Murder Party

Year: 2007
Director: Jeremy Saulnier
Writer: Jeremy Saulnier
Genre: Horror: Slasher, Comedy

If you were to see Murder Party on the horror movie shelf I would understand if you skipped right past it. The name isn't inspired... many horror films fall into this category. What is a reason to watch yet another slasher unless you're a slasher fan? For both fans of the genre and people who are involved in the art scene (yes, seriously) I think this film is worth a watch.

The movie begins by focusing on a very homely, geekish man. He is going about his day when he picks up a party invitation which was blowing around. It says little aside from announcing a "murder party". Since he would have nothing to do other than watch a horror movie with his cat, he decides to go to the event. Once he gets there though he realizes he should not have taken the chance as everyone there is going to kill him - for artistic expression.

Does it sound weird? Yes, it is pretty odd, but that's what the point seems to be here. These up and coming artists want nothing more than to get grants and become famous, and so they think that this is really going to impress the art world. Why aren't they worried about cops? It's probably the delusions of grandeur clouding their heads. Maybe drugs too. Either way, the film plays out as a cruel commentary on the current art scene itself. It's often a hugely funny romp despite some dark stuff that goes on.

That's why I suggest people participating in that world check it out. I'm sure that they would be able to understand and laugh at these portrayals the best. Even without really being a part of that world it was easy for me to see what was being made fun of and criticized. I'm also surprised simply by how long it took for most of hte killings to go on. Despite that, it didn't feel like the movie dragged much so that's pretty skillful on the part of the director. Murder Party is an indie film which feels just as fun as many other slashers out there.

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.

The Dentist 2

Year: 1998
Director: Brian Yuzna
Writer: Stuart Gordon, Charles Finch
Genre: Horror

The Dentist was an interesting experience for me when I watched it nearly a year ago now. I was only more recently made aware of the sequel. Once I heard of it though, I knew it was something that would need some viewing. After having watched the sequel I can now say that it's still a pretty nice film all by itself but pales in comparison to the original. It's still worth watching if you liked the first though.

So what is The Dentist 2 (sometimes subtitled "Brace Yourself") about? You've got the doctor of the first film who is getting psychiatric care. At least, it seems like he is until he weasels a needle he'd been hiding under his skin out during a session to escape. He flees from Los Angeles to a podunk little city named Paradise. Once there, he attempts to suppress his homicidal urges but they can't help but surface once again.

In regards to storytelling this movie is somehow even more campy that the first. It's got a huge air of impossibility around it but it still almost works since each of the characters is willfully ignorant of everything occurring. The doctor develops more of a personality in this film, although it's still not especially interesting. At least it gives you a taste of a character who isn't purely mindless.

What managed to impress me most about the first film, and this one as well, is certainly not the story though. It was the fact that the torture scenes in both hit close to home. I've never stayed in a hostel, or even moved into a dorm so all those types of stories are far away from my experiences. However, I have gone to the dentist and I do so regularly. I know what it's like to be stuck in the chair and have someone poking and prodding around in your mouth, sometimes hurting you. This film takes that familiar space and twists the person with the position of power into something menacing.

I've never had a problem with dentists, but even so The Dentist 2 manages to make me squirm. Aside from the reasons I just stated, it's also rare to see scenes of mouth/tooth torture in movies. Even though I don't mind dentists, I still wouldn't want to go see one right after checking out this movie. Overall it was a middling movie but still entertaining and plenty gross.

Silent Scream

Year: 1980
Director: Denny Harris
Writer: Ken Wheat, Jim Wheat
Genre: Horror: Slasher

With a name like Silent Scream, it's hard for a film to stand out. Although it feels more like a retro title than most, it also doesn't do much to distinguish itself. Either way, I've come to realize that name means absolutely nothing when going into a movie. All it does is possible make me go in expecting nothing and then come out with a positive opinion.

So what's the film all about? It starts us off with a college-aged gal who is looking for a place to rent out. Everywhere she looks doesn't work out though for one reason or another. SO when she finally comes across a nice house by the beach she snaps it up immediately. Of course her choice is probably the worst she could choose as there's some really messed up characters lurking in the home.

What follows is a pretty standard slasher in regards to young people, sex, and death. However, I found myself enjoying the whole movie quite a lot. It had a bit of intelligence with scares, and helped to build them up until there was finally a death. I like this method more than movies which will just do a brief build up and have the tension release immediately with a quick kill.

Something else that really stood out about this movie was simply the characters themselves. They're not particularly likeable, but they're good enough. They all seem to be real enough and have natural-sounding conversations and reactions to the events around them. I definitely always appreciate when characters don't sound like they're forced into a situation and seem removed from reality.

If you're a slasher film this seems like a simple classic with a lot of charm. It doesn't really go to any extremes and aside from a few elements is down to earth. I'd suggest watching it back to back with other under-appreciated slashers such as The House on Sorority Row.

Anime: Another

Year: 2012
Director: Mizushima Tsutomu
Writer: Ayatsuji Yukito
Genre: Horror: Thriller

Another is a 12 episode anime series which I decided to watch due to someone noting that the first death scene was horrendous. Without knowing a thing about the show I dove in and found it to be a horror anime, yes, but nothing much beyond average.

The basic premise is that this new kid comes into school and tries to befriend a classmate. However, everyone else in the class doesn't even acknowledge her presence. It's not bullying. It's almost as if she's a ghost. From then on, people start dying and a mystery as to why this all is happening is slowly unraveled.

As far as plot goes, I was a little annoyed that it was focused on ghost stories. For whatever reason, the few horror anime series' that I have seen are all ghost stories. Of course, the same is often true of Japanese film. The culture seems to have a huge interest in ghosts and ghost stories. I was looking for something a bit different. Perhaps it was because I came into it hoping for a slasher.... In a way it even is a slasher because a lot of deaths occur but the overall setup is different.

Anyway, again, the story didn't really attempt to do anything new. The visuals of death may have been "sickening" but that doesn't make the story itself incredible. For the most part the deaths weren't all that notable either, minus a few that were quite implausibly set up but neat all the same. It felt more like your average mystery but with some gore dumped on to make it feel more mature.

A lot of people enjoy Another but for me it's just another average horror show.

The Unborn II

Year: 1994
Director: Rick Jacobson
Writer: Rob Kerchner, Daniella Purcell
Genre: Horror: Sci-Fi, Evil Children

The Unborn was a movie that I feel is entirely unrated. It received a remake in 2009, which I knew of, but also a sequel. The sequel was something which caught me completely by surprise. Although I didn't remember the end of the first film, it didn't seem like something that would lead into a new movie. Now I can understand what angle they took with it although there didn't really need to be a sequel to begin with.

So the story starts us off with a woman moving into a new neighborhood. Her overly cheery (and pesky) neighbors butt into her life almost immediately, pointing out the baby gear she has in tow. We knows he has a child but for some reason isn't bursting to pull out photos to show everyone. Something is wrong... but what?

We're also shown a woman who puts on some heavy sunglasses before marching up to a child on the playground and shooting him square in the face. WHAT? It's really this scene (the first in the film) which sets the tone for everything else that comes. The idea behind the story may be serious - that experimental artificial insemination might be going wrong - but beyond that it's a hilarious little film. Who really just wanders around in broad daylight shooting children between the eyes? Even if they are cannibalistic monsters it just feels incredibly hokey.

Because it does feel so ridiculous I was able to enjoy it a lot. It's a very dumb film and the twist doesn't even make sense if you really think about it. It was just put there to give you something else to worry about besides a bloodthirsty infant. But why would you even need anything else when you have that? The Unborn II made me think about a few things though despite how silly it was. For one, who are these movies about pregnancies gone wrong made for? Are they made for women to prey on their very personal fears? Or are they made for the same audiences as everything else?

Anyway, it was a truly goofy experience and would probably be good to watch with friends. The basic plot does keep in line with the original movie, so if you've seen it, you might as well give it a shot too. However, don't expect them to feel at all the same. If anything, it really feels more like It's Alive.

PS: The Unborn II's soundtrack has nothing on the first film's awesome score by Gary Numan and Michael R. Smith.

Martin

Year: 1976
Director: George A. Romero
Writer: George A. Romero
Genre: Horror: Vampire

Martin seems like the kind of movie that I would enjoy. It is George A. Romero's take on vampires which is not in a way you would have been likely to see from anyone else. Martin may or may not actually be a vampire, but whatever he is he is far from a magical being. He never transforms into a bat, isn't repelled by the cross or garlic, and can go out in the day just fine. He's your typical guy except for the fact that he is compelled to the blood of humans.

The movie definitely deserves credit for moving beyond the Dracula archetypes. It's nothing liek them and feels much more like Ginger Snaps than Nosferatu. Still, I didn't enjoy it much at all. Overall, the film really doesn't explain itself well and it leaves you hanging in a lot of ways. Beyond that, it doesn't feel entirely cohesive. It feels more like snapshots of various times in Martin's youth, all probably very close together, but just events that occurred... Nothing is necessarily connected.

Many people seem to really enjoy Martin but it wasn't for me. His method of victim-grabbing is rather interesting though when it works (or perhaps more interesting when it fails). The idea behind the movie also seems to be some sort of coming of age thing, which works, but it missed the mark.

Although I didn't like it, Martin still seems like the kind of film that gets called a classic in certain circles. No doubt it's a very interesting take on vampire films and I wouldn't mind watching something else like it in the future.