Halloween Movie Month: Scourge

Scourge (2008)
R

Scourge is about an evil parasite that had been imprisoned in a church until the destruction of the church allowed it to escape.  Once it escapes, the Scourge transfers from one host to the next, killing all that it encounters.

The basic premise of The Scourge does not feel that far off from Slither, but with an evil parasite rather than an alien parasite.  The cover of The Scourge even uses similar themes in its imagery as the cover of Slither.  I loved Slither, so I knew that it was going to be hard to measure up to it, but I was hoping that The Scourge was still going to be an enjoyable monster movie.  I was sadly disappointed.

It starts off feeling like a standard SyFy Saturday movie, with aspects such as cheesy acting and humor revolving around bodily functions (i.e. burping and over the top guttural noises).  I tend to enjoy SyFy Saturday movies because they do not take themselves too seriously and just have fun with it.  However, The Scourge forgot to have fun and it forgot to not take itself too seriously.  There are plot holes, unlikable and unrelatable characters, excessive explanation of minor aspects and a lack of explanation of key plot points, and so on.  Some of the visual effects are decent and when there are scenes of skin tearing, it definitely shows the potential of a good, gory monster movie.  But, it never quite lives up to its potential.  Not ridiculous enough to be a "so bad it's good" movie.  Not gory enough to be a Troma film.  Not funny enough to be a horror comedy.  Decent special effects, but nothing that makes it especially noteworthy.  There was a lot of potential for The Scourge to live up to any of the above areas, but it somehow fell short of all of them.

One of the things that took me out of the movie the most was the characters.  Not only did they make horrible decisions (even bad decisions by horror movie standards), but I really did not care about what happened to any of the characters.  If I do not care about any of the characters, I become much less invested in the movie.  Not only did I not care about the characters, I actually started rooting for the evil parasite to just kill everyone off.

Rating and Recommendation:  1.5/5.  This was not the worst movie that I have ever seen.  And there is some potential for fun if watching the movie with friends who like to riff movies.  However, riffing is basically the only reason that I would ever watch this movie again.  Definitely pass.  If you want to watch a parasite movie, just watch Slither instead.  If you want a ridiculous SyFy Saturday movie, go with Sharknado.  If you want a Troma film...well, just pick one at random and you will probably be fine.


Be sure to check back soon for more reviews in Halloween Movie Month!  In the meantime, leave comments on this (or any other) review, follow me here and on twitter (@GargyleReviews), and let me know what movies you'd like for me to review for Halloween Movie Month!



- The Gargyle

Halloween Movie Month: The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920)
not rated

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari is a German expressionist film about a hypnotist (Dr. Caligari) who visits a town fair and sets up his exhibit of a somnambulist (Cesare).  Dr. Caligari also uses Cesare as a tool for murder.

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari is a masterpiece and I am ashamed to say that this is the first time that I have ever seen it.  I have known about the film and it's importance on cinema for quite some time, and I have known that it is almost literally the definition of mise en scene (seriously...look up the definition of "mise en scene" on Wikipedia and you will see a picture of The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari).  However, unlike other movies that I have known about for too long without seeing, this one actually does hold up to its own reputation.

Since it is a silent movie, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari relies heavily on the use of music and scenery to set the stage.  Even without reading the dialogue, the music and the set do such an amazing job at setting the scene that you could probably understand everything that is happening.  The angles and the forced perspective of light and dark make the entire film feel like it is something between a stage production and a fantastical dream.  The distorted perspective in the set disorients as the music plays on themes that evoke strong emotions.  I love that a silent movie from the 1920s can still have a psychological impact on viewers today.  The film had such a far reaching impact that I can even see its influence in The Muppet Christmas Carol during scenes with the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come.

Rating and Recommendation.  4.5/5.  There is no question that this film is absolutely a must see, especially for anyone with an interest in film.  There was no gore or any of the tricks used to startle audiences in modern horror, but the setting and the overall tone stay with you long after the film is over.  Like so many other classic horror films, it is the story, the setting, and the power of the mind that gives The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari such a powerful impact.


Be sure to check back soon for more reviews in Halloween Movie Month!  In the meantime, leave comments on this (or any other) review, follow me here and on twitter (@GargyleReviews), and let me know what movies you'd like for me to review for Halloween Movie Month!



- The Gargyle

Halloween Movie Month: Black Sabbath

Black Sabbath (1963)
not rated

Black Sabbath is a collection of three horror stories.  The first story is about a nurse who is haunted after stealing the ring of one of her patients who had recently died.  The second story is about a young woman who receives threatening phone calls from a mysterious man who is watching every move she makes.  The third story is about a family in the 1800s that is being terrorized by a vampire roaming the countryside.

These three stories might not seem very scary from the outset, but each of them found a way to intensify my tension.  Since all three of the stories are relatively short, there isn't really enough time to pack in a lot of scary scenes.  And since one of the things that makes horror work is the anticipation and not knowing what will happen or when, I will not spoil the surprises.  However, I will tell you this:  the first story had a scene that sent shivers down my spine (which hasn't happened in a while), the second story made my wife run to the window and pull the curtain (even though the blinds were already down), and the third story would horrify any parent with a young child.

One of the reasons that I enjoyed Black Sabbath so much was because I love classic horror!  Maybe it's because it feels more like watching theater.  Maybe it's because it relies on more than just gore to be scary.  Maybe it's because it relies more on the use of imagination.  Maybe it's because the music gives it a classier feel.  Maybe it's because there tended to be a heavier emphasis on set pieces and the use of light and shadow.  But, I think that one of the main reasons that I love classic horror is because it takes me back to a time when there was still "the magic of cinema" - back to a time before people felt too jaded about things looking too fake in movies.

Rating and Recommendation:  3.5/5.  For anyone who likes classics and enjoys the history of horror, I definitely recommend Black Sabbath.  If you need blood and guts and nudity in order to enjoy a scary movie, then you might find this one a bit boring.  But, if blood and guts are what you need to enjoy a horror movie, then I think that you are missing the point a bit.  There are plenty of movies that can startle you.  But, what makes horror movies so fantastic is the ability for the movie to stay with you long after the startle.  There wasn't any gore (a little blood), but it still gave me the spooks for a bit.  The first story was more visually creepy.  The second story might have been the "scariest" in terms of not even being able to be safe in your own home.  The third story was more of a classic tale - it wasn't quite as creepy, but it certainly paid homage to Gothic horror that helped set the stage for modern horror.  The stories were all relatively simple.  However, I love that something seemingly so simple could still creep me out and send shivers down my spine.  Again, old movies just have something about them that makes them so much more interesting.  Maybe it's because older movies force you to fill in the gaps with the mind.  Maybe it's because I'm able to put myself in the mindset of someone watching 50 years ago and I watch it through the lens of the magical mystery or movies.  Or maybe it's because I'm not distracted by gore and can actually focus more on the story.  So, step away from the blood for a night and go enjoy a classic!!


Be sure to check back soon for more reviews in Halloween Movie Month!  In the meantime, leave comments on this (or any other) review, follow me here and on twitter (@GargyleReviews), and let me know what movies you'd like for me to review for Halloween Movie Month!



- The Gargyle

Halloween Movie Month 3: Season of the Reviews

https://www.flickr.com/photos/kimstovring/15486446999

It's that time again.  Time for changing leaves, a chill in the air, campfires, and (of course) Halloween!!  If you are anything like me, then you know that half of the celebration of a holiday is the preparation and anticipation leading up to it.  Everyone celebrates Halloween in their own way and one of the ways that I like to get in the spirit of things (see what I did there??) is with scary movies.  So, with Halloween only 30 short days away from now, it's time for me to kick the dust off of my movie-reviewin' shoes and get to work!  Since we all know that I probably will not actually post a review every single day, my goal for this year is just to watch and review as many Halloween themed movies as possible leading up to Halloween.  Once again, whether a movie is suspense, horror, schlocky, gore, comedy, sci-fi, action, or monster, I will let you know what movies are and are not worth your time as you prepare for Halloween.  So, sit back, grab some popcorn and some candy corn, and get ready for Halloween Movie Month!!

Some of the movies this year will include:

http://irenemartini.deviantart.com/art/Horror-movie-night-340920014

Sleepaway Camp II & III

Black Sabbath

Hellgate

Nightmare on Elm Street I & II

Leprechaun

Tucker and Dale versus Evil

Escape from Tomorrow

Wolf Cop

Re-Animator

Frogs

Mr. Jones

Dead Within

Ghoulies III:  Ghoulies go to College

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari

Darkroom

Deadheads

(and hopefully many more)

Let me know what movies you'd like me to review and check back often this month for this year's round of Halloween Movie Month.  In the meantime, follow me here and on twitter (@GargyleReviews) and look for #HMM (Halloween Movie Month).

- The Gargyle

Halloween Movie Month - 2014: Final Post

2nd place costume competition

Another October has come and gone, and with it, Halloween has now passed.  If you've been following me for the past few weeks, you know that I've been trying to post a review of a Halloween movie every night for the month of October.  Even though I wasn't actually able to post every night, I did pretty well with posting about every other night for most of the month.  But, as Halloween drew closer and closer, I started finding myself being busier and busier working on costumes, prepping my beard for the beard competition at work, and getting ready for CONjuration Con with New Monster Project.

1st place beard competition

Hagrid at CONjuration Con

I had plans to end out the month with something a little bigger - maybe 5 movies that I give a rating of at least a 4.5.  Two of the movies that I watched and started reviews for were Night of the Living Dead and The Shining.  Along with those two movies, I was also going to review corresponding documentaries.  With Night of the Living Dead was Birth of the Living Dead and with The Shining was Room 237.

I know it is a little late to watch them now to watch them in preparation for Halloween.  But, there is no reason why you can't watch them to help close out the Halloween season on a horror high note before prepping for Thanksgiving and Christmas.  Rather than providing a full review right now, let me just say that Night of the Living Dead and The Shining are absolutely must-see!  In fact, I'm going to go ahead and say that they are a buy.  Birth of the Living Dead was incredibly interesting and I highly recommend adding it to your Netflix queue.  Room 237 was interesting, but it was just other people's speculations about The Shining - none of the people involved in the movie were actually a part of the documentary.  Room 237 was interesting enough to see, but I would put it much lower on the queue.  I will post full reviews at a later date (possibly a much later date), but for now, go watch The Shining and Night of the Living Dead!  If you have extra time, watch the corresponding documentaries.

Until next year, I hope you've had an amazing October and enjoyed Halloween Movie Month!!


Be sure to check back soon for more reviews!  In the meantime, leave comments on this (or any other) post, follow me here and on twitter (@GargyleReviews), and let me know what movies you'd like for me to review!



- The Gargyle