Review: Prom Night (2008)

Directed by: Nelson McCormack

Starring: Brittany Snow, Johnathon Schaech

After seeing 2 Great remakes, I am sad to say I fell upon one that fails in every way imaginable. The inept directing, atrocious acting, and paper thin plot weigh this film down a whole helluva lot. What could have been a great, R-rated horror romp fest is reduced to PG-13 garbage that passes for "horror". 

I hated every aspect of this film. It's as if the makers of "The Hills" met up with the creators of "The Grudge" and decided to combine the worst things about them to make one big, dumb crap-fest.  Watching this film makes me glad that filmmakers like Rob Zombie, Eli Roth, Alex Aja, and Marcus Nispel are around to make horror films with balls.  

1/5

Horror Movies Through The Years (includes reviews of select films)

Horror movies have been scaring children and thrilling adults since film began.  I will be breaking down every era of Horror films since the 70s and reviewing select horror films. 

1970s-This era of ghostly horror films was also when slasher films started to take shape, but it wouldn't be till the 80s till slashers would be defined by 2 movies. Though the film that would lay the template for all slashers to come was released: Halloween.  No other film was more responsible for creating the genre then this single film, which would rise from obscurity to become a classic. Every slasher film to come would be influenced by Halloween in some way or another, even though the myriad sequels have tarnished the originals reputation.

1980s-This is the decade where the slasher film would rise to what it has become, the 2 films that would define the genre were released: Friday the 13th and A Nightmare on Elm Street. These 2 films have my picks for the 1st and 2nd greatest horror films ever made, and these are the films I have chosen to review. 

Review: Friday the 13th

Directed by Sean S. Cunningham

Written by Victor Miller

The film that would define the slasher genre, is one of the best of the genre. For the first 45 minutes of the film you are led to believe who the killer is until they throw you a curve ball in the last 15 minutes of the film. That being said, this film has a lot of problems, like the mediocre acting and the really terrible dialogue. This stops the film from achieving greatness, but it still is a thrill-a-minute ride.

3/5

Review: A Nightmare on Elm Street

The single best film of the slasher genre, it features a great villain, believable characters, good acting, and some great kills. The film that would define Horror master Wes Craven's career, and quite possibly the greatest horror film ever made.

5/5

1990s-This is the era when slashers films would be turned on their ears, and many horror films would become self-referential. Not many notable films during this era save for Scream.

2000s-The era when slashers would revert back to the golden era for inspiration, like the great remake of Friday the 13th, and the upcoming remake of A Nightmare on Elm Street, also the era when Zombie films would become popular fueled by films like Dawn of the Dead and 28 Days Later.

This is my retrospective on the Horror Genre, hope you enjoy!

Review: Friday The 13th (2009)

Friday The 13th

Starring : Amanda Righetti, Danielle Panabaker, Jared Paladecki, Travis Van Winkle, Derek Mears

Written By Damian Shannon and Mark Swift

Directed By Marcus Nispel

Horror movies have been around since the dawn of film. Technology has allowed them to get better and more violent with time. But the original Friday The 13th worked on a different level, and it seems like nearly 20 years of history was washed away for a chance at a fresh start, and it serves this long running series well. The acting is good, the kills inventive (even though there's only so much you can do with blunt and pointed objects) and the directing is tense. As I look back on the 20 years this series has been around, I'm glad they went back to basics and allowed a new generation to be introduced to the madman in the hockey mask Jason Voorhees. 

That being said, the ending is weak and the high energy, violent pre-credits sequences can't match with the slower pace of the rest of the film. 

The final 45 minutes, however, do leave a bit of doubt as to who will survive to see the end, and who of the 2 "Final Girls" eat it is a bit shocking.

I can gladly give this film

5/5

One of the best horror remakes I've seen in years.