Just Watched Movies (2015)

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Stitches-After dying at a children's party, a clown returns from the grave to exact vengeance on the now-teenage culprits who killed him when they throw his first birthday party since the accident. Overall this one was quite a rousing and enjoyable effort. One of the better elements in this one is the rather freaky look attributed to the main clown here, which is always important in these types of movies and manages to get some great mileage out of his look when it treats him like a threat which scores pretty well with his creepy antics. The few solid scares this gets are indeed reliant on his make-up to work, as his initial rise from the grave, the tormenting scenes of him appearing unknowingly behind his next victim or the shots of him walking around the house sticking to the shadows during the party work pretty nicely at delivering this type of scare. Likewise, this manages a lot of mileage out of really playing around with clown history and folklore for not only relying on that to ignite the main storyline by utilizing a common folktale to kick off the horror but also in doling out the little-known facets of clown history through the ages and making it a far darker sort of profession than it really is which is all part of the film's serious side coming through and really dishing out the positive marks here. The other really enjoyable part to this is easily the main party where everything goes down which manages to play on numerous teen comedies for numerous scenes while also doling out the bloodshed, scares and chases with great aplomb, making it something that very easily could've transcended into boredom but sticking it out for the better produces a lot to like here. This does bring up the film's lone flaw overall in it being rather conflicting for the clash of styles throughout it being quite noticeable and distracting. The fact that the party is played straight and tense among the attendees who are all caught up in typical teen melodramas while the slashing itself has a comical tone coming from the infusion of his supernatural powers makes for an oddly ill-fitting sequence, as rather than being repelled by the over-the-time and extreme gore found in these kills we are supposed to find it funny not only in concept but execution as well which is hardly ever the case. The fact that it's somewhat funny half the time and pretty cool-looking the rest doesn't really make much sense as if this was supposed to be funny or deadly serious as it fails in both accounts and really questions what the intent was in the first place. Otherwise, that's really the only thing really wrong with this one.

[Fenril]

- Evil Dead (US, 1982. Dir. Sam Raimi). Perennial splatter classic finds five young friends retiring to a cabin in the woods for a short vacation; instead, they find themselves grappling with the book of the dead, which unleashes all short of nasty surprises unto them --manically giggling demons, diabolic tree branches, bleeding pipes and worst of all, entities that, once they have possessed someone can only be exorcised by means of bodily dismemberment.

Re-watched this gore classic which got re-released due to the remake / third sequel. Does it hold up more than thirty years after it was made and about ten years after the last time I personally saw it? Yeah, pretty much. Well, to be fair: the dialogue is pretty lackluster, the characters sketchy at best (cases in point: We don't know one of the character's names until she's possessed, nor do we know that two other characters are siblings until one demon makes a throwaway comment about it) and some of the special effects can't be taken too seriously... Except this last part actually works very, very much in the movie's favor. What we have here isn't intended to be a "serious" horror movie, it's intended to be a roller-coaster ride on celluloid and it succeeds. So the special effects may be cartoonish, yet they more than get the job done --by turns the situation is horrific and so over-the-top it can't be taken seriously, but it most definitely can be enjoyed. Then there is the manic camerawork that would become Raimi's trademark (although... he doesn't use it much in the more mainstream films he went on to direct), and that still holds up as beautifully as ever, with the twisted camera angles substituting for the unseen demonic forces (ok, so this technique owes a lot to Suspiria... and that's ok, it's still a creative use of influences). And there are even a few subtle touches for a re-watch (case in point: ever notice that whenever the demons strike the clock by the fireplace is set back one hour? Hence, the seemingly endless night).

So what of the two sequels and the remake (or, debatably, the three sequels)? Or of the original short from which it sprang, Within the woods? What of the cult popularity of character Ash, played by Bruce Campbell? What of the numerous spin-offs in comic book and in other formats? And what of the pop culture status of this film? Oh, you know, it is all entertaining. And quite a few people will argue that the second Evil Dead film is even better (while quite a few will argue the exact oposite). But really, part of the strength of this movie is that it stands fine both on its own and in relation to all those other elements.
What of a few decidedly late 70's / early 80's elements? They date the movie a bit, sure, but that's inevitable and not really something that can be held against it. Granted, the infamous (and infamously lurid) "tree rape" scene would be difficult to pull off nowadays. Not, as is commonly believed, due to the subject matter itself (to be honest, it's grimly amusing that the most exploitative movies and tv series from the mid 00's up to currently are WAY more violent and graphic than a lot of 70's grindhouse stuff... But, you know, that's mostly because times change, as do filmmaking and film distribution techniques), but because of how it's at once deeply disturbing and oddly comic, the way it's presented. (It's perhaps worth nothing that the remake fuses the victim of this scene, Cheryl and lead Ash into one character, lead Mia).

So since the Evil Dead trilogy, Raimi has gone on to other projects. Some with critical acclaim (such as A simple plan), some forgotten (remember Crimewave? Remember Darkman?), some slightly surpassed (remember his Spider-man trilogy? Remember how it has since been shadowed by what is now called the Marvel Cinematic Universe?). And his (so far) two returns to thriller and horror (The gift and Drag me to hell) are... different from this. For that matter, the third installment in this trilogy, Army of the dead certainly has a very different tone to the previous two installments. Is that bad or good? Eh, it's how careers go.

Through it all, we are left with what is still a fun and to this day quite influential movie, ideal for midnight watching.

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R.I.P.D.-After dying on the police force, a Boston detective and his Old-West partner find a ploy behind their charges that will enable the realm of the dead to return to our world and must stop it from coming to fruition. This was actually quite a bit of fun that managed to get some rather good times from it. The most noticeable effort in here is the rather over-the-top nature of the action scenes here which manage to get full use of their participants' supernaturally-enhanced abilities which allows for such engaging scenes as the battle in the apartment complex, the chase through the office buildings and the blazing gunfight at the finale which is the expected-grand showstopper which includes the car chase through the city streets, a phenomenal amount of destruction along the way that's quite breathtaking, a slew of frantic gunplay-heavy shootouts and the utterly impressive resolution that makes the whole scene a rather enjoyable and exciting one. Likewise, the opening police assault that signals the course of events throughout here tends to rank as exciting as well, and the general feel of this one leads to some pretty exciting scenes. It also manages to get quite a bit of fun out of the general goofy tone of it all, from the situation as a whole to the hilarious running gag of who they appear to be towards the outside world and the sarcastic tone they have with each other which helps this out quite a bit. The storyline could've used a little more work on integrating him into their world a little easier since he does kinda drop in without any kind of notice or warning and the wholesale plot is a bit underwritten, but overall this was quite enjoyable.

[Fenril]

- L'Écume des jours (France, 2013. Dir. Michel Gondry. Aka Mood Indigo). Colin has everything in life: a luxurious home, the best friends one could have and a life filled with luxury and whimsy... everything but a mate, that is. He is fortunate enough to meet like-minded Chloe at a party and from there blooms a romance that leads to marriage... but here is where the couple's luck runs out, as all the harshness of life they had successfully avoided for so long comes crashing down on their head as her health and his fortune deteriorate. Colin, Chloe and all the people around them soon speed into a tragic yet poetic finale.

Beautiful movie that successfully transitions from a playful first act full of colorful and extravagant visuals to a third one of increasingly monochrome and nightmarish imagery, characteristic of Gondry (of "Eternal Sunshine of the spotless mind" and "The science of sleep" fame, among others). Based on a novel by Boris Vian (which may well account for the amount of imagination displayed on everything here, from comedy to drama). Fine acting by a fine cast, too.

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Machete Kills-After taking on a new assignment, the machete-slinging federale finds that his initial target of stopping a renegade revolutionary in Mexico is just a ploy when the real threat emerges from behind the shadows of his current mission. This one turned out to be quite an exciting and utterly enjoyable effort that really matched up quite well with the original. The utter over-the-top nature of this one comes off nicely with the marvelous action scenes that are brutal, bloody and just plain exciting, from the opening assault on the special forces agents to the escape from the compound with the speed-boat chase and finally the slew of car chases along the desert road that showcase all manner of high-tech vehicles shooting each other to pieces throughout here which makes for quite an exciting and enjoyable time here with the different stunts combining together into a great deal of fun. Likewise, the finale in the compound which features all the explosive weaponry with far more outlandish and exciting ideas behind them manages to make for quite an enjoyable and thrilling finish that mixes in multitudes of shootouts, hand-to-hand fighting and chases for a fully enjoyable yet still over-the-top experience. Along with the blood and gore, this is what really makes it fun throughout though it does tend to revert back to a familiar tactic with the original in the sense that it tends to be a case of being too over-the-top for it's own sense of realism. As grand and outlandish as many of the scenes are, there's very little about it that tends to read as realistic which is fine for the type of story it's showing but does stick out slightly in here. Otherwise, this one was quite a bit of fun.

[Fenril]

Couple surreal movies this weekend:

- La Belle et la Bête (France, 1946. Dir. Jean Cocteau. AKA Beauty and the Beast). Adaptation of the infamous fairy tale in which a young woman trades places with her father as the prisoner of a literal beast who lives in a haunted (or perhaps magical) castle, and the unlikely romance that blooms between the two.

There are several adaptations and variations of this story, and this is one of my personal favorites, due in no small part to Cocteau's sense of fantastique, from the gothic atmosphere of the castle to the infamous hallway lit by human arms holding candelabra (only the arms), to the subtle erotic charge between the leads (because the Beast in question really is something of an animal, in certain ways). All in all a very recommended movie that has aged very well and still retains it's charm to this day.

- Wild at heart. (US, 1990. Dir. David Lynch). Star-crossed lovers Sailor and Lula embark on a cross-country journey to escape her domineering mother Marietta. For her part, Marietta has already sent a series of dangerous assassins on their trail. It will take Sailor and Lula all their fate in each other to survive the realization that "This world is wild at heart and weird on top!". Loosely based on a novel by Barry Gifford.

Powerful mix of drama and understated fantasy that results in one of those highly divisive movies (more than one critic was repulsed by the relentless violence on display) that are nevertheless quite intriguing to watch. This time, the fantasy in question comes from the allusions and eventual overtones to The wizard of Oz, complete with witchlike imagery for Marietta, allusions to the yellow brick road (and literal brains and hearts on display, natch!), plus a cameo by none other than Glinda, the good witch of the South. For me, it was particularly interesting seeing this movie after Mood Indigo, as these two movies manage to complement each other. In that one, we go from whimsy to tragedy. Here, we go from sordid violence to innocent love.

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Bangkok Dangerous-After arriving in Thailand to carry out a series of assignments, a veteran hit-man's mentor-ship of a local and growing romance with a shopkeeper put his livelihood in jeopardy and must use his skills to survive his boss' henchmen. This one didn't turn out that bad though there wasn't a whole lot to it either. The fact that the early methodical hits are carried off without incident doesn't really provide this one with the kind of action those scenes really could've had as the simple execution of the assassinations are so routine that they seem more like the kind of efforts found in normal crime-thrillers. None of this is helped out by the rather lengthy and arduous training montages that pop up in between the hits which tends to make them last for an eternity with the scenes really serving very little purpose as they never really get utilized at all when they're captured and tortured without making any use of whatever newfound skills were imparted to him during that time so it feels like wasted time. Thankfully, the film does pick up in the second half with a decent river-boat chase through the canals of Thailand that turns into quite a decent gunfight as well to help bolster this one along, and the ending shootout at the refinery that amounts for the rescue mission is quite a bit of fun as well that manages to make for quite an enjoyable finish that really gets a lot of action pumped into the film. Truthfully, though, for as good as these scenes are it's nothing that hasn't been done dozens of times over and better in other efforts so in the end this one isn't completely terrible but it's not that great either.

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Abduction-Stumbling upon his true secret identity, the teenage son of a spy sets off to evade the international assassins on his trail looking revenge against his father and must use their skill-set to contain the situation. On the whole this one wasn't all that bad though there wasn't a whole lot for it either. One of the few good parts is the fact that there's some great work done that brings along the true identity factor that sets things in motion with the uncovering of the photo website and the dreams which soon gets into the rather enjoyable chase to escape that marks the first half. While this is all good and there's a few decent action scenes here in the train brawl and the diner shootout but on the whole these are just way too brief and not really all that exciting. The finale chase through the ballpark is the films' best part with a lot of smart action and a few decent stunts thrown in, yet again the fact that the brevity of this to focus on the on-the-run thriller aspect of the storyline takes precedence which is what really holds this down. It doesn't stay in the action realm all that long during these scenes anyway so it seems as though it's not all that interested in that feature which tends to hold this back a lot.

Cop Out-After inadvertantly losing a valuable baseball card, two cops attempting to track it back learn there's a connection to a rise in activity from a criminal gang in the area and race to stop the gang's actions. This was a lot more fun than initially expected because of the way in which this one went about introducing the storyline aspect of the film. Based off the initial attempt to stop the gang which features some blazing shootouts and chases in the first half, the film's comedic portion of the stolen baseball card is kept concurrent with the attempts on the serious gang activity still on-going in the outskirts of the story which is what should happen in the film like this in basing the comedy off the seriousness of the main storyline. That leaves this one with plenty of fun in the second half with the various chases and shootouts with the gang coming off quite nicely since this one still has enough to plow through the lame comedy at times as several of these running storylines are just dreadfully dull and unfunny that drag this one out quite unnecessarily. Still, it's quite enjoyable and definitely offers some good moments throughout.

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Animal-After a weekend getaway goes awry, several groups of friends find themselves trapped in an abandoned house in the woods by a ravenous bloodthirsty creature and must find a way to stave off the creature. On the whole this one was quite the enjoyable creature feature that got a lot to really like about it. One of it's better features is the fact of this one really managing to get a lot out of the simplicity of it's premise where there's a fine sense of action and suspense in here all based on the rather easy-going nature of how it starts off. The fact that the attacks start in before the thirty minute mark is where this one really gets going with the attacks coming in pretty steadily from there on throughout the film as it tends to whip through a slew of exciting ambushes and barricades inside the house to get at them which just makes these all the more fun because of the relentless pace it generates this way. That opening attack on the trail, the main ambush in the cellar and the rather exciting encounter within the kitchen also feature some rather outstanding suspense tactics as well which is another impressive nod for the film by allowing for some creepy attacks and situations to come about as it also includes a fine sense of action as well to really make this one all the more impressive throughout here. Of course, the fact that it features such an impressive creature doing this all makes the scenes even more exciting as the imposing, fanged being strikes a definite impression on-screen and has a personality to match the aggressive action featured which completes the whole look quite well with a great amount of gore thrown in to display the savageness of the creature nicely. Still, about the only flaw to this one is the fact that this one tends to overlook the creature so much in here that it's barely enough to really get a handle on it. There's no backstory about it at all and the fact that the editing hides it's appearance for all but a few brief seconds means that those fleeting glimpses are all we get to discover the creature's appearance which is a little distracting. All in all, though, this one was still quite fun overall.

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Bad Kids Go to Hell-Finding themselves stuck in detention, a group of students at a prestigious university find the local school legend about a vicious ghost haunting the place may be behind the rash of strange incidents plaguing their stay together. A collection of the biggest group of unappealing characters ever on a movie screen who manage to come off even worse as time goes on, no supernatural or slasher elements present and a ludicrous, downbeat finale that serves little purpose other than to prove money can buy you out of anything makes this so woefully unnecessary even the nudity and minor hints of gore can't save this one.

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Wild Country-Agreeing to journey into the Scottish highlands, a group of friends hoping for a relaxing camping trip stumble upon the ravenous werewolf hunting on the grounds and must find a way to stop the creature and get out alive. This turned out to be a very enjoyable and exciting werewolf effort that has a lot to like about it. One of the better elements at work is the rather impressive atmosphere this works up, managing to take utterly spectacular effect of the location to provide a real sense of isolation and extreme discomfort. The setting out in the woods is indeed quite chilling with the rolling fog-banks and lifeless foliage before taking into account the abandoned, crumbling castle found in the area evokes a classic Gothic archetype that goes well with the discovery of the body-pit that undoubtedly adds to the feeling of unease found there since there's plenty of evidence for both suspense and shocks. This in turn allows the initial stalking in the woods all the more terrifying as it also manages to include the element of them fully aware that something is out there in the shadows and ready to come after them as the inhuman growling and snarling matches this quite effectively and their race to get away is all the more enjoyable. When the beast is fully revealed and really into the film is when this kicks off into high gear with all the endless running, chasing and stalking in the final half which not only manages to feature a ton of great gore and wounds for all the attacks but generates a slew of enjoyable action scenes including the race for shelter into the house which is the best among them here. This is also due in part to the fact that the werewolf here is of incredibly high-caliber, not only in design with a vicious, muscular-looking beast with a huge set of claws, massive jaws and a generally imposing appearance but also behavior with it being true to the image of the remorseless werewolf intent on feeding and nothing more so the savageness of it's attacks is also apparent throughout here. These here are really enough to hold off the film's lone problematic area which is the rather short running time here. Granted this tends to fly by the introduction of the characters which isn't all that important but it really tends to short-change the second half here by zipping through the attacks and chases so much so that it actually manages to get interesting about their quest to get out only to then end the film with a sudden halt and it feels a bit short here when it could've expanded some of the stalking and chasing a bit more to make up for it. Otherwise, this one was quite fun.

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Feast-After their small-town bar is attacked, a group of patrons joins forces together to protect themselves and their establishment from a horde of ravenous, monstrous beings attempting to break in and feed on them. This was a ton of fun and really didn't have all that much really wrong with it. The main thing about this one is the inherent simplicity found throughout here which is quite apparent from the beginning here. There's a great sense of this one simply featuring a one-note premise and then finding tons of ways to continue the story along which is rather exciting in here which allows this to have a non-stop relentless pace filled with action. From the numerous scenes of them barricading themselves within the bar, the attacks downstairs in the basement and up on the second floor shows off plenty of thrilling action that just makes for quite an insane amount of action here as the battles to keep the creatures at bay show off their barely-holding defenses while taking a toll on their numbers. That also leads into the series' great feat of throwing off character deaths at the most unexpected times so it really throws off what to expect and when. This is augmented by the rampant gore and bloodshed throughout here which is rather fun as there's plenty of exciting and graphic kills here from the heads being smashed open, bodies being ripped in half at the waist and others being scratched up and dismembered which lets the blood flow quite freely here to match the action as well as giving the creatures a huge amount of positives. Focusing on their ruthless attitudes and savage behavior through the attacks and carnality they spread throughout here, yet all seemingly done with a purpose rather than to simply fill up the running time because they were introduced so early in the film, it makes them seem that much more fearsome and frightening which is a great plus here which is combined well with their appearance when we do get to see them as there's the deformed head, savage teeth and claws and generally inhuman look that's quite endearing. It's just the fact that we really can't seem them all too much here as the film never really gives them a chance the way it's edited as the scattershot, hyper-speed cutting really makes it almost impossible to tell what's going on, especially during the action scenes as those are the scenes that you want to watch and yet this one doesn't really offer that. Otherwise, the only other part that's kind of annoying is the small introductions for each character about their survival rate which gets old very quickly and feels like a cheap gimmick that serves this no real purpose. These are about the only things here that really hold this down, and that's not all that big of a deal.

Feast II: Sloppy Seconds-Having moved on from the bar, a biker gang joins forces with other survivors of a small-town massacre by the creatures in order to save themselves from following the same fate as the bar assault. Frankly this one tends to be just a little below the original in terms of fun and enjoyment. The idea of continuing the rampage from the night before is it's biggest strength, showing the creatures' rampage isn't just confined to the one small area before but rather it just so happened to be in the way of where they were really going which is what's shown off here. The opening rampage to show them running through town is a veritable highlight of fun with the creatures shown swarming through the area taking out plenty of on-lookers and resulting in plenty of carnage with the torn-up bodies and dismembered remains shown off around town during and the morning after the rampage which starts off rather nicely here. The kick-start action in the second half as they try to attempt several survival techniques really amps up the action and violence here with the storefront attack with the miniature creature in the supermarket, the attempted barricades in the machine shop hideout and the spectacular finale where there's the ill-fated rescue attempt and the last-ditch effort to propel off the catapult to safety makes for quite a thrilling time here as this one really takes up a much more grandiose sense of spectacle than the original granted by the more expansive canvas to work off of. Again, the violence and gore are much more pronounced here with even more bodies ripped apart, tons of scratches and claw marks on the victims, skin shown melting off and so much more that it really works quite well with the films' increased amount of sexually-charged creature action here. The autopsy scene in particular shows off a gross and disgusting side of the creatures that wasn't there before and tends to really work quite well in generating a sense of unease and disgust that's missing from this type of film, despite how over-the-top it might seem as well as a totally useless scene thrust into the final half that offers nothing more than overwhelming disgust for showing it and really has no place in the film. It might be enough to force off the movie altogether for some even for considering that, and to go through with it is a whole different matter. Otherwise, again, the only other true flaw with this one is the fact of this one also managing to feature that aggravating shaking camera angles during the attack scenes that hold off the action considerably which is from the first one which is the main one against this one after those increasingly disturbing scenes in here.

Feast III: The Happy Finish-Forced to find new battle strategies, the dwindling number of survivors are caught in a race through underground sewers in an effort to finally escape from the marauding creatures once and for all. On the whole this one turned out to be a minor disappointment compared to the others in the series. The biggest problem with this one tends to be the rather shortened length of time here, barely running a full hour despite a non-stop pace that features a ton of action throughout here. This tends to make this feel more like it should've been built together into the second entry and tacked onto that one rather than being shuffled off into a new effort as several scenes from that could've been taken out and replaced with the action of this one to make for a seamless transition. That tends to make this one feel a tad worthless and expendable with not really needing to be featured at all which is quite disappointing overall. Still, this one really gets a lot to like throughout as this one tends to continue on in the series' penchant for over-the-top extremity throughout with not only the scatological references and intensely sexualized nature of both the creatures and the survivors but also in regards to the gore which is again quite gruesome and endearing. In addition to limbs being ripped off and entrails splattered across the ground but also there's vicious stab-wounds, tons of scratches and clawed up bodies, decapitations and bodies bursting from the inside out among other vicious tactics which is quite fun here. This rampant amount of gore comes from the nearly-relentless pace featured here with the attacks continuing on throughout the film with the race through the car-yard, a battle in an underground hole and the numerous battles in the sewers providing both action and suspense as the vicious creatures create several encounters here that are quite enjoyable including the blazing final battle in a strobe-light-lit rave scene that's quite thrilling and exciting. The creatures still look good, there's a lot to like here, but those few small problems do hold this down.

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Grave Encounters 2-Obsessed with the original movie, a film student and his friends find the sanitarium used for the first film and try to shoot a documentary there only to find the events that were portrayed may not have been faked. Overall this one was a massive disappointment without a whole lot to really like about it. What it does get right and enjoyable is the scenes within the sanitarium as they’re searching around for their film which is just about as impressive as the scenes in the original. Taking full advantage of the same setting and a lot of the same conditions as before which again results in a truly creepy and chilling atmosphere that's perfectly suited for such a movie, this one manages to pile up a rather respectable amount of time showing them running through the facility and encountering all manners of ghosts and demonic figures that go chasing them inside the lengthy darkened hallways or in the various rooms throughout here. From the bathtub encounter to the dimensional portals that show up throughout the facility that prevents them from exiting or accessing specific parts of the location to the numerous scenes of the ghosts turning their full attention to them popping out of nowhere makes for some rather impressive times here since all of these work rather well. Still, for as fun as these scenes are even they become part of the problem here as these tend to come off like retreads of the original. There's no real change-up between these and what happened before, it's just a different set of victims that comes off that way which in the end diminishes their scare factor by being so similar and familiar. Likewise, the fact that this one just takes forever to get to the sanitarium to begin with is another mark since it focuses so heavily on his obsession and tracking down the clues that it really all could've been done in one sequence where he presents all of the research to the team instead of following him around doing the investigating which severely limits the amount of time spent being scared by the ghosts lurking within that they really come off in just one small section of the film and don't really play a part elsewhere here. Finally, the film's final half is where it really loses it by throwing in a series of fantasy-related set-pieces and wholly flawed logic that is not only entirely unbelievable anyway but merely presents itself simply to keep them in danger a little while longer and pad the film out even more. All told, these here keep this one way down compared to the original.

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After Dusk They Come-After being stranded on a strange island, a group of shipwrecked friends finds the area home to a tribe of savage human-like beings and forces them into an extreme mode of survival to get off the island alive. Overall this one was quite an entertaining effort without too much really wrong here. The biggest plus with this one is the fact that there's a rather engrossing mystery that develops here early on about what exactly's on the island with them and how to defend themselves, which is quite enjoyable for how it goes about this. The concept of being on an uncharted island is good enough to start this off with, but then comes the idea of putting the creatures on there which makes for quite an enjoyable time building up to them by the early ways this goes about it. From the off-screen grunting and growling to the scenes of them stealing their shipwrecked items and stalking them along the way to the first major encounter of them capturing several members of the group in ingenious rope-traps that scores quite well as an action sequence yet never once gives away the creatures and their design which is quite impressive. That's reserved for the first main confrontation in the caves where the remaining members of the expedition are kept to be tortured and killed within the darkened caves which is quite a feat to be done so late in the film but also with the rather chilling sequence it's done with as well making for a great time here as it rolls through the final half with a lot of impressive and enjoyable moments. The battle in the underground tunnels, the chase through the jungle leading to the revelation in the clearing and the final encounter at the enclosed circle of bamboo trees all combine into a great series of scenes that shows off the creatures quite well, gets plenty of action and suspense into this and even throws in some decent amount of gore to really work quite nicely. These do manage to hold off the few small flaws here, namely the fact that the film's not that interesting when focusing on the human cast as they're stories aren't that engaging. The purpose of inviting the ex and her new romantic interest seems only to generate tension within the group as there's little point in inviting them along on a trip like this in the first place, even inviting along the friend who's romantically unattached and going to be around his most recent ex-girlfriend makes his involvement even more questionable, and there's little about their interactions early on that comes off all that enjoyable. The other small flaw is the rather lackadaisical manner this treats the group who are knowingly stuck on the island and rarely react with any sense of urgency or intensity to get off considering the situation present and something obviously there with them. Otherwise, this one was pretty enjoyable.

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Compound Fracture-After returning to his family home, a man finds the fractured nature of their past has come back to haunt them when a thought-dead ghost returns to seek vengeance against them and must find a way of dealing with the wrathful being. For the most part this one was just a bland, awfully lame and tired effort that has very little to like about it. The main issue striking this one down is the fact that there's just no horror elements at all within the first hour or so of the film, all taken up with utterly lame drama scenes of the family getting together and showing off the concern for his worsening condition. Not only does that not endear the film to anyone for having to force them to sift through that length of time to get the good parts on-screen but these really make it hard to make us care for what goes on since this one tends to rely on the same old set-up of the father trying to get them aware of something only to make a minor mistake in the facts, either by getting dates or names mixed up, and then have everyone gang up on him like his mental condition is deteriorating and everyone begins yelling at each other. Due to that and the utterly irritating factor of presenting all these scenes as dramas based on his condition there's very little appeal in them anyway before realizing that all they do in the mean-time is drag the pace down to a sluggish, barely-moving crawl that takes forever to get to the point and by then you've lost interest. These are nowhere near interesting or enjoyable since nothing's happening and what's going on anyway doesn't warrant that kind of behavior or reaction possible, and by making all of this reliant on a storyline that is never explained or makes sense compounds matters by keeping us in the dark about the true nature of not only the origins of the curse but also the reasoning behind it. There's a small amount given at the beginning of it being used to tie the family together, but nothing about the true purpose or intent behind it since all it seems to do is allow vengeful ghosts to be able to haunt the area and nothing else. Otherwise, there's not much else here that's worthwhile as the attacks in the house at the end are about all that's good here with the creepiness of his appearance making for a chilling, imposing villain and the action contained to some admittedly impressive supernatural battles involving the use of spells and tomes to completely finish him off. That does bring up some nice gore and kills because of the creepy action, but as this is contained all in the final minutes it's too little too late.