2016 – Page 3 – Jiggy's Horror Corner

The Boy (2016)

Directed by William Brent Bell [Other horror films: Stay Alive (2006), The Devil Inside (2012), Wer (2013), Brahms: The Boy II (2020), Separation (2021), Orphan: First Kill (2022)]

I saw this in theaters shortly after it came out, and while I didn’t love it, I thought it was sort of interesting, albeit generic at times. Seeing it again for the first time in a few years, I pretty much feel the same way, which, in this case, is mostly positive, as the story’s grown on me.

The best part about this film is the atmosphere, hands down. It’s a dim mansion, and while there are jump scares, I feel more of the frightening portions are subtle. There’s a dream sequence I could have done without, but for the most part, I think the scares come honestly.

What helps is the cast of about two people. Sure, Brahms’ parents, played by Jim Norton and Diana Hardcastle, are both fantastic, but neither has much screen-time. Ben Robson doesn’t show up until the end, and he’s not exactly oozing with interesting character traits (though to be fair, it’s more due to the script than Robson himself).

So who we have to entertain us for most of the film, providing you don’t count the creepy Brahms doll, are Lauren Cohan and Rupert Evans. Cohan does a pretty fair job throughout, and after discovering the doll’s more active than it should be, really comes across as crazy at times. Evans, who has previously appeared in such horror films as Asylum Blackout (or The Incident) from 2011 and The Canal from 2014, has a very enjoyable performance here, and really, he comes across as quite charming. Luckily, Cohan and Evans worked quite well together, which is great, as they were about the only important characters in the film.

Gore certainly wasn’t much a factor here, and really, special effects weren’t needed, as the film kept things pretty simple. Like I said, it’s the atmosphere that’s most commendable, but certainly the performances listed above help out. What also can’t be ignored is the moderately creepy mansion, which looked great and certainly helped add to the already well-done atmosphere.

The biggest issue with The Boy is that it sort of meanders a bit toward the middle of the film, which was fine for character building, but it’s not the most exciting material. That said, I did like how Cohan’s character’s personal issues tied in well enough to the film’s plot, and certainly gave her reason to want to stay after discovering the doll she was hired to watch over was alive.

The Boy didn’t really garner much attention when it came out (the director, William Brent Bell, hasn’t done that much before this, though he did director 2013’s Wer, one of the more interesting modern werewolf films), and I can sort of see why. Personally, I think it’s an enjoyable film with some solid acting, good suspense and atmosphere, and delightful misdirection, leading to a rather fun conclusion. While not a masterpiece, upon seeing this film again, and outside of a theater experience, I can say that it’s a solid film and I’d recommend it.

8/10

Beyond the Gates (2016)

Directed by Jackson Stewart [Other horror films: N/A]

As much as so many of the elements of this film work, it’s main problem is that the story Beyond the Gates presents comes across as hollow.

There’s a plethora of things to like about this film. The whole 80’s aesthetic, from fantastic synth music to creative lighting, was fantastic. A few good gore scenes within also, and most of the characters themselves (especially the two bothers) are pretty decent.

Acting was a mixed bag. The brothers (Graham Skipper and Chase Williamson) worked well together, though Skipper’s acting, at times, was a bit dicey. Williamson was pretty solid throughout. Barbara Crampton (Re-Animator, From Beyond, and Chopping Mall being her classics) was nice to see, despite most of the time she just stared awkwardly into the camera.

Matt Mercer (probably best known for his role in the Contracted films) didn’t have much screen-time, but was decent when he appeared. While I didn’t care for Justin Welborn’s character (and he didn’t really seem to add much), his resume’s pretty impressive: aside from this, he was in 2007’s The Signal, 2008’s Dance of the Dead, The Final Destination, Halloween II, My Super Psycho Sweet 16 (despite the title, that movie was actually pretty good), Southbound, and some film’s I’ve not seen, such as The Crazies remake, The Bay, V/H/S Viral, and Siren. Basically, if you’ve seen much modern horror, this guy might stick out. Lastly, there’s Jesse Merlin, who plays a goofy store owner. He had a pretty fun presence.

Still, despite a moderately strong cast, the story still came across as rather shallow. Great gore at points, along with well-done 80’s nostalgic aesthetics can only do so much when the story itself is lacking. Especially in the last 15 minutes of the film, things begin to fall apart, and the previous ominous feel the film had sort of gets thrown out the window. I did like the idea that the brothers were fighting to save their father’s soul (given how different the two brothers are, it was a fun dynamic), but there’s not enough meat.

Beyond the Gates certainly had potential. What they do well, they do really well. Again, I’ll direct your attention to the film’s score, filled with fantastic music. The special effects, lighting, and gore were all expertly done. But in the end, the film’s just missing something, and because of that, despite all that this movie does well, it falls below average.

6/10

This was covered on Fight Evil’s second podcast. Listen below as Chucky (@ChuckyFE) and I discuss the film.

Don’t Breathe (2016)

Directed by Fede Alvarez [Other horror films: Evil Dead (2013)]

With all the hype it’s gotten from the casual movie-goer, Don’t Breathe came across as rather an average film. In it, three thieves break into the home of a blind man, and discover he’s a bigger threat than they otherwise would’ve thought.

So basically, it’s a reverse home invasion movie, which is interesting. Two of the thieves are moderately easy to sympathize with (whereas the third one is a jackass), which at the very least is positive. And it should be mentioned that while the first forty minutes or so can come across as dull, it does get pretty tense at points. That said, I didn’t much care for the route they took at the hour mark, nor did I care for the ladybug symbolism.

I think what annoyed me most, though, was how the blind man is an atheist, which he makes clear as a justification of his actions, which just pissed me off. As the film is a Hollywood movie, though, I’m sure they didn’t go out of their way just to offend atheists, but it still rubbed me the wrong way.

The final thirty minutes honestly aren’t terribly enthralling. Really, the highlights of this film come within the first half; everything past a certain point lacks suspense and originality. If the trio of thieves had been chased around the house for the whole film, I honestly think I’d have liked it more. That said, it’s not a bad movie, not by any means. While there’s not that much stand-out gore, and it can feel a bit stylized at times, Don’t Breath is a decent film for a slow night. I just don’t know if it’s much more than that, in my opinion.

7/10

House of Purgatory (2016)

Directed by Tyler Christensen [Other horror films: N/A]

This movie doesn’t have that atypical a plot: On Halloween night, four high school kids go looking for a legendary haunted house, reputed to refund your money for each floor of the house completed. It’s a moderately generic plot, but the execution is superb in most ways.

The characters are all decently realistic, and when the haunted house makes them face their inner fears, it really humanizes some of the characters who were less real beforehand (Ryan, played by Brad Fry, is a good case in point). The whole concept is done well, really. Four teens enter this house, and throughout the night, secrets that each one holds become revealed. Some of them seemingly small, and others rather big. And it’s a fun ride throughout (despite much of the content and secrets being rather serious and culturally topical).

My biggest issue with this film is the ending, though, which I didn’t think did enough to explain things, and it felt both corny and unnecessary. I had a list in my mind of different possible endings that would have been better, but apparently that wasn’t to be, which for an otherwise deeply enjoyable film, was a bit of a letdown. The production value on this movie is quite a bit higher than I foresaw it being, and while there are jump scares here and there, this movie has more to offer than that. A surprising movie that I rather enjoyed, this is a Halloween movie I’d recommend.

9/10

The Amityville Legacy (2016)

Directed by Dustin Ferguson [Other horror films: Terror at Black Tree Forest (2010), The Legacy of Boggy Creek (2010), Silly Scaries (2011), Escape to Black Tree Forest (2012), Silly Scaries 2 (2012), Slumber Party Slasherthon (2012), Black Tree Forest III (2012), Die Sister, Die! (2013), Doll Killer (2013), Gloved Murderess (2014), Cheerleader Camp: To the Death (2014), Invitation to Die (2014), Silent Night, Bloody Night 2: Revival (2015), Demon Dolls (2015), Meathook Massacre (2015), Blood Claws (2016), Camp Blood 4 (2016), Camp Blood 5 (2016), Tales for the Campfire (2016), Night of the Clown (2016), The Dummy 2 (2016), Grindsploitation 2: The Lost Reels (2016, segment ‘Satan’s Gang’), The 12 Slays of Christmas (2016), Tales for the Campfire 2 (2017), Meathook Massacre II (2017), Penny Pinchers: The Kings of No-Budget Horror (2017), Wrong Side of the Tracks (2017), Amityville: Evil Never Dies (2017), Trashploitation (2018), 2 Die For (2018), Grindsploitation 4: Meltsploitation (2018), A Taste of Phobia (2018), Die Gest: Flesh Eater (2018, segment ‘Bad Apples’), House of Pain (2018), Grindsploitation 666 (2018, segment ‘Satanica: The Devil’s Mistress’), Conjuring Curse (2018), Schlock-O-Rama (2018), Runaway Nightmare (2018), 60 Seconds 2 Die: 60 Seconds to Die 2 (2018), Drive-In Grindhouse (2018), Conspiracy X (2018, segments ‘Operation: Fist of God’ & ‘The Skunkape Slumber Party’), Moon of the Blood Beast (2019), Meathook Massacre: The Final Chapter (2019), Direct to Video: Straight to Video Horror of the 90s (2019), Home Videos 2 (2019), Penny Pinchers 2 – Scenes from the Underground (2019), Axegrinder 2 (2019), Celluloid Slaughter (2020), Tales from the Campfire 3 (2020), Frames of Fear 3 (2020, segment ‘Cooking With Jenni Caroline’), 5G Zombies (2020), Axed to Pieces (2020), Angry Asian Murder Hornets (2020), The Beast Beneath (2020), Clowns of Halloween (2020), Stale Popcorn and Sticky Floors (2020), I Drip Blood on Your Grave (2020), Bootleg Death Tape II (2020), Arachnado (2020), Bootleg Death Tape III (2020), VHS Violence II: VHS and KILL (2020), Tales from the Grave: The Movie (2020, segments ‘Crawling Chaos & ‘Deadly Doll’), Found Footage of Fear (2020), Creepypasta: Deathnet (2020), Asylum of the Devil (2020), Rattlers 2 (2021), Zombi VIII: Urban Decay (2021), Ebola Rex Versus Murder Hornets (2021), Bubba’s Dead: The Final Massacre (2021), Jaws of Los Angeles (2021), Ebola Rex (2021), Mondo Shock 2 (2021), Faces of Dying IV (2021), Doll Killer 2 (2021), Hell of the Screaming Undead (2021), Amityville in the Hood (2021), VHS Violence (2021), Not for the Faint of Heart (2021), Faces of Dying III (2021), Faces of Dying II (2021), The Worst of Faces of Dying (2022), Night of the Clown (2022), Dying Scenes (2022)] & Mike Johnson [Other horror films: N/A]

At an hour and six minutes (though really, 58 minutes, as everything afterwards are credits), this low-budget movie was able to fit a decent, and surprisingly dark, plot in.

The premise is simple enough. Celebrating his 50th birthday with his children, Mark, after unwrapping a toy monkey, slowly becomes influenced into butchering his children and their relations. For such a short film, there was no lack of additional relations to butcher.

Mark, being the good Catholic that he is, has five children. Two of the children have a significant other. And that’s not mentioning Mark’s mother, who also lives with him, or his late wife’s sister and daughter, who are also visiting. So this movie has more than a few characters shoved in. But you know what? It manages to work despite that.

Though surprising, I was mostly able to keep each character separated, for the most part, which really helped out in the second half of the film. Speaking of which, given the fact the movie’s quite short, most of the action doesn’t occur until there’s just twenty minutes left, so things tended to feel a bit rushed. The idea of a father going on a rampage and killing his children and others in the house was a fun one, though not the best executed on the budget constraints they had. That said, I actually rather enjoyed this one.

An ultra-low quality film, and one that’s not likely to appeal to most, but I don’t see how it’s much worse than many other films.

7/10

Fear, Inc. (2016)

Directed by Vincent Masciale [Other horror films: N/A]

For all intents and purposes, Fear, Inc. is basically a horror version of The Game (1997). Halfway through the film, the main character himself, Joe (Lucas Neff), alludes to as much.

The plot is certainly similar – bothered by the fact that the haunted house he and his girlfriend often go to isn’t scary enough, Joe decides to take a stranger (Patrick Renna, from Dark Ride and X-Files episode “Bad Blood”) up on his offer and call Fear, Inc., a company that specializes in custom scares. When he does, he finds himself, along with his girlfriend and friends, in very real trouble. Or is it all a game?

Fear, Inc. keeps you guessing on whether or not the whole thing is an elaborate prank, though it’s answered at the end of the film. Plenty of references to other horror films occur, given the fact Joe (again, Neff) is a big horror fan: Friday the 13th, Saw, April’s Fools Day, A Nightmare on Elm Street, randomly Game of Thrones, and even I Know What You Did Last Summer all played a small part in the film, though Saw being the most extensive.

When watching the movie, I didn’t quite know what route it ultimately was going to take – whether it’d be a Seven Footprints to Satan (1929) type ending or not, I went back-and-forth on. Plenty of surprises occur throughout the film, though I think most of them could be expected. The gore, though there’s not a whole lot, is decently done. While many of the actors and actresses feel more generic than not (including Caitlin Stasey, Chris Marquette, and Stephanie Drake), the main character Joe, played by Lucas Neff, did a really good job playing the stoner/goofball/thinks-the-whole-thing’s-a-joke type of guy, and for his short screen time, Richard Riehle (from Hatchet and a few hundred other things – seriously, his IMDb credits are boss) was fun also.

While labeled a comedy/horror, it seemed to me that the comedy was notched down from what it otherwise could have been. There’s a few amusing lines here and there at the beginning, but past a certain point, the film takes a mostly serious tone, which I appreciated. The ending, while foreshadowed, didn’t really work out that well in my opinion, but everything before that made this film a fun romp. I find the film almost above average, partially teetering that line. Generally, though, I’d recommend it.

7/10

Pet (2016)

Directed by Carles Torrens [Other horror films: Emergo (2011), ABCs of Death 2.5 (2016, segment ‘M is for Mom’)]

This was an interesting film. While I expected some of the twists throughout the film, others came as a surprise, which is a positive thing.

The shift in the film that occurs a little over halfway into the movie was a unique one, and changes the dynamics of the movie and the characters. Hell, for the most part, I even liked the ending. It’s not perfect, of course. I thought portions were extremely unrealistic, especially toward the end, and I have doubts about the “solution” to the problem, as it was. I have to admit also, as much as I thought the main twist was interesting, I lost interest a bit, as the rest of the movie seemed to fall into a suspected mold.

All-in-all, though, the positives outweigh the negatives. The problem is, while it’s a technically fine film, and I had little qualms with it aside from what’s been mentioned, the movie didn’t do a lot for me. It’s reminiscent of Green Room, actually – I liked the movie, but beyond a slightly positive outlook, it didn’t stand out. While Pet’s plot is a memorable one, I find myself feeling lukewarm toward it. It’s not that it’s a bad movie, it just didn’t do much for me. Because of that, I’ll rate it around average, though to others, I’d suspect a warmer reception to it.

7/10

Fender Bender (2016)

Directed by Mark Pavia [Other horror films: The Night Flier (1997)]

Mark Pavia, the director of this film, also directed a movie I rather enjoyed, being 1997’s The Night Flier. Here’s what’s interesting: The Night Flier was the last film that Pavia directed before this one. So it’s been just under twenty years since Pavia’s directed anything, and one would (reasonably) think that after such an extended hiatus, he’d be able to craft, at the very least, a movie on par with his last work.

Sadly, that’s not the case here.

17-year old Hilary (played by Makenzie Vega) gets into a fender bender with an odd individual, and later that night, the man attempts to kill her and her friends. It’s not necessarily all that amazing or creative a plot. What holds it back most, though, is the fact that, save the opening sequence of the movie, it takes a while for the horror elements to come into the film.

The movie’s an average-length film, at just around an hour and thirty minutes, and it’s not until an hour in that the killer actually starts making an appearance. Before that, there were some tense scenes, but it was nowhere near enough. Truth be told, though I liked Hilary and her two friends, I was bored for a large portion of the film. When things do start happening, nothing really stands out in those scenes either. The ending wasn’t a bad one, but it wasn’t overly satisfying either, and the killer’s final words make little sense.

So the story is rather average, and the only thing it can really boast is decent production value and a somewhat cool (if not generic) looking killer. The kills aren’t bad, and can even come across as brutal in a way, but much like the movie as a whole, they weren’t memorable. Really, the most interesting thing about this movie are the names involved.

Pavia’s directorial involvement aside, our lead character is played by Makenzie Vega, who isn’t a big name, but did play Lawrence Gordon’s daughter in Saw, so it’s a nice surprise to see that she’s still acting and I have to say, does really well with her character. Her father in the movie is played by Steven Michael Quezada, who portrayed Steve Gomez in Breaking Bad, which was another nice surprise (though Quezada doesn’t get much screen time).

All-in-all, though, Fender Bender doesn’t have that much to offer us as viewers, and it’s really a forgettable experience. It’s truly a shame that this is the product of a twenty year break.

5.5/10

Hush (2016)

Directed by Mike Flanagan [Other horror films: Absentia (2011), Oculus (2013), Before I Wake (2016), Ouija: Origin of Evil (2016), Gerald’s Game (2017), Doctor Sleep (2019)]

A deaf woman living in the isolated woods must fight for her survival against a serial killer. Sounds mildly generic, yes? I thought the same thing before starting the film, but as the movie goes on, Hush presents us a very solid entry to the home invasion subgenre of horror.

Firstly, the atmosphere and suspense throughout the film is top-notch – knowing the main character can’t hear, yet seeing the killer creep up behind her is likely to get your heart racing. It’s a tense movie, almost from beginning to end. And despite what others say, I don’t think it’s a predictable one either.

The ending was satisfying and came as a surprise to me, especially given the set-up; I expected a far different ending than the one they gave. The gore also stands out – while our killer’s main weapon of choice is a crossbow (used to good effect), he’s not averse to knives, nor is our deaf woman averse to wielding a hammer. There’s not massive bloodshed by any means, but some scenes do stand out, such as one of the main characters’ hands getting stomped on until two fingers were bent completely out of shape. Just looking at that mangled hand was painful.

The killer himself is interesting also – while at first he’s the masked mute killer, that very quickly shifts. In fact, for most of the film, he doesn’t wear his mask, which I thought was both a cool and brave move, something that you don’t usually see. Some people criticize the killer as being weak, but I thought his performance was up to par – he’s a likely crazy guy who gets off on killing people. You don’t need the strength of Jason or evasiveness of Michael against most people.

The deaf woman, Maddie, was played convincingly well by Kate Siegel, whom I don’t know, but if her other performances are as good as this one was, she has a good future. The killer too, played by John Gallagher Jr., should be praised. Despite not being an overt physical threat, he’s still obviously very much a menace.

As aforementioned, the story itself may not be original, aside from the deaf protagonist, but everything came together very well. Hush is a tense movie with a satisfying conclusion and gore that’s worth waiting for. Very solid film overall; I highly recommend it.

8.5/10

Friend Request (2016)

Directed by Simon Verhoeven [Other horror films: N/A]

Throughout this film, I couldn’t help but think of the A Nightmare on Elm Street remake – this movie is a generic, cookie cutter Hollywood production, just as the ANOES remake was. It had sequences similar to the remake, along with some settings not too far removed from A Nightmare on Elm Street. It also had a sucky ending, which isn’t to say the rest of the film was stellar.

But let’s not get overwhelmed. The story is a simple one: a strange, socially awkward girl tries to befriend Laura, but when she becomes too obsessed, Laura unfriends her from Facebook. Devastated, the girl, Marina, kills herself. And now all of Laura’s friends are being killed by Marina’s spirit.

Honestly, the plot’s not a terrible one – there were portions I found pretty interesting. But there were also points I found extraordinarily bothersome (in short, how idiotic and incurious the authorities and Dean of the college are about the fact Laura is unable to delete specific videos on her Facebook account – instead, she’s punished for something she’s not able to control). Some plot points just don’t make much sense.

And speaking about not making much sense, let’s talk about the last twenty minutes, when one character apparently loses it and snaps. Now, I get that the situation is a stressful one, but given what we were told about this character, his actions made no sense whatsoever, and seemed to just be added to throw in another threat (which lasts all of two minutes). Oh, that reminds me, why exactly did Laura not tell her boyfriend that a previous friend was trying to kill her? Seemed like something he might need to know.

But the real ending is bad also, which is a bit of a trend this film has. Laura, to end this curse, has to destroy Marina’s laptop (the police never found the spot of suicide, just saw the video). But apparently, that wasn’t in the cards. And at the end, it’s not fully explained what happens. There are a few choices, so I guess just pick and choose how to interpret it. One more thing about the problems with the film: it ends with some atrocious dubstep song. Now, I don’t dislike dubstep as much as I used to, but God, what a bad song to end the film with.

All of that said, there are some positives. Many of the actors and actresses do decently well with what they’re given. And the story, despite the glaring problems throughout, actually isn’t a terrible idea. Though I just remembered the CGI wasps that pop up over four times throughout the film, so any other positives are beyond me.

Friend Request is Hollywood tripe. Like I said, I can’t help but compare it with the A Nightmare on Elm Street remake. Both were shit products to make money off teenagers. Sad thing is it works. Friend Request has a hell of a lot of flaws, and it’s certainly below average. And some people wonder why I often stick to lower-quality films. Points are given for the interesting story, such as it was.

5/10