The Conjuring (2013) - MOVIE REVIEW! ver.2

The Conjuring follows the Perron Family (consisting of Carolyn, Roger, and their five daughters) who have just moved into a new house. The family quickly realizes that something inhuman and insidious is present in the house after numerous unexplainable paranormal occurrences. After a night on which Carolyn gets trapped in the basement and their eldest daughter is attacked in her room, Carolyn decides to get help from Ed and Lorraine Warren, a demon/ghost hunting power couple. The Warrens start their investigation but when the haunting starts to affect their own family they have to fight harder than they ever have before.

*clap, clap*

Did I scare you? No? Well it works better with video reviews, oh well. The Conjuring is a haunted house movie directed by horror-genius and puppeteer, James Wan. The film stars Patrick Wilson and Vera Varmiga as the real life demonologists, Ed and Lorraine Warren. It also features Lili Taylor and Ron Livingston as the parents of the Perron family. 

When I first saw The Conjuring I enjoyed it a lot and after re-watching it, I was once again completely taken aback! It doesn't happen a lot that a horror film can still entertain and scare me the second time I watch it the way this did. This proves to me that The Conjuring truly could go down as a great haunted house movie.

I've heard a lot of people criticize The Conjuring because they say it "doesn't bring anything new the genre." Really? Just because a movie is similar to others, it doesn't mean that it's not innovative or "new." James Wan told a story that has been told before, but still managed to make it his own. That is what makes The Conjuring so interesting and fun to watch.

Although there are some jump scares throughout, it's not what the film relies on to actually scare you. No, the truly scary scenes are scary thanks to more atmospheric things like other characters' performances and James Wan's incredible ability to make it feel like you're the character experiencing what's happening. One way he accomplishes this, is by only showing what the characters see, when they see it. A good example of this is the scene in which Roger is walking through the house at night and the camera only pans to where he looks.     

I want to congratulate Wan on this film. There are so many little things he added that make the movie so great. One being the way he made several scenes look like they came straight from a 70's classic. The movie is also filled with really interesting POV and spinning shots that make you feel like you're in the film.

Wan also did a fantastic job with the scary scenes. One scene in particular (where one girl sees someone is standing by her doorway while her sister doesn't see anyone) really frightened me. It was done extremely well, without even showing anything. Wan also used the "hide and clap" game the girls play in a very creepy and effective way to further the story.

One of my favorite scenes.

However, The Conjuring is far from perfect, one of the biggest gripes I have with the film is that there are way to many characters in the Perron family. Because there are so many people, it's extremely hard to properly develop all of them. This led to me not really caring about some of the daughters (I cant even remember most of their names.)

Another thing that bothered me was the ghost make-up. While Bathesheba was done pretty well, the other spirits looked very cheap (much like the ghosts from Insidious.) Throughout the film there were also some cheesy voice over effects that didn't fit in with the atmosphere at all, but in the end this wasn't enough to actually take away from the film's overall experience.  
  

Ohh, Bathesheba, baby, why you so cute, beau?

All in all I think The Conjuring is a really well made and actually scary horror film. While it does fall a bit short with the character development and make up effects, it makes up for it with a fantastic story and great cinematography. The film did end a bit abruptly, but the final act is still a very entertaining spectacle that reaches a gratifying climax.

With a sequel and a prequel coming up, I am very excited to see where the series is going, I just wish James Wan would reprise his roll as director because clearly he knows what he's doing... 

Rating 7/10

This is part of the Final Girl Movie Club! Check it out! (http://finalgirl.blogspot.com/)
A few months back I wrote another review for this but decided to re-write it. Check out the original here!

Why do we love Horror so much? - The Insomniac's Cinema

Why do we love horrors so much?
The Insomniac's Cinema

Horror is a very unique movie genre, it's one of those genres that people either love or hate. Usually the people who hate it say that they cant handle being scared or that the violence and gore is just too much for them, and then there's us, the people who cant get enough of those exact things! Why is this, why do we enjoy and love horrors so very much while others can't stand them at all?

Over the past few years I've heard several different theories explaining our fascination with horror movies. Some people argue that our love of horrors comes from the resurfacing of our most primal urges. That when we watch these types of movies we satisfy an aggressive and primal spirit that lives deep within us. The same affect can be used to explain the morbid fascination you might experience when seeing a car crash on a highway, how you know that there's a chance that if you look you will see something upsetting on the road but you can't help but stare as long as possible until your too far away to make anything out.


Another explanation suggests that while we watch horrors we get an adrenaline rush similar to what you would experience when you are actually in danger. This is the same reason people give for taking part in extreme sports or riding roller coasters. I think this a very good argument, but the thing is I've watched so many horror movies, that few scare me at all anymore while that same movie would make somebody (who isn't fond of horrors) go completely hysterical...


Something else that makes me wonder a lot about horror movies and their effect on us is that they almost always get such a polarized reaction... People either LOVE them or HATE them. Some would say it's because some people are just tougher and don't get scared so easily, I don't agree with this...

I think that one of the many reasons for our fascination and love for horrors and why they can  have such a polarizing effect can be linked to early exposure...

My father is really not a huge horror fan today but when he was younger he used to  be a complete Stephen King and all around Horror fiction lover! In our loft he stored all his horror books and when I was very young I went up there and looked at their interesting covers. Most of them didn't bother me that much except for one, a book called Headhunter by Michael Slade.

The exact same cover
 that is still gathering
Dust in our loft...

I have no idea why but this one book scared me so much but at the same time kept drawing me back to it, for years afterwards whenever I went up there I looked at that book and every time it creeped. me. out! See, my theorie is that, that book planted the seed in my head that lead to me being such  a huge horror fan,  it was jut scary enough to frighten and entice me but not that scary that it completely scared me away, thus I formed this fascination with this genre as a whole. Usually when I speak with the horror haters they tell me that they experienced something horror related when they were younger and that it scared them so much they can't stand horror at all, even today...


Thank you for reading and please remember that this is just someone who doesn't really know anything about anything's theorie, but I would love to hear all of your own opinions so please share them in the comments below!

-The Insomniac's Cinema

Evil Dead (2013) - Review by The Insomniac's Cinema

Evil Dead (2013) - Review

Directed by: Fede Alvarez.
Produced by:  Bruce Campbell, Sam Raimi and Robert G. Tampert.
Starring: Jane Levy, Lou Tayor Pucci, Shiloh Fernandez, Jessica Lucas and Elizabeth Blackmor

Evil Dead is a remake/reboot/continuation of the 1981 horror classic, The Evil Dead, which was directed by Sam Raimi and starred Bruce Campbell. Since almost 99% of all horror remakes suck really badly a lot of people were skeptical about this one as well, but since Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell were both producers (who were very  present in the making) of this film, there were also people (including me) that were excited for it. In the end I can honestly say that this is one of the best Horror remakes ever! However, this is very different from the original. One of the biggest complaints about it, is that it's too scary and not funny enough but something that I think people forget is that the reason The Evil Dead was funny, wasn't because it was supposed to be but because Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell had a budget so small they couldn't even afford to buy gum while filming it (true story!) Evil Dead is The Evil Dead made with the budget that Sam and Bruce never had, it's more scary because they could actually afford the effects the wanted...

Evil Dead is about a group of friends who go to stay at a cabin in the woods so that their drug addicted friend can get clean, but when one of them reads from a mysterious book something evil is released that starts to possess them one by one, the different characters have to defend against their now deadite friends and try to survive the  night… Jane Levy plays Mia, the young drug addict trying to get clean with te help of her friends Eric (Lou Taylor Pucci), Olivia (Jessica Lucas), Natalie(Elizabeth Blackmore) and her brother David (Shiloh Fernandez) 

The characters were pretty much what you’d expect in a horror (under-developed, boring etc.) except for Mia , who was the only interesting character and only one you really cared about. I think that most of the cast did fine acting wise but everyone made extremely dumb decisions throughout the movie (like reading a book bound with human flesh, full of scribbles like, “DON’T READ THIS” after finding it in a cellar full of dead cats hanging upside down...) 

There are some major changes in the story compared to the original (including an awesome twist in the end) like Mia’s drug addiction which is a great reason for them not wanting to leave or taking what she says or does too seriously. Something that I WISHED they never put in the movie was the opening scene. In my opinion it doesn't add anything to the story, all it does is put questions in my head like, "when did this take place?" and "who the hell are those people?" or "why did they kill all the cats?" and "whoa, what's up with that dude." The opening scene was also one of the very few scenes in which they used CGI instead of practical effects. 

Original Book of The Dead compared to the remake.

The practical effects in the movie are done really, really well! They are disgusting and creepy and will definitely make you cringe at least once. The movie isn't very scary in the typical sense but it is very tense and disturbing, even the (few that there were) jump scares were done very well. I don't know if it was just me but the first time in a long time that I watched a movie that made me feel so super tense, not scared, but tense... Roque Baños composed a fantastic and eerie score which I would easily buy. Something that made a few scenes a lot creepier to me personally was that they used a siren sound effect throughout the movie when something scary was happening and every time I heard it, I thought of David Lynch's short film Six Men Getting Sick. I was also surprised to find that there was quite a lot of foreshadowing and symbolism used, like the fact that Mia is fighting to herself, trying to get clean but she also has to fight the real demon inside of her. 

Evil Dead was a disturbing, well made and interesting retelling of the classic. To me, the biggest problem was that the characters were under-developed. The movie does differ from the original but is still scary and effective in telling The Evil Dead story. The practical and sound effects were done really well and some changes added to the story, while others could've been left out. All in all, Evil Dead is a super cool and disturbing horror movie.

Evil Dead Final Verdict:

Best Character: Mia.
Worst Character: Natalie.
Best Scene: Final Fight Scene.
Worst Scene: Opening scene.
Best Change from the Original: Mia's drug addiction and *spoiler*  the fact that Mia "became" Ash.
Worst Change from the Original: The Book of the Dead.


Rating: 7/10 GOOD!

*spoiler talk*
After Bruce's cameo in the credits I immediately thought holy shit, Mia and Bruce are gonna star side by side in Evil Dead 2! But after doing some research I found out that Sam And Bruce are planning a Army of Darkness 2 and Fede Alvarez is already busy working on Evil Dead 2! How cool is that? They said that they want to have the two movie series' to conjoin in the 7th Evil Dead movie! Nothing is completely set in stone so only time will tell!!!

*end of spoiler talk*

Insisious 3 will still be a thing! (without James Wan)

Even more news has recently come out concerning Insidious! On Monday Entertainment One, FilmDistrict and Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions have said that they are already planning on making a third Insidious installment!

If  you have not yet heard the Director of the first two Insidious films has recently announced that he will be taking a break from directing horror (read the whole story here!)  They have not released who they want to direct Insidious Chapter 3 but they have said it will be produced by the same company and that Leigh Whannell will be reprising his role as the screenwriter.

Tell me, how do you feel about this. Do you think that it will still be good without Wan or what?

Read the full story here!

Sequels, Reboots and more Sequels! (The Mummy and a Friday the 13th tv show?)

Yup, you read right! The director of the original Friday the 13th and producer of others has announced that he's planning on a sequel to the 2009 reboot! Sean Cunningham said ,"There will be another Friday the 13th, which will probably get shot in the spring. If it all goes as I would like, it would then be released at the beginning of 2015." 

If  you're surprised wait till you hear this! Cunningham added ," I think there will also be Friday the 13th: Crystal Lake Chronicles, which is sort of a Smallville. We’ve been on-again off-again with that for years and there are a bunch of great stories to be told, but I think the way that it’s finally going to get delivered is not through a conventional television network, but through the Internet. I can’t tell you who the delivery people will be, but it won’t be the traditional route. There’s also the possibility of webisodes, and I think we even have an idea for a terrific Friday the 13th video game."

Coming fall 2014!

There has also been announced that Andres Muschietti (director of Mama) is planning on a reboot of the classic monster movie The Mummy! We also know that Jon Spaiths (writer on Prometheus) wrote the script. Before you groan apparently his original script for Prometheus was much better than what they used so there is hope!

So tell me, are you guys excited for these reboots/ remakes or are you tired of them?

Read the full a articles here  and here!

James Wan: Retiring from Horror?

Yeah, so apparently James Wan (director of The Conjuring, Insidious and Insidious Chapter 2) is finished making horror movies. So, if your at all like me your thinking, "why in the hell would he do this?" Well, this is his reason, "I spent the last 10 years of my life doing this. It's time for a change, for goodness sake."


Ok hold up, you're saying that over the past ten years you've worked on six horror movies and now you "...go on record and say I am finished with the horror genre. Conjuring and Insidious 2 are my two last scary movies." Isn't that just a bit hasty? I know he's in his middle thirties but to completely write off the horror genre, forever?

I don't care what he says, hopefully we will still get a few more scary flicks from Wan in the future. What do you guys think of this, is he speaking out of his ass or do you agree with his decision? Tell me below!

Read the full article here!
My review for the Conjuring here!

World War Z - Review by Insomniac's Cinema

World War Z (2013)- Movie Review by Insomniac's Cinema
Directed by Marc Foster
Starring Brad Pitt as Gerry Lane

Disclaimer:
Before you get mad about my review keep in mind that I DIDN'T READ THE BOOK! All compliments and critiques are focused on the film. Thank you :)

Rating: 6/10

World War Z, yet another zombie movie. It seems as though these movies are coming out faster than new Simpsons seasons (and that, is saying something.) But, usually even the bad zombie movies are pretty enjoyable, right? So, I went into this open minded and I have to say I am a bit conflicted. There were a lot  of things wrong with this movie, but the were also some things that I really liked about it.

The film is about an ex-army soldier, marine type person, Gerry Lane. One morning while he and his wife are busy dropping off their two daughters at school, the zombie apocalypse breaks out. After escaping the zombies Gerry contacts his military friend who then arranges to air-lift him and his family to a aircraft carrier in the middle of the ocean. In order for Gerry  to keep his family on the ship he has to travel all over the globe trying and find out how the outbreak started. As time goes by he finds out more and more about virus and it's weaknesses but will he be able to save the world?

Ok, first off I have to talk about the zombies, I mean all of us want nothing more than to see some badass zombies, and I have to say that these zombies are pretty ferocious and freaking terrifying. If you thought the zombies in 28 days later were bad you haven't seen anything yet. These ones don't only run but they sprint, jump and kinda work together. The only downside was that a lot of the scenes containing a mass amount of zombies, they used CG instead of actual people, which does take you out of the story (especially since the "real" zombies looked really cool.)

I really liked the beginning of the movie (even though it has been done a million times before.)The problems start after they are saved. When Gerry leaves the ship you almost never get to see his family again. This made them seen really useless. They are also never in real danger so it doesn't seen as though Gerry "needs" to get back to them.

A big plot-point,which I really liked, is that Gerry has to travel all over the world in search for answers. In most of zombie movies the story plays out in a very secluded area or city but not in World War Z. You get to see how different parts of the world are busy coping with the outbreak. There is however also a down-side to him hopping from place to place, they seemed to kinda "rush" each different city.

Finally, I want to speak about the "end" of the movie. I loved the fact that if you pay attention you will see things throughout the movie that make you go, "hmmmm, why did that happen?" and in the end it all ties in, it was unique and an interesting idea.

All in all World War Z was a zombie movie which had the potential to be amazing and had some very interesting ideas, sadly it kinda missed the mark...

Rating: 6/10

The World's End - Movie Review by Insomniac's Cinema

The Worlds End - Review
Insomniac's Cinema

Directed by Edgar Wright
Written by Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg
Starring: Simon Pegg as Gary, Nick Frost as Andy, Martin Freeman as Oliver, Peter Considine as Steven, Eddie Marsan as Peter and Filtch as Basil...

Its seems as though Simon Pegg, Nick Frost and Edgar Wright truly are one of the best movie-making trios in history. The World's End forms the unofficial final chapter in their unofficial Three Flavors Cornetto trilogy (and before you ask, yes, Cornetto as in the ice cream.) The first in the the trilogy was the fantastic zombie extravaganza, Shaun of the Dead (released in 2004) which was adored by critics and viewers alike. The very different Hot Fuzz followed in 2007, it was also beloved by the masses. So now that the trilogy is finished, you have to ask: does the final chapter live up to the expectations set by it's predecessors?

The World's End follows childhood friends Andy, Steven, Peter, Oliver (and his sister Sam) led by the great
Gary King a narcissist who's only priority is to have fun. Garry convinces his friends to return to their home town to try and complete the "Golden Mile": a pub crawl featuring twelve different pubs, The World's End being the last. They tried to undertake the same pub crawl when they were 18 but failed. Gary's life never hit the climax he was hoping for and thinks that completing the Golden Mile, he will feel like he did in his teenage years. As they start the mile (for their second attempt) the night progresses slowly, however it quickly picks up when the group realizes that there is something "off" with the inhabitants of the town. Hilarity and madness ensues as the group fights to complete the mile while fighting which seems to be the actual end of the world...

Nick Frost and Simon Pegg play off each other as well as ever. Something that I really love about the Cornetto trilogy is that in each one their characters and their relationships are completely different and unique. In The World's End Simon character is one of the best he has ever played. One person who I did not like too much was Peter, to me he just seemed uninteresting and unmemorable among all the others.

The World's End was much more science-fiction-y/ horror-y (the same as Shaun of The Dead) which I really liked. It also brought back the feeling of a GROUP of friends trying to survive instead of just two (as in Hot Fuzz.) The World's End also features all the fantastic Cornetto trademarks we have loved from the beginning of the trilogy like the fence-jumping, EXTREME violence and a lot of quick cuts. Everyone really did a fantastic job to once ensure that the whole film was laced with fantastic humor, wit and of course the hilariously depressing ending...

In the end The World's End is a fantastic finale to a flavorful trilogy (hehe, pun intended.) If you loved Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz this is a definite watch and  although this is the end of the Cornetto trilogy, I'm still extremely exited to see what these guys are gonna bring out next!

Rating: 80/100

Tell me in the comments which film in the Cornetto Trilogy is your favorite!

The Conjuring (2013) Review - Insomniac's Cinema

The Conjuring (2013) Review by Insomniac's Cinema

Rating: 78/100

*clap clap*


Did I scare you? No? Well, it works better in  video reviews... Anyway, The Conjuring  is yet another haunted house movie directed by James Wan. Patrick Wilson and Vera Varmiga star as Ed and Lorraine Warren, two demonologists who help families all  around America get rid on the demons haunting them. The film is marketed as "based on a true story" but since this can get slapped on almost any movie these days I  did some research to find out how true this statement was. I was surprised to find that Ed and Lorraine Warren were actual demonologists who were active during the middle to late 1900's (They were some of the first people to investigate The Amitiville Horror house!) I also found out that the Perrons are also based on a real family that was supposedly "haunted."



The Conjuring follows the Perron family (Carolyn, Roger and their five daughters) during 1971 when they are busy moving into a new house. From the first day strange things start to happen (like all the clocks in the house stopping at 3:07 am.) After a night on which Carolyn gets trapped in the basement and their eldest daughter gets attacked by a supernatural being, they decide to contact the Warrens. At first Ed is unsure about taking the case but does give his consent after Lorraine speaks to him. The Warrens then start their investigation but things go farther than they ever anticipated when the haunting starts to affect the Warrens' daughter as well. Now Ed and Lorraine have to fight harder than they ever have to try and save both the families...

Left: The Real Annabelle. Right: Ed and Lorraine Warren

I thought everyone (even the young girls!) did a well enough job acting wise I just wish that the were less of them. I understand that the real Perrons did have five girls in their family, but the problem is that it's almost impossible for the seven Perrons and the two Warrens to be well developed in a two hour long movie. In the end I thought that only Ed, Lorraine and Carolyn were developed at all...

Patrick Wilson and Vera Varmiga as Ed and Lorraine Warren

The same can be said for the demons haunting the Perrons. I know there is one "main" demon, but there are also at least three other ghosts whose stories get cut short or are completely ignored (kind of like all the ghosts in American Horror Story if you know what I mean) Another big problem I had with the demons were that they weren't scary enough (how many times have we seen the dirty, crazy lady in a nightgown or a pale boy in Amish clothes, amirite?) I mean the only thing that gave me a fright was the jump scare in the trailer... If they had kept her appearance hidden longer I think it would've at least made her seem scarier


The director has said that he "modeled the film's cinematography and atmosphere after vintage 1970's horror films" and while I do think this is evident in some fantastic shots I also think it felt a bit forced in other scenes (it's pretty far out, yeah it's groooovy!)  He did however add some really creepy stuff like the whole "hide and clap" game. The part of the movie in which Ed and Lorraine investigate the house was really interesting, I just wish we could see more before the shit hits the fan. Speaking of that, I was kinda dissapointed with the end of the movie, it felt very abrupt and to me it seemed like not all the loose ends were tied up properly. It was however one of the more creepier scenes in the movie...


 
The Conjuring Final Verdict:

So, to sum up The Conjuring is an interesting haunted house movie which told a creepy story but wasn't extremely scary. It was done well even though it didn't bring anything new to the table. I enjoyed it very much but I don't think it's as fantastic as some people are saying. After watching this I am thoroughly exited for Insidious (and even the Curse Of Chucky, thanks to you Annabelle!) 

Rating: 78/100 (Great!)

The Purge Review - The Insomniac's Cinema

The Purge - Horror Movie Review

2013

Synopsis from Rotten Tomatoes - “If on one night every year, you could commit any crime without facing consequences, what would you do? In The Purge, a speculative thriller that follows one family over the course of a single night, four people will be tested to see how far they will go to protect themselves when the vicious outside world breaks into their home. In an America wracked by crime and overcrowded prisons, the government has sanctioned an annual 12-hour period in which any and all criminal activity-including murder-becomes legal. The police can't be called. Hospitals suspend help. It's one night when the citizenry regulates itself without thought of punishment. On this night plagued by violence and an epidemic of crime, one family wrestles with the decision of who they will become when a stranger comes knocking. When an intruder breaks into James Sandin's (Ethan Hawke) gated community during the yearly lockdown, he begins a sequence of events that threatens to tear a family apart. Now, it is up to James, his wife, Mary (Lena Headey), and their kids to make it through the night without turning into the monsters from whom they hide.”

I was really looking forward to The Purge ever since I saw the trailer a few months back. I thought, “Wow, this might be able to join Cabin in the Woods and Sinister as recent Horror movies that were actually good!” Did it? Well, sort of, I mean it’s not like the movie wasn't enjoyable (because it was) but throughout the film there are things that take away form the movie like: stupid decisions made by the characters or topics that aren't explained properly.

The movie stars Ethan Hawke (James) and the fantastic Lena Heady (Mary) as the parents and even though Ethan’s character seems like a really bad dad in the beginning, I still think they did a good job. Lena as the Mary was great, she had some intense scenes and actually showed that she cared for her children. The daughter (Zoey) was fine but her boyfriend did something really stupid that makes no sense at all. The only person that I thought was really horrible was Charlie, the son. He made the more stupid decisions than anyone else in the whole movie and I don’t want to sound mean but could they really not have gotten a better actor who was less dopey-looking to play him? The intruders/invaders were kinda dumb (I cannot imagine that those masks are easy to see through!) but the leader was fantastic and really reminded me of the main psycho from funny games...

The whole Purge was pulled off quite well in my opinion (the opening credits were shocking and really showed what happens during the Purge) but I wish that they gave a bit more backstory about the origin of the Purge and the “new founding fathers”. During the movie there are these news segments shown TV where people discuss why the purge is so successful and I found it really interesting, it made the Purge and the movie’s universe seem more real. I do however think that the pacing was bad at times (especially during the last 15 minutes of the movie) because of this the ending felt very anticlimactic…

All in all, The Purge was an entertaining movie with some stupid moments. If they added more to the story it might have been a lot better. It’s wasn’t fantastic but it wasn’t horrible either: 6/10

***SPOILER TALK***

This doesn’t really form part of  my review but I just want to discuss some of the “stupid moments” I mentioned earlier. Firstly, the neighbours are supposed to hate James and his whole family because he sold them security systems and made a lot of money, because of this they want to kill him? It makes no sense, they bought expensive security systems from him to keep themselves safe(which they don’t even need since they go out to “Purge” the whole night) and then resent him because he got a raise…

The other big issue I had was with Henry (Zoey’s Boyfriend), I understand why he exists but why did he have to try and kill James? Did he really think that Zoey would be completely fine with the fact that he killed her father? And after he tries to shoot James and then gets shot himself it seems like no-one is even surprised that Henry did it.

Also, when the intruders do finally get in the house they all get killed in like 10 minutes, which is understandable since they are all completely incompetent, for example, they failed to kill Charlie (who clearly doesn’t understand the meaning of the word “hide” since he used his flashlight to show his exact position…)  It also bothered me that they two of the intruders were so surprised to find James with a gun moments after he fired a shot (keep in mind they are in the same house!) Ther are more things that I thought were dumb but that's all for now!

***END OF SPOILER TALK***

Thanks for reading! Please remeber to comment and follow my blog!
-The Insomniac's Cinema

The Future of Horror - The Insomniac's Cinema

The Future of Horror

Over the past 80 plus years in which Horror has been a popular genre, it has gone through numerous “eras” where specific aspects of the genre and what make it popular have changed. Like the all the old universal monster movies or all the slasher movies that came out during the 70s-90s... One of the most prominent changes is how brutal the gore in movies has become.

The other day I watched Hostel for the first time without cringing or feeling grossed out even once! I watched a woman’s eyeball getting severed and yellow puss spewing out of her eye-socket without is bothering me at all. I know that Hostel is a torture porn movie which isn’t necessarily supposed to scare you but I can’t help but feel that this says something about the horror genre as a whole.  If you look at any old movies (say Dracula, Psycho etc.) they were considered to be very scary when they came out but today most of us can watch them without even flinching once.  

Considering that we have become so desensitized to the horrors from the past and the present, will we also be to the future horrors?

Maybe future horror movies will become more and more realistic as technology gets better but what will happen when fake gore isn't good enough any more? I think that (in a few hundred years of course) if things get bad enough, socially and politically, we might end up supporting something like the Hunger Games, it’s not like humans have never used real violence as a form of entertainment…

Please remember this isn’t a completely serious post, but just something that I find interesting to think about.  Please tell me what you guys think and what you think the future of Horror will look like!

-The Insomniac’s Cinema

The Haunting (1963) Review - The Insomniac's Cinema

The Haunting
1963
Horror
Robert Wise


In my opinion this can easily be considered to be one of the best haunted house movies ever made. It has everything you want in a this type of film, from the interesting characters to the scary house itself. The film was based on Shirley Jackson's 1959 novel, The Haunting of Hill house and was directed by Robert Wise (who two years later directed The Sound of Music) It stars Julie Harris as Eleanor Lance, a troubled young woman who gets invited by Dr. Markway to join the paranormal investigation into Hill house.

When she arrives at Hill House she meets Theo, Dr Markway and Luke Sanderson and together they embark on their paranormal investigation into Hill House. At First everyone is skeptical until things start to go horribly wrong and they realize that the house is in fact haunted...

Eleanor is an extremely interesting character (and was also portrayed fantastically) At the beginning of the movie she starts off as very naive and innocent (with hints that she does have a dark side) but as the movies progresses, Hill House (and it's spirits) start to change her into something very screwed up. During the film we don't get to know much of Eleanor's background but the things that you do know really make her up to be someone who is capable of doing things that (at first sight) you never thought she would or could do.

Since this movie is a 60's black and white horror film it does contain some overacting and overall cheesiness but in the end the characters still seem realistic and can successfully creep you out(Eleanor's dancing scene anyone?) The sets were also fantastically chosen, Hill House is extremely scary! Even though you don't really see the "ghosts" in the movie they are still very menacing thanks to the way they taunted the characters. (As properly demonstrated in the scene where Eleanor and Theo are trapped in their bedrooms)

The only thing that I would've wanted to see more of were actual paranormal experiments and also to see how the spirits affected the other characters...

All in all The Haunting is a truly fantastic movie and a definite watch for all movie buffs!


...9/ 10...(doors built on an angle)