As promised, movie report on 'Salem's Lot' and a bonus hauning, an American one even.
I'm not easily creeped out and I really don't like long-long movies, but this one blew me away. If ever you have an hour or three to spare, go ahead, put it on. I promise you will not regret it. It all begins when Ben Mears comes back to Jerusalem's Lot (Salem's Lot for short: King had to change it because his publicist thought it was too religious.) along with some invited friends. The rest is history... Or should I say that the people were ? Anyhow the classic how-did-it-become-a-ghost-town tale. Only longer and better. So anyway, this kid and his brother fall victim to a... well... nobody knows at that point. The one kid is yet to be found, his brother is returned home in shock and later dies of anemia(scooby-clue number one). Other people mysteriously die and Mears, Susan (a 'friend'), Burke (a gay high school teacher), Mark Petrie (a kid) and Dr. James Cody (a... well duh...) investigate what's going on. It's pretty obvious that the culprit is a vamp. King kicks ass in this one, he wipes the floor with any other vampire story (eat this Twilight!), other than the original one of course. I must say there are a few minor details that I picked up such as: vampires need to be invited in, King makes it very clear, yet one of the vampires comes in uninvited... That's it really. Anyhow, I'm not a fan of blatantly clear plots, but this one did not bother me the least bit, I mean almost instantly you know who's causing this. BUT the ending is surprising though, you'll notice as you watch. Another note is that it's not bam in-your-face scary but the special effects and the atmosphere make it espescially creepy. Note the eyes lighting up and the knocking on the windowat night (I promise you will check your window every night before bed after this, just imagine somebody knocking on it in the middle of the night...) plus the haunted house deserves a medal, I would totally buy a house like that. Special effects-wise it deserves a medal too, some of them are pretty cool. Plus the movie is a reminder of how old school vampire hunters did it. No stake+heart=poof but stake+heart= painfull screaming and agony followed by a poof. King also inserted an underlying message:"There is good and bad in everybody, but the good outweighs the bad. Most times." As I said I'm not easily creeped out but I kept one eye on my window at all times last night.
The other movie 'An American Haunting', I can't tell much about it without giving away the plot. It is at once surprising and obvious. Let's just say that the suspicion most of you have at the beginning, is the right one. It was kind of a creepy film, but I would not recommend it if you're looking for a real scare. It's more psychologically scary. The creepy thing is though, is that it's based on true events.
I have another movie tucked away in my right sleeve, I will watch that tomorrow and if funds become available I will have 5 more next week. See you then if God wills it.
'Till next time then and remember to close your windows before going to bed and never to invite a stranger in, not even an acquaintance for that matter...
You were always a sound sleeper...
XO-reos
Monco
Showing posts with label Stephen King. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Stephen King. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
A collection of liquid droplets suspended in air...
Tuesday, movie day. Originally I was going to space out to a romantic comedy with *oooh* Ryan Reynolds. But I was waiting for the movie to start and something went wrong with the projector so... off I was to another fun filled afternoon of horror. And fun filled it was. Caution no spoilers ahead, so a real review is going to be posted when they stop playing them in theatres. I do have to advise you to watch them on a big screen, it enhances the misty experience. It is a classic horror movie recipe: unexpected twists, unearthly creatures, an interesting plot to uncover, people that might as well be your neighbours, elements that happen in real life and just a pinch of Stephen King humour.
First of all, there are a bunch of unexpected twists in the movie, nothing is what it seems and nobody is who they claim to be. Not under stress anyway. Then there's the unearthly creatures, in this case nothing in a human form, no vampires, no werewolves but ginormous bugs. It all starts with giant locusts, and then some. The thing is, I'm already scared of tiny bugs, let alone gigantic ones, so to me they were scary. The plot, as said, is never what it seems. Just when you think you know, you have absolutely no idea. Ok, not everything is a complete surprise, sometimes you can see through the tiny cracks of the plot, but most of it comes as a surprise. The thing about King is that he created a whole universe in his books. Every character has its personality and a name. At the end of the movie, there are no strangers. You feel like you have familiarised all of the people trapped in the store. It brings you closer to the story. Ah, the real-life elements. You wake up in the morning, you look outside and you think: "Oh, look it's kind of foggy." It's something you see regularly, right? Well it all starts with something you can relate to, something ordinary. King understood that and makes it all start with a simple mist. But that mist, isn't all that simple, it is dangerous. But because we are all familiar with mists and fogs we can relate to the movie better and it scares you more. Something ordinary turns into something extraordinary.
As strange as it might seem, Stephen King always slips some jokes and funniness into his books, this one was not different. Some sequences were actually funny and broke some of the angst I experienced in the movie. That was not a bad thing because during the movie I almost wet my pants.
First of all I want to say that the movie itself was so very scary I nearly crapped myself watching it. I recommend it to everybody who wants a good scare but doesn't want to take it home. The reason I'm saying this is because although the movie is absolutely scary, it isn't plausible. It's impossible, it can't happen. That's why you will be absolutely terrified during the movie, but you won't be home alone at night and be terrified. It's a good movie for people who want to get a kick out of being scared without being haunted by it at home. The suspense builds up through the movie and sometimes loud noises scare you, that's where most of the scares in this movie come from. It's instant and it won't linger. Of course the monsters are scary but it is more of a sci-fi movie. Nevertheless it is an awesome movie and a must see.
If I were you though I'd check my bedroom twice on a foggy Christmas ever, Santa might come with a totally different present...
The end of times has come. Not in flames, but in mist.
XO-reos
Monco
First of all, there are a bunch of unexpected twists in the movie, nothing is what it seems and nobody is who they claim to be. Not under stress anyway. Then there's the unearthly creatures, in this case nothing in a human form, no vampires, no werewolves but ginormous bugs. It all starts with giant locusts, and then some. The thing is, I'm already scared of tiny bugs, let alone gigantic ones, so to me they were scary. The plot, as said, is never what it seems. Just when you think you know, you have absolutely no idea. Ok, not everything is a complete surprise, sometimes you can see through the tiny cracks of the plot, but most of it comes as a surprise. The thing about King is that he created a whole universe in his books. Every character has its personality and a name. At the end of the movie, there are no strangers. You feel like you have familiarised all of the people trapped in the store. It brings you closer to the story. Ah, the real-life elements. You wake up in the morning, you look outside and you think: "Oh, look it's kind of foggy." It's something you see regularly, right? Well it all starts with something you can relate to, something ordinary. King understood that and makes it all start with a simple mist. But that mist, isn't all that simple, it is dangerous. But because we are all familiar with mists and fogs we can relate to the movie better and it scares you more. Something ordinary turns into something extraordinary.
As strange as it might seem, Stephen King always slips some jokes and funniness into his books, this one was not different. Some sequences were actually funny and broke some of the angst I experienced in the movie. That was not a bad thing because during the movie I almost wet my pants.
First of all I want to say that the movie itself was so very scary I nearly crapped myself watching it. I recommend it to everybody who wants a good scare but doesn't want to take it home. The reason I'm saying this is because although the movie is absolutely scary, it isn't plausible. It's impossible, it can't happen. That's why you will be absolutely terrified during the movie, but you won't be home alone at night and be terrified. It's a good movie for people who want to get a kick out of being scared without being haunted by it at home. The suspense builds up through the movie and sometimes loud noises scare you, that's where most of the scares in this movie come from. It's instant and it won't linger. Of course the monsters are scary but it is more of a sci-fi movie. Nevertheless it is an awesome movie and a must see.
If I were you though I'd check my bedroom twice on a foggy Christmas ever, Santa might come with a totally different present...
The end of times has come. Not in flames, but in mist.
XO-reos
Monco
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