Category: Horror Movies (Page 74 of 96)

A Chat with director Craig Singer (“Dark Ride,” “Perkins’ 14”)

April 2, 2009 /

You can’t look at the New Releases rack of your local video store these days without happening upon four or five dozen flicks (at least) that have bypassed theatrical release and gone straight to video. This is a particular annoyance for horror aficionados, who’ve seen their genre of choice end up as a sad collection of remakes, quick-turnaround franchises, or sometimes both. Thank goodness, then, for Lionsgate and their After Dark Horrorfest series, which provides brief theatrical releases and high-profile DVD releases for both up-and-coming and established filmmakers. Director Craig Singer found sufficient success with his first After Dark venture, “Dark Ride,” to find his way back into the fold for the latest round of Horrorfest films. But Singer’s “Perkins’ 13” is a bit more adventurous than the usual motion picture, as he explained to Premium Hollywood in a discussion which also tackled some of his other works, including “Animal Room,” with Neil Patrick Harris, and “A Good Night To Die,” with Michael Rapaport.

Stay tuned for…

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Actors, Actresses, External Entertainment, External Movie DVDs, External Movies, Horror Movies, Interviews, Movie DVDs, Movies, Video

The Last House on the Left (Collector’s Edition)

March 27, 2009 /

If the aim of filmmaking is to provoke a response in the viewer, then Wes Craven’s original “The Last House on the Left” must be considered a massive success. For anyone with even a shred of decency, it’s a tough movie to sit through, and I found it be just that some 15 years ago when I first saw it. With the remake in theatres, a DVD re-release of the 1972 “classic” was a no-brainer, and I figured I’d give it another spin and see how I felt about it today. The good news is that my decency-ometer must still be working, because the first half of the film had me squirming and made me feel ill. On the other hand, as I’ve since seen far more depraved fare such as Pasolini’s “Salo” and Will Ferrell’s “Talladega Nights,” I also came away from it with more of an appreciation for what Craven unleashed all those years ago. One wonders if the Manson family killings were an influence on the piece, as it strongly evokes that time and place.

The story, if you can call it such, revolves around escaped convict Krug (David Hess) and his posse of animal followers, and what happens when they kidnap two teenage girls, Mari (Sandra Cassel) and Phyllis (Lucy Grantham). What follows amounts to little more than rape, torture and death. It goes on seemingly forever, and it’s all done in a documentary style for maximum effect. The happenings are juxtaposed with scenes of two bumbling, ineffective cops, who might be there for comic relief, but really serve the narrative’s third act, which is all about taking the law into your own hands. In the last half-hour, Krug and Co. by chance arrive at the home of Mari, where her parents discover the fate of their daughter and exact revenge against the lunatics. Once you get past the generally off-putting nature of the entire affair, the biggest problem with “Last House” is that the climax isn’t anywhere near as harrowing as the setup. You never really feel that Krug and his cronies get what’s coming to them, although there may be a point buried somewhere beneath it all that people such as the parents could never achieve the same levels of brutality as Krug. Finally, there’s the weird, folksy score written and sung by Hess himself, which serves as unsettling narration. If the movie weren’t twisted enough, those songs take it to a whole other level of sickness.

Click to buy “The Last House on the Left”

Actors, External Entertainment, External Movie DVDs, External Movies, Horror Movies, Movie DVD Quicktakes, Movie DVDs, Movies, test

Blu Tuesday: Twilight, Bolt and Bond

March 24, 2009 /

Get ready to clean out your bank account, because there are plenty of great high-def titles hitting stores this week. So many, in fact, that I don’t have the space (or time) to talk about every one. James Bond fans will probably see the biggest dent in their savings, however, as five different titles have received the Blu-ray treatment. Let’s go ahead and jump right in with arguably the biggest title of the week.

“Twilight” (Summit Entertainment)

It’s not very often that a film adaptation is better than the source material, but then again, Stephanie Meyer’s novel really isn’t as good as its rabid fanbase would lead you to believe. Female moviegoers may have made “Twilight” a pop culture phenomenon, but that doesn’t mean guys won’t enjoy it too. It’s no “Lost Boys,” but it’s still worth seeing once. For some strange reason, however, the Blu-ray edition is exclusive to Best Buy and Target until May 5th, when Amazon unleashes their ultimate collector’s edition. Diehard fans looking to get their HD fix would be better of just waiting for that version, because despite the fact that it contains the exact same bonus material (audio commentary, deleted/extended scenes, making-of featurette), it also contains a sneak peak at the upcoming sequel, “New Moon.”

“Bolt” (Walt Disney)

Credit Disney for one thing: they understand the needs of their consumers. While many studios have adopted the idea of including digital copies, Disney has taken it one step further by packing every major Blu-ray title with a digital copy and a DVD version of the film. After all, kids tend to watch movies on the go, and since there currently aren’t any portable Blu-ray players on the market, it encourages parents to purchase the hi-def version without having to buy a DVD version for the road. Unfortunately, the extras aren’t quite as revolutionary, though there are a few cool art galleries that make me wish I could buy some of the prints for my home. Plus, kids and parents will both get a kick out of the “Super Rhino” short. It’s a great complement to what is easily Disney’s best CG film to date.

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Action Movies, External Movie DVDs, Horror Movies, Movie Comedies, Movie Dramas, Movie DVDs, Movies

Baghead

March 15, 2009 /

Four struggling L.A. actors retreat to a mountain cabin to write themselves some work via a zero-budget screenplay, but things take a meta-not-quite-horror turn in the Duplass Brothers’ follow-up to their “mumblecore” festival circuit hit, “The Puffy Chair.” Billed as a kind of comedy-horror film, “Baghead” starts out strongly, poking knowledgeable fun at the indie film scene, but takes way too long developing the uninteresting tangle of relationships, real and imagined, between buddies Matt (Ross Partridge) and Chad (Steve Zissis) and their respective not-exactly-dates, Catherine (Elise Muller) and Michelle (the ultra-cute Greta Gurwig of “Hannah Takes the Stairs”). By the time a seriously tipsy Michelle thinks she’s dreamed of a creepy slasher with a bag over his head, and that becomes the subject of the screenplay the foursome imagines they might work on, we’ve lost a great deal of interest. Even when an actual dude with a lunch bag over his head starts appearing, the dramatic juices never really flow. While “Baghead” eventually regains some steam, it’s pretty much the opposite of scary – and I’m rather easily scared – and not even close to funny or compelling enough to rate a recommendation, despite a sweet-natured ending, some laughs early on, lots of good intentions, and some very decent performances. It might, however, make an interesting point of comparison when the possibly-meta super secret Joss Whedon/Drew Goddard collaboration, “The Cabin in the Woods,” comes out next year.

Click to buy “Baghead”

External Movie DVDs, Horror Movies, Movie Comedies, Movie DVD Quicktakes, Movie DVDs, Movies, Reviews

Blu Tuesday: Pinocchio, Let the Right One In and The French Connection

March 10, 2009 /

Welcome to the latest column on Premium Hollywood, Blu Tuesday, where I’ll be covering some of the best and biggest high-def titles of the week. For those hoping this was a post about a New Order/Rolling Stones tribute band, I apologize, but you’ll have to keep holding your breath for that one, whoever you may be.

You see, when Blu-ray first hit the market, there weren’t very many titles to talk about other than the new releases that were already coming out on DVD. Now that the format is more popular with studios, however, my office has become overrun with high-def titles, and well, I just don’t have the time to cover every one in as much detail as I’d like. That doesn’t mean they don’t deserve to be covered at all, however, and so I’ve created this column to help cleanse my conscience (and some office space) and keep you all in the know on some Blu-rays you might be looking forward to, as well as a few others you should add to your shopping list.

“Pinocchio” (Walt Disney)

One of my least favorite Disney classics after “Dumbo” and “Bambi,” “Pinocchio” is still a no-brainer when it comes to diehard collectors and fans of animated films. It’s been years since Disney last released this from their ominous vault and so they’ve not only put out a new DVD edition to celebrate the occassion, but a high-def version as well. As expected, the new digital restoration is incredible. The colors pop off the screen like they were freshly painted, and were it not for the fact that hand-drawn animation is virtually extinct, you’d swear this was made yesterday. The best part about the three-disc set, though, isn’t the new transfer or the fact that you get three different versions of the movie (Blu-ray, DVD and a digital copy), but the hours of bonus material that have been lovingly crammed onto the disc. You get all the usual stuff that you’d expect from a typical new release (audio commentary, making-of, deleted scenes), but somehow they just feel more special on a movie this old.

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