Tag Archives: Saturday is Horror Day

Saturday is Horror Day #170 – The Tunnel

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Reviewer: Julie Lynn Hayes

The Tunnel


While searching for a solution to the problem of water shortage, suggestions have been made regarding a vast network of tunnels beneath the existing Sidney infrastructure. There are a lot of homeless people in those tunnels, however, and the government is reluctant to discuss the situation in any way or provide an explanation as to why the proposed project cannot move forward. Unwilling to take no for an answer, a team of investigative journalists decided to head down under and see for themselves what the government doesn’t want anyone to see. The group includes Natasha Warner (Bel Delia), Peter Ferguson (Andy Rodoreda), Steve Miller (Steve Davis) and ‘Tangles’ Williams (Luke Arnold). They lie their way past security and proceed into the tunnel. 

Before they are through, they will regret going down there.

Though claiming to be a found footage film, I don’t think this really fits the definition, as it is actually a 


movie that is made regarding what happened and it includes interview footage of the survivors as well as the footage they brought back. In a true found footage film, the filmmakers don’t survive, which is why the footage is just found after the fact.

That being said, The Tunnel is about a group of journalists determined to get to the bottom of a story, despite being told that homeless people have been reported going missing. That phrase alone would give me pause, but not these hardy members of the press. Also, once they elude security, then no one knows they are down there, another red flag. The first half is fairly slow with the survivors giving their version of events in a matter-of-fact way.  The journalists run across a massive bell, and what else to do but strike it, which they do of course. Another red flag. The element of surprise was just lost at that point, assuming they might have to sneak up on someone committing nefarious goings on. When one of them goes missing, and they run across his flashlight and fresh blood… well, that would be my cue to leave the premises immediately.

 

The action is to little and too late. By then I was fairly bored. And honestly, I never came to care about any of them, a fatal flaw in a horror movie if you find yourself rooting for the monsters. Which isn’t to say I won’t check out the sequel and remain optimistic. This wasn’t the worst film I’ve ever seen, just not the most interesting. I’ll give this film 2.5 Stars.

Saturday is Horror Day #169 – The Girl in the Basement

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Julie Lynn Hayes

The Girl in the Basement


Like most teenagers, Sarah (Stefanie Scott) wants to do the things she wants to do. But that’s hard to do when your father is as strict and domineering as her father Don (Judd Nelson) is. Defying him, she slips out of the house to meet her boyfriend Chris (Jake Etheridge) to go to a party together. However, her father is waiting for her when she returns and he is angry. One day he overhears Sarah talking to her mother Irene (Joely Fisher) and her sister Amy (Emily Topper) about how she  plans to leave as soon as she turns 18, get out from under her father’s controlling thumb. Don realizes he needs to act fast.

In basement, hidden behind a bookcase, is an old bomb shelter built by a previous owner. While Amy is  off at college and Irene at the store, he tricks Sarah into going down to the basement under the pretext of helping him to carry something. She is surprised to see the bomb shelter but enters it nonetheless – big mistake. Don locks her in immediately and life as she has known it is now over.

 

The Girl in the Basement is based on a real life horror story that happened in Germany. Josef Fritzl locked up his daughter Elisabeth, whom he had been molesting since about the age of 11, and held her hostage for 24 years. She bore him 7 children, one of whom died, three she raised in the basement, and 3 he “found” on the doorstep, claiming Elisabeth had left them there. The movie is pretty accurate on the basic details and it is horrifying. Judd Nelson plays a darker character than any I’ve ever seen him play.  The really horrifying thing is that this is probably far from being an isolated incident. 

 


The movie itself will keep you watching with horrified wonder, asking yourself how low can he go? The answer is pretty low. It was once a Lifetime movie and as such you can still see the cuts for the commercial breaks. I’ll give this film 3.5 Stars.

Saturday is Horror Day #168 – Talk to Me

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Reviewer: Julie Lynn Hayes

Talk to Me


Mia (Sophie Wilde) hasn’t had it easy, especially since the death of her mother. But luckily she has the love and support of her friend Jayden’s (Jayden Davison) family to fall back on, including her little brother Riley (Joe Bird) and her mother Fiona (Sarah Brokensha). And oddly enough, Mia’s ex, Daniel (Otis Dhanji) is now dating Jayden, but he and Mia have stayed good friends.

 

 

Some of the kids at their school have gotten into something new. Instead of using a Ouija board to speak with the dead, they use a hand. The person whose turn it is to invoke said spirits, sits in the center, and grips the hand before chanting “Talk to me”. When they can see a spirit that no one else can see they invite them to come into them, and the rest sit back and watch what develops.

 

One night, Mia and Jayden go to one such party, and Riley blackmails his way in as well. Mia volunteers to go first with the hand, and has quite the experience. Then the other want their turns and they have a ball. But when Riley wants a go, Jayden puts her foot down, no matter how much he begs. However, when she has her back turned for a few minutes, Riley gets his way, and the results are not pretty. Mia is blamed for allowing him to be in this position. To make matters worse, she has begun to see her dead mum. She feels obligated to save Riley before he can become permanently ensnared as a torture victim by those on the other side forever.

 

I read a few reviews that complained that the movie wasn’t scary, maybe because of a lack of jump scares. But I have to disagree. I think it’s scary because it’s more realistic. The teenagers are typical in that they are focused on their own desires and what they want to do and don’t ever really consider the consequences of their actions; Typical teens, they feel immortal and act accordingly. I saw Mia as being a tragic character from the beginning, because of what she has gone through, and because of that, I think she is more vulnerable to what happens. There is a scene at the beginning, when she picks up Riley because Jayden forgot, that showcases what a sensitive person she is.

I liked the unusual premise, and watching Mia struggle with what she has inadvertently done. You never know if what she sees is real or if her own overwrought mind is playing tricks on her and us. I think it’s definitely worth watching. I’ll give this film 4 Stars.

 

Saturday is Horror Day #167 – The Elevator Game, The Toolbox Murders (1978)

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Reviewer: Julie Lynn Hayes

The Elevator Game


A young girl disappears after she attempts to play an internet game known as The Elevator Game.  Her brother vows to find her, refusing to give up, even if it appears that the police and his own parents have done just done. A group of high school graduates have an internet series that explores and debunks various urban myths and legends. But the series isn’t doing well, and the sponsor is breathing down their neck. They bring on an intern, Ryan (Gino Anania) but he doesn’t exactly receive a warm welcome, especially from the host of the series, Kris (Alex (Carlos).

The sponsor demands they upload something the next day, so Kevin (Liam Stewart-Kanigan) asks for ideas. Ryan suggests the Elevator Game, since it doesn’t require a budget, and the building where it originally took place is nearby. Kris is skeptical, but there are no better ideas, so off they go.

 

There is a set of rules that must be followed, after which they will supposedly see the “Fifth Floor Woman”. But if the rules are not followed exactly, she will tear you apart. So they enter the building and begin their quest to find this woman, and see the supposed Red World she comes from. But nothing happens, and half their footage is lost through a technicality, so they decide to call it a night. But the night is actually just beginning…

 

I thought this wasn’t a half-bad horror movie, and I thought it was worth watching. Granted, there is no explanation of the Red World, and the Fifth Floor Woman, but perhaps a sequel is in the works that will be more forthcoming. That being said, it’s far from perfect, although the actors did a good job. My biggest complain is that the actor playing Kris was too over the top, and not in a good way. And judging by what I saw of their web series, I would never watch it. But then again, it’s not real. I think you’ll enjoy it, for the most part. I’ll give this film 3 Stars.

The Toolbox Murders (1978)


Terror abounds in an apartment complex when a masked man with a toolbox murders women with his tools.

To put it bluntly, this was one terrible movie, which is why I didn’t even finish it, and it’s only an hour and a half long. Cameron Mitchell plays the apartment manager, who is not happy about the murders and is baffled at how someone is securing entrance. He played brother Buck on the High Chaparral.  Tim Donnelly plays a detective on the case. You might remember him as Chet from Emergency. Pamelyn Ferdin plays a teenage who is abducted, and her brother, played by Wesley Eure is more worried about her than their mother, played by Aneta Corsaut, who played Andy’ girlfriend Helen in the Andy Griffith Show. Pamelyn was a child actress with a number of credits.

That being said, the acting was horrible., for the most part, and the writing atrocious. Directing was bad. I realize this was the 70s and films weren’t quite as graphic as they are not, but even so, this as badly done and had horrible timing. The beginning of the film is just a gorefest. From what I read, the rest was a snooze fest. I happen to like Cameron Mitchell, so I’m sorry he felt he had to do this. If you want to see him in something scary, watch his episode of Night Gallery called Green Fingers, along with Elsa Lanchester.

My advice it to avoid this film entirely.

Saturday is Horror Day #166 – The Pyramid

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Reviewer: Julie Lynn Hayes

 The Pyramid


Holden (Denis O’Hare) and Nora (Ashley Hinshaw) are a father/daughter archaeological team who, through the use of technology, have located a previously undiscovered pyramid buried beneath the sand about 250 miles south of Cairo. They get together a team to explore this tomb, meticulously uncovering it. One of the members has borrowed a high tech robot he calls Shorty, from NASA, similar to something they used for the Mars Range Rover. As they open the tomb for the first time, a noxious green gas spews out, killing one man. To make matters worse, unrest in Cairo sees the government telling them to shut down and go home the next day.

The scientists are naturally perturbed and reluctant to leave. But they’d sent Shorty inside and aren’t willing to leave without him, especially as he isn’t theirs. So they decide to go behind the government’s back and enter the tomb anyway. Once inside, they take a page the playbook of Hansen and Gretel, except instead of dropping bread crumbs, they trail a wire, to find their way back. But life happens, the wire is broken, and they find themselves hopelessly lost inside the pyramid.

 

To make matters worse, they discover the pyramid is beset with traps… and possibly with strange creatures, and the members of the team begin to die, one by one. Survival depends for the rest on their ability to navigate out of the pyramid.

 

If you are interested in Egypt or Egyptology in any way, I would not recommend this film. I suspect the writers knew little about ancient Egypt  except what they found in the Cliff notes. I found myself shaking my head a lot. First off, the idea that there is an undiscovered tomb so much older than the others that it had time to be buried is ludicrous. Also, a close-up of the so-called pyramid seemed to not match what we saw later. Nothing was ever explained as to why the unrest in Cairo caused them to be told to leave. Maybe the filmmakers were leaving that for sequels. Luckily, I don’t think there will be any.

The acting wasn’t great, the writing was horrific, the story rather vapid. I found myself rooting for the creatures, to be honest.  The best thing I can say is it’s only an hour and a half. If you are brave enough or forge to turn off the credits and let them run, there is additional footage at the end of those. If you don’t see it, you haven’t missed anything. I like Denis O’Hare, who you might remember from American Horror Story, but even he can’t save this. I’ll give this film 1.5 Stars. I’ve seen worse, but that’s not a flex.

Saturday is Horror Day #165 – Death Line (aka Raw Meat), All About Evil

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Reviewer: Julie Lynn Hayes

Death Line (aka Raw Meat)

People have been going missing in the London tunnels. But it isn’t until Alex (David Ladd) and Patricia (Sharon Gurney) comes across a man in trouble who turns out to be a government official that the situation is taken seriously. They tell the authorities that a man is lying on the steps, maybe dying, but when the police return he is gone.

Inspector Calhourn (Donald Pleasance) is in charge of the case, although he spends more time questioning Alex, as though he’s guilty of something, than searching for anyone. However, he gets more than a little defensive when MI5 tries to step in, after the disappearance of James Manfred OBE (James Cossins), in the form of  Stratton-Villiers (Christopher Lee0. There is something odd in the tunnels, and it’s looking for trouble.

This film dates back to 1972. It has an unusual and interesting premise, but I didn’t realize what it was

until I read the synopsis.  That premise, though, does seem a little farfetched, although I’m not going to give it away. And although Christopher Lee is given top billing with Donald Pleasance, he only appears in one scene, so it’s actually more of a cameo. Still, watching Donald Pleasance act is always a treat. And if you like bodies and gore, then this is the film for you. Did I find it scary? Not really. I’ll give this film 2.5 Stars, mostly because of Pleasance and Lee.

All About Evil

As a little girl, Debbie Tennis (Mikayla Rosario) was close to her father Walter (Robin Calvert). He encouraged her acting and showcased her at his theater, The Victorian. But life does not always work out the way one wants. Years later, Deborah (Natasha Lyonne) works during the day as a librarian at the local library and by night at the failing theater, along with her projectionist Mr. Twigs (Jack Donner). Steven Thompson (Thomas Dekker) is a high school student who is fascinated with horror and is a devoted fan of the theater and of Deborah. He would love to work there someday, although his mother Linda (Cassandra Peterson) isn’t exactly thrilled with that idea.

Deborah grieves the recent loss of her father. One night, her mother Tammy (Julie Caitlin Brown), who

she is not close to, tries to coerce her into signing the papers that will sell the theater, which they are co-owners of. Deborah refuses, but her mother presses the issue until Deborah snaps and kills her.  Unfortunately, the theater’s cameras caught the whole thing. Even worse, while Mr. Twigs is running an errand, he’s late to return and Deborah, who just killed her mother, has to start the film. She doesn’t know what she is doing, and accidentally screens the footage of her killing her mother. The audience loves it. And so does Mr. Twigs, who catches it upon his return.

And now they have an idea of how to bring the theater back to life, as well as Deborah’s dying film career – snuff films! But no one realizes they are really killing the people in the film!

I actually found this a fun and interesting little film I never heard of before. I know I’ve seen Natasha Lyonne before, but she does play crazy well in this as she gets more and more involved with the killing of people for art’s sake, along with some rather willing accomplices.  She ends up making some short classics, such as The Maiming of the Shrew and The Scarlet Leper. Among the cast, look for Cassandra Peterson as Steven’s mother. In case you don’t know her, she is Elvira, Mistress of the Dark, but in this film, she looks nothing like that (Do look at the poster in Stephen’s room, though, it’s an actual poster of Elvira). I had fun watching this and I would watch it again. I’ll give this film 3.75 Stars. You can catch both of these films on Shudder, as of the date of this post.

Saturday is Horror Day #164 – Titane

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Titane

As a result of a childhood accident, Alexia (Agatha Rousselle) is left with a titanium plate in her head. Fast forward to her adulthood. Alexia is a car model, wearing skimpy clothing and writhing on top of automobiles. She leads a rough life and is clearly unhappy. One night, an encounter with an obsessed fan ends badly. Afterwards, she finds herself in the car she has come to love, having sex – with the car.

Due to her own actions, Alexia has to become someone else to avoid the law. She spots a computer-aged

picture of a missing boy who would be 17 now, and disguises herself as him. She presents herself to the law and the father Vincent (Vincent Lindon) is called. He identifies his “son” Adrien and takes “him” home. Vincent is the captain of a firefighting brigade and they don’t know how to take Adrien. Alexia binds herself to pull off her disguise, including her pregnant belly. But the deception begins to take a toll on her.

This is, without a doubt, a strange film. I was intrigued by what I read was the premise, of a woman having a sexual relationship with a car and getting pregnant, but this is not what I expected. It’s rather dark and violent, and the scenes with Vincent are both tender and sad. He wants to hold on to his “son”, no matter what – including if he isn’t his son. I can’t deny it’s well-made, and the performances are good, but it just didn’t do it for me. And leaves many questions.

I can’t say I recommend it, but I will give it 3 Stars. I wouldn’t watch it again.

Saturday is Horror Day #163 – Late Night With the Devil

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Reviewer: Julie Lynn Hayes

Late Night With the Devil

It’s the 70s, and Jack Delroy (David Dastmalchian) is a late night TV talk show host who is determined to compete against the Tonight Show for ratings. But he never quite succeeds, no matter how hard he tries. He has his own sidekick, Gus (Rhys Auteri), as well as his own band. It’s Halloween, and he has some special guests lined up for the occasion, including a psychic Christou (Fayssal Bazzi), a woman who wrote a book about conversations with the devil, June Ross-Mitchell (Laura Gordon) and the girl who is the subject of her book, Lilly (Ingrid Torelli) as well as skeptic Carmichael Haig (Ian Bliss). Christou seems fraudulent at first, fumbling with his “psychic” impressions, until he hits on one that resonates with the host. Mysterious afflicted suddenly, Christou is rushed to the hospital, to everyone’s horror.

Lilly comes off as very bratty and an attention-seeker. Haig has an ongoing offer to anyone who can prove

the existence of the supernatural. When the audience clamors to see June bring out the so-called entity inside of Lilly, the one she calls Mr. Wriggles, she reluctantly agrees. And then things get even darker…

When I saw the trailer for this film, I admit I was intrigued and couldn’t wait to see it, hoping I wasn’t seeing all the best scenes. I was not disappointed. This is rather unique in horror films, and very entertaining. It captures the feel of late night talk shows from the 70s, and David Dastmalchian does a great job as the main protagonist. Everyone does well, including the Ed McMahon-like sidekick, Gus, who tries to warn Jack not to meddle with things, that he is in over his head. It’s well-written and well-acted and directed, and leaves you in suspense as to what is going to happen.  I haven’t touched on everything in the film, because I don’t want to give spoilers. I highly recommend this film and I’ll give it 4.25 Stars

Saturday is Horror Day #162 – The Endless

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Reviewer: Julie Lynn Hayes

The Endless

Aaron (Aaron Moorhead) and Justin (Justin Benson) are brothers who  once lived at Camp Arcadia. Aaron remembers the group as a friendly commune while Justin thinks they were a UFO death cult Now, a mysterious video tape arrives in the mail and they decide to return. Not knowing what to expect,  they head to the backwoods of San Diego and  are pleasantly surprised to see that they are remembered and welcome back. 

 

But are things the same? There are some strange activities going on here, including a nightly tug-of-war against a rope that ascends into the night sky. Who or what is holding it? Justin has the disturbing feeling that someone is watching him and photographs seem to drop mysteriously from the sky. How can there be two moons? It’s explained as an atmospheric phenomenon – two moons bring the truth and three moons signify the ascension, which was Justin’s fear to begin with.

 

Even more disturbing is that some people seem to be stuck in time loops, mostly repeated violent 

deaths. Justin is told once the third moon rises he will be trapped there. He has to get his brother and get out… now!

I found this low-budget sci fi/horror film rather interesting and  innovative, with ideas I’ve not seen explored before. There was a definite creepiness factor that left me wondering what was happening. I think if I were there, I’d want to run too. Interesting fact – the actors who play the brothers are also the directors/writers.  I would watch this one again, definitely worth a watch. I’ll give this film 3.75 Stars.

Saturday is Horror Day #161 – Victor Frankenstein

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Reviewer: Julie Lynn Hayes

Victor Frankenstein

A young hunchbacked man with no name (Daniel Radcliffe) works for a circus in Victorian England. Although he is abused, and treated like he’s stupid, he secretly studies the subject that interests him – life – in the form of medical books. And he crushes on one of the ladies in the circus, Lorelei (Jessica Brown Findlay). An accident brings him face to face with a medical student in the audience, Victor Frankenstein (James McAvoy), who recognizes the young man’s brilliance and steals him away from the circus. He takes him to his new home, names him Igor, and proceeds to involve him in his experiments, which involve the creation of life itself. Unfortunately for them, a determined policeman, Inspector Turpin (Andrew Scott) is on the case of the missing hunchback and will stop at nothing to find him.

This is the familiar tale of Frankenstein as seen through the eyes of Igor (who, of course, is a completely

original character not from the book). I think it can be considered an origin story as such.  The obsessed Frankenstein manages to find a like-minded patron at the college he somewhat attends, one who is fortunately very wealthy and willing to fund Victor’s research. Having been transformed from being a hunchback, Igor is very grateful for Victor and his friendship. But he begins to wonder about the ethics of what they are doing. Also, who is this Igor he is named after, and where is he?

The film is very creative in sets and design, the writing and directing are good, but, at least for me, it didn’t quite make it. Something fell just a little flat, although I’m not sure I can put my finger on what. Perhaps it didn’t quite make me believe, didn’t ground me in its reality. While Daniel Radcliffe is good as Igor, his transition from supposed circus idiot to brilliant biologist was a little too quick to be really believable. McAvoy’s Frankenstein is a little two-dimensional, and reveals nothing of the person beneath until we get to the story of his brother at the end, and that’s just too little too late. Andrew Scott’s Inspector Turpin (sorry, I keep wanting to say Moriarity lol) is sufficiently obsessed and off his rocker  as well as being a religious fanatic who thinks they are doing the work of Satan, but he doesn’t ring quite true to me.

At what I believe to be the heart of this story is the question of science vs morality – just because we know how to do it, should we? Or are there things that are better left alone, such as the creation of life? Of course, there is no definitive answer as this is the lead-in to the Frankenstein story itself, which explores that theme as well.  Was it worth watching. Yes, but it wasn’t quite the film I had hoped for, despite a great cast. I’ll give this film 3.5 Stars.