Horror Report

Tag: horror movie

  • THE BOMBING OF BLAIR WITCH. SOME PROCLAIM THE END OF ‘FOUND FOOTAGE’ HORROR.. I SAY IT’S JUST YOUR USUAL GENERATIONAL SHIFT

    THE BOMBING OF BLAIR WITCH. SOME PROCLAIM THE END OF ‘FOUND FOOTAGE’ HORROR.. I SAY IT’S JUST YOUR USUAL GENERATIONAL SHIFT

    IT’S OVER! Sorta…
    The found horror movie crave is behind us.. So says Variety.. In an article celebrating the box office bomb that is the new BLAIR WITCH, the author, Owen Gleibermein, seems to celebrate the upcoming demise of the found horror movie. He also correctly points out that the demise may be far from happening–but the big profits of found movies may be over..

    Horror is cyclical..
    There may be some who have actually read postings of mine over the past many years. Thank you if you did. If you didn’t, this concept may be lost on you, so you let me explain my theory. A theory based off of observation and age..

    I think horror movies and professional wrestling are allegories for the time that they originate.. the theme of any wrestling storyline or subject matter or popularity of a horror movie concept directly showcase the feelings, attitudes, and experiences of the generation that those said wrestling stories or horror movies come from.


    The 1980s.. campy.. Ronald Reagan … The rise of the Christian right. The allegories abounded–Jason Vorhees from FRIDAY THE 13TH was as much a serial killer with a hockey mask as he was a Godlike figure who killed the sinners like a storyline from the Old Testament. Freddy Kreuger was a murderer in sleep, just as in the 80s what hurt us was behind covers. Wrestling? Hulkamania with the American flag and vitamins galore … Wrestling took on the campy feel and actually felt good. When Hulk Hogan beat the Iron Sheik, that fiction felt real .. as he dropped the leg on the Sheik and became champion, America had a feeling that reality just took place.


    The 90s mocked the 80s. SCREAM made fun of the whole concept of 80s slashers… WES CRAVEN’S NEW NIGHTMARE attempted to kill off Freddy. Wish it would have. Stone Cold Steve Austin also chugged beer after body slamming authority on Monday Night RAW. The 80s kids grew up and moved into a new era…

    In the 2000s, after 9/11 and torture policies, the SAW films became emblematic of torture porn… we accepted more blood and guts. Gore and torture.. Horror films showcased who we were—warfare and death on live TV, streaming online and on Facebook mobile. We see it all. Nothing more can be seen.. nothing more can be shocking.. We have become something from a horror movie itself…

    So the death of found footage? Found footage is just a vehicle to deliver a theme. The theme of horror films..

    And found footage is cheap. I don’t think it is going away, but certainly waning in popularity..

    The good news: It seems like, as we move from torture into a new generation of desiring peace, we want storylines again. We want themes again that matter–big themes about life and death. Concepts that are move than just a few scares.  The films IT FOLLOWS and BABADOOK are prime examples.. they portray women as victim and heroine, the ‘monsters’ are figureative and thematic.. and we get scared because the darkness of our minds is much more frightening than someone sawing their leg off to escape a demented killer.

    We are maturing.. we are changing. And with it, so will wrestling and horror movies.


    I end with a cautionary note… There is a chance that if Donald Trump wins, a remeregence of nationalism will come .. flags will wave.. and yes, the 1980s will be back in spirit. Expect a new Hulk Hogan. And slasher films.

    Because just as much as horror and wrestling are thematic of the times we live in, life itself is cyclical.

  • LIGHTS OUT review wrap

    LIGHTS OUT review wrap

    LIGHTS OUT is out .. the long awaited movie based off the short film that became a hit online a few years ago about a monster in a hallway. It is a James Wan production..

    A few reviews worth noting on a notable horror 2016 summer film..

    ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY gives a B-  but also laments: “Suffice it to say that the mental health aspect of the story is not treated with respect, but rather as a simple plot device, to be used and discarded like so many shattered lightbulbs. In a culture that already doesn’t do well by victims of mental illness, it’s disappointing, and takes a lot of wind from Lights Out’s sails”

    x x x

    Chicago SUN TIMES (always miss Roger Ebert when I see Roeper) opines:  “Awards committees rarely honor work in this genre, but Maria Bello deserves supporting actress consideration for her work as Sophie, the mother of a grown daughter named Rebecca (Teresa Palmer in a stellar performance) and Rebecca’s 10-year-old stepbrother, Martin (good work by Gabriel Bateman).”  A four star review

    x x x

    LA TIMES approves: Mercifully, this isn’t a movie about moving into the sort of dubious piece of real estate that might as well have a “Beware of Ghost” sign hanging out front. It’s about what happens when our most cherished and familiar spaces no longer feel safe — not just because of the evil that has moved in but also because of the good that has long since vacated the premises.

    x x x

    The film is currently receiving a 82% rating on ROTTEN TOMATOES.. Already before the movie even hits Friday night, there is chatter galore of a potential sequel..

    LIGHTS OUT will be featured under the darkened lights of 2818 theaters.

    But it also goes against ICE AGE COLLISION COURSE on almost 4000 screens..  As does STAR TREK. A big weekend for movies as the mid summer slumber sets in..

    Depending on when In get to the movies and with who, either I will see LIGHTS OUT this weekend or my son will win the battle by default and we will be watching ICE AGE..

     

  • ‘Jeepers Creepers III’ Casting Notice Removed After Victor Salva’s Past Revealed!

    ‘Jeepers Creepers III’ Casting Notice Removed After Victor Salva’s Past Revealed!

    ‘Jeepers Creepers III’ Casting Notice Removed After Victor Salva’s Past Revealed!:

    The casting notice sought an 18-year-old actress for the role of Addison, who at the age of 13 had been sent to live with her grandmother after her stepfather “started making overtures” to her. Salva could not be reached for comment to the DEADLINE article..

    Salva was embroiled in a criminal controversy in the 1980s for copulating with the 12-year-old star of CLOWNHOUSE..

    His fame came again in 2001 with a horror gem called JEEPERS CREEPERS..

    The new age of social media brought forth knowledge of Salva’s past sins–items that have long been discussed on the HORROR REPORT over the past 15 years since the original JEEPERS..

    Some even thought JEEPERS CREEPERS 2 was displayed homoerotic of the scenes with the cast, in the film an underage group of bare chested high school boys..

    The newest information showcases how one man’s past never quite leaves someone..

    Ask Bill Cosby.

    And now Victor Salva.

    But is a fair game?….

    that is the question..

     

  • New Films To Shed Light On Japan’s Infamous ‘Suicide Forest’

    New Films To Shed Light On Japan’s Infamous ‘Suicide Forest’

    New Films To Shed Light On Japan’s Infamous ‘Suicide Forest’

    Ben Arnold writes:

    It is beautiful, dense and tangled – it’s sometimes called the ‘sea of trees’ – and boasts ice caverns hidden in its volcanic rock.

    But it has become known for a much more dark and tragic reason – it’s also been called ‘the suicide forest’, a place where up to 1988, around 100 suicides would occur each year.

    A new movie, starring ‘Game of Thrones’ Natalie Dormer, has now been unveiled called ‘The Forest’, a horror thriller which finds Dormer searching for her twin sister who has gone missing in Aokigahara.

  • THE NIGHTMARE worth a watch .. maybe not before bed

    THE NIGHTMARE worth a watch .. maybe not before bed

    In April of this year the HORROR REPORT profiled the NIGHTMARE, a documentary film from Rodney Ascher (from ROOM 237).. It’s a series of stories told by people who Ascher collected to tell their tales of sleep paralysis. Along with the verbiage, horrific images of what they saw–documentary style.. The creation is amazing. It’s a documentary but can easily as one of the best horror movies of the…

    View On WordPress

  • Untitled post 12719

    The power of Christ compels me to not like remakes.. but there is so much hype and hope over the EXORCIST remake that I will hope it’s good, too.

    The question for me: Will the vomit scene by CGI or will they rely on the old fashioned pea soup method..?

  • Untitled post 12722

    Nic Cage interviewed on his new horror movie PAY THE GHOST .. the star also talked about the horror genre in general.

    He said, ‘I certainly would have participated more in what you call “straight-up horror” if I had been given the opportunities to participate in them earlier on in my career’..

    Read more on this. I am with Cage, especially on the slasher body count idea..

    Some more media interviews of Cage yielded this interesting factoid about his true thoughts of the paranormal in general: Esquire talked to him about PAY THE GHOST and also his own personal fears.. “I would say that I’m 98 percent skeptical, but the other 2 percent [is] open for the possibility of things.” ..

    On the question of whether he experienced the paranormal, Cage responded, “Nothing I would be able to discuss on public record. I’m not going there” ..

    Sounds like he may not be doing any Celebrity Ghost Story show, but there may be a basis for the 2%.. I think there is a basis for the 2% with everyone, including me.

    When that 2% type of event occurs to you, you’re immediately placed into a mental location you’ve never expected to be. Sometimes you get the same feeling during a NIC CAGE movie (I kid Nic, I kid him) .. but his track record on films is often hit or miss.

    Hopefully PAY THE GHOST scares up some cash based off of a strong story line. Often people cringe during Cage flicks. Hopefully if they do during PAY THE GHOST it will be for the right reasons..

  • CANNIBAL FLOPS TO TRANSYLVANIA SLOP

    CANNIBAL FLOPS TO TRANSYLVANIA SLOP

    Horror flop this weekend: Eli Roth’s ode to cannibal horror called THE GREEN INFERNO averaged $955 per theater.. the film is graphic and has a 38 on Rotten Tomatoes.

    Reviewers have not been kind, either, calling the film awful..

    People with strong stomachs may enjoy the movie. Others may turn away–and it would appear they did if the numbers hold up.. INFERNO appears likely to finish even lower that THE VISIT in its second week in box offices..

    HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA 2 is set for number 1 this weekend..
  • Pea soup or CGI?

    Pea soup or CGI?

    The power of Christ compels me to not like remakes.. but there is so much hype and hope over the EXORCIST remake that I will hope it’s good, too.

    The question for me: Will the vomit scene by CGI or will they rely on the old fashioned pea soup method..?

  • NIC CAGE on PAY THE GHOST and the 2% paranormal activity theory

    NIC CAGE on PAY THE GHOST and the 2% paranormal activity theory

    Nic Cage interviewed on his new horror movie PAY THE GHOST .. the star also talked about the horror genre in general.

     He said, ‘I certainly would have participated more in what you call “straight-up horror” if I had been given the opportunities to participate in them earlier on in my career’..

    Read more on this. I am with Cage, especially on the slasher body count idea..

     Some more media interviews of Cage yielded this interesting factoid about his true thoughts of the paranormal in general: Esquire talked to him about PAY THE GHOST and also his own personal fears.. “I would say that I’m 98 percent skeptical, but the other 2 percent [is] open for the possibility of things.” ..

    On the question of whether he experienced the paranormal, Cage responded, “Nothing I would be able to discuss on public record. I’m not going there” ..

    Sounds like he may not be doing any Celebrity Ghost Story show, but there may be a basis for the 2%.. I think there is a basis for the 2% with everyone, including me.

    When that 2% type of event occurs to you, you’re immediately placed into a mental location you’ve never expected to be. Sometimes you get the same feeling during a NIC CAGE movie (I kid Nic, I kid him) .. but his track record on films is often hit or miss.

    Hopefully PAY THE GHOST scares up some cash based off of a strong story line. Often people cringe during Cage flicks. Hopefully if they do during PAY THE GHOST it will be for the right reasons..