Oculus (2013): Ridiculous

“Don’t judge a book by its cover.” We are all aware of this quote. But I want to make my own version, and thus let me say “don’t judge a movie by its trailer.” I don’t care if somebody have already said that or if I’m the first, but this is the lesson that I’ll stick to by now. I was a victim of movies with awesome trailers but disappointing full-length film. And that is the same case that happens with Oculus.

My friend shares the trailer to me. She knows that I love horror movies and is very excited when she told this about me. She said that the trailer is awesome and I should watch the film. So, I watch the trailer and it is pretty convincing. But when I watch the movie, it was so ridiculous. I am very disappointed.

The story is quite unique. A man was convicted of murder. When he was released, her sister tries to prove that he is innocent. She conducts experiments to prove that the tragedy that strikes their family is caused by the supernatural entity that resides in the antique mirror that their mother bought. Sounds interesting right? But it is better to be read like that than to watch the whole movie.

The movie is mind-boggling in a negative way. It gives me headache and makes me sleepy. Honestly, I didn’t watch the movie from the beginning until the end. I stopped watching it after an hour I guess. Before I stop watching, the movie seems to present that the supernatural entity were just in the imagination of the woman. I don’t know if that is the point that they try to suggest until the end.

I’m not curious to know what happens then. I don’t care about the movie anymore. I was never disappointed like this in my entire life. So, lesson learned. Don’t judge a movie by its trailer. Be reminded of that, guys! ;)

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A Hunted House 2 (2014): Hilarious Indeed

I love horror comedies like the Scary Movie. So, when I saw the first A Haunted House, I became a fan. I know that there will be a sequel and I’m very excited about it. So I watch it as soon as I got a copy. And even though I have a high expectation, I’m happy that it didn’t disappoint me. The movie is hilarious in all levels.

What I love more about the A Haunted House 2 is the craziness that is very funny. I never laughed so hard while watching a movie. I’m like a fool because I’m watching alone and laughing on my own but that is OK. It is funny, so who cares if someone hears me laughing alone.

Marlon Wayans is my new idol. I find him very hilarious and comical. I remember the scene when he cries during the burial of his dog. That was the scene that I can’t forget and makes me smile whenever I think of it. Marlon was so good that even a slight change in his face can be humorous. In my opinion, he was one of the best comedians ever. He might be over-acting at some point but that is still funny.

Another thing that I love about the movie is how they reimagined horror movies to make it a comedy. For example is Annabelle. A lot of people might find this doll frightening because of The Conjuring movie, but A Haunted House 2 turns that around. I didn’t find Annabelle scary anymore. My perception has been change and I find her comical instead of devilish.

This is a perfect horror-comedy for adults. Yes, I didn’t recommend it for watching with the kids around. The movie has some parts that others might find obscene, but in my mature mind, I find it OK. These sexy scenes are funny as well and I guess it is for mature audience only. With all the good things I can say about the movie, I’m convinced that A Haunted House 2 is a great movie indeed.

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Dream Home (2010): Vicious and Notorious

Asian horror movies are creating a buzz to the westerners. This is proved by the numerous adaptations like The Grudge, Oldboy, The Echo, and The Eye. When I’m searching for the best Asian horror movies that I might overlooked, I saw Dream Home. The plot is nice so I grab a copy. After watching it, I can say that this is one of Asia’s best movies in existence.

The story is about a woman who is very fascinated about buying a condo unit with the harbor view. Even though she has savings, she can’t still afford the mortgage for the unit. In desperation, she does something horrifying that will allow her to get the unit for a cheaper price.

The plot of the story is crazy. It gives us a glimpse of how far a person can go just to fulfill his dreams. This is a presentation of how evil can turn us to a mad person. The main character is actually a good person at first, but her desire eats up the goodness she have in her heat. Thus she ended up doing something that is vicious and notorious.

I can say that the flow of the story might be irritating for others. But for me, I find it just right. It allows us to know more about the main character and why she is doing it. The flashbacks are intelligently inserted in the movie, giving the viewers a clean balance between the back story and the crime she committed. However, if you will watch it, make sure that you would watch it in full length.

That is something that I love about this movie. It captures my attention and wouldn’t let me go to pee or to grab snacks. I was very focused on the movie because I’m waiting for something, from the back story and for her next move. I’m glad that all my questions were answered and I’m satisfied with the gore I’ve seen. I couldn’t ask for more and I wish that no one will ever dare to make their own versions because I’m afraid that it wouldn’t work.

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Alien Abduction (2014): Nonsense Stereotype

I love movies and documentaries about aliens. After I’ve seen the trailer of Alien Abduction, it quite convinced me that I should watch it. And yes I did. I did it with full enthusiasm and excitement. But at the end, it was disappointing.

I love how the beginning of the movies, the first half I guess. It gives me more excitement and I want to dig in more about the story. I have questions in my mind like why these aliens abduct people and what are they are going to do with them. Unfortunately, these questions are not answered. The plot is too simple and nonsense.

There was a family hiking in the mountains, they got lost, found a tunnel where their first encounter happen. Of course they try to escape but they were not able to do that. They meet someone living in the woods, and they vanished one by one. That is the whole story. And for me, it was nonsense and stereotype for an alien movie. I bet I can do that story on my own.

The movie might be able to give me the shock, because some scenes are really intended to shock you, but it fails to leave a mark. It was forgettable. The concept is nice but it fails to elaborate and give more depth to the story. The ending is also hilarious. So, the last family member (the youngest child I guess) were abducted and brought to the spaceship. The aliens find his camera and throw it back to earth. The funny thing is that the spaceship is already in the outer space but the cam lands on earth and still recording. Even grade-schoolers will find this WTF? Maybe the writers doesn’t know much about science.

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Antisocial (2013): Hilarious, but it isn't Comedy

This movie is so hilarious. I actually laugh several times while I’m watching it. But the problem is it is not really made to be a comedy. It supposed to be under the Horror, Sci-Fi and Thriller genre. For that, it an epic fail for me.

The concept is crazy, but not crazy good. It is about the apocalypse where people are transformed to zombies by the virus transmitted via the social media “The Social Redroom.” How pathetic. This is not really effective. The use of social media in this movie fails so bad that it wasn’t worth the try.

I don’t know what gone in the heads of the writers of this movie. Are they desperate enough to discourage people from using social media? Scare them off to make sure that people will get paranoid about their Facebook or Twitter account? That might be right. They use something that everyone uses daily, turn it to something terrifying for the hope that people will talk about it, so the movie will be viral. That sounds a good idea, but that is not just effective at all.

People get paranoid with the movie The Truman show. Everyone thinks that they might be in a reality show and there are cameras everywhere. That movie is really effective. But Antisocial, a big NO NO! I’m glad it is antisocial because I will not really talk to it if we’re in a party.

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The Purge Anarchy (2014): As I Expected, It is Great

I waited long enough to have a copy of this movie. When I got one, I didn’t waste any time and watch it eagerly. I’m expecting too much from this film because I’m a huge fan of the first instalment. I’ve seen the trailer and it is exciting. My friends even said that it was really good. Even though my expectations are high, I’m glad that this movie goes beyond that. The Purge: Anarchy is a really great movie.

The characters are different but the concept is about the annual Purge. People are given 12 hours to do all the crimes they wanted to do. This is said to cleanse their spirit as they release their anguish they kept in the 364 days. As a result of this law, the crime rates are non-existent in those 364 days and more and more people are moving up the poverty line. That sounds good right? But that is really scary.

The whole concept of the Purge is very terrifying. That alone makes me love the movie. It scares me a lot; it feels like I can’t breathe normally when I watch it. It is full of tension and it creeps in my nerves. These are just come of the movies that make me paranoid and break my sanity. After I watch it, I’m a bit scared to go out my house because I fear that someone might kill me. Paranoia. And it was good, it means that the movie is really effective.

The story line in this second instalment was creative. It reveals more secrets about the wealthy people activities during the purge, what the purge is really all about and how the government manipulates it to reach their goals. Plot is now deeper than the first and it makes the audience more excited for the third instalment.

I can’t say anything bad about the movie. It was that so great. I even enthusiastically tell my friends who haven’t watch it yet. I’m like a crazy person who can’t get over the movie. I hope that the third instalment will be released not later than next year. I’m really looking forward to watch it.

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Deliver Us from Evil (2014): One of the Best 2014 Horrors

Horror movies are my favorite. But among the releases the years, there are only few who stands out and one of them is Deliver Us from Evil.

At first, I wasn’t interested in the movie because my colleague tells me that it wasn’t good. I believe her, and it’s a mistake. I shouldn’t have listen to her and watch it in the cinema. But that was a couple of months ago. When I happen to have a copy, I watch it still. And I was surprised that it was way better than what I’ve been told.

Deliver Us from Evil is something that I’ve been long waited for. It was inspired by the terrifying booked by Ralph Sarchie known as Beware the Night. But let set things straight, the story line of the movies wasn’t based on actual events at all. It is completely fictional. But the character of Ralph Sarchie is true; he is a cop who happens to be a demonologist as well. He helps people with supernatural problems.

The story line is the same, he is a cop who hunted down criminals and he slowly turns to a demon hunter because of one of the cases he handles. He was an anti-Christ, but he was turned to be a believer. This gives him strength in facing the hardest and beastly criminals he has ever faced.

It gives me creeps. The tension is there and my heart beats fast at some point. It chills me to the bone, and it scares the hell out of me. I never thought that it will be this good. It will let you engage in the story as it unravels the horror gradually.

I love the whole movie. It is the only exorcist movie that was able to capture my attention and interest. I watch it from the beginning until the end with my full focus on it. It wasn’t boring like the other movies of its genre. This may be because of the perfect combination of action and horror. It is one of the best and the greatest movies I’ve seen so far.

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Willow Creek (2013): Super Boring

Zombies, vampires, serial killers, ghosts, werewolf, UFOs, and psychopaths, I’ve seen it all. So when I read the synopsis of the Willow Creek, I said “wow, this is interesting, a new creature of terror.” The creature I’m talking about is the Bigfoot.

Bigfoot is a tall ape-like creature that rumors to roam the forest. There are accounts of sightings but there is no strong proof yet that it really exists. This is the mission of Jim who brings along her girlfriend Kelly to look for evidence that Bigfoot really exists. They went to the Willow Creek even though they are refused to enter, and they were able to find the “creature” they are looking for.

Willow Creek have the same elements like the Blair Witch Project. The main characters are in the forest, there are strange sounds, they are documenting everything and they found what they are looking for and that is it! This is what I hate about this film, it lack originality. And the sad thing is I never really like the Blair Witch Project either. For me, these films are both Super Boring.

The climax is all that matters, it is kind of creepy but it wasn’t worth the wait. They will let you drawn in the film, and they will give you the thrills at the end – which is not terrifying at all. I wish that they are more shocking things in it than the one they have shown.

This is not a really great movie. It actually sucks. But the plot was good though. It was something new for me but it fails to impress me.

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Wicked Little Things (2006): Wicked but Not Great

Some films in the After Dark Horror Fest have great feedbacks. One of the movies that got my attention is the Wicked Little Things. It has a real nice plot and a great trailer as well. But unfortunately, these are the only things that are great about it. And the whole movie itself is not really great at all.

The concept is great, really. But the execution is a big failure. After I watch the trailer, I expected that the movie will be great. It is about a town where zombie kids are roams the area and kill people every night. Creepy, right? But unfortunately, the good plot was not transferred to the motion picture. Disappointing.

It was very rare to have a new twist and story line about zombies. And this one wastes it. It fails to scare me, get my attention or convince me to watch it eagerly. It is also saddening that they wasn’t able to do that even when they already scared me on the trailer alone.

I watch it for three times, part by part. Do you wonder why? It is because it makes me sleepy. I guess I need to cut it off here. You can still watch it though I do not advice it. We have our own preferences and it is up to yours if you will agree with mine.

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The Battery (2012): Super Boring

Like what I usually do, I searched IMDB for movies before getting a copy. When I found the list of zombie movies, I’ve seen The Battery and it has a decent rating. So, I’m thinking that it may be real good. But unfortunately, it was Super Boring.

Among all the zombie movies that I’ve watched, it is the only one that makes me sleep. Honestly speaking, I didn’t bother to watch it full. I fast-forwarded it just to see how it will end. There are no enough thrills that I’m expecting even for a regular zombie movie. It doesn’t have anything to offer I guess.

It was really disappointing. I didn’t suggest it to anyone. It makes me sad, I love zombie movies and they didn’t give enough justice to that. I didn’t know what else I can say. I know you are bored right now, that is more than the boredom that I’ve felt while I’m watching this movie.

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The Human Centipede 2 (2011): Disgusting But Great

In my search for the most disturbing movies, I saw the Human Centipede 2. I’ve read some reviews, I’ve watched the trailer and I grabbed a copy. My expectations are high with this one. Fortunately, I was not disappointed; it exceeded my expectations big time. I can say that it is the most disturbing film that I’ve ever seen. It was very disturbing, and it is very great.

I’m glad that the creators of the Human Centipede make it black and white. If they didn’t, I guess I wouldn’t be able to watch it scene after scene. I’m used to morbid scene, but this film makes me like a newbie. It weakens me in a good way. This is just one of the films that make me feel sick yet I love it. 

The story is about an avid fan of the first sequence of the human centipede. With his amusement of the movie, he created an evil plan to execute it on his own. But this time, he is doing it on his own – in the most brutal way one can imagine and in a medically-inaccurate manner. There goes the sickening part. He kidnapped several people (including the cast of the original human centipede), put them in a warehouse and when he reaches the number of people he desired, he begin the operation.

If you have a weak stomach, I discourage you to watch it. If you have seen the movies Chainsaw Massacre or the Saw series, believe me, it was horrible more than that movies combined. This makes me think twice if I will tag it as a great movie. I feel like the operation scene was over to the top, for me it was too much. But my second thought was there are only few movies that are nasty enough to satisfy the cravings of bored horror fans. I’ve applauded for that, thus I’m decided to tag it as a great movie.

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