Frankly Fears: Found Footage Round-Up

Hello!

Cast your mind back to 2014 when I decided to do a little horror movie series for October. I spent the whole month watching as many horror films as I can then doing terrible reviews on them. I always meant to do it again but life got in the way as usual, plus my reviewing skills really were terrible. 

However, with October fast approaching once again, I've decided it is time to bring it back but with a little twist. Okay, not so much a twist as it is clearly in the title but this time around I am going to focus primarily on found footage. 

Love it or hate it, it's a genre which has kinda taken over the world of horror. 

Frankly Fears: What Not To Do In A Horror Film

Hello! 

Have you decided to spend a weekend in cabin out in the woods? Maybe you have watched a scary tape and got a strange phone call after? Did you play with a Ouija board in a haunted house with your drunk friends? 

If so, you may have found yourself in a horror film. Of course you want to survive said scary experience, so without sounding too much like Randy in Scream, I bring to you a guide of what not to do if you somehow find yourself living a horror film....

Frankly Fears: Favourite Scary Stories

Hello!

I would never describe myself as a thrill seeker. I've never been a ran of roller-coasters, the thought of bungy jumping gives me the fear and don't even get me started on heights in general. The thought of anything that could potentially cause me harm does not appeal to me.

Weirdly though, I do enjoy the rush of being scared. Not when it comes to heights or bugs, but reading creepy stories. I've spent many a time hunting through stories on NoSleep and CreepyPasta. All in the hunt for that one story which will scare the living daylights out of me. I've found a few that I've loved so much, so why not share them with you?

Warning: I am talking about scary stories. If you don't like horror, click away. You have been warned. 

Frankly Reviews: Bone Tomahawk

Hello!

Once upon a time, I decided to dabble in doing film reviews. I went at it full force and made myself watch horror films for a full month in October 2014. As much as I ended up with sleepless nights and weird dreams, I really enjoyed it. 

Though I am far from a great film critic, I do love watching films and since I was sadly redundant for 3 months, it did give me the opportunity to watch as much as I can via Netflix, Amazon Prime and NowTv. I also found myself going to the cinema a lot more. 

So I've decided to start my film reviews again. My ‘Frankly Reviews’ will be a mix from old and news. Some will be spoiler free and some spoiler heavy but I will always pre warn you of that at the start. 

Without further ado, let’s kick this off with Bone Tomahawk! 

Online No One Can Hear You Scream: Week Four

Hello!

So yes, October is over but I still have one last week of my 'Online No One Can Hear You Scream' series left to share with you.

If you have seen my previous posts, you will know for the whole of October I have been watching loads of horror films and doing little reviews on them.

I've really enjoyed doing these posts, even if at times I've sadly not got them up in time. 

So here we go, my last horror film week!

The Blair Witch Project

•  Year Released: 1999
• Director: Daniel Myrick & Eduardo Sanchez
• Starring: Heather Donahue, Michael C. Williams, Joshua Leonard

Three student filmmakers set out to Burkittsville, Maryland to make a documentary about the urban legend of The Blair Witch. After camping in the woods, they soon after disappear. A year later their footage has been found.

Everyone probably will know this film by now. It was massive in 1999!

Personally, I will never really understand the hype that surrounded this film. Saying that even know it's not the first 'found footage' style of film, I do think it ended up inspiring a lot of the films we have. For better or worse...

 

It's a slow one that is for sure and personally it just never gets scary for me. The ending gets pretty darn close to it but sadly it just doesn't leave you very satisfied. It's also one of those films where you just struggle to really care about the characters. They spend so much of the film whining and moaning that you may end up rooting for the 'bad guy'. Whatever that bad guy actually was. 

 

Don't get me wrong, it's a highly watchable film. I enjoy the shaky camera work and the fact you don't ever actually see what is 'stalking' them, which is effective but after it I felt a bit, well, meh over the whole thing. 

 

It's a film that could have been great. The story behind it all is a disturbing one but sadly I just found myself frustrated by the whole thing. It really only gets good at the end (and I'm someone who likes a slow build up)

The Babadook

• Year Released: 2014
• Director: Jennifer Kent
• Starring: Essie Davis, Noah Wiseman, Daniel Henshall

 

   Since the death of her husband, a mother has had to bring up her son who seems to be having behavioral problems and eventually she has to take him out of school. After reading him a pop up book that is not what it seems, she finds herself being haunted by a sinister presence.

FINALLY!

I have found a new horror film that is actually good!

It's not a film that relies on gore or cheap jump scares but plays with your mind. It's a sad story and, excluding the paranormal parts of it, one that probably happens a lot to families. The two leads are just fantastic in their roles of a mother and son torn apart by tragedy. 

This is a film that will make you care but also scare the absolute crap out of you. It's lack of too much CGI is highly effective and I love how you never really see 'The Babadook'. It really plays into the whole, was it real or all in their heads business? 

Many horror films go for the whole 'creepy' child thing and at the start you do think this is going to go the same way, but it's all about the mother and her struggles that grips you.

 My only negative about this film is I felt some of the supporting characters really had no point being there. We got introduced to them then just nothing from them again. It seemed a little odd. Also sadly the climax of the film was a little bit lost and lacking a 'bang' as such but it is very emotional. 

I don't want to give too much away about this film as I really think you should all watch it. It's haunting and will really make you think for days after. 

(also you may never look at a coat hanging up in the way same way ever again)

28 Days Later

• Year Released:  2002
• Director: Danny Boyle
• Starring: Cillian Murphy, Naomie Harris, Christopher Eccleston, Megan Burns, Brendan Gleeson

A group of animal activists break into a laboratory in the hope of saving chimpanzees that are being experimented on but it all goes wrong. Twenty eight days later, Jim wakes up in a coma to find that London is deserted and a virus that causes rage has infected almost everyone. 

  Zombie films are everywhere. From the classics like Night of The Living Dead to the highly popular The Walking Dead, it seems like we are a little obsessed with the idea. This could really be counted as a zombie flick but we aren't dealing with the usual slow walking, rotting, brain eating kind here. This type are faster and much more vicious. 

Like a lot of apocalyptic films, as well as shocking you with gore and fear, it also goes into how humans could cope with a situation like this. Sometimes that can be the scariest thing.

Cillian Murphy's character is a prime example of this. He finds him self thrust into this new world but still tries to keep his humanity by helping a family survive. However, even he succumbs to violence and ruthlessness to stay alive. 

 

This is one of my favourite films. Not just because Mr Murphy is in the buff at the start......

 

It's gruesome but not in a pointless shocking manner. It has it's jumpy scenes but it's the fear of 'what if' that is truly scary about this film. Again like Babadook, it starts to lose itself a little at the end but it's still a great film that hooks you from start to finish!

 

 So there you!

My horror film marathon is over. I really wish I could have had more time to speak about all the other films I watched, but here is a little list of my favourites that you should check out:

 

•  The Shining
• The Cabin In The Woods
• Evil Dead
• Rosemary's Baby
• Nosferatu
• Shaun Of The Dead
• Carrie
• Sinister
• The Omen
• The Descent 
• Scream
• REC

 I've really enjoyed these little film reviews even if it's just been me rambling about how rubbish a lot of them were...  

 

I may try do more themed film reviews in the future, so if you have any suggestions on ideas on things to watch, I would love to hear them!

 

Till the next time!

 

X

Online No One Can Hear You Scream: Week Three

Hello again!

Sorry for the lateness of this post!

So this is the third post in my 'Horror Film Marathon' for October and for this one I did it a little different. Instead of watching films throughout the week, I had a little movie night with the family. 

It ended up in drinking very strong cocktails and laughing at the ridiculousness of these films but 

hey ho!

When I got to my parents' house, I found they had proper decorated the living room so it was all spooky. This is why my family are the best really. They share my love for going all out with a theme!

So before my little reviews, here are some pictures of how our night look:

You can't beat good old ASDA and Poundland for awesome Halloween decorations. I'm actually gutted that I'm not having my own party this year. I long to make my flat look mega creepy!

So onto the films we watched:

The Exorcist 

•  Year Released: 1973
• Director: William Friedkin
• Starring: Ellen Burstyn, Jason Miller, Linda Blair

I think most people know the deal with this film:

A movie actress finds herself growing increasingly worried about her young daughter's peculiar behavior. Eventually she seeks the help of a priest who comes to the conclusion that she is possessed and the only way to save her is through an exorcism.   

This film is a classic. Everyone knows it and if you are a horror film it is a must see. 

It came out in the 70's and brought along with it a lot of controversy. These days it's hardly the most shocking movie around but back then I can see why it ruffled a few feathers. A lot of it comes down to the age of Linda Blair, who was only around 14 at the time. From the language to the erm, crucifix scene, even now it's still pretty disturbing. 

But is it as great as everyone bangs on about?

Honestly, I don't think so. Now to be fair I was a little 'tipsy' from said strong cocktails whilst watching it but I found my interest in most of the film going. It a slow starter that's for sure!

I think the main problem with the film is just the hype that surrounds it. The stories of people running out of the cinema, being sick etc. Anything that built up will always end up a disappointment. 

 I guess it says something about this generation that a film like this is just not shocking anymore. Almost like Clockwork Orange in a way.

Still, it is a classic and I can't believe it took me this long to actually watch it. Do I think it's the best horror film out there? No, but it's one that we all should watch at least once.

Event Horizon 

• Year Released: 1997
• Director: Paul W. S Anderson
• Starring: Laurence Fishburne, Sam Neill, Joely Richardson, Jason Issacs, Sean Pertwee

 So here is the deal with Event Horizon:

In the year 2047, a rescue ship by the name of 'Lewis and Clark' answers a transmission from the 'Event Horizon' which has been missing for seven years. After boarding the long lost ship they soon realise it's been to somewhere it shouldn't have and has brought something evil back with it. 

As you all learned with my Alien review, I am a big fan of the sc-fi/horror genre. It's just something about how claustrophobic they are that sends shivers down my spine. Event Horizon is not an amazing film by any means. It, to be honest, brings nothing new to the genre at all but it's pretty darn enjoyable. You may search up on it on Rotten Tomatoes after reading this and think 
"It's only got 24% rating, how could it be good" 
But look at the audience rating, it's 62%. So don't write it completely off. 

It's dated sure but it has a rather good cast and a creepy story. It's a little on the gory side but not enough to put me totally off. The film is very in your face and you don't really care about the characters at all but I found myself intrigued by it. Unlike The Exorcist, I didn't lose interest in it You may want to look away but you just can't. Plus Sam Neill (Jurassic Park man) is a right creepy bastard in it. 

If you want to watch something where you can just switch your brain off and enjoy a little space scariness, then this is the film for you!


Mama

•  Year Released: 2013
• Director: Andres Muschietti
• Starring: Jessica Chastain, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Megan Charpentier

  So here is a little about the story of 'Mama':

 

After killing his wife, Jeffrey D'Asange kidnaps his two young daughter and takes them to a cabin in the wood. He plans to kill them too but they are saved by an unseen force that dwells in the cabin. Five years later, the girls are found and left in the care of Jeffrey's twin brother and his girlfriend Annabel. They soon come to realise that they have brought 'Mama' with them.

 

Even now as I write 'Mama', I'm still getting that line from Bohemian Rhapsody in my head (you know the one)

I was excited for this film, I had heard so many good things about it. Plus it has Guillermo del Toro as the executive producer, so it has to be good right?! 

Well.... it wasn't a winner for me sadly. Don't get me wrong the story is fantastic and really interesting but it didn't feel like a horror film to me. I found myself not jumping at all or trying to watch through my hands. My mum and Corrin were both jumping throughout this film but for me, it just wasn't working.

I think the main problem for me is the fact that the 'villian' is CGI. If it was an actual actor in makeup, I may had found it scarier. but it was so obviously computerized! Plus you saw far too much of it, especially at the end. It almost become laughable for me.

Personally, I was just so disappointed with it. The trailer looked so creepy but I just felt that lacking in the actual film (may of had something to do with my slightly intoxicated state but shh)

I also watched Aliens that night but I didn't see much point in talking about it on this. You all know by now that I love the Alien series!

I was rather late doing this post but I make sure week 4 will be done soon!
I'm still looking out for recommendations of films to watch, so please comment below with your suggestions.

I'm enjoying doing these film posts so I think it's something I may continue with in the future (that's if people actually enjoy reading them)

Till the next time!


X

 

Online No One Can Hear You Scream: Week Two

Hello there!

So it's time for week two of my 'Online No One Can Hear You Scream' series.

In case you missed last week's post (which you can check out here) for the month of October I will be watching as many horror films as I can, then doing a little recap/review of them here.

As much as I love horror film, I'm also a massive wimp at times. So this is quite a challenge for me. I'm already getting creepy dreams!

So for this week I'm going to talk about not one but three films I watched this week:

Diary Of The Dead

•   Year Released: 2008
• Director: George A. Romero
• Starring: Michelle Morgan, Josh Close, Shawn Roberts, Amy Lalonde, Joe Dinicol

Basically the story is pretty simple.

Whilst filming a horror movie, a group of students find out that the dead are rising up. The group work together to get home to find loved ones whilst filming the chaos that surrounds them, using cameras and phones. 

Your typical zombie film plot eh?

George A. Romero is quite simply the daddy of the zombie horror genre. Starting of his career with the amazing Night Of The Living Dead, he has brought us many a good gory horror film. Sadly he also brought us this, Diary Of The Dead.

I'm not going to beat around the bush here, it's a pretty weak film. The zombie genre is particually bad at giving us mind numbing films but in a way they are enjoyable. 

My problem with Diary Of The Dead is it really hammers down on some bigger meaning to it all.

It shows you the problems with the media and our obsession with filming every single thing that happens. Sadly whilst it does this it fails to bring the viewer any scares. Plus the acting and dialogue is pretty weak and cheesy. For me, it spent too much time trying to make a point and be different, that it forgot what the film truly is... A HORROR FILM!

Yes it goes for the whole 'found footage' style which tends to be effective but it's almost too perfect with it's camera work. It's not shaky, the effects are a little lame and it's all too 'clean' looking. 

I'm a zombie fan so this film was slight disappointment for me. George A. Romero has directed much better films of this genre and I suggest you check them out instead.

 Alien

•  Year Released: 1979
• Director: Ridley Scott
• Starring: Sigourney Weaver, Ian Holm, Tom Skerritt, John Hurt, Veronica Cartwright 

So after the disappointment of Diary Of The Dead, I needed something good.

Come forward ALIEN. One of my favourite films of all time!

(Also the inspiration behind the name of my horror series)

A commercial spaceship, by the name of Nostromo, is on it's way back to earth when suddenly it intercepts a SOS signal. The crew, under obligation, are forced to investigate. 

They soon realise that it was no SOS but a warning and they have now brought back something deadly on board with them.

Just a wee summery for you there as I don't want to ruin much for anyone who has yes to see Alien. I also must question why you have not seen Alien...

As I said above, it is one of my favourite films and I could watch it over and over again. Plus I still jump and watch some scenes through one eye. 

I can't actually remember when I first watched Alien but seeing as it's a favourite of my mums, I couldn't avoid it. In fact, I'm pretty sure I saw the sequel first. 

It was released in 1979 to both critical and box office acclaim. Written by Dan O'Bannon and directed by Ridley Scott, it was originally pitched as 'Jaws In Space'. Which I do kind of see but imagine it as a much more violent jaws in a highly claustrophobic environment. Then you have Alien.

Okay okay, it's a little dated now and you may say it's a story you've seen plenty of times before but this is something special. From the superb cast to the amazing design work of H.R Giger, it's a wonderful film. Never mind how completely and utterly creepy the Xenomorph is (that's the 'Alien' by the way)

The thing I love about Alien, coming from a fan of sc-fi and horror, is the way that it blends both those genres together so perfectly. It also has one of my favourite styles in a horror film, 'the slow burner'

Personally, the best horror films will always start of slow, let's you get to know the characters a little bit, things get a little creepy, things get mega creepy then bam you are up against the 'bad guy'.

As I said in my Grudge review, one of the cons I had was that you see the villain too quickly into it. Alien builds up to that moment wonderfully.  If you have seen Alien, you will know that the scene when they are having dinner is fantastic.

This scene will always and forever make me jump

As I said the casting for Alien is pretty darn good. Sigourney Weaver makes an amazing hero as Ripley. Unlike 'Karen' in the Grudge, you actually care about Ripley and as the Alien series progress, you can't help but just want to be her. She is a total bad ass (yes I just said that)

Writing this is difficult as I don't want to give too much away but all I can say is just watch it and then give the sequels ago. Just ignore the 4th one. Pretend like it doesn't exist okay?

The Conjuring

•  Year Released: 2013
• Director: James Wan
• Starring: Vera Farmiga, Patrick Wilson, Ron Livingston, Lili Taylor

Now unlike Alien, a film I've seen loads, I only just watched this for the first time. 

In 1971, The Perron family move into an old farmhouse in Rhode Island. Soon after they find things are not quite normal in this house and become terrorized by the spirits who haunt it. 

Ed and Lorraine Warren are paranormal investigators who are contacted by the family to shed some light on what is going on and to help them drive the spirits out.
 

 So The Conjuring is promoted as being based on real events. Ed and Lorraine Warren were really paranormal investigators and they did visit the home of the Perron family. Does that mean everything we see in this film actually happened? Probably not, but it's a lot of fun!

To be honest, it's not exactly the most ground breaking horror film to be made but I don't think that matters too much. It's creepy and rather jumpy, all that I enjoy in a switch your brain off horror film. 

Like a lot of 'haunted house' films, it has your typical cliches. People saying "who's there", creepy children, creaky noises etc but it's still enjoyable and effective. 

As I have said plenty of times before, I'm not a massive fan of gore. I feel like it's actually lazy and used way too much in newer horror films. It's almost like they don't think a film can be truly scary without seeing someone getting torn to shreds. I enjoyed The Conjuring because it didn't rely on cheap tricks like that. It's all about the eeriness. 

Dark cellars, doors creaking, dead silence, creepy shadows.  

For me that will always be a lot scarier because whilst you are sitting there, as soon as you hear a noise in your house, you will jump! It's all about those tricks on your mind.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying this film is perfect at all. It plays it all very safe. Nothing new, nothing we haven't really seen before. Then again look at 'Diary Of The Dead', it tried to bring something new to the zombie genre and personally it failed in that. Sometimes you got to think, if it's not broken, why fix it?

Villain wise, the creepy doll above is horrifying but only plays a small part in the film. I believe it has it's only film which is out now. For the 'ghosties' in the house, they were scariest when you couldn't really see them. Soon as you got a chance to see them close up, they were a little laughable really.

So I also did a little bit of 'live tweeting' throughout this film. So here are a couple of my feelings about it all:

 Overall, I really enjoyed this film. It was creepy, spooky and left me jumping at any old noise I heard from my flat. I would recommended you give it a go. Don't go in there expecting something amazing, just enjoy what it is.

So there you go. Week Two is done!

Remember I would love to hear your opinions on any of the films I've mentioned and remember to tell me any films you would like me to watch!

Sleep tight!

X

 

Online No One Can Hear You Scream: Week One

Hello!

So if you follow me on Twitter etc you will know that I am planning a little blog challenge for October.

Halloween is one of my favourite times of the year so it's only right that I celebrate it some way. So for all this month I will be watching as many horror films as I can and at the end of each week, I will do a little recap/review of them.

From classic to newer one, I am looking forward to all the sleepless nights.

Why Horror Films?

 Well, it's almost Halloween of course but mainly because I'm a big fan of the genre. I blame my mother. I grew up watching films like Evil Dead, Alien, Poltergeist etc and naturally I just fell in love with those films. Don't get me wrong, I'm a big chicken but that's the fun of horror films. The best ones are the ones that scare you! The ones that make you leave the light on at night.

I do have love/hate relationship with them. Like alot of films, you have your good and bad ones but the horror genre seems to attract alot of rubbish. Sometimes they are the best ones though.

During my little reviews, I will go into more detail about what, for me, makes a good horror film!

Don't get me wrong, I'm no film expert or critic. I'm just someone who enjoys films. So don't expect any insightful points or 'what does it all mean' statement. I'm just here to and give you guys a recap of what I enjoyed or hated!

Now, I'm hoping to watch a few films during the week but since this is the first week and I will be away for the weekend, I just have the one for now.

So let's crack on shall we:

The Grudge

• Year: 2004
• Director: Takashi Shimizu 
•  Staring: Sarah Michelle Gellar, Jason Behr, KaDee Strickland, Clea DuVall, Bill Pullan

Okay okay... I know the original Japanese version is better but this was one of the films that really got me into the Horror genre. Plus who doesn't love watching 'Buffy' get terrorized by creepy ghosts?!

 Here is short synopsis of the film:

A family are torn apart by the husband finding out his wife is in love with another man. He murders his wife, son, cat and lastly himself. These violent deaths created a curse which brought the family back as onryō (not really explained in the remake)

An onryō is traditional Japanese belief of a vengeful spirit.

Years later, a husband and wife move in along with the husband's mother. Due to the mother suffering from deminta, a care worker is appointed to look after her. Shortly after moving in, the family suffer from the curse inflicted on the house and the Yoko (the careworker) goes missing. This brings Sarah Michelle Gellar's character into the story. She is also a careworker and is appointed to the mother after Yoko is not seen or heard from. 

She finds herself haunted by this curse, as anyone who enters the house is affected and doomed by it.

The Grudge was rated a '15' in the UK, so you know it's not going to be mega gory or violent. Which some may thing is bad but personally I'm not a massive fan of gore. This film relies more on 'jumpy' scenes rather than grossing you out.

Don't get me wrong, it has very violent undertones to it and there is one scene that involves a missing jaw which is a bit disgusting.

The interesting thing about this film is that it is directed by Takashi Shimizu, who did the original one. So if you have seen both, there is a lot of similarities. It doesn't exactly bring anything new to the story.

Visually it is a striking film and weirdly makes me want to go to Japan. I just need to avoid any scary hours that contain creepy ghosts..

Buffy would have kicked that ghost's ass. 

My pain problem with this film is the lack of character development. I don't find myself caring about any of them so it makes it hard for me to be shocked by any of the deaths (there is a lot by the way)

It contains such a great cast of actors but they are all very two dimensional.

Being a massive fan of 'Buffy The Vampire Slayer', I love Sarah Michelle Gellar but sadly her character of Karen spends a lot of the time looking wide eyed and terrified of everything. Don't get me wrong, I would be the same but it doesn't make for an interesting 'hero'.

See if you heard a creepy noise coming from the attic in your house, would you go investigate?

NO.

No should always be your answer. Also don't say "Who's there?"

If horror films have taught me anything, it's that. It always means death is coming for you!

By far one of the scariest scenes in the film.

As I said, The Grudge doesn't exactly bring anything new or ground breaking to the horror genre but it's a pretty good film. If you want to something that will make you jump then it's a good film to go for. Plus, like me, it made me more interested in Japanese horror films. 

So here is a list of my pros and cons of The Grudge:

PROS:

• Rather jumpy at points
• The 'villains' are pretty darn creepy
• Good cast
• Doesn't rely on gory scenes to be scary

CONS:

• Brings nothing new. Very similar to the original film
• Hard to care about the characters 
• You maybe see the 'ghosts' too early into the film. I prefer a build up.
• Predictable ending.

There you go!

The first film in my 'Online No One Can Hear you Scream' series. As I said I'm no film critic or expert, this is all for fun!

Next week, I will be talking about a few more films. So if there is anything you think I should watch, let me know in the comments!

In the words of Ghostface

"What's your favourite scary movie?"