Don't Breathe Review

Horror movies have a way of going to eleven fast, at least many of them. They jump at you and give you violence overall. Some of them, however, take their time, and wind you up before they get macabre. “Don’t Breathe” starts with a nod to the macabre, and then slowly introduces you to the characters. We are given slight back stories for the trio that we are dealing with, and you start to feel as though they are the protagonists. They are flawed heroes, each with their own vision of what their future wants and needs are, and yet they are the villains.

The way the story moves forward is simple enough, we have a trio of individuals that steal their way through life. There are different motives for each, and one that is heartfelt, but at the end of the day they are doing something bad, breaking and entering, in order to steal. So let’s not wax too poetic or feel good for these people. I’m just rambling now aren’t I?

The trio target an old man that supposedly has a 300,000 dollars in his home somewhere. They enter his house and they discover all kinds of wrong, including a woman tied up, and they get more than they bargained for trying to get out of the home.

“Don’t Breathe” is a slow moving, atmospheric horror movie. I would make it more akin to a thriller than straight horror, but it was in the horror section so I’ll keep it that way. The movie is tightly wound, and doesn’t let up in the tension department. You don’t want to root for the characters, but you’re intrigued as to what is beyond closed and locked doors. What we find is unsettling, and something that you don’t expect overall. The old man fights back, and that’s what our main characters get in a way, but the movie makes you feel for Rocky, giving the movie a little heart.

The movie has a sense of movement, quality pacing, and pulls the right punches at the right time. I liked how it is organized, and like how things aren’t always black and white. “Don’t Breathe” hits you hard at times, and squeezes through the plot with ease. It has atmosphere, and it is tense throughout. It’s a highly recommended movie with horror, heart, and sheer intensity.

Add “Don’t Breathe” to your collection or stream it byclicking here.

X Review

I wanted to see the movie “X” for quite some time. I first heard it was going to be in theaters, and for whatever reason I just never got around to seeing it. I then waited for it to be available for streaming, and finally got it, so that I can see the overall hyped up movie. The movie had a simple premise, and it followed through with it quite well, leaving nothing to the imagination, and it’s an interesting ride, albeit not one that I may want to revisit soon.

The movie is simple enough, a group of people set out to make an adult film on a farm that they rented and turned into a makeshift studio. They follow the protocols that you would expect, only they end up being thwarted by an elderly couple that is seriously creepy. The old couple find out what is going on and they don’t want that to occur, so instead of stopping production the old fashioned way, they do so with blood and guts.

Overall, the movie is shot well, it has decent cinematography and the acting isn’t horrendous. I found myself enjoying the movie for the most part, and there were definitely sequences that gave it a good measure of success in the scares department. There’s some limited gore too, and that’s definitely something to look out for with horror movies, and the likes.

The pacing was solid in this movie, leaving no dead air or boring spots, as the movie progresses. It does have a few jump scares, but it doesn’t rely heavily on those, and that’s something that I can appreciate overall. There’s a sense of homage to the film overall and you really do get this sort of feeling that the filmmakers are playing up to a smart audience. With that in mind, you don’t really get too deep with the characters, and they are taken out one by one.

“X” surprised me in a way. I thought it was going to be a bit more blatant in horror, and for some reason I just couldn’t get myself to want to watch it over again. It’s adequate, it has some gusto, and it definitely provides a good sense of dread, with great special effects that are modern and classic at the same time. I’d recommend seeing “X” for sure, but owning it, I don’t know, I’m on the fence about it still. 

Head Count Review

I love a good creature feature, and when presented with an option to watch I jump at the chance. That’s what I was told about “Head Count”. It was supposed to be a creature feature, and when I sat down to watch it, I was treated with something else, and while it may be creative, it definitely was not what I was expecting. In fact, it could very well be one of the worst executions of a film in a long time.

The premise is simple enough at first glance. A group of teens go to the desert for a party, and they begin to drink and have fun. In their fun, something sinister appears, and they can’t figure it out. It turns out that it’s a shapeshifting creature that emulates each one of them, and causes them to attempt suicide. This occurs after a chant is accidentally spoke of, similar to “Candyman”, if you recall that film.

There are no deep connections in this movie. The characters talk a lot, and not in a good way, it just falls flat. The creature is awful CGI and the story is convoluted at best. There are moments of dread, but it falls short of impact because there is something missing here, and I am not sure how to put my finger on it.

Overall, “Head Count” tries to be different. It has some gusto at times, but overall it’s a movie that you can skip. I haven’t seen a movie this bad in a while, and honestly, I don’t know if I’d recommend this to anyone unless you really like bad convoluted horror. It’s got horror elements, it just falls flat.

Eaten Alive Review

The year was 1976 when the movie “Eaten Alive” came out, and it was directed by Tobe Hooper. The movie is a mix of genres, but it is definitely a horror movie. It is a fast moving genre flick that mixes a creature feature with a slasher. It plays with several emotional elements that was easy to get away with at the time, but is definitely hard to watch in modern times. That’s why you have to really consider the time frame, 1976, and try not to apply modern cliché to it.

The plot of the film surrounds a hotel proprietor that is insane, and feeds people to a killer crocodile that lives near the hotel. We are not introduced to him right away, instead we focus on a side character that is played by Robert Englund. He is at a brothel and tries to go too far, that forces what looks to be a main heroine to get banished from brothel. She ends up going to the hotel, and the rest of the movie lies within that location. She goes in, and the proprietor tries to grope, leading to a fight, and away we go, to the crocodile! The crocodile is hidden in the shadows a bit, and you have to remember we are in the 1970s, so there is no CGI or anything that is going to cause this to be too much or anything. Instead, it’s a rubber creature, and it’s laughable at times, but there’s nuance to the cinematography so you don’t dwell too much on it. You also have to contend with the main slasher, Judd, who comes through with a scythe to cause issues. He’s lurking, the crocodile is eating dogs, and people, and you are thrown into the mix as new people come to the hotel.

This is a crude slasher flick, but it has a creature feature element to it. It also has some gratuitous nudity, harsh sexual elements, and redeeming qualities here and there. You’ll be surprised by how far some of the acting goes, and how believable the fights can seem at times. Tobe Hooper’s direction really does well in these sequences, and you really get a good sense of horror and dread throughout. As the movie progresses, we get some taboo moments, including a near killing of a child.

“Eaten Alive” gives you a sense of dread, a bit of creature feature glory with the crocodile, but also hinges on slasher with Judd and the scythe. You are going to find this to be a worthy addition to your collection as it pushes all the buttons of a good horror movie. It’s a slasher at heart, but the crocodile makes it a bit more redeeming, especially in the final act. It’s a good romp, solid acting, and classic Hooper direction. It’s a good one to watch at random, especially for a young Robert Englund.

Pick up Eaten Alive on BLU RAY Here. 

The Sleeper Review

The slasher genre is not what it used to be. It is not getting as many releases as it once did, but they are still out there. In fact, if you look below the mainstream, you will find that there are a lot of options to select from, and some that aren’t even that old. Today, we look at one such film, which is none other than “The Sleeper”. 

“The Sleeper” will immediately catch you off guard, it looks like it was filmed in the 1970s or 1980s. The film grain is such that it definitely lends itself to a different era of cinema, and it follows through the entire movie. It also shares a lot in common with other horror movies in that it immediately throws you into the scares, with a kill happening right away. We are introduced to the villain and his hammer. He immediately goes after someone at a sorority house, and then we get to the crux of the film. There are prank phone calls that come through the sorority house on a night where they will have a party. They continue to move forward with a party, including a pretty lame sex scene, and each new victim is called out. 

As far as slasher movies are concerned, this is one that is standard. It features your killer that is faster than most, the weapon which is a hammer, and the milky eyes that you see here and there. What caught me was the use of “Giallo” elements. You get that throughout with the focus on black gloves and the hammer. The camera follows the black gloves a lot, and you don’t see the face of the killer a lot, even though it happens. 

The movie is not without criticism. There is some slow pacing here and there, the killers motives are never revealed nor his back story at all, and we just get straight forward nonsense. The Joe Bob Briggs cameo was good though, but the overall sense of dread and slashings are trumped up and you get some gore effects here and there. 

“The Sleeper” is soaked in nostalgia. From the way it is filmed, to the way it is paced, to the kill spots and even ending. There is something for those that love that era here, meanwhile nothing for the modern horror fan. I did not find this to be updated in anyway, but that doesn’t mean it is a bad movie. In fact, I liked it a lot. It is a throwback, and it’s one that takes a little getting used to, considering we are in modern times. Filmed in 2012 from Gamma Knife Films, this is one movie that really goes for the gusto at times, and works well in the frame of nostalgic slashers. Outside of that, I’m not sure it works or holds up well, but maybe it doesn’t have to. It’s a fine film to check out, especially when you’re out of ideas on what to watch via streaming. 

Underwater Review

Modern horror isn’t always on my radar, no matter how hard I try to stay in the loop, I feel like I’m a few steps behind. That’s not a bad thing, it’s just the truth. “Underwater” is one of those movies that I completely blanked on when it was released, and a lot of people probably didn’t catch it, though it is a tightly wound science fiction horror film. Those that are fans of deep sea movies will find that this has a bit of a twist that is definitely appreciated in horror circles, and while there is some comedic relief, it delivers on a lot of levels, without being too self-aware.

A research facility is rocked when an earthquake hits and destroys a great bit of the structure. That leaves our heroine played by Kristen Stewart and a group of people left behind without damage. It’s up to them to escape the ruins of the facility, but in doing so, they start to encounter something awry. There are creatures that are deep within the sea, and they must fight them off in order to escape and see a new day. With that, there are moments of dread, horror, and a nod to Cthulhu and Deep Ones, as the facility is miles and miles beneath the sea.

The movie has a claustrophobic feel to it. You are thrown into the main issues that the survivors have, and are given little to no backstory. That’s one thing, you get nothing in the way of the past, nor a reason to care about the people involved. If you’re looking for anything regarding the past, you’re not going to find it really, with a few exceptions here and there where you get introduced to family through pictures, found and tried to salvage. The under water sequences, and the suits utilized all have a very closed off feel to them, and the camera cuts cause you to lost a little bit of equilibrium overall.

For the comic relief we have T.J. Miller, and he does a good job of not interjecting too much. The biggest complaint people might have is in regard to Kristen Stewart’s acting. She’s a polarizing actress, and someone that many people will be turned off by in regards to the movie. She’s the star, and goes through the whole movie, so if you’re not a fan, you’re going to have to deal with her for 95 minutes.

As the movie unfolds, there are moments of shock and awe, with a little bit of gore here and there. It’s a fast paced movie that isn’t too long, and really sews up fast. The claustrophobic feel lends itself well to the type of movie it is, but you’re left asking a few questions here and there. By the time you start asking questions, you’ll find that the monsters are well in view, and while there is a lot of CGI to fill the screen, it never becomes so much that it’s laughable. There’s a deep sense of dread found in “Underwater” and an isolation aspect that you are no doubt going to find pairs well with the larger horror of outside monsters. In that regard the movie succeeds, giving you just enough dread to balance out the optimism that the final act presents.

“Underwater” is a fast paced science fiction horror movie. It’s well crafted, dark, and feels good throughout. You’re going to either love it or hate based on the actors involved, but it is definitely a nightmare scenario that gets even worse as the story unfolds. It’s definitely recommended for science fiction and of course horror fans. I just wish it had a little more backstory to the characters, but in a way, that makes it seem more like a television show than a movie, so perhaps it is not needed. I recommend “Underwater”.

"Underwater" is available streaming here, and the blu-ray is scarce, so good luck.