Insidious : Chapter 3 (2015)

James Wan, after the hugely successful Conjuring, had mentioned in an interview that he will not be directing any more horror movies (except the sequel to Conjuring).  A decision that I would request, beg, beseech, plead Wan to reconsider.  There are not enough half decent directors in this genre.  Not much left to be desired if the one great director in the past decade decides to call it quits.

The Woman in Black 2: Angel of Death

The Woman in Black (2012) starring Daniel Radcliffe wasn’t something that made you feel creepy.  It was scary in bits and parts but nowhere close to what horror freaks and fanatics are used to, or demand these days.  The Woman in Black 2 : Angel of Death, is no different.

Ouija

So everyone around the Ouija (wee-juh / wee-jaa / wee-jee) board places their hands on the planchette (http://macsstuff.net/photobov/ouija-board-planchette). Circle the board depending on the number of people at the board.  So 5 people would mean 5 circles.  Then say

Oculus

This is my first experience with Mike Flanagan and I must say that I enjoyed the way he chose to narrate the story of Oculus.  Oculus (the feature film) is inspired by one of his earlier works, a short film – Oculus : Chapter 3 – The Man with the Plan. It is identical to Oculus in terms of the overall plot but is different in some aspects.

Darr @The Mall

Picture this. The screen is black. Slowly the camera starts zooming out, forming a whitish circle. In a couple of seconds, you see a familiar painting of something or someone with his mouth wide open - as wide as it can get. And then the more educated quizzers will say, "wait a second. This is Edvard Munch's SCREAM". That's the shot with which DARR @ THE MALL begins.

Carrie (2013)(Horror)

Kimberly Peirce’s much awaited remake of Stephen King’s debut novel from 1974 is facing a lot of criticism from all circles. While a bit of it is warranted, over the past few months it has turned into some sort of a witch hunt.  Yes there are flaws in the movie and it isn’t as scary as the 1976 Brian De Palma version.  But you have to give credit to Peirce for making the movie far more contemporary.

The Shining

The Shining was one of Kubrick’s last movies.  To be precise, it was 3^rd to last.  After The Shining, Kubrick made Full Metal Jacket and Eyes Wide Shut.  By then, Kubrick had dabbled with all sorts of genres – Thriller (The Killing), War (Fear & Desire), Dark Comedy (Dr. Strangelove), SciFi (2001) – you name it.  The only one conspicuously missing was Horror.  And what a movie The Shining turned out to be.

Insidious – Chapter 2

I usually make it a point to see an earlier part in case I haven’t when the sequel releases.  Insidious Chapter 2 is actually more of a logical extension form Insidious that finished with a clear indication of a possible 2^nd part.  Much like Chapter 2 finishes with “Oh My God”!!! Clearly an indication that Chapter 3 maybe around the corner.  Will it show the same levels of improvement that 2 did over 1? With James Wan clearly indicating that he doesn’t want to be involved with horror any more, I don’t know.

Insidious

Insidious – working or spreading in a hidden and usually injurious way.  Intended to entrap.  Beguiling but harmful. The quality of being designed to entrap.  Subtle and cumulative harmfulness (especially of a disease).  These are the definitions of the name of this horror flick that I dug out from various sources on the net.

The Conjuring

I envy James Wan.  He is all of 36 years of age – maybe a few months older.  And he already has given the world quite a few successful movies.  To mention one, there is Saw which was a commercial success but I didn’t quite like it more because of the gore and not because it was badly made.  He has already signed up for Fast & Furious 7 and after watching The Conjuring, I think he will improve on the franchise (at lease I hope so).

Ek Thi Daayan

Most of you are familiar that I have been making reasonable attempts over the past year or so, to overcome my morbid fear of Horror.  And most of you are also aware that I have done a good job out of it.  I am still a “fattu” (scaredy cat) but it takes more than what it used to, to scare me.  There are enough and more instances in Ek Thi Daayan that scared me and will scare quite a few of you as well.

Texas Chainsaw 3D (2013)

My understanding of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre was a tad different from what I actually saw last weekend.  I had always thought that TCM was a random blood and gore movie with little or no story attached to it with a psychopathic killer at the centre of it all and of course a chain saw.

Mama

I walked back home after watching Mama and that too to an empty house that is currently in a situation that can be best described by one word – DARK.  All of it thanks to a process of shifting that will take till the weekend to get done and dusted.  But for the time being it was not a very comfortable position.  Wonder how all the dark areas in your house get magnified when you are alone after a horror movie.

The Ghost and The Darkness

One of the biggest conundrums I have had in recent times. Should I classify The Ghost And The Darkness as an Action movie or a thriller or a horror movie. In the end, I went with Thriller and Horror both. You would not have much or a debate with the rating once you have seen it. I have probably seen it over 10 times to date and each one of those has been an experience that was as scary as the other. Without any exception.

I first saw the story of the worst place on earth - yes that's what Samuel (John Kani) calls Tsavo - way back in 1997 if I remember correctly. The impact that it left on me has been identical ever since for some eerie reason. The fascination that Col. James Patterson (Val Kilmer) has with Africa is a huge driver in his decision to leave a pregnant wife Helena Patterson (Emily Mortimer)

The commitment is that he will build the bridge across the river Tsavo within 6 months. He wants to be back before his first born comes into the world. His wife is supportive of his decision. But the acidic Robert Beaumont (Tom Wilkinson) doesn't really care much about his family or anyone else. Just the bridge. Patterson doesn't really know that there are aspects about Africa that are far more scary than some cheap heartless people like Beaumont. His worst nightmares are about to come true with The Ghost And The Darkness.

Stephen Hopkins is very good to say the least. The use of music during the hunts for the 2 man eaters gives me goose bumps even thinking about it. One can imagine the fear you will feel while watching it. The editing and cinematography is perfect to create and even more intense fear of the unknown. Look closely into the grasslands and u will see silhouettes of the feared beasts walking through. Some sequences such as the one where Patterson's wife comes to see him with his first born only to be mauled @ the railway station are horrific and scary. And the use of enhanced sound for the petrified baboon is just stunning.

4 of the finest actors that I have known in my lifetime come together for one of my favourite movies of all time. Val Kilmer, Tom Wilkinson, Om Puri and the evergreen Michael Douglas. I have taken it upon myself to get everyone that I know to see it. I loved it. I am sure most of you will. 8 on 10.

Watch the trailer at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VCb6-Nz0Nkg

The Woman in Black

James Watkins is primarily a writer and has one directorial venture before The Woman In Black. It was another thriller of sorts called Eden Lake. But he is best known for writing the likes of The Descent 2 and a random movie called Gone (not the one I reviewed last year or the one that is expected in the near future with Amanda Seyfried). Surprisingly, all movies are in the horror genre. Must be a fetish that Watkins developed in his early years. For what its worth, the end product seems to be one that does sends a few shivers down or up your spine. So I guess Watkins has learnt quite a bit from his adventures with this genre over time.

What stands out all through the movie is the fantastic use of sound, light and silence. The music is haunting – which is what it should be in a horror movie – and really makes you get that eerie feeling. There are really long periods of time without a sound leave alone a concept of a dialogue. It builds up the suspense quite well and makes you want to grab hold of the seat a little tighter than how you normally would. Most of the movie is shot in a very dark hue with some elements of light petering in as required. Even the day time sequences which are creepy are shot with a lot of fog and diffused lighting as the case may require. So sticking to the basics seems to have paid off. Horror movies need not have dialogues right. So why waste your time on it. Focus on creating the errie and not talking about it.

But that’s where the good parts kind of end. Most the movie is vastly predictable. One doesn’t need to be a rocket scientist to figure out whats going to happen next. So when Arthur Kipps (Daniel Radcliffe) is forced to take the assignment with his law firm that takes him to a desolate place to figure out the last will and testament of a lady who has recently passed, you know that it has to be in a house or a castle that’s errie or has too many secrets. And you know that if he stays the night then bad things are going to happen to him. And you know that if he decides to investigate errie sounds in the middle of the night which involve climbing up creaky stairs and trying to open doors which otherwise don’t open – guess what, the door will open. Normal eerie horror flick techniques. No rocket science as I mentioned.

Not much of a star cast with the exeption of that boy prodigy who got famous for playing the lead role in probably the most amazing fantasy series of the previous decade. And the vastly under rated Ciarán Hinds. Not much of a role for the rest of the cast actually but for overacting with fear in their eyes. Its not really “have to see material”. 6 on 10.

Watch the trailer at http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi385981977/

Ragini MMS

OK now I seriously need to have something different when it comes to horror movies. And something with at least a little bit of originality. And a tribute to Paranormal Activity and Blair Witch project presented with a disclaimer that the movie is based on a true story which happened in India doesn’t amount to originality. It would seem, as the writers claim, that the story is based on what a south Indian girl experienced in the year 2009 somewhere close to Mumbai. But the stark similarities to the movies mentioned earlier cannot be ignored – no matter how hard you try. It is indeed time that Indian directors take a long hard look at themselves when they are attempting to make movies under the genre that is supposed to scare the heebeejeebies out of the viewers. Very honestly, it has been a really long time since I have actually seen a decent horror movie that scares me like the way an Omen did a few decades back or for that matter how Ring did less than a decade back.

Now I am quite a “fattu” (scaredy cat for those who are unfamiliar with the colloquialism of India) and very honestly, I had forgotten that Ragini MMS was supposed to be a horror movie before I walked into the theatre. By the time it was too late to change my mind and watch Arthur. So given a lack of choice, I had to go through the couple of hours of a movie that was more hilarious in parts than the parts in which it was scary. If you are a really big fan of horror flicks like a few of my friends, you would be a tad disappointed with this one is what I can assure you. But if you get your kicks from some kind of a gory looking apparition continuously screaming in a guttural voice, “Mein Chudail (Mangala Ahire) nahin hoon. Maine apne bachche ko nahin maara. Yeh Mera Ghar Hai. Mein yahaan se nahin jaane waali hoon. Aur mein tumhe bhi yahaan se nahin jaane doongi” (I am not a witch. I did not kill my baby. This is my house. I will not leave it. And will not let you leave it either) – then Ragini MMS is just the kind of movie for you. And of course did I mention that there is a decent amount of Soft Porn thrown in to add to the spice. Soft Porn that alternately shows Ragini (Kainaz Motivala) and Uday (Raj Kumar Yadav) in heat and leaves me wondering if women are actually that daft?

Nothing too great in the direction department from first timer Pawan Kripalani. But then again not too bad either. There are some scenes that make you jump up and actually scare you. And coming to the acting department, Kainaz Motivala hasn’t come too far ahead from her previous 2 attempts at Bollywood – Paathshaala and Wake Up Sid. Yes she has finally got a lead role. But if anything is going to make an impact from her side as of now, it would be the posters and not her acting skills in anyways. And it really doesn’t help her at all that her co-star, one Raj Kumar Yadav has done a commendable job to say the least. That’s the only saving grace of the movie as such. I don’t think it makes the cut from my end. 3 on 10 is what I say.

Watch the trailer at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0570q7nNxHc