Byzantium – 8

Director – Neil Jordan

Cast – Saoirse Ronan, Gemma Arterton, Caleb Landry Jones, Sam Riley, Warren Brown, Thure Lindhardt, Glenn Doherty, Gabriela Marcinková, Daniel Mays, Uri Gavriel

Release Year – 2013

Reviewed by John of the Dead

I am not a big fan of vampire films, but I am definitely a big fan of Neil Jordan films (Interview with the Vampire, The Company of Wolves). After a near 20 year hiatus from the genre (and vampires), Byzantium brings him back to the sub-genre he loves so dearly, and he does so with damn good results. As with most of his efforts, this is a story-driven film that also comes with superb direction to seal the deal. Vampires are not my thing, but Byzantium is a perfect example of vampires used as they were meant to be used: to sell the despairs of love and sacrifice.

Suffering the pitfalls of eternal life, mother-daughter vampire duo Clara and Eleanor are on the run and take refuge in a sleepy coastal resort. The lonely Noel offers them shelter in his empty guesthouse, Byzantium, but what seems like an ideal situation for the vampires in hiding proves costly when Eleanor befriends the charming Frank and tells him their deadly secret.

If you enjoy films that rely heavily on good story telling then you are sure to enjoy this Moira Buffini screenplay, adapted from her play “A Vampire Story”. The first act moves quickly, giving us insight into the lives that Clara and Eleanor are forced to live. Clara provides sexual favors for money, which comes at the behest of her daughter Eleanor. Eleanor knows that her mother is doing what she “has” to do in order to provide for their monetary necessities, but it is far from the life she wishes they could live. We soon learn that a sect of vampires known as the Brethren have been hunting Eleanor for 200 years, after her mother broke an code she swore to abide by. When they eventually arrive at their new home they seem to have it made. Clara is able to expand her prostitution business and Eleanor is finally able to attend school and enjoy the company of the opposite sex, which is where Frank comes into the picture. As with most cases involving secrets you should keep to yourself, desperate desires lead Eleanor to spill the beans to Frank, putting both her and her mother in serious danger of being found by the Brethren, who are still in pursuit of the two. Buffini does a fantastic job of selling this story as a drama, a fantasy, and a horror film, although this flick’s emphasis is in such order. There is plenty of horror to make this a horror flick, especially with some sweet gory kills, but the drama and fantasy make this more than your basic genre film.

Neil Jordan’s direction is as good as ever, bringing this highly engaging story to life with amazing atmosphere and good performances from our lead actresses. Saoirse Ronan and Gemma Arterton do a fantastic job selling Eleanor and Clara to the viewer, both on their own and when they are together. The chemistry between them is real and while pretty much every other major supporting character did well in his/her roles, these two stole the show. Jordan’s direction of the horror is also very well done and as I mentioned earlier, he delivers some gory kills for us to enjoy. The focus of the film isn’t so much the kills as it is the horrors that come with living a life of eternity, but thankfully Jordan makes the most of the horror when it presents itself.

Overall, Byzantium is a fantastic story-driven experience that blends drama, fantasy, and horror into one of the greatest vampire tales since Let The Right One In / Let Me In. While the horror is not at the forefront this is still a great horror experience that has so much more to offer than the cheesy Underworld-esque vampire flicks we get these days. If you are looking for a genre flick that demands your undivided attention, Byzantium is highly recommended.

Rating: 8/10

…Additional Stills…

Troll – 7

Director – John Carl Buechler

Cast – Noah Hathaway, Michael Moriarty, Shelly Hack, Jenny Beck, Sonny Bono, Phil Fondacaro, Brad Hall, Anne Lockhart, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Gary Sandy, June Lockhart

Release Year – 1986

Reviewed by John of the Dead

I could tell you how excited I was to finally see this film since last seeing it during my childhood, but you probably would not believe me. I have a love/hate relationship with Charles Band-produced horror films, and you can find Troll in the love area of that relationship. Horror films involving trolls are rare and this is one of the few notable ones, and despite its low reviews from numerous critics this is definitely one underrated piece. The great special FX and zany story provides plenty of cheese for the viewer to enjoy, and if you love quirky creature films then you should enjoy this one.

The Potter family has just moved into a new San Francisco apartment complex, and their hopes of enjoying their new home are shattered when a wicked troll king invades the complex to do battle with a witch living on the top floor.

Like most cheesy low-budget feasts of its day and type, Troll takes little time getting to the goods. Early on we are exposed to the hideous beast who is using the apartment’s tenants to transform them into an army of elves to help him defeat the queen on the top floor. Why would he want to do such a thing? The queen holds the power to him regaining his might after being banished many years prior, plus he is pissed off and wants revenge against her. The troll manages to mimic our main character’s younger sister and makes his way from apartment to apartment to build his army, and while these may not be considered “deaths” they do feel like them, and that makes this film high on the death count. Ed Naha’s story comes in at a brisk 82 minutes, and the piece flows smoothly by not giving us any nonsense or silly subplots, just straight up troll-induced horror with a hint of fantasy.

Director John Carl Buechler (Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood, Cellar Dwellar, Ghoulies III), an FX man by trade, did a good job execution this simple piece. There is one main location, the apartment complex, and it was used positively and came adorned with awesome special FX that took place after someone was transformed to an elf by the mighty troll. The acting performances were as expected, some better than others but “good” overall, and it was a joy to see Michael Moriarty portraying the father figure of the family, Harry Potter Sr. And then there is the Troll, portrayed by Phil Fondacaro who also had another role in the film as the apartment’s midget professor. The look of the Troll was great and he was executed in a pretty creepy fashion, which was the case with all of the other numerous creatures adorning the film – growing in number as the runtime increased.

Overall, Troll is a fun and simple horror/fantasy that consists of everything needed to an enjoyable experience. It is not a great film, but it leaves knowledgeable viewers with a taste of what they came for: horror cheese.

Rating: 7/10

The Company of Wolves – 7

Director – Neil Jordan

Cast – Sarah Patterson, Angela Lansbury, David Warner, Stephen Rea, Kathryn Pogson, Georgia Slowe, Micha Bergese

Release Year – 1984

Reviewed by John of the Dead

I first learned of this piece while researching the goriest scenes in horror history, and after viewing the film’s premier transformation scene I decided that I HAD to see this as soon as I could. For many years I have enjoyed director Neil Jordan’s work in the horror genre and the other genres he has taken part in. Despite him doing a great job with the vampire sub-genre (Interview with the Vampire) I had not heard much about this werewolf piece, and I am glad that he excelled in it. Coming with a storyline filled with both horror and fantasy stemming from a popular tale, The Company of Wolves was a very enjoyable experience to me that consisted of numerous elements that kept me marveling visually at what Neil Jordan delivered onscreen.

When her sister is savagely killed by a wolf plaging her hometown, young Rosaleen is sent to live with her grandmother while her parents mourn her sister. Her grandmother tells her old stories of the werewolves that lurk in the nearby wolves and prey on those who “stray from the path”, stories that Rosaleen will soon learn are still alive in the current day.

The story comes based on the one of the same name written by Angela Carter in her short story collection The Blood Chamber. She co-wrote this screenplay with Neil Jordan herself, marking her debut in screenwriter and the fourth of Neil Jordan’s career (including a TV movie). Those of you familiar with the Red Riding Hood story will see many resemblances to the famed tale, consisting of allegorical references to werewolves and, most importantly, their sexual nature along with the results of sexual deviance. While this flick qualifies as a horror film I personally feel that it is much more fantasy than horror. There are of course scenes of horror – even some of fantastic horror – but in the end this is about the loss of innocence more than werewolves munching on English men and women. There were several scenes that left me bewildered as to why the story would head that direction, but I am left to assume that is how original writer Angela Carter wished to adapt her work and I will just let you see them for yourself to avoid spoilers.

While the story is fantastic and unlike most “horror” films from the 1980s, it was Neil Jordan’s direction that really lead to my enjoyment of this experience. From the get-go he throws us into absolutely perfect atmosphere for such a film, even stating that he was heavily influenced by Roger Corman’s The Masque of the Red Death – something I very much believe given the similar and incredible atmosphere of both films. In addition to his great sets he also achieved great performances from all of the actors involved, especially the young Sarah Patterson in her debut acting role as Rosaleen. I must also mention and give much applause to Angela Lansbury, one of my favorite actors to watch while growing up thanks to “Murder, She Wrote”, as Rosaleen’s storytelling granny. Despite all of these great elements of the film I must say that the absolute best thing The Company of Wolves has to offer are its transformation scenes, namely the very first one to take place. This scene has to be one of the greatest scenes of horror I have ever seen, and makes my Top 3 in werewolf transformations. Whatever the rest of the film lacked in horror, it made up for with those (insert number of seconds) glorious seconds.

Overall, The Company of Wolves is a film I would recommend so long as you know what you are getting into: a flick with more fantasy than horror. The writing is solid and Jordan’s direction is superb, and with the few scenes of horror being as amazing as they were I will say this is worth a watch just for those scenes alone.

Rating: 7/10

Livid – 7

Director – Alexandre Bustillo, Julien Maury

Cast – Chloé Coulloud, Felix Moati, Jérémy Kapone, Catherine Jacob, Marie-Claude Pietragalla, Chloé Marcq, Béatrice Dalle, Loïc Berthezene

Release Year – 2011

Reviewed by John of the Dead

Boy was I looking forward to this. Livid is the first film from French filmmakers Alexandre Bustillo and Julien Maury, the two behind one of my favorite horror films of all time, Inside. When I first read on this film I was immediately stoked and could not wait impatiently enough for my chance to view this piece and see if they still had “it” after Inside, and sure enough they still do. While this is a much tamer experience than what we were given with Inside, Livid still manages to provide great horror in very spooky fashion, also providing me with an original story that I never saw coming.

Lucy, a trainee in-house caregiver, arrives at the Jessel mansion for her first day of work attending to the old Mrs. Jessel, a former dance instructor now suffering a cerebral coma. During her first day of work Lucy learns that Mrs. Jessel has a large treasure hidden somewhere within the home, and after telling a few of her friends they break into the mansion late that night in search the riches sure to give them a better life. Their search of the peculiar and creepy home yields no results at first, but soon they find the treasure buried deep within the home, and the supernatural terrors that come with it.

Inside shocked the horror community as it turned heads by giving us possibly the best female slasher of all time, and I did not want to believe the film was a fluke or a stroke of luck for the Bustillo/Maury filmmaking duo. Livid proved that these two filmmakers do have the talent required to make it in this genre and leave their impression, and that only leaves me already anticipating their next effort, and I cannot wait long enough.

Livid takes off slow, introducing us to the young Lucie who is tasked with the seemingly easy but daunting responsibility of caring for a very elderly old woman, and a scary-looking one at that. Lucie will be her primary caregiver, a job that will leave her alone with the old woman in the very old creepy house, and you can see the nervousness on Lucie’s face when she realizes just how hard this job is going to be. The innocent Lucie would obviously never resort to crime as a way to make money, but when her loser boyfriend and his equally ratty friend take notice to her mentioning the old lady’s hidden treasure, she is forced to tag along and aid the thieves in making their way into the old home. Upon entering the home we are given some good creepy chills just from the atmosphere alone, and soon enough the horror kicks in when they learn the old lady is not as comatose as they expected, and has dire intentions for the trespassers. You get the feeling that maybe Lucie was set up in her finding out about the woman’s treasure, and as the story progresses there are numerous revelations made regarding why Lucie was chosen to work the mansion in the first place. I really do not want to go into strict detail so that I can avoid spoilers, but I will say that the supernatural presence in the film is incredible and had me on the edge of my seat at times. I must commend Bustillo and Maury for writing such an excellent piece that also had me guessing as to where the film would head next, and just when I thought I had figured out what was really going on in the home I was bombarded by more supernatural forces and characters, as well as the gory eliminations of other characters. This story is flooded with spooks, mystery, sadness, and redemption, making for a damn good and well-paced storyline that I never lost interest in and left me with a unique experience I will not forget.

Naturally, it only takes decent direction to sell a good story, but our directors manage to give us excellent direction that matches the positives the story provided. The atmosphere and sets used are incredible and provide supreme potential for good scares, and good scares too commence in awesome fashion as a result of this. Their execution of the horror was phenomenal and was shot in a very engaging fashion that elevated the likelihood of good scares. The look of the supernatural antagonists was incredible and outright scary to say the least. Do you remember how scary the witch was in Insidious? Well Livid‘s antagonists are just as scary and outnumber the witch greatly. I was surprised to see as much gore as I did in this piece, especially with it being a supernatural feast and not a slasher like their previous effort, but I welcomed the gore with open arms and found that it did not detriment the film in any way but enhanced it like gore tends to do. One thing I did not expect was the fantasy element of this piece, which was prevalent in flashback sequences as well as the final sequence, and while I did not prefer it I did find it unique and interesting for a horror film of this day and age, rounding out one of the better horror films of 2011(France)/2012(US).

Overall, Livid is a very effective and utterly creepy film from the duo that gave us Inside that once again gives us one of the best horror films of the year and of recent day. The storyline is highly effective and also provides many unique qualities not often employed in the horror genre, and while it keeps you guessing it also keeps you on the edge of your seat with expertly executed scares of the supernatural realm. Highly recommended.

Rating: 7/10

Paperhouse – 7

Director – Bernard Rose

Cast – Charlotte Burke, Elliott Spiers, Glenne Headly, Ben Cross, Gemma Jones, Samantha Cahill, Jane Bertish

Release Year – 1988

Reviewed by John of the Dead

I first heard of Paperhouse while searching for rare horror films from the 70s and 80s, and immediately pounced on the opportunity to finally give this one a watch. While not an outright horror film and more of a drama/fantasy, Paperhouse still gives us a fairly strong horror element to warrant this review, and comes with a very enjoyable and captivating story sure to leave you with a memorable experience.

Anna, a young social outcast misunderstood by all who know her, one day discovers a magical link between a drawing pad she owns and her unconscious dream state. She is captivated by a mundane house containing a young disabled boy that she often sees in her dreams, and as she tries desperately to increase the link between her real life and her fantasy world she inadvertently welcomes a horrific entity that she never saw coming.

Going into this piece I really did not know what to expect. I knew of a strong fantasy element, but I had not clue as to what writer Matthew Jacobs would do with this adaptation of Catherine Storr’s novel. From the get-go we are thrown into the somber and dilapidated world that Anna lives in, constantly bombarded by her nonsensical teacher, classroom bully, misunderstanding mother, and the absence of her father who is constantly working far away from home. When she discovers the link between her drawing pad and her dream state is when the fantasy element kicks in, which starts off subtle at first due to her drawings being of simple fashion, but the element soon grows stronger as Anna spends more and more time in her fantasy world, trying to aid the young boy, Marc, in recovering his ability to walk and eventually leave the home she drew for him. Doesn’t sound very horrific eh? As I mentioned earlier, the horror element in this film is second to both the drama and fantasy element, but I must say that when the horror does kick in it kicks in with full force for the duration of its long sequence. This is sadly the only sequence of horror in the film, but it was worthy enough of my reviewing praise as was the awesome fantasy element sure to please those looking for a simple and unique storyline that everyone can enjoy.

Director Bernard Rose(Candyman) did a great job executing this effort, using the most of what little budget he had to make for a pretty engaging film thanks to great atmosphere and execution that compliments the storyline. We get great usage of Anna, portrayed by Charlotte Burke in sadly her only ever acting performance, and Burke does a fantastic job in moving the story and carrying the film for us. The emotions Anna faces are polar opposites of one another at times, and Burke was very believable while expressing her character, which saddened me when I learned that she failed to continue an acting career with such talent. Rose’s execution of the fantasy element is great, making for a feel-good experience during most of the film, and I am glad to say that his usage of the horror element is dead-on awesome as he used simple yet effective tactics to make for a high intensity horror sequence that aided this film in its uniqueness along with its fantasy and drama feel.

Overall, Paperhouse is a great pseudo-horror film that is sure to please those of you looking for a unique film experience, just do not expect a devout horror film going into this one. The storyline is great and complimented with Rose’s direction it makes for a captivating effort blending multiple genres together into one highly under-appreciated film overall.

Rating: 7/10

Poltergeist – 9

Director – Tobe Hooper

Cast – Craig T. Nelson, JoBeth Williams, Beatrice Straight, Dominique Dunne, Oliver Robins, Heather O’Rourke, Zelda Rubinstein, Martin Casella, Richard Lawson, Michael McManus, Virginia Kiser

Release Year – 1982

Reviewed by John of the Dead

Poltergeist was one of my favorite horror films growing up, and after viewing it for the first time in years its greatness still rings true to this day.  After establishing himself as a legitimate horror director with The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Eaten Alive, Salem’s Lot, and The Funhouse, Austin native Tobe Hooper took on Steven Spielberg’s ghost story and turned it into a forever classic.  Aided by Spielberg’s superb story and Hooper’s positive direction, Poltergeist delivers horror that still hits hard decades after its inception, and gives us possibly the scariest PG movie of all time.

The young Freeling is living the standard American life; dad works a good job, mom keeps the kids healthy and in school, and they have a golden retriever.  However, this perfect life the Freeling’s live soon comes to an abrupt halt when their youngest daughter, Carol-Anne(Heather O’Rourke), connects with ghosts on the “other side” via a dead channel on their TV set.  The ghosts come off friendly at first, toying and amusing the family in a playful manner, but eventually they turn hostile and kidnap Carole-Anne into their dimension.  Faced with a situation outside the control of authorities, the Freeling family enlists the help of paranormal investigators to retrieve their young daughter, a move that results in angrier and deadlier ghosts.

It really is surprising to me that a PG film could scare as well as Poltergeist does, although I must acknowledge the fact that it originally received an R-rating, which was successfully protested by Spielberg & co. and given a PG rating(PG-13 ratings were not available at the time).  Regardless, Poltergeist does not rely on intense gore or a ghastly killer to scare its viewer but instead relies on good and sincere filmmaking…and it works.

Steven Spielberg’s screenplay, co-written by Michael Grais and Mark Victor, is fantastic and perfectly paces this near two-house film.  From the get-go we are enveloped into the Freeling family’s seemingly perfect life, thanks much to Hooper’s direction, which plays nice with the horror that would later ensue.  Years before Ringu delivered Sadako crawling out of a dead TV channel, Steven Spielberg cleverly used the idea to introduce the horror in this film, which is truly creepy in nature given we have all most likely come across such channels several times in life.  Many other simple yet well-written and well-executed scare tactics are employed by Spielberg, and they world wonderfully in delivering scares that I have not forgotten since childhood.  One idea that I really enjoyed was the fact that he story never used the clichéd “non-believing spouse” tactic that we often see with haunting films.  I saw this used with Kiefer Sutherland’s character in Mirrors trying to convince his wife about what was going on, as well as Daniel not believing his family about the haunting in Paranormal Activity 2.  Spielberg & co. simply deliver the film as simple as possible, which in turn gives us awesome results.

As I mentioned earlier, Hooper’s execution is awesome, and he compliments the screenplay with his perfect, visuals, sets, and life-action FX and trickery.  His execution of the numerous horror scenes involved is one of the heavy reasons behind why they hit so hard, and I really would have never guessed that Tobe Hooper directed this watch without his name appearing at the end of the opening credits.  As far as music, editing, looping, and the overall vision of the FX, it was Spielberg who oversaw the work, leaving Hooper simply to the direction, nothing more.  Thankfully, Hooper did a fantastic job delivering this film to us, marking the pinnacle point in his long career.

Overall, Poltergeist delivers one of the best and most enjoyable horror experiences of all time, thanks much to Spielberg’s awesome screenplay and Hooper’s fantastic direction.  It may surprise some that a PG film could be a positive horror watch, but when great filmmaking is at hand anything is possible, as proven by Poltergeist.

Rating: 9/10