"What's your favourite scary movie?"

OK, so now we have a week in review. The main film I have seen this week would be the recent classic horror movie Scream. It has taken me an unacceptable amount of time to watch this, I know, and as a result I had already seen and heard a reasonable amount but that didn't stop me enjoying the hell out of it.

If you are a horror fan, you will probably enjoy all the nods this film has to some of your favourites. While it is often referred to as a spoof of the genre it holds up very well as a horror film in itself. It's clever how the character Drew Barrymore plays gets killed off so early on as it demonstrates that anything can happen in this film, no-one is safe. I also see this as a nice homage to Psycho when the supposed star gets killed off half-way through.

The cast are all good, Jamie Kennedy and David Arquette stealing the show for me personally. I think Randy was probably my favourite as I could totally relate to the guy, even more so in Scream 2. Courtney Cox plays Gale Weathers with such a great attitude, you really hate her but want to see more of her throughout. Neve Campbell is a good enough victim, not falling for every cliche but enough to make it amusing.

The reveal of the killer is both really obvious and totally daunting at the same time. You know that there is more to Billy than what you see, he is way to shifty to be innocent but you think you're wrong when he 'dies'. The fact that it was him AND Stu was a smart twist. I liked the little exchange between those two and Sidney when the tables are turned, the dialogue was very good throughout.

Wes Craven is obviously no stranger to the horror genre although I am not too familiar with his work. A Nightmare on Elm Street is probably one of the most terrifying ideas for a horror movie I can think of, even though it's execution is maybe less effective these days. Having someone like that give life to this movie was a genius idea and worked very well. Although I didn't see it at the time, I can understand why it caused such a fuss. The slasher movie had lain dormant for a while and this really reinvigorated it and I believe it probably revived the whole horror genre. We can't go a week without a new horror movie being released now!

Best Scene: The opening, just so unexpected.

Best Quote: 'Did you really call the police?'
'You bet your sorry ass I did.'
(sobbing) 'My mom and dad are gonna be so mad at me.'

Did You Know?: The janitor in the school is actually Wes Craven and he is wearing the easily recognisable sweater worn by Freddy Kruger.

Overall: A throughly enjoyable horror movie with some great references while still being unique in itself.

Also this week:

· Thir13en Ghosts - Maybe focuses too much on the effects (which are effective) and lacks in plot. The cast are good however and it offers up enough jumps and gore to remain entertaining. I have always been a sucker for the haunted house idea anyway so I was sold. :)
· The Wizard of Gore - I have never seen the original so have nothing to compare it to but it was an interesting horror film. I think it maybe threw a bit too much at the viewer, especially near the end but I think I followed it. Good performances throughout and unusual sets also.
· Harold and Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay - Have to admit, the only reason I watch these movies is for Neil Patrick Harris but I do find myself laughing throughout. NPH is still the highlight though and is even more entertaining in this sequel, I love the fact that he is more than happy to send himself up as he does. If you watch it though, stay till the end of the credits!!!

"She's a real carpenter's dream: flat as a board and easy to screw!"

After the disappointment of Friday the 13th, a friend of mine mentioned Sleepaway Camp. It's in the same vain in that it's set in summer camp with a murderer on the loose. I was expecting it to be a spoof of the idea but it actually wasn't. I guess Friday the 13th was too new and small to be made fun of at the time.

Firstly, I enjoyed this more than Friday the 13th. The characters were more developed, the story had more depth and the acting was better. Not that the acting was great but it was as good as it needed to be. Angela was an interesting main character that you wanted to know more about all the way through. The character of the Aunt is absolutely demented, I have no idea why she was like that but it was amusing. The male characters were OK but the other girl, Judy, was pretty bad and really irritating, not that you were supposed to like her anyway. I do have to say that the cop at the end that arrives at the camp has the most awesome movie mustache ever! It's absolutely hilarious, think Groucho Marx!

The plot is kinda flimsy, just a typical slasher movie really although the deaths are way more inventive than F13th. The script is nothing to brag about, it gets the job done which is all you can expect from something as low budget as this. But the ending? That's another matter altogether! The killer themself is pretty predictable once you get nearer the end but that's not the bit that gets you. If you want to see it then don't read on because this is a pretty major spoiler....Angela turns out to be the brother that survived the boating accident we see at the beginning. The crazy aunt decided to raise her as a girl for no apparent reason and it has obviously traumatised him/her enough to send him/her on a killing spree! It doesn't make a whole lot of sense and there is a bizarre flashback sequence part way through with their father and his male lover in bed together that I don't quite understand (explanations on a postcard please!). But it's the actual revelation rather than the idea. The final shot is actually pretty terrifying for such an overlooked horror film. It lingers on the screen for a lot longer than you probably care for it to be and it is truly haunting.

Best Scene: That ending.

Best Quote: Probably the one in the title.

Did You Know? In the UK, the film is known as Nightmare Vacation (which is weird, why would they change a normal enough title to one that is more American?)

Overall: Well worth watching just for the ending but it has good elements throughout. I'll probably check out the two sequels although they are not supposed to be as creepy.

"I want to play a game..."

Seeing as it is not quite 2009, I may be a bit premature in my blogging. But it is never to early to start watching movies! Does a marathon runner just get up in the morning and run 26 miles? Hell no. So I have decided to do some training in preparation for this mammoth task. I decided to start with a film that people had been nagging me to watch for a few years now, a little horror film called Saw.

Now, over the last couple of years, I have really gotten into horror films. I like them with a bit of humour like American Werewolf in London or Shaun of the Dead, some with a more psychological effect like The Shining and sometimes the occasional gore fest like Re-Animator and Evil Dead. But what I have never liked is violence. Violence and gore to me is totally different. I don't really like intense peril where there seems to be no hope of escape and to me, that was what Saw always seemed to be like to me.

But I was wrong.

In a sense at least. It was intense peril and it had a very down ending but it was just absolutely fantastic, edge-of-your-seat filmmaking. It was far less gory than I expected, it focused more on the trauma of the situation and the confusion and distrust rather than the shock tactics of sawing limbs off. Even in the climactic scene, you barely see much more than the initial laceration. The acting is great from both leading men (Leigh Whannell, also the writer, is particularly convincing whereas Cary Elwes goes a little OTT near the end) as well as the supporting cast. The whole idea is very original, one of the most inventive and disturbing concepts of a horror film in a long while. Maybe because it's so real, it could happen to you. It's clever how the serial killer, never actually murders anyone and he himself wants his 'victims' to live. The twist at the end was magnificent, I don't care about all the people that apparently saw it coming, I could barely get my head round it when he was standing up! I remembered people saying they couldn't believe who Jigsaw was and there was me, thinking I was so clever that I figured it was Zepp when I first laid eyes on him. More fool me. And finally, the direction is very effective, erratic in once scene then hauntingly static in another. It's an outstanding breakout film for the young Aussie filmmakers.

I won't deny the fact that there are several plot holes in the movie, things that just don't really make sense. The one that irks me the most is the key. If Adam was supposed to have the key to be able to undo his chain, why was he chained up in the first place? Why were there two saws? How the hell would Dr Gordon have ever shot him if he could freely move around? That doesn't make sense to me. I'm still very curious to know if Dr Gordon survived. Sure, he probably bled to death or Jigsaw got him on the way out but you never know. I'm sure they will probably acknowledge it sometime in the near future.

The next day, I decided to watch Saw II but ended up watching III and IV as well. But I will do that in another blog so as not to clutter it up.

Overall: A very well done horror film and one that I would happily watch again and again. If that makes me sick then so be it!

I also want to get the special edition DVD as I have heard that the commentary is very entertaining.