Here we are, the next five days in the 31 Days of Horror challenge. I wasn’t able to watch as many as the first five days, but I did get at least one a day.
A Nightmare on Elm Street –
There’s not much to say about A Nightmare on Elm Street except that it is a must watch for the Halloween season. Sure, it may have it’s cheesy moments, but it’s an absolute fact that when I saw this (I was probably about 6 at the time), it scared the living shit out of me. Wes Craven was an absolute mastermind in using imagery that not only gave you nightmares but prevented you from wanting to fall asleep altogether.
Hangman –
I am probably one of a handful of people who enjoyed this film, but I found the concept of Hangman to be absolutely terrifying. A killer finds his way into your house, maybe while you’re on vacation, and makes himself at home. Setting up small surveillance cameras around the home to keep track of where everyone is, and just hanging out in your home even while you’re there. Using your toothbrush, drinking your juice, even watching you while you sleep. It’s definitely a scary thought. The execution of this film might be questionable, but I thought more about the bigger picture and didn’t let the little errors get to me. It’s an extremely slow moving film with really no climax, but the acting isn’t the worst I’ve seen so it was bearable for me. George on the other hand absolutely hated it and definitely won’t be watching it again.
The Invitation –
The Invitation was a first time watch and I must say that I really enjoyed this film. It is a slow moving yet beautifully told story of a man and his girlfriend attending a dinner party at his former home (yes, with his ex-wife and her new beau). If that situation already makes you feel awkward then that’s perfect. What was even more awkward was watching the tension in the room full of these adults that at one point in their lives were extremely good friends; now distant because of the tragedies that life presents. You can’t help but feel anxious, and the camera angles really make you feel like you’re attending the dinner party as well. I can’t speak too much of this film without giving parts of it away, but if you’re a fan of thrillers, definitely give this a watch. The Invitation has so many layers that I’ll definitely be giving it another watch in the near future now that I’ve got the basic gist of what this film has to offer.
A Perfect Getaway –
Another first time watch for me, I enjoyed A Perfect Getaway as well. More of a thriller than a horror movie, this film definitely has a handful of twists to keep you interested. I couldn’t help but think of Resident Evil as I watched the slow-motion action shots of Milla Jovovich and I wasn’t a huge fan of some of the other filming techniques that were used throughout the film. The concept of the story, however, has more of a horror theme. A couple on vacation in Hawaii hears about a grisly murder on one of the other Hawaiian islands and is skeptical of the other couples they meet on their way to the beach. It is a story that could definitely happen and I was left feeling that I may not want to head to a deserted beach any time soon. Definitely not one that requires me to hike through a dense forest either.
See No Evil –
I had always seen the Blu-ray for See No Evil in the store, but never picked it up and never really heard much about it. George owns the Blu-ray though so I decided to give it a shot. Definitely skeptical considering Kane, the WWE wrestler, is the main villain, I stuck it out for the whole film. A typical slasher film featuring troubled young adults, I enjoyed the religious storyline more than the terrible acting and the even more horrible graphics. See No Evil is definitely entertaining, I will give it that. I’ll probably even watch the second one, more so to see how they pull it off after the ending of the first. If you need a horror movie to put on in the background while you, say, need to write a blog post, See No Evil is definitely one to consider since it’s not something you have to watch closely to get all of the details.
The Amityville Horror (2005) –
A remake of a widely talked about true story that happened in the 70’s, The Amityville Horror gets a lot of shit for being over the top and poorly executed. I disagree with what a lot of people say about this film. And no, it’s not just because Ryan Reynolds is shirtless in three quarters of the scenes. I find that it’s refreshing to see him in a role that he’s not typically used to playing. I thought the rest of the acting was good as well and overall the storyline wasn’t terrible. I watch this film probably once a year or so, usually around Halloween just because I think it’s a solid remake. Definitely better than some others (cough cough, A Nightmare on Elm Street 2010). If you haven’t checked it out, go ahead. No need to go in with extremely high standards, but it’s a good entertaining ride.
So there you have it. Days 6-10 of the challenge. It’s proving to be a lot of fun watching horror films that I’ve not only seen, but checking out some new titles as well. It’s interesting to see what gems lie beneath the surface of the cookie-cutter Halloween films that everyone talks about.
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