Summer of Fear (Swimming Part 2)

Summer is still going strong with Memorial Day tomorrow and what better way to spend your time than to read something of mine? All kidding aside, I've got some more underwater spooky movies for you all to enjoy with your fireworks and hot dogs. Let's get this started off shall we?

'OPEN WATER' is the most serious film you'll see here, but it is a tense and well crafted little thriller based (very loosely) on a true event in which a tourist couple are left behind while on a scuba diving trip. Alone and relentlessly hunted by a couple of deadly sharks, it's easy to see that these two are totally screwed. The film is shot with an almost 'Blair Witch' feel to it which at the time was not completely overplayed and made 'Open Water' stand out at the time. Many folks have since been slightly more critical of the film than when it first came out, with the primary complaint being the 'True Story' angle in which there is and never was any proof that the events of this movie unfolded like it did. I however, can suspend my disbelief and enjoy a tense thriller which is becoming incredibly rare with shark movies now.

Now we get to be a little more silly with the 1970's schlock film 'ORCA: THE KILLER WHALE'. The film was released when everyone and their mother just HAD to cash in on 'JAWS' and in addition to 'Orca', we also got some masterpieces such as 'Grizzly', 'Piranha', and 'Barracuda'. 'Orca' is one of the more well known knock offs but in all honesty it's a pretty dull and is really a 'Moby Dick' ripoff more than 'JAWS'. The main reason to just see the movie once however is to see Dumbledore from the first 'Harry Potter' film as a Captain Ahab wannabe and to see a killer whale bite off Bo Derrick's leg which is such a bad special effect, that it's simply hilarious.

By far the most original film on this list comes from South Korea. 'THE HOST' is a creature feature that takes all of the old conventions you'd see here and gives them a much needed booster shot that ends with a superior film that is not just a great horror film, but one of the best in recent years. The story concerns an elderly man who attempts to protect his loved ones when a hideous tadpole creature wreaks havoc on the city one afternoon. It's 'Godzilla' meets 'Cloverfield' and even elements of black comedy which blends into a thoroughly entertaining monster movie that you all need to check out. I don't care if you hate subtitles, suck it up and watch 'The Host'. It's amazing.

I know back to sharks but there isn't much else in this subgenre but at least I found a lot of good among the bad. 'DEEP BLUE SEA' is one I'm sure you've all at least heard of due to it's memorable performance and death of Samuel Jackson ("THEY ATE ME!") but it's actually a pretty fun action flick by Renny Harlin (Cliffhanger). The movie is well cast for a B-Movie such as the always awesome Thomas Jane and LL Cool J and it has a rather large budget behind it. This has to be the only shark movie besides 'JAWS' to have such high production value and extensive marketing. They advertised this movie everywhere, and I distinctly remember watching segments every night about how they pulled off the special effects which were amazing at the time. Actually, in terms of the practical effects, such as when the shark springs to life and bites off a guy's arm it is really effective and holds up today. The film overall though is just a silly monster movie disguised as a polished blockbuster but that's not a bad thing to me. It just gives the movie better replay value than it would have had. I don't really need to tell you to watch this again, do I? You've all seen this.

Okay, okay last shark flick I promise. 'Shark Night 3D' from the late director David Ellis who is more known for the 'Final Destination' films but here he gets to bring that same level of over the top fun to a shark movie (which are already ridiculous). The main complaint I would have here is the rather neutered final product. It's PG-13, a higher rating than the first three 'JAWS' films got and yet this film is way too tame for a shark attack movie. It's almost more of a slasher movie honestly, with the usual stupid teen tropes from those flicks you're accustomed to and of course evil redneck hillbilly's. Instead of a machete or a chainsaw however, they unleash sharks upon the disposable teens. And yes, it's sharks somehow being able to live in a lake and kill people because of crazy 'Deliverance' rejects. How does that NOT sound awesome to you?!

Okay, off the sharks and into something different. Really different. 'Leviathan' is a little known gem from 1989 starring RoboCop as the Captain of an underwater facility who must attempt to save his crew after a deadly mutagen begins to mutate them into a hideous monster. Stan Winston provided the creature effects here and along with a great cast (including Daniel Stern from 'Home Alone') and some great film work, 'Leviathan' is one I truly recommend you seek out immediately. You won't be disappointed.

The final film of our little menu is 1998's 'Deep Rising'. A killer octopus flick directed by Stephen Sommers, who would go on to create the 'Mummy' trilogy and here I think he shows off his impressive work early. The creature effects here are impressive and incredibly gross and even though the CGI is some real garbage by today's standards, the practical gives you Special Effects beer goggles. The only real flaw with the movie as a whole is that every single character is a creep or a villain so you just want them all to bite it, but hey Famke Jenson wet and half nude...


Be sure to check back all summer long for our special SUMMER OF FEAR specials.

Summer of Fear (Swimming Edition)

It's officially summertime! And what better way to celebrate than heading out into the water for some relaxation and fun? Well, that is unless you're the people in these films because to celebrate the summer of '17, we at this humble blog would like to bring you some of our favorite summer themed horror flicks. While I can go on for decades about how much I love our little shark seen above, I feel that both I and many other sites you've likely visited have exhausted themselves in telling you their love of 'JAWS' so today we will be going with some other oceanic terror flicks. So sit back and enjoy the Summer of Fear 2017 (Swimming Edition)!

First up today is a little known gem from 2010 called 'The Reef'. The plot is about as simple as you can get with one of these movies with a group of stranded folks being picked off as shark din dins but its how the film goes the classic 'Jaws' route in having less be more and the film is better for it. The low budget feel gives director Andrew Traucki more motivation to be clever and thoughtful with his work giving us one of the few genuinely tense shark films in a long time. This one doesn't hold back and is never presented any less than serious so if you've been missing a less tongue in cheek style in your killer shark movies, give 'The Reef' a watch.

Next up is 'The Shallows' from just last year and this one was a big surprise. Seeing the marketing and trailer as many times as I did, I predicted nothing but bad from this one. The commercials made it look so unoriginal and dull and the PG-13 sticker attached didn't help matters either in swaying me at the time. However, coming out of the theater I was satisfied more than I thought I would be. Blake Lively did a really convincing job in her role here and the film gives legit reasoning behind her situation and why the pesky shark just won't leave her alone. It's these little details, along with some great character moments and some really tense action that made 'The Shallows' stand out from the other shark flicks at the time. I say give it a chance if you're on the fence about it, you may find it enjoyable like I did.

Next up, we'll get into the more fun and silly sea horror films and the best one to start with I think is 'BAIT 3D' from 2012. The movie is about a flood that traps a group of people in a grocery store with a killer shark and if that sounds both fun and stupid to you, then you'd be correct. The gimmicky 3D effects and overall silliness really ratchets up the entertainment factor for me personally. I always get a kick out of these shark movies but the main benefit of 'BAIT' is that it's a stupid shark movie but done with a high budget and a decent director. Check it out if you've exhausted your other shark flicks.

Speaking of stupid, we have here director James Cameron's directorial debut 'Piranha II: The Spawning'. A sequel to Joe Dante's 1978 cult classic, 'The Spawning' goes for broke by having mutant flying piranha that attack people at a beach resort. Yes, flying killer piranhas and yes it's just as awesome as it sounds. I do love that Cameron is at least cool with talking to folks about the film and in fact did a director's commentary on the DVD which is something very few highly prestige directors such as him would even think about doing and I give him some respect for it. He would even take various aspects of this film and bring it over to his future work, such as actor Lance Henrickson whom Cameron would go on to work with numerous times such as in 'The Terminator' and 'Aliens'. Speaking of 'Aliens', the motor used in the flying piranha effect would be used for the facehugger in that film (the more you know). 'Piranha II' is stupid, trashy exploitation but it's also hilarious and also a Roger Corman produced film so what more do you expect from the guy? This is Corman at his best and it's cool to see where our great auteur directors get their start every now and then.

And since we're on the topic of 'Piranha', we might as well get it out of the way and discuss the 2010 remake from Alexander Aja. The movie knows exactly what it wants to be and who it appeals to and doesn't hold back on a single aspect of it. Tons of gore, nudity, and overall sleaze 'Piranha 3D' is exactly what someone is expecting to get once they take a seat in their multiplex. It's this self-aware attitude that gives it it's appeal and most likely the reason the critical reception was actually positive for a horror remake (76% on Rotten Tomatoes). Just don't check out the '3DD' sequel if you enjoy your brain cells.

From the oceans and the rivers to the isolated lakes with Steve Miner's 1999 horror comedy 'Lake Placid' which has become a large cult hit since its rather lukewarm opening back in the day. The film has somehow spawned four sequels, one of which pits the crocodile in this flick against the snake from the 'Anaconda' films (and yes, it is called 'Lake Placid vs Anaconda'). While all those are well worth skipping, the original is pretty solid even today thanks to it's solid writing, humor, and use of practical special effects which were sadly dying out at the time of the film's release. The film has probably the most unmemorable cast in any major theatrical horror film with the exception of the always amazing Betty White as a cursing old lady who feeds her livestock to the killer croc residing in her lake. I'm sure most people have seen 'Lake Placid' by now, but if you by chance haven't then you're sure to have a fun time. The Scream Factory blu-ray is pretty awesome too if you're a horror collector.

'ROGUE' comes from the director of 'Wolf Creek' and was sadly lost in the shadow of the vastly inferior and completely misleading 'Primeval' which came out the same year leaving this one to become a highly underrated gem. The film sees a young woman and a group of travellers who become the prey of a giant killer crocodile and one by one they become a TV dinner. Another movie in which it's strength lies in its simplicity with only a few key locations, a small cast of characters that for the most part are well written and don't follow the usual tropes, and some great gore and creature effects to go along with it. Track down 'Rogue' if you've never heard of it (you'll likely find it dirt cheap) and have a little fun.



Be sure to come back for 'Part 2' of our swimmers edition and be sure to stick with us during your whole summer break.

Alien: Covenant (2017)

'Alien: Covenant' has a lot to enjoy for fans of the long running series but in its attempts to please said fans after 2012's 'Prometheus' it loses much of what could have made it a brilliant sequel. The film picks up ten years after 'Prometheus' with a new colony ship named Covenant. After finding a strange signal during their journey of finding a habitable place to live, they decide to seek out its location, coming upon a planet that seems too good to be true for their new life. Of course, that turns out to be true as one by one horrific events and even more horrific monsters begin to tear the crew apart as a mysterious figure conducts the events from the shadows.

I want to first off say that I really did enjoy this film, having now seen it twice in order to examine it further. However, it has many issues that bug me beginning with its very heavy attempts to erase the previous film from the series as if Ridley Scott was ashamed of it and the backlash he received. Now, I will never say that 'Prometheus' was the best film out there in terms of science fiction but I think nitpicking and fanboy interference really blinded people to the more positive aspects of that film, such as its deeper discussions involving the character of David who thankfully returns to liven up the screenplay. There are scenes in this film involving David that are by far the best in the whole film and they contain the strongest imagery and dialogue. It's just a shame the film moves away from these better aspects so often in order to shock the audience with gore and heart pounding action scenes.

The original 'Alien' was successful in its subtlety and its overall mystery as to the world in which the film is set, whereas here Scott has fallen into the usual horror tropes in which folks do dumb things or go off on their own when it's clearly the dumbest option available to them. That being said, I cannot deny that the sequences involving the various new hybrids of what would become the future Xenomorph creature are entertaining and for any fans of gore and special effects work you won't be disappointed, but with an 'Alien' film I want more than that. These scenes with David and another synthetic character are the very thing about the franchise I love and it's sadly missing from this film far too often.

I get the sense that Scott will likely release a Director's Cut of the film down the line, as it is one of his more common practices with the home video format nowadays, but as of now these missing aspects are a big dragging down point for 'Alien: Covenant'. What I do love about the film besides the character of David is the idea of the crew being made up of couples. Now in real life this would not happen due to various factors but with this screenplay it really gives you genuine emotion when characters leave us and even those who don't get as much time to shine as others it still makes them feel more human than in your typical horror film. I also got to give it up for Danny McBride who surprised me in his role. The guy's has more range than I thought and his upcoming 'Halloween' sequel sounds a little more promising now.

'Alien: Covenant' is also a beautiful film to look at, as is all of Ridley Scott's work. The wide sweeping landscapes, and the always darkly pretty work of H.R. Giger who sadly did not live to see his latest work in action here. I also love that they brought back Jerry Goldsmith's original score from the first 'Alien' and spread it out the film along with some good tracks from 'Prometheus' that I always enjoyed hearing. The movie didn't blow me away and it has a lot that goes unanswered for now but 'Alien: Covenant' is still a worthy sequel to the series. It's a beautiful mess but one that's well worth one's time.

( B )

Prometheus (2012)

'Prometheus' sees director Ridley Scott returning behind the camera of the 'Alien' franchise and for the most part, his return is a strong and very welcome one but not without its faults. First off, the movie is gorgeous to look at, as is all of Scott's filmography. This is by far the best looking film in the 'Alien' series with long wide shots of the various landscapes of Earth and the Engineer planet. Visuals are always a strong suit of Ridley Scott and even those who really despise this film usually will admit it's very pretty to look at. And I suppose we should discuss the hate behind the film, and why I once was among them.

The original screenplay to the film was to be a more direct and straightforward prequel to 1979's 'Alien' entitled 'Alien: Engineers'. While 'Prometheus' does contain many elements of this screenplay, the original draft was to feel much more connected to the main franchise, with the usual xenomorph appearance and all. This is all documented on the excellent 3 hour plus documentary included on the Blu-Ray for the film, which I highly recommend viewing. Interestingly, it seems as if many elements from this original screenplay are now in the upcoming 'Alien: Covenant' which seems to have a very strong vibe of a filmmaking apology for this one.

And yes, there is a lot to apologize for but I don't think it's Ridley who should be the one doing so. The script and film was sabotaged and hijacked by writer Damon Lindhoff of 'Lost' fame who wanted his own film franchise to feed off of and gaining the hatred of every 'Alien' fan ever. However, there is a lot here to find enjoyable and some really interesting theories about the vast universe in which these films take place. The many discussions about life, faith, and what is our purpose in the world comes off as pretentious at times, but for the most part I find it genuinely engaging and something to discuss with your friends later on. When the film doesn't have its visuals or its philosophical discussions what does it offer? Well, mostly the usual 'Alien' tropes of people doing incredibly stupid things just so they'll be alone or so they'll be killed off. With the exception of Michael Fassbender as the android David and Naomi Rapace's Elizabeth the cast is rather expendable and forgettable and this also includes Charlize Theron and Idris Elba.

The story also has obvious issues with its pacing and ultimate climax. Whether this is due to the script revisions or just poor writing from the get go is hard to know, but it really drags the film down a bit. The movie is well worth seeing however and please don't make my overcritical analysis of it make it sound like an awful film because it's far from it. It's just an overall disappointment as an 'Alien' fan and a big fan of Ridley Scott's films. It's one of those projects that should have been one of his most memorable and unforgettable, but instead it's one that is likely to only become a product of its time and won't go down in history the same way as the '79 original. I really urge you to see it for yourself if you haven't had the chance and judge for yourself. 'Prometheus' is one of those films with a lot of negativity surrounding it but for the most part, it's fanboy nitpicking.

(B-)

Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem (2007)

What the hell is this? This is a movie? This is something the powers that be at 20th Century Fox deemed worthy of two of their biggest franchises of all time? I mean that too, besides 'Star Wars' 'Aliens' and 'Predator' I would say rank up there as the studio's higher up series in their roster and being a sequel to these two great films, you'd expect something but not this, I don't think any fan was expecting nor requesting anything quite like 'Requiem'. Okay, before getting into the details I should calm down here and go into the basics. The film continues right where 2004's 'Alien vs. Predator' ended, with the final Predator warrior being transported back to space to receive his heroic burial rights by his fellow clan members. However, things get messy when a hidden chestburster emerges creating a new Xeno/Predator hybrid which soon begins running amok on the ship, which causes it to crash land into a rural Colorado town. Hell follows soon after with your typical slasher film characters and tropes falling prey to the hybrid creature along with many other escaped Xenomorphs and the Predator Warriors chasing them all down.

That last sentence is the biggest problem with 'Requiem'. It's a really shitty slasher flick that just happens to have the Alien and the Predator as stand ins for Jason or Michael Myers. While many know that I love me some silly slashers now and then, this style really doesn't work in the film's favor. Everyone in this movie is either annoying, an asshole you can't wait to see bite it, or so forgettable that I can barely recall them without looking into it. The film is also extremely mean spirited, with young children and even pregnant women and their infants being consumed by the Xenomorphs and the Hybrid creature. It's really uncomfortable to sit through these sequences and even when comparing to the darker films in the franchises such as 'Predator 2' or 'Alien Resurrection' this is too extreme. I think the content is pushed to the extreme is at the time, Fox had received some minor backlash with the previous film being toned down to a PG-13 rating and I guess the executives were trying to make us fans happy with this one. However, they go too far with it and the film just becomes another gorefest horror film you'd commonly see at this time.

The movie is a product of its time, and would have been long forgotten if not for its association to the classics it spawned from. I really had a difficult time re-watching 'Requiem' for this review because literally every single thing about it is unpleasant to sit through. It's characters are given horrible and obscene dialogue that is acted poorly or feels like something out of a Rob Zombie screenplay. The special effects at times look like they copied and pasted footage from the PlayStation game released at the time onto the film itself, as if they needed to save some budget. As for the Predator and Alien suits or action scenes, if I could actually see them in detail I would likely have a better opinion of them. The movie is literally too dark to see many of the fighting scenes between both humans and alien creatures. When it wants to shock you with needless gore, it's bright and visible however in the few scenes that you may actually enjoy watching, it's dark and bland. The cinematographer should have been fired, but then again the whole production should have been shut down and re-worked. And yes, I did view the Blu-Ray edition of the film and it still looks too dark. The photos you see in this review reflect it successfully.

'Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem' is by far the worst film in either franchise. I dare someone to argue with me how this is better than 'Alien 3', 'Resurrection', or 'Predator 2'. This film is vulgar, poorly produced, and it came out on Christmas Day for God's sake. What was Fox thinking? At least the fans voted with their wallets on this one and the 'AvP' spin off series has thankfully died a rightful death.

Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem

( F )

Alien Vs. Predator (2004)

Now we dive into the gold of the 'Alien' franchise that is the masterpiece 'Alien vs. Predator'. The film was directed by Paul W.S. Anderson who brought us the wonderful 'Resident Evil' film adaptations but also managed to bring some decent films to the table with 'Event Horizon' and 'Mortal Kombat'. With all seriousness, I would say after re-watching 'AVP' for this review I am looking to put this one more on the 'Mortal Kombat' scale rather than 'Resident Evil'. It's fully aware of its silly premise, it's over the top setting, and its comic book roots and clearly isn't ashamed of it one bit.

The film can be commended for this attitude, as it doesn't try to be anything more than it really is much like 'Freddy vs. Jason' the previous year. 'Alien vs. Predator' just attempted to have some popcorn entertainment for the weekend then fade away. The main issue with that mentality is that these two franchises are much more sophisticated than the usual summer fluff. Both of the film series had slowly became mere parodies of their former selves, with 'Alien Resurrection' being one of the biggest examples of shame and while 'Predator 2' wasn't that bad, it wasn't the best they could do. Fans were hoping that this film could have revived the two dying franchises, bringing them back to their former glory which led to the heavy backlash once 'AvP' released back in 2004.

I myself can attest to this global angry mob as I used to be a part of it. Sure, as a thirteen year old kid I had an absolute blast when I first saw this film but with many films once you grow a little older you see the flaws within and for many years I would come to loathe this film and its sequel. However seeing it again recently, I really don't have that many issues with this one. On the positive side, the makeup and special effects in general are just as well done as the other films with Tom Woodruff and his team keeping up their high quality work on the series intact. The film's setting within an old Aztec temple is interesting, if not a little cliche. Still though, it's somewhere that we've not seen in these movies before and that's one of the biggest things I enjoy about the 'Alien' and 'Predator' series. Even in the worst films, we at least get to see unique locations each time (except 'Requiem' but let's not talk about it until we have to).

Really other than the film is mostly action fluff, 'Alien vs. Predator' is really cheap in both its cinematography and its overall production value. The acting is SyFy channel level at worst and C grade action pic at best, with the exception of Lance Henrickson whose a class act as always. The film also has little to no plot which leaves us with some great but few action sequences and 90 percent bland humans who needed a good facehug to shut them up permanently. The film can be summarized best as a product of its time and one that would be lost to the ages had it not been given the title 'Alien vs. Predator'. It's perfectly serviceable and it doesn't really offend anyone except maybe the most hardcore fan. However, the movie isn't one I recommend in the slightest.

AvP: Alien vs. Predator:

 (C-)