Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones - Review

After the mysterious and sudden death of his neighbor, Jesse begins experiencing odd paranormal disturbances. While investigating the bigger picture he discovers he has been specially marked for possession in Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones.


Let this be a disclaimer that this review will contain spoilers. If you haven't seen this movie and want to, I suggest you come back after you have seen it. You don't want the ending spoiled for you. Trust me.






Last chance.










I will be the first to say that I absolutely despise the Paranormal Activity movies. I think they are boring, full of cheap scares, and a bit over stretched. With that said, I was not excited to see The Marked Ones especially after I learned it was a spin-off. I saw the trailer and while I gave it credit for actually looking more eventful I still didn't put much stock in it. After seeing it I have to admit, despite how embarrassing this is for me, this was a pretty damn good horror movie and by far is the best of the Paranormal Activity franchise so far.
Why do I say this? Well, first off there is no footage of people sleeping. None. That made me extremely happy. Second, it was consistently eventful throughout the entire movie. There was none of this boring as hell for an hour and then eventful for the last 10-15min. I also thought the acting wasn't all that bad either. The kids were believable and they weren't as annoying as the previous teenagers we have had, especially in Paranormal Activity 4.
As far as the plot goes I thought this one probably had one of the most interesting storylines. The basics of it are Jesse's neighbor was a witch and tried possessing his classmate, Oscar, and then the demon marked and possessed Jesse. I think the setting was a nice change of pace because it dealt with completely different people in a different area of California.

The movie, obviously, was full of gimmicks but there was the good and the bad.

The best gimmicks:

The haunted Simon Says toy
The rehash of the bite mark as the symbol for "the marked ones"
The time travel reveal

The bad gimmicks:

Falling backwards and not hitting the ground
Super strength in beating up gangsters


A lot of the gimmicks and elements were easter eggs, to a point, referencing the previous movies. These are not limited to the Spanish newspapers in Katie's house (PA4), the reuse of the bite mark (PA), the word "meus" written on the wall (PA2), The box of stolen VHS tapes (PA2), grandma Lori's house being the witch coven (PA3), and young Kristi and Katie appearing in the neighbor's basement.

Now this all led up to something... I do have to say the ending was not only the best part of the movie, but it was definitely the best of the entire franchise.I recognized the grandma's house almost immediately because despite not liking the movie as a whole, I will say that my favorite part of Paranormal Activity 3 was when Dennis ran down the hallway and opened the door with the room full of witches just standing there. Hector, Marisol, and the gangsters raid the coven and these crazy, yelling witches come out of nowhere and get blown away shotgun style. They enter the house and encounter a demonic Jesse and more witches that seem to appear out of nowhere. Marisol and the gangsters bite the dust leaving poor Hector the cameraman running from Jesse.
Remember me saying one of the best gimmicks was time travel? Here is where this comes into play. It is explained to a point that the witches can travel from point to point in reference to demonic possession. Yes, this means they can travel through time to the event of a full possession. Hector is running from Jesse and he opens a door in grandma's house and finds himself in a familiar spot. I immediately recognized it as Katie and Micah's house from the very first Paranormal Activity. You see Katie walking down the stairs as she did at the end of PA, she grabs a knife, and when she turns around she looks at Hector and starts screaming for Micah, as in the first movie. This is what we didn't see in the movie because the camera stays stationary in the master bedroom. Micah sees Hector, pushes him, and then Katie starts stabbing him. Hector gets scared and when he turns around you are surprised by a full demonic Jesse popping up and killing Hector. There is speculation that the person who turns off the light on the camera downstairs is Alex from Paranormal Activity 4, but I think it looked like Katie.

Here is my theory about this ending... This all literally happened at the same time from the very beginning. We just didn't know it at the time. I think Katie could have had a brief relief from the trance to scream for Micah and lure him downstairs because she saw Hector in the kitchen. We didn't know it because as mentioned before, Micah's camera was stationary in the bedroom.

Director Christopher Landon has done a nice job wrapping this all together to this point. I'm not saying I am suddenly a big fan of Paranormal Activity franchise, but this was a nice surprise. No shit, I screamed when Jesse popped up at the end looking like the devil. It caught me 100% off guard. I think this was a good set up for Paranormal Activity 5 and it finally made a connection between the previous four movies that is more than Katie randomly popping up everywhere. It's nice to know this spreads beyond this singular family and this witch coven is worldwide. Bloody good show.

You're Next - Review

After the Davison family reunion is cut short after masked killers attack their house, one reunion guest utilizes her extraordinary skills and talent to defend herself in You're Next.


A bit of a silly plot summary, eh? Well, I thought so too. I skipped You're Next in theaters for the sheer fact that I thought it looked too much like The Strangers. To be quite honest, when I saw the first trailer I thought it was a surprise sequel but soon realized it was another movie with a similar premise. The only reason I watched this one now is the fact that I kept seeing it pop up on a lot of "best of 2013" lists. Was I happy that I skipped it in theaters? Sure. I'm not regretting giving this one a chance, though.
With that said, I did enjoy You're Next for what it's worth. There were some good kills in it and it wasn't overly corny. I thought the acting suffered and the characters needed a lot more development, but it was a fun horror flick. The effects weren't horrible and it did have a sort of underground feel to it.

When I say the acting suffered and the characters needed more development I mean it. The best actor in the entire film was Sharni Vinson and oddly enough, she was the main character. I get the fact that a lot of the people in this movie were also in V/H/S and I can understand why they were included here, but that doesn't mean they are all that great. As far as character development goes, there was literally none. You don't know why this family seemed to have a lot of tension between them and why certain siblings seemed to be more irritable than others. It was just a mess. Again, Sharni Vinson was the only character that really had any development and I think that was because they had to. You can't have a mid-20's girl suddenly kick into survival, killer mode with no explanation. Her being raised in a survivalist compound wasn't the most realistic but it worked.
The main thing I did appreciate from this movie was the fact that the masked people didn't remain unknown the whole time. We see their faces, we know their motive, and it wasn't just random people who decide to crash a party and kill people. It was a nice change.

Overall I wouldn't say this was the best movie but it was appreciated. I wouldn't put it on my "best of 2013" list but it definitely wasn't on the worst.

Curse of Chucky - Review

Curse of Chucky reunites us with the famous, possessed Good Guy doll as he unleashes mayhem onto a new family.


I saw a preview for Curse of Chucky a couple months back and figured I would watch it just because I have seen all the Child's Play movies. I wasn't expecting it to be good and I wouldn't say this movie was necessarily good, but it was enjoyable.

Beware, this will contain spoilers.



The characters were fairly weak and you didn't really learn who they were until the movie was toward the end and the acting wasn't great either, but it fit with a typical direct-to-dvd horror movie. I recognized Fiona Dourif because she was in True Blood for a while. It's always nice to have Brad Dourif back, too. Although he was seen more as a human in this movie than the voice of Chucky.

I did fairly enjoy this movie because it was hilarious and entertaining (for me), but there were things that I didn't like.

1. The whole thing with Charles Lee Ray being obsessed with the daughters' mom and that's the reason he was killed in the toy store... dumbest thing ever. I re-watched Child's Play and it doesn't make sense. That means someone was friends with a serial killer.
2. I didn't like the whole lesbian storyline between the mom and the nanny. I thought that was stupid.
3. The new CGI, animated Chucky doll was weird looking. It took away from the classic doll movements seen in the previous movies.
4. The husband was an idiot.
5. The police officer that bites it in the end had practically no relevance at all and was hardly seen.

However, I do have to admit that I loved when Jennifer Tilly showed up again. I wasn't expecting it, although I should have, but that surprised me pretty good. The reveal that Tiffany was back in her own body sending Chucky off to new families was great.

Overall not the best movie, obviously, but it was enjoyable. I would probably watch it again if I was bored enough.

Evil Dead - Review

Evil Dead is a revision of the 1981 cult classic telling the story of five young people who head off for retreat at an isolated cabin. The group discovers the "Book of the Dead" and unleashes evil in the woods.

Warning: This review contains spoilers. Also keep in mind that about 90% of the footage in the trailers was not in the movie.

I was not initially excited for Evil Dead as I am a huge fan of the original and its sequels. When I heard it was being remade I wanted nothing to do with it. I didn't start warming up to this remake until I saw the redband trailer and some promo pictures. I also read some reviews from SXSW and from some early screenings and they were all pretty positive including those from fans of the original. With that said, I went into the theater last night fairly comfortable with the idea. 
Now... I want to emphasize that as a horror film, and as a horror fan watching, it was not a bad movie. It was actually quite good. However, I would not call this a remake. I would classify it as a revision and interpretation of the original source material. There were nods to the original that I appreciated, but as a whole it really wasn't that close to the original movie. The dialogue was different, the characters were different, the book was different, and the chain of events was all different.
I also need to say this before going too far into this review: please do not bring your children to the theater with you. My theater had a very decent amount of young children 8-years old and younger and there was a lot of crying, screaming, and whining throughout the whole movie. I noticed at least five groups with young kids leave after the opening scene and didn't come back. More people kept getting up with their kids and walking in and out of the theater. It disgusted me and was very distracting. Personally, I think you deserve to lose money on tickets and food and deserve to deal with your kid whining about being scared if you are idiotic enough to bring them to a movie like this. Don't do it. This isn't a kids movie in any way, shape, or form. 

I want to give massive props to Fede Alvarez and the whole team for the use of practical effects and for leaving the CGI bullshit out of the picture. I enjoyed every second of the visuals and absolutely loved the use of makeup, fake blood (and tons of it), and the basic grittiness of the movie as a whole. People need to look at the effects in this movie and take notes.
I also appreciated that it wasn't totally modernized in the sense of them having cell phones and whatever else, but you could tell that it took place in the modern era. The clothing and styling of the characters is fairly timeless, so if this movie is watched 10 years down the road it's not like the audience can say "oh you can totally tell this took place in the 70's." I also liked the way they didn't use any commercial music in the movie to give away potential time period, either. The only music was the score.
Like I said, there were nods to the original like the necklace, the Michigan State clothing, and some of the injuries. And yes, Ash's car was present. However, the references didn't go too far into the plot and some of them weren't even acknowledged by the characters. I think the only real reference that played any important part, like in the original, was the necklace. Examples like these are what make me say this wasn't really a remake. I guess the term "reboot" fits better.
The plot was, admittedly, a little more interesting than the plot of the original because it had more characterization and substance. They had an actual reason for being at the cabin and it wasn't just because they wanted to go on a group retreat for a weekend. Because of this there was reason for the characters to stay there and not take off just because things get weird. I did like that.
I also want to say the acting wasn't too shabby. Jane Levy stole the show and did a great job, but there wasn't a cast member that didn't pull their weight. The dialogue was alright. It had it's own elements of humor with lines like, "I don't want to be the Devil's bitch."

But, of course, there were things I didn't like. The main thing was the fact that Eric, (played by Lou Taylor Pucci) basically knew the outcome of what was going on. They gave him a little too much sarcasm and information. The thing I loved about the other characters and about the original Evil Dead was the fact that they had no idea what was coming next. With him looking through the book and basically knowing what was about to happen took a lot away from me and from the suspense of the plot. I also didn't really like the whole unleashed creature twist at the end.
This is a weird complaint seeing that profanity doesn't really bother me, but I found the use of foul language a bit unnecessary. I feel like they went with the current trend of the possessed being obscene rather than using visuals and actual possession like the original did. Having the evil Mia say she was going to suck her brother's cock and stuff like that was a bit unnecessary. It took away from the movie for me. Movies don't need to have bad language to be good or to fit in with the current horror genre.


Apart from that, I did enjoy Evil Dead. As a stand alone horror film it was good, but as a classified remake it was... so-so. Comparing it to the original it loses big time.

Sinister - Review

Sinister tells the story of a true crime novelist who is trying to revive his career by moving into a house where a horrific crime took place. In his pursuit of the truth, for the sake of his book, he uncovers secrets and legends that not only uncover why the crime took place but also puts his family in danger.


I had intended to see Sinister when it was in theaters, but I never really got around to it. When I heard it was going to be on DVD I immediately added it to my rental queue and I am happy to say this was not a wasted rental. I really enjoyed Sinister. I thought the plot was great, the imagery and cinematography was beautiful and haunting, and the acting really wasn't too shabby. There were things I didn't quite get but overall I was happy.

Starting off with what I did like is the plot. Without giving too much away I thought it was well executed. Portraying Ethan Hawke to be this novelist who is dragging his family from place to place trying to recreate previous success he had was a good setup. He lies to his family and doesn't tell them they are moving into a house where a family was murdered and the secrecy adds to his stress and nervousness when he begins to discover evidence and information about the crime scene. I loved it.
I also loved the imagery. I thought the home movies, or found-footage, that were in the attic were very creepy looking but it was one of those can't look away scenarios. Each one started with normal, family footage and ended with something terrible which was great. The movies were old fashioned, grainy, and had a very eerie vibe to them. Kudos to the cinematography, for sure.

Some stuff I didn't like mostly lies with the sound and what I thought was an overuse of music. This mostly has to do with the home movies. Each movie had a different tune to them and while they were creepy little tunes I felt they were a bit unnecessary. I think the movies would have been more effective and creepier if they were played in silence only with the noise of the film projector and the outside noise of the house. That is how I would have done it.
It also fell victim to my main gripe with current horror films which is the overuse of jump scares and loud, sudden sound cues. I hate this with a passion and it's not because I fall for them. I never fall for them but I find them annoying and the only reason people are getting scared is because they get the adrenaline rush when they are startled. They aren't scared by the actual material and that is where horror is failing right now. People need to start relying on the material and not on sound and visual tricks. I thought the movie itself was creepy enough to stick with the audience, but apparently they didn't.
It also was hard for me to take Beguul (aka, Mr. Boogie) seriously due to the fact that he looks like a member of Slipknot, but that isn't anything major.

Apart from that I do want to reiterate that I did like Sinister despite the faults. Oddly enough I think the faults showed that they were insecure of the film and didn't think it was scary enough on its own. It also adds elements of two different genres that meshed quite well. At times I couldn't decide whether I was watching a crime thriller or a horror movie. That added to the overall suspense, though. Not a bad movie. Probably one of the better horror movies I have seen in recent years.

[REC] 3: Genesis - Review

[REC] 3: Genesis follows a couple on their wedding day as they witness pandemonium and terror when a zombie outbreak infiltrates the wedding and infects their guests.


I will admit that I am a fan of [REC] and [REC] 2. I also did enjoy Quarantine a lot. Hell, I even enjoyed Quarantine 2 for what it was worth. I had added [REC] 3 to my Netflix months ago and was waiting for it to become available so when it did I got all excited. Let me tell you... this movie was a hot mess from start to finish.

First of all, I will admit that I liked how they began the movie. It starts as a wedding DVD and shows some footage of the church and the guests before the bride arrives. It is in the same found footage style the first two movies were in and that is what I was expecting anyway. There are two cameramen filming and suddenly shit goes down at the wedding when the groom's uncle, who is a veterinarian, falls off a balcony and starts eating a woman's neck. This starts the zombies and the infection spreads from there. HOWEVER, this was just the film's intro. After the groom and his little group gets separated and hides in the kitchen there is a title screen and then it switches formats completely. It now morphs into a full on scripted, non-documentary style film. From then on characters start dying left and right, the bride and groom are separated at different areas of the reception grounds with different people, and it didn't work one bit.

I have to say that I was enjoying myself for the most part but that doesn't mean it was in a good way. I laughed through a majority of this film as it had nothing to do with the previous two and was in a completely different style. Not to mention the bride and groom were annoying. They kept implying that they were psychic and could feel each other's presence while they were separated. I'm not kidding, there is a scene where the bride is running and suddenly stops to close her eyes and say something like, "he is still alive. I feel him." He would do it with her, too. It was really weird and it didn't work at all. That and they give it the perfect setup for this 4th [REC] movie they are apparently making so never fear. Even foreign film franchises can be ruined.

Overall this was a big disappointment. I expected so much more because the first two were so good. I wouldn't even waste my time watching it if I were you. You aren't missing anything.

Excision - Review

Excision tells the story of an off-beat teenage girl who has aspirations of becoming a surgeon. She is, however, plagued with delusional fantasies and the overwhelming desire to impress her parents and to save her younger sister who suffers from Cystic Fibrosis.


Let me just start off by saying the advertising for this movie is incredibly misleading. It is practically nothing like what the trailer made it out to look like. I saw the trailer and got excited because it looked like a legitimate horror film and that seems difficult to come by these days. I also saw Bloody-Disgusting had covered it a bit so I decided to get it from Netflix and give it a shot.

Now with that out of the way, Excision wasn't necessarily bad for what it was worth. It is visually driven more than anything else and I can appreciate that. It had a lot of dark humor, which I find funny, so that was a plus. I just feel like it was off with the pacing. It seriously was like a play in the sense that it felt like you were going from one act to another and each act was completely different. First you have Pauline (AnnaLynne McCord) wanting to have sex, then you have her fighting with girls at school, then you have her clashing with mom, and then the resolution of her medical aspirations. It was almost like Pauline's character had no beginning. This is also where the advertising is misleading. The trailer, or at least the first trailer I saw, leads you to think Pauline is the sick teenager who is trying to do things before she dies when in reality it is her younger sister Grace who is sick. Pauline is perfectly healthy. She is just a self proclaimed Borderline Personality who has weird, graphic delusions about medical procedures.
I must also say the ending was incredibly rushed. It builds you up and just completely shuts it down. When the credits started I was a little pissed.


I guess I just expected something different than what I got. It's really difficult to describe what I just watched. Would I recommend it? Um... maybe. It kind of depends on what you're into. I don't really know what to say about it.

V/H/S - Review

V/H/S follows a group of men on a mission to find a VHS tape. They break into the house where the tape should be only to find 5 others that give them more than they bargained for.


I have seen Bloody-Disgusting pushing this movie for months and I ignored it for the most part. I read a plot synopsis and I figured it was yet another low budget horror flick that no one will see until it is out on DVD. However, I recently saw that it was a decent hit at Sundance and that it was going to have a small release in theaters along with Video-On-Demand (VOD) and iTunes rentals. After seeing several positive reviews and a 79% rating on Rotten Tomatoes I decided to fork out the $10 and rent it on iTunes. I must say... not bad at all.

Overall the premise of it basically being 5 different short stories was really a cool idea and I think it worked well. Some were obviously weaker than others but the fifth short was by far the best. They truly saved the best for last. I wasn't like jumping out of my seat but it was pretty damn awesome.
My main problem with this was the shaky-cam aspect. I know it is the thing now to have a found footage movie with some shaky-cam action going on, like Cloverfield and Quarantine, but V/H/S took it to another level and not in a good way. I got about 30 minutes in and my eyes legitimately hurt and I felt a little sick. As the stories went on the camera style relaxed a little bit and it wasn't so bad but holy shit that first half hour was rough. I read about people getting sick at Sundance and I bet it wasn't because they were horrified or anything like that. They probably got motion sickness. I can't imagine how I would have felt if I would have seen it in a movie theater instead of my computer.

I don't want to give too much away because I feel like this is the kind of movie that is best viewed with little knowledge. Don't spoil it for yourself and don't read too many in depth reviews because it could get ruined. But yeah, I would say this is one of the best put together horror films I have seen in a while. I would just watch it and then go from there. Just beware of the shaky-cam if that sort of thing bothers you. Enjoy!