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.

Resident Evil 4: Remake, a review. One of the best games in the series remade and, somehow, improved. A game I spent a silly amount of time playing first time around, and couldn't put it down once I started again.

 

Resident Evil 4: Remake, a review.

    Resident Evil 4 was a masterpiece and still is. The original garnered praise from fans and critics alike and is probably the best game in the series. After the remake of Resident Evil 2, there was hope that more of them would be remade, and four seemed like an obvious choice. They went on to remake Resident Evil 3 and, though it is a beautiful game, was a step back on what had been achieved with Resident Evil 2. There was worry that they would be unable to remake 4 in all its glory. Thankfully, that proved to be an unfounded fear. This is one of the best games they have ever made, an improvement on the original in many ways. With the recent release of mercenaries mode, the gaming experience has expanded and proven to be a great addition to the single-player experience.

    Opening up six years after the events of Raccoon City, Leon has been sent to track down the President's daughter, Ashley Graham, in Spain. It's not a spoiler to say that things don't start well for our hero and inevitably get worse for him. The game's story stays close to the original, with minor alterations, a missing boss, and changes to some level designs. The gameplay and graphics have been updated, and it now plays like any modern title. And speaking of the graphics, this game is beautifully made, and even on my near potato of a desktop, it runs brilliantly. I experienced no issues with the game, no bugs or stuttering that has become commonplace in recent releases. There have been several changes to the gameplay, with the use of the knife now a vital part of your playthrough. A well-placed parry can keep you alive, staggering your attacker and leaving them open to a melee counter. Thankfully the shooting is fluid, and the ability to actually move whilst aiming makes it easier than I remember. All the guns return from the original, though some of their specs have changed, and there are different ways to find or unlock them now. The merchant returns with his familiar catchphrase still in use and proves as handy as ever. The most obvious change comes with how Ashley now plays. No longer the pain that made the game frustrating in some sections. She feels like a real character now, with decent voice acting and better writing. Leon remains his witty self, with many of his one-liners still in place. The voice actor is the same as the Resident Evil 2 remake, and though I prefer Matt Mercer's version, he does a great job. Some characters have had redesigns and have improved on what was done in the original. In most ways, the game is a significant improvement on the game released in 2005. The bosses remain a highlight of this game, with Salazar and Sadler being chief among them. I would have preferred they kept in some of the previous dialogue between them and Leon, but that is a nitpick on my behalf. There have been complaints about the new voice actor for Ada, but I saw no issue with her performance.

    I have sunk many hours into the game, though I lack the skill to become one of the many speedrunners posting videos on youtube. I loved the game the first time, and I feel the same about this version. It is instantly replayable with a new game plus, using all you have unlocked in your first playthrough. This was one of the best things about it the first time around. And with them adding Mercenaries mode back, there is more fun to be had. And we will be getting Ada's campaign at some point which was a great highlight of the initial release. Replayable has remained a core element of this entry.

    This game is easily 10 out of 10, and I recommend it to any gamer, not just fans of the original. This is a great game that hints at the next entry in the series heading for a similar remake, which is something I look forward to. I hope that they continue the series after Village, taking lessons from the process of making these remakes. With recent successes, it appears that they have hit on a winning formula. Though 3 was a bit of a disappointment by comparison. I will continue to enjoy playing this entry, racking up more game time, and hoping that Resident Evil 5 is in development.

    

Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City, a review. What did I just watch and what's with all the character assassination in this film? How can all the previous films be so much better than this?

 

Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City, a review.

    Having just played through the remake of Resident Evil 4, I was feeling nostalgic for the Resident Evil universe. I wanted to look at this film and see what it brought to the table. Having thought the Mila Jovovich films were fun but not linked to the games remotely, I wondered if this closer adaptation would be any good. Unfortunately, it falls short. That's not to say there aren't good moments in there, but it feels like a poor copy of richer material. Now the game is over twenty years old, and there is room for a reinterpretation, but they fail to hold true to what makes some of these characters interesting and even change their backstories to fit this new narrative. Of course, this is my opinion and not something that may bother others. In all aspects, this film takes itself more seriously than the previous entries but lacks the entertainment value that at least made them fun.

    

    This is a retelling of the story from Resident Evil one and two, with the main protagonists from both games here. There are set pieces used directly from the games along with characters. Now some people had issues with the castings for some of the characters, most noticeable Leon, as he now looks nothing like the character, but I had no issue with that. My issue is more about the change in his character, how he interacts with the world, and the person he is. And Leon is just one of the several that has been changed into a poor copy of the game character. Leon is a bumbling, heavy-drinking idiot, Wesker is a dumb arse, and even Jill is changed to more of a cocky, arrogant individual. Not film ruining, but it takes something away from what I enjoyed about them originally. Wesker was intelligent, manipulative, and in on the whole thing. Here, he is nothing more than a mercenary for hire and something of an idiot. They've thrown in a poor attempt at a love triangle between Wesker, Jill, and Chris, which goes nowhere. I don't mind the changes with Claire, as she is more of a badass here, but the backstory changes for her and Chris seem a bit forced and contrived. Chris and Claire were raised in the orphanage in Raccoon City, where Dr William Birkin worked. This orphanage was sponsored by Umbrella, and we can assume that some bad things were done here. It turns out that Claire ran away whilst Chris stayed, with Dr Birkin becoming something akin to a father figure. There is tension between the siblings, with Claire not speaking to Chris in five years. And Raccoon city is no longer a city. At least that's how it looks when panned out, looking more like a desolate town than a city.

    So we get to Racoon city and see that people are showing signs of illness, often blood running from their eyes. Claire is back because of what she believes Umbrella has done to their home, and Chris is a member of Stars, a separate branch of the police force. We get the ream going to Spencer manor whilst the events at the police station unfold. If you have played the games, then you know how things will play out. There are a few minor tweaks, but it follows how the games played out, though Leon is just about useless and would die without Claire. The other team splits up in the mansion, and things quickly devolve into a fight for their lives, with several of them dying. There are some decent action sequences here, but they are all too brief. Things quickly spiral, with hordes of the infected after the Stars members and Leon and Claire. It becomes a desperate struggle to find a way free of it, and we get the Birkin family attempting to flee with a quick detour to retrieve some of the doctor's work. It turns out that Wesker is after the same thing, phials of the G-virus. This confrontation doesn't go well, leading to the deaths of the adult Birkins and Wesker. Unfortunately, William managed to inject himself with the G-virus before being shot. And he begins to mutate as the others flee. We inevitably race towards the ending, with Birkin continuing to mutate and Claire reuniting with her brother. All of this before the end boss battle. It is like the game in many ways, with Leon finally being useful and putting down the devolved Birkin.

    This film could have been so much better. If you're going to stick to the original story and characters, then stick to them. The changes to the characters were cringe-worthy, turning Leon into a complete idiot and the others nothing more than caricatures. The action was okay, but there wasn't a lot of it. It's an okay watch if you've got nothing else to do on a rainy day and want to turn your brain off. I'd give this a 4 out of 10, a below-average film that had the potential to be much better.

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre from Netflix. A modernisation/soft reboot of the original films. A horror film that could have done with more time to bake and some stronger writing.

 

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2022) from Netflix, a review.

    I had heard through the grapevine that this film was pretty poor. And being a sucker for pain decided that it couldn't be that bad, considering that it is hard to make a slasher in this vein. I was to be surprised, and not in a good way. I have watched countless horror films over the years, it is one of my favourite genres, and there have been some terrible films in that number. There have been many great films in that collection, and some have been soft reboots of existing franchises. This is not counted among that number. I have no idea who came up with the idea to make this akin to the new Halloween films, but they missed the mark with the execution. This film is terrible on several levels, it could have been better if the writing had been better, and maybe they had seen other horror films where such premises have worked.

    The film opens up with a retelling of the original. The story reflects real-life events in this world, binding this story as a continuation of those earlier events. Within the store, we see memorabilia of the killings within the first film, a picture of those killed by leather-face, and many newspaper cuttings. Of course, the main protagonist asks if this is real, if the killer was ever found, and what happened to the one that got away from the killer. We discover that she became a Texas Ranger and spent her entire life trying to hunt him down, but as she never saw his face, it was an impossible task. We are introduced to the rest of the group as they leave the store. Melody and her sister Lila are travelling with Dante and Ruth. They are travelling to the town of Harlow that they now own. They are here to gentrify the area and bring new life to Harlow. This is meant to show the characters as good people with grand ideas. Unfortunately, they are not written that way. Melody comes across as judgemental and opinionated, with little insight into other people. Lila isn't too bad, but she is played as the cliche teenager with damage from a harrowing event. Dante is the guy looking to create something new and innovative but is short-tempered and selfish. And poor Ruth doesn't have much time to flesh out her character. Upon reaching the town, we quickly move to the inciting incident. An incident that could have been completely avoided if these people weren't complete morons. The start of the incident begins with Dante spotting a flag, a Confederate flag. It looks ancient, tattered, and dirty, probably hung there for fifty years. Dante is angered by the sight of it, viewing it as a threat to the likelihood of a sale from the incoming investors. Of course, they rush into the house, Dante seeking to pull the flag down while Melody wanders the house aimlessly. The house is not empty. Melody bumps into the woman that lives there, old, frail, and confused about why people are in her home. Things quickly go wrong, the local sheriff turns up, and the old woman becomes sick. Her son comes to help her, and she is taken away in an ambulance, son in tow. Ruth volunteers to go with her, and Dante concentrates on the arriving investors. Inevitably, she dies before she can receive help, and the son turns violent. We, as viewers, know that he is Leatherface, and we are aware of what is about to happen. 

    Now the killings begin, and we have a sixty-year-old man breaking bones like he's the Rock. He breaks the deputy's arm like it is a stick. Then stabs him in the neck with the protruding bone. The driver gets shot in the neck, and they crash, predictably. Things only get worse from there for those in his path. The killings are boring and depend on the characters being stupid. They also seem to be cursed to be unable to pull a damn trigger when it counts. I counted half a dozen times this film could have ended sooner if people acted like people and not walking cliches. The subplot with the last survivor of the first film doesn't go anywhere, is a waste of time, and could have been left out and made no difference to the story. The film is hurt more by the fact none of these characters is likeable. I didn't root for them when the chips were down. In fact, I rooted for more than one to get killed. Leatherface was a more sympathetic character at times, minus the mass murder, of course. Lila has some redeeming features but hardly any real screen time, and we never flesh her out enough to be believable. The ending is predictable and rather dumb, in my opinion.

    Overall, I would give this film a 3 out of 10. Avoid it if you can, but if you're curious, be aware that it will do little to entertain. There are better options out there, watching paint dry might just be one. Let me know if you have any recommendations for what to watch next. Until next time, folks.

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.