Fright Night (2011) is a remake of the 1980's cult classic. With Colin Farrell as the charismatic Vampire, and (the late) Anton Yelchin as Charlie, this is a surprisingly funny remake. David Tennant is one of the highlights of the movie.

 

Frigh Night (2011), a review.

    I love this film, and I know it isn't the greatest film ever, but it is so damn enjoyable. I enjoyed the original Fright Night and its sequel growing up, and I was unsure if a remake/reboot would hold up against how I held the originals. This is a better film in many ways. The comedy is more on point, with solid performances from Anton Yelchin and Colin Farell carrying this film. Farell plays the vampire, Jerry, with a slick charm, whilst Yelchin's Charlie is sweet and a little bumbling. David Tennent's Peter Vincent is the best thing about this film, a charlatan with a slick performance but a vulnerability beneath the surface. Imogen Poots plays Amy, but unfortunately, she doesn't get enough time to truly shine, though her performance is solid throughout.

    The premise is a simple one. Jerry moves into the house next door to Charlie and his mom, and it turns out Jerry is a vampire. Charlie gets dragged into this situation reluctantly, unaware of the danger until it is pointed out to him by an estranged friend. Charlie is a young man doing his best to separate himself from his nerdy past, trying to be cool in the hopes that Amy will stay with him. He acts self-assured, but underneath, he remains anxious and geeky. Yelchin does a great job of displaying this in his performance, making Charlie exciting and likeable. His old friend, Ed, blackmails him into helping him look for a missing friend, and Charlie agrees. As the pair search their friend's house, with no sign of anything strange in the place, Ed explains that Jerry is a vampire and that he has proof. The pair bicker, and we see the root of their problem. Charlie wants to outgrow the nerdy things he did, whilst Ed holds onto them, causing resentment. Ed disrespects Amy, and Charlie lashes out before leaving Ed alone. That turns out to be a mistake, as, after an encounter with a bully, Ed runs into Jerry. Fleeing into a house, Ed thinks he is safe until Jerry walks in without pause. After a quick chase, Jerry turns Ed, and the film moves to Charlie.

    Seeing that Ed is missing from class, Charlie goes to his house to look for the proof Ed told him about. And he finds it, seeing that Jerry doesn't show up on camera. Freaked out by this, Charlie goes home. And has an encounter with Jerry, the older man subtly threatening Charlie, saying he should mind his own business. Of course, Charlie can't do that. After seeing his neighbour go into Jerry's house, Charlie calls the cops, and they do nothing. So, determined to find her, he sneaks into Jerry's house. This is where Charlie sees him feed on Dolores. Terrified, he watches, unable to do anything, and after Jerry leaves, Charlie picks the lock to free her. Throughout their escape, Jerry is aware of them, leaving them alone as he knows what will happen once Dolores gets out into the sun. And it isn't pretty. 

    Shaken by this encounter, Charlie begins to unravel a little, looking for any help he can get. That leads him to Peter Vincent, a magician/illusionist who supposedly specialises in Vampire lore. Pretending to be a journalist on his first assignment, Charlie gets an interview with the magician. He is not what Charlie had been expecting, brash, foul-mouthed, and unable/unwilling to help the young man. Dispondent, Charlie returns home, where Jerry decides to make a move. And the whole house goes with it. After a chase and brief scuffle, the family gets away, but Mrs Brewster is hurt and ends up in the hospital. Charlie gets a call and goes to Peter Vincent with Amy at his side. This time Peter tells them of the type of vampire they're up against, how hardy they are, and what it would take just to take one out. Unfortunately, they have been followed. Ed and Jerry turn up, and things turn bloody. They manage to kill Ed but flee from Jerry. Charlie manages to get away, but Amy is taken by Jerry. Determined to get her back, Charlie goes back to Peter. The magician is unwilling to go with him, retelling his own tale of an encounter with a vampire, but gives him a stake blessed by St Michael in the hopes that he can turn Amy back to human.

    Arming up, Charlie goes to the house, leading to a confrontation with Jerry and Amy. With Peter's help, they defeat Jerry and return Amy, and several others, back to being human. Thankfully, this is a happy-ever-after kind of ending. Again, this is a fun film. It doesn't take itself too seriously and does the comedy, horror, and action well. I loved the interactions between Peter and Charlie, and I'm a big fan of David Tennant anyway. Colin Farrell is great as Jerry, managing to walk that fine line between intimidating and charismatic. I give this film a 7 out of 10, though it's closer to an 8 out of 10 for me, and I recommend it to fans of horror/comedy.

Day Shift, a horror comedy featuring Jamie Foxx and Dave Franco. A vampire hunter finds himself in dire straits after killing the wrong vampire. It has its moments, both from a comedic and action angle.

 

Day Shift, a review. 

    I did not expect to enjoy this film as much as I did. I'm a big fan of comedy horror, throw in some decent action, and I'm invested. Jamie Foxx is his usual charming self, a family man who hunts the undead and is pretty good at it. The action is frantically paced, with impacts that feel real, and the vampires are impressively acrobatic and vicious. The relationship between Foxx's Bud and Dave Franco's Seth is one of the highlights, closely followed by Snoop Dogg's Big John. This is primarily a comedy action film with horror elements and has decent world-building, with the premise being built on vampires being a real menace and hunters existing to deal with them.

    Bud is a hunter of vampires and does his best to manage his work with his family. The film opens up with Bud taking on an elderly woman in her house, shooting her moments after she confronts him about being in her home. After impacting the bathroom wall, she gets back up, her face changed, the hole in her torso begins to close, and Bud reloads his shotgun in readiness. What unfolds is a blistering fight between Vampire and Hunter with some awesome sequences, the agility and flexibility of the undead making this a spectacle. Bud wins, taking out a younger vampire with a well-placed silver wire and collecting the fangs. Bud quickly changes, using what is available, as he needs to cover his scent. Returning home, we see him use some powder in the shower, which seems to cause him pain. To his family, Bud runs a pool cleaning service, and his daughter dotes on him. Unfortunately, Bud and his wife are no longer together, and she lets him know she is thinking of moving to Florida and taking Paige with her. Bud is against them leaving, but Jocelyn says they can only stay if Bud can come up with $10,000 by Monday. So, with fangs in hand, Bud goes to see a friend, Troy, to sell the fangs. However, he won't get anywhere near enough to cover these expenses, and the only way to get the money is to go to the Union. 

    The Union is where the majority of vampire hunters work. It is an organisation that specialises in hunting the undead down and buying and selling their fangs. There are caveats with that, and Bud had already been kicked out from the Union before. His only way back in was with help from his friend Big John, played by Snoop Dogg. The Black Cowboy is cool, so cool that every woman wants him, and every hunter wants to be him. Snoop Dogg carries that off well, with his innate charm shining through, even if he says little. However, Ralph is the head of this branch of the Union, and he doesn't like Bud. He agrees to his return as a favour to Big John, but he must have a representative overseeing him. And here we get introduced to Seth. Seth is a bookish character, knowing all the lore but without field experience. Despite a poor initial meeting, they are paired up. Unfortunately for Bud, an Elder vampire, Audrey discovers that her daughter has been killed. Her daughter is the vampire Bud beheaded at the beginning of the film. Audrey is now on the hunt for Bud.

    As the pair set on their first hunt, we see how unprepared for this Seth is, the poor man peeing himself and vomiting after his first run-in with actual vampires. The scene is played for comedy and works well. The pair are an oddball match, but Bud takes well to the younger man after some time. Franco is amusing and sweet as Seth, with a manic energy to him at times. Bud is weathered and cynical but loving and attentive to his daughter and wife, even with their separation. Unbeknownst to the pair, Audrey is closing in on them, and she is powerful, with a workaround developed so she can go out in the sun for short periods. She soon closes in, and we are rushed into a final confrontation that sees Bud, Big John, and a newly turned Seth take on Audrey with help from another vampire.

The film is fast-paced, with a great combination of action and comedy that amuses and captivates in equal measure. There is a great deal of lore scattered throughout, handed out in easy-to-digest pieces of dialogue, enough to get the interest of the viewer but not overwhelm them. The leads do a great job as ever, with Jamie Foxx working well with Franco. I would have liked to have seen a deeper look into the world of the vampires, but what we got was enough to make them interesting. The set piece in the house with the hive of vampires featuring the Nazarian brothers has to be my favourite in the entire film.

I'd give this 6.5 out of 10. It is enjoyable, with great action and more than a few laughs. I'd watch it again, especially on those rainy afternoons when you just want something fun to watch. This an easy recommendation to any fan of action comedy or comedy horror.

Hogfather by Terry Pratchett, a review. One of the best novels by one of the greatest absurdist authors, ever. A feature with my favourite character in the entirety of Discworld, Death himself.

 

Hogfather by Terry Pratchett, a review.

    I've read Pratchett since my teens, and yet it has taken me until now to read Hogfather. How that happened, I have no idea, but thankfully, I finally got around to enjoying this masterpiece of Pratchett's Discworld. Death has always been one of the best characters in this series of books, in fact, I would say it is probably his best-known character overall. Death's outlook on life, his fixation with humanity, and his literal take on many aspects of living are brilliantly done by Pratchett. He took what should be a terrifying character and made him kind and funny with a unique outlook on what occurs around him. In this book, he is very much one of the centralized characters, and it works so well because of the part he plays in the storyline. 

    Hogfather follows the premise of belief. It focuses on how belief can bring things to life, how the belief of so many can empower something beyond what it began as. The story starts out with the assassin Teatime, pronounced 'Teh-ah-tim-eh,' having been hired to kill someone at the behest of Lord Downey of the Assassin's guild.  Teatime is chosen for this task as this kill should be impossible, but Teatime is known for his 'unique' outlook and ability to achieve that which others could not. Pratchett's level of description of his characters has always amazed me. You don't just get what they look like but a deep look into the core of who, and what, they are. The level of insight is staggering, and I haven't read many authors that can replicate this feat with such ease. Pratchett's easy humor and his ability to use absurdism to highlight reflections of the real world makes him an author that can drag the reader into his world and immerses them in it completely. As the story continues we are introduced to Susan, another of the main protagonists, and the normal life she is trying to live. She lives as a governess, chasing away bogeymen and other nasties that only her young charges can see. Susan is not as normal as she would like, and she has to deal with these nasties rather directly, with a poker most often. We learn far more about Susan as the story unfolds and the cause of her unusual nature, something that directly ties her to all that occurs. It is not a spoiler to say that Death is currently masquerading as the Hogfather on Hogswatch eve, though the why is not revealed until later once Susan is thoroughly involved. It is fair to say that the visual is quite amusing, considering the natural slender build of the grim reaper, that and the general lack of flesh. He is going about the business of the Hogfather, giving out presents to children, though his lack of understanding of the particulars of the holiday is amusing. His trusty helper Albert does his best to keep Death steered in the right direction, but the Grim Reaper often does things he probably shouldn't. This leads to several amusing incidents, one that leads to a rather unique use of boots and shooing of a King attempting some late-night Hogswatch charity. As this is all playing out, Teatime has hired some help and is working on completing the contract given to him by Lord Downey. The reader is left somewhat confused about his thinking, but the Assassin has gathered himself a motley crew, and he has a plan. Teatime is a singular character, deadly, focused, and quite possibly insane. If anyone can take out the Fat Man, it is him. As Death's escapades continue and Susan is dragged further into this mystery, events taking stranger and stranger turns. My personal favorite thing in this book is the inclusion of the 'oh god' of Hangovers. He, who suffers the hangovers of the god of Wine. 

    The book is filled with many of the familiar characters that make up Discworld. The Archchancellor and many of the wizards of the Unseen University feature prominently, along with one or two others that fans of Pratchett will recognize. The Unseen University has a special place in my heart, Rincewind was my introduction into this world, and it featured heavily in the first books I dived into. Not to mention that I spent time there in the Discworld PC game, way back in the nineties. I enjoyed how Susan does her best to hold on to her 'normal' life, and yet she delves back further into the other part of her life, that part that she has inherited, in a fashion. Anyone that has read much of Pratchett's work will find it easy to follow his tangents and strange twists. The way the tale, seemingly, wanders, to me, always added so much more to the narrative. It is only as the book moves on, that you realize how each part plays into the overall story, how each part is important, and nothing is without import, no matter how small and inconsequential it may seem. That is the magic of Pratchett's writing, nothing is wasted, nothing is there for the sake of being there. It has always seemed, to me, that even his side characters are full of life. That they possess a degree of agency that some main characters lack in other works of fiction.

    As the story continues, Susan delves deeper into the mystery, eventually solving it. It turns out that things aren't quite as simple as it appears, though dealing with Teatime is not a simple task in itself, and she is forced to deal with the architects of this entire debacle. She does have a little help from her Grandfather, the Death of Rats, and a very talkative Raven throughout. The book does come to a satisfactory conclusion, in my opinion. It is a thorough look at belief and the power it has for good and for ill. Pratchett does a wonderful job of using aspects of comedy to show the absurdity of much of the elements of his work, and so many things ring true of what is said here within this brilliantly written book.

    Hogfather is a brilliant representation of Terry Pratchett's work in general. The man was a genius, and I think it will be many years before we see an author who does this kind of fiction so well. I highly recommend that any fan of fantasy gives this book a read. I would recommend any book by Pratchett, but this is a highlight of his library of work. Pratchett's use of comedy in this book is second-to-none, and his characters come to life on every page.

    This is an easy 5 out of 5. Rarely do I enjoy a book so much, and I find myself eager to delve back into Discworld at the first opportunity. Let me know what you think of this book, and any work of Pratchett's that you would recommend.

    

    

Dog Soldiers. Possibly the most British horror film I have ever seen, has several of my favourite actors in it and some of the best humour around.

 

Dog Soldiers, a review.

    It is, without doubt, one of the best horror comedies around. I will happily argue with anyone who thinks otherwise. The premise is simple. A unit of soldiers against a pack of werewolves. You couldn't go wrong, and the film delivers brilliantly. With great performances from the familiar faces, Sean Pertwee, Liam Cunningham, and Kevin McKidd, the film is well-acted but never takes itself too seriously. Being brought up with the type of humor on show in the film, it hit all the notes for the comedy elements, and I loved the banter that is so familiar having grown up in Britain. 

    The film opens up with a couple camping in Scotland, near Fort William, a heavily wooded area with little else around. During the night they are attacked in their tent and slain rather bloodily by some unseen killer. We then flash to another scene as Corporal Cooper seeks to evade capture as he attempts selection for special operations. Here we are introduced to Liam Cunnigham's Captain Ryan, the man in charge of his selection, as he issues an order that Cooper will refuse to obey. Cooper makes a big mistake and hits Ryan after the Captain heartlessly kills a dog for no reason other than to punish Cooper. This action will play out in the film as it unfolds. We then flash forward to Scotland once more as Cooper's squad is deployed by helicopter. Amid the trees, the squad falls into position, and we are introduced to our protagonists. Here we have Sarge, Spoon, Joe, Cooper, Terry, and Bruce as they take up a position, and the banter begins, Joe rueing that he is out here on exercise as the footy is on. The exercise is against Special Forces, and none of them are happy to be out in the woods, but the Sarge has them soon moving out. Things play out fairly quietly as they move deeper into 'enemy' territory, watched by Captain Ryan. The squad moving as they are expected to by the Special Forces. After a campsite story by Sarge, things begin to speed up as something attacks the Special forces out of the night. Tracking the trail of a dead cow our Squad finds where the cow had been attacked. At that moment, a flare goes up, and they seek out those that sent it up. The squad finds the Special forces camp and a severely wounded Ryan. It looks to be the sight of an attack, and yet they find no sign of what attacked them. The rest of his unit appears to have been taken amid the attack, and some of their fallen guns haven't been fired, which is unusual. The squad exchanges their guns for those around them and sets about treating the injured Ryan, all the time working to get the comms up and working. They discover that their own comms had been bugged and that the other comms are too damaged to work. Within moments we hear the first howl, and they quickly begin a staggered retreat. As they flee this danger, we see no sign of what is attacking them. We get the impression of something moving fast, gunfire loud as they seek to hold them back. Bruce holds the rearguard as they flee, and he meets a grisly end, impaled upon a tree branch as he flees pursuit. Sarge goes back and is slashed open after finding Bruce's remains. We get a glimpse of his attacker as Cooper comes back to save him. These scenes are well shot the forest dark as they flee through at speed, the camera moving quickly as it pursues them. Fortune appears to be with them as they stumble onto a car, piling into it hurriedly. 

    From here, we travel to the house, driven there by the mysterious Megan. This house is where the rest of the film will play out, the squad falling out and securing the place for an upcoming assault. Ryan is seen to be getting better as the squad settles in. Megan and Cooper set about treating Sarge's injuries in a bloody but amusing scene as the rest of the squad move to make the house more defensible. Here we get the idea that they are being hunted by Werewolves, Megan speaking as if she had been expecting some kind of rescue. Cooper is reluctant to believe that their enemies are Werewolves. He continues to operate as if he is facing a normal enemy until the first attack comes. Ryan's improved state has not escaped notice, and we get a verbal confrontation as Cooper questions the superior officer, Ryan avoiding the questions as it escalates to violence. Here we see that his wound has healed, and he is bound to his chair, moments before the Werewolves attack. The action is frantic as they fight to survive, gunfire rapid as they are assaulted from multiple points of ingress. Here we get an iconic scene as Cooper rushes upstairs to Sarge as one of the Werewolves climbs in from the window and looms over the unconscious soldier. After a desperate fight, Cooper and Sarge push back their attackers, Terry is taken as he turns his back on an open window, his screams loud as Megan rushes to the broken window and watches him being pulled into the night. This hits the squad hard, and Cooper struggles with the responsibilities of command now thrust upon him. Again we get more of the backstory as a relationship between Ryan and Megan is revealed, the bound Ryan's biting comments winding up those around him. Again the dialogue is witty and keeps your attention in the lulls between action, each part important to the overall story. A decision is made to make a break for it, with Megan divulging to the group that there is another car in the barn. At this point, Joe is eager to make the move for the car, mostly to get him away from Ryan and his constant mockery. They just need a diversion. I always enjoy this scene as Joe books it for the barn and Spoon shouts out a challenge to the wolves, flare held defiantly. Things, of course, do not turn out well. Joe makes it to the barn in time to watch Terry die and barely escapes in the car. The animatronics on the werewolves is done well, and the use of blood and gore is not overdone. It is done well considering the age of the film and the use of practical effects rather than CGI. Unfortunately for Joe, another werewolf is in the back of the landrover, and he meets his death with a knife in hand.

    The events leave them suitably demoralized, and we get more hints to the background of the werewolves as another interrogation of Ryan begins. The scene plays out well, as Cunnigham is both mocking and manipulative as he works around Cooper's questioning before finally giving them the answers they seek. He explains how this entire situation came about, how he led the team to take a werewolf captive and return it to the research division, how he used Cooper's squad as bait in retaliation for Cooper's strike against him in selection. Sarge and Cooper don't handle this well, and Ryan is knocked to his knees. Here we see him begin his change, infected by the injuries he had taken in the first attack, and I love how everyone reacts with fright to his sudden reemergence from behind the table. Now we know that anyone can be turned if injured by the werewolves, and not solely from a bite. Things escalate further as a desperate attempt is made to take out all the wolves at once, Megan providing the idea that they may all be using the barn as a sort of den. It turns out that this is nothing more than a deception, and she has been one of the pack this entire time. Here on out, it is a fight to survive for our three remaining soldiers. Spoon makes a desperate last stand and does well for the most part, but he is soon brought down and torn to pieces. Sarge and Cooper move from one room to the next as they try to survive until Sarge makes a stand and forces Cooper into the cellar, the change fighting to overtake him. It is fair to say that Sarge goes out with a bang. Here we have a final confrontation between Cooper and Ryan, the werewolf smacking the soldier about before Sam comes to his rescue, the dog attacking the werewolf just long enough for Cooper to find his salvation.

    I have to say that I love the action, the humor, and the interplay that dominates this film. It will remain one that I can happily watch over and again. Pertwee and Cunningham are good in their roles, but this film is dominated by McKidd's Cooper. Thankfully it is carried well, and it flows effortlessly from scene to scene. It is a good mix of humor and horror, and the very Britishness of the film is what makes it work for me. I would highly recommend this film to any horror fan, more so to those that enjoy a splash of humor and easy banter in their films. So if you haven't seen this film yet, what are you waiting for?

      I give this film an easy 5 out of 5. Watch the damned thing! Let me know what you think and what your take is on this blend of comedy and horror.

A look at House on Haunted Hill (1999) and a horror film that is more entertaining than scary.

 

    I have to admit to never seeing the original, and maybe that is a good thing. House on Haunted Hill is a horror, but it comes across as far more as a horror-comedy, largely, I think, due to the performance of the, usually brilliant, Geoffrey Rush. His version of Stephen Price is slick but with an element of ham to it that makes him fun to watch, a constant showman that is manipulating the situation around him to his own ends. This is a haunted house tale in many ways though set in the ever-popular environment of a fallen insane asylum. I am a fan of this particular genre, and the setup here is interesting if a little cliched now. The scene of carnage and the deaths of many patients and their supposed carers, carers under the direction of a crazed doctor. The opening scene leaves little to the imagination and sets up the rest of the film as we are introduced to Stephen Price and his wife. House on Haunted Hill is destined to be the site of her birthday bash this year. We have some hinting at the state of their marriage, and we have the first run-in with some invisible force that manipulates the guestlist Price has created for the party. This hints at what is to come later. Next, we are introduced to the rest of the players in this little drama as the film brings them all to the House on Haunted Hill and awaiting Pritchard. 

   

    We get the custom setup to the lead into the renovated site, Pritchard reluctant to enter, as the rest wander in. There is a standard jump scare, and we have the arrival of the Prices. Again, Geoffrey Rush dominates any scene he is in, it always seems to me that he is thoroughly enjoying his time here. Ali Larter, Famke Janssen, and Taye Diggs all play their parts well as the film though somewhat dialled in at times. The film continues on with the surprise lockdown that catches all by surprise and panics Pritchard. This highlights that there is danger here and that only Pritchard is aware of it. It is evident that he had hoped to avoid this outcome, and now he finds himself trapped alongside this bunch of strangers. As we go, we learn more about this setup, that Evelyn and her husband are at odds, and this scenario has danger beyond just the supernatural. This is very much a film of its time, for those of us that grew up in the '90, it is plain to see the beats coming, and yet it never fails to amuse us. I have to admit that the film isn't great, it would not win awards or go down as a cult classic, but I have always found it an amusing watch. The use of the twisted warren of wards below the main floor is done well, the ruined areas hinting of much misuse and years of abandonment. The growing supernatural presence is upped as the film continues, and the danger to our protagonists escalates at a suitable rate. The imagery at times is somewhat disturbing, though, in comparison to later films could be considered tame now. The twist with Evelyn and then Price is interesting, and it leads to our final act of the film, the evil contained within finally set free.

    I enjoyed the relationship that is developed between Diggs and Larter, and I enjoyed Pritchard somewhat. Janssen is underused, in my opinion, but Rush steals every scene he is in. The climax finds the evil within the house after those still alive, and it rapidly builds to their desperate attempt to flee from this madhouse. We have our survivors, and we're left wondering just how they will find their way to safety as we leave them, to say too much would spoil the ending. All in all, the film runs along typical tracks for a film of its type, it is average at best, but it has become one that I can watch over again in comfort. I have seen far worse films, films that took themselves far more seriously and suffered for it. House on Haunted Hill is a '90s flick that is at best a bit of mindless fun that has a couple of scares that might catch you by surprise, but little else. So, if you've got an hour and a half to kill, give it a watch, you might enjoy it. 

    I'd give the film a 3 out of 5, worth a look if you're bored and need to turn your brain off for a little while. Let me know what you think and what films along this vein you would recommend.