One To Watch - Crimson Peak

In my humble opinion, Guillermo del Toro will have a tough time topping his unbelievably complex fairytale El Laberinto Del Fauno (known to English audiences as Pan's Labyrinth). With this prestige pedigree and his early work in horror with Cronos, Mimic and - to some extent - The Devil's Backbone, this is definitely a project worth getting excited about.

Nice neck beard -  respect Guillermo.

The details are pretty scant, with the only real clues coming from a couple of articles based on what I believe was an exclusive interview he gave to a Deadline reporter. Co-written with Matthew Robbins and now being re-written somewhat by Lucinda Coxon, he wants this to be a big-budget horror, both playing with and honouring the old school class of horror films. I'm intrigued by this movement away from the low-budget shlock and the found-footage genre that have recently dominated studios' horror budgets, and I'd love to see a big name like del Toro smash something like this out of the park and hopefully secure more financing for bigger, terror inducing numbers in the future. It's due to begin production in early 2014, so it's a long time between drinks, though it has the potential to be very worth the (not inconsiderable) wait.

But we have to keep this in mind - despite having confirmed this as his next movie, del Toro had previously confirmed that he was doing The Hobbit films, and we all know how that turned out (for those of you who don't - he didn't). So while this announcement ought to be taken with a grain of salt, del Toro's clear excitement for the piece and the strong backing of Thomas Tull at Legendary Pictures (the man behind DC's current success-filled push and also a man who rakes in plenty of moolah) should negate that salt somewhat with a spoonful of sugar.

The original article can be found here for more juicy details:
http://www.deadline.com/2012/12/guillermo-del-toro-to-helm-crimson-peak-as-next-feature-with-legendary-pictures/

Trick 'R Treat - [Un]Happy Halloween!

Despite watching this some time after Halloween, and despite my total lack of respect for that particular holiday, Trick 'R Treat is a cracking watch - funny, scary, in your face and batshit crazy. Helmed by Michael Dougherty (best known for his writing work on Superman Returns and X2) in his feature film debut, this anthology of intertwining shorts unfold with razor-sharp precision, forming an impressive accomplishment that belies its direct-to-DVD fate.

We witness five different stories that weave around each other beautifully... Emma (Leslie Bibb) and her husband return home after trick or treating only to find that blowing out that jack o' lantern before bed was a terrible, terrible idea. The town principal (Dylan Baker) invites a chubby kid to enjoy some candy with him, only for that unfortunate fatso to find out that not all is as it seems in the particular household he has the misfortune of stopping at. A group of kids gang up to play a prank on the local savant, which involves playing out the return of the dead, mentally challenged kids who perished in the 'Halloween School Bus Massacre' at the hands of the bus driver according to their parents' wishes. But the joke's on them when their gag goes a little awry. Laurie (Anna Paquin), your typically awkward 22 year old virgin is preparing to go to a party with her bombshell sister and her flirty friends, and they convince her that it's a great night to finally lose her innocence - throw a vampire attack into that story strand, and things begin to get interesting in Laurie's quest to meet a nice guy. Finally, local grouch Mr. Kreeg gets more than he bargained for with a particular trick or treater, who may turn out to be a Halloween demon. Yikes.

There is a tremendous sense of fun here that was totally neglected in the other anthology I've reviewed (V/H/S). Tonally, Dougherty has dragged out a powerfully dark, mordant humour - we get the murder of children played for some slapstick laughs, we get the American Pie virginity pact morphed with a twisted riff on all your classic monster movies. In essence, this packages together all your major horror tropes with some added spice from the (often guilty) giggles and has a seamless linking mechanism that I cannot stop admiring. 'Peeping Sam' (the creepy little tacker in the poster) is one of the most iconic characters I've yet encountered in horror - he's flawlessly designed for maximum creep factor, and even though he looks like a little kid with a tops costume, he still blows Pinhead away for scares. The cast are uniformly great – I’m a big fan of Brian Cox, Anna Paquin and Leslie Bibb, and they don’t disappoint. I’ve also now become a fan of Dylan Baker, who does some oddly excellent emotive work, and succeeds despite the inherently unlikable actions of his character. But the cast’s best assets are its young players, who are both natural and wonderfully caustic – which many films seem to miss out when creating an ‘accurate’ portrayal of exactly how kids act in the real world. Everything else ticks the right boxes – some strong editing and classically spooky cinematography sit nicely with the score and production design.

As you may have guessed already, I liked Trick ‘R Treat. Really liked it – it was well-written, well-shot, well-acted and well… Just well done. While its lower than usual budget may have prevented it from reaching Mach speed with some sub-par effects, it definitely approaches supersonic – Dougherty earns a tidy 4.1 out of 5 pagan holidays.

One To Watch - You're Next

His pack versus mine? Surrender?

After its release at the Toronto International Film Festival last year, You're Next generated the most incredibly positive early reviews. Lionsgate eventually snapped up the distribution rights, continuing its recent trend of cracking horror releases such as Cabin in the Woods. But then they really screwed the pooch and set the release date as August 13. 2013. Those complete motherflippers. But the fact remains that it will be released, and by all accounts, it will be an absolute rip snorter.

Crispin Davidson brings his new girlfriend along to his parents' wedding anniversary celebrations to meet the family. He was just begging for awkwardness. Absolutely gagging for it. On his knees. But - Praise the Lord! - the whole shindig comes under attack from a gang of killers wearing animal masks. However, little Ms. GF of Mr. Davidson harbours a hidden ability to fight back, and it's supposed to get raucously entertaining, violent and brutal very quickly.

The cast are great - AJ Bowen, who was the one truly good thing about The Signal, plays Crispin, and Aussie Sharni Vinson reportedly blows the movie away as his secret-power-driven gal pal. Indie horror directors Ti West and Joe Swanberg also have small bit parts, which is cool to see. If the early reviews are anything to go by (which they often are - see Sinister; but are just as often not - see the disappointing V/H/S), You're Next will be slaying them in the aisles.

Eric D. Snider from Film.com called it 'An energetic mix of dark comedy, senseless violence, satisfying surprises, and good old-fashioned mayhem.' Scott Weinberg from FEARnet said it provided 'Proof... that not all "home invasion" horror movies have to be bleak and miserable.' I like the sound of that - a topsy-turvy  spin on a genre staple with some humour to boot. Plus I think the poster looks super cool.

So, it'll be in the US on August 13, 2013, and in Australia probably significantly later than that. Just a heads up - put it in your diaries now so you don't miss out.

13 Assassins - And 200 Bad Guys

I've decided that from now on, I'm not going to justify my movie choices to readers – rest be assured that if it’s in this blog, it contains some level of horrific material. This is my final justification: 13 Assassins is horror in a more traditional sense – it’s directed by the Japanese veteran of some seriously disturbing wares – Takashi Miike, with some absolutely gut-wrenching moments, though not many intentional jumps. This is epic. This is bloodsport. This is brilliant.

Shinzaemon is a committed samurai in mid-19th century Japan. While Lord Naritsugu, the cruel brother of the current Shogun, seemingly kills and rapes at will, the tipping point comes when a wronged samurai commits seppuku as a form of protest against him. Shinzaemon accepts a fateful mission from Sir Doi, concerned that Naritsugu will one day inherit a higher position – he must put an end to Naritsugu’s life. Banding together an unlikely collection of 11 other samurai (including his frivolous nephew) their goal is simple – kill Naritsugu. But when the evil Lord’s right hand man Hanbei gets wind of the plot, he lets his master know, and his security force is naturally beefed up. Now our band of brothers are going to have to go out of their way and way out of left field to pull this off. When the final battle commences, it’s 13 versus 200 in a village that they've rigged to become the ultimate death trap. Let the mass assassination begin…

The Japanese cast are all excellent – they bring incredible severity and gravitas to their roles as necessary, but they’re also fearless when it comes to laughing in the face of death. Kōji Yakusho stands out as Shinzaemon with his gritty determination, and Gorō Inagaki practically transcends evil in his incendiary role as Naritsugu. Yūsuke Iseya also gets a mention for his wonderfully humourous portrayal of a hunter who becomes our 13th assassin. But it’s probably Miike himself who runs away with this movie – his take on the traditional, semi-historical samurai epic. The fights are gloriously choreographed, embracing yet paradoxically shunning excess in all the right ways as wave after wave of enemies are ruthlessly dispatched by katanas with almost ballet-like grace. But these are not the Michael Bay carnage you may expect – instead we get movement that can be logically followed around the village hosting the final showdown, and a story to follow throughout the battle concerning characters we have become invested in. Sure, there’s some CGI there (flaming bulls anyone?), but it’s largely tastefully incorporated, and the stunts are immaculately performed.  The final good word must be extended to the production design and costuming, who kit out a small army of samurai and a larger army of soldiers with great looking gear, and create a convincing village absolutely laden with jaw-dropping trap moments.

13 Assassins is blockbusting entertainment at its finest (if you don't mind subtitles). It may take a few minutes to kick into gear, but we have characters to cheer for and cry with, a villain so heinous that the audience simply cannot be indifferent to his fate, action that entertains both emotionally and technically, and frequent nods to the genre pieces that so lovingly inspired it. I had a blast with 13 Assassins, and I can highly recommend finding a copy somewhere - 9 out of 10 blood-drenched blades.

One To Watch - World War Z

If the strength of early hype was ever anything to go one, World War Z would win Oscars. Multiple Oscars. However, some odd re-drafts and re-shoots of the third act may have muddied the waters a little. With this said, I still reckon the first trailer looks mind-shattering, and I'm not even familiar with Max Brooks' immensely popular source novel.

Starring Brad Pitt as a UN employee who scours the globe for information concerning a sudden zombie outbreak that threatens an apocalypse, World War Z has named the Bourne trilogy and The Walking Dead as touchstones for a gritty, realistic look at the occurrence and aftermath of an undead pandemic. Those behind the camera are top notch. Director Marc Forster has shown that he can handle action (I enjoyed Quantum of Solace's action despite the overuse of shaky-cam - the opening car chase in particular was tops) and darkly sensitive stuff (Monster's Ball). Cinematographer Robert Richardson is one of my all time favourites from his extensive work with Tarantino and Scorcese. Composer Marco Beltrami carved himself a nice horror niche via his collaborations with Wes Craven. Editor Matt Chesse worked on QoS with Forster and the criminally under-seen Warrior. But it's the writers that are most intriguing...

Originally written up by J. Michael Straczynski, the initial script had Ain't It Cool News asking 'whether or not a zombie movie qualifies as 'Best Picture' material'. Wowsers. It was then retooled by Matthew Michael Carnahan, which could be good or bad depending on how you look at it - I loved State of Play but he also popped out Lions for Lambs (yawn). But the studio - having seen the ending - brought in Damian Lindelof (who totally dropped the ball on Prometheus) to have another crack at it, but after coming up with a plan, he then diverted the actual writing to Drew Goddard (who totally caught the ball on Cabin in the Woods). It's a long story, but the motto is that we have no idea how this is going to turn out. However, don't be too worried about the re-shoots, because they're actually remarkably common in big films where studios are investing mega-millions.

The trailer (which is what really galvanised me to write this one up for the blog) rocks. I love the whole idea of swarming zombies as opposed to the regular shuffling idiots - take a peek below:

World War Z will be released June 21, 2013, and it could be the next big thing. Or it could not... Either way, Paramount are hoping it's gonna take in some serious dollars at the box office.

Final Destination - Or Is It...?

This is one of those movies that made an indelible impact on the genre, throwing away the conventions of 'teenage friends die horribly' films and putting in the place of the armed psycho or bloodthirsty beastie the concept of Death itself. It's kinda screwy, as you'd expect from some X-Files old hands, and generate some respectable uncertainty and tension.

You've probably all heard the story... Alex boards a plane with his school's French club, only to have a terrifying vision of the craft's disintegration. He loses his marbles briefly and as a result, he and six others are booted off. It gets weird when Flight 180 does indeed explode shortly after take off, and two things happen - everyone on board dies, and our hero and his friends are justifiably a little put off given their suspicious survival. For a few weeks, Alex is a bit of a leper, as the whole school (and the FBI now that you mention it) knows that he predicted the accident, and must be some sort of unlucky charm/demonic wizard. But then Alex's best mate dies in suspicious circumstances which are passed off as suicide, but the survivors are convinced that there is something out there trying to finish off what should have started on the plane that fateful night... And that something may just be Death itself.

Our cast here is a real mixed bag, as with most teen ensembles. Devon Sawa displays some charisma as Alex, especially when facing off against death solo in a deserted cabin, but he seems a little immature in a role that perhaps is too heavy for him. The other youths have similar problems, notably Sean William Scott (in the days prior to his talent for comedy being singled out as his primary focus) and Kerr Smith - they just can't seem to grasp a) the seriousness of imminent death and b) that there are real people dying around them... I dunno, I just wasn't convinced. Director James Wong (aside from not being able to wring much from his young cast) is solid with his build-ups - several sequences which ultimately result in some untimely but beautifully choreographed deaths are well-orchestrated, and still manage to wring some suspense more in trying to figure out how exactly the character will be disposed of. On that note, I'd level some criticism at the lack of emotion they built in towards the people under attack from Death - I was possibly more interested to see them die in interesting ways than see them cheat Death's plan. Lastly, aside from the below par long shot of the aeroplane goin' up in a cheap looking explosion, the VFX crew should cop some praise. A nice visual signature marks the scenes when you know something's going down - the internal shot of the plane being conflagrated, the bathroom asphyxiation, Ms Lewton's vodka fuelled Rube Goldberg style death and the train collision are particular highlights.

It took a formula and gave it a kick in the teeth. I respect that. The fact that it wasn't in fact the final destination [film] is indicative of the niche it filled. I've seen Final Destination 5 and I have to say I prefer the fifth (which is unusual for a franchise of such longevity), largely due to its impressive effects, higher calibre of actors and unexpected twist. But the original Final Destination is not too bad - I hand it a cheeky 3 out of 5 doomed younglings.

Sinister - Super Duper 8

Sinister is one of the most bestest creations yet reviewed by Terror Bites, hands down. It reduced three 18-20 year olds to genuinely yelling in terror for a solid 10 seconds at an occasion, and kept them tensed for the vast majority of the action. I feel like I've just had a great workout.  I shed a little sweat. It was legit.

Ethan Hawke moves his young family into a new house, the former residents of which were cruelly hung from a tree in the backyard and their daughter kidnapped. Old Hawkey finds a box of Super 8 films in the attic and - upon inspection - finds all manner of horrific snuff films recorded on them. As a famous true-crime writer, he is naturally intrigued, and connects all the deaths by the inclusion of a pagan symbol and a mysterious, dark figure. He begins to hear things around the house, and as he descends into paranoia, he descends into the bottle too. An expert in the occult recognises 'Bagul', a pagan deity who snacks on the souls of children, and hops between dimensions via images and video. This evidently does not bode well for the Hawkster. The local police have little time for our protagonist, but one star-struck deputy does what he can to help. As their findings become more and more (you guessed it) sinister, Ethan must try to save his family and preserve his own sanity, before big bad Bagul gets his claws on them...

There is a certain plausibility surrounding Ethan's character that stands out in Sinister - hungry for another taste of fame, his hubris is his downfall, rendering him oblivious to the danger before it's too late. He plays the father particularly well, and some of the scariest moments occur between Hawke and a projector in a darkened room. The remainder of our players, while perhaps not memorable (with perhaps the exception of the deputy and his hilarious straight-faced discussion of the respective limbs of scorpions and snakes), are effective in filling the blanks on the cast list. Director Scott Derrickson rarely allows the audience to breathe a sigh of relief, and vamps up the tension from the squeamish opening frames. Some of the scares have been criticised as being lazy and very manufactured, but when they're this good, who really cares? That screaming for 10 seconds anecdote - not a word of a lie. The horror is palpable, and it's nice as an audience to share these jumps with an on-screen character, as we experience much of it in tandem with Hawke's character. The special effects, while low budget, are arresting and realistic - perfect for this kind of picture. The editing is tightly managed, and beautifully contrasts languid build-ups to pay-offs with other segments which bombard the audience with constant leaps. As much as Hawke and Derrickson nail their roles, Christopher Young almost manages to steal their thunder with his stellar score. It alternates between pulsing electronically, almost hypnotically, bubbling beneath the surface and traditional string-driven crescendos, which ratchets up the tension on the thin line between modern and old-school that Sinister treads.

I was lucky enough to enjoy this in the company of my good friends Albert von Hammerschmidt OBE and Esteban. Here's genuinely what they had to say. Esteban (who persisted in his loquacious response despite my lecturing him that Blogger didn't partake in emoticons and that very few would actually appreciate the full scale of his critique) said ' :p '. Albert said 'ah, AH, ARRGGHHHHHHHHHHIHHRGHGGggggHhHhHHHHH. Holy fuck.' How very apt.

Trying to write his In Cold Blood brings about Hawke's downfall. Is this trying to make a statement about the modern immunity to voyeuristic perversions in horror audiences? Again, who cares? This is a horror film, and a terrifically frightening one at that. For me, it lived up the hype generated by its trailer which I discussed in an earlier One To Watch piece, and for that, I have little choice but to slap it with a thankful 11 out of 13 missing children.