The Deaths of Ian Stone (2007)

My Rating : 3.5/5 STARS

On an otherwise ordinary night, the young Ian Stone encounters a mysterious creature and is forced into the path of an oncoming train. Rather than facing certain death, Ian finds himself reborn into a new life that feels strangely familiar.

The Deaths of Ian Stone

After his second death, it becomes apparent that Ian is being hunted by an evil presence, and will be forced to die every day until he can solve the mystery of his own life.

Slither (2006)

My Rating : 2/5 STARS

Slither is an edgy blend of heart-stopping terror, wry humor and surprising humanity from genre-bending screenwriter James Gunn, whose Dawn of the Dead became one of 2004’s most surprising… Slither is an edgy blend of heart-stopping terror, wry humor and surprising humanity from genre-bending screenwriter James Gunn, whose Dawn of the Dead became one of 2004’s most surprising hits. The sleepy town of Wheelsy could be any small town in America – somewhat quaint and gentle, peopled with friendly folks who mind their own business. But just beneath the surface charm, something unnamed and evil has arrived…and is growing. No one seems to notice as telephone poles become clogged with missing pet flyers, or when one of the town’s richest citizens, Grant Grant (Michael Rooker), begins to act strangely.

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But when farmers’ livestock turn up horribly mutilated and a young women goes missing, Sheriff Bill Pardy (Nathan Fillion) and his team, aided by Grant’s wife Starla (Elizabeth Banks), uncover the dark force laying siege to their town… and come face-to-face with an older-than-time organism intent on absorbing and devouring all life on Earth. Slither is the feature film directing debut of screenwriter James Gunn (the recent hit re-envisioning of Dawn of the Dead) and stars Nathan Fillion, Elizabeth Banks, Gregg Henry and Michael Rooker. It is also written by Gunn. Slither – a Universal Pictures and Gold Circle Films presentation of a Strike Entertainment Production – is produced by Paul Brooks and Eric Newman.

Silent Hill (2006)

My Rating : ***.5

It’s always been said that a video game cannot be successfully adapted into a film. With SILENT HILL, director Christophe Gans (BROTHERHOOD OF THE WOLF) and screenwriter Roger Avary (KILLING ZOE) have the benefit of the atmospheric and… It’s always been said that a video game cannot be successfully adapted into a film. With SILENT HILL, director Christophe Gans (BROTHERHOOD OF THE WOLF) and screenwriter Roger Avary (KILLING ZOE) have the benefit of the atmospheric and often terrifying game series of the same name. With a budget reportedly in excess of $50 million, they wisely eschew dense plot in favor of a kaleidoscopic nightmare–culled from several volumes of the game series–designed to give horror fans what they crave.

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Radha Mitchell (PITCH BLACK) stars as Rose Da Silva, a young mother whose adopted daughter Sharon speaks of the eponymous West Virginia mining town as she sleepwalks. Rose decides to take Sharon there in an attempt to discover why it haunts her dreams–but Silent Hill has been a ghost town since a series of underground coal fires in 1974, and the residents who stayed behind are the stuff of nightmares. SILENT HILL is notable for having a largely female cast (the male characters were reportedly added at the studio’s behest), with Mitchell, Deborah Kara Unger, Alice Krige, and Laurie Holden in the principal roles.

silent hill

But the film’s real star is production designer Carol Spier (known for her frequent work with David Cronenberg), whose work makes the deserted town into a true vision of hell. Utilizing an effective combination of CGI and latex makeup effects, several of the creatures on display may upset more sensitive viewers, as will some of the carnage, which is strong for an R rating. On the other hand, seasoned horror fans and gamers who have been waiting to see a joystick-free version of SILENT HILL are likely to come away feeling like they’ve just taken a nightmare vacation to the spookiest town in America.

28 Days Later (2003)

My Rating : ***.5

After breaking into a primate research facility, a group of animal rights activists discover caged chimps chained up before banks of screens displaying horrifically violent images. Ignoring the warnings of the terrified researcher… After breaking into a primate research facility, a group of animal rights activists discover caged chimps chained up before banks of screens displaying horrifically violent images. Ignoring the warnings of the terrified researcher who maintains the chimps are ‘infected’, they begin to free the animals and are immediately subjected to a bloody attack from the enraged creatures. 28 days later… Cycle courier Jim (Cillian Murphy) awakes from a coma in the deserted intensive care unit of a London hospital. Mystified, he wanders the wards and corridors in search of others and eventually heads into the city streets, calling out for help. As the shadows lengthen Jim seeks shelter in a church only to find dead bodies piled in heaps on the chapel floor.

28 days later

A sudden noise alerts him to the presence of a priest but his lightening speed, blood stained eyes and murderous screams send Jim reeling into the street. More “infected” are attracted by the noise and Jim runs in panic and confusion as a growing flock sprint after him through the dark streets. A sudden explosion from a makeshift bomb heralds the arrival of fellow “survivors” Selena (NAOMIE HARRIS) and Mark (NOAH HUNTLEY). Following a daring rescue they take Jim to safety and start to explain to him the nature of the infection, that it is transmitted in the blood, is overwhelming within seconds, that Britain has been overrun and that they have no way of knowing if it has spread worldwide. Selena and Mark reluctantly agree to help the shell-shocked Jim return home to Deptford to find his parents, with terrifying consequences. Later, as they sneak through the darkened streets, Selena and Jim spot a lone light in a tower block and investigate to see if there are other survivors. The unlikely pair they find are father and daughter Frank (BRENDAN GLEESON) and Hannah (MEGAN BURNS) whose water supplies are running dangerously low and are desperate to find alternative shelter.

28 days later

As the group takes shelter in the tower block, an automated radio broadcast is picked up. A Manchester-based group of soldiers, led by Major Henry West (CHRISTOPHER ECCLESTON), claim to have the ‘answer’ to infection and invite any survivors to join them at their blockade. Faced with no practical alternative, the group sets out northwards in Frank’s black cab unaware that the worst is yet to come. Directed by Danny Boyle, 28 DAYS LATER is from an original screenplay by Alex Garland, the author of The Beach, and produced by Andrew Macdonald. The film stars Cillian Murphy (DISCO PIGS), Naomie Harris (WHITE TEETH), Christopher Eccleston (24 HOUR PARTY PEOPLE, THE OTHERS, SHALLOW GRAVE), Megan Burns (LIAM) and Brendan Gleeson (THE GANGS OF NEW YORK, THE GENERAL, ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE: A.I).

The Hills Have Eyes II (2007)

My Rating : ****

MovieStudio Quote >> “Every second gives me a grip! – Horror redefined”

After a group of hapless National Guard troops fails a training exercise, their commanding officer (Flex Alexander, SNAKES ON A PLANE) orders them to deliver supplies to some scientists in Yuma Flats, New Mexico.

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The mutants from the first film (the unfortunate victims who live on nuclear testing ground) have returned to terrorize a group of Department of Defense researchers. The unlucky soldiers happen upon the remains of their camp (and its denizens), and the horrors begin.

hills have eyes 2

The inbred family of cannibals stalks the soldiers and picks them off, one by one, in gruesome fashion. Alejandre Aja (HIGH TENSION) directed the 2006 remake, but this sequel replaces Aja with Martin Weisz, whose first feature, ROHTENBERG, was banned in his native Germany. Written by genre master Wes Craven and his son Jonathan, THE HILLS HAVE EYES II is a sequel to the remake of Craven’s original 1977 film.

hills have eyes 2

It’s no coincidence that Craven changed this sequel’s victims from a band of motorcyclists to a group of unlucky soldiers, giving the film political undertones. For a brief moment, this film addresses the idea that war may be the worst kind of horror, even when it’s judged against mutant cannibals.

Borderland (2007)

My Rating : ***.5

When three Texas University students travel to a Mexican border town on the eve of their graduation, the last thing they expect is to face their own deaths. Without warning, they fall prey to an ancient blood cult hellbent on finding… When three Texas University students travel to a Mexican border town on the eve of their graduation, the last thing they expect is to face their own deaths.

borderland

Without warning, they fall prey to an ancient blood cult hellbent on finding candidates for human sacrifice.

borderland

Based on true events, Borderland tells a story which blends the raw fear of Texas Chainsaw Massacre with the stark reality of In Cold Blood, evoking a world soaked in paranoia, fear, and dread.

Saw V (2008)

My Rating : ****

MovieStudio Quote >> “You surely won’t believe how it ends!”

Continuing on with its story despite the death of namesake killer Jigsaw in the third installment, SAW V concerns itself with detailing who will carry on with his bloody work. Director David Hackl, the production designer on the previous three films, retains their familiar charnel house look.

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Though there are fewer grisly death sequences, faithful viewers will enjoy the creative plot twists. The film opens with a man strapped to a table above a pendulum. As the sharp blade begins swinging over his stomach, he has only a minute to stop it by inserting his hands into a device that will crush them. When the machine malfunctions, it’s clear that it wasn’t the work of the meticulous Jigsaw. Meanwhile, FBI Agent Strahm (Scott Patterson) continues the investigation he began in the previous film, only to wake up to find himself wearing a glass helmet filled with water.

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With a minimum of self-mutilation, he escapes and continues his investigation with the hunch that Detective Hoffman (Costas Mandylor) is somehow involved in the new rash of killings. Before long, a new group of strangers wakes up in Jigsaw’s lair to face a series of brutal tests, and Jigsaw’s ex-wife, Jill, is given a mysterious box at the execution of his will. An enormously popular and critic-proof series, SAW gives its fans what they want–creatively executed blood and guts. The fifth installment in as many years, SAW V is more subdued in that department, but the sequences it does contain deliver the goods. Several lengthy flashbacks also allow Jigsaw (Tobin Bell) to make a few appearances. While SAW V isn’t the place for beginners to start, those who have stuck with the story this far will find it a fitting entry, happy that SAW VI is just around the bend.

House (2008)

My Rating : ***

In rural Alabama, two couples find themselves in a fight for survival. Running from a maniac (The Tin Man) bent on killing them, they flee deep into the woods and seek refuge in a house. They soon realize the killer has purposely lured them to this house and that they are now trapped. As they huddle around an old fireplace, a tin can falls through the chimney. Scrawled on its side is a message from the killer, establishing his House Rules. The rules call for their deaths unless they kill at least one of the four.

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They have less than 12 hours to find a way to survive. At sunrise the game is over and everyone dies if the killer’s demands aren’t met. What they quickly learn is that the only way out… is in. But going further into this house–where unknown challenges await them–is equally deadly.

Return to House on Haunted Hill (2007)

My Rating : ***

Sarah Wolfe, the only remaining survivor of the horrific Vanacutt Mansion massacre, has recently committed suicide–or so it seems.

return to house on haunted hill

Now it’s up to her sister to find out what’s really going on in this gruesome, ghost-filled horror flick.

return to house on haunted hill

Planet Terror (2007)

My Rating : **.5

Director Robert Rodriguez (SIN CITY) pays homage to his favorite B-movies with PLANET TERROR, an old-fashioned zombie film that’s infused with enough gore and giggles to please even Peter Jackson (BAD TASTE). Rose McGowan (CHARMED)… Director Robert Rodriguez (SIN CITY) pays homage to his favorite B-movies with PLANET TERROR, an old-fashioned zombie film that’s infused with enough gore and giggles to please even Peter Jackson (BAD TASTE). Rose McGowan (CHARMED) plays Cherry, a go-go dancer whose night is interrupted by a vicious zombie attack that leaves her missing a leg.

planet terror

Her ex-boyfriend, Wray (Freddy Rodriguez, SIX FEET UNDER), takes charge, fashioning her a new leg from a machine gun and killing zombies along the way. PLANET TERROR plays as a pleasing ode to the horror and exploitation films that once played in grimy grindhouses across the country.

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Rodriguez splashes plenty of blood, guts, and gore across the screen, while also taking the plot into some wonderfully bizarre territory. PLANET TERROR was originally released as part of the GRINDHOUSE double feature with Quentin Tarantino’s DEATH PROOF.