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anthonychess
Reviews
The Hills Have Eyes (2006)
Gruesome and terrifying!
The remake of The Hills Have Eyes is a great movie and it literally has everything. It's a slasher movie with an excellent storyline. There's tons of blood and gore, especially towards the end, where everyone is covered in blood by that point. There is some animal violence so if you find that disturbing then you're probably best staying away. There's a rape scene on a young woman, another sexual exploitation scene, there's some cannibalism with both animals and people. The storyline is basically where the government did some nuclear testing which has affected the local village and turned them all into flesh eating mutants. They're ugly, sick and perverted and it makes for an excellent movie. There's also the usual creepy character at the beginning that usually pops up at the random gas station. It's a bit cheesy in parts but it's a great movie that I could watch again and again.
I'll give this 8/10 because I enjoyed it a lot.
Shrooms (2007)
Slow and disappointing.
I found this movie very slow and it was quite boring for the majority of it too. I watched Shrooms about 15 years ago but I seemed to remember it being more enjoyable than I thought. The storyline was quite good, some kids travel to Ireland to experience magic mushrooms, but when one girls accidentally takes the wrong ones, things take a turn for the worst. There is also a twist at the end but it is quite predictable if you haven't already fallen asleep by that point. Is say overall the idea was good but there could have been a bit more excitement and some gore would have been nice too. It does try to be a slasher movie but in a Blair Witch type seeing but it doesn't quite work for me unfortunately. I may be being a bit harsh here but I'm giving this movie 4/10.
MaXXXine (2024)
Texas Pornstar Massacre.
Well The Texas Pornstar Massacre, or Maxxxine as it's also known, was a bit of a disappointment. After watching X first, I was expecting big things from Ti West. Unfortunately the movies have got worse with each one. Mia Goth was as mesmerising as ever, but the movie itself was just a bit all over the place. There were some good kills and decent bits of gore but there were things in the movie that really didn't need to be there. What was that accent all about, the girl from a council estate in North Yorkshire? Her accent was far from a Yorkshire one, I don't if that was just a bad joke or whether the director just didn't realise. Anyway, the trilogy is now complete but X was the standout of the 3 for me. I'm giving this 6/10 just like I did for Pearl. It might have been slightly better if there had been some nudity, when Maxxxine was asked to take her top off, I wouldn't have minded seeing that part!
Pearl (2022)
Very slow and dragged out movie.
Today I watched Pearl for the first time and all I can say is, this movie is very slow and dragged out. It's not a horror, not even a slasher, but more of a character study of a very deranged and tormented woman. This is the sequel to X but I must say that I preferred X to Pearl, even though they are completely different genres really. The storyline is great and Mia Goth is excellent, I just found it a bit slow at times. It was disturbing and gruesome in parts, and I enjoyed that about it, I just wanted more. I'm not going to rate this movie from a horror fan perspective, otherwise I would probably have rated it lower. From a non biased point of view I'm going to give this 6/10. It is a decent movie, it just didn't have enough to reach the 7's and 8's for me.
Maskerade (2011)
Cheesy but good fun.
This movie is cheesy but it's great fun and worth a watch. It's like a low budget cross between Friday the 13th and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. I don't want to give too much away but if you give it a watch then you'll know exactly what I mean. For the budget I think they do a great job, I would just have liked to have seen more gore and close ups of the kills but the way it was done gives it more of an original The Texas Chainsaw Massacre kind of feel as that movie didn't really have a lot of gore either, same with the original Friday the 13th. The creepy music and creepy characters gave the movie a classic horror feel which added to the effect. The movie also features Michael Berryman from The Hills Have Eyes left which is a great coup as he's perfect for this kind of movie. Considering the budget of this movie I'll give it 6/10 and I definitely recommend a watch.
The Last House on the Left (2009)
Better than the original!
This is a great movie and I thought it was better than the original. The Last House on the Left is another rape revenge movie and this is one of the classics. Just like my other favourite 'I Spit on Your Grave', this remake is modernised and improved by being brought up to date. That's not to say that the original isn't a great movie, because it is, but I do love a good remake. So many remakes are horrendous but this one is really well done. If you haven't seen this movie before and enjoy this genre, I definitely recommend it. If you're going to be triggered for any reason then stay away. I'm not a fan of people giving bad reviews because a particular movie "triggered them". You know what it's about, if it's for you then go give it a watch. I'm not going to give away any spoilers but this is a solid 7/10 from me.
In a Violent Nature (2024)
Something a little different.
Well this was something a little different! I'd been looking forward to watching this for a while and I must say, I'm glad I did. I thought it was a clever take on a slasher film, it was a bit like a cross between Friday 13th and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, but from the killers perspective. Be prepared as this is a slow movie and it does feel like you're controlling the main character in a computer game, walking him through the woods for half of the movie, however, it's worth the wait for some of the kills. There's one really good one in particular where he pushes a hook through a girls stomach, attatches the hook to her head and then pulls her head all the way through her body. It's really slow and detailed which makes the scene even more gruesome. I enjoyed that part the most. There's a few other scenes and one where the ranger gets his arm and head sliced off. Another nice scene. Overall it's a decent movie but it can become a bit of a snooze fest in parts that's all. Great idea but could have done with more kills, some nudity and more teenage girls to slice up. 6/10.
Halloween (2018)
40 years later.
This is not a remake, just incase anyone reading this doesn't know. The movie is set 40 years on from that night in 1978. Laurie Strode is 40 years older and she's a serious badass now although she's also a complete basket case too. Although wouldn't you be if you'd been through everything that she's been through?! Laurie's been in training for 40 years for this moment, Michael escapes yet again but this time Laurie is more prepared than ever. I quite enjoyed this movie, it's not as good as the original and it's not as good as the first Rob Zombie remake but it is decent. It's not as good as I was hoping but it was better than I was expecting, if that makes sense. I think I gave the original 8/10 and the Rob Zombie remake 9/10. This is a solid 7/10 for me and it's definitely in the top 4 all time best Halloween movies for me. If you haven't seen it then go check it out.
All Hallows' Eve 2 (2015)
Decent sequel to All Hallows Eve.
This was similar to the original, a girl finds a VHS which contained various horror stories, or were they real? Anyway, this time the killer is a pumpkin faced character who seems to be using the VHS as a way to get closer to his next victim. Some of the stories were good and some of them not so good. I enjoyed the one at the amusement park but it could have contained more gore, I also enjoyed the paranormal story where guys dead ex wouldn't allow him to move on and she was contacting him from the dead, via his computer. It is a low budget movie but some of the stories were decent. Id definitely say this movie is worth a 5/10 just about.
All Hallows' Eve (2013)
Sick and disturbing!
I really enjoyed this. This movie is basically a found footage collection of 3 horror stories. A babysitter finds a VHS tape in one of the kids bags and when she watches the tape there are 3 sick and disturbing horror stories that seem to be more real than acted out. All 3 stories involve Art the Clown and the first one is where a pregnant woman is drugged and taken to some weird satanic lair where she has her baby cut out of her, blood drank and then 'I think' she's raped at the end. Another story was some weird alien invasion with strange things going on in the house and then the final story is where a girl goes to a gas station in the middle of nowhere and Art appears. She witnesses Art sawing someone's head off, which was a good scene and then he chases her until he finally catches her and she wakes up with her arms, legs and tits cut off and stitched up. It's a really bizarre and disturbing movie but I enjoyed it, even though the acting wasn't the best. I think it could have been improved with a higher budget but overall not bad. I'll give this 6/10. I'm looking forward to watching the rest of the Art the Clown series!
Friday the 13th (2009)
A great modern remake.
As today is Friday the 13th I thought it would be a good time to watch the remake of this classic slasher movie which was remade in 2009, 29 years after the original (1980). I really liked how this movie combined a few of the films into one, for instance it jumps straight into a scene from the first film with Jason's mother, then we see Jason wearing a sack before it moves onto where he finds the hockey mask. I wasn't expecting much from this movie after seeing some of the reviews but I do think this film is an entertaining watch and is definitely underrated. They've kept the 80's horror style whilst bringing it to the modern day, there's all the classic Friday the 13th antics, lots of boobs, sex, drunken antics, comedic scenes and the usual dumb characters etc. It's a bit tame for an 18 and there's not tons and tons of gore, but i suppose that's part of the authenticity of the franchise, although there's definitely more gore than the original franchise and certainly more kills in any one movie. My favourite kill was probably where Chewy gets stabbed in the throat and the blood is gushing out everywhere or the one where he stabs the guy in the chest (can't remember his name) and mounts him into the back of the truck. Derek Mears plays the role of Jason really well, he's a big intimidating character which is perfect for this role. If I saw him wearing that mask next to a lake, I would literally crap myself!
Overall I'll give this a 7/10, it's not the original but it is decent and worth a watch. It's not better than the original but I'd say it's near enough on a par. It's the same movie but different at the same time so I'd rather not try and compare them. Go watch it, you'll enjoy it if you like slashers, modern or old...
Quella villa accanto al cimitero (1981)
Don't go into the basement!
Lucio Fulci is the master of gore and this movie is definitely one of his classics. I'm ashamed to admit that this is the first time that I've watched The House by the Cemetery, but I really enjoyed it. I've just watched a bang average movie that was lacking gore so this movie really made up for that. I really enjoyed the story, I loved the creepy music and the creepy characters. Even the children were creepy and that's usually a sign of a great horror movie. There were some really good killings in this movie, plus loads of blood and gore for the gorehounds out there. This movie may be from 1981 but it still holds up today. I will definitely watch this again.
I'll give this a solid 7/10.
Summer's Blood (2009)
Weird movie, going nowhere fast.
This movie was okay, it was a bit slow to begin with and it got a little boring in parts. However, despite some very average acting, I enjoyed the storyline, even though it wasn't very original. I do tend to enjoy these horror movies set in the middle of nowhere with a weird family of serial killers. The weirdness of the characters helped to improve the movie in my opinion. There's a bit of incest in the movie so if that's not for you I'd suggest that you stay away. For me there wasn't enough gore, I would have preferred to see a bit more blood and guts and maybe even some nudity. This movie is rated 18 but I honestly can't see why. Sorry for the average review, I couldn't really think of too much to say about this one. Overall, a great idea but could have been better!
I'll give this one 5/10.
You're Next (2011)
A home invasion with a twist.
You're Next is a home invasion / slasher movie with a twist. During a family get together at a lodge, one of the couples had organised for some masked men to terrorise and kill off the family, in order to secure the family money for themselves. Overall the film was okay but the end of the movie was the best part. The acting was average by the majority of the cast and some of the scenarios were a bit far fetched, to say the least. The storyline was good but I think it could have been executed better. The ending was great and Erin was an excellent character, she made the film in my opinion. What the others didn't know about Erin is that she comes from a survival background and the film doesn't end quite as some may have expected. I'll give this 6/10 but there was a lot of potential for this film to have been better.
The Crow (1994)
It can't rain all the time!
The greatest gothic movie ever written. I saw this film for the first time around 20 years ago and it influenced many of my friends in the goth scene, the clothing, the makeup, the music and the attitude. Everyone was dressing like Eric Draven back in the late 90's, early noughties, as this movie had a lasting impact on all of the goths back then. I have just been to re-watch this movie at the cinema, for the 30th anniversary. How time flies! Anyway, I enjoyed this movie from start to finish, it's an absolute masterpiece and should never be altered. I don't want to give anything away. If you haven't seen it already, go watch it. The Crow is one of the greatest movies of all time. I know there's a remake coming, but I won't be watching that, ever. RIP Brandon Lee!
9/10 for me and it was really hard for me to not give a 10.
Maniac (1980)
You've been a bad boy and you need to be punished!
"You've been a bad boy and you need to be punished!"
Maniac is a great movie. Anything with makeup and effects by the legend Tom Savini has to be good. This isn't really a slasher movie although it does have some Friday the 13th vibes and some Halloween esque suspense moments with the slow moving serial killer who never seems to disappear. Tom Savini does an excellent job as always with the effects and the gore, everything looked great for an early 80's movie. There was more gore than in the original Friday the 13th and Halloween, which is a bonus. It's a great movie, it's unique for it's time and Joe Spinell plays the creepy serial killer part really well. Now I'm looking forward to watching the remake.
I'll give this a solid 7/10.
Grave Encounters 2 (2012)
Grave Mistake?
This movie was okay, I watched it start to finish but it started to get a bit boring after a while. The idea of the movie was good, a group of friends who are making a horror movie discover that the original Grave Encounters movie was real and that the incidents at the mental hospital actually happened. They then decide to visit the hospital after a tip off from "Death Awaits", which you'll recognise from the first movie. The movie started off well but and there were some good scares, however, when the original film maker is discovered, still alive and living in the hospital, I thought it started to get a bit silly really. Overall it was a decent movie but it could have been better. 5/10.
Slasher House (2012)
Decent low budget movie.
Slasher house was a fairly decent British low budget horror movie. It's an indie horror movie and I'm guessing the director MJ Dixon is somehow linked to the alternative scene as a lot of the characters had an alternative/ metalhead look to them. I'd never seen Eleanor James before, who played the main character, but on further research she seems to have parts in other horror movies too. Some of the characters were quite cool, including Cleaver, Thorn and the Demon. Slasher House isn't the worst low budget horror movie I've ever seen, but it wasn't the best either. The storyline was quite good but could have been made into a better movie with a bigger budget. The acting wasn't great and the accents didn't really go with the characters. There's some nudity, some decent gore and some cool back stories on the characters. I don't want to give too much away but it's worth a watch. I'll give this one 4/10 and I'll be looking out for more MJ Dixon movies in the future. I would have given lower but for the budget I think they've done a good job.
A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
Don't sleep for too long or you may never wake up!
Don't sleep for too long or you may never wake up! A Nightmare on Elm Street is a genre defining classic that still holds up today, even if it is a little outdated these days. Freddie Krueger was a serial killer who was burned to death after killing numerous children. He had since returned by appearing in the nightmares of teenagers and trying to kill them in their sleep. It's a clever movie where the lead character sets up a trap whereby she catches Freddie in her sleep and tries to drag him into reality, where he can be killed off once and for all. Or should I say twice? Overall it's a decent movie, it's not in the same league as Halloween or Friday the 13th but it's still a great watch and a classic. I'll give this one 7/10.
Grave Encounters (2011)
Decent found footage movie.
It's a bit cheesy and there's nothing I haven't seen before but Grave Encounters is a decent found footage horror movie. There's a TV crew who for some strange reason decide to lock themselves in an old haunted psychiatric hospital to try and catch life after death on camera. I particularly enjoy these kind of found footage movies that are made to look like a documentary, in this case you get the back story of the psychiatrict hospital and it's creepy from the start because you find out that the resident neuro surgeon was killed by the patients. You know the place is going to be haunted, there are some great scares in that movie and some really messed up stuff too. It's a great movie but it must be watched in complete darkness for full effect. I enjoyed it but I'd probably have to give it 6/10, although I almost went for a 7.
[Rec]² (2009)
A decent sequel but with a completely different storyline...
(rec)2 is a decent sequel but it's nowhere near as good as the first one in my opinion. We did get straight into action and started exactly where (rec) left off but this time with the SWAT team leading the charge by going into the apartment block to clear up the mess. What they didn't know is that there's an undercover priest with some inside information about a girl who is possessed and is contaminating everyone. Completely different to the story from (rec) with the dog carrying a virus. (rec)2 takes more of a supernatural twist with the priest reading lines from the bible and leaving crosses out etc. There priest was on a mission to find the blood from the original body of the possessed girl, so that an antidote could be created. Overall a decent film but not as good as the first one. There's also a nice twist at the end where Manuela Velasco returns and I must say, she looks pretty hot with a gun and covered in blood. I'll give this one 6/10 but that may be a little harsh.
Hell House LLC (2015)
Creepy!
I really enjoyed this movie, even if it was a little slow in parts. The movie wasn't quite as good as I remembered it but it is genuinely creepy and it's definitely worth a watch if you haven't seen it before. A group of friends create a halloween haunted house attraction but what they didn't know is that that location was an old hotel where guests had been known to go missing, the hotel owner was in some kind of a cult and ended up killing himself. It's clear from this that all is not as it seems with this new haunted house attraction. Anyway I don't want to give too much away but I enjoyed the story, I liked how the movie started as a kind of documentary with interviews, live news and an emergency call. There was a tragic incident that happened on the opening night of the haunted house attraction and to this day, what really happened is still unknown. However, some footage came to light so you get to see some of the weird stuff that happened in there. There's also a messed up twist at the end. I found it hard to rate this movie but in the end I went with 7/10. I definitely recommend watching it if you can. It's a rare movie so if you're a collector like me, you may find it hard to come across a copy. I managed to find a limited edition DVD on eBay for about £13 which was pretty good value.
Friday the 13th Part III (1982)
Three hockey mask is here!
You've got to love this movie, even if it's just for the fact that it's the first movie with Jason's mask. He's a big intimidating character and he's still at Crystal Lake, waiting for more dumb teenagers to turn up looking for trouble. There's a little more gore in this one than in Part 2 but again it's pretty much the same storyline but with different characters. This movie follows on from Part 2 and although it's an enjoyable movie, it is quite stupid and cheesy in parts. I quite liked the comical character Shelley and it was great to see a lot more of Jason, with and without the mask. Overall I'd say this movie is slightly better than Part 2 but I'm still only giving it a 6/10.
Friday the 13th Part 2 (1981)
A decent sequel.
Friday the 13th Part 2 is a decent sequel but I didn't enjoy it quite as much as the original from 1980. The storyline was very similar, going out to the camp where the murders happened 5 years previously so it was obvious how this was going to end. Jason's mother was the killer in the original and Jason makes his first appearance in Part 2, although the iconic mask hasn't made it's debut yet, in Part 2 Jason just wears a bag over his head. There are a few killings in Part 2 but there wasn't enough gore for my liking. You do get to see Jason's mangled face unmasked and you can see why he wears a mask, he's not a good looking guy! There were lots of really pretty girls though and boobs, typical for an 80's slasher. I won't complain, I enjoyed those bits. Overall a decent movie but I need to see more gore. 6/10.
I Spit on Your Grave 2 (2013)
A sick and disturbing sequel.
I'm a huge fan on the I Spit on Your Grave franchise and I particularly love the first one. The second one is good but I preferred the two remakes with Sarah Butler. I Spit on Your Grave 2 is a different story with a different girl but it's with the same director as the original remake. I enjoyed the story, an aspiring model moves to New York and contacts a number that was advertising a "free photoshoot". Of course it was obvious where this was heading... It turns out that this was a group of perverted Bulgarians who raped her, drugged her, took her to their own country and raped her again. Just like in the original, the main character seeked her revenge on everyone who was involved. This is always my favourite part of these movies, and although the girl wasn't as good as Sarah Butler from the original, I still enjoyed the killings. One very memorable part was where she crushed the testicles of one of the Bulgarians, that was hard to watch without imagining it was happening to me! Overall a great movie but not as good as 1 or 3. I'll give this one a solid 7/10 though. I'm definitely going to watch all 3 one after the other one day.