Film Filter:Off - Paranormal Activity

Paranormal Activity (2007) R



Katie Featherston, Micah Sloat, Mark Fredrichs


Film Filter: On- Katie and Micah are a happy couple who have decided to move in together.  Unbeknownst to Micah, Katie is hiding a secret that will alter their lifestyle in their new home: she is being stalked by a demon entity.  In attempts to free Katie of her unwelcome guest, she and Micah devise ways to rid the house and Katie of this dark force, all the while documenting the events that ensue.
Things to note: Filmed in first person perspective, limited to no action throughout the film, good pacing of demonic presence, believable story and acting

You'll like this movie if you enjoy:

Scary movies involving documentation of dark spirits, 

like Insidious or The Blair Witch Project

Film Filter: Off

Film Filter: Off - Red Riding Hood

Red Riding Hood (2011) PG-13

Amanda Seyfried, Lukas Haas, Gary Oldman

Film Filter: On- Living in a reclusive village on the outskirts of a dangerous forest, young Valerie finds herself betrothed to a man whom she doesn't love, and in love with a man that no one approves of.  In addition to her emotional woes, she also finds herself the target of an age-old werewolf who is intent on terrorizing her community and murdering the townspeople...unless she sacrifices herself to the wolf.
Things to note: Good scenery, realistic setting, healthy elaboration on a well-known plot, intriguing from beginning to end.

You'll like this movie if you enjoy:

Dark-themed stories that take place in older

time periods, like The Village.

Film Filter: Off

Film Filter: Off- Blitz

Blitz (2011) R



Jason Statham, Paddy Considine, Aidan Gillen


Film Filter: On-  A London police officer investigates a series of police officer related homicides.   As Officer Brant works to unfold the clues to lock up the murderer, he finds he has a short timeline with which to prove their suspect is behind the crimes, as passing days equates to more deaths in the bureau.

Things to note: British film, missing key points in plot, unrealistic scenarios, plot drags occasionally, decent acting                              

     

                                             

You'll like this movie if you enjoy:

Typical Jason Statham movies, like The Mechanic, mixed with serial killer thrillers like Zodiac

Film Filter: Off

Film Filter: Off- The Order

The Order (2003) R

Heath Ledger, Mark Addy, Shannyn Sossamon


Film Filter: On- A young priest from the dying order of the Carolingians is sent to Rome to investigate the death of the head of the order.  With each piece of information Alex finds, he is drawn to look even deeper into his faith to seek the answers he desires.  Throughout his quest for knowledge, he will encounter the last man practicing the age old ritual of Sin Eating, and a young woman from his past who was saved by an exorcism he performed.  Alex's encounters with both will eventually force him to question his beliefs and decide what he values more: faith, or knowledge?
Things to Note- Good cast, very unique story line, fairly realistic feel, good cinematography, depiction of historical events slightly over the top.

You'll like this movie if you enjoy:

A Knight's Tale, first off, as it shares several cast members.  Content-wise, anything of the Theological Thriller variety involving too much knowledge sought, possession, or excommunication; something like The Rite or Stigmata.

Film Filter: Off

Film Filter: Off - The Ward

The Ward  (2010) R


 Amber Heard, Mamie Gummer, Danielle Panabaker


Film Filter: On- A young woman finds herself trapped in an odd mental institution with no memory of how she got there or what she has done.  With the help of the other patients in the ward, Kristen is intent on finding a way out, even if that means discovering the mysterious history behind the institution and its missing patients.
Things to note- Smooth flowing plot, good music selection and insertion into the film, gives just enough information to keep the plot moving, solid acting job, good shock value, odd choice in CGI animation on the ghost's features.

You'll like this movie if you enjoy:

Supernatural thrillers involving crazy people.  

Anything similar to Shutter Island or Gothika.

Film Filter: Off

Film Filter: Off - The Exorcism of Emily Rose

The Exorcism of Emily Rose  (2005) Unrated

Laura Linney, Tom Wilkinson, Shohreh Aghdashloo

Film Filter: On- When a young girl dies, the court looks to Father Richard Moore as responsible for her death via a faulty exorcism.  Agnostic defendant Erin Bruner is given the daunting task of representing the priest, and getting to the bottom of the case.  In order to properly defend her client and win the case, Erin is going to have to uncover more than just the truth about the exorcism.  As the case unfolds and Erin encounters the unexplainable, she will find herself uncovering more about her personal beliefs than she would have ever thought possible.

Things to note: Strong symbolism, good cinematography, nice blend of scary concepts versus pop-up scary moments, good acting, excellent execution of an often overused theme.

You'll like this movie if you enjoy:

Realistic horror films with spiritual themes.  

Anything similar to The Exorcist, The Omen, or The Rite.

Film Filter: Off

Film Filter: Off - Orphan

The Orphan (2009) R


 Vera Farmiga, Peter Sarsgaard, Isabelle Fuhrman


Film Filter: On When a young couple miscarries their third child, they must make a decision whether or not to adopt.  Finding that they connect strongly with an oddly mature young girl, Esther, they opt for opening their home up to her and making her a part of their family.  Slowly but surely, the family finds that Esther has a way of being in the wrong place at the wrong time, which causes them to question the safety of their family while in the presence of this mysterious girl.


Things to note- Good acting, unpredictable ending, slightly unrealistic scenarios, slow paced, sometimes frustrating.

You'll like this movie if you enjoy:

Movies that feature unsettled children with unusual background stories, 
like Case 39

Film Filter: Off 

Film Filter: Off - Straw Dogs

Straw Dogs (2011) R



James Marsden, Kate Bosworth, Alexander Skarsgard


Film Filter: On- When a young married couple travels to a rural Mississippi town, they find that Amy's hometown hasn't forgotten about her, especially her ex-boyfriend, Charlie.  As relationships with Amy's past neighbors start to deteriorate, the couple finds themselves in an ethical dilemma which will force them to do just about anything to stay alive.
Things to note: Pretty decent acting, too many characters with too big of personalities, tries too hard to be believable with unbelievable scenarios, lack of background information, lack of common sense in characters, rape scene

This movie had such a good preview that it

 made the other 108 minutes pointless...

You'll like this movie if you enjoy:

Films in which characters are put into tough, unexpected situations and have to be resilient.  

Similar to something like 28 Days Later in regards to being 

cornered, attacked,and thus forced to grow a pair to be the hero.

Film Filter: Off

Film Filter: Off- Final Destination 5

Final Destination 5 (2011) R


Nicholas D'Agosto, Emma Bell, Arlen Escarpeta


Film Filter: On On a bus trip for a work related conference, Sam envisions a horrific bridge accident, and is able to save the lives of a handful of co-workers.  Realizing that they have escaped death, the group of colleagues must now figure out how to regain their lives back, even if that means taking someone else's.
Things to note: Very exciting 3-D effects, several plot twists, unexpected deaths, (slightly) better acting, story information spoon-fed to audience

Pretty good...if it's viewed in 3-D

You'll like this movie if you enjoy:

Any or all of the Final Destination films.  

It also shares similar concepts to White Noise: 2

Film Filter: Off

Film Filter: Off- The Last Exorcism

The Last Exorcism (2010) PG-13 


Patrick Fabian, Ashley Bell, Iris Bahr


Film Filter: On- When an evangelical minister struggling with his beliefs is sought out for an exorcism, he makes the decision to capture the event on film.  His intent in doing so is to prove that the ritual of exorcisms is unnecessary, and that the possessed individual is only in need of the idea of an exorcism.  Using high tech equipment, hoaxes, and deception, Reverend Cotton Marcus attempts to prove once and for all that exorcisms are irrelevant, although he will ultimately be forced to question many of his beliefs along the way.
Things to note- Filmed in a documentary style, very believable acting, takes a standpoint of mocking exorcisms as opposed to supporting them, most character names are derived from the first name of the actor (most likely to enhance the believable nature of the acting)

You'll like this movie if you enjoy:

Movies filmed from a first person perspective, like

 Cloverfield or The Blair Witch Project

Film Filter: Off

Film Filter: Off- The Last House on the Left

The Last House on the Left (2009) R


Garret Dillahunt, Monica Potter, Tony Goldwyn


Film Filter: On- After two young girls are brutally assaulted, the ones responsible are forced to find refuge with strangers.  Little do either party know that the family who has befriended the murderers are the parents of one of the assaulted girls.  The tension quickly escalates as the audience wonders if either group will find out the truth about each other, and what will be forced to happen if they do.
Things to note: Good cinematography, fairly unpredictable plot, realistically calm and rational characters, unique death scenes, rape scene (unrated version only), good plot connections throughout the film

You'll like this movie if you enjoy:

Realistic stalker films, like The Strangers

Film Filter: Off

Film Filter: Off- The Secret

The Secret (2007) R


David Duchovny, Lili Taylor, Olivia Thirlby


Film Filter: On- When a tragic accident occurs, a woman finds her spirit resting in the body of her 16 year old daughter's body.  Torn between finding where her daughter is, and he inability to be who she once was, Hannah must live the life of her daughter until she can find a way to recapture her daughter's spirit in the proper place.
Things to Note- Intriguing and deep plot, similar character struggles on different levels, very good acting, unpredictable character interactions, unique story line

Excellent film, despite its lack of horror

You'll like this movie if you enjoy:

Deep films with role reversals.  Sort of like Freaky Friday meets 

a daytime soap opera, minus the cheesy humor and bad acting.

Film Filter: Off

Film Filter: Off- My Soul to Take

My Soul to Take (2010) R 

Max Thieriot, John Magaro, Denzel Whitaker

 

Film Filter: On- On the same night that a schizophrenic serial killer takes the life of his wife, seven children in the town of Riverton are born.  Sixteen years later, the Riverton Seven start to become murdered one by one on their collective birthday, leading them to believe the spirit of The Ripper is among them.  They begin to look at each other as suspects while they wonder how many of them will be forced to die before the killer's identity is revealed.

Things to note: Many plot twists, interesting lead character, several suspects as murderer, cheesy deaths, not many scary moments.

You'll like this movie if you enjoy:

Slasher films involving numerous victims and suspects.  

Something like Scream, but with a tighter wound plot.

 

Film Filter: Off

Film Filter: Off- The Rite

The Rite (2011) PG-13 

Colin O'Donoghue, Anthony Hopkins, Ciarán Hinds

Film Filter: On- Upon realizing his wishes to abandon his life choice as a priest, Michael is suddenly thrown into a whirlwind of faith-testing when he is sent to Italy to study with an exorcist.  Even after seeing the types of supernatural encounters his mentor priest, Lucas, endures on a daily basis, Michael is reluctant to believe.  It is not until circumstances take a drastic change and Michael is forced to take action that he realizes he cannot beat the devil if he does not believe in him.
Things to note: Good cinematography, good acting, minimal action, lots of symbolism, slight inconsistencies in the plot, interesting story

 You'll like this movie if you enjoy:

Thrillers involving possession and exorcism.  Similar to The Exorcist, or 

The Exorcism of Emily Rose, but MUCH less scary and with less action.

Film Filter: Off

Film Filter: Off-The Haunting in Connecticut

The Haunting in Connecticut (2009) R

Virginia Madsen, Martin Donovan, Elias Koteas

Film Filter: On- When a family is forced to move due to the eldest son's battle with cancer, they begin to realize that the home they are inhabiting is not normal.  Upon realizing the house used to be a mortuary with a sordid past, the family must now struggle to sick together while battling not only the family's health problems, but also the problems of living in a house haunted by the dead.
Things to note- Realistic family affairs, based on a true story, slow moving plot, way too much hide and seek played by the kids

 

You'll like this movie if you enjoy:

Haunted house stories with a depressing tone, like The Haunting.

Film Filter: Off

Film Filter: Off- The Crazies

The Crazies (2010) R

Radha Mitchell, Timothy Olyphant, Danielle Panabaker

Film Filter: On- A small town in Iowa seems like a quaint, quiet neighborhood until some of the locals begin acting strangely.  Determined to get to the bottom of it, the local sheriff discovers that a plane crash may have caused an unkown hazard to infiltrate the water system.  The side effect from consuming the water results in death, or homicidal tendencies, leaving a small group of survivors to find a way out of the town before the government wipes it out.

Things to note- Unique plot, good cast, cinematography too dark at times, occasional plot dragging

Good cast, unique story, but just...eh.



You'll like this movie if you enjoy:

Mass infection/zombie films, but more believable.  

Similar to 28 Days Later

Film Filter: Off

Film Filter: Off- A Perfect Getaway

A Perfect Getaway (2009) R

Steve Zahn, Mila Jovovich, Timothy Olyphant

Film Filter: On- A honeymooning couple takes a romantic trip to Hawaii, only to discover that there is a deranged couple on the island murdering tourists.  After being introduced to two different sets of couples, and befriending one of them, the newlyweds must figure out who they can trust, before they become the next victims.

Things to note- Good acting by leads, interesting twist towards the end, great scenery, slow moving plot, long flashback sequence that dragged a bit.

Good, but nothing to write home about.

You'll like this movie if you enjoy:

Tropical themed stalking-of-prey films.  Like The Beach meets

 I Know What You Did Last Summer.

Film Filter: Off

Film Filter: Off - The Final Destination

The Final Destination (2009) R

Nick Zano, Krista Allen, Andrew Fiscella

Film Filter: On- A group of friends attend a racing event only to find out that one of them can foresee a crash that will result in numerous deaths.  Able to flee the scene before disaster strikes, their lives are spared from death's grasp.  They must now find a way to prevent themselves from being taken by death a second time, for they have begun to realize that saving lives has its consequences.
Things to note: Initially filmed in 3-D, obscure and gimmicky deaths, interesting camera shots taken using an x-ray theme, illogical most of the time, extremely unexpected manners of dying.

 You'll like this movie if you enjoy:

Never ending stories that seem to get worse with each sequel.  

Nightmare on Elm Street, Halloween, Friday the 13th, etc.

Film Filter: Off

Film Filter: Off - Priest

Priest (2011) PG-13

Paul Bettany, Cam Gigandet, Maggie Q

 

Film Filter: On  As war erupts between man and vampire, the realization comes forth that man's greatest weapon are the Priests- a group of warriors trained to combat the vampires with the power of God.  After the war is won by the humans, the Priests are disbanded and forced to live normal lives.  Believing the threat of a vampire attack is near, one of the Priests warns the church, only to have his idea rejected.  Once his family becomes involved, the Priest must make a difficult decision between his duty to God, or to his loved ones.

Things to note: Great scenic designs, good soundtrack, fast moving plot, unique interpretation of vampires

You;ll like this movie if you enjoy:

Riveting graphic novel interpretations with a lot of action.  

Sort of like 300, but in a different era and with vampires.

Film Filter: Off

 

Film Filter: Off - White Noise 2: The Light

White Noise 2: The Light (2007) PG-13

   

 Nathan Fillion, Katee Sackhoff and Craig Fairbrass

Film Filter: On- When Abe's wife and son are suddenly and unexpectedly murdered, he attempts suicide.  Almost successful, his situation resulted in a near-death experience, which has thus given him abilities to hold a stronger connection with the dead.  Thinking his ability is meant for him to do good, he attempts to save those whose lives are about to end shortly, but what he doesn't realize is that tampering with fate can lead to irreversible consequences.

Things to note: Strong symbolism, gripping introduction, interesting story, very good cast, unpredictable plot

You'll like this movie if you enjoy-

Suspenseful, unpredictable ghost stories- like The Sixth Sense.

Film Filter: Off

Film Filter: Off - Case 39

Case 39 2009 R

Renée Zellweger, Ian McShane, Jodelle Ferland

Film Filter: On-   When faced with a disturbing and unusual case with young Lily,  Emily Jenkins finds herself stopping at nothing to ensure that Lily is removed from her parents' custody and is surrounded in a safe environment.  The more time Emily spends with Lily the more she notices that she is not like most girls her age.  Emily begins to question whether or not she has gotten in over her head with this unique, troubled girl. 

Things to note: Unique story line, Zellweger and Ferland are well cast and do a great job, slightly inconsistent personality traits in Lily, story slightly dragged on towards the end.

Interesting story, but dragged on with 

little new information

You'll like this if you enjoy:

Social thrillers where emotions play a role.  Similar to The Ring, 

but with a less intricate plot and spiritual references.

Film Filter: Off

Film Filter: Off- Splice

Splice  (2009) R

Adrien Brody, Sarah Polley, Delphine Chanéac

Film Filter: On- When two of the most capable geneticists decide to tamper with the insertion of human DNA into their hybrid experiments, they inadvertently create Dren.  Having animal-like capabilities, and human like brain functions, Dren learns quickly while attracting the attention and intrigue of the two scientists.  Things start to take a turn for the worse when they realize that interacting with an experiment like a human, no matter how human it seems, has its dangers.
Things to note: Unique plot and story, good use of make-up and subtle use of effects, inconsistent emotional draw due to poor story direction, odd situations, drastically unrealistic scenarios.

Weird, unrealistic, and creepy in all the bad ways.

You'll like this movie if you enjoy:

Sci-fi thrillers involving evolution or transformation.  Similar to Gremlins, 

but more scientfic with characters making worse decisions.

Film Filter: Off

Film Filter: Off- Devil

Devil  (2010) PG-13


Chris Messina, Caroline Dhavernas, Bokeem Woodbine
 Film Filter: On -  M. Night Shyamalan explores the human psyche in this horror/thriller picture where strangers from many walks of life find themselves trapped in an elevator. They find out that they are being murdered one by one while the audience is led to believe the Devil has possessed one of the trapped victims.  The question is- can they figure out who it is before everyone is dead?
Things to note:  Intriguing plotline, constantly keeps you guessing, simple setting with a complex story, good harmony of plot within the elevator and outside as well.

You'll like this movie if you enjoy:

Suspenseful thrillers tied into a satanic apocalyptic theme.  

Similar to End of Days, but with less action and no Schwarzenegger.

Film Filter: Off

Film Filter: Off- Twisted

Twisted  (2004) R

Ashley Judd, Samuel L. Jackson, Andy Garcia

Film Filter: On - Police officer Jessica Shepard has recently been promoted to inspector and it seems as though everything is going perfectly- until her former lovers start piling up in body bags.  Jessica struggles to find out who is responsible for these murders themed around her private life, not forgetting to include herself on the list of potential suspects.  She must look in to her family's dark past in order to help her solve the serial killings and protect those around her, even if that means protecting them from herself.
Things to note: Intriguing plot, good acting, thematic murders, difficult to guess the killer.

 Good movie until the end, not very memorable.

You'll like this movie if you enjoy:

Suspenseful murder mysteries like Double Jeopardy, 

High Crimes, and any other Ashley Judd thriller.

Film Filter: Off

Film Filter: Off- The Lost Tribe

The Lost Tribe  (2010) R

Emily Foxler, Nick Mennell, Marc Bacher

Film Filter: On -  In attempts to close a business deal that will garner them a fortune, four friends take a pleasure cruise across the sea.  Pleasure turns to panic as they rescue a body from the water and eventually find themselves on a deserted, uncharted island after their ship crashes.  They soon realize that they are not alone on the island and as people start disappearing they realize they must work together to find out who, or what, is hunting them.
Things to note: Plot is pretty much non-existent, too much death too soon to carry what little plot is left along, gaps in the story line, good costuming and make-up on the creatures.

So awful, I'm speechless...almost.

You'll like this movie if you enjoy:

Silent, convoluted primate films.  Much like Castaway meets 

Planet of the Apes, but with a worse plot.

Film Filter: Off