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Weekend Movie Marathon
Ghosts/Hauntings
Anything to do with ghosts/hauntings is probably my second favorite horror sub-genre. This type of movie is great to watch alone in a dark room... and if you are really lucky there will be a storm outside. This weekend I decided to watch...
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The Ghostdancers: After Dark Horrorfest
After a drunken night of dancing on graves, a group of friends are haunted by three havoc-minded ghosts bent on revenge.
My Thoughts:
After the initial scene's action the story slowed down quite a bit till the scene in the graveyard where they dance on the graves. But once that scene was done the movie definitely picked up! I feel that this is a very good ghost story. I wouldn't say the best I ever seen... but definitely enjoyable. There was even a couple things that I really didn't see coming... which is always a good thing! The release has a nice collection of extras including trailers for other releases from the After Dark Horrorfest, Deleted Scenes, Featurettes, Storyboard Comparison, and a commentary. This is one that I feel comfortable recommending to any horror fan.
My Rating:
Out of a possible 5:
(http://www.dvdalistic.com/dvdcol/Skull_full.png)(http://www.dvdalistic.com/dvdcol/Skull_full.png)(http://www.dvdalistic.com/dvdcol/Skull_full.png)(http://www.dvdalistic.com/dvdcol/Skull_half.png)
Trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XwlmlBNQrqo
(DJ Doena: spelling in thread title corrected)
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The Sixth Sense
Nominated for six Academy Awards® including Best Picture, this critically acclaimed film remains the #1 thriller of all time. Bruce Willis, in an outstanding and restrained performance, is Dr. Malcolm Crowe, a distinguished child psychologist haunted by his failure to help a former patient. When he meets Cole Sear (Haley Joel Osment), a frightened, confused eight-year-old haunted by a profound secret, they begin a suspense-filled journey of discovery. With a riveting intensity you'll find thoroughly chilling and utterly unforgettable, the revelation of Cole's incredible sixth sense leads them both to mysterious and unforeseeable consequences in this powerful supernatural thriller.
My Thoughts:
I am fully prepared to take some slack on this one... as I know there is several people out there that does not like this movie at all. But this is one I enjoyed every minute of. I first saw this movie with my sister-in-law and niece at the movie theater... and I am a little ashamed to admit this but... I did not see the end twist of this movie coming. It actually did catch me completely off guard. One thing I really liked about this movie is all the hints that was there through-out the whole movie that if you were paying attention you should have seen the twist coming. Which makes it fun to watch for in additional viewings. Once you know what the twist is... and see all the hints in the movie before it... you wonder just how stupid you are for not seeing it the first time.
My Rating:
Out of a possible 5:
(http://www.dvdalistic.com/dvdcol/Skull_full.png)(http://www.dvdalistic.com/dvdcol/Skull_full.png)(http://www.dvdalistic.com/dvdcol/Skull_full.png)(http://www.dvdalistic.com/dvdcol/Skull_full.png)(http://www.dvdalistic.com/dvdcol/Skull_half.png)
Trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u2sDw-XBuKc
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I am fully prepared to take some slack on this one... as I know there is several people out there that does not like this movie at all.
Don't worry, I've liked it the first time and not that much the second time. Like all the M. Night Shyamalan's movie made this one rest only on the twist ending and when you know it the film isn't that great or original or interesting.
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Actually, I disagree, Jimmy. While you are right for some of his other stuff, strongest offender being The Village, I find The Sixth Sense has a high replay value. If anything it comes from the strong acting of the three leads, Bruce Willis, Haley Joel Osment and of course Toni Collette; the scene in the car when Cole and his mom talk about her mother gets to me every time I see it...
I have watched The Lady in the Water last week; as a rental as it was supposed to be rather weak. ...and it was. Well, I really think now that Shyamalan has lost his whatever he may have had after/with Signs... :shrugs: Anyone seen The Happening? I mean, Come on, the wind? Really?
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I have to agree with Achim here... I find a high replay value here as well.... as I was saying in the review I liked to be able to see all the hints that was throughout the movie. And as Achim said... the 3 leads were great.
I personally haven't seen much of Shyamalan's stuff at all since Signs myself.
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I personally haven't seen much of Shyamalan's stuff at all since Signs myself.
...and I don't see a need to change that at all.
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That's a shame... I really liked his early stuff.
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That's a shame... I really liked his early stuff.
Me too.
The Village is actually quite alright, scary and all, but gets ruined buy the twist. The Lady in the Water is a good basic idea which gets quickly slaughtered by bad choices and taking things one step too far at the end. The Happening, well, again a good basic idea which just gets lost in the second half. I am no longer looking forward to his next film.
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I haven't seen "The Sixth Sense" for a while now. But I remember that I enjoyed it just as much the second time around. It's fun to see all the hints put throughout the movie. "The Village" on the other hand, I have only seen once so far, and I had guessed the end twist almost from the beginning.
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House on Haunted Hill
One night in the house, one million bucks, no questions asked. But there is a catch for anyone who accepts the offer. Murder is a way of life at the 'House on Haunted Hill', a jolting, effects-ramped remake of the 1959 cult classic that starred Vincent Price and was directed by screen horror legend William Castle. Geoffrey Rush plays twisted theme park bigshot Steven Price, who's hosting a scary/jokey birthday bash for his wife (Famke Janssen) at an abandoned institute for the criminally insane. Taye Diggs, Ali Larter, Bridgette Wilson, Peter Gallagher and Chris Kattan portray strangers mysteriously assembled for the event that could make them all very rich. Or profoundly dead. And you? We won't start the party without you.
My Thoughts:
I remember when I first heard they were making this movie. All I could say at the time was WHY!?!?! But after watching it I decided that even though a remake wasn't needed... they did a pretty good job on it. I did (and still do) enjoy it. That is not to say it is as good as the original... because there is no way it could be. In the original Vincent Price was perfect in the role... and Geoffrey Rush just didn't cut it in my opinion. I do like how they changed the role name to Stephen Price.... a little homage to Vincent Price there? But other then that it is a decent horror movie.... I would even say above average.
My Rating:
Out of a possible 5:
(http://www.dvdalistic.com/dvdcol/Skull_full.png)(http://www.dvdalistic.com/dvdcol/Skull_full.png)(http://www.dvdalistic.com/dvdcol/Skull_full.png)(http://www.dvdalistic.com/dvdcol/Skull_half.png)
Trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cRPVgujgaw4
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Return to House on Haunted Hill
The house has a second story, even more terrifying then the first! When a new group of unsuspecting visitors enters the legendary 'House on Haunted Hill,' they come face to horrifying face with an unimaginable, unrelenting evil. Trapped with the spirits of the sadistic Dr. Vannacutt (Jeffrey Combs) and the insane asylum inmates who died there, the newcomers discover one by one that this time the house won't let anyone leave alive.
My Thoughts:
After watching the last film I decided to check out this direct to video sequel. I would have to say I enjoyed this movie. Sure it is a turn your brain off... popcorn type horror movie. Being an unrated DVD it is no surprise this movie has it's share of gore. These two movies makes an enjoyable double feature.
My Rating:
Out of a possible 5:
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Trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qqzZjx8ScDM
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The Frighteners
In the sleepy little town of Fairwater, a monstrous evil has awakened... an evil so powerful, its reach extends beyond the grave. Director Peter Jackson and Executive Producer Robert Zemeckis unleash a riveting thriller with the most spectacular special effects this side of the hereafter.
For Frank Bannister (Michael J. Fox), death is a great way to make a living: ridding haunted houses of their unwelcome "guests." But he's in cahoots with the very ghosts he promised to evict! It's the perfect scam... until Frank finds himself at the center of a dark mystery. A diabolical spirit is on a murderous rampage... and the whole town believes Frank is behind it.
Boasting music by Danny Elfman, co-starring Trini Alvarado, Jeffrey Combs and John Astin, this supernatural chiller is so fiendishly entertaining, it's scary!
My Thoughts:
This is one I haven't watched in a while... but is one I always enjoyed. They mixed the comedy in with this ghost story very well. I think everyone done a great job in this movie... but I have to give an extra thumbs up to the job Jeffrey Combs did in this movie. He was just plain hilarious as the FBI Agent. I couldn't help but to laugh how he reacted every time a woman raised her voice to him. If you want a good laugh I definitely recommend this movie!
My Rating:
Out of a possible 5:
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Trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qSA4ssrgnwA
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You know, Pete, you really should be more confident in your reviews. Your always making excuses for what you like! Don't worry, we'll telly ou when you're wrong... :tease: There's nothing wrong with the Sixth Sense and as the others have said it has a strong replay value because I find it as authentic a drama about the boy as a ghost story.
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LOL... well the reason I said that about The Sixth Sense is because I have read a lot of bad reviews about it when it was first released.... so I took that into account when I wrote my review.
Other then that I just usually try to show that I know there is more then one side to every show... those that like it and those that don't. So I guess basically it has just always been the way I am... to make sure that reiterate that it is just my opinion and that I am aware that it is just that.... just my opinion.
BTW Jon... I am never wrong.... you may not agree with me... but I am always right! :tease:
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NOTE: This one is for Jon!... I just had to make him shiver and tell me I am wrong! :tease:
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The Haunting (1999)
In this edge-of-your seat supernatural thriller featuring Hollywood's hottest stars, a study in fear escalates into a heart-stopping nightmare for a professor and three subjects trapped in a mysterious mansion.
For over a century, the dark and forbidding Hill House has sat alone and abandoned... or so it seemed. Intrigued by the mansion's storied past, Dr. Marrow (Liam Neeson) lures his three subjects - Theo (Catherine Zeta-Jones), Nell (Lili Taylor) and Luke (Owen Wilson) - to the site for a seemingly harmless experiment. But, from the moment of their arrival, Nell seems mysteriously drawn to the house... and the attraction is frighteningly mutual. When night descends, the study goes horrifyingly awry as the subjects discover the haunting secrets that live within the walls of Hill House.
Don't miss the state-of-the-art special effects as Hill House unleashes its supernatural wrath in this latest thriller from the director of 'Speed' and 'Twister'.
My Thoughts:
This, in my opinion, is a good... and fun haunted house movie. But at the same time I think it is a bit CGI heavy as well. Something I think ghost stories forgot somewhere along the way is what you do not see is always scarier then what you see. I did like Catherine Zeta-Jones as Theo... she was probably my favorite character in the movie. Until recently (this past Halloween) I never seen the original of this movie so was never able to compare the two. But now that I have I can say that I do prefer the original... but this one is good for a "Check you brain at the door... Pop-corn movie."
My Rating:
Out of a possible 5:
(http://www.dvdalistic.com/dvdcol/Skull_full.png)(http://www.dvdalistic.com/dvdcol/Skull_full.png)(http://www.dvdalistic.com/dvdcol/Skull_full.png)(http://www.dvdalistic.com/dvdcol/Skull_half.png)
Trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p2EBuaPXTJA
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Good grief. :slaphead:
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:laugh: With that I think I will take a short break from this marathon. I will come back to it either later this evening or tomorrow. :)
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The Messengers
Desperate for a fresh start after a tough two years in Chicago, the Solomon family retreats to a desolate sunflower farm in North Dakota. But the calm of farm life is shattered when 16-year-old Jess (Kristen Stewart) and her 3-year-old brother Ben begin to see nightmarish apparitions throughout their new home – visions that nobody else can see. As the visions grow darker, they become fear-inspiring experiences and Jess' parents (Dylan McDermott and Penelope Ann Miller) start to question their daughter's sanity. Now, Jess must find a way to save her family and win a battle with forces from far beyond the grave.
My Thoughts:
When I first bought this in August of '07 I was excited about watching it... the trailer looked good... the back of the box reaffirmed that I would enjoy it. And I watched it as soon as I got home. But I came out of it a little disappointed. I think I went into it with more expectations then I should have. Now today... on the second viewing I did enjoy it more then I did the first time... but still is far from one of the best. I won't say it is a bad movie... just average for the genre. Maybe slightly above average at the most. I will say that I did like Kristen Stewart as the teenage girl. She is the same girl that played Jodie Foster's teen in the movie Panic Room five years earlier. It was also pretty cool to see an appearance by William B. Davis (Smoking Man on X-Files) in this one as well.
My Rating:
Out of a possible 5:
(http://www.dvdalistic.com/dvdcol/Skull_full.png)(http://www.dvdalistic.com/dvdcol/Skull_full.png)(http://www.dvdalistic.com/dvdcol/Skull_full.png)
Trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UYfy8pYXXko
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Unrest
Alison Blanchard begins her journey to become a physician in her Gross Anatomy class, where she must confront rows of cadavers and her own fear of mortality. When the sheets are drawn back revealing her cadaver, Alison senses a presence in the lab. Her jaded professor chalks it up to first year "jitters" but her worries increase when a friend is found dead in the basement. Alison must find out the truth behind her cadaver before its angered spirit can wreak further vengeance on those who dared to disturb the body.
My Thoughts:
This is my third time watching this movie since I got it back in July '07. It is more of a slow paced movie... which I don't usually care for as much... but for this it works very well! I enjoyed it very much! I tell you one thing... I can see why they call that class "Gross Anatomy"... to think of doing something like that for real! Makes me glad I never wanted to be a doctor! I really enjoyed the performance of Corri English as Allison Blanchard...
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... a very attractive young lady I haven't seen in much of anything. I do have her in this plus an episode of NCIS. But looking into her I see she has done quite a bit more. Mostly in taking parts in TV Series... but a few movies as well. This is definitely a movie I would recommend to any horror fan.
My Rating:
Out of a possible 5:
(http://www.dvdalistic.com/dvdcol/Skull_full.png)(http://www.dvdalistic.com/dvdcol/Skull_full.png)(http://www.dvdalistic.com/dvdcol/Skull_full.png)(http://www.dvdalistic.com/dvdcol/Skull_full.png)(http://www.dvdalistic.com/dvdcol/Skull_half.png)
Trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xkRdjam1JPc
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Boo
Some hospitals don't have a 13th floor. Santa Mira Hospital shouldn't have a third. It's something a group of five college students discover when they enter an abandoned hospital on Halloween night only to discover that rumors about the place being haunted are very real. Running into other people who are trapped in the hospital, they uncover the truth about a vengeful spirit who is hell bent on making sure no one, except himself, gets out alive!
My Thoughts:
This is a movie I got for my Birthday back in '05. My daughter Brittany got it for me knowing how much I enjoyed ghost stories. And that is what Boo is... a good ghost story. Definitely not the best I ever seen... but not bad either. I felt the story started out slow and feeling like a low budget horror. But then as the movie went on it became more of a serious ghost movie. I wouldn't call Boo scary... even though it does try to be. The atmosphere of the movie was there from the very beginning but I feel it tried to hard instead of letting it come naturally from the story... especially in the beginning. The atmosphere was there and felt right once they got into the hospital... but in my opinion... they shouldn't of felt the need to try to make the movie feel scary in the first few scenes when all they had to do was set up the story and introduce the characters. A horror movie does not need to be scary from beginning to end to be good... unfortunately that is just what Boo tried to do... and for me at least.... that really made the beginning of the movie almost laughable. For the first few scenes I thought I just wasn't going to make it through this movie. But as I said... Boo did turn out to be a pretty good movie. I did enjoy it... and I am glad I have it added to my collection. As for my recommendation... I would Cautiously Recommend this one. Even though I enjoyed it quite a bit... I can see the first part of the movie putting people off. So it really isn't one I would recommend to everyone. I would say if you are curious about this movie... Rent it first.
My Rating:
Out of a possible 5:
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Trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tYNW3AKlDPI
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The Diary of Ellen Rimbauer
A prequel to the hit Stephen King's Rose Red, The Diary of Ellen Rimbauer unveils a story of the twisted marriage of a matriarch to a promiscuous early 20th-Century industrialist and the haunted beginnings of an enormous Seattle mansion that has come to life.
Passages of the diary track a series of deadly encounters surrounding the Rose Red estate that transform Ellen from the innocent and submissive wife into a woman possessed by the dark forces inhabiting her home.
My Thoughts:
I absolutely loved the miniseries Rose Red when I got the DVD (missed original airing)... It is one of my favorite's of Stephen King's work. I was thrilled when I found out there would be a TV Movie prequel to Rose Red... but as luck would have it I missed the original airing if this too. Thankfully it was released on DVD. Now... I don't think this is as good as Rose Red... but I still enjoyed every minute of it! It definitely makes a great companion piece to Rose Red! Hopefully the next time I get in the mood to watch some ghost stories I will watch this and Rose Red back to back.
My Rating:
Out of a possible 5:
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Trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5liC79SrcVg