Charles W Jones

Dark Floors ( 2008 ) has been on my watch list for a while, and now that I’ve finally seen it, I’m left feeling empty or at least not full. I saw the trailer for it, and that’s how it came to be on my watch list. I thought it was going to be terrifying, but they showed all the good parts in the trailer. It’s a shame, too. no lordi music While it did have some creepy sets and effects, it wasn’t that scary at all. With Lordi being the monsters, I figured it was gonna be one scream after the other, but they weren’t as menacing as they could’ve been. It reminded me of a lot of the video games Dementium: The Ward and The Evil Within, which are a lot scarier. The score was disappointing, why didn’t Lordi do it? Then I wonder if they ran out of ideas because they throw in zombies, which were more frightening than the monsters. Let’s not forget that I’m not a zombie fan. My favorite thing about this movie is the set and how each floor there was more decay than the last. I give...

Inspired by true events, well a mix of them, The Strangers ( 2008 ) tells the fun tale of masked intruders who antagonize a couple spending time in a family cottage in the woods. While it’s not extraordinary, I like it, and every time I see it, I get the chills. I like the cast, Liv Tyler as Kristen and Scott Speedman as James – they are always fun to watch – are the couple who are terrorized by the tri of strangers. It’s not like they are having a good time. Silly Kristen said no thanks to James’s marriage proposal because ‘I’m just not ready yet.’ The fact that the trio is masked makes the feeling more sinister. Which is no different from any other movie with the theme, but it doesn’t make it worse for the wear. There’s just something about masked strangers that’s very unnerving. The events quickly escalate, which is a relief, though I always get stuck on the timeline. The time that elapses in the film doesn’t match Mother Nature’s skills of bringing the sun up. The first knock happe...

Ghost stories are always fun, though sometimes the creators of these films go too far with how they imagine things. The Echo ( 2009 ) takes us on the journey with Bobby Reynolds, who’s been released from prison and he returns to his mother’s apartment to live. The opening credits have strange screaming and ranting, and I wasn’t sure what that was all about, then as the story progresses, Bobby hears the sounds as does one other tenant. The setting is dingy and creepy, someplace you’d expect ghosts to reside. There’s nothing special about the effects, but they are good and not laden with too much CGI. The strangeness of what’s happening around Bobby and Alyssa, his girlfriend before he went to prison, grows as does the tension of what’s happening. The ending ruined this movie for me. The liberties taken are not how I’ve ever imagined ghosts to act. It greatly bothers me that they went with it. Now, the revenge aspect of what’s going on I can appreciate. The Echo is a good ghost story tha...

I was hoping with a name like Blood Creek ( 2009 ) that I wouldn’t be disappointed, and I wasn’t…for the most part. It starts with a flashback to 1936 to a farm in West Virginia and a German professor coming to visit. They are led to believe that his reason for being there is scholarly, but they soon find out that his intentions are more nefarious. Jump forward to present day, and where it gets boring for a minute. I know I want it all. The premise of the Nazis wanting to gain occult power isn’t a new thing in the film world. Blood Creek does give an interesting twist to the theme. Wirth was a necromancer vampire zombie creator. I’ll leave it at that. The quickness on how things escalate is better than most movies of this decade, so that made me happy that I didn’t have to wait forever for something to happen. The gore level is excellent. I’ve been missing it lately, and I needed a nice heaping helping of it, so thank you for that. I’ve also been missing solid performances, and this wa...

For day 12 of 30 Days of Terror , I figured I’d continue on with George A. Romero, and talk about Diary of the Dead since I enjoyed Land of the Dead a lot more than I expected. I was hoping that Diary of the Dead (2007) was a continuation of Land of the Dead because I enjoyed the storyline and was curious to find out what happened to them, but it’s not. This is a found footage sort of thing set before the previous installment. The story isn’t anything extraordinary. Then again, survival films are about staying alive. The idea of it isn’t going to change from one film/book/video game to another. Survival isn’t anything new to the horror genre. Diary of the Dead explores the realities of a group of young adults and a professor as they discover that the world around them has quickly changed. As they travel across the country, they are subjected to one harrowing event after the other. The intensity of these scenes is captured on camera by Jason Creed, who wants the world to see ...

Day 11 of 30 Days of Terror brings Zombies from George A. Romero. While they are not my favorite, I understand that they are important, bringing a strong survival aspect to the horror genre…though, isn’t all horror about surviving and being mostly physically and mentally intact at the end? Zombies…I’m still not sure what I think of them. They are vile and disgusting creatures, wandering around aimlessly looking for the living to feast on and convert. I’ve seen the first in the Night of the Living Dead franchise, but nothing else until Land of the Dead (2005). Sorry, I’m just not a zombie fan. And no, I’ve never seen the Walking Dead series, but I’ve read a few of the comics, and I’m still like whatever. The story isn’t far removed from many post-apocalyptic films throughout the years with a single person or small group of people controlling things, maintaining their status while the working class gets the shaft…oh, wait, not too far from reality either. Having zombies form...

Wrong Turn ( 2003 ) is the perfect title for this film and how I felt after it was over. To say I was bored with what I was seeing is an understatement. Especially with something that I figured was going to be a terrifying event. The beginning was freaky, so I thought I was going to get a full-throttle experience. It’s in the vein of The Hills Have Eyes, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Deliverance, Last House on the Left, with nothing more to offer; at least it wasn’t a remake. The only thing Wrong Turn has going for it, besides me recognizing many of the actors from TV shows, is the make-up effects. Though, there’s something about watching interbred hillbillies killing people that makes me giggle. Rod Schmidt had the opportunity to do something great with the first in this franchise, and he totally blew it. I’m not surprised that his career was short-lived, and he had no involvement with the sequels that I’m still pondering watching; I’m going with no. Unless you’re really into watching dull...

I thought Jason was destroyed in toxic waste in the last installment, but whatever, we wouldn’t have Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday (1993) if that were the case, and, somehow, he is back at Crystal Lake. I don’t understand what possessed the Coroner to eat Jason’s heart. Out of all the Jason movies, this must be the strangest I’ve seen so far. Jason’s soul is transferred to one person to another via a black tentacle that comes from the hosts mouth. And I thought Jason Takes Manhattan was bad, but this is ridiculous, the effects aren’t even good. And don’t get me started on the over acting by Steven Williams as Creighton Duke. It’s one of those movies that I couldn’t stop watching, no matter how awful it was. Then it happened, Freddy Krueger took Jason’s mask; you’ve got to be kidding me. This one barely gets 1 out of 5 Stars. Instead of leaving it alone, they did Jason X (2001), another I haven’t seen until recently. Just because eight years have gone by since the last installmen...

Don’t think for one second that you aren’t in danger. Winter LeMarchand and Pinhead Hellraiser: Deader (2005) has an uncanny resemblance to Candyman in the way it’s told, then it’s filled with hallucinations like the previous two and ruins it. The edginess is stronger in this one, and I noticed the musical score, unlike its direct to video predecessors. The fact that pieces of the previous films were integrated into this one does make it more appealing for me, too; Julia’s mattress was the easiest to see, but several other bits were cleverly inserted as well. At times, I wasn’t sure what was happening or why, and kept wondering if this was also a hell chamber experience. The resurrections left me questioning everything Hellraiser as did Winter LeMarchand’s involvement since his ancestors have been determined to destroy the box and its contents. Amy’s investigation of the apartment is probably the best part of the entire movie. I could almost smell what was attacking her nose. The visua...

I can smell the exquisite stench of what you really are. Pinhead Hellraiser: Bloodline (1996) is the origin story of the box a.k.a. LeMarchand’s Box a.k.a. Lament Configuration. This is also the final theatrical release in the Hellraiser franchise. It’s obvious to me that this film was made as an anthology, but unlike other anthology movies, there is a continuum that puts it together into a cohesive story. Dr. Paul Merchant tells the story of his ancestors and how the box became. The only part of the story that I question the most is how Jacques was alive in 1996. He has a vampire feel to him at this point, which I guess could be attributed to something with Angelique, but it’s never said. The other thing that is barely touched on is the erotic flavor. In this fourth installment, the special effects have greatly improved as do the Cenobites. I’ve always loved the twins and the way they are created with the exquisite machine that fuses them so they never have to be separated from the ot...

For my 200th Horror Movie Review and it being Halloween, I figured I’d talk about the Rob Zombie remakes of Halloween. As with many remakes, these are just strange. I understand that Rob Zombie was filling in the back story, but I find the first part of Halloween (2007) boring and predictable. From my point of view, it doesn’t get good until we jump ahead 15 years. Tyler Mane plays adult Michael a.k.a. The Shape very well, but, then again, there isn’t much acting involved, just walking, stalking, and killing. I do enjoy this remake of one of my favorite horror movies, it gives a harder hit than the original. It still doesn’t answer the question of why Michael is stalking Laurie. How would he know she’s his sister? He hasn’t seen her since she was an infant, which means facially she’s changed quite a bit, and the Strodes changed her name. The scene where Michael carries Laurie down the street is bizarre and creepy. [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IeQiSdznHGo?featur...

Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers (1995) unveils who the Man in Black is in the previous movie and this one, and what happened to Michael and Jamie. I like the explanation of why Michael does what he does, it’s a really fucked up way, but it makes sense; the power of Thorn. But that’s not to say everything was resolved for me, they also added another sick question. Is Michael the father of Jamie’s baby? And where did the mark of Thorn come from? I don’t remember it in any of the other films. I liked how they brought back Danny from the first two episodes, it added a nice tie in and closure. That is until the end, I’m not going to say it, but of course they had to leave it open. The gore hits a good level for me and is not overdone. The screams are good and the uncomfortable feelings of finding Michael outside in the shadows watching are always my favorite bits in this series. This is also the last movie with the original Dr. Sam Loomis, because he died in real life. I give thi...

For those who didn’t know (like me) the Silent Hill movies are based on a video game franchise. This shouldn’t prejudice you from enjoying them if you aren’t a gamer of any level. The first time I saw Silent Hill (2006) I had no idea this was the case and loved it (I still do), it’s like a living nightmare, popping into one reality to another just by being the right place at the wrong or, maybe, right time. The musical score reminds me of cheesy 80s horror flicks with low budgets. The story in this one is interesting with unexpected layers and scenes that are chilling and surreal. Of course, there were scenes that didn’t feel as polished as the others, but there weren’t many (like many things before the car accident). The only character that was out-of-place in the beginning was Officer Cybil Bennett. The way she acted was almost robotic, then she loosened up once she was transported into Silent Hill. I give this first movie chapter of the Silent Hill legacy 4 out of 5 Stars.  I wish...