which is why we take the struggle to find the theatres showing this film.

Vampire Owl: I hope they show this is in more theatres.

Vampire Bat: I am sure that this will survive and go through a long run.

Vampire Owl: Even with those Onam releases coming up?

Vampire Bat: Well, we only a have a few Onam releases this time.

Vampire Owl: So, the biggest names are not releasing their films?

Vampire Bat: That is indeed a surprise, but I feel that they are not.

Vampire Owl: So the biggest Onam release would be ARM: Ajayante Randaam Moshanam.

Vampire Bat: I do not see why it should not be. The fantasy movies also deserve to have their due, not just in the form of magic realism.

[Gets a box with cheese popcorn and three cups of ginger tea and moves into theatre].

Vampire Owl: The series remains a classic indeed and there are not many people who can patiently wait for another sequel.

Vampire Bat: This is why I always trust this franchise. This is indeed a science-fiction marvel that continues from its base so well.

Vampire Owl: The aliens in the such a terrifying atmosphere within a space station serves well.

Vampire Bat: Well, we have the castles and they have space stations and ships. You remember the movie when Dracula actually visited a space ship, and was considered an alien species from a much far away planet.

Vampire Owl: Yet, we are scarier, with a certificate attained from the nearby cemetery.

Vampire Bat: Yet, being in space with nowhere to go brings the terror further.

Vampire Owl: The performances have been really good too.

Vampire Bat: Well, science fiction seems to bring better monsters than the Gothic these days.

Vampire Owl: The monsters from outer space got their merits.

Vampire Bat: The terror brought by the ruination of humans works every time whether as demons of space or of the graves.

Vampire Owl: This time, there was so much of details with the outer space as much as inside. The world has managed to get its due.

Vampire Bat: The terror of infinity of space never ceases to amaze us.

Vampire Owl: Well, the idea of hell might me somewhere in space.

Vampire Bat: You are going back to the good old Doom game.

Vampire Owl: And also its movie adaptations.

Vampire Bat: You were not that much of a fan of those particular adaptions. You were always against games being made into movies, even though you did not considered the same vice versa to be that much a negative thing.

Vampire Owl: Well, these genres are all mixed, and we see the demons in space, gods in space, aliens in mythology and humans everywhere.

Vampire Bat: The human imagination is basically everywhere these days. You look at them imagining the impossible, the beautiful and the absurd, all coming out of the same brain that fails to stop being creative, sometimes even for the wrong reasons.

Vampire Owl: How many aliens did you count? How many were killed by those guns? Did too many of them manage to escape.

Vampire Bat: They come in hordes, like the zombies and werewolves, as if a witch or sorcerer is controlling them with a magic wand.

Vampire Owl: There are still some repetitions and reminders of earlier movies.

Vampire Bat: Yes, they still work effectively enough. Movies like these would require some repetition as these are the right elements that make the franchise better.

Vampire Owl: In a world where viewers fear humans more than monsters will this work well enough? Do they count as scary enough in comparison?

Vampire Bat: Well, with so many effective scares, yes. They keep the franchise going, strong and sharp as they are intended to be.

Vampire Owl: This has surely worked well with the scares for me.

[Disappears into the darkness of the day because the clouds have done the trick, and awaits the darkest night of the week].

This is the third YouTube video dealing with film review. The movie has been reviewed as part of a vlog below, and with the YouTube Channel Scholar Nomads gaining the advantage, there is always much more to be said.

Release date: 23rd August 2024 (Theatre)
Running time: 119 minutes
Directed by: Fede Alvarez
Starring: Cailee Spaeny, David Jonsson, Archie Renaux, Isabela Merced, Spike Fearn, Aileen Wu

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

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

The Invitation

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Vampire Owl: You are talking about the invitation to the witches’ lair.

Vampire Bat: No vampire goes to the land of the witches.

Vampire Owl: You are afraid of the curse.

Vampire Bat: There is no witch who can curse a vampire.

Vampire Owl: You mean vampirism itself is a curse.

Vampire Bat: We have the curse that has become a blessing.

Vampire Owl: The vampire curse has been suspected by many.

Vampire Bat: Your favourite doctor called it a bane.

Vampire Owl: Doctor Frankenstein can be wrong once in a year.

Vampire Bat: At least you agree to it now.

[Gets a chocolate brownie and three cups of Munnar tea].

What is the movie about? :: Evelyn (Nathalie Emmanuel) and Grace (Courtney Taylor) are two friends who keeps doing some freelancing for a catering business, and it seems to be working just okay for them. After taking a DNA test, Evelyn discovers that she has a distant cousin in England named Oliver Alexander (Hugh Skinner). They meet each other, and after Oliver tells Evelyn about the great scandal which happened with their grandparents, and also about a wedding of their cousin which is to take place soon. He invites her to the wedding in England, and even though it feels strange, Evelyn accepts the offer, as it is a full-paid trip all the way to another nation in another continent; she doesn’t have anyone else as part of family either. As she arrives at the grand manor of the De Ville family to whom their cousin is going to be married, she finds Walter De Ville (Thomas Doherty), the Lord of the Manor. She finds herself instantly attracted to his good looks and polite manners, even though Grace advices her not to be foolish in her actions, at least in the early stages in the manor.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: Evelyn finds out that there is something strange occurring in the manor, especially at night. She meets the maids of honour Lucy (Alana Boden) and Viktoria (Stephanie Corneliussen), both of them having nothing in common. It is revealed that a lady had committed suicide by hanging, and maids have started disappearing while shadowy figures seem to wander in the darkness of the night. There seems to be a certain secret about her grandmother that would be revealed, and she would feel that there is more to it than what meets the eye. But as she is infatuated with Walter, she avoids negative sides. But soon, the truth about the families would be revealed to her, and when she knows everything, it might be too late for to call for help or escape from this trap. Will Evelyn be able to escape from this family haunting and go back to the New World in the same form as she arrived in England?

The defence of The Invitation :: This is a movie which thrives on the atmosphere, as we have almost the whole of the movie happening in a very old mansion, which seems to be separated from the civilization with a long line of trees which run through the sides of the road which leads there. The reminder of a certain mystery about the family’s dark past is always there. The darkness is used by the movie to the best of effects, and there are enough terrifying effects that make fine additions. The beginning shot itself gives a clue about what is to come, and there is something eerie in the air at all times. This film reminds us that there is always something dangerous lurking in the dark shadows, nothing comes for free, even if it is within the family. The movie has the skill of creating something dangerous out of what seems to be the usual sequences, and the scares often come out of nowhere to make an impact. When we see the evil presence revealing itself, we feel the strength of truth in horror. The cast nicely works on this revelation, and the audience would enjoy it with a touch of fear. For the same, the costumes also work like a dream.

The claws of flaw :: The movie could have had a smarter ending, and the extra edition which comes after the death of the main antagonist is a big disappointment, as this is no superhero or vigilante movie to get a deviation like that. The world seemed to promise more, as we are transported to that dark atmosphere where the building and the clothing of the people around seems to hide more than what is revealed around there. The script does not try to go deep though, as the idea used here would not look that new for most people, and the attempt to end the whole thing goes through a struggle too. An opportunity at the exploration of evil has gone missing. The first half is surely better than the second, as in the end, the movie seems to be only working at going in one direction without the surprises which could have been there and connected well. The director also seems to talk about a few things which are not really connected to this film, and when losing focus just because there is a female protagonist does not do this film any good. There were many directions through which this film could have traveled, and here we only see the easy one.

The performers of the soul :: The cast is led by Nathalie Emmanuel who proves to be another talented scream queen to be added to the list. We have already seen her skills in Army of Thieves and Fast and Furious franchise where she excelled in her own way. The way in which she blends into the atmosphere of this movie leaves us impressed. Her scenes with other main characters feel very much natural and suitable for the situation. With the supporting roles, Stephanie Corneliussen goes through the more interesting and believable path. Alana Boden has a cure presence here, even though there is more about the character; yet she is used less. Thomas Doherty also makes his presence felt, and the transformation that comes across him is memorable. Hugh Skinner plays another character with a mysterious side to him, which threatens to come out. Sean Pertwee also has a strong and memorable presence. Courtney Taylor plays the small good friend role fine enough. Tian Chaudhry and Carol Ann Crawford have those smaller and yet notable roles here.

How it finishes :: We have a tale of terror nicely told here, and the entry of the vampires in a world of darkness only makes things better. The settings in this movie reminds us of the type of horror which was evident in Crimson Peak. Guillermo del Toro’s version of horror, even without vampires was a beautiful piece of horror. The Invitation does go through an unnecessary shift in between, which seems to make it lose the focus, as the mystery is revealed a little too early. But the movie stays strong with its cast and the environment which never ceases to keep us interested. We could always have a sequel to this movie though, as world like that of Byzantium or Night Teeth could be made for the vampires. Good movies with vampires have been more difficult to find these days in comparison to the world of Dracula, Carmilla and Ruthven, and taking that into consideration, this one could develop into something more with a search for blood and bloodlines.

Release date: 26th August 2022
Running time: 104 minutes
Directed by: Jessica M Thompson
Starring: Nathalie Emmanuel, Thomas Doherty, Stephanie Corneliussen, Alana Boden, Hugh Skinner, Sean Pertwee, Courtney Taylor, Tian Chaudhry

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@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Venom: Carnage

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Vampire Owl: Here is someone who seems to be close enough to vampirism.

Vampire Bat: I am sure that he is closer to zombies than vampires.

Vampire Owl: You are saying so just because he eats brains.

Vampire Bat: We never really evolved in that way, did we?

Vampire Owl: Well, zombies also have blood in their own way while eating brains.

Vampire Bat: It is only a little bit of blood. That won’t count.

Vampire Owl: If we were blood-starved, that would have surely counted.

Vampire Bat: We have evolved enough to go vegetarian when required.

Vampire Owl: Such a requirement is shame to us vampires though.

Vampire Bat: We have had enough control over blood-thirst for centuries now.

[Gets a paneer puffs and three glasses of pista shake].

What is the movie about? :: In an early flashback, we see that a girl is taken away from St. Estes Home for Unwanted Children to a more secure place known as the Ravencroft Institute, as she seems to have special powers related to sound. One of the boys in the children’s home seems to resist the same, but he is helpless against the decision made by the authorities. As she uses her supersound sonic scream powers to attack young police officer, he shoots her in the eye and believes that he killed her. But the girl remains alive, and she is taken to Ravencroft where her abilities are restricted with the use of advanced science and technology, while she remains angry at everyone in the absence of her one eye. Cletus Kasady (Woody Harrelson) grows up from that boy in the children’s home to become a serial killer whom everyone would be afraid of. He had promised carnage in the first movie, and has something special in his mind as he calls for Eddie Brock a.k.a. Venom (Tom Hardy) to the cell where he is imprisoned.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: Many years have passed since humans explored space and other planets for new habitable worlds, and a comet covered in symbiotic lifeforms was discovered, among which all are believed to have been destroyed, the only exception being Venom who lives with Eddie in secret. Venom is still not happy about Eddie not allowing him to eat enough people and devour their brains. Detective Patrick Mulligan (Stephen Graham) allows Eddie to make a visit to Cletus as he hopes to somehow get some information about the victims of the serial killer. As Eddie speaks to the serial killer as a journalist, Venom manages to discover the area where the corpses of the victims are hidden, from the drawings in his cell, this giving the man a huge boost in the career of journalism like never before. At the same time, Eddie’s former girlfriend Anne Weying (Michelle Williams) gets engaged to Dan Lewis (Reid Scott), an act which both the human and the symbiote seem to dislike.

And what more can happen as carnage also has its say in a world of chaos? :: Despite Venom’s warning, Eddie decides to accept Cletus’ invitation to visit him one last time, as he will be put to death with the bodies being found. As Cletus mocks and insults Eddie, Venom unleashes himself, and gets bitten by Cletus who tries to escape. The part of the symbiote which gets inside Cletus seems to have its effects. At the same time, back home, Eddie and Venom get into a heated argument about having the freedom to eat criminals, which leads to them attacking each other and going on their separate ways, as the latter feels insulted. As Cletus’ execution is about the begin, a red symbiote emerges out of him, and goes on to attack everyone in the prison, and a number of inmates also escape in the process. This new symbiote known as Carnage agrees to help Cletus in breaking his love out of the institute in exchange for his help in eliminating the original symbiote, Venom from which he was born, thus making him all-powerful in the process. Can the now separate Venom and Eddie unite to stop them?

The defence of Venom: Let there Be Carnage :: A fine performance from Tom Hardy enhances the movie well, and Michelle Williams contributes nicely. Woody Harrelson also becomes a strong villain, thus elevating the level of the film. Stephen Graham also plays a fine detective in between, and might have scope for more in a possible sequel. The special effects are splendid, and it has to be looked at by some dumb mass masala movies around here which claim to have Hollywood-like effects, but has nothing in comparison. The action is very much effective, and two symbiotes fighting each other is indeed a fine sight to behold. The ending does leave scope for a sequel with Venom joining Spider-Man and team sooner or later. With its shorter run-time, this one never goes on the drag as the anti-hero turning superhero had lots of opportunities to stretch this one – keeping the romance to minimum was indeed a boon. The shots of the city are nicely done, and the emergence and transformations of alien symbiotes remain cool at all times. The quality maintained here makes sure that the whole thing will always remain better than Deadpool.

The claws of flaw :: Venom: Let there Be Carnage had opportunities to make it more interesting and at a bigger level with the grandeur on the screen. There are moments when the film does feel rather repetitive, a nature which could have been avoided as we have an alien at the centre of everything. Just like the first film, this one also has a very much a similar villain, another thing of symbiotic and alien nature, even though a better antagonist stays inside it. The movie could have used its humour in a better way, as the creature which decided to stay could have contributed a lot to comedy. The serial killer could have also had more role to play as himself by taking over the alien creature. After the first few minutes, it does take some time to get to the interesting parts, and it also lacks the scares which could have come up with the dangerous aliens. The predictable elements could have been avoided by adding a few twists here and there, or having some deviations at certain areas – after all, we have had so much of similar superhuman stuff in the past.

How it finishes :: Venom: Let there Be Carnage continues the action from the first movie, and even makes it better. While watching the original, one had a certain amount of doubt if this could be made better, but the second movie here has made it possible. The idea of Venom has managed to level up with its symbiotic relationship with the protagonist. With the Infinity War and Endgame finishing off the Avengers for good, we have been in need of more superheroes of quality, and this one nicely fills in that gap, coming years after the release of the first movie. There are the strong action sequences and the emerging fight against a strong villain which will keep us interested at all times. It is always to see the one person whom we have watched only as a villain in those early 2000s Spidey movies coming back to make an impact while saving the world. This one only makes us hope for more sequels as well as more entries in the franchise in relation to this.

Release date: 1st October 2021 (Theatre); 1st March 2022 (Netflix)
Running time: 97 minutes
Directed by: Andy Serkis
Starring: Tom Hardy, Michelle Williams, Naomie Harris, Woody Harrelson, Reid Scott, Stephen Graham, Peggy Lu, Sian Webber

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@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Lamb

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Vampire Owl: I think that they are talking about the Vampire Lamb.

Vampire Bat: A Vampire Lamb from Iceland? That is new.

Vampire Owl: We never had any Vampire Lamb so far?

Vampire Bat: Lambs do not usually go well with the vampires.

Vampire Owl: What about a black lamb with fangs?

Vampire Bat: We already lost the Vampire Wolf to the werewolves. We don’t really need another animal.

Vampire Owl: Wolves belonging to that side of the border. It is not the case of others.

Vampire Bat: You think that every creature other than a wolf would declare allegiance to the vampire kind?

Vampire Owl: I don’t see why they wouldn’t do that.

Vampire Bat: Well, what about the reason that they don’t really need that?

[Gets a paneer paratha and three cups of ginger tea].

What is the movie about? :: Somewhere in the remote area of Iceland, a strange entity seems to make its way to a barn which is located a long distance from the traces of civilization. With the terrifying climatic situation, things seem to get worse. The owners of the barn, Maria (Noomi Rapace) and Ingvar (Hilmir Snaer Guonason) soon finds one of their pregnant sheep giving birth to a creature with a lamb’s head and human body, along with its other children. The two takes the creature into the house and names her after their dead daughter, Ada. The creature’s biological mother keeps trying to contact her, and as she is later found with the sheep, Maria shoots the mother sheep and buries it in a grave further away. Despite having some nightmares about sheep, Maria takes very good care of Ada. Ingvar’s brother Petur (Bjorn Hlynur Haraldsson) who arrives at the barn witnessing the incident feels that this newly found creature is only an animal, and wishes to get rid of it, to which the couple doesn’t agree at all.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: Petur who always had certain love interest with Maria, decides to get rid of Ada for the best interest of everyone in the house, even if other won’t recognize the same. He takes her on a morning walk in the early morning, hoping to shoot her dead and bury the body far away. But he has a change of heart decides to become the uncle-figure to her – Ada also gets along with him really well. But soon, things seems to get different, and something creepy seems to make its way home, which Ada seems to notice. Petur is still fond of Maria, and after drinking a little too much that he should have, makes sexual advances to her, even using the secret that he knows, that she killed Ada’s real mother. She sends him away on the very next day. With only Ada and Ingvar left around there, the strange entity makes its first appearance. What does this creature want, and how can Ingvar and Maria defend against it? What are the secrets that Ada holds here? What fate awaits the couple and their half-sheep child?

The defence of Lamb :: Powered by the performance led by Noomi Rapace who is one of the best actresses of all-time to be part of movies like this, this film can be considered as thriving on the atmosphere on which it builds its pillars. It is indeed a strange movie when we look at it – there is a creature with a lamb’s head and a human body, and it is raised as a child by humans; not the usual kind of story that you keep seeing around. It has a certain horror side, but also an emotional one, all of them being present there, often in an indirect manner. It deals with the strange nature of people, and their lack of understanding of the realities which they face. Providing the feeling of a pastoral world well enough, it provides a certain amount of haunting experience with the slow movement forward too. It wouldn’t have been that easy to work on this material, but with the right cast and the visuals that work perfectly with the atmosphere, the movie manages to march on. It is a reminder that almost everything in life comes at a price.

The claws of flaw :: Lamb is one movie which has decided to go very much divergent, and there is not that much of horror to celebrate it. The film deviates from the general idea about the genre which comes out from movies like The Conjuring, The Nun, Annabelle, Ouija, Insidious, Sinister and others which work on a formula which has been tested and appreciated by too many people who have identified themselves as fans of the category. Moving away from the original horror ideas, and leaving less to be scared, this wouldn’t be that much appreciated by such fans. Along with the same, the ending doesn’t bring that huge effect which was expected. The movie could have been better marketed as a drama thriller indeed, as one creature which does so less has its limitations. Also, the movie slows down a little too much for anyone’s liking, and it is only right to feel that the movie could be twenty or thirty minutes short in length. The grief in this movie could have been also more evident.

The performers of the soul :: Noomi Rapace is one actress whom we can always rely on. The Swedish actress might be best remembered by the people in this part of the world for her work in Prometheus, and she is no stranger to playing motherly figures, as we have seen the same in Angel of Mine. She has a similar mother role here, and she is as determined as she was in that movie. As we miss seeing her in Alien Covenant, and as a good number of her movies didn’t come here, we can only be glad to watch this particular performance from her, which deserves the appreciation too. Most of you might still remember her for the Millennium series: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The Girl Who Played with Fire, and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets’ Nest. Well, as the mother who takes care of her lamb girl child, this is another work which you are going to remember her for. Hilmir Snaer Guonason plays the father figure very well too – after all both parents are part of this lamb love. Bjorn Hlynur Haraldsson makes a good contribution in between too.

How it finishes :: The movie seems to have similarities to another flick, Sacrifice, with the atmosphere which is seen around. Even though an English movie, it is also set in such a Scandinavian world. The themes of loneliness and depression, as well as a reflection of people who treat their pets as kids also seem to have some say around here. The story seems to have taken something from the Icelandic folklore too, and the one other movie which seems to stay close to this one is The Witch. The film doesn’t use that many dialogues to make its point, and that would mean that even without subtitles, you can understand most part of the flick. The movie surely had the positive opinion of critics, and was selected as the entry from Iceland for the Best International Feature Film at the 94th Academy Awards which took place in Los Angeles in 2022. So, you know that this movie surely has enough to make an impression – it is a mystery set far away from the everyman’s busy world that will have your attention early.

Release date: 24th September 2021
Running time: 106 minutes
Directed by: Valdimar Johannsson
Starring: Noomi Rapace, Hilmir Snaer Guonason, Bjorn Hlynur Haraldsson, Ingvar Eggert Sigurosson

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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.

No One Gets Out Alive

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Vampire Owl: I used to say this to some of the vampire apprentices.

Vampire Bat: How long ago was that? We haven’t had apprentices for a long time.

Vampire Owl: I don’t count the centuries anymore.

Vampire Bat: You can still count the years well enough.

Vampire Owl: The years mean too much counting for my liking.

Vampire Bat: Well, you don’t really get older every year. You are immortal.

Vampire Owl: Immortality only stops the body from getting old.

Vampire Bat: You cannot continue to take it as a curse.

Vampire Owl: We don’t get to be that evil as humans. It is a curse.

Vampire Bat: We are better without human level of evil. It is too much to handle.

[Gets a sweets puffs and three cups of mixed tea].

What is the movie about? :: Ambar Cruz (Cristina Rodlo) is an undocumented Mexican immigrant, and has no id which restricts her. She moves to Cleveland after the death of her mother, whose illness hadn’t allowed her to lead a normal life. She finds a place to stay at a cheaper rate than usual, with Red (Marc Menchaca) as the caretaker of the boarding house which has a few floors where only her and Freja (Vala Noren) are staying. It seems that Freja is not the kind of person who wishes to talk to people much, but Ambar does hear her crying from her room. She has to pay a good amount of money in advance for the apartment and gives a co-worker the remainder of her savings to obtain a fake ID that will allow her to continue working, but her newfound friend cheats her and leaves with the money. It also seems that Red has a sick brother Becker (David Figlioli) who bangs his head against the door all time, and it is not that only strange sound in the building.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: Ambar’s slow working speed doesn’t allow her to get any appreciation from her boss, and as she continues to ask him for some advance pay, she is fired from the job. Now, with no money to pay, the only way forward for her is to get a refund from Red who is hesitant to provide the same. She doesn’t have anything to do with the building either, as she begins having some strange visions, which are nothing less than nightmares. But she returns to ask for the refund again, as she needs the money after being left on her own, not able to contact her distant relatives and having no money to survive, after losing the job. Soon, two Romanian women also seem to join the boarding house, and Red assures her that he will get her the refund from their deposits. She has some relief when she hears that, but that doesn’t stay as a few sinister secrets about the boarding house is revealed to her. Now, this will no longer be all about money and job.

The defence of No One Gets Out Alive :: This movie manages to be effective in more than one way. It is indeed an effective horror film with its own twists, but one can also safely say that No One Gets Out Alive is more than that. It also shows the struggles of an immigrant, which is depicted on the other side of the horror in a way that we appreciate the same. The movie plays with the lights and uses darkness effectively to make the horror effects get better. The eerie feeling is maintained well throughout the movie, and so is danger lurking at the corners of darkness. The film provides the scares in not just one way, but further, as we know that hopelessness can lead to desperate measures being taken. connects the whole thing to the monster nicely, and we see the creature as the movie nears the end. They seems to have worked with this one seeing a possible sequel, as there is that box, and a monster which is nothing less than an ancient demon which reminds us of how Sinister had prepared its premise and proceedings.

Positives and negatives :: There is always something special that can be done about strange houses with secrets, and this boarding house could have brought more innovation to the same. This one has a few things predictable instead, even though it does bring the much unexpected twists too. It also brings to us, some of the creatures from myths which we have no idea about. The creepiness that this movie maintains remains worthy of appreciation at all times, thanks to the atmosphere and surprises that one boarding house brings. The movie is based on a horror novel by British author Adam Nevill which was published in 2014. Having such basic material means that there has been something to work on, and develop all the time. The human antagonists in this movie are more disturbing than the creature that does what it is supposed to do – it is basically a good turn towards truth, as we knew this all time. Demons are evil because they have no choice, but humans are evil because they choose to be evil, for their selfish needs – that much is once again clear, as depicted in this movie. You can often trust a demon more than a human.

The performers of the soul :: Cristina Rodlo plays the lead here, and it seems only perfect that a Mexican-born actress is chosen for the role. There is something that makes her suitable for all the horror too, seemingly suiting the scream queen situation really well. Other than that, she also deals with the emotional sequences with great skill. I had earlier read the name as Christiano Ronaldo, with a spelling mistake – now that sounds as strange as the monster that we see in this flick. The monster is an entity in itself, and maybe, we can use it as another character of interest, with its origins tale also being told from an archeologist’s point of view. The girls other than the main character could have been used better, especially the Romanian girls who do seem good to contribute further towards the movie – they all look perfectly suited to live through a horror film. Marc Menchaca as Red does come up with a strong performance too, while David Figlioli as Becker manages to be all about muscles, becoming a near unstoppable villain.

How it finishes :: No One Gets Out Alive works well with its horror options, and serves more than what meets eye. The title nicely serves the purpose too, as the film deals with that kind of a monster. Moving away from the usual demonic spirits of The Conjuring, Annabelle, The Nun, Insidious, The Curse of La Llorna and others, we have the variation of a creature here, that makes grand appearance as the movie moves towards the end. Here, we have a horror movie with a human touch, as it shows the struggles that the main character, an immigrant, has to go through. We don’t usually get such a good, detailed background story for the protagonist – here, the focus is mostly on her rather than anyone else. Even though Corona virus pandemic might have other ideas every time, we are always looking for some horror with monsters too. After all, the big monsters from other worlds are as significant as the human monsters and the little viruses causing trouble. As you understand the same, you take this horror into heart.

Release date: 29th September 2021 (Netflix)
Running time: 87 minutes
Directed by: Santiago Menghini
Starring: Cristina Rodlo, Marc Menchaca, Joana Borja, Victoria Alcock, Phil Robertson, Moronkẹ Akinola, David Barrera, David Figlioli, Vala Noren, Alejandro Akara, Mitchell Mullen, Jeff Mirza

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@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Transformania

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Vampire Owl: Do you know that they made Van Helsing the bloody scientist here?

Vampire Bat: Yes, I am completely aware of that.

Vampire Owl: They have replaced Doctor Frankenstein. How evil is that?

Vampire Bat: Doctor Frankenstein was never really a true scientist.

Vampire Owl: You should stop saying that. We know his inventions.

Vampire Bat: Your list of his inventions is flawed.

Vampire Owl: But they have been very useful.

Vampire Bat: Van Helsing has always been a real doctor.

Vampire Owl: You cannot support that evil former vampire hunter.

Vampire Bat: Well, you have to appreciate the fact that he is not into hunting again.

[Gets a vegetable puffs and three cups of white tea].

What is the movie about? :: Count Dracula (Brian Hull) has the celebration of the 125th anniversary of Hotel Transylvania happening with almost every guest attending the party. His human son-in-law, Jonathan Loughran (Andy Samberg) almost ruins everything though, as he continues to be the moron that he has always been. During the celebrations, he was planning to retire and leave the hotel to Jonathan and Mavis (Selena Gomez), but as Jonathan continues to be the most foolish person on Earth, he decides to pretend that there is a clause that the hotel cannot be transferred to anyone who is not a monster. Jonathan who has no inch of smartness in his small brain decides that the only solution here is to change himself into a monster. It is then that Professor Abraham Van Helsing (Jim Gaffigan) provides him an opportunity become a monster, as he has the device to change people into such creatures. He does successfully test it on a guinea pig, and becomes proud of his grand invention, boasting further about it.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: So, Jonathan a.k.a. Johnny is transformed into a dragon-like monster which breathes fire, and has huge claws. Dracula tries his best to make sure that nobody gets to know about it, and tries to reverse the action, but ends up making himself human in the process, also destroying the device as a result of the events that follow. Abraham Van Helsing tells them that there is a way to change them back, and it is by finding a crystal in South America, which can take the place of the one which was destroyed, and get the device to work again. Dracula’s good old friends Frankenstein (Brad Abrell), Wayne (Steve Buscemi), Griffin (David Spade) and Murray (Keegan-Michael Key) also turn human, as they drink from a fountain contaminated by the ray. Even though Frankenstein feels good about it, as he is now a handsome human being, the others are not really fond of their transformation, and neither is the other monsters who find it to be very strange and unacceptable.

And how can the transformation be reversed now? :: Dracula and Johnny have already travelled all the way to South America, and as Ericka Van Helsing (Kathryn Hahn) sees some news about an old tourist being rescued by a monster in a Latin American country, they figure out that this is related to the father-in-law and son-in-law. They find Abraham Van Helsing hiding from the guinea pig monster, and understand things better, finally deciding to travel to South America and find the two. Meanwhile, Dracula does face the problems of being human again, as he is now old, and much weaker than his original state. They are forced to go through a jungle which seems to have enough dangers in store for them, but the monster finds it easy to go through them. The whole team from the castle are also in South America now, searching for the two. But it won’t be easy to find the two in the forest. Now the question remains if the transformation can actually be reversed, and whether things can now go back to the strange way of being normal. Well, you have to hope for the best, but not always when monsters are involved.

The defence of Hotel Transylvania: Transformania :: The Hotel Transylvania feeling is maintained here again, and the usual stuff gets going once again. The characters do continue to be interesting, as we look at them, and we have always wanted the monster world to be more relevance. The animation remains a thing of quality, and the world within Latin America is also nicely created, and would have looked much better if watched on the big screen with 3D, but we know that Amazon Prime Video is the best option with most of us not having the desire to sit in an air-conditioned hall with possible infected people for one an half hours. Well, the short run-time is still a positive thing, as we look at it. The message is surely given, even though there is the feeling of repetition, making us feel that we have seen all of these already. There is also some humour present around here, even though there is not much around. Well, you have vampires, the mummy, werewolves and the Frankenstein monster in an animated movie and you have to enjoy it up to an extent every time, doesn’t matter what the flaws are.

The claws of flaw :: Hotel Transylvania: Transformania is the fourth film in the franchise, and there hasn’t been any improvement, that is for sure. As we are watching this on Amazon Prime Video, we cannot really know if there is that much of a grandeur set for the big screen. The one young human here continues to be a complete moron, and a character whom we hate more than ever – the fact that he doesn’t die in this movie is the biggest disappointment of the whole franchise, the daughter vampire could have also been dead to add some beauty to the whole thing. The movie’s whole point should have been the end of humans and the rise of the monsters who are less evil, but the franchise still struggles to get to that point. It should take in some ideas of innovation from other successful animated movie franchises and get the creative imagination working – after all, it is about vampires and other interesting monsters, and you can never really have enough of them. You do have the premise to work on, don’t you?

How it finishes :: Hotel Transylvania: Transformania is just another addition to the grand list of similar movies which are part of a franchise, and has dealt with similar things for quite a long time. The first movie was among the very first animated films to be reviewed on this website, and there has been many animated movie reviews which followed. This one is surely a step backward from the original, and I cannot say about the other movies of the franchise as I haven’t watched them yet. With the lack of inspiration to create something better, and lacking further in creative imagination, the movie only continues what it has been doing, and does provide the feeling of repetition throughout its run. Still, it is some fun, and more entertainment for those who haven’t really watched the previous movies. Well, you can just start with Count Dracula who is running a hotel, trying to transfer it to his daughter and son-in-law, for there is not much lost related to it. These are the kind of movies which can always stand alone, as they are supposed to cater to the younger audience better and keep them wanting a sequel or two. Well, not every movie can be Frozen and its sequel.

Release date: 14th January 2022 (Amazon Prime Video)
Running time: 87 minutes
Directed by: Derek Drymon, Jennifer Kluska
Starring: Brian Hull, Andy Samberg, Selena Gomez, Kathryn Hahn, Jim Gaffigan, Steve Buscemi, Molly Shannon, David Spade, Keegan-Michael Key, Fran Drescher, Brad Abrell, Asher Blinkoff, Richard Blevins

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@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.