For It Is Man's Number: ghost

Showing posts with label ghost. Show all posts

Saturday, 6 October 2012

The Woman In Black (1989)

Remade and released to great box office success in 2012 (that review is here), The Woman In Black is a very traditional ghost story adapted in a very traditional style from the novel by Susan Hill. Directed by Herbert Wise, and written by the very talented Nigel Kneale, I had high hopes indeed for this one. Sadly, it turns out that even though I didn't love the remake as much as some people did I have to say that I found it a more enjoyable experience than this version, overall.

That's not to say that there isn't plenty here to enjoy. It's a solid piece of work with at least one or two memorable scares. Adrian Rawlins stars as Arthur Kidd, a young solicitor who is sent by his demanding boss to settle the affairs of a deceased old woman. This means quite a journey and a few days away from his loving wife and children but Arthur must do what seems like the best for his career with the firm. When he gets to his destination he soon finds out that the old woman had no friends and that nobody will be attending her funeral, bar legal representatives. However, when Arthur turns around during the funeral service he spies one mourner - a woman in black (Pauline Moran) - but he seems to be the only one seeing her. When he goes to the house of the deceased woman to start sorting through her effects he soon finds himself scared out of his wits by strange noises and the occasional presence of . . . . . . . . . . The Woman In Black.

With a cast that also includes Bernard Hepton, John Cater and Fiona Walker, this isn't a TV movie full of big names but every role is perfectly cast. There are even great supporting turns from Steven Mackintosh and Andy Nyman (two of my favourite British actors). No, there's no denying that this is an earnest and handsome attempt to provide an intriguing story with a number of chills on a limited budget. It's not as terrifying as the infamous Ghostwatch or even as constantly eerie as The Stone Tape (another fine example of Nigel Kneale's writing) but it's still a very nice slice of spookiness that makes for perfect viewing on a dark, winter evening.

Director Herbert Wise doesn't do too badly, it's just a shame that the whole thing has to be kept well within the limits of what was acceptable for UK TV work back in the late 80s. With things ever so slightly amped up throughout, this could have been a terrifying experience. As it is, there is at least one scene that still haunts many people to this day (pun intended) and there's a very good ending but the rest of the film isn't all that memorable.

6/10

Sadly, The Woman In Black isn't available at a bargain price at the moment but if you have money to burn you can pick up a copy here.

Thankfully, you can also view it on YouTube for free here.

Monday, 21 May 2012

The Cat (2011)

AKA Cat: Two Eyes That See Death.

It's long been an established fact that dogs are sweet, loving creatures who will do anything for their owners while cats are vicious bastards who stop by to occasionally use their claws on your lap before buggering off to eat a few nibbles and then sometimes returning to grace you with their company. Okay, so many cat lovers may disagree with that summary but there's no denying that, over the years, cats have had more strangeness and mystery associated to them than dogs ever have. They have been deified at times, they seem to have some power, some connection to other realms . . . . . . . . . if you believe in that sort of them. The scariest thing about a dog is simply finding out it has silent but deadly wind after a hearty meal.

We know that cats are creatures to sometimes be wary of. Byeon Seung Wook , writer and director of this movie, also knows this and he makes good use of that fact in this enjoyable horror movie that should find a receptive audience in fans of South Korean cinema.

So-yeon is a young woman who suffers from claustrophobia and who is, let's say, still a bit jittery many years after a traumatic childhood event. She still has a relatively normal life, however, and especially enjoys her work at a pet-grooming store. When one of the clients dies in mysterious circumstances, So-yeon is asked to temporarily look after her cat and she does so . . . . . . . . . . . but there's something strange about the cat. Or perhaps So-yeon is just unsettled by the figure of a young girl with cat-like eyes she keeps catching sight of.

The Cat starts off strong. It's got some good jump scares and a few great moments of tension. The acting from all concerned is very good, especially from Park Min Young and Kim Dong Wook, and the style mixes in some strange effects with the shadows and darker colours to make things easier on the patchy CGI. It's just a shame that everything starts to go downhill in the second half and viewers of the many great horrors from places like Korea and Japan will start to get a definite feeling of deja vu. Because after an interesting first half this becomes, sadly, just like 101 other movies that we've seen over the past decade. Dark Water, The Eye (which remains one of my favourites), Cello, Phone, Shutter and many, many more will come to mind as the details of the plot are revealed. That doesn't make The Cat a terrible movie, it just makes it a disappointing and unoriginal one.

6/10

Please note, I saw The Cat thanks to a friend who had ordered the disc from YesAsia.com but I have no idea of their delivery times, pricing compared to any other available sellers, etc

http://www.yesasia.com/global/1024924357-0-0-0-en/info.html

Monday, 31 October 2011

Nightmare At The End Of The Hall (2008)

A TV horror movie that mostly feels just like a TV horror movie, Nightmare At The End Of The Hall manages to stay just above average with a decent, unfolding storyline that feels nice and supernatural while also never quite falling over the line into the far too unbelievable.

Courtney (Sara Rue, perhaps best known to many people for her role in the sitcom, Less Than Perfect) is a successful writer. Well, she's had one bestseller that was based on experiences from her schooldays but has been a bit stuck ever since then. That's how she ends up accepting a teaching position at her old school. But it's not long until she's unnerved by a young student, Laurel (Jacqueline MacInnes Wood), who looks exactly like her old friend, Jane. Jane commited suicide while at the school and this has cast a shadow over the lives of those who knew her for a very long time. Is her spirit using Laurel to taunt Courtney or to put over a message of some importance?

I can't really think of all that much to say about this film because there's nothing really onscreen that deserves being praised to the skies. However, everything is put together nicely enough and there are a couple of decent chills amongst the standard confusion and thrills you'd expect from a spooky mystery of this type.

Sara Rue is very good in her role and Jacqueline MacInnes Wood is excellent but both women are also ably supported by a cast that includes Duncan Regehr, Kavan Smith and Philip Granger (billed a bit further down but his character makes a great impression).

Nora Zuckerman's script adds the expected melodrama and keeps things light, the tone and content matched by George Mendeluk's unfussy but competent direction. Fans of stronger horror fare won't want to make this their first port of call but Nightmare At The End Of The Hall is a perfectly acceptable time-filler that rises just above the standard TV movie level.
6/10.

http://www.dvdwarehouse.com.au/nightmare-at-the-end-of-the-hall-9324915078178.html

Friday, 7 October 2011

Hausu AKA House (1977)

Madder than a bag of rabid badgers all wearing bowler hats, Hausu certainly isn't for all audiences and may turn off just as many horror fans as it manages to please. However, stick with this surreal, groovy, rainbow of supernatural shenanigans and bizarre deaths and you will find that it's not only a rewarding experience but also one that has influenced many other movies (intentionally or not).

The plot sees a young girl, spurning the opportunity to spend time bonding with her father's new love interest, taking a number of her friends to spend time at her aunt's house. The aunt is slightly eccentric and the house certainly has character but nobody realises just quite how much character until events are set in motion that put all of the girls in extreme danger. Because the house is hungry.

With all of the girls being named after their main traits (Kung Fu, Melody, Gorgeous, Fantasy, etc) it quickly becomes clear that Hausu is never aiming for something that's engrossing and believable. It's aiming to create a strange blend of lurid and colourful moments, fun sequences that border on the childish and a number of individual scare moments. If you can imagine an episode of The Monkees set during one particularly memorable Halloween (and, for all I know, they may have produced just such an episode) then you will have an idea of what to expect.

But don't dismiss this film as JUST one successive moment of weirdness after another. There's a bit more to it than that. Okay, so the acting is all quite over the top and the whole vibe may not be palatable to many but director Nobuhiko Ohbayashi, working from a screenplay by Chiho Katsura based on an original story by Chigumi Obayashi (daughter of Nobuhiko), works in a backstory that feeds into the events and also weaves one singular story strand from the start to the final scene that throws many of the visuals and events into question. Or not. You can take this movie in a variety of ways, which is a pleasure that so many of the finer Japanese movies offer. Give it a try.

8/10

EDIT: A rewatch led to me bumping up my rating, and generally loving this a little bit more.
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Tuesday, 23 August 2011

Poltergeist III (1988)

That spooky, nasty reverend Kane is back (this time played by Nathan Davis after the death of actor Julian Beck) and he still wants Carol Anne, despite the fact that she now lives in a sleek, ultra-modern highrise building with her uncle and aunt (Tom Skerritt and Nancy Allen). Thankfully, this big building has lots of mirrors and reflective surfaces that can become portals for Kane’s particular brand of evil.

You can try to be all deep and meaningful about it and put it this way – Poltergeist was about the insidious nature of television and how too much exposure to it can literally eat up the life of your child, Poltergeist II: The Other Side was about the family unit and how important and difficult it was to stay united against outside pressures and obstacles, Poltergeist III is about the perils of complete modernisation that leads to alienation and far too many opportunities for wrongdoing. Or you could just say that Poltergeist was a great ghost flick, Poltergeist II: The Other Side was a decent ghost flick with a definite baddie to focus on and Poltergeist III was the movie that went back to the well one time too many.

The acting is okay from all involved but everything is undermined by a poor script (that should have simply been titled “Carol Anne” due to the number of times that her name is called out) and mediocre execution. Director Gary Sherman (who also shares the blame for co-writing the thing) seems happy to go along with everything that is wrong with many modern horror movies. You know what I mean: people keep running off alone, nobody seems to notice while lots of other folk disappear, one jump scare is repeated so often that it ends up being ineffective, etc.

It’s a shame that this was the last movie for young Heather O’Rourke (her death after this movie completed a trio of deaths that people referred/refer to as “The Poltergeist Curse”) because it’s just not a very good film. On a lighter note, it’s the first film gig for a young Lara Flynn Boyle so fans may want to check it out for that reason.

There are still a few decent moments here and there but, overall, this is a poor end.

5/10

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Monday, 22 August 2011

Poltergeist II: The Other Side (1986)

I used to love Poltergeist II when I was young. I thought it was even better than the first movie. Now, with the benefit of age and wisdom (okay, okay, just with the benefit of age then), I can see a lot of the flaws it has and how it pales in comparison to the first movie.

Almost all of the main cast members return (with the exception of Dominique Dunne who was, tragically, killed by an abusive ex-boyfriend not long after the release of the first movie) for the continuing tale of a family plagued by supernatural events. This time around they have help in the form of Taylor (Will Sampson) as young Carol Anne (Heather O’Rourke) is targeted by crazy Kane (Julian Beck, who died of stomach cancer after this film was completed). The Freeling family must stick together as a unit to battle the forces working against them.

It seems kind of churlish to complain about a lack of believability in a sequel to a movie that revolved around a little girl being taken by ghosts into a TV but that’s the biggest failing of this sequel. It’s also not helped by an uneven tone that fails to blend horror and humour as effectively as the first movie did and, instead, just has one or two impressive moments left among a number of other scenes drained of any tension due to a mix of lacklustre execution and overused humour. This time around, the Freeling family (Craig T. Nelson and JoBeth Williams as the father and mother, in particular) don’t seem particularly terrified by everything going on around them. While I appreciate that this time around they’re seeing spookiness that’s not entirely new to them I still think that they should have been more shaken up.

Michael Grais and Mark Victor return to the writing duties, with Brian Gibson taking a turn in the director’s chair, but this movie is saved by the cast and one or two great special effects moments (just keep your eye on that tequila worm as one prime example).

It’s not a bad movie at all but, unsurprisingly, it’s not as good as the superb original.

6/10

Sunday, 21 August 2011

Poltergeist (1982)

A classic tale of suburban horror, Poltergeist is just one of those films that most people of my generation saw 101 times during the 1980s, and deservedly so. It’s a polished thrill-ride of a movie, an entertaining horror film that mixes humour in with the scares and blends jumps with atmosphere (and some great special effects) for a fantastic package. To many true horror fans it may be viewed as “horror-lite” but it’s pretty bloody good horror-lite.

The Freeling family are a normal, everyday American family. Mum and dad look after two daughters and a son and breakfast revolves around the usual minor squabbles and family disputes. Things change when they find that their house has some strange power within it, something that starts off by harmlessly moving furniture (and people, when placed in the right spot). The harmless soon becomes a nightmare, however, when young Carol Anne disappears and her voice is heard coming from the TV. Energy and strange activity builds in the house and the Freeling family have no choice but to call in some specialist investigators to help them with their unique problem.

Based on an idea by Steven Spielberg (who also produced the movie), Poltergeist is directed by Tobe Hooper but you’d hardly be able to tell that. Hooper hasn’t exactly held himself up as a master of cinema, with the exception of his phenomenal horror movie that revolved around a certain chainsaw-wielding maniac, and all of the main choices here just look like they were made by Spielberg. The shots of suburban Americana, the wonderful score by Jerry Goldsmith, the smooth and quick push-in shot up to a character’s face, etc, etc.

But just who did what behind the scenes is irrelevant anyway, when it comes to the viewing experience. What matters is just how enjoyable the thing is. The cast are all fantastic. JoBeth Williams and Craig T. Nelson remain likeable and believable throughout experiences that grow increasingly far-fetched. Heather O’Rourke is angelic and wholly innocent as Carol Anne. Oliver Robins is great as Robbie, the middle child, and Dominique Dunn is just fine as the eldest, the one who fully realises how crazy everything is and just wants to get the hell out of the house ASAP. Everyone else onscreen is just fine but James Karen deserves a special mention as an unscrupulous businessman and Zelda Rubinstein will always be remembered for her turn as Tangina.

Followed by two inferior sequels, and referenced in many other films and shows, Poltergeist remains a top-notch haunted house movie and is as entertaining today as it was back in 1982, when it was first released.

8/10