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.

Double Review-Saw 5 and REPO! The Genetic Opera

Review-REPO! The Genetic Opera

Director-Darren Lynn Bousman

Writers-Darren Smith and Terrance Zdunich

Starring-Alexa Vega, Anthony Stewart Head, Sarah Brightman, Paris Hilton, Ogre, Terrance Zdunich with Bill Moseley and Paul Sorvino.

What started life as a short film, then became a stage play, now becomes one of the best and most original films of 2008. I am completely throwing my full support behind this amazing work of art. It's one of my favorite films of 2008, and something that stays with you for a long time after you watch it. You will be amazed at the distinct art style and may be disturbed at the gore in the film, but after you watch it you will have the feeling of having just seen something completely different and game-changing.

5/5

Review-Saw 5

Director-David Hackl

Writers-Patrick Metlon and Marcus Dunstan

Starring- Costas Mandylor, Scott Patterson, Betsy Russell, Mark Rolston and Julie Benz

The 4th sequel to what must be trying to tie or beat A Nightmare on Elm Street and Friday the 13th series for most sequels to a single movie is suprisingly better than the last, with better traps, a better story and better acting overall. The story this time is that Det. Hoffman must tie up all loose ends to protect his secret. When the FBI gets in on the game and start to find out who he really is, the game seems to be up. But Jigsaw never made mistakes and as we will soon learn, the game is far from over. The film does have its problems, which are that the story sometimes gets too confusing and the flashback seem heavy handed at times. But this is a fun ride, and better than the last entry in the Saw series.

4/5

My Bloody Valentine Review (Not seen in 3D)

This is a remake of a 80's horror cult classic, updated with modern day horror effects and it's a throwback to what many call the greatest era in horror film history, with lots of blood, gore, sex, nudity, and general mayhem. That being said, this film is surprisingly well-acted, and well-directed. It provides the requiste chilling atmosphere and features some outrageous, over-the-top gore. It does have its problems though, with the story featuring many plot holes(but what film dosen't these days) but the twist differs from the orignal and is an unexpected one. The fact that this was meant for 3D and I only saw it in 2D holds this film back and I can only give it:

4/5

New year, New post

2009 has arrivied and let's hope we have a better year than 2008. Don't get me wrong, we had some great moments (Dark Knight being the 1 movie of the year, Jeff Hardy FINALLY winning the WWE Championship) but we had so many more lows. Now with a new president, let's hope we actually DO see some great change, and not a bunch of spoon-fed lies.


Top things I want in 2009
1. Jeff Hardy to retain his title for an entire year
2. A good leader of this country
3. Christian to win SOME kind of title in the WWE now that he's back with them.

WWE Survivor Series 2008-My Reaction

Last night the 22nd Survivor Series was held in Boston, Mass. The event was sold out with 15,000+ in attendance. This PPV had a mix of both good and bad, with some solid matches but towards the end of the night history would be made in 2 ways.


The first match was Team HBK vs. Team JBL, which was a solid opener that got the crowd going early. The match teased a John Morrison vs HBK program which I thought was fun and I would like to see more of. Predictable outcome with HBK's team going over.

The next match was the Raw Divas vs Smackdown Divas which was the worst match on the card, I'm starting to think that Creative is losing more and more confidence with McCool as Champion every day with her being the first to be eliminated from the match.

Next match was the return of the Casket match which was a very solid match with a predictable outcome, with Big Show looking dominant for much of the match only for Taker to turn the tables and pull out the win.

The last and best SS tag match was up next, which had Team Batista going up against Team Orton. Everyone on each team was able to get thier spots in but in the end it was Orton pulling out the win and allowing the feud with Batista to continue.

The match of the night would follow with the WWE Championship on the line, Triple H vs Vladimir Koslov was a very slow and boring match from the outset, with "Boring" and "We Want Hardy" chants, but then Creative pulled out the rabbit and out came Edge like he was never gone, then Hardy comes out and delivers justice but Edge was still able to pull out the win.

World Heavyweight Championship is up next with Chris Jericho defending against the returning John Cena. Regardless of how you feel about Cena, there's no denying that he is one of the hardest workers in WWE today. To come back from what most would call a career shortening injury, and, under an insane amount of legit pressure, and put on a stellar match is incredible. Cena would once again show his Incredible Hulk-like strength and defeat Jericho to win the WHC.

All in all it was a solid PPV with highs and lows. But the card had the scent of desperation, with so many Traditional SS tag matches being on the card it seemed like Creative ran out of ideas for matches.

Review: Gears of War 2

The sequel to one of the most popular Xbox 360 games has finally arrived, and it's bigger and better than the first in every way. The story, combat mechanics, and overall gameplay have recieved major overhauls, and the new Horde mode is one of the most addictive multiplayer modes in recent history. Small problems with the game include a broken weapon system in multiplayer, a few techinical glitches, and campaign that is still short (only 5 acts)

For those reasons I can only give this game a 4.5 out of 5

Gaming News 10/16/08

It's confirmed, there will be a Bioshock 2 trailer with the PS3 edition of Bioshock. So PS3 fanboys have another advantage that the Xbox 360 version didn't.

It's also being said that the highly-anticipated sequel Gears of War 2 is the most pre-ordered game in history. There has been upwards of over 1 million pre-orders and the game is still weeks away.


That's all for this edition of Gaming News!!!!

Review: Rock Band 2

I've never played a Rock Band game, but now that I have I must say they are hella fun and offer more variety than any previous Guitar Hero game. There are over 80 songs, with downloadable songs coming every week allows for a constantly fresh expierience. Online modes include world tour, quickplay, battle of the bands and various others. The bottom line is this a must buy for any music game fan.


5/5

My Most Wanted Games

1. Gears of War 2
2.Quantum of Solace The Video Game
3. Fallout 3
4. Mirror's Edge
5. Ghostbusters The Video Game
6. Blitz The League II
7. Guitar Hero World Tour
8. Madden 09
9. WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2009


These are my most wanted games for the fall season, even though Madden 09 has been out since August. I will be posting reviews of all these games when I buy them so stay tuned!