Category Archives: Movie Review

Movie Review: “Haunting in Connecticut 2: Ghosts of Georgia” (2013)

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I don’t know who this ethereal woman is, and levitating and fog have absolutely nothing to do with this film’s story, but I still really liked this movie!

As much as it pangs me to admit, and despite the fact that I will probably receive a lot of criticism for my approval, I really did enjoy Haunting in Connecticut 2: Ghosts of Georgia. I’m a supporter of all production categories of the horror film genre; I truly enjoy B-movies, low budgets, direct-to-video/streaming, indie, and yes even mainstream horror. I do think that mainstream horror has gotten a bad wrap in recent years (with the exception of some-for example, James Wan) but generally, I have liked much of the big budget horror I have seen recently.

Two other reasons I enjoyed this Ghosts of Georgia: 1) the ghost story is my favorite sub-genre of horror and 2) I’m from Georgia. I was interested in the historical aspect of the south because-I’m not biased or anything-but I think the south has such a rich (and albeit unsavory) history, I was interested in how it would be depicted in this movie.

I was also anticipating this movie because I genuinely enjoyed the first Haunting in Connecticut movie. I had also heard that this one-despite the odd name and having zero to do with the first-is loosely based on a true story. I know, I know-there are oodles of horror movies “based on true events.” In this one, the characters have the same names, and the story about Mr. Gordy is reported to have happened, however beyond that, the crux of the movie-the underground railroad-was Hollywood’s way of elevating the story. For me, it worked.

We begin with perhaps one of the most cliched horror movie openings: a family is moving from the hectic city life into a “new” (read “old and haunted”) house in the remote countryside. In addition to mom, dad, and young daugther Heidi, mom’s flitty sister Joyce also moves in with the family. She is staying in an uber creepy RV on the property. Some spooky things begin to happen at the Wyrick ‘s new residence, namely with Heidi; she is an only child and begins to have conversations with an invisible friend named Mr. Gordy.

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Mom-who is of the high-strung, stay-at-home variety-begins to get weirded out and fearful of Heidi’s relationship with her “imaginary” friend. We learn that mom has psychic abilities-she can see/talk/interact with dead people-however she represses her abilities by taking loads of medication. As Heidi’s relationship with Mr. Gordy develops, Mom worries that her daughter might have inherited her psychic abilities. Predictably, we learn that a man named Mr. Gordy once lived at the Wyrick’s home, and Heidi can even pick him out of a collection of pictures unprovoked.

Through her interactions with Mr. Gordy, and some encounters mom has while off her meds, as well as the typical horror movie research/investigation done by the family, we learn the property was once the part of the underground railroad. The former owner-the Stationmaster-was also a taxidermist. And in the woods, underneath the ruins of the former cabin is a labyrinth of dirt hallways used for housing slaves.

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This is where I will end my plot summary. I will say there is a twist, one I was generally surprised by. There was also the expected “save the kid from evil ghosts” action scenes. These were pretty silly and predictable but the bad guy was creepy enough that I tolerated these scenes. The ending was a cheesefest but stick around until just before the credits and you’ll see some candid photos of the actual Mr. Gordy and the Wyrick family.

Overall Impression:

I liked this much better than the first Haunting in Connecticut film-I have no qualms admitting that I enjoy a “sequel” more than an original since these two movies are really not related. On that note, I will say that Ghosts of Georgia feels similar to the first.

Overall, the movie was fun, moved quickly, and really held my interest. Abigail Spencer (the mom) was tiresome but perhaps that was just her character. And Chad Michael Murray I felt was miscast; I could see him netter as an older brother rather than the dad. The star was Emily Alyn Lind; child actors can typically wear on me but Emily carried this movie well.

Beyond the cast, I also commend the writer. The Civil War is really overlooked by the horror movie industry. I can rattle off a dozen Nazi zombie flicks but I struggle to think of other Civil War movies besides than this one, Dead Birds (2004), and perhaps Ravenous (1999).

Pros: great pacing, spooky, rich story, genuinely scary bad guy
Cons: absurd and misleading title, cheesey ending, mainstream

Mashup status: Think The House of Dies Drear (1984)-shoutout to those who know this movie!-meets Scarecrows (1988) and The Messengers (2007)/Messengers 2: The Scarecrow (2009).

Rating: 7.5/10

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Movie Review: “The Loved Ones” (2009)

I don’t usually buy movies before seeing them, but I took a chance and went ahead and bought The Loved Ones shortly after it was released on DVD. I heard it was a breakout horror flick so I had intentions of viewing it soon but wasn’t sure when I’d be available through Netflix or Redbox. Well one whole year later, I finally got around to viewing it. And three months later after watching it, I am finally getting around to reviewing it!

The film begins with a flashback; teenaged Brent is driving while his father is alongside him in the passenger’s seat. The two are laughing and having fun and it is obvious the two are close. Out of nowhere, a battered figure stumbles across the road, causing Brent to veer into a tree, killing his father.

We flash-forward 6 months to see Brent looking disheveled, a bit broken, but is still chugging along with his high school life. He is decidedly going to the upcoming prom with his girlfriend, Holly who looks well-adjusted and is supportive of Brent. After school, Brent is approached by timid Lola, who asks him to be her date to the dance. Brent is genuinely apologetic but obviously hurts Lola’s feelings when he declines her invitation. Shortly after, we see a shot of Brent and Holly gettin’ it on in Holly’s car while Lola watches in fury. Soon after, we see Brent leaving home to go on a walk through the Australian outback. He has his beloved dog along with him, as well as his tunes and his weed. After scaling a scarily-jagged cliff, Brent is zoning out when he and his dog are attacked. Brent wakes up tied to a chair in a tacky prom suit being held hostage by Lola in her family’s kitchen. The brutality begins and doesn’t let up until the credits. The only relief the audience gets is the contact switch from Brent’s situation to Brent’s chubby-goofy friend Jamie, who is attending the prom with his dream girl goth chick Mia.

This is where I’ll stop my plot summary, leaving this a relatively-spoiler-free review. The scenes with Brent and Lola’s sadistic family are difficult to watch, although they are some of the most unique torture scenes on film I’ve seen. Such so that I (as a medical reference librarian by day) did some research on the lobotomy technique Lola’s family used. There is also uncomfortable intimate tension between Lola and her father.At the end, there is some predictability with Holly coming to Brent’s rescue. There is also a connection to the battered figure we see in the beginning flashback when Brent’s dad was killed in the car accident, as well as a connection with Mia.

Overall Impression:

Torture horror doesn’t generally rank high for me but The Loved Ones had enough of a unique plot and good acting to keep me entertained. The gore is creative and different and just when you think the camera will pan away–it doesn’t. The movie balances the darkness with enough comedy that it doesn’t end up being a completely serious film.  

My criticism is that there is an unnecessary amount of focus on Jamie. I obviously understand the connection between Mia’s brother and Brent, however it felt a bit excessive to have nearly half the film centered around Jamie’s story. I guess the director was trying to juxtapose the two characters and demonstrate how ironically different their prom nights were, but I think that could’ve been communicated with less time dedicated to Jamie/Mia.

This minor problem aside, I would rank this one up there as one of the best horror films of the year. Certainly not for every horror fan, this is a stand-out movie with enough originality to be enjoyed on that note alone. Recommended to those who enjoy a side of comedy with their gore and for those who aren’t turned off by brutality and graphic, creative methods of torture.

Pros: brutal, unique, fast-paced
Cons: maybe too brutal, disturbing scene of animal violence, distracted Jamie side story, predictable ending

Mashup status: With a setting reminiscent of Wolf Creek (2005), think the sadistic Sawyer family from The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974) and possessive Annie Wilkes from Misery (1990) meet the torture/comedy feel of Hostel (2005).

Rating: 7/10

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Movie Review: ‘Grabbers’ (2012)

I was browsing Netflix Streaming last night looking for something entertaining, perhaps mindless to watch. I’ll interject here that I don’t typically watch Netflix movies during the week; my boyfriend and I had eaten an early dinner and were looking for something to watch on TV and there really wasn’t much on. Well, there were a few shows I’d have been okay with but the BF vehemently despises commercials and during prime time news, commercials seem more annoying than usual. I digress.

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So I’d not heard of Grabbers, nor did any of the cast members ring a bell. The title was really off-putting- it sounded like a total cheese-fest, however, since I was honestly considering Sharknado, silly movie titles obviously don’t scare me away. The synopsis  for Grabbers states, “When alien monsters go on a murderous rampage on an Irish island, the only survivor is drunk ” because alcohol makes blood toxic to the aliens. Now, as a sober cop tries to stop the carnage, the rest of the town must get wasted in order to survive.- I wanted to participate in the film as much as I could, so I cracked open a 24-oz can of Natural Lite I bought at a gas station on the way home from work and the BF and I hit the play button.

As the movie begins, I was impressed with the quality of the film. It wasn’t low-budget as I had initially thought. We first see a shot of the ocean and fisherman’s boat and then a fireball colliding into the water. The action begins almost immediately into the movie when viewer sees a quick shot of a tentacle erupting from the sea shortly after the fireball, grabbing hold of one of the men. The effects are obviously CGI but really well done. We’ll see more CGI later in the film. Enter our two main characters, Ciáran O’Shea, a slobby mediocre looking GARDA officer is picking up his temporary replacement partner, Lisa Nolan, a young, beautiful and no-nonsense officer from the Irish mainland.

At first, the dueling cops concept is a bit off-putting; its been done thousands of times before in film and on TV. But I reminded myself that the name of this gem is Grabbers and the only way of combating the bad guys is by being drunk, so obviously this movie doesn’t take itself too seriously so decided not to either. After some back and forth banter in the cruiser, the pair gets a call that several killer whales have washed up on shore. Ciáran and Lisa meet up with a local medical examiner, Dr. Smith who is unable to determine the cause of the whales’ demise. While the whales have been obviously attacked gruesomely by some creature the the officers don’t seem altogether concerned at this point.

So after the main cast of characters has been introduced, the scene cuts to an unknown couple. Bad news, they are probably doomed since we’ve never seen them before. The audience witnesses a satisfactory kill-scene which is shortly followed by another scene in which we get to know the village’s favorite hobo-looking drunk, Paddy, a bit more intimately. We also get to see more of the creature, which cannot get the upper hand in the drunken altercation with Paddy. The viewers also learn that Miss Alien is a mom, and has conveniently laid her slew of eggs on the beach.

After taking an alien monster hostage, the motley crew perform a few novice experiments on the creature and soon determine that a substantial blood-alcohol level has magical defensive powers against the alien octopus. Oh no, though, because conveniently, beautiful Lisa admits that she’s never been drunk before! Apprehensively, Lisa agrees to throw back several pints, including some homemade moonshine that Paddy cooked up. After she’s predictably sloshed (and giggly and still beautiful, perhaps even more attractive than before) Ciáran and Lisa invite the entire village to a local pub for free drinks in an effort to safeguard the townsfolk from the monster alien.

The pub gets comically drunk, the crew gets expectedly the upper hand, and overcomes the big momma alien with a flare gun plus the remainder of Paddy’s homemade brew. The alien’s babies, who have mostly hatched, are also easily dispatched. We cut to Ciáran and Lisa engaging in their celebratory buzzed-make out session (did I mention that none of the main characters ever had to pee?). The end. Or is it? Cut to an unhatched alien egg on the beach.

Overall Impression:
I was generally amused and unexpectedly enjoyed Grabbers. It was comically predictable but fun and well-executed. My main criticism was the actors’ heavy Irish accents. To be fair, the audience didn’t really need to understand all of the dialogue for the movie to work so it wasn’t too much of a detriment and was only mildy distracting.

Cons: Dialogue difficult to follow, not-so original idea, obligatory romance
Pros: Good special effects, decent gore, fun and funny

Mashup status: Think The Mist (2007), Slither (2006), and Tremors (1990) monsters meets the pub charm and camaraderie of Shaun of the Dead (2004) with a slight nod to Duchovny’s sci-fi comedy Evolution (2001)

Rating: 7/10

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