Me and one of my friends tried to have a horror marathon, but Im kind of sick so I didnt last too long before dozing off. We only watched a few movies:
- Cigarette Burns
- The Hills Have Eyes [1977] - first time I saw it!
- Dagon
- Saw
Ive already written a mini-review in this thread for Cigarette Burns, but not for the rest...so here they are:
The Hills Have Eyes [1977]
I'm usually not a big fan of Craven's films, but this one was great! I really liked the simple plot, they did a lot with it and made it a lot more original than it sounds. The cannibals were great characters, hilarious at times and down right scary at others. Until near the end I didn't particularly care for the "normal" family, but even they became decent characters eventually. Oh, and how could I not mention Beast? That dog was incredible, he was like the Littlest Hobo on steroids. If treated differently this could have been a cheesy and forgettable movie, but it was creepy and memorable thanks largely to Craven's direction. Too bad he couldn't stay this good forever...
8.5/10
Dagon
Dagon has been one of my favourite movies for quite awhile now, and in my opinion it is easily one of the best horror films of the last decade. For me it's only real flaw was some very poor CGI, otherwise it is nearly a perfect movie. First off, Gordon creates a wonderful atmosphere for the village of Imboca...dark, wet, just plain eerie all around. Same goes for the residents of the accursed place, they were very well done and creepy. Unfortunately I've never read the story that this is based on, The Shadow Over Insmouth, however it does capture the overall sense of dread that pervades so much of Lovecraft's work. Ezra Godden made for a very realistic hero, something that is all too rare in horror but, once again, fits perfectly with Lovecraft's style. The ending, which I wont spoil in case some poor soul hasn't seen this film yet, is very cool. A bit predictable, but still very cool. If you haven't seen this film I cant urge you enough to go rent or buy it A.S.A.P!
9.5/10
Saw
The more times I see this film, the less I enjoy it. The first time I saw it I was blown away at how perfectly everything fits together, but now after around my fifth viewing, that is the main thing that bothers me about it: Everything fits together TOO perfectly. If the characters had done a single thing differently, the whole plan wouldn't have worked. The movie is still fun to watch and everything, but it really doesn't make a lot of sense. The cop played by Danny Glover is easily the best part of the movie, especially near the end. Though I wouldn't say the actors are as bad as reputation dictates, Glover puts everyone else to shame. Overall, this isn't a bad movie, just don't think about it too much. Too many ways that the plot could and should have gone wrong. The first time I saw it I would have given it very high mark, but now I'd only give it around:
6.5/10