I am always amazed at some horror movie franchise and how they either go on way too long, or not long enough. With Scream I wasn't sure where it was going. The 3rd movie did not seem like the right one to end on and for a movie where, the killer is always different in each movie, it's funny how despite that, we are scare of Ghostface.
Synopsis: It's been 10 years since the Woodsboro killings and Sydney Prescott returns to her hometown on a stop in her book tour. To help with the healing from all the traumatic events from her past. Of course while she thinks nothing is going to happen, but no one seems to let things stay in the past. A new killer emerges and they seem to be targeting Sydney's cousin Jill and her friends.
Review: I have always liked the Scream movies, well 2 and 3 were not that great, but they were better than some of other sequels for horror movies. As usually as the number goes up in the series the worse or too comedic the movie gets. So I was a little unsure with this one if it was really going to be good or not.
What I like about the Scream movies is they play with the "rules" of horror movie and while there are funny moments they don't get too carried away with humor. It's more about simple funny moments that actually happen in real life.
This movie was all about remakes, which seems just about right since these days there aren't many big new horror series. We are now trying to remake every good slasher film and trying to out do it. We see this in Scream 4 and you want to cheer a long with keeping things original. Even watching my boyfriend noticed right away that the killings were similar to the first movie. I had to tell him yes, but that's all I was going to say since I had seen the movie before him.
My favorite line in the movie happens at the very end and is said by Sydney Prescott and I'm paraphrasing here, "The one rule about remakes you're forgetting is don't fuck with the original." If you know me you'll know I agree with this 100%. There is only one remake I think I have ever liked better than the original and I didn't even like it on it's own.
So if you enjoyed Scream One, you will like Scream 4 just as much.
You would think with a movie that's opening song is by Marilyn Manson that the movie might be good... or at least decent. Oh boy, hold on for this haunted swap tour to get really... STUPID. Oh and the poster claims it's an old school american horror... I hope not.
Synopsis: A group of tourist take a haunted swap tour while on vacation in New Orleans. Their boat gets stuck and they are now being chased by a deformed maniac.
Review: Yes, I know that synopsis is short, but really that's what it is all about. If I went into more depth, you would be getting a play by play rather that a quick summery. Yes, the movie does begin and end with the same Marilyn Manson song and for me, that really draws me in. No I'm not a fan, but there is an element to his music that tells you to hold on and get ready for a crazy ride. The rest of the movie has this crappy music that sounds like it should be in some 1980s romance or drama film.
I don't know where to begin. Maybe the cameos of some of my favorite horror stars that just... well doesn't really do them justice. Or do I want to start with how this plot is a little too similar to Piranhas 3d, note this movie was made before Piranhas and not written by the same guy. Or should start with the bad story line and bad killing scenes?
I think I will go with the cameos. I cannot remember why I added this to my queue other than I need movies to watch for hack and slash. When I see Robert Englund, my favorite modern horror movie actor appear in the first scene I was hoping this would be good... WRONG. It was just like Richard Dryfus' character in Piranhas. Just a cameo and barely on screen. The second cameo was done by someone, who I have not seen the movies that have made him famous, Candyman, but has been in the Final Destination movies. Tony Todd, that's right. So I thought okay this should get better... he is dressed in purple and talking like a pirate. The next cameo probably passed most people by. If you didn't know his real name or the character she is best known for, hint he wears a hockey mask, wouldn't recognized him. Kane Hodden, who plays Jason Vorhees in the Friday the 13th series. His part was better, but not by much. He didn't say a word.
So the movie seems like every other new horror movie, except for the torture and rape horror movies, where it's very funny and lighthearted at the beginning and you are wondering if you are watching an actual horror movie or a comedy. Then you get lots of boob shots by the director of a "soft porn" movie and a bunch of strangers that would never be on an elevator together let alone and crappy horror movie.
The story of the killer is he was deformed and the kids made fun of him. So his dad was his only human contact. One night teenagers used firecrackers to get the killer, Victor, to come out and instead light the shack on fire. His dad, comes just in time to try to save him, but because the boy is against the door and his dad is using an ax to get the door open kills his son when the ax strikes his head. He never leaves the shack until he dies.
So somehow, maybe the second movie explains this Victor is alive and kills anyone who comes close to the shack. He doesn't just kill them with a hatchet, but rips the open, using power tools and other random methods. The story of how he's alive is he's still living in the day he died... I'm not expert, but I've seen a lot of supernatural and slasher films to know this is a crappy excuse for the killer to be alive. They needed a better story for him.
So the gore was bloody, but the fight scenes were too... rehearsed and choppy.. I didn't believe for a second that they were really that into fighting him, but boy did they love to run from him. Yet, I don't remember anyone slipping or tripping in this movie. That's like a classic slasher element.
The characters were just stupid. Like I said none of them belonged together and I think they just pick character stories out of a hat for this movie. Yes, you have to have the slutty girls and the horny guy, but the couple form the midwest or the sappy lovesick boy...? Not very well played out.
Edited for an addition: Oh and what the hell was the part about keeping secretes for? It's not like Victor killed people who lied or people who had a deep dark secrete. We get that the Asian guy lied, but why was everyone else starting to confess like there were in a Catholic church? I know it wasn't to get rid of guilt before they died. Seemed really thrown in.
And the ending... CLIFFHANGER! Though I hear that the sequel starts right were his one left off, which is good because I thought they ran out of money and couldn't finish the final kill scene.
So don't waste your time with this movie. Hopefully Hatchet II or III are much better, but when are the sequels better? Usually never.
Here's the trailer, which looks much better than the movie itself.
The episode continues right where the first one left off. Sam is dealing with Lucifer, who claims he's still in hell and Dean and Bobby watch Cas, or the Leviathans leave and enter a clean water supply for the area, which they can get to anywhere or anyone.
Sam, admits to Dean and Bobby about what he's dealing with. How he is not sure he knows the difference between what's real and not. As he tells them, he sees Lucifer feeding him information. This makes Dean uneasy and he doesn't trust Sam.
The boys look up for signs of the Leviathans are attacking people. They find a sign in Kansas that might be them. Dean goes alone with Sam stays with Bobby, since they cannot trust Sam with his issue. Dean investigates and finds that there are Leviathans starting to reek havoc on the world.
Sam tries to understand why Lucifer still toys with Sam. He says it will all end when he cannot take anymore. This make it hard as Lucifer keep toying with him. Bobby leaves when fellow hunter calls to say her surgeon is going to eat her liver. The beast decide to take over medical staff of a hospital. They are more than just two and Dean comes to Sam to help Bobby out. Sam was only going to keep the car running, but since there is 5 of them, Sam has to come help. Dean gives him a lecture about how he cannot be seeing Lucifer.
Turns out it was Lucifer bating Sam to a warehouse to get to the final chapter. The real Dean shows up and Sam doesn't know which one is real. Sam has a gun pointed at Dean and is very confused. Dean tries to tell Sam that the torture felt different in hell than in the real life. Bobby interrupts telling them he has a live Leviathans and they are needing to figure out who to kill them. They show up at Bobby's and the house has burnt down.
They come face to face with one of the Leviathans and fight him. Both Sam and Dean are taken to the hospital. We don't know if Bobby is still alive or if they really killed the Leviathan.
My Opinion: This episode was pretty good. The story was good and I really like the aspects of Sam's dealing with Lucifer. It's a interesting concept to think that much of this is all made up and how would one act. I do find it interesting that they never once say his name. I am not sure if there is a reason for this or not.
I think the story of Sam dealing with his demons took the front seat and dealing with the Leviathans was just a side affect to give the boys something to do. I am still waiting to see what all of this means for the boys.
I am still not into the whole heaven and hell aspect of the show, but it's starting to get back to its roots. I also didn't even notice the music in this episode so I think it might have been only one classic rock song. I like it when they have a few, it just seems to fit the mood of the show better.
Episode Four:
We left off with Daryl angry that Merle
is not on the roof and instead of killing everyone like he wants to, he take
Merle’s hand to preserve if when they find him. Merle is nowhere to be found,
but he seems to have gotten out alive.
Back at camp one of the members of the group, Jim is digging
a lot of holes and that worries everyone. They try to stop him and they have to
force him to stop. Meanwhile back in the city Glenn comes up with a plan to get
the bag of guns. As we know nothing goes right for them. A young boy confronts
Daryl and he is beat up while Glenn is taken.
The men try to get the boy to tell them where they took
Glenn so they could get him back. Neither is willing to back down so Rick has
to come up with what can be spared. A huge fight is about to break out, when an
old woman comes in and stops everything. Turns out that the gang bangers stayed
in an elderly home to take care of the people who were left behind. Ricks gives
them about half their guns and ammo and walk back to where the truck was left
and it is missing. They assume Merle took it and heads back to camp take his
vengeance on the group. So they must hurry back.
The group is having dinner and enjoying freshly caught fish.
No one is really concerned with the missing men or anything else around them. Walkers
have invaded the campsite and both Ed and Amy have been attacked. The 4 men are
approaching the camp when they hear Shane’s gunshots and rush towards the camp.
Panic strikes everyone and no one knows where to go or what to do. The men come
and kill as many walkers as they can while everyone else heads towards the RV.
The episode ends with Andrea crying over Amy and the group
stunned. Jim remembers why he dug the holes.
Review: I enjoyed this episode, it's pretty fast moving and there are a few surprises that come up. I really like how the group of thugs were not what they appear to be. Okay some of them were, but it showed how, eve though the world has gone crazy people still victimize the weak. There are not changes, just the situation got dire. People would of course blame their actions on things other than who they are.
The whole Jim thing seems a bit... odd. It's not really a guy who has a crazy dream that turns real, even though that's what we see. It just seems like a weird idea that just didn't play well for me.
This movie is an Italian film, which explains the horrible dubbing that is done. I was shocked to see the bad dubbing when I saw it was done in 1960, I knew movies were made better. Since, it's an Italian film that would explain that aspect.
This movie is very confusing for me. The only vampire was a reference they made about the people who survived Hiroshima. The science behind this movie made no sense to me, but I don't think they were trying to explain it like in so many other mad scientist movies. Basically, this woman survives a nasty car crash with just burn scars to half her face and neck. She will always be deformed until a professor tells her he can cure her. He is madly in love with her and when treatment is not working as it should he transforms into this beast to help keep her beautiful and to prove her that, she loves him.
This movie wasn't as good as other movies I have seen from this decade or on the topic of mad scientist.
So it is that time where I watch lots of horror films and try to watch as many as possible. I want to do reviews of them all, but that might be impossible so I think I may do short reviews for the movies I watch this month unless it's a movie I feel needs a longer review.
I have already started with... well I won't say how many, but I need a lot of time to do this. The other disadvantage I have is I have to wait till my son is either not here or asleep. B-Movies are probably the only ones he can watch without being exposed to anything he shouldn't be.
So what you are going to need to look for incase you want to see how I do:
1) I will post on Sundays my list of movies I watched for the week with their run times, my rating and if they count for any bonus points. Since it started today next Sunday will be the list for movie watched the week of Oct 2nd.
2) I have a separate page where I will list all the movie week by week. It's a tab next to the video page
3) I will post possible reviews in the month or further down the road, so I will be taking notes like I do for all the movies I post
And I started the challenge with Saw IV... yeah I wanted to start with Saw I, but my boyfriend put in the disk of the movie from the series he hadn't seen and that happens to be IV. So I will watch all the them, but it's a little out of order.
So try to keep up with me for this challenge since it's probably the only thing going on here this month. No I don't have plans or costume ideas for Halloween either... I know it's horrible.
