Fire in the Sky

What will they look like? Will they be able to communicate with us? Will they be friendly or dangerous? Where will they come from? Do they really exist?

These are the questions man has asked concerning the existence of aliens, for a while now. We want aliens to exist so badly but we fear what they might be like. Some people claim that the government is hiding aliens, that they were abducted or that they saw flying saucers. Most of these stories are hoaxes or just desperate pleas for attention except for one. The story of Travis Walton.

Amidst all the alien abduction stories, Travis Walton's story is one of the most convincing ones out there. All witness accounts match up and his story seems legit. That's probably why Paramount picked up his story and turned it into a movie.

Yes...that is definitely Nute Gunray

This movie is supposed to be a scifi/horror movie and I have to admit that it fulfilled both very well. It wasn't a downright terrifying movie, but the flasbacks to Travis' abduction did make me want to throw up a little. For those who have never seen an alien, the ones in the movies are quite interesting. I think they're supposed to be scary looking but they were not that scary to me. After all, I am addicted to Star Wars so I have seen close to 100 different species of aliens. First thought when I saw the aliens- "Oh my gosh...Nute Gunray from Star Wars does exist!"

Anyways, everyone acted very well although I heard that Paramount exaggerated Travis' story quite a bit. The way this movie was filmed was from an interesting point of view. It wasn't from Travis' point of view on being abducted. Rather, it was more about what happened down on Earth while Travis had been abducted. In that way, the flashbacks to the abduction seemed even more interesting.

Overall, I loved this movie and would definitely not mind watching it again. If you are an alien geek who loves space stuff and everything to do with the seemingly impossible, or if you are a prospective member of SETI, I totally recommend watching this movie.

It really encapsulates the one question in every human being's mind.

Are we really alone in the universe?

If you are really interested in Travis Walton's story, check out his website : http://www.travis-walton.com 

The Orphan

WARNING: THIS REVIEW GIVES AWAY THE MAIN SPOILER. DON'T READ IF YOU DON'T WANT TO KNOW THE SURPRISE OF THE MOVIE

The Orphan has definitely caused me to reconsider ever adopting a child because you never know if that child is going to be a psychotic midget who is actually 33 years old yet passes him/herself off as a nine year old in order to be adopted into a family and seduce one of the parents but then kill the entire family because the parent isn't seduced. Oh, and yes, this is what The Orphan is about.

The movie was not bad. It wasn't completely horror, but it was fairly scary. Actually, only the psychotic- midget-posing-as-a-child character was scary. By the way, I found it very disturbing that the girl who plays this messed up character is actually the same girl who plays Clove in the Hunger Games. Anyways, it is a very dark film (go figure), but it has a good storyline.

The acting was good, especially Esther (psychotic- midget-posing-as-a-child) played by Isabelle Fuhrman. She pretty much made the whole movie. As I referred to in a previous post *House of Wax*, I normally root for the bad guys except for in this one.

Esther is a Russian "child" who moves from family to family to be adopted. Now, why does she run through families so quickly, you may ask. If she cannot seduce the father, then she kills the whole family. Bitter much? But what is the really scary deal is the fact that Esther is a 33 year old woman who looks like a 9 year old child. I really give props to the make up department for doing a phenomenal job on transforming Esther from a sweet, pretty 9 year old girl into a disgustingly old 33 year old woman. She really looked like a mini-sized woman. It was great.

The movie does have some racy scenes in it (which I made sure to skip over...yes, sex scenes scare me more than the actual horror aspects do) but they are actually necessary to the movie. For example, Esther watches her new mommy and daddy do a dirty. They catch her watching them, feeling embarrassed (as they should since they were getting it on in the kitchen!), and then go to talk to her. She surprises them with her extensive knowledge on the birds and the bees. I told you...she's a messed up girl...woman...

I would recommend this only because the plot twist of her actually being a woman in the end is worth seeing it for.

House of Wax

I have a love-hate relationship with this movie. After watching it close to ten times, I have come to the decision that I like this movie for the most part; the part I do not like- Paris Hilton...

The sister-brother twin duo who kick butt!

House of Wax is not a supernatural horror movie which is normally the ones I like the most. It is more of a suspenseful thriller, but I really enjoyed it. The thing that makes it really scary is the fact that this whole movie can actually happen in real life. There probably are some psychotic people out there who built a whole town out of wax just to lure more victims in, kill them and then make them into wax figures. Or maybe these real people don't use wax...maybe they use chocolate? Anyways, it is a disturbingly awesome movie.

One thing I really loved about this movie was the way it was filmed- the cinematography. At first, I could not put my finger on why I liked it so much because honestly, there is nothing fancy about the way it was shot. But recently, it hit me. It is just so simple which really helps lend to the film's realistic nature. I thought that the actors, with the exception of Paris Hilton, were fairly good. My favorite character was Bo because he is the bad guy. I always root for the bad guy (except for the movie Orphan...oops! spoilers...)

Things do get slightly gory...

In any case, the storyline is decent. Foolish, young and naive college kids decide that on the way to a football game, it is okay to campout in a deserted part of some woods that is not even shown on a GPS. Then, they go to a town where everything, and I mean everything, is made of wax- from the people to the buildings. What's gross is that the wax people are actual people- cadavers covered in wax. So that's why they look so real? Yeah. That's why.

As much as I loved this movie, there were times when I would scream at the characters, wondering as to why they would do such stupid things. They could have all lived. Maybe being around Paris lowered their IQs a bit... just kidding. I have nothing against Paris except her lack of acting skills.

I would recommend this movie. Watch it right before you go on a road trip, in the dark. It is totally worth it.

Bo, the most awesome antagonist ever...besides Freddy Kreuger of course!

A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010)

One, two, Freddy's coming for you.
Three, four, better shut the door.
Five, six, grab a crucifix.
Seven, eight, gonna stay up late.
Nine, ten, never sleep again...

I watched both the 1984 version and the 2010 remake. Although many people will disagree with me, I loved the 2010 version as compared to the 1984 version.

Truth be told, almost everyone loves the original movie better. I have heard reasons ranging from Freddy is scarier in the original to the characters are more developed even to I only liked it because Jonny Depp was in it. Not to say that I did not like the original. I thought it was good but to me, there just wasn't enough Freddy. Also, when comparing the two side by side, I felt like the 2010 remake was filmed in a cleaner fashion and obviously, the special effects and CGI were phenomenal. Don't get me wrong. I don't love movies just because of their effects. There are plenty of other movies where I liked the original better than the remake. But for A Nightmare on Elm Street, the remake just seemed much better.

See how beautifully this shot was framed? 

      I have to admit though, in this remake, there were quite a few plot holes and there wasn't much of a story/ character development for the kids like the original. And yes, it did not have Jonny Depp, but it did have Kellan Lutz (Edward Cullen's bro from Twilight)! But, I feel like the amazing effects make up for it. Also, a lot of people complain that in the remake, everything becomes so muddled that they can't tell whether things are happening in reality or if its the dream. Why complain? I don' t know if the movie director intentionally wanted things to seem like that, but I enjoyed it. It was pretty awesome
trying to figure out whether or not the characters were dreaming or living a nightmare in reality.

Freddy holding Nancy's hand...

     And, many people complained about the fact that Freddy had 50% screen time, which is apparently too much for him? I loved it. This whole movie is supposed to be about developing Freddy Kreuger's character, not the subordinating characters like Nancy or Quentin. Those kids are just there because someone has to be Freddy's Victim.

Plus, Jackie Earle Haley makes a great Freddy Kreuger. Scoff at me if you will, but I loved the 'twistedly-disgusting' relationship he had with Nacy...Little Nancy. I might be biased because I happen to love Rooney Mara (Nancy)...The 2010 remake was my favorite out of the two but I will say that the 1984 original was fairly good as well.

Just remember...don't fall asleep...

The Orphanage (El Orfanato)

Did I ever mention how much I love Guillermo del Toro? I know he didn't direct the movie, but anything he is involved with is bound to be absolutely brilliant.

Anyways, this movie is in Spanish, but it makes it a lot more awesome. It is definitely your normal scary movie. It leans more towards the supernatural suspense side than straight-in-your-face horror, but those are the better types of movies.


Quick movie description:

There is a girl who lived in an orphanage for special children. She gets adopted. Years later, as an adult, she moves back into the now empty orphanage with her husband and son who doesn't know he's adopted. He is also HIV positive. Her son, Simon, is very cute yet lonely. He has imaginary friends, one name Tomas who has a sack on his head.

Is he not a doll?

One day, Simon throws a tantrum during a party, so the lady leaves him upstairs. When she comes back to get him, he has disappeared. She runs everywhere looking for him to no avail. She even opens a small room under the staircase, dropping some poles in the process, having to shove them back in, drawing stares from the guests.
Basically, a lot of scary stuff happens with ghost children and such until the end. The end is the best part.

[SPOILERS]

Tomas with his sack

In the end, (6 months later from Simon's disappearance) the ghost children lead her to the small room under the staircase. She pushes aside the poles she had shoved on a smaller door inside the room leading to a basement. Slowly, she decends into the basement only to find out that the basement room was the room of Tomas, Simon's imaginary friend. The reason Tomas wore a sack on his head was because his face was deformed. He died by drowning in a cave, came back as a ghost and befriended Simon. The woman looks for Simon and finds him wrapped in a blanket. She holds him close to her in a blanket, telling him to stop imagining about his "friends". Then, she opens her eyes to discover that the blanket is empty. She turns around and sees Simon's dead body lying behind her, his head covered by the sack that once belonged to Tomas. She realizes that she had accidentally trapped Simon in this basement while looking for him by shoving the poles onto the door. Simon had tried to escape and had fallen off the railing of the basement's staircase, breaking his neck and dying immediately. She cries and screams and begs the ghost children to reunite her with Simon. They do and Simon wakes up in her arms. The other ghost children begin to appear and they live happily together, telling stories. Finally, one day, her husband goes to her and Simon's memorial. He returns home and the movie ends as he looks up at a creaking noise and smiles gently.
END

To me, this movie was absolutely phenomenal. I was definitely scared, more because of the suspense as compared to the supernatural stuff. It is a movie I would definitely recommend watching, and not gross like The Human Centipede. The little boy who plays Simon is an absolute doll- I love his curly hair.

Don't let the fact that it is in Spanish discourage you! It's a great movie and watching it with subtitles does not take away from it at all. The Spanish makes it all the more spookier. Great movie to watch for Halloween!

The Human Centipede

DISCLAIMER: First off, this is a sick (meaning disgusting) movie, so for those with weak stomachs, read no further.

The Human Centipede...one of the most twisted horror movies ever- that's why it is so awesome. A horror movie that makes one want to throw up, scream, scratch their eyes out and scars them for life are the good ones. Of course, they are also bad...but if you are a die-hard horror junkie like me, you'll still enjoy the movie.

Anyways, here is the synopsis for the movie for those who are interested in the story but don't want to see it.

There are two women, Lindsay and Jenny, are two American tourists in Germany. Their car stalls one day so they stop at a man's house. His name is Dr. Josef Heiter, a maniacal surgeon who says he is renown for separating Siamese twins. He drugs them and the two women wake up to find themselves in a "make-shift" operating room. Not long after, Dr. Heiter captures a Japanese tourist as well named Katsuro.

Doctor Heiter training his "pet centipede".

Now Dr. Heiter's dream is to sew people together in order to create different creatures. He would attach the humans together from mouth to anus (yes, it is the scientific word), and attach all their digestive tracts together. To keep them from running, he would also cut their knee ligaments, forcing them to crawl. Lindsay tries to escape, so as a punishment, Dr. Heiter tells her that he will make her the center of the "centipede" creation, the one who is in the most pain. So he attaches them all together and tries to train his pet. To give you an idea of how extreme this "creation" is, when Katsuro...excretes his bodily wastes, Lindsay has to swallow it... *major gross out, I know*. Anyways, Jenny begins to die from blood poison, so Dr. Heiter needs someone else to replace her.

Idea sketch of how the centipede will be

Well, two detectives come to investigate the house, and Dr. Heiter decides that he wants to replace Jenny with them, creating a four person centipede. The detectives manage to evade his grasp and the centipede tries to attack Dr. Heiter. It fails. Katsuro says that he deserves this fate and slits his throat, committing suicide. Heiter kills both detectives, one of who kills Heiter as well.

Lindsay holds Jenny's hands as she dies and is left in the nightmarish situation of being trapped  the two corpses of Katsuro and Jenny.

END

Yes, definitely a sick movie. If you look up the origin for the idea for this movie....it's even worse. But anyways, its a good movie for horror junkies and weirdly enough, it really makes you think. I think about how messed up people can be and how we try to create things we shouldn't be messing with, destroying humanity and everything good in it. Watch it if you have the stomach for it, or you can just content yourself with the small story from above. Either way, be adventurous and try and vicariously live through horror movies! You never know how far from reality they can be...

If that freaked you out too much, here is a little spoof :)

Final Destination 5

Just to start off, if anything, the entire Final Destination series is more gore than horror. Yes, that's right. Blood, guts and...well....blood. Human body parts too...

So gymnasts, beware of performing on a balance beam, stepping on a nail, having another gymnast
coincidentally knock over the powder thing from which powder is blown into your face by a badly placed fan, losing your balance on the balance beam since you're blind and falling down and breaking your back like so.
Oh yeah. Death can be a real bastard.

So, like every FD movie, a group of people "cheat" death by avoiding it. How do they avoid it you ask? Well, one person has a vision of everyone dying in a tragic accident. *spoiler: the person who sees the vision is normally the last one to die* Anywho, they suddenly "wake up" and realize that it was just a dream...or was it. Then something trivial happens in real life that happened in the vision and the "visioneer" goes ballistic and screams for everyone to save themselves. After a series of events, around 6-10 people follow this person and they all get saved as that person's vision does in fact come true. So they cheat death.

Now death can be a real pain in the neck. He doesn't like to be cheated of his victims. So what does death do? He hunts them down, one by one and kills them in ways that are a Gory Lover's dream and heaven. In the end, there are at least two people who think that Death will leave them alone, only to die very unexpectedly. (Although, after seeing 5 FD movies one after another, it kind of becomes more expected)

I was never crazy about these movies, but obviously, if I watched all of them (except for 3), they must have been somewhat okay. They were not scary...more suspense and of course, GORY! Great to watch for people who like to "be scared" without the "scary parts"...

So watch it! Oh, and please, if death comes knocking at your door, do not try and cheat him. He will get you one way or another.

Guess how she dies? Hint: it has to do with her eye.

Nosferatu

Let's start with the beginning of horror movies. Nosferatu, the pearl of horror movies. A silent film.

A play on Dracula, Nosferatu is a more "intimate" character than Dracula ever was. He may not saymuch, but his actions speak loudly. A vampire who drinks blood to live, who is obsessed with drinking the blood of the wife of a man, Thomas Hutter.

Nosferatu is not scary in the modern sense, but it achieves horror in its own ways. The music is one of the most influential components of the movie. The shrill squeal of the violin makes the movie scarier and makes "jump out" parts even better.

The acting was great. As a silent film, actions MUST speak louder than words and the actions of Nosferatu and "friends" completely did. The person I found scarier than Nosferatu himself was Hutter's wife. She could open her eyes wider than someone who doesn't have eyelids. I'm surprised Nosferatu was scared of her. But of course, his eyes were pretty wide open as well. They're like a match made in heaven in a way...

See her eyes? She looks possessed!

Anyways, what's really cool about this movie is the fact that all copies of this movie were burned in a tragic fire. This was the only copy left and it is in great condition.

I would completely recommend this movie for movie watchers out there. If you are not a big fan of horror, this is a perfect movie to wean you in. It is suspense but not scary. If you like this movie, you should watch the parody that was made in 2000 called Shadow of a Vampire. It's great.

Enjoy!

Note...of Horror!

Dear Readers,

I do not know who reads my blog, or if anyone reads my blog at all, but I have noticed of recent that my blog is really all over the place. I talk about movies, which is cool, as I had originally made this blog to keep track of me watching one film a day. Now as I look at it, I have noticed that I keep bouncing around all kinds of movies. I am going to change things up and make this blog about horror- in general. When I say horror, I mean horror movies, tv shows and video games. Horror is probably the best genre out there and I really love it, plus Halloween is coming soon so, why not? Anyway, will temporarily be testing out how a horror media blog would do. If anyone likes it, I will most probably stick with it. If not, then I will just keep on blogging about movies in general, although I might be a little more picky with what movies I watch. Anyways, I will try my best to blog everyday. Applying for colleges is just a pain, but blogging really helps. So yes. Thank you all! I appreciate everyone and anyone who reads this blog.

Love,
Teddy

Beware...This is now a horror zone...

Marble Hornets- Slenderman

Yes, even though I have not blogged since August, I am still alive! Applying to colleges is the hardest thing I have experienced, but I have felt an empty spot in my heart when I haven't blogged... So i shall continue.

Anyways, recently I became absolutely obsessive over the horror character known as Slenderman. Don't know who he is? Let me enlighten you.

Slenderman is a being said to be between 7 and 15 feet tall. He has long, disproportionate limbs that can stretch like mad, making it almost impossible for his victims to run from him. Witnesses claim that he wears a suit, but no one knows whether this suit is what he wears to blend in (showing intelligence) or if it is attached to his skin (signifying adaptability). Another feature of his is long appendages that sprout from his back. There is a huge debate on online forums on whether they are sharp or not, but every Slenderfan agrees that they are what Slenderman transports himself on. Finally, the most terrifying thing about him is his face...or lack of one. Slenderman's face is a blank palette. Some say that he has a mouth, but that's not true.

So as I was obsessing over Slenderman, I stumbled upon a Youtube channel called Marble Hornets. They made (and are still making) video diaries on Slenderman. Totally worth watching but only fun to watch if you watch it in the dark, alone with some food. Although it's not a movie, its a great see.

Just go to Youtube, and type in Marble Hornets. Click on Entry #1 and let the horror fest begin! If you really really enjoy it, you can follow them on twitter by just typing in Marble Hornets. They give live updates that go along with the videos making it that much more awesome!

And if that doesn't satisfy your hunger for Slenderman, then you have to play the game. Go to http://slendergame.com/download.php. Just download it (it's free!) and play to your hearts content! Just a warning, it does get scary! Basically, you have to find 8 pieces of paper that Slenderman's victims have left behind for you...but you have to find it before Slenderman can get you. It's easy to get the first two papers, but by the third...things start going...strange. Watch out, he can teleport. Good luck and hope you become a Slenderfan! Hint: When your screen starts going fuzzy, that means that Slenderman is nearby.