Under the Bed (2012)

Let’s face it; every child in the world has thought there was a monster living under their bed. For me, my childhood monster under the bed was Pennywise The Clown. The sheer thought of the traumatizing nights I had as a child are enough to still give me the willies. Knowing nothing about this film, we decided to give it a shot just by the title and cover art, did Under the Bed deliver?

Directed by Steven C. Miller, Under the Bed is about a teenage boy who returns home two years after a devastating fire took the life of his mother. The teen realizes that his time away not only was in vain, but the creature he thought only he could see has moved on to his younger brother. In an attempt the thwart the creature, the brothers team up and soon the scares turn deadly.

Under the bed is plagued with bad decisions early on in the film. Most notable is the extremely over the top score. Scenes that didn’t need extremely dramatic strings and vamping got it. Not to mention the ending of the film. The acting was stiff but that not a huge issue. The dialog is nothing more than unnatural filler in areas which took away from some of the emotion the actors were trying to convey.

You could say that Under the Bed has bad pacing as well, however your tune may change as you reach the film’s final 20 minutes. This is where the film snags its R rating and really shines. While watching Under the Bed I was comparing it to films of the past. The best way to describe it is Little Monsters meets The Gate, but with more language and gore.

Speaking of gore, the finale is LOADED with it. I was really surprised by the turn the film took, and the way the effects were handled. The film delivers some great monster violence. The creature itself looks good from what I can tell, but we never really get a great look at it. While the monster is creepy, I don’t think it will haunt children for years to come.

Basically the film was a good watch. It was fun, and felt like a throwback to some of the great 80’s films a lot of us grew up with. GLP gives Under The Bed 3 out of 5 stabs for the finale alone. The film suffered from some overacting, bad writing and over the top score, but the film is still very entertaining and worth a watch. For more information on Under the Bed, visit the films Facebook page. View the trailer below.

GLP Rating:

Hatchet III (2013)

As a slasher film fan, it was only a matter of time before I sat down to watch the newest installment of the Bayou Butcher! Victor Crowley is back again in Hatchet III, and the blood just keeps on flowing. In this release we see a slightly different looking Victor, however it’s not as distracting as the many faces of Michael Meyers. Was the film good? I’ll let you make that decision.

Hatchet III picks up directly after the events of Hatchet II, Marybeth (Danielle Harris) has avenged her father and brothers deaths and heads to get help. Covered in blood she walks into a police station and is immediately thrown in a cell and called crazy, the police go to the island where the events of the past films had happened and what they find is one of the most gruesome scenes they have ever witnessed. Soon all hell break loose yet again and the curse of Victor Crowley is back for more.

After watching Hatchet III, I was satisfied. In this kind of film you know what you’re getting into before you even start. Your going to get brutal violence, tons of gore, some t&a, and a bit of comedy thrown in. This one however, I felt focused more on the comedy aspect and less on the Violence and T&A. Actually there is not a single boob shown in the film. The viewer does get the pleasure of seeing the absolutely gorgeous Danielle Harris get hosed down from the side. On a side not, She get prettier with age. As far as gore, there is a lot but for some reason it seemed tame compared to the first two films. Also a solid amount of practical effects were used, unfortunately some poor CGI effects are apparent. Even with these things, the movie is still very enjoyable.

ArieScope Pictures and Dark Sky Film’s Hatchet III stars Danielle Harris (Halloween 4 & 5, Hatchet II, Blood Night), Kane Hodder (Friday the 13^th 7-10, Hatchet Series), Derek Mears (Friday the 13^th 09’, The Hills Have Eyes 06’), Caroline Williams (TCM 2, Stepfather 2), Zach Galligan (Gremlins 1 & 2, Waxwork 1 & 2), and more. Acting wise the film is solid. Everyone handles their roles well and makes for some very good entertainment.

So was Hatchet III as good as the others in the franchise? No, but, it’s a very worthy competitor, Hatchet III is a solid effort by new director BH McDonnell, who was apparently hand selected by Adam Green to take the helm. His shooting style stayed true to the other films and held an authenticity which gets lost in other films sequels. GLP gives Hatchet III an easy 3 out of 5 stabs for gore, comedy, acting, and overall loyalty to the originals. For more information on the film visit the official Facebook page, as well as ArieScope’s official website. View the trailer below!

GLP Rating:

Would You Rather (2013)

It’s hard to fathom a game I used to play in high school being anything more than sexual fueled attempt to make out with girls while drinking. But as faith would have it, that memory filled teenage game has now been twisted into some kind of moral dilemma of life or death. The stakes are high, the choices are harder, and the game is no longer for kids.

IFC Film's Would You Rather follows Iris (Brittany Snow) a 20 something girl who looks after her sick brother after her parents pass in some sort of accident. Inheriting her younger brother’s medical bills and assuming the role of “mom” Iris is propositioned by a very rich man named Shepard Lambrick (Jeffery Combs), the founder of some health foundation, to attend a dinner party and play a game. The winner of said game will have all of the medical bills, outstanding debt, and other things paid for. All you have to do is win, but when dinner begins she finds out she may have gotten more than she bargained for.

Would You Rather is a terrific movie. The whole movie there is this air of despair that is really hard to shake. As the films story unfolds, the scenes get more intense and actually keep you on the edge of you seat. The director (David Guy Levy) did an amazing job capturing the raw emotions of the characters though out the situations they are facing, All the while capturing the beauty of the setting around the chaos happening round it.

The acting is great in this movie. The legendary Jeffery Combs takes his acting chops to another level as Lambrick, and Brittany Snow steps out of her teeny shadow with this matured roll and adult subject matter. Porn Star Sasha Grey shows she can do more than give a good lay with her very dark portrayal of Amy. Kevin’s dad himself John Heard also makes an appearance in the film as Conway. Trailer Park Boys very own Robb Wells also appears in the film as the slight comic relief.  Overall the film was very well acted and a lot of the actors truly surprised me with how well they did.

The special effects make up, while minimal, were very convincing. At times I found myself cringing with what the possible outcomes of the situations would be. I kept thinking for the worse but never truly hit the nail on the head. I was pleasantly surprised with the effects.

The film also makes you think. If you are giving an extreme choice, and had to make a decision, what would you do? The film brought a whole new meaning to the game would you rather and might I say, completely changed my outlook on the shear possibilities of it.

Would You Rather is just another example of a great independent horror film. I will not be disappointed if films like this continue to be released. Would You Rather earns itself a 5 out of 5 stabs for creativity, acting, setting, and writing. Dare I say best horror film of 2013? We shall see. Would you rather is currently available OnDemand though iTunes. For more information on the film check out their Facebook page. View the trailer below.

GLP Rating:

House at the End of the Street (2012)

I am not much of a fan of these PG-13 diet horror films. The target audience is evident when you watch films like this. Teenage kids going to the movies without parental guidance, looking to get handsy with one another while the lights are out and a "scary" movie is playing. We have all done it. However my generation was watching films like Scream, I Know What You Did Last Summer, Urban Legends, and other 90's fair. Teen movies now days feel watered down, and safe. Where's the thrill? All I can see are jump scares.

House at the End of the Street (HATEOTS) is precisely why mainstream horror films are starting to decline. The stories are all the same, the thrills are made be sound, and the efforts seem rather lackluster. To make this brief I did not enjoy HATEOTS. I found it very slow and awkward. I knew going into it that it did very well in the box office, and nailed its target demographic. However seasoned horror fans were less than stoked on it, and most voiced their frustrations openly.

Basically the film is about Elissa (Jennifer Lawrence) a teenage girl who moves to a small town from the Windy City. She make friends with Ryan (Max Thieriot) her next door neighbor who still lives in the house his parents where killed in. Things get strange and Elissa is faced with a terrible situation.

The only 3 good qualities of this film are Jennifer Lawrence, Max Thieriot, and the plot twist at the end, which wasn't even that good. I respect what the writers tried to do, but watering down a potentially good story to sell to kids is not what horror is about. Horror is intended to scare, thrill, and evoke terror in the audience. I did not get any of that. As I said Jennifer and Max did a great job, they are both very talented actors and I enjoyed watching them interact with each other. The overall film is just lacking that true grit of horror.

The film is what it is. There are few goods and a whole lot of bads. The film was also filmed in 2010, and was just released at the tail end of 2012. My guess is that the studio released it to capitalize on the success of the lovely & talented Miss Lawrence. All and all its not a terrible way to kill some time, however I'd have your phone handy to relieve boredom. GLP gives this effort 2 out of 5 stabs for Jennifer and Max's performance only. The film has been released on Blu-Ray and DVD, and is also available on demand everywhere. View the trailer below.

GLP Rating:

The ABC's Of Death (2013)

Outrageous, twisted, over the top, sadistic, appalling, and fun as hell! Magnet Releasing and Drafthouse Films' The ABC's Of Death was one of the most anticipated horror films of 2013. Did it live up to the hype? I will let you be the judge.

The ABC's of Death is a fairly simple movie. The concept was give 26 directors a letter of the alphabet, give them 100% artistic and creative freedom, and have them make a short film based a word that starts with the letter they were given. I think part of the reason this film had such hype, is because of the names that were attached to the film. With directer's like Angela Bettis, Yûdai Yamaguchi, Ti West, Adam Wingard, Simon Barrett, Jon Schnepp, Xavier Gens, and Jason Eisener why wouldn't there be a crazy amount of hype for this.

I really enjoyed The ABCs of Death. I thought for the most part, the film was well put together. There are some very outstanding shorts present here, and some that are not. With 26 different shorts present, your probably not gonna like every one of them. At some points I was cringing, at other times I was saying WTF is going on.

ABC's has some very good shorts, I didn't actively make mental note or write down what ones I thought were good. I simply went by what one evicted some sort of emotion out of me. Weather it be cringing, gagging, laughing, ect. I was out to enjoy the film, and went in with an open mind. D is for Dogfight by Marcel Sarmiento was defiantly my favorite, It was shot beautifully, and the use of slow motion was a very nice touch. Jason Eisener's Y is for Young Buck was another stand out for me. I love everything about Eisener's short film, the shooting style, soundtrack, film filters, and of course the absurdity of the whole thing. Eisener is defiantly and upcoming director to look out for.

Other good ones were A is for Apocalypse, F is for Fart, H is for Hyrdo-Electric Diffusion, J is for Jidai-geki, K is for Klutz, L is for Libido, Q is for Quack, S is for Speed, T is for Toilet, U is for Unearthed, W is for WTF, and X is for XXL. All of these shorts were shot well, and were entertaining.

The shorts there were the absolute worst of the bunch were Ti West's M is for Miscarriage, Andrew Traucki's G is for Gravity and Adrian Garcia Bogliano's B is for Bigfoot. I am not sure what these directors were thinking but these shorts were just terrible. Most notable of the bunch is Ti West's M is for Miscarriage, being the shortest and laziest. I honestly felt I could have directed the SAME EXACT thing, shot for shot. I thought it was disrespectful, and the biggest let down of the shorts. I am a rather big fan of Ti's and felt he just didn't care enough to put forth any effort. While these were the biggest flops of the film, it still doesn't take away from the overall picture.

Magnet Releasing has hit the nail on the head once again with The ABC's of Death, proving that they are steadily becoming a force to be reckoned with in the indie horror film world. I have nothing but positive things to say about Magnet, and am very excited to see what else they have in store for us horror fans in the future. The ABC's of Death defiantly lived up to the hype, even though some of the shorts were sub-par. ABC's delivered everything a horror fans salivate over. Gore, Nudity, Absurdity, Laughs, and overall entertainment. GLP gives this blood soaked effort 4 out of 5 stabs. The film was released on 1/31 as a pre-theatrical OneDemand release, which Magnet is defiantly doing right. Although the rental price is a little pricey at $10, its well worth it. Be sure to check out Magnets Facebook page for more information on upcoming horror releases, as well as more information on The ABC's Of Death, and check out the films Facebook page as well. The ABC's of Death will be hitting select theaters on March 8th. Check out the NSFW trailer below.

GLP Rating:

Intruder (1989)

In a time when horror movies were being heavily censored by distribution companies and the MPAA, Intruder was one of the films that received the short end of the stick. The tale of this film is sad but, light has shined its head upon this classic slasher film once again and fans finally have the opportunity to view the film as it was originally intended...UNCUT.

Intruder is about a night crew of a local Michigan grocery store. The crew finds out that the store is being sold and they will be losing their jobs in a couple of weeks. Unbenounced to them, someone is watching them, and eventually the crew begins getting picked off in gruesome ways.

Intruder is one of the later 80's slasher movies that really works amidst a slew of very bad low rate knock offs. However most of the public who saw the original release of the film may not agree with that. Long story short Intruder was made in 1989 at the tail end of the slasher craze. It was originally set to be distributed by Empire Pictures which was Full Moon owner Charles Band's first company which unfortunately when under. As a result of the company folding most of the unreleased films were sold off to other companies. Intruder was one of those pictures. Band sold the releasing rights to Paramount who released the film to VHS with an R rating and over 5 minuets of footage missing from the picture.

As a result of Paramount's misstep, the film was almost un-watchable, and incoherent. Many fans wrote the film off as just another ugly slasher film trying to coattail a dying genre. Fortunately this movie was no where near that. Written & Directed by Scott Spiegel of Evil Dead II fame the film boasts some very creative camera angles, as well as some very neat POV shots. Scott really nailed it. You can defiantly see the similarities between Sam Raimi's and Scotts shooting styles. This could be due to the fact that they grew up together in Michigan along with Bruce Campbell and Sam's brother Ted. This film actually started off as a short film shot by Scott, Sam, and Bruce under the name Night Crew. Unfortunately the film is now long lost.

 This films restored cut, is in fact a very cohesive film, and is extremely well put together. The film also boasts a very familiar cast consisting of Elizabeth Cox, Sam & Ted Raimi, Bruce Campbell, Dan Hicks and more horror familiars. Each doing a good job with their roles. The dynamic between characters seemed very genuine, probably because, for most of them, it was their first feature.

Most of the removed footage was that of now infamous K.N.B's effects. For those of you who don't know who that is think of Nightmare on Elm Street 5, Halloween 5, A&E's The Walking Dead, and more. As their first feature film Kurtzman, Nicoterio, and Berger did the film for next to nothing but proved they would be an effects company that would be around for sometime. The uncut effects in this movie are amazing some of the best and most gruesome kills I have seen in a slasher film for its time. Each kill makes your cringe and smile with sadistic delight. Not to mention there are some very creative kills thrown into the mix.

For the longest time this film would stay cut to shreds. Until Wizard Entertainment released a Directors Cut of the film with all the cut scenes placed back into the movie. But like most smaller slasher movies to be released on DVD the transfer was low quality and rather sub-par to what bigger companies were releasing at the time.

Now enter Synapse Films, In November of 2011 they released an amazing Blu-Ray & DVD combo pack of a newly remastered and fully uncut version of Intruder. This Blu-Ray sports a crystal clear 2k digital restoration and its the best it's ever looked. The colors are vibrant and the lighting is just right. Not to mention its loaded with special features. A 30+ minuet featurette of the making of the film made its way on  the release and it sheds a lot of light on the history of Intruder. Synapse Films has made its way into a die hard horror fans heart and as a result I want to pick up everything I can from them.

All and All, this film is a really good slasher. Granted it has the 80's cheese and some of the acting may be over the top at times but that is all part of the fun. Story wise Scott Spiegel did a great job of keeping the viewers on their toes, and adding a memorable setting to slasher universe. K.N.B's effects work shows exactly why they are still uber successful in the industry. GLP gives this film 4 out of 5 for great gore scenes and a very well written cohesive slasher film. You can currently still get the film from Synapse Films on Blu-Ray/DVD combo pack and you really should. View the trailer below and as an added bonus here are some behind the scenes looks at K.N.B's work while on the film.

Warning: Contains Spoilers

GLP Rating:

Warning: Contains Spoilers

All The Boys Love Mandy Lane (2006)

I'm sure a lot of you fans already know about this "Lost" treasure, however I am sure that a lot of casuals are currently scratching their head asking "What the fuck is All The Boys Love Mandy Lane, and it's from 2006?" and for good reason. This film has been in U.S. film limbo almost since its inception. It's a rather interesting story of a great horror film shelved and essentially lost.

All The Boys Love Mandy Lane is a fantastic modern slasher movie. The story is clever, the cast is fresh, and the gore is not bad. The film is set up like this, The main character Mandy (Amber Heard) returns to school from summer break and has gotten hot, and every guy in school wants a piece. Her best friend Emmet (Michael Welch) is the resident loser of the school. After the head jock "tragically fails" to impress Mandy by jumping off the roof of his house into a pool, we are thrust 9 months ahead where the popular kids are setting up a party at the stoner's (Aaron Himelstein) ranch house. All the while all the dudes are still trying to put the mack on Mandy. Once they arrive the group starts to disappear one by one. Who is killing off all of Mandy's new friends, The twist may surprise you.

The acting in the film is quite good. Amber Heard leads the cast with innocence, and beauty. Playing to role of Mandy, Amber demands the audience's attention. Other standouts are Whitney Able of Monsters fame who plays Chloe. Her portrayal of an overly bitchy high school girl was spot on. Michael Welch of Twilight fame plays Mandy's best friend Emmett, his character development throughout the film is great, and seeing him play a slightly awkward high school kid worked.

The gore is used well, not over the top but for the most part just right. The occasional continuity errors involving make-up and hair but to most it's probably unnoticeable. As far as deaths we get a head cracking, rifle deep throat, shot to the head, knife to the eyes and back, shot to the back, and a stabbing. Nothing too creative but it works. The dudes also get multiple lingerie shots, and Whitney Able shows her goods. Ladies don't get much but a few shirtless dudes.

The thing that surprises me about the movie is that it has not received an official release in the U.S. yet. To me its a disservice to the film and fans of the genre. After quick Google searching I found out why it hasn't been released in the U.S. According to Wikipedia, the film was to be released in 2007 under The Weinstein Company's Dimension Films banner. However do to the lack luster box office performances of horror films and the heavily pushed Grindhouse. The Weinstein Companyc inevitably sold the film to the start up company Senator Entertainment US, who later when out of business. The film has since been held in U.S. film limbo with other films on the roster.

Truthfully, All The Boys Love Mandy Lane is a fantastic new age slasher film that should really get the chance to be seen by all horror fans. With such a talented cast, and well written story its heard to believe more people haven't seen it. For that GLP gives this effort a solid 4 out of 5 stabs. If your interested in watching this film, good luck. The film is only available on Region B Import Blu-Ray, however its been inspected to play on all players, which is a good thing however the price can be a little steep. The film is available here, and here. Seriously check out the film if you can...its great. View the trailer below.

GLP Rating:

Black Christmas (1974)

When I think of Christmas horror films, two prominent films stick out in my mind. These films seem to be on every horror fans Christmas watch list and rightfully so. I'm talking about Silent Night, Deadly Night, and Bob Clark's 1974 cult classic Black Christmas. These films optimize what Christmas horror flicks are all about, yule tide fright and holiday cheer. Most hardcore genera nut will tell you...It's not Christmas time, unless you've watched these films.

Bob Clark's Black Christmas is a staple of the Holiday horror genre. It's also the film that started the slasher craze being sighted by some as inspiration for John Carpenters Halloween and Sean Cunningham's Friday the 13th.  Black Christmas is reminiscent to the Urban Legend "The Babysitter and The Man Upstairs" taking bits and pieces from the lore and molding them to the story. Black Christmas is about a sorority house that starts receiving obscene phone calls from a vulger man the girls dub the moaner. Soon the girls sorority sisters start going missing and they soon find out there is a deranged serial killer after them all.

Bob Clark directed this film beautifully, using odd camera angles and excellent lighting to develop an eerie mood and atmosphere. For those of you who are unfamiliar with Clark's work... you may be surprised...He would go on to make Porkys and the other Christmas classic A Christmas Story. His work in this film helped create a massive sub-genre that has captivated many audiences world wide and birthed some of the most twisted villain's of all time.

The acting in this picture is pretty good, John Saxon, Olivia Hussey, and Margot Kidder do a fantastic job. Olivia does a great job as Jess. Jess is a strong willed female lead keeping her composure during the traumatic events near the end. Margot plays Barb, the sister that is slightly slutty and likes to drink. Margot does a great job with the role, playing the part to a T. While the characters are only about skin deep, the actresses manage to give them more life than they probably should have had. Saxon plays Lt. Fuller a cop who is trying to help the girls find their friends and nab the obscene caller.

The killer, Billy, is a great character. The serial killer with what seems like multiple  personality's. The obscene calls are full of tension and at some points makes the hair on the back of your neck stand up. The decision to not ever fully show the killer was a great one, leaving an air of mystery to Billy and leaving the audience wanting more. You never really understand his motives either, which makes the film so successful. There is not much to say about gore, cause there is none. People die, but mostly off screen, and if they do bite it on screen there is only a little bit of red stuff.

When it all boils down. Black Christmas is one helluva good movie. Age has played only a minor factor in its dating, but still manages hold as true as it did in 1974. This movie is a must see. GLP gives Black Christmas 5 out of 5 stabs for great story, atmosphere, direction, and acting. If your interested in picking up this classic you can do so on special edition Blu-Ray & DVD. View the trailer below.

GLP Rating:

 

Silent Night (2012)

Ah, December...One of my favorite months of the year. Not just for the amazing gifts, but the family get togethers, Xmas lights, and the plethora of delicious foods and sweets. My favorite part about the x-mas season though, are the movies. No not the over played stuff like "Christmas Story" and that black and white one about the bell and angels wings. I'm talking the most depraved, and twisted fun X-mas movies out...HORROR XMAS! I'm talking Killer Santa's, twisted elves, and Xmas monsters alike. This December join GLP for "Gory Little Christmas" 4 weeks of X-mas horror.

Up first is Silent Night. This newly released slasher pic is a re-imagining of the classic controversial slasher known as Silent Night, Deadly Night. I have been anticipating this release for some time now, reading about it on many blogs and horror sites since its inception. I can say that its defiantly not better than the original, most if not all remakes never stand up, but its has a lot of very good qualities.

Basically, The story goes like this. I old mill town is gearing up for the holiday parade on Christmas Eve, when a sadistic killer suddenly starts picking off its inhabitants after they receive a lump of coal in the mail. The story is completely by the books, formulaic, and stale. Nothing new has been brought to the table in Silent Night, however, it didn't take away from the experience of watching it. The film boasts come nice kills, only one being memorable though. I will not spoil the good kill but I will say that it involves a half naked chick and a wood chipper.

The Acting is ok. Jamie King and Donal Logue are the only actors to positively right home about. Jamie does a good job with the role of Aubry, the towns deputy. She's good at what she does, and after sitting trough countless episodes of CW's Hart Of Dixie its refreshing to not see Jamie as the spoiled Lemon Brealand. Her performance too, is formulaic, as strong leading lady, however she is seem hardened from the beginning rather than making that transition over time. That was a nice change of pace for me. Donal Logue's small part was great, A cynical traveling Santa, with witty comebacks and a quick tongue. Malcolm McDowell is also in the film as the towns sheriff. I was in utter confusion with his role. It felt like the director literally told him to say whatever came to his mind..."Dont put Avocado on the burger!".......WHAT! I didn't know if they were trying to make him funny or make the sheriff out to be incompetent. It was hard to watch his scenes.

As I mentioned earlier the killers were nice, and the special effects we good too. Lots of blood and limbs being removed. Burnings, Stabbings, Electrocutions, Shootings, Impaling, and Meat Grinding run a muck in this slasher flick. They all look good, and should defiantly bring out the gore hound in all of us. The kills make the ride worth riding. The killer looks good, a typical Santa suit with a very creepy Santa mask...That mask looks so ominous. Silent Night's killer gets points for the mask.

I felt the setting was not indicative of a Midwestern town, The Midwest usually gets snow on or around Christmas Eve. At some points during the day shoots, it felt like the movie wasn't even in the winter time. A snow-laden setting would have honed in on the holiday feel. Night time shots helped equal out the off handed day shoots since you couldn't see much. The post production blueish filter tried to help give it the cold feeling but as I said earlier. It would have been nice seeing some fluffy white snow all over the place.

I had some issues with the ending, but that seems to be happening a lot recently. It is not a bad ending, but I thought it was kind of mediocre. Other than that I enjoyed the movie. Slasher fans like myself will more than likely love it, and most casual horror fans will think its ok. To the average, the movie is ultimately forgettable, thought hardcore fans of the genre should remember it at this point only time will tell. GLP gives Silent Night 3 out of 5 stabs for good kills and gore, and a strong female lead. If you want to know more about the film you can stalk the movies Facebook page. If you want to watch the film you can do so on demand thru Vudu or Amazon On-Demand or on Blu-Ray and DVD. View the trailer below.

 

GLP Rating:

The Bay (2012)

After a nice holiday break, GLP is back with a new review for your reading displeasure.

Upon deciding to watch this film, I really had no knowledge of the movie. I thought is was about some sort of alien, maybe some sort of monster. I did , however, go into watching this film with VERY LOW expectations. After I finished watching it I was not terribly disappointed, nor was I completely satisfied. It was not until I did my homework that I became really disappointed.

The Bay is about the small seaside town called Claridge, Maryland that has an "outbreak" on the 4th of July leaving the small town in a panic. The "outbreak is not that of zombies, but a parasitic one caused by major pollution to the town bay. The movie is told through the oh so OVER USED found footage theme, using different people's footage to piece together the events that happened before and during the outbreak.

Standing alone, the film had great potential, and is not a bad watch. That is about as deep as it gets. On the surface its got some good acting, decent CGI, and decent practical effects. The radio/ podcast interview with the town's mayor really stood out to me. I felt that was actually one of the best scenes in the movie, the authenticity of the interview was a very nice touch. 

My disappointment with this film came from behind the cameras. This film was directed by Barry Levinson. For those of you, like me, that don't particularly follow directors or behind the scenes guys in films, Berry & his previous films have been nominated for multiple Oscars, and He himself won "Best Director" for 1988's Rain Man. Berry has directed such films as  Diner (1982), Good Morning, Vietnam (1987), Rain Man (1988), Bugsy (1991), Toys (1992), Disclosure (1994) Sleepers (1996) Sphere (1998), Liberty Heights (1999), and Bandits (2001) just to name a few. You would think that a guy with connections like that, and a resume like that could make a movie better than it was. Unfortunately he didn't, and because I now know Berry directed this, I feel less excited about it. 

So lets talk about the premise without giving too much away, Basically this town is polluting the bay with something bad, and as a result it is causing a nasty parasite to mutate into an even nastier version. I really enjoyed the overall arch of the story seeing as it was creative, not entirely original, but still good enough. I felt out of all the aspects of this film, The story keep me at attention and as an end result made me like the film.

Found footage films need to be buried in the past. They were cool for a hot minuet but now it's getting to the point were EVERYTHING is being shot in the style. I feel this film could have benefited from solid camera work. Cinematography...not shitty handheld bullshit. This film could have been eerie, and frightening without the found footage effect, however, as a result it become hokey at times and sometimes laughable.

The film is not bad, it mainly suffers from bad decisions behind the camera. I really wish this film would have not used the found footage aspect, I probably would have like it a lot more. The story is good, the acting is decent, and the practical effects are good as well. The movie is just OK with good parts here and there, GLP gives The Bay a 3 out of 5 stabs. If your interested in checking this film out you can do so ONLY on-demand. Check out the trailer below.

GLP RATING

Sinister (2012)

What would you do if you moved into a new home in a strange town, found an old dusty box filled with various family videos, but each video showed the death of the family in the end. Personally I would GTF out of the house and never look back but… Im not in a movie and what you chose could kill you.

Sinister staring Ethan Hawke, & Juliet Rylance with a cameo by Vincent D’Onofrio is, for all intents and purposes, a really good movie. Basically the movie is about Ellison (Hawke) a struggling true crime writer trying to recapture the glory of his famed NY time’s best selling book “Kentucky Blood”.  After moving uprooting his family yet again to research his next book, Ellison finds a mysterious box of super 8 family films depicting violent deaths and begins to research the families. As he digs deeper into the films past, strange things begin to happen around his home.

Sinister will have you on the edge of your seat. The film makers really did a great job of creating a really thick atmosphere. You get a great feeling of impending dread while watching the film. The lighting in the house was amazing! The choice to have the film lighting very sparse during the night shots help add tension to the films already heavy feeling.

The films villain is very effective. Dark, Creepy, and Menacing are all words you can use to describe him. The image of him is so effective, the sight of him made the audience in the theater squirm. The make up effects were great to boot. While most incidents didn’t need a lot, it was used effectively when it was.

The acting was done well, Ethan carries the film for me, his performance is outstanding. Acting, emotion, and believability is on point in this effort. D’Onofrio’s cameo was surprisingly well done, playing a nerdy occult college professor his quirky lines and slightly awkward demeanor is well received. The entire cast gave great performances but as I stated earlier Hawke carries the film.

While there is not a lot of red stuff the deaths in the film are done superbly. The viewers get hangings, knifings, lawn mowers, drowning’s, burnings and a few more that are truly unnerving. I also thing the story was well written and acted, while there are some slower aspects to the film they are warranted and help move along the actual story and character development.

My only problem with the film was the ending, while it was good, I would have like to see it go a different direction. I personally feel like it was rushed, and or a studio change. I have a feeling when this film hit home video that we will see an alternate ending or 2 pop up. Other than that I was 100% satisfied with the money spent to see the film. Sinister will be in my collection once it hits DVD and Blu-Ray.

Sinister is a very well done physiological horror film, with more emphasis on atmosphere and mood rather than blood and guts. While there are some cheap jump scares, the writers manage to work them in appropriate areas of the film. For those reasons GLP give this successful effort 4 out of 5 stabs. Sinister is currently on its 3rd week in theaters and has made over 13x the amount in the box office as it was made for. I can personally see a sequel coming and coming rather soon. Be sure to check it out in theaters while you still can, as it is defiantly worth the price of addition. For more on Sinister visit their website and facebook page. View the trailer below.

GLP Rating: