Rec 2 (2009)

Back in 2007 when the cinema verité style of filmmaking was still reasonably fresh, writer/director Jaume Balagueró released his Spanish language horror film effort to huge critical acclaim. It was an excellent film in every way with many truly frightening scenes. Fast forward a few years and we are treated to the inevitable sequel that was hugely anticipated by the fans of the original. Suffice to say it’s a huge disappointment that seems to have forgotten the elements that made the original so popular.

The sequel picks up exactly where the original film ended but this time the action follows a team of Spanish police as they are tasked with entering the building to escort in a medical officer and to search for survivors. They are almost immediately set upon by the infected inhabitants leading the loss of one of the team. After pressing the medical officer for answers it seems as if things are not as they seem and the cause of the infection is much more sinister than a simple infection.

The actual story behind the action of Rec 2 is very good as it ends up going in a completely unexpected direction. There is a much more complex film with many more plot points than the original that even brings in a supernatural element to the story. The problem lies with the films execution; to put it bluntly it plays out more like an action computer game than a film. Gone are frightening scenes of the original that have been replaced by countless action scenes that simply don’t work and are almost incomprehensible at times due to the overuse of shaky cam. The camera point of view shifts at various times from soldier to soldier which almost feels as if you are changing character in a first person shooter game. I really can’t stress enough how similar this looks to the countless zombie games that are flooding the market. Balagueró has actually managed to come up an interesting back story for the infection and if he focused on the slow building tension and scare tactics of the original then this sequel would have been every bit as good as the original. The final twenty minutes are excellent as the plot unfolds without the silly action scenes. Sadly it’s not enough though and we end up with a severely inferior sequel despite the good ideas.

Rec 2 is a huge disappointment that ends up feeling like you are watching someone play a computer game. It’s unfortunate as it has an interesting back story and some nice ideas but suffers from its execution. More of an action film than a horror; this comes no where near to matching the quality of the original.

4/10

Review of Monster Man (2003)

The “killer in a car” plotline has been a horror staple ever since Steven Spielberg made Duel in 1971. Unfortunately the majority of these imitations have been instantly forgettable but when done right they can be ludicrously entertaining. Monster Man is one such film but is amazingly unknown the majority of horror fans.

Originality isn’t the strong point when it comes to the plot; two friends and a woman they picked up hitchhiking are terrorised by a disfigured and monstrous looking man driving a huge metal clad monster truck. That’s the entire plot explained in one sentence.

What the film lacks in originality it more than makes up for in entertainment value as it really is first class entertainment throughout its relatively short running time. Although the acting isn’t always of the highest caliber, there is a nice chemistry between the two male leads from the off with plenty of jokes that are actually quite funny. Monster Man wastes no time in letting you know that it’s a film not to be taken too seriously but instead to sit back and enjoy the ride. Once the monster truck shows up then it’s straight up comedy horror as the truck relentlessly pursues are three hapless people across the American desert. The truck itself looks excellent and suitably frightening and the effects throughout are very well done. The driving scenes all look great and although there isn’t an awful lot of gore, what little there is looks excellent. The pace of the film never lets up ensuring entertainment throughout and there are some excellent visual as well and as dialogue driven comedy. Yes the story is predictable and you will know what the outcome of the film is going to be but luckily Monster Man is great fun in reaching its predictable ending and is certainly one of the better “killer in a car” films of recent times.

Pure comedy horror fun, Monster Man is funny and entertaining throughout with some nice effects, good driving scenes and a very cool looking monster truck. It’s a shame that it’s not more well known as it deserves to be seen by more people. If you can get your hands on a copy then it’s definitely worth your time. Great fun.

8/10

The Howling (1981)

The werewolf sub-genre is one that Hollywood has always struggled with. Despite their being a plethora of such films, most of them are beyond awful with very few of them actually providing good entertainment. One of the few is Joe Dante’s much loved 1981 film called The Howling, a film that manages to strike just the right balance between comedy and horror in order to be a success.

The story focuses on a female newsreader that has a near fatal and strange encounter with a serial killer that is obsessed with her. In order to help her overcome her ordeal, her psychiatrist sends the newswomen to a rehabilitation retreat but it soon becomes apparent that her fellow inhabitants may not be what they seem and there may be an ulterior motive for her being sent to the retreat.

Director Joe Landis has managed to create a fun and entertaining film because despite it being primarily a horror film it never takes itself too seriously. Admittedly the basic premise is nothing new, a person being sent away only to a retreat only to find out the inhabitants are not quite human has been done countless times before but The Howling is so well written that it still manages to seem fresh. A lot of people forget that this film was released before its much more famous cousin An American Werewolf in London and was undoubtedly an inspiration for the special effects in that film. Obviously there was no CGI available at the time so the transformation scenes all had to be done using practical effects and they look great. Yes the werewolves themselves look a little hokey and not in slightest bit frightening but it doesn’t take away from the enjoyment of the film. Perhaps the only real downside is that it takes a little while to get to the main storyline but once the werewolves start attacking it’s good old fashioned horror fun despite it not being frightening in the slightest.

The so called twist is painfully obvious and the storyline has been done to death but Joe Landis has made his film with a sense of fun which provides solid entertainment throughout.

7/10 

Review of Primal (2010)

The Australian horror genre has really been making a name for itself in recent times with a slew of above average films being produced in the country that isn’t exactly known for its prolific filmmaking. The latest entry onto the list of direct to DVD Aussie horrors is director Josh Reeds debut feature entitled Primal, a film that doesn’t even come close to matching the quality of previous efforts but nevertheless still manages to be a fun watch.

The plot is one giant horror film cliché in itself and seriously lacks any ounce of originality; a group of friends join an anthropology student on an outing into the Australian wilderness to study an ancient rock painting. After a bout of skinny dipping in a waterhole, one of the group becomes sick eventually leading to her becoming extremely aggressive and hell bent on killing every member of the group. The group must make an extremely tough choice; kill their friend or risk being killed themselves. When another of the group begins to turn, the remaining members discover the real meaning behind the rock paintings they came to study.

There is nothing new or original about Primal, in fact you will have seen everything on show here in countless other films of the same type. What makes the film watchable is the production values and the bearable characters. Despite its low budget, the film still looks very well with some excellent practical gore effects. The plot moves along at a good pace and doesn’t take too long to get to the main horror part of the story. At only 80 minutes long it never allows boredom to creep in and knows not to overstay it’s welcome. Yes the story is silly and there is certainly nothing frightening about Primal but if your looking for a simple horror film to provide some light entertainment then you can do worse than this small Aussie effort.

Josh Reed has crafted a horror film that is the very definition of unoriginality but, despite this, it still manages to work even with its incredibly simple premise. It’s certainly a film for horror fans only but as direct to DVD films go you could do a lot worse.

5/10

The Horde (La Horde) (2010)

The Horde (La Horde) (2010) IMDB Link

France has become the premier European country when it comes to producing horror films with some top class films being produced over the last few years. Although Le Horde is a little more conventional that the likes of Switchblade Romance and not quite to the standard of other French outputs of late, it’s still an entertaining zombie film that’s excellently made.

The storyline is extremely simple; a group of cops storm a rundown apartment block with the intention of freeing their comrade who has been taking hostage by a group of gangsters. Said cops are thwarted by the gangsters though and held hostage themselves. That’s the least of their problems though as a there has just been a zombie outbreak and the apartment block seems to be attracting more than its fair share. The cops and the gangsters have to form and unlikely partnership in order to fight their way out of the building and hopefully survive through the night.

The zombie’s in this blood soaked French film are not your slow rambling along types, this zombies are fast and extremely strong which adds a whole new level of menace to the situation. Yes the story is simple and is reminiscent of Assault on Precinct 13 but it’s the perfect setup for plenty of mindless zombie action. The only problem is that the midsection of the film is surprisingly light on bloody action which is strange for a film of this type. It certainly picks up in the final act though as all hell is let loose with plenty of blood and gore. There are some nice characters to be seen here, particularly the wise cracking old war veteran whose weapon of choice is a Gatling gun. The final scene is also quite brave and not one you would likely see in a Hollywood film.

Le Horde does exactly what it says on the tin, it offers some great zombie action with nice effects and plenty of gore. Incredibly bland story aside, it’s an entertaining watch, particularly for zombie fans.

6/10

Dinocroc vs Supergator (2010)

Dinocroc vs Supergator (2010) IMDB Link



The versus film seems to be extremely popular at the moment went it comes to making rubbish B-movies, mainly due to the success that The Asylum had with their 2009 film Mega Shark Vs Giant Octopus. This latest entry onto the list comes from the SyFy channel and is everything you would expect it to be and worse.

A government funded company that was tasked with developing a growth hormone to enhance food production and thus end world hunger has taken it upon themselves to use the hormone for more nefarious means. They have managed to create two huge animals, one a mix between a dinosaur and a crocodile and the other a giant alligator. This being a SyFy film, both animals escape and begin to chomp their way around a Hawaiian island. It’s up to a government agent, a conservation officer and a hunter to try and stop the marauding beasts.

I have started to believe that the SyFy channel simply don’t put any effort whatsoever into creating these films. Yet again the effects are diabolical but that’s not the issue. If they are going to make a film about two beasts fighting each other they could at least make said fight a little longer than three minutes long! In fact the titular creatures are so rarely on screen I was beginning to think that they had got lost. There is so little action to be found here which is a shame because the film is actually well acted for the most part and at least tries to explain the reasons for creating the creatures. In the end though, it’s another bore fest with too much talking and not enough silly action.

A film about two creatures squaring off should be fun but this is anything but as there simply isn’t enough creature action. Not even so bad it’s good; this fight ends up being another non event.

3/10