Cabin Fever 2: Spring Fever
The hate towards Cabin Fever 2 actually puzzles me. I honestly do not understand why this is so disliked among horror fans. Movies like this one are certainly not for everyone, but there is an audience for splatty, funny movies that intend to be exactly that. This one does exactly that, doesn't try to be anything other than that and is very successful at what it intends to do. It was made to be direct to DVD, on a small budget, so no one is expecting Citizen Kane (although most movies I regard as great are direct to DVD horror movies and I'm not a fan of Citizen Kane just so you know). The sequel to the, in my opinion, classic that is Cabin Fever is a lot of fun, ambitious, splat-tastic and genuinely hilarious. It's essentially just a high school sex comedy with lots of violence thrown in. It's a 'popcorn' movie. Maybe if this was made in the 80's it would be more warmly received as it's much like a lot of 80's horror movies.
Everyone has heard the back story regarding the production of this movie (if not you should check it out but I'll sum it up roughly - basically the director left and this was put together by the producers), but I honestly didn't spot the weaknesses. It's a well put together movie. What chance does it stand though when the original director (Ti West) refuses to acknowledge it as one of his movies though? Me though, and Slasher Studios and a few others enjoyed it though. We're in the minority and I honestly don't understand why.
Halloween 6: The Curse of Michael Myers
First off, let me state that this isn't my favorite horror series of all time. I do enjoy it, but I just prefer so much more slasher movies than the Halloween ones. Next, let me contradict the previous statement and tell you that I'm the worlds biggest John Carpenter fan. I'm just not a huge fan of the original Halloween. I nejoy it but I don't love it like I love most other JC movies. The sequels to Halloween are all much more suited to my tastes. The sixth installment, often regarded as an abomination to the series, is my favorite of them all.
I've only ever watched the Producers Cut. but I really enjoy it. How do you keep a series fresh and interesting that boasts a gazillion sequels? This movie included aspects of the Satanic Cult sub genre and for me, it not only worked but it's the strongest element, for me. I dig this movie. I dig the kills, I dig the atmosphere and I dig the story. I also love that Donald Pleasance was involved. Easily my favorite along with H20.
From Dusk Till Dawn 2 (and 3)
Aside from Evil Dead and Re-Animator, the FDTD series is my favorite horror series of all time. I love all 3 of them and if they ever make a 4th I'll be the first to see it. The second installment is my least favorite, but it still kicks ass. Once again though, I'm in the minority with this opinion. I know the sequels are enjoyed by a lot of horror fans, but in my experience, the sequels are not appreciated on the whole, particularly this one.
I love it. It's a heist movie with vampires. There's blood, violence, lots of killing and a great cast involved. Robert Patrick is a terrific lead, Danny Trejo is back on board and there's a cameo from the legend that is Bruce Campbell, as well as the super hot Tiffany Amber-Thiessan. It's directed by Scott Spiegel, who's always been underrated, and it blends elements of horror, comedy and crime like it's predecessor. It's on a much smaller scale but it still does the job and provides us with the goods
I may as well include the 3rd sequel here, which I believe to be not far off the first one in terms of fun. It's set in the Old West and combines western and horror, which I think it's a horror sub genre that should be combined more. The first part is a western, focusing on a gang of outlaws on the run and an author on his way to join the military (played by the best actor of all time, Michael Parks). After the bandits, the author and the newlyweds cross paths and find the Old West version of the bar from the first movie, all hell unfolds and we're in for a fun, splatty ride.
Jennifer's Body
This one is an opinion splitter for sure. I know there's a lot of people who enjoy it, and a bunch of people who utterly loathe it. Me, I think it's a quirky, funny and original teen horror comedy. Megan Fox is not an actress I would say I'm a fan of, but this role was made for her, but it was Amanda Seyfried that really impressed me both visually and performance wise.
Diablo Cody (Juno) wrote this one so you can expect similar traits to Juno such as quirky humor, strong female leads, sexuality and really clever wittiness. It's in no way the perfect horror movie by any means, but it is pretty damn good.
Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2
Only in the past couple of years have IO started to appreciate just how great the Blair Witch Project actually is. It really is an original, remarkable horror film. The sequel was never going to capture what the original did (probably because we all knew it was fiction by this point lol). The first was believable and did a great job of not feeling like a work of fiction. I used to be obsessed with the legend of the Blair Witch as a kid and I wanted it to be a real legend. I even had all of the books by Cade Merrill. The marketing scheme of the Blair Witch was not only great to promote the movie and make it a huge success, but they also did a great job of creating a legend.
The sequel is a good movie in its own right. I like it because it shows you things (ghost girls etc), where as in the first almost all of it was in the mind. This movie also had an intriguing mystery to it and the first time I saw it I had no idea what happened. Add some strangely attractive women and some pissed off rednecks and you have yourself a good movie. I like the Blair Witch sequel. Again, I'm in the minority.
I could go on with all of these movies, but you'd probably get bored by the end. What movies do you love that get tonnes of hate?
I agree with most of these (though I'm not a HUGE fan of either FDTD 2 or Halloween 6) and I'd probably add The Wolfman (a great modern take on the classic material), Halloween 3 and Exorcist III. Both of the latter films have a loyal fanbase and I think their reputations have grown over the years but they are still movies that you often have to convince people to watch and explain to them that they veer from their predecessors in interesting ways.
ReplyDeleteI really loved The Wolfman remake. I forgot to add it. I'd also add Exorcist sequels, Season of the Witch and Jason X. I love a lot of generally hated movies.
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