1408 – movie review

1408 (2007)

Directed by Mikael Håfström
Based on 1408 by Stephen King

Starring John Cusack
Samuel L. Jackson
Mary McCormack

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Mike Enslin writes about haunted hotels, motels an B&B’s. He stays in the scariest, most haunted rooms around the world. He writes about his experiences, but he doesn’t believe a word he writes. We get a little time to feel the character in this film, divorced, skeptic, going through the motions. If a motel gets a chapter in one of his books, they see increased bookings. Motel owners and fans send him invites and tips of haunted places in the mail. That’s where he gets a postcard about the Dolphin Hotel in NYC.

The manager of the Dolphin Hotel, Mr. Olin, (played impeccably by Samuel L Jackson) doesn’t want Mike to stay in room 1408. Mike thinks it’s a ploy to build mysticism. There has been a plethora of grisly murders, suicides and untimely deaths in the room. No one can last an hour is what the rumor says.

This isn’t a typical haunting, no spirit or phantom is guiding the action. Mr. Olin says it best, “It’s an evil f*cking room.” So don’t expect a ghostly apparition looking for revenge. The room just loves to torment the guests. It torments the mind. It torments the body, it’s torments from personal memories and personal feelings. Mike is ever the skeptic, ready to debunk every small incident, until he can’t any longer. But 1408 will not let him go even after he admits defeat. It wants to defeat him to the core of his soul.

If you like paranormal and psychological horror, this is one crazy film. You’ll have to keep your wits about you because at one point, the room lets Mike think he’s escaped its clutches when he hasn’t. And nearing the end of the film, when he gets through a lifetime of torment, the clock resets. He’s only been in the room for an hour. John Cusack performs outstandingly as the man being tortured to the brink of madness. I enjoyed his talking into a voice recorder, trying to rationalize what was happening and making little observations about the events. This helps to translate King’s story which relayed much of the thought processes of the Enslin character.

I understand a lot of people don’t like this film much. I liked it quite a lot. It’s one of my favorite Stephen King film adaptations. It’s like a modern equivalent of The Shining, but it’s more than that. You get the feeling of going down that rabbit hole, of falling through the looking glass and that once we’re untethered from reality, everything becomes possible. The haunting is of the mind, not the physical plane. And all is madness.

A frightening psychological paranormal adventure in a small room that finds a man’s greatest fears and thoroughly exploits them.
I give it 4.3 frightening feral accommodations on the malicious machinations of madness scale!

 

Trivia (via IMDB):

The first victim of room 1408 is a man named Grady, sound familiar? (Grady was the name of the bartender from The Shining)

The axe used by the Fireman to break into the room is the same axe Jack uses in The Shining.

At a book signing the Mike Enslin character says, “Stay Scared.” This is an oft used quote of King’s good friend, Wes Craven. Craven often wrote it with his autographs.

 

13 Trivia

We all know the numbers 1408 add up to 13 (1+4+0+8=13). But there are dozens of references to the number 13 regarding this film. I’ll mention a few here:

*The post card which has a tip to stay at the Dolphin Motel reads: “Don’t enter 1408” – it consists of 13 digits and letters.

*The Dolphin Hotel as located at 2254 Lexington Street in NYC. (2+2+5+4=13)

*The run time on the film is 104 minutes and 8 seconds. (1+0+4+8=13)

*The first death in the hotel was in 1912 (1+9+1+2=13)

*And the US release date of the film was June 22, 2007 (2+2+2+0+7=13)

The Stone Tape (1972) – movie review

***Top Television Horror Movies of the 1970’s***

The Stone Tape (1972)

Written by Nigel Kneale
Directed by Peter Sasdy

Starring
Michael Bryant
Jane Asher
Michael Bates
Iain Cuthbertson

The US weren’t the only ones producing TV horror films for network consideration. The Stone Tape was aired on the BBC in 1972. It was written by Nigel Kneale, famous for his Quatermass films combining scientific explanation and conjecture to paranormal events. He always has an intelligent concept in his scripts that is fully realized with the right filmmakers.

A research team for a company working on a new recording method for computer electronics moves into an estate turned lab, only to find that their workers will not enter one of the rooms. Only hours into opening the new lab base for RYAN Electronics, the data technician, Jill, hears a woman scream in the empty room, then footsteps run past her or perhaps thru her. They find evidence of a residual haunting and work to capture its nature while discovering the building’s ancient stone walls have some importance toward the haunting. They comes to theorize that the haunt is caused by the room itself, that the stone walls were somehow imprinted with this woman’s screams, tragedy, and image. It’s a slow burn film but interesting for those who like a bit of mystery and investigation.

The story is a mystery to be unraveled and sets up a frightening twist in the end. The effects are decent enough for an older film but most of the story is relayed through the dialogue, sound effects and character reactions. It’s probably not for everyone because the horror is cerebral; the thought of what has transpired and resulted is chilling, not the image seen on the screen. However, it’s a terrific tale of psychological terror.

Fun Facts:

One of the first films to demonstrate the possibility of a residual haunting and how the hypothesis would work.

One of the actors in the bar scene uses the word “duppies.” In Carribean Folklore, a “Duppy” is a malevolent ghost or spirit.

 

It Follows (2014) – Movie Review

It Follows (2014)

Directed by David Robert Mitchell

Starring
Maika Monroe
Keir Gilchrist
Daniel Zovatto

This film starts out really slow and somber. The background music kinda’ sucks, it stands out because it’s so bland and Casio keyboard sounding. Jay’s boyfriend is a real creep. I guess teenage girls have little judge of character. That’s why they should listen to their parents more. So this bad entity, that can take over bodies and look like anyone, follows these youngsters around. It moves slow but if it catches you it will kill you. It’s passed to someone else by having sex with them. A guy has sex with Jay then disappears. Shortly after Jay begins to see strange people around her. They look like a normal people but there’s just something weird about them. They are in unnatural settings like an old woman on the school campus, or a freaky girl that looks like she’s just been raped.

The young man, Paul, that lives with the family loves his old time sci-fi flicks. Killers From Space and Voyage to the Planet of Prehistoric Women are two of the flicks he’s watching. Damn, these ghostly people are creepy. Especially the real tall guy. The movie definitely ramps up the tension with these scenes. It doesn’t help that the mom works nights.

The family hides at the neighbor’s summer house on the lake. It gets creepy there too. In fact the good scenes are so good that you can overlook some scenes that are extremely slow and that there are a couple of loose ends in the storyline. The fact that there’s no adults anywhere in these kid’s lives has to be overlooked, too. It‘s like a Charlie Brown/Peanuts cartoon. I’ve seen reviews that compare this to the atmosphere of modern sexuality of young people today. The only way to deal with this sexually transmitted ‘ghost disease’ is to pass it on to someone else. Really? I hope today’s young people are more intelligent and morally decent than that. I’ve also seen reviews that praise this film as the best horror flick in a decade. I wouldn’t go that far–its good but not that good. Anyway, it does have a semi-happy ending for Jay and Paul who, it seems, had a crush on Jay for many years.

A decent creepy thriller with a somber mood.
I give it 3.3 creepy ghost girls out of 5 on the scale of horrific harbingers of hell.

 

The Awakening (2011) – Movie Review

The Awakening (2011) – Movie Review

In 1921, London, a young woman enters a parlor with a photo of someone close to her that has recently passed on. She, along with several other grieving families, is attending a séance. When the séance starts the young woman quickly sees the deceit and reveals the medium and her cohorts to be charlatans.

The woman is Florence Cathcart and she has traveled the countryside exposing fakes and frauds of ‘spiritual’ businesses in the wake of WW I. She has even written a book about it. No sooner does she arrive home when she is called upon by Robert Mallory, representing The Rookwood Boarding School. Mr. Mallory’s beliefs are in opposition to Florence. However, he was sent to request her assistance, to calm frightened children after the death of a student rumored to be caused by a ghost. He offers several photos as proof of a haunting.

Florence accepts the job at the school and seems to have quickly squashed the rumors with her sleuthing. She soon learns that she may have bit off more than she can chew as paranormal activities escalate with no clear scientific explanation to debunk them. There are some creepy scenes but what really drives the film is the character of Florence and her transformation during the film. The exceptional sound-crafting as noises echo through the immense estate combined with a classical score create a substantial dark atmosphere.

This film is wholly British in style and execution, delivering a classic ghost story, in a slow burn, period piece. The acting is superb; both Rebecca Hall and Dominic West (Florence & Robert) offer top-shelf portrayals. This was not a full-tilt Paranormal Activity style haunt but much more low key. The film is aligned with a more discerning viewer, who likes some serious drama. I would say The Awakening is along the lines of The Others, The Woman in Black and The Sixth Sense. It is not for everyone but I enjoyed it.

Grave Encounters (2011) – movie review

Grave Encounters (2011)

I remember when this first came out, I was somewhat under whelmed with found footage films and shaky handheld camera SOV flicks. I think, in the couple of years that have past, I have become more accepting of them and see them as another style of film making in the field of cinema. When they are done right, found-footage films can offer an immediacy and intimacy that makes them feel genuine. When they’re done wrong, they just seem like a mess and act as a crutch for not having a good script.

So, now that I got Netflix, (yes congrats are in order), I felt I could try out this movie and I wouldn’t mind shutting it off in a half-hour if it proved to be anything less than enjoyable. I wouldn’t feel like I had wasted my money. I must say, to my surprise, I enjoyed Grave Encounters quite a bit.

A team of ghost investigators enter an abandoned mental institution for a night of EVPs, EMFs, and ghost chasing. If any of you are familiar with, Ghost Hunters, Ghost Adventures, Paranormal State, and Most Haunted – shows that have been airing the last 10 years or so, you should know the routine. This one follows most closely to Ghost Adventures and the show host, Lance, even seems to get most of his cues and mannerisms from the real show host, Zakk Bagans.

The small crew journeys through the asylum with little results for their efforts. Lance even mentions that they should shoot some footage of the dark hallways just to get something spooky looking for the show. Just when they are about to pack it in, they begin to get some real signs of paranormal activity. From there the film successfully ramps up the suspense as the ghostly events escalate to a frightening level.

Without being a spoiler, let me just say there are a few things in this film that I have never seen done before and must commend the film makers for their original ideas and concepts. The scene with the tub and the scene where they finally break through the front door to leave were awesome. The only drawback would be, it takes a bit of time for the good scary stuff to develop. But if you have some patience, the film definitely pays off.  I would give this film a very high rating, close to Rec in my favorite found-footage film category. Great atmosphere, great haunted place feel, exceptional acting, jump scares, creepy tension, it has it all.

If you are accepting of the found-footage style and if you like haunted house/ghost stories – or if you’re a fan of the above mentioned ghost investigation programs, I would highly recommend Grave Encounters.

Mama (2013) – movie review

Mama (2013)
Directed by Andres Muschietti

No spoilers J

Mama starts with an investment banker on a suicide mission. He kidnaps his two daughters and brings them to the country, with intentions of completing the removal of himself and family from the dismal existence of bankruptcy, jail, and utter failure. When reaching their destination, my first thoughts were, oh no, it’s the cabin from Evil Dead. The older child can sense a presence in the cabin and is reluctant to enter but is reassured by her father. Something goes wrong with the father’s plan and the two young girls, Victoria and Lilly, are left to fend for themselves, or are they?

We are then introduced to the brother of the investment banker, Lucas (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau), and his punk rocker girlfriend, Annabel. Five years have past, but Lucas has not given up the search for the two girls. By a stroke of luck the children are found. After some lawyer grappling with a surviving aunt from the mother’s side of the family, Lucas is awarded custody of his nieces. The two wild children go to live with Lucas and Annabel. Naturally, the presence from the cabin has come with them.

An interesting tale unfolds with a strong back-story containing its own plot twists as it is revealed through the investigation by the girl’s psychiatrist, Dr. Dreyfuss. The two young ladies play wonderfully convincing parts and I was fully engaged with their plight. The punk rocker girlfriend, Annabel (Jessica Chastain), is left with much of the duty in bringing these girls back to reality and she makes the biggest transformation in character, from non-caring punk rocker to surrogate mother of the children. However, there is another entity that claims ownership of these girls and is not going to let them be taken away so easily.

The spirit is creepy as hell – too tall, with fingers that are too long. Her long hair rises, waves, and flutters, as if by its own will. Mama is a twisted, malformed, contortionist, with a hideous face and wicked eyes, determined to keep these two children with her. The spirit’s warped sense of right and wrong makes her dangerous to all who stand in her way.

At its core, Mama is a classic ghost story, so some of the plot-points and outcomes are predictable. But that doesn’t make it any less creepy or enjoyable to fans of supernatural horror. In the last fifteen minutes, the story twists into a sudden overwhelming sadness, and no matter what the outcome, you will feel bad for all the parties involved. So, when leaving the theater, I was more melancholy  rather than fearful, which to some, could ruin the overall effect of the film. Muschietti shows his love for Guillermo del Toro films with this aspect, but I can’t help thinking it may have been better to leave the audience in a fearful state instead. Despite some drawbacks, I would still recommend it to fans of supernatural horror and ghost stories.
 

Sour Grapes, spit ‘em out! – movie reviews

Sour Grapes, spit ‘em out! – movie reviews

A list of bad movies I’ve seen recently – and short reviews on each film. Some of these are not too bad but have some major problems in them.

Of course, this is just my opinion. Actual results may vary.

Yellow Brick Road (2010)
This is another film that would have been better as a half hour episode of the Twilight Zone or perhaps an hour long MOH. The paradoxical and enigmatic ending was so damn good, too bad it had such a sucky movie attached to it. A group of investigators decide to follow the path that led to a whole town disappearing in the 1940’s. When they set off on this trail into the deep woods of New Hampshire, things get creepy. Compasses don’t work and they can’t get their baring from the stars. They hear music from the 1940’s somewhere in the distance but never reach it. The group begins to break down emotionally and fights break out. Eventually they are murdering each other. It sounds pretty good, right? Well, it was dragged out for so long before anything happened that the suspense turned to boredom and I lost interest. Trim 40 minutes of this film, in particular, the endless walking and stupid bickering, and get back to me- I‘ll put it on my like list.

The Innkeepers (2011)
The deliberate pacing and retro-style that worked so well for Ti West in House of the Devil fell flat here. We are left with a long-winded yarn that makes one yawn, about a new nightshift worker at the Yankee Peddler Inn. It was like watching an episode of Seinfeld without the comedy. We watch the clerk engage in mundane dealings like, ordering diner, fiddling around on her laptop, talking on the phone and doing laundry. There are a few creepy scenes here and there but not nearly enough to sustain a full-length movie. Finally, the ghost does appear but she’s not so scary and the ambiguous ending leaves you wanting more. Maybe the ghost killed the girl, maybe she died because of her own imagination causing an asthma attack; by that time, I really didn’t care either way.

Feast II (2008)
The characters in this film are so badass and cool … actually, they’re ridiculous and un-empathetic. I couldn’t care less if they lived or died. Does this director think he’s Tarantino? Only Tarantino (and perhaps a few others) can create bad-guy characters that are so charismatic you wind up liking them. That was what they tried to do in this film and failed miserably. What a waste of time.

Altered (2006)
Oh, I get it. This is a horror/alien/comedy/revenge style movie with a group of guys trying to strike back at the alien that killed their friend many years ago. They tie it up and keep it captive in the garage while they decide exactly what they should do next, unfortunately, they don’t do anything but argue about it. I got a good idea, they should turn on a TV and change the channel, so we can all watch something different.

Inkubus (2011)
A guy walks into the police precinct and confesses to a horrific murder(I know sounds like a bad joke; A guy walks into a bar…). There is some good intellectual banter in this film – sharp dialogue between the suspect and the detectives assigned to the murder. It is enjoyable to see Robert Englund in a role without all the make-up. Unfortunately, this film starts off strong but goes nowhere. What is the deal with this character? He is supposed to be some kind of demon but he disappears and reappears with a white spark and flash. I felt like I was watching Bewitched or Tinkerbell. You couldn’t make some fire and black smoke effects? Also, an incubus (and/or succubus) is a demon that is sexual in nature. Anyone that knows anything about horror knows that. It’s like they picked the title for this film out of a hat, regardless of whether or not it had anything to do with the film. What, was Werewolf taken?