Film Filter: Off - Don't be Afraid of the Dark

Don't be Afraid of the Dark R (2010)

Katie Holmes, Guy Pearce, Bailee Madison

Film Filter: On When Sally is told by her mother that she will be living with her dad and his new girlfriend, she is less than pleased.  To top it all off, they are both busy re-modeling the house, and there are no children her age to play with.  Lonely, and feeling unloved, Sally turns to strange creatures that live in the basement to seek solace and friendship.  As her interactions with the creatures heightens, she realizes they are not looking for friendship, and that the hungry critters do not want to eat raisins.  With the help of her dad's girlfriend, Sally must find a way to get rid of the creatures for good, before they can get rid of her.
Things to note: Great scenery, well cast, several circumstances of illogical thinking, interesting antagonists, confusing ending, contradicting scenery to character interactions.

You'll like this movie if you enjoy:

Children-centered mythological scary stories, like 

Pan's Labyrinth, The Others, or The Orphanage

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Film Filter: Off - Paranormal Activity 2

Paranormal Activity 2 R (2010)

 Katie Featherston, Micah Sloat, Molly Ephraim

Film Filter: On- Prior to the haunting of Katie and Micah, Katie's sister's family first encounters a demon spirit in their home.  Uncertain as to what the unexplained bumps in the night can be attributed to, the family installs a series of security cameras around the house.  In the days following, the unexplained scenarios get much more frequent, and also heighten in intensity.  It seems that no one in the house share's Kristi's fear that the supernatural may be responsible for the chaos.  As Kristi starts to realize that her baby may be the focus of the spirit, it is her job to try to convince her family of the spirit's danger before someone gets hurt.
Things to note: This movie answers questions that arose in the second movie, the characters in both movies are related and appear in both films, events unfold similarly to those in the first film, events unfold a little too slowly without much of a climax, frustrating scenarios.

You'll like this movie if you enjoy:

Supernatural ghost stories like Paranormal Activity,

 Poltergeist, or the Blair Witch Project.

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Film Filter: Off - Sinister

Sinister R (2012)

Ethan Hawke, Juliet Rylance, James Ransone 

Film Filter: On- When Ellison,  a washed up true-crime writer, decides to pursue a missing girl in a suburban town, he immediately finds himself getting the cold shoulder from police officials.  To top it all off his family is not pleased about the move either, as they have found themselves uprooted time and time again for his writing ambitions.  The icing on the cake in this scenario is that instead of moving down the street from the house where the murders happened, unbeknownst to all but Ellison, they have moved into it.  The rest of the film takes shape as the family struggles to separate their fears and memories of past horrific events from reality, until the line between the two blurs and slowly dissipates.

Things to note: Good cast, interesting story line, good scare tactics, unique use of sound and music, desire of more information regarding characters.

You’ll like this movie if you enjoy
Supernatural horror films involving demons and children,
like Insidious, Paranormal Activity, or Poltergeist

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Film Filter: Off - The Thing

The Thing R (2011)

Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Joel Edgerton, Ulrich Thomsen 

Film Filter: On-  When a group of researchers is called together to investigate a discovery in Antarctica, they are all excited and curious.  Once there, they see that they have unearthed a foreign creature that had been frozen in an underground glacier.  After testing a sample of the alien's flesh, it is revealed that its cells can imitate human cells, meaning it can replicate its prey.  Unfortunately for the researchers this information is divulged after the fact, as the creature has already escaped.  They must now work together to figure out a way to detect real humans from the alien imitator, before one of its hosts is able to escape into modern civilization to wreak havoc on the masses.

Things to note: Good cast, very interesting and well-used story, visually interesting special effects that are used to the appropriate degree, consistent information as the original film, great ending, no loose ends in story line.

You'll like this movie if you enjoy:

Alien movies or films about body-snatching, like 

The Faculty, Alien, or Body Snatchers

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Film Filter: Off - Session 9

Session 9  R (2001)

David Caruso, Stephen Gevedon, Paul Guilfoyle

Film Filter: On- When a group of workers is assigned to fix up an abandoned mental institution with a sordid past, they find out that if they can complete the task in a week, they will be able to split a handsome bonus.  Motivated by the monetary prospects of the job, they immerse themselves in their work, until they discover more about what the facility's history contains.  Determined to complete the project in time, they continue to work tirelessly, in hopes that they can finish the building before the building finishes them.

Things to note: Very disjointed and unclear plot, poor characterization and development, no climax, inconclusive ending.

You'll like this movie if you enjoy:

A poor man's version of any of the following: The Ward, 

Shutter Island, Blair Witch Project

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Film Filter: Off - The Possession

The Possession PG-13 (2012)

Natasha Calis, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Kyra Sedgwick 

Film Filter: On- Coping with their parents' divorce, Hannah and Emily are bounced back and forth between the two homes.  As their father is purchasing things for his new home at a yard sale, Emily stumbles upon a mysterious box that she is drawn to.  Her father obliges the purchase, and it is then that Emily creates an unhealthy attachment with the box.  As unexplainable occurrences surround her, Emily starts to lose control of herself.  Eventually, her father starts to suspect the behavior isn't something of this world, but can he figure out a way to save his daughter before her body is overtaken by an unwelcome spirit?

Things to note: Very good cast, interesting cinematography, odd looking spirit, unique plot, some frustrating circumstances.

You'll like this movie if you enjoy:

Movies about possession in children, like the Exorcist, 

or The Exorcism of Emily Rose

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Seeing this movie this week...will you be there?