Movie Reviews: Horror Movies

For the past few weeks to lead up to Halloween, Shawn and I have been watching horror movies.

Halloween is now gone and finished, but he's recorded so many horror movies on his PVR that it's taken us a while to get through them all. I just wanted to mention a few of the ones we've seen. None of these are new horror movies, but that's the thing about them... they're easily rewatchable.

These aren't going to be in-depth reviews. I just want to go over whether I liked them, whether I was scared, and whether they're worth me ever watching again.

A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010)

This was okay. Not really scary at all, and the scary stuff was just girls being slashed apart and guys getting stuff pushed through their throats. It went into a little bit more detail about Freddy's past, so I guess it delved deeper into the psychology of his psychosis... but really it's just kids trying to stay awake.

Something should not be in there with you...

Cabin Fever (2002)

I liked this when it came out, and I still like it now. It's quirky and funny and pretty gross at times. Plus, Ryder Strong is in it! Yes, there is one particularly gross scene (well, a few) where skin and lack of skin is shown. However, most of the movie is about paranoia.

You're missing some face.

Friday the 13th (2009)

Run of the mill slasher film. Didn't do very well in the box-office, and I guess most horror movies don't really shine there anyway. It was okay. Lots of suspense and gory deaths. Most of the time for slasher films I'm just yelling at my screen "why are you so dumb, why'd you go in there alone? In the dark? Without a weapon? Without telling anyone where you've gone?"

Why are you so ridiculously strong. Must be the milk.

The Descent (2005)

I loved this. I loved this because it scared me. I rarely jump during movies, and I jumped. Then my heart started pounding. And it was because of ugly disfigured monsters. Unlike a monster movie, this wasn't some alien or weird scientific experiment. These creatures were plausible. Plausibility makes things scary. Plus, an all-female and smart cast made for more sensible decisions on their part, making the whole film less frustrating and more believable to watch.

This is one of those things that'd make me jump.

House of Wax (2005)

I didn't finish watching this. You know why? Because I can handle creepy. Scary. Psychologically twisted. But I cannot handle gross and shock horror. I don't need to see wax being injected into someone's face. Same thing with movies like Hostel and Saw... those movies gross me out, they don't scare me.

You have a messed up face, sir.

Pontypool (2008)

This was bizarre. A virus that spreads through sound and words? Okay. There was something about the dialogue and unseen and unscripted dynamic between the cast members that was unsettling. Plus the colour of the movie itself was so unsaturated and bland that I actually felt like I was watching this in the dead of winter in the middle of a God-forsaken town.