The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 1974

IMDb
Five friends visiting their grandfather's house in the country are hunted and terrorized by a chain-saw wielding killer and his family of grave-robbing cannibals.


RogerEbert
Now here’s a grisly little item. “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” is as violent and gruesome and blood-soaked as the title promises -- a real Grand Guignol of a movie. It’s also without any apparent purpose, unless the creation of disgust and fright is a purpose. And yet in its own way, the movie is some kind of weird, off-the-wall achievement. I can’t imagine why anyone would want to make a movie like this, and yet it’s well-made, well-acted, and all too effective.

The movie’s based on factual material, according to the narration that opens it. For all I know, that’s true, although I can’t recall having heard of these particular crimes, and the distributor provides no documentation. Not that it matters. A true crime movie like Richard Brooks’ “In Cold Blood,” which studies the personalities and compulsions of two killers, dealt directly with documented material and was all the more effective for that. But “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” could have been made up from whole cloth without any apparent difference. No motivation, no background, no speculation on causes is evident anywhere in the film. It’s simply an exercise in terror.

It takes place in an isolated area of Texas, which five young people (one of them in a wheelchair) are driving through in their camper van. They pick up a weirdo hitchhiker who carries his charms and magic potions around his neck and who giggles insanely while he cuts himself on the hand and then slices at the paraplegic. They get rid of him, so they think.

But then they take a side trip to a haunted-looking old house, which some of them had been raised in. The two girls laugh as they clamber through the litter on the floor, but one of the guys notices some strange totems and charms which should give him warning. They don’t. He and his girlfriend set off for the old swimming hole, find it dried up, and then see a farmhouse nearby. The guy goes to ask about borrowing some gasoline and disappears inside.

His girl gets tired of waiting for him, knocks on the door, and disappears inside, too. A lot of people are going to be disappearing into this house, and its insides are a masterpiece of set decoration and the creation of mood. We see the innocent victims being clubbed on the hand, hung from meat hooks, and gone after with the chain saw.

We see rooms full of strange altars made from human bones, and rooms filled with chicken feathers and charms and weird relics. And gradually we realize that the house is inhabited by a demented family of retarded murderers and grave robbers. When they get fresh victims, they carve them up with great delight. What they do with the bodies is a little obscure, but, uh, they run a barbecue stand down by the road.

One way or another, all the kids get killed by the maniac waving the chain saw -- except one girl, who undergoes a night of panic and torture, who escapes not once but twice, who leaps through no fewer than two windows, and who screams endlessly. All of this material, as you can imagine, is scary and unpalatable. But the movie is good technically and with its special effects, and we have to give it grudging admiration on that level, despite all the waving of the chain saw.

There is, for example, an effective montage of quick cuts of the last girl’s screaming face and popping eyeballs. There are bizarrely effective performances by the demented family (one of them, of course, turns out to be the hitchhiker, and Grandfather looks like Dustin Hoffman in “Little Big Man”). What we’re left with, though, is an effective production in the service of an unnecessary movie.

Horror and exploitation films almost always turn a profit if they’re brought in at the right price. So they provide a good starting place for ambitious would-be filmmakers who can’t get more conventional projects off the ground. “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” belongs in a select company (with “Night of the Living Dead” and “Last House on the Left”) of films that are really a lot better than the genre requires. Not, however, that you’d necessarily enjoy seeing it.

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Panic Room

IMDB
A divorced woman and her diabetic daughter take refuge in their newly-purchased house's safe room, when three men break-in, searching for a missing fortune



RogerEbert
As a critic I indulge myself by scoffing at loopholes in thrillers that could not exist without them. I guess I'm seeking the ideal of a thriller existing entirely in a world of physical and psychological plausibility. "Panic Room" is about as close as I'm likely to get. Yes, there are moments when I want to shout advice at the screen, but just as often the characters are ahead of me. They also ask the same questions I'm asking, of which the most heartfelt, in a thriller, is "why didn't we do that?" The movie, directed by David Fincherand written by David Koepp, embraces realism almost as a challenge. The movie resembles a chess game; the board and all of the pieces are in full view, both sides know the rules, and the winner will simply be the better strategist. Once we sense "Panic Room" isn't going to cheat, it gathers in tension, because the characters are operating out of their own resources, and that makes them the players, not the pawns.

Jodie Foster and Forest Whitaker star as the chessmasters. She's Meg, a rich woman, recently divorced, who is spending her first night in a big Manhattan brownstone with her teenage daughter, Sarah (Kristen Stewart). He's Burnham, a home invader lured by tales of millions hidden in the house by its former owner. The house includes a "panic room" on the third of four stories--a reinforced retreat with independent supplies of air, electricity and water, which can be locked indefinitely to keep the occupants safe. Burnham's day job: "I spent the last 12 years of my life building rooms like this specifically to keep out people like us." He's talking to his partners Junior (Jared Leto) and Raoul (Dwight Yoakam). Junior brought Burnham and Raoul onto the job, and Burnham hates it that Raoul brought along a gun. Their plan is to get in, find the money, and get out. According to Junior's information, the house is empty. It is not, and soon Meg and Sarah are locked in the safe room, the three men are outside, and it looks like a stalemate except that neither side can afford to concede.

We already know the layout of the house. We got the tour when the real-estate agent showed the women through the rooms, and again in a vertiginous shot that begins in the upstairs bedroom, swoops down two floors, zooms into the keyhole, pulls back, and careens upstairs again. The shot combines physical and virtual camera moves, a reminder that Fincher ("Seven," "The Game," "Fight Club") is a visual virtuoso. He's also a master of psychological gamesmanship, and most of the movie will bypass fancy camerawork for classical intercutting between the cats and the mice (who sometimes trade sides of the board).

I have deliberately not described much of the strategy itself. That would be cheating. Once you know what everyone wants and how the safe room works, the plot should be allowed to simply unfold. There is a neat twist in the fund of knowledge about the room; Burnham, who builds them, knows a lot more about how they work, their strengths and limitations, than Meg and Sarah, who start out basically knowing only how to run inside and lock the door.

The role of Meg was originally filled by Nicole Kidman. I learn from Variety that she had to drop out after a knee injury and was replaced by Foster. I have no idea if Foster is better or worse than Kidman would have been. I only know she is spellbinding. She has the gutsy, brainy resilience of a stubborn scrapper, and when all other resources fail her she can still think fast--and obliquely, like a chessmaster hiding one line of attack inside another.

The intruders are ill-matched, which is the idea. Burnham has the knowledge, Junior has the plan, and Raoul has the gun. Once they are all inside the house and know the plan, therefore, Junior is not entirely necessary, unless the others are positively determined to split the loot three ways. On the other hand, Burnham hates violence, and Raoul is such a wild card he may shoot himself in the foot.

The end game in chess, for the student of the sport, is its most intriguing aspect. The loss of pieces has destroyed the initial symmetry and created a skewed board--unfamiliar terrain in which specialized pieces are required to do jobs for which they were not designed. There is less clutter; strategy must run deeper because there are fewer alternative lines. Sacrifices may be brilliant, or they may be blunders, or only apparent blunders. Every additional move limits the options, and the prospect of defeat, swift and unforeseen, hangs over the board. That is exactly the way "Panic Room" unfolds, right down to the detail that even at the end the same rules apply, and all the choices that were made earlier limit the choices that can be made now.

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Fear the Forrest

IMDb

Is it a legend, or a myth??? The one question has plagued mankind throughout the ages has always remained, but finally comes to unfold here in a new chilling Thriller. The Native American Indians thought it was fact... they respected, feared it and Believed to be a GOD. Ten Years ago, there was a "Ghost-like something" seen killing people in the dark unforgiving woods as people were culled away one by one and some never to be found. What really happened? This year reports have surfaced that it was all just a "Hoax"... But a local philanthropist believes different and puts a $2.5 Million Dollar Bounty on this "Beast" in the woods and a team of expert hunters go out looking for the "Silent Killer." But now years later it was never to be found and they dismissed it as an unsolved mystery! When BARBARA SANDERS and her free spirited college friends venture off into the deep woods of the Northeastern Valley Mountains to look for this so called legend and for a weekend retreat, their camping and canoeing trip fun turns into FEAR in the FOREST and a dangerous roller coaster adventure ride when they each encounter the unspeakable terror! Now it's a serious struggle against Man Vs Beast in which there can only be one in the end.

- Written by Matthew Bora



HorrorNews

SYNOPSIS:

After a group of youths going missing in the northeastern valley mountains they fear something ungodly is in the air. Are they alone in the dense underbrush? Resisting the folklore of a walking spirit or sasquatch of epic proportion they vie to stay alive. Meanwhile the governor and his team of staff work around the clock searching for the missing campers, one of which is his teenage daughter Barbara. Will they make their way back to civilization or will they realize an entirely different horror in knowing to Fear The Forest?

REVIEW:

Directed By: Matthew Bora

Starring: Mathew Bora, Don Evans, Anna Kendrick, Jared Michalski, Elana Safer,

“The legend lives…”

I’ve always been a huge fan of creature features. From the outer reaches of our imaginations a tale is often provoked to stoke the fires of the unknown. It matters not if the picture is particularly campy in nature or beyond rational comprehension. Often if the story is comprised upon a thread of folklore such as The Loch Ness monster, aliens, The New Jersey Devil or in this case Bigfoot, I’m generally all the more intrigued. It takes a bold film maker to put a unique slant on a product that has been told countless times before. I commend Bora for taking this ambitious leap adapting the role of producer, writer, director and actor in this case. Impervious to almost certain criticism this film maker plunges onward in a production I like to refer to as the little film that could.

The opening sequences commence with some news footage scrolling by the screen of newspaper clippings and broadcast snippets of creature sightings. If the audience can get past the odd reporters with unmistakably loud jackets and uncertain journalism techniques there is truly something to the story that is being unleashed.

While a great deal of dialogue ensues that seems a little awkward and out of place it only adds to the authenticity of the reporting angle. There is no scripted re-enactments or queue card speeches. The reports of Sasquatch sightings create an almost eerie suspended belief that these stories are coming from the average public.

We’re introduced to the governor who is arguably the most convincing character thus far. His tortured expressions and unease over his missing daughter and balance between running office is convincing so much so it almost sticks out like a sore thumb in comparison to the other performances. Some orchestra like music enhances the foreboding atmosphere as news clippings continue to roll on the screen.

And then things get a little weird.

Far be it from a conventional horror film to boast anything from being apart from being described as weird. Many directors would take great pride in their production being viewed as such. Certainly cult classics, before they adapt the moniker we hate to love are virginal in purity prior to being viewed. Fear the Forest is no exception but this critic cannot shake the feeling that a great deal of confusion is being spawned at the same time. A search party is commenced with an accompanying handsome bounty to take down the elusive Bigfoot creature. Several hunters try their sportsmen like luck and venture out into the woods. They’re clearly inexperienced and don’t seem to know the difference between a barrel and a trigger which I suppose can only add further authenticity to the motive of the plot. Two opposing groups of hunters begin to argue in a bizarre exchange that can only be compared to West Side Story and sadly only adds distraction and dramatically detracts from the plot movement.

We get our first glimpse at the actual creature. There have been worse exposes of evil presences. In this case, Bigfoot is more comparable to a sports team mascot or amusement park icon on the lamb. Again it significantly detracts from the atmospheric feel of the film and makes the audience a little uneasy with continuing.

The story then detours to the group of teens and we’re introduced to Barbara, the governor’s daughter. Their celebration is interrupted by an opposing clique and heated arguing ensues. The viewer is rendered a little lost once again. Is this a teen angst film? A Sci-Fi mish-mash? Or a punk music video as an onslaught of questionably relative dirt bike jumping sequences unfolds. Many audiences will ultimately abandon the viewing experience at this stage which truly wouldn’t do the production justice. Further confusion recommences as the plot then turns to a chronological affair stating the date, time and location, all of this within the thirty minute mark.

We’re introduced to some Hillbilly like characters that add some much needed comedic relief. Their performances are shades of Deliverance as they engage in an enthusiastic game of Russian roulette.

Many horror film aficionados take great pride in being able to dissect a production and pin point the inconsistences or mistakes. At this point in the game it’s uncertain if the director’s approach was somewhat of an avant-garde to this experience. The lead character of Barbara narrowly flees her captors and is seen running through the woods clearly with a ponytail holding up her locks. In the next shot she’s seen running once again over rugged terrain, clearly with the same hair bouncing to and fro across her shoulders only in the next sequence to have it back up in a ponytail once again. It’s a laughable moment but sadly marginalizes the terror impact of the moment.

When Barbara gets the opportunity to confront her adversary at the closing sequences its evident some additional voice overs were added in post-production. This is really nothing new in film making and often adds the little something that may have been previously missing. In this case the voice over is an entirely different voice in pitch, accent and enunciation. Its mere presence alone is so startling it will make even the most jaded of viewers jump and scratch their head in confusion.

Perhaps there are a lot of things Fear the Forest was not but definitely not the worst movie experience out there. One can ponder if done differently what the end product would be like yet no question there is a market out there for such episodes. Definitely not for everyone, but Fear the Forest is certainly a bona fide cult classic in the making.

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Till Sunset

IMDb
Three strangers awake in a woodland clearing beside a shallow grave and discover one of them is destined to fill it by sunset.


Rotten Tomatoes

Three strangers awake in a woodland clearing beside a shallow grave and discover one of them is destined to fill it by sunset.

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Lesbian Vampire Killers

Rotten Tomatoes
One instance where the title says it all, Lesbian Vampire Killers finds screenwriters Stewart Williams and Paul Hupfield and director Phil Claydon plunging headfirst into guilty pleasure territory with an unrestrained, sex-laden horror comedy. The picture stars Mathew Horne and James Corden of the UK series Gavin and Stacey as (respectively) Jimmy and Fletch, two buddies who wind up in a British village with dozens of women caught up in a Sapphic vampire curse - driven by a lust for each other's bodies and an insatiable craving for human blood. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi


IGN

LESBIAN VAMPIRE KILLERS REVIEW

Fangs for the mammaries.

BY ORLANDO PARFITT How any film with the words 'Lesbian' and 'Vampire' in the title can be so unentertaining, so unsexy and so damned unfunny is almost beyond us at IGN.
Lesbian Vampire Killers stars two of the biggest stars in Britain at the moment, James Corden and Mathew Horne, who have not only have attained national treasure status off the back of hit British BBC comedy Gavin and Stacey (which stars the pair, and is co-written by Corden), but also have a new sketch show out.
In Lesbian Vampire Killers, the duo play buddies Fletch and Jimmy - one has just been sacked from his job as a clown and the other's been dumped by his girlfriend. They decide to go on holiday to forget their troubles and, due to a lack of money, end up hiking in the rural village of Cragwich. Naturally, when they arrive, they find the village is under an ancient curse that transforms all girls over the age of 18 into the titular Sapphic bloodsuckers.
LVK is clearly intended to be a lovably eccentric parody of Hammer Horror films, but replaces the wit and genuine creepiness of those movies with tawdry, puerile humour that - put simply - just isn't funny. For example, one of the (most laboured) gags in the movie revolves around an enchanted sword needed to kill the queen vampire. For starters the weapon is called The Sword of Dialdo because, hur hur, it sounds like 'dildo'. Brilliant. Even better, it has a handle that's shaped like a penis. It's a joke that's not funny the first time around but after the umpteenth time, when James Corden says: "I still can't get over how the sword handle looks like a cock!", it's just depressing.
We love silly, smutty humour but gags such as this are just lame. The whole affair, as with most British film comedy in the last 10 years, decides the best way to cater for the beer-swilling, lads mag-reading demographic is with knob gags and breasts. This is despite the fact that this sub-section of the movie-going public quite happily consumes far more sophisticated television comedy like The Office, The IT Crowd, Peep Show and indeed Horne and Corden's very own Gavin and Stacey.

This scene was nowhere near as exciting as it looks.

Even the bevy of hot girls in the movie, most of whom obviously engage in lesbian activities at some stage, are rendered considerably less sexy because it seems none of them have ever acted before.
Indeed, virtually every aspect of the film is misjudged: the film's production design is (we assume) deliberately cheap and garish looking, obviously filmed on a sound stage with lots of dry ice. Yet, at the same time, the movie is so slick and over-directed, with constant speeding up and slowing down of the action and strange camera angles, it totally negates the idea that this is a genre parody.
It doesn't help that the dreadful script is banal and unfunny. We've nothing against raucous expletives but, here, the writers apparently decided that proper jokes weren't even necessary, relying on swear-words to deliver the belly-laughs. Trouble is, they don't.
Overall, the entire project is a crushingly lazy attempt to create a piece of titillating, exploitative horror-comedy that manages to achieve none of its aims. A mirthless, joyless experience, Lesbian Vampire Killers is a movie with absolutely nothing going for it, save the title.

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The Ruins

IMDb
A group of friends whose leisurely Mexican holiday takes a turn for the worse when they, along with a fellow tourist, embark on a remote archaeological dig in the jungle where something evil lives among the ruins.



Rotten Tomatoes
"The Ruins" follows a group of friends who become entangled in a brutal struggle for survival after visiting a remote archaeological dig in the Mexican jungle - where they discover something deadly living among the ruins.


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Preservation

IMDb
An anesthesiologist must awaken her animal instincts when she, her husband and her brother-in-law become the quarry of unseen hunters who want to turn them all into trophies.



Rotten Tomatoes
PRESERVATION follows brothers Sean (Pablo Schreiber), a recently returned veteran, and Mike (Aaron Staton), a hedge fund manager, who head out of town to hunt in a closed nature preserve with Mike's wife, Wit (Wrenn Schmidt) - a brainy anesthesiologist - in tow. With Sean unhinged from his stint in the military, and Mike distracted by career ambition, this was not the romantic getaway Wit was hoping for. But soon the trio is threatened by an unseen menace, and the hunters become the hunted. A camping trip in the woods turns into a contest for survival. When the brothers are stalked and ensnared, Wit must unleash her own animal instincts or else end up a trophy. (C) The Orchard


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The Pack

IMDb

A farmer and his family must fight for survival after a ferocious pack of wild dogs infiltrates their isolated farmhouse. Through a series of frightening and bloody encounters they are forced into survival mode to make it through the night.

- Written by Kent Smith

letterboxd

A farmer and his family must fight for survival after a ferocious pack of wild dogs infiltrates their isolated farmhouse. Through a series of frightening and bloody encounters they are forced into survival mode to make it through the night.

Review by Matt Skylar ★★★½

I love horrors where the threat is an animal and this was no exception. An isolated farmhouse is attacked by a pack of wild dogs and it leads to some tense situations.

The actors portraying the family do well, you really believe their plight, particularly Anna Lise Phillips as the mother Carla, she might nag her kids at the start for various things but when push comes to shove, she's prepared to lay down her life for them.

The body count isn't that high, but it makes up for it by putting the characters in situations where there's a chance they might not make it out, such as the kids in the tunnel system and Carla under the pick up truck.

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I'd recommend this one, Australia usually bring it when it comes to good horror films..