Another successful night. Once again I watched a masterpiece and my second viewing wasn't too bad either.
Grave Encounters (2007)
I don't really watch a lot of found footage/documentary style horror movies. It's not because I dislike them (I've enjoyed most of them) but I always find myself just not in the mood to watch them on a regular basis. I guess it's because I don't get scared ever, so the realism they try and portray does nothing for me except entertain me for 90 mins. The one documentary style movie I love is The Last Exorcism but it's because of the incredible ending. After reading so many good reviews about this one I thought maybe I was going to find my next found footage love. I didn't. Now, don't get me wrong, it was good but the slow burn could have been just a tad faster and when it exploded, it should have kept upping the ante. With ghost stories, I want something that gets well and truly demented. Insidious & The Innkeepers were slow burn masterpieces with some really messed adrenaline fulled finales, but not this. Sure, it had it's moments but they just felt quite tame. The ideas I have in my head as to how this would have been better would have made this a masterpiece. When stuff happened it was good, but they should have kept throwing it at us and showed us a little bit more. I mean, the villain was a surgeon. Why not have him put a drill through someones head? Or have a ghost chopping someone to pieces on a surgical table? I just watched this wanting stuff that wasn't going to happen to happen. I want more fucked up moments from movies like this in general. Overall, it was a good movie. It's been done before, but it's well executed and does everything right. This would scare people who weren't sick, demented freaks like me. 7/10
Book of Blood (2009)
Pfft. Typical. Just another masterpiece adaptation of a Clive Barker story. When will they stop with these incredible pieces of cinema? Never I hope and if any good filmmaker is reading this I have a request - PLEASE MAKE EVERY CLIVE BARKER STORY INTO A STUNNING MOVIE!!!!!!!!!!!!! Just like Hellraiser, Lord of Illusions, Nightbreed and Midnight Meat Train, I've fell in love with yet another Clive Barker story (Dread is my next watch). May I also add that I really enjoy the terrible Underworld flick from the 80's that is of far inferior quality to any other Barker movie. Anyway, on to Book of Blood. I was hooked on this from the start until the finish. From the very first scene I was gripped. This was so original and just had the right amount of everything when needed (gore, sex, mystery, ghosts..). I understand this is quite a criticised movie; some reviews have called it generic, etc but I say ignore them. This movie has moments that will stick with you for the rest of your life. It's a great story full of imagination brought to screen in a visually stunning way with scenes that you watch with shivers up your spine and joy in your eyes. 9/10
I liked both of these enough to add to my collection, I plan on buying grave encounters 2 as well but sadly its not as good as the first one
ReplyDelete