Psycho II

Year: 1983
Director: Richard Franklin
Writer: Tom Holland, Robert Bloch
Genre: Horror: Thriller, Slasher

I don't know the history behind the making of Psycho II but I have a feeling it wasn't pleasant. The original Psycho is without a doubt a thriller classic to most movie fans. With such a well-known title it was probably the case that this sequel drew a lot of ire. Sure, modern movies get a lot of hate for remaking the old stuff, but to attempt to continue the story of Psycho must have taken guts. That, or a ton of greed.

Anyway, the film itself still has all the setpieces that made the classic - Bates Motel, home, "mother", etc. Despite all the effort to make it feel like the original though it doesn't make it. The movie seems to take cues from what the modern audience might have liked to see, instead of what made it good to begin with. It at points wants to maintain a mysterious and creepy atmosphere but then goes overboard.

For example, there is one scene that is obviously meant to play off the original. Someone is by the stairs and you know they're going to fall. I was wondering if they would attempt to replicate the creative camerawork of the original where the man fell down the stairs. However, judging that we would know this is coming, instead the character topples off the side of the railing and plummets straight down. The film is much harsher, and in fact, a bit too focused on getting the "kill shot".

This is why it feels like they were trying to appeal to modern moviegoers. At the same time though it also tries to play a straight mystery tale which may be too much for that same audience to bear. Where Psycho II finds itself is in a spot that is both appealing and unappealing to most audiences. There are parts for them to like but then others which will ruin the experience. I thought the film was fine but not worth the name Psycho.

PS: I did find Norman Bates' struggle in the film intriguing, until the film decides to take the easy road out with him. Such a shame to put all that effort to waste in the end.

Dressed to Kill

Year: 1980
Director: Brian De Palma
Writer: Brian De Palma
Genre: Thriller, Slasher

In a weird way I both highly enjoyed this movie and felt let down by it. No, I didn't go into Dressed to Kill with high expectations or any at all. I watched a few seconds of the trailer before feeling that it would reveal too much so I closed it. This was probably for the best, although I have a sneaking suspicion that the trailer wouldn't have actually revealed much of the content either.

It's kind of hard to write about the film without spoiling a major plot point as well, although I figure that probably most people were long since aware of it. I'm just really out of the circle of De Palma. As such, I'm going to discuss everything.

For the introductory part of the film we're set with our keen eyes on a seductress who is also a mother. She seems to navigate both these planes rather well, although her personal marriage suffers. She speaks to her therapist about such things before going off on another man hunt. Unfortunately for her, after her rendezvous she is killed by a woman in an elevator. It's not immediately at the start of the film and pulls the rug out from right under you. If you were ever surprised by the switch in Psycho, that's how I felt here.

It was all going very well too until the manner of the killer came to the table. The killer was a "transsexual" to use the terminology of the film. I say it this way because the term has mostly gone out of vogue to describe such conditions of body dysphoria. Either way, the transwoman character, Bobbi, is fingered as the one who committed the murder. As it goes on you do find this to be true.

At first I thought that it was going to be some sort of flip flop situation where the trans patient was actually the hero of the story. No such luck. However, there was still an interesting twist tot he matter which was that Bobbi was actually the alternate personality of the therapist himself. Or rather, whenever his masculine self was brought forth, Bobbi would come out to shove it back away. That was interesting enough but it didn't matter because it still disappointed me.

I'm tired of seeing movies where the killer is trans. While I think this was a bit more intersting use of the whole thing, it still reeked of the idea that transpeople are so mentally unstable that they just become psychotic killers. Of course, this is no more true of this segment of the population than anyone else out there. I'm sure a more clever killer could have been devised, and this was at least an attempt at something different. I also enjoyed that near the end the characters discuss some trans facts without getting all grossed out. Although, it was a shame to see that they still assumed that every person with this condition must undergo surgeries to feel complete. But this was the 80s so I'll cut them all some slack.

As a film, it was wholly watchable and captivating. I was a little disappointed overall with the murderer but really if you can get past that then this seems like another De Palma classic.

Frozen

Year: 2010
Director: Adam Green
Writer: Adam Green
Genre: Drama, Thriller

Frozen is not a movie I've been dying to see for a long time. In fact, it was something that only recently came across my radar. Apparently I missed out on it completely around it's arrival in 2010. Basically, the film is about a group of three twenty something young adults who are having a day out on a snowy mountain. Between two men and one women, the men are best friends, while one of the men is dating the woman.

So, they all spend an awkward day together skiing and snowboarding then are finally ready to come on home. When they do, they somehow manage to get stuck on the chair lift back down the mountain. They came on a Sunday and the mountain won't be open again until Friday....

That's all 30 minutes in or so. For basically the rest of the movie they are stuck in a very small location. I worried that the film wouldn't be able to carry itself just on character interaction. However, it managed to showcase these three real-seeming characters who I cared at least a little bit for. Their reactions to the situation they found themselves in was the most important thing though. It's what kept me interested. If people were in this situation you might expect them to react in some of these ways.

Of course, everything goes wrong at every turn. Although it wasn't overall a gory movie there were some really intense scenes. For the first time in a while, at one point I found myself having to only half watch a certain scene. It just got into me (probably because the situation was realistic enough). I was a bit annoyed by some of the stupidity of the characters but after watching hundreds of slashers it shouldn't be surprising.

Overall, I think Frozen shared a strong experience. It's not the best film ever, or even all that great, but it makes you wonder about what could happen in all our lives. If you're someone who regularly plays around in the mountains though I would suggest you stay far away as it would probably be an especially tough film to watch.

Prom Night IV: Deliver Us from Evil

Year: 1992
Director: Clay Borris
Writer: Richard Beattie
Genre: Horror: Thriller

I don't know what happened to Prom Night IV. While Prom Night 2 did sort of start up a new story, III at least continued it on. IV though reset itself once again and has only the slightest connection to any prom. In the first five minutes we see teens being teens at the prom. Two end up in the parking lot where a young priest stalks and kills them both before torching the car. So, we've got a crazed fanatic who killed people in a flashback - now said priest is locked up in some church somewhere.

It's of course as the film takes off that this long-dormant murder wakes up and stalks a new generation of young adults. The group appears to be college students though so there's no prom for them to visit ever. Why is this madman pursuing them then? I guess it really had nothing to do with a prom at all. So then why call this film PROM Night IV? Eh, we'll never know.

Just judging the film as a specific entity it doesn't do much new or different. It feels like a simple thriller. The characters are at least semi-interesting but there's very little to make this movie stand out against others. I'd suggest avoiding it, even if you're a fan of the previous movies. The correlation is extremely tiny at best, and at worst it's a completely different and dull little flick.

Valentine

Year: 2001
Director: Jamie Blanks
Writer: Donna Powers
Genre: Horror: Thriller

Usually when I go into more modern horror films I don't expect much. This movie doesn't intend to blow your socks off but what it does it does very well. You'v got a cast of very likable (and attractive) adults all going about their lives. Valentine's Day is coming around so the group is certainly rather focused on finding or maintaining love. Unfortunately, some weird things are going on where their friends are slowly dying off.... receiving weird Valentine's cards, and that sort of thing. Seems like this year things are going to be pretty different.

The movie is a little silly but mostly I really liked the characters and the progression of the story from mildly creepy things to "Look behind you! Watch out!". Maybe that's just me though. The characters mostly are agreeable although their Hollywood glamour makes you sometimes focus on how fake the film is.

Valentine is good at getting you to follow the wrong trail. I always tend to enjoy movies that will confuse you as to who the killer is. Sure, most every film tries to keep that a secret but often it's hard to actually maintain that secrecy. Or, movies will just throw something completely out of left field because that's the best they could do. I like being deceived when it makes sense though, and it made sense here.

Totally check it out since, well, it's Valentine's Day!

The House on Sorority Row

Year: 1983
Director: Mark Rosman
Writer: Mark Rosman, Bobby Fine
Genre: Horror: Thriller

Here's another one of those movies that has such a generic name you don't know what to expect. Or, you expect it to be nothing much at all. As it turns out The House on Sorority Row is actually a pretty special film.

It's certainly not the best movie that's ever come around but it certainly tries to be more than just your typical slasher or horror-mystery. That's the reason why I found it so enjoyable. You've got a group of sorority girls and their sorority mom or whoever is rather strict and old. After completely humiliating one of the girls, the humiliated girl seeks revenge. She attempts to pull a big stunt with a gun loaded with blanks, but things get a little out of hand...

From there, things start to get crazy. It's a rather slow burn from when things initially get out of hand for other events to occur. It may be because of this that the movie is able to draw you in so well. It lures you in with a bang of a start and then leaves you wondering what the resolution will be and if the sorority sisters will face repercussions for their actions.

You may feel like you know what is going to happen in the film but you may very well be wrong. The climax certainly caught me by surprise, anyway. The movie is good at leading you astray with red herring clues. Beyond that, it also has an exceptional soundtrack.

The Stepford Wives (Remake)

Year: 2004
Director: Frank Oz
Writer: Paul Rudnik
Genre: Thriller, comedy

I don't know what Frank Oz was thinking when he made this movie but I can attempt to guess at it. It's the 2000s and feminism is over and done with. Women are completely equal. Actually, women might even be more powerful now and are definitely wearing the pants and asserting it. So, let's make fun of that! Even the original movie was pretty hilarious! Men wanting their wives to be subordinates to them? Naaaah that's so dumb we've got to ratchet it up times a million now! That's what I think he was thinking and it just not work for me.

You see, in this take of the film, Joanna is no longer a sort of meek feminist. She's now a powerhouse media icon along the lines of Oprah. She has tremendous power and only loses it when one of her TV shows causes far too much of a ruckus for the CEO. They fire her, and in an attempt to make her feel better, her husband whisks the family away to the gated community of Stepford.

One of the things I don't like about this film is that it immediately presents the women as 100% warped from the get go. There's no question as to the fakeness of them and maybe they figured everyone already knew. Still, that basically kills off all potential growing drama when there's nothing to wonder about. Beyond that, Joanna is tremendously unlikable. She is what I imagine a lot of men view feminists as. They are always stiff and unfeeling in their dark power suits and have nothing but disdain for most around them. Since I believe the point of the original The Stepford Wives is still pertinent I find this version to be mocking the mere notion of it.

Anyway, beyond that the movie is actually very different from the original film. It takes mostly a life of its own by injecting some new characters and changing around the big reveal. I guess that's cool because then it would give people more of a reason to see the new film. There's nothing more useless than a remake that is a carbon copy of the original. Still, I'm not sure the changes that were made were for the best. I guess there's nothing I can do about it now though except wait for the eventual remake of this remake to come out down the line.

The Stepford Wives

Year: 1975
Director: Bryan Forbes
Writer: Ira Levin, William Goldman
Genre: Thriller

I went into The Stepford Wives with little interest or knowledge of the film. I knew that there was something wrong with the Stepford women, of course, but that's all. Beyond that I've managed to avoid most analysis or spoilers of the story all this time.

Basically the story starts off with a husband and wife who are moving to the small, kindly town Stepford. It seems like a real taste of the country when they speak to neighbors who seem completely radiant, polite, and proper. Joanna quickly makes friends with a couple of the women but finds the others are wholly impenetrable. All they seem to want to talk about is housework or other simple things.

Joanna and her newfound friend Bobbie attempt to start a consciousness raising group because there is obviously something a little dated about the women inhabitants. From there, things slowly become more chilling and weirder. The story is wound tight and as it continues you can almost taste the tension getting tighter and tighter until it finally snaps.

I absolutely adored this movie. It isn't technically horror but it honestly might as well be for anyone sitting down and watching it today. While we have come pretty far thanks to the feminists movements of the past The Stepford Wives is still insanely pertinent. While the "truth" behind the story may be goofball, it certainly doesn't diminish the point of the film (although it does diffuse a lot of the tension of the climax). There's something about Ira Levin that I really appreciate. He might not have a knack for believable endings, but he seems to really have an interest in women and the world and rights they have.

Definitely check this one out. Now I need to hurry up and read the book so I can see if that's even more enthralling than this brief film affair.

Bloody Reunion

Year: 2006
Director: Dae-wung Lim
Writer: Se-yeol Park
Genre: Horror: Thriller, slasher

Also known as To Sir With Love, Bloody Reunion is a pretty sweet movie. That is, sweet as in good not as in sweet as sugar and candy and things. In fact, it's probably as far from anything nice as can be, and that's just the reason I like it.

In Bloody Reunion we are being told a story from an older, sick woman in her hospital bed. She recounts the tale of when all her old students came to visit her in her home. She had been an elementary school teacher back when she was healthy and just wanted to see how everyone turned out after all those years. Each of the small class of students appears at the reunion to recount older times.

Unfortunately, the old times aren't so shining like the teacher might have remembered them. From there, the story slowly breaks down all pretense and gets down to business. Obviously I won't delve further into that but I did quite enjoy the movie. It also felt a bit awkward and worrying to watch like how I felt when seeing Meet the Parents for the first time. I'd say it's definitely worth watching this movie if you've got the stomach for some really unfortunate scenes.

As I'm writing this review over a week after watching I've honestly kind of become blurry as to what the reveal in the ending was. However, I would still like to mention it as it struck me when I was watching. This paragraph is definitely a spoiler so just skip over it if you're not interested. Apparently, the shy "turtle" boy was not ever a boy at all but the daughter of someone (adopted by the teacher?). I'm left really unsure when or why they then started presenting themselves as male. Or did they never and that is just the level of insanity of the teacher who perceives her own child as just a shy boy? From what I gathered, it seems they were always a shy girl, but decided to present as male after horrible events in her life. It was a new self to protect her from those old memories or something but she still had her female identity - presented as the teacher's nurse - to finally seek revenge. Anyway, whatever the root if they were presenting as an alternate gender it makes me a bit annoyed to think that's the way the writer went with it. I'm tired of movies where a mentally unstable character is also trans, both genders, or gender-nonconforming. Yeah, I'm looking at you Sleepaway Camp and Beyond the Valley of the Dolls. And others.

Feed

Year: 2005
Director: Brett Leonard
Writer: Kieran Galvin
Genre: Thriller

There are some movies out there that make us question our humanity. Then there are movies that attempt to disturb us with the furthest reaches of humanity. Sometimes they work and sometimes they don't. In the case of Feed I'd have to say they don't succeed at all.

If you've ever seen The Human Centipede and liked it then this movie may be for you. For me though I hated the film. It seemed to focus too deeply on how gross the concept was rather than actually formulating anything solid for us to watch. I feel much the same way about Feed except that the idea behind it didn't really bother me at all.

In Feed, the story is based around romance, I guess, and the different ways people express it. In one relationship, the man is completely jealous and also violent. In another that is touched upon, one of the lovers wants to be fried up and eaten by the other (this is no secret, happens in the first few minutes). Then the focus of the story is the relationship between one man and woman where the man fattens her up to some 600 pounds.

I'm not sure what about this is meant to be so shocking. There are all kinds of people out there and at least in the case of these two it seems to be a consensual deal about being fed. Despite this, some Australian cop freaks way out and comes all the way to America to try and stop this evil man from his consensual but odd relationship. I don't understand the point and none of the characters are likable. It's a very dumb film focused on how HORRIBLE and GROSS and WEIRD this TOTALLY IS. Eh, it's mostly silly in its over-exaggeration. For some reason there are a lot of explanatory monologues too. The film really would have done better without attempting to throw all the logic behind these things at us.

So there you are. If you liked The Human Centipede then you might very well like this too. Beyond that though I'd say skip it. It's weirdly preachy and ultimately has no good point.

Misery

Year: 1990
Director: Rob Reiner
Writer: Stephen King, William Goldman
Genre: Thriller

First things first I went into this movie without ever reading the original Stephen King work. I'd like to at some point, but basically I've seen every King item before ever attempting to read it. Anyway, so here's Misery which I believe was a hit when it came out.

The story is based around a successful author who has been writing a series of novels. He'd like to finally break away from the series though so in his latest book he kills off the main character (it is not yet published he has just written the draft). As he drives on a snowy road back from his writing retreat, he loses control and crashes off the road. Someone finds him and nurses him back to her house to continue to care for him. This woman happens to only be his biggest fan. But unlike when most people say it, she is truly devoted to the series and its characters.

If you know nothing about Misery then it's probably best you continue to know nothing about it because then the movie can lull you in. You feel like there is something very sweet going on between the author and his caretaker. She is a little awkward, but there's nothing wrong with that. All she wants to do is care for her idol and she's doing an amazing job at it.

Obviously, things can't stay all rosy for this story sprang from the mind of King. The spiraling down to worse and worse moods and conditions is pitch perfect. I wouldn't have sped up or slowed down the progression of anything. It seems perfect. The movie was quite enjoyable and I'm glad to see it was able to become a movie so readily. It seems normally a story focused on two characters alone in a house would be hard to keep interesting.

Rabid

Year: 1977
Director: David Cronenberg
Writer: David Cronenberg
Genre: Horror: Thriller, vampire

Being one of Cronenberg's first feature films, it should be recognized that this is not a Hollywood-class movie. Of course, he never really was in the market for making things with mass market appeal, but his technique definitely has become refined over the years. For reference, Scanners and Videodrome came in the 80s.

I'm not sure how I feel about Rabid. I liked the premise, but I didn't feel very interested in the plight of any of the characters. They were nice and alive-feeling, but I didn't care much whether they lived or died. If I had cared however I think it would have felt more dramatic and enthralling. As is, I felt myself losing concentration again and again as the film went on.

The story is a little creative. A woman and her boyfriend are going out for a joyride on their Harley and get in a horrible crash. The boyfriend is mostly alright but the lady is left to sizzle under the heavy hot metal of the motorcycle. She gets rushed into a plastic surgery clinic (apparently they're the closest hospital) where they perform a new skin graft technique on her.

She lives and seems to have healed up excellently. The only problem is that while the skin graft succeeded, it requires sustenance to stay living. So, the girl ends up having to feed much like a vampire would to survive. Again, if this character had been portrayed differently I really would have cared but I don't. It doesn't even feel like she struggles with the matter of attacking people until it's all too late.

The movie is kind of a zombie-flick too. Although the people are "rabid" and not undead, brain-crazy freaks. Still, I was almost willing to classify this as a zombie flick as well. Anyway, it's an okay movie. Best to watch this one if you're a Cronenberg devotee. For a better skin graft-related film I'd suggest Eyes Without a Face.

The Rage: Carrie 2

Year: 1999
Director: Katt Shea
Writer: Rafael Moreu
Genre: Horror: Thriller

If someone ever approached me to make a sequel for a Stephen King book-based movie I'd probably die. Of course, nobody would ever propose such a thing from me but I'm just saying. I can only assume that Katt Shea was impossibly pleased when offered this chance. Probably pretty terrified too.

The movie is interesting because in a way it is a remake. Or, not so much a remake but a re-imagining. Remake or re-imagining though, that would not count as a true "sequel". However, the movie has the title Carrie 2 because it is a sequel. It takes place 20 or so years after Carrie and with a new lead. However, she goes through a lot of the same style of experiences as in the first film.

However, the circumstances are definitely different. The lead is not a terribly meekish and unloved high school student. She may still be somewhat of an outcast, but not nearly to the degree as Carrie was. It's nice to see that this girl can stand on her two feet slinging insults with the rest of the teenage crowd. Because she is not Carrie it helps set a different tone for the movie as well as keep things interesting. You basically know that something has to happen to set off the climactic sequence, but getting there is a lot of fun. Unfortunately I don't think any climax could top the famous pig blood scene of Carrie, but that's okay. I won't hold it against Carrie 2.

Some people may not like this movie because the character is not a Carrie clone. However, I like it exactly for that reason. So, if you're in the mood for a better than average sequel this is a fine choice.

Girly

Year: 1970
Director: Freddie Francis
Writer: Brian Comport
Genre: Horror: Thriller

Girly is an odd little British film. In it, we have a family living all together in a great big house. Their names are Mumsy, Nanny, Sonny, and Girly. In fact, their names were the original title of the movie but when it was brought to other locations they simply called it "Girly".

Sonny and Girly are two adorable and attractive teenagers who just love to play games. They play not only because it is a rule Mumsy imposes but because they enjoy it. One of their games is to find men and bring them back home with them. There they can play with everyone until Mumsy decides they are no longer needed. Once they are dull or break the rules they are murdered. Sounds like perfect family fun to me!

It's definitely unusual to see these characters all interacting. The home life of all the inhabitants is strangely infantile and free of adult logic. Even though there are multiple adults present it never seems any of them ever focus on "tough" matters. It's interesting to see how everyone interacts and how their world is normal to them.

Unfortunately, the movie is rather dull. There's some fun to be had but mostly I never was able to get into the groove of watching it. It also ends on a very abrupt note. You feel like the movie could continue on further but we never get to see the final resolution (you're simply left to assume).

The Stepfather

Year: 2009
Director: Nelson McCormick
Writer: J.S. Cardone
Genre: Horror: Thriller

I don't know what it was about the 1987 original but I really liked The Stepfather. Because of my enjoyment of that version I was a little apprehensive about giving this movie a view. Either way, I've gone and done it and it wasn't so painful.

This film is very similar to the first. Basically, you've got a man who goes around trying to find his perfect family. He meets divorced women with kids and worms his way in until he can marry them. However, things seem to never exactly work out so he murders them and runs away to find a new family. This is the tale of just one family and it's decent.

 The characters are all decently believable. It's good to see characters actively raising attention about how strange the father is. In many movies, characters just tend to gloss over that stuff (so that the killer can keep on killing). Sometimes it feels like characters are too detective-like but I suppose that's better than simply going with the flow. It creates a "staccato" murdering spree which is neat.

The movie isn't incredible or great or too good but it's okay. Fans of the original might as well see it for better or for worse.

When a Stranger Calls

Year: 2006
Director: Simon West
Writer: Jake Wade Wall
Genre: Horror: Thriller

First off, let me just announce that I've decided to watch some remakes. I've avoided many of them because my memories and enjoyment of the old films eels like it will be hurt by viewing a remade version. Either way, here's the movie that kicked off my remake adventure.

When a Stranger Calls first came out in 1979 and quickly became famous for the unexpected location of the murderer. It was a film that followed the story of a young woman who was simply trying to babysit some children but had a lot more in store for her. The film has some famous lines such as "have you checked the children?" and "it's coming from inside the house!".

Thankfully, the idea and even these classic lines are still present in the remake. In fact, it surprised me how faithful the remake was to the original's theme, if not everything else. The theme was left untouched even with the various updates to the world.

What really surprised me about this remake was that it didn't fall into the trap that so many horror remakes do. It didn't attempt to amp up violence or make everything suddenly more sexual. In fact, there is only verbal discussion of anything sexual at any point. No girl ever gets her shirt torn off and doesn't have outrageously large breasts. Our heroine looks pretty, but a normal pretty - not Hollywood manufactured. She wins extra points for wearing an outfit that seems normal for a babysitter and not something super low cut to show herself off (to who? Certainly not the children!). I'm really pleased with these choices and wish that more remakes could learn from this example.

House of Wax

Year: 2005
Director: Jaume Collet-Serra
Writer: Chad Hayes
Genre: Horror: Thriller

I'll readily admit that I never really liked the 1953 House of Wax. It's certainly a piece to see because it's rather creative, but definitely a relic of another era. This version of the film is very different and even casts Paris Hilton as one of the characters (not simply a cameo). The film was so proud of having her in it that her face even appears to be on the cover, just wax-ified.

Despite the really awkward casting choice the movie is surprisingly engrossing. Also, Ms. Hilton is not the lead character. Thank goodness! The story is changed up quite a bit. In this version, there are a group of teens (or 20 somethings?) who are just trying to travel to a big football game. One of their cars breaks down along the way and so they travel to the nearest town to try and get it fixed. Of course, visiting the town leads into murders.

What surprised me first was how much time in the film is spent building up the story and characters. For what felt like more than 20 minutes the movie lets you experience the characters and their interactions. It throws out red herrings and slowly casts a feeling of dread over everything. Maybe at 30 minutes they finally enter the town. It's incredible to see modern movies not just try to jump right into insanity. It's not quite up to Psycho quality lead-in, of course, but it's better than a lot of modern attempts.

Because of the building up of characters and helping viewers to become attached to them it is more worrying when they are cast into dangerous circumstances. It seems like a little bit of the film was inspired by Saw at one point, but aside from that it kept a strangely classic vibe. The climax is exciting and was also just really cool to watch. It was a fun watch and I hope others think so too.

Deep Red

Year: 1975
Director: Dario Argento
Writer: Dario Argento, Bernadino Zapponi
Genre: Horror: Thriller

First off, Dario Argento is one of my favorite horror directors out there. It was through his films that I sort of discovered my taste for more "modern" horror as opposed to classic Hitchcock drama. I always felt like I had already watched this movie but apparently not because it seemed a wholly new experience.

The story starts off with a psychic who is at an event and suddenly becomes overcome with the dreadful thoughts and feelings of a murderer in the crowd. Shortly after her premonition, she is murdered. From there a man who caught a glimpse of the killer is determined to find him. With an intrepid journalist beside him the two attempt to uncover what's going on.

The story isn't the most creative out there but the characters are likable enough and it's easy to get invested. The murder scenes are done quite well and excellently tense. There is not a huge focus on gore but most injuries are shown straight on with the camera, which might not be the best idea with 70s era special effects. Regardless, it works very well and I liked it. I especially have always enjoyed what looks like bright red paint they use for blood. It's obviously fake but something about it makes everything seem a bit more artistic somehow.

It's a nice little film. What I find odd is just how much content was cut for the US release (which I watched). The film is nearly 130 minutes in original form but clocks in a little under 100 for the US theatrical release. What exactly was lost? I'm not sure. However, near the end the film feels slightly schizophrenic so I'm assuming that's where content was lost. Aside from that though this is actually one of the more linear stories that has come from Argento.

The Baby

Year: 1973
Director: Ted Post
Writer: Abe Polsky
Genre: Horror: Thriller

Here's one of those movies you have to see to believe. The Baby is so aptly named as the film focuses around a baby, simply named "Baby". This isn't your ordinary baby though as our heroine comes to find but a full-grown man instead. Despite looking very mature physically he has about the same mental, verbal, and otherwise capacities of a baby. He is cared for by his mother and sisters an then finally the lead who is a public service worker of some sort. For some reason the mother character reminded me of Joan Crawford and I liked this because I like Joan Crawford. I'm probably the only one to make such a random connection though.

This isn't typical horror with any sort of monsters or demons. It's mostly a thriller attempting to be Hitchcock-esque with the plot and where it leads. Beyond that though it's mostly an odd piece of cinema with a very abrupt twist in the final minutes. I suppose you could gather what the ending would be from the multiple hints dropped throughout, but it seems mostly a cop out to be "weird" or "creepy".

Beyond that though it's a decent film. It kept me hooked despite being very 70s (which often turns me off for some reason). What I find most striking is that the movie Pink Flamingos also featured a grown "baby" character and came out a year before this. However, for that character nothing much was ever explained. It just seemed an interesting point to me when considering how close the films are in years of release.

I wouldn't really suggest this film unless you're into 70's thrillers. Otherwise, you won't be missing much by skipping right over.

One Hour Photo

Year: 2002
Director: Mark Romanec
Writer: Mark Romanec
Genre: Drama, Thriller

I'd never seen Robin Williams in a "serious" role before. I don't know why but it just seems to have never been the case that I sit down with one. It may be partially related to this that the film really struck me. Williams had a character who was completely out of the realm I'd ever seen him as. At first I was like "how funny, that's Robin Williams" but as the movie continued I forgot all about the association. He was no longer Mrs. Doubtfire to me or anything like that but his character in this film. He was sad, disturbed, and incredible.

I adored this movie. I felt really nervous and antsy watching it, which believe it or not is a positive. It takes a certain kind of movie to make me feel that way and only a few have ever really managed it. Some other films like that for me were Hard Candy and Fatal Attraction. Fatal Attraction in particular is so bad that I will leave the room when the climax approaches.

Back to One Hour Photo though... It's a stellar film. There are some very gorgeous scenes, the music is perfect, and it is just a very taut piece of film making. Since I think it's better to leave first-time viewers without any ideas about this film, I won't discuss any plot points. I had no clue about what the film was really about, aside from maybe photos, and that aided my viewing.

The movie certainly won't be for everyone but it was perfect for me. In fact, I'm probably going to add it to my list of "must-watch movies" that I pass out to friends. That list is kept to a reasonable amount, so any new additions is always a cause for celebration. If you're in the mood to feel vaguely disturbed and worried for an hour and a half this is the film for you.