Blu-Ray Horror Movies

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre – The Beginning (Unrated) (Blu-ray)

if you really enjoyed the brutal remake to Tobe’s original film you’re probably gonna dig this prequel . i only detracted one star as we do not get a Ms. Bile ending . just the filmakers choice . i respect that . i think both young directors do an excellent job of scaring the hell out of the audience . i can kind of understand the older viewers cleaving to their 1970′s baby . i’m that way when it comes to a lot of films as i was born in 63′ and resist a lot of the modernizations in filmaking . these films are of the horror genre though . i see their redux’s as a good thing precisely because they can show a lot more of the grue and spatter . they’re better photographed . i’d have prefered a more up ending . that may well have been untrue to this very hostile vision . yet again r. Lee Ermey absolutely steals the show as the head of household .

Original Horror Movie Fun – David A. Smith – Webberville, Mi, USA
in thismovie they take you back on how leatherface became who he is now today. thats why i like this movie so much because it needed to be told. but after this i hope they don’t make another before they ruin it.

Definatley a shocker – Miles Greer –
The prequal to the remake, I thought it couldn’t get any gorier, but I was wrong. This movie is disturbing at many times, not just the gore but, how real it is. This film is definatley NOT a kids movie (OBVIOUSLY). To be truthfull you will probably like this film if you like the original and/or the remake, not as much as the 74′ classic but, it’s still good.

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July 22nd, 2010

The Wolfman (2-Disc Unrated Director’s Cut + Digital Copy) [Blu-ray]

Academy Award® winners Anthony Hopkins (The Silence of the Lambs) and Benicio Del Toro (Traffic) tear up the screen in this action-packed thriller. Lawrence Talbot (Del Toro) is lured back to his family estate to investigate the savage murder of his brother by a bloodthirsty beast. There, Talbot must confront his childhood demons, his estranged father (Hopkins), his brother’s grieving fiancée (Emily Blunt, The Devil Wears Prada) and a suspicious Scotland Yard Inspector (Hugo Weaving, The Matrix Trilogy). When Talbot is bitten by the creature, he becomes eternally cursed and soon discovers a fate far worse than death. Inspired by the classic Universal film that launched a legacy of horror, The Wolfman brings the myth of a cursed man back to its iconic origins.

Without re-hashing and giving spoilers I just want to state the things I loved about this film…

While not a fan of Joe Johnston’s usual work (Rocketeer excepted), I have to say I love this film. In many ways it was uncompromising for a Hollywood production. Heavy mood, heavy atmosphere, heavy gore and free of that Stephen Sommers sheen! It was a win, win, win and win for me! Could it be Joe Johnston was born to make R-Rated films?

Again, this film broke away from many of the Hollywood stereotypes and was MUCH stronger for it.

Heavy Gothic feel. Something we just don’t get to see too much of in modern cinema.

Emily Blunt. Mmmm, Emily! Oh yeah, the other leads were good too. Del Toro (as someone mentioned) initially seemed miscast but he was very effective! Hopkins played a great a-hole father figure, chilling and realistic as he did not break down to a stereotypical movie bad-father. Hugo Weaving’s character also played an interesting counter-point to the rest of the characters and story.

This film also touched upon issues of social acceptance and subsequent misconduct (and the reasons why). Leading up to the conclusion, it also addressed wolf pack behavior and actions concerning the leads (sorry, this is as detailed as I can get without spoilers or hints).

The triangular relationship of father and two sons/brothers and how it evolved (mostly as back-story) and created the plot itself (again, as detailed as I will get to avoid spoilers) was well done and interesting.

The struggle of Talbot (Del Toro) and his emerging two halves, one being human, the other being animal was poignant much to the credit of Del Toro and Emily Blunt.

It ended in tragedy as any good werewolf story should. Everybody pays a price and no one escapes unchanged, if at all. John Landis’s statement lives on, “Being a werewolf is like having cancer, except instead of killing you, it kills everyone around you.”

Despite this film sometimes falling into being predictable and perfunctory, it was still enjoyable, carried on by a great cast, an interesting story (again, the whole father, two brothers dynamic) and great mood.

This movie is what it is; dark, moody, ugly, gritty and mean. It was a great werewolf fantasy encompassing both aspects of it (power yet the surrender of rationality) not to mention the horrific reality of it. For a big budget movie to be made like this now-a-days is truly a great thing and for that as well as my other listed reasons, I loved it!

Benicio “Way-Overrated” Del Toro – False ID – Orage County, CA
A mechanical script, an unimaginitive director, and a deplorably monotone performance by the miscast Del Toro.

Our first view of Del Toro in this film is of him doing what is certainly the worst reading of Shakespear ever in the history of the world. I literally thought it was some kind of sardonic joke the character was playing; but no, that was actually Del Toro attempting to act. Unfortunately for those of us who sat through this film, it only got worse from there. Somebody please tell Benecio that there is more to acting than merely reading aloud! (Or at least ask him to be awake the next time he gets in front of a camera.)

Pewwww, what a stinker!

Bloody Moon – Valance – Whangarei, New Zealand
An excellent remake of the 1941 classic, with moments of genuine fright that made me jump at times. The werewolf FX are simply superb – this is what a werewolf should look like!

In keeping with the spirit of the original Wolf Man movie the CGI in this remake is kept to a minimum. Thus a lot (if not most) of the werewolf FX is courtesy of make up on the actors rather than a computer. The werewolf make up is stunning and IMHO it’s easily the best so far of any werewolf movie. The transformation scenes are very well done. Gotta also love the Victorian setting with its misty moors and forests.

Personally I would have preferred less gore and more focus on atmosphere, and I also found some of the acting to be somewhat stunted and unemotional. But apart from those minor speed bumps this is a terrific watch and tops my list of favourite werewolf movies.

Everything about The Wolfman is perfect, exept the Wolfman himself. – Anja Rebekka Schultze – Norway
The Wolfman hardly needs an introduction. This is a remake of one of the most well known and well loved horror movies of all times. The story centers around Lawrence Talbot, an actor which return to his family manor to search for his missing brother. Soon it is discovered the brother is dead, born asunder by some horrible beast, a beast Lawrence himself is attacked by when he visits a Gypsy camp in search of clues to his brother’s murder. What follows is a story of a good man’s decent into madness as he himself becomes a monster.

When I popped this movie into my DVD player I was immediately impressed by the feel of the film, it is not often a modern movie manage to capture the mood and feel of the old black and white horror movies, but this one do. It is almost like we have gotten a whole new classic horror movie, just with modern level of technology for filming and effects. So why then you may ask have I not given this film five stars. Well there is one big problem with this movie, and that is Benicio Del Toro.

In the original Wolfman the title character carried the entire movie. The audience was moved to tears by the tragic tale of a good and kind man slowly transforming into a monster. Every seen with Lon Chaney, Jr was memorable. The Wolfman is less a story about ripping things to pieces and outward horror and more a story about internal conflict and the monster that lives in us all. The leader actor makes such a movie crash or fly, and in case of the 2010 Wolfman it crashes. Del Toro fail to deliver any depth to the character he is playing, he had no charisma on screen. I stopped caring for the fate of Mr Talbot and rather got interested in the amazing transformation sequences, the side characters, which are brilliantly acted and the beautiful visuals. Del Toro as the Wolfman fail, and then so to a certain degree do the movie.

The Wolfman in a fun film, the story is good and it is beautiful. It is definitely entertaining. But it fails to reach the heights it could have attained with a better suited lead actor.

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June 25th, 2010

Lost Boys: The Tribe (Unrated) (Ws Sub Unct) [Blu-ray]

Widescreen/Blu-Ray.Uncut DVD version of Lost Boys: The Tribe starring: Corey Feldman, Jamison Newlander, Tad Hilgenbrink, Autumn Reeser, Angus Sutherland, Tom Savini, Moneca Delain, Sarah Smyth, Corey Haim. The sequel to the 1987 cult hit The Lost Boys takes us to the shady surf city of Luna Bay, California, where vampires quickly dispatch anyone who crosses their path. Into this dark world arrive Chris Emerson (Hilgenbrink) and his younger sister, Nicole (Reeser). Having just lost their parents in a car accident, the siblings move in with their eccentric Aunt Jillian and become new prey for the locals way of life. When Nicole unwittingly falls for a local vampire, Chris must locate and destroy the gangs lifeline before his sisters transformation is complete; to do this Chris finds himself relying on the expertise of none other than Edgar Frog (Feldman).

Lost Boys 2 was a good movie, Yes The Orginal Cult classic Lost Boys was far Superior then this one. but for what it was this movie was good. I enjoyed it and loved it. Edgar Frog Returns which was good and it had the feel of the Original but with a new cast. there are slight tie-ins to the Original.

the first being Chris and Nicole Emerson who parents died in a Car accident are the kids of Micheal and Star( so it is assumed) from the first movie. since in a Comic book called Lost Boys: Reign of the Frog Brothers it is said Michael and Star died in a car accident.

as part of extra stuff. they show clip of Sam and Alan.

2 Alt Endings with Edgar and Sam.

I know some fans of the Original Lost Boys hated this movie..But I loved it and thought it was well done.

I recommend this movie to anyone who likes Vampire movies.

Lost Boys: The Tribe (Uncut Version) – Arnita D. Brown – USA
The orphan and former surfer Chris Emerson and his sister Nicole Emerson move to Luna Bay expecting to initiate a new life without housing expenses with their Aunt Jillian, but she charges rent to the siblings for a wrecked house, and Chris seeks a job working as board shaper to raise money for the unforeseeable expenses. While in town, he meets his acquaintance and also former surfer Shane Powers that invites Chris for a surf parting at night. Then the siblings unsuccessfully seek out the board shaper and vampire hunter Edgar Frog in his trailer trying to find a job and Chris leaves a message for him. They go to Shane’s party and Nicole stays with Shane and drinks booze offered by him. Later she becomes a half-vampire and Edgar advises that she drank vampire’s blood and can only be saved if the head-vampire is killed. Chris and Edgar search the hiding place of Shane and his tribe to save Nicole. The movie is ok. Corey Feldman looked great in this movie and stayed true to character. Fans of gory vampire movies will probably enjoy this.

Lost Boys: The Tribe (2008) – Ra Houston – West Hills, CA USA
I purchased this DVD because of my love of the 1987 original film directed by Joel Schumacher. I was not prepared for the abomination that assaulted my eyes as I proceeded to wade through this obscenity. At turns unoriginal, uninspired, and insipid, the plot was threadbare with barely enough heft to warrant 90 minutes, replete with tired, mocking, recurring references to the much superior original that I found to be insulting.
The cast of this current film, while certainly pretty enough, are just simply that, pretty faces who couldn’t act their way out of a moist paper bag. I hesitate to call them actors at all, as the real actors were relegated to bit parts and silly cameos. I would have liked to have seen a continuation of the Emerson Family’s story. Lucy Emerson (Dianne Wiest) her sons, Michael (Jason Patric) and Sam (Corey Haim) sadly, veteran character actor Barnard Hughes (Grandpa) passed away in 2006, but what of the other survivors from the first film?
There was the Brothers Frogg, Edgar and Allan (Corey Feldman and Jamison Newlander) Star (Jamie Gertz) and the youngest vampire Laddie(Chance Michael Corbett) I would have loved to have seen a story involving these characters because I cared about them.
This “film” hardly qualifies as a sequel in my opinion because it could have been so much better. With so many surviving characters from the first film, there is a wealth of story lines that could have been told. For example, it is obvious that Edgar Frogg’s family has fallen apart and he lost his brother Allan to the other side. I would have liked to have seen the how and the why. What of the romance between Michael and Star? Did they live happily ever after? Was Laddie adopted by the Emersons, or did he have a family that he was returned to? So many lost possibilites.
Speaking of lost possibilties, the recent tragic, passing of Corey Haim further frustrates any chance of a proper sequel. This film is disappointing on so many levels, the most important being a coherent story worthy of the original with characters that fans of the first film really care about, a reunion of the two Coreys that could have developed into a successful franchise not only for those two talented actors, but for all involved. The best thing about this film is Aiden’s re-interpretation of Gerard McMann’s “Cry Little Sister” from the first film, and the most regrettable thing is the waste and mis-use of Corey Feldman in the role that he was born to play.

Cry Little Sister indeed.

Lost Boys: The Tribe (2008)

Starring: Tad Hilgenbrink, Autumn Reeser, Merwin Mondesir, Angus Sutherland,
and Corey Feldman as Edgar Frogg

Release Date: July 29, 2008
Distributed by: Warner Premiere
Running Time: 92 Minutes
Rating: R for violence, gore, language, sexuality, gratuitous nudity, and drug use.
Grade: F

Preceeded by: The Lost Boys (1987)
Followed by: Lost Boys: The Thirst (2010)
See also: Barnard Hughes (1915-2006) Corey Haim (1971-2010) Joel Schumacher, Corey Feldman, The Lost Boys (1987) Jamie Gertz, Jason Patric

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Add comment June 16th, 2010

The Wolfman (2-Disc Unrated Director’s Cut) [Blu-ray]

Academy Award® winners Anthony Hopkins (The Silence of the Lambs) and Benicio Del Toro (Traffic) tear up the screen in this action-packed thriller. Lawrence Talbot (Del Toro) is lured back to his family estate to investigate the savage murder of his brother by a bloodthirsty beast. There, Talbot must confront his childhood demons, his estranged father (Hopkins), his brother’s grieving fiancée (Emily Blunt, The Devil Wears Prada) and a suspicious Scotland Yard Inspector (Hugo Weaving, The Matrix Trilogy). When Talbot is bitten by the creature, he becomes eternally cursed and soon discovers a fate far worse than death. Inspired by the classic Universal film that launched a legacy of horror, The Wolfman brings the myth of a cursed man back to its iconic origins.

The Blu-ray version of “The Wolf Man” includes both the Unrated Director’s Cut and the choppy theatrical version. The Unrated version is a marked improvement over the choppy theatrical version of the film that we saw in theaters with better pacing and giving us a better understanding of the characters in the film (it’s also a bit more graphic as well). Why studios continue to listen to preview audiences when deciding to re-editing a film (I can think of many films that later were seen as classics that suffered at the hands of studios…”Blade Runner” anyone?)in a seamlessly branched edition with both versions. “The Wolf Man” looks marvelous with a sharp, detailed looking transfer.

Be aware however that I noticed a drop out in the sound at around the 1:30 mark.

Director Joe Johnston creates an atmospheric film with terrific production values. While there are elements that don’t work in the film (Benicio Del Toro and Emily Blunt have zero chemistry both do give good performances although Del Toro at times seems a bit miscast to me). The action sequences particularly the sequence set at an asylum in London are terrifically staged and directed. Is the film flawed? Most certainly although the “Director’s Cut” eliminates many of these flaws and “The Wolf Man” remains a gory entertaining movie.

Actor Lawrence Talbot (Benicio Del Toro)returns home at the request of his brother’s fiance to discover who or what mutilated and killed his brother. Long estranged from his father (Anthony Hopkins who chews the scenery quite ably), Talbot returns home reluctantly at first but becomes determined to find the creature stalking the locals. When Lawrence is attacked by the creature he becomes cursed becoming a monster when the full moon hangs high in the sky.

The Blu-ray has quite a bit in the way of special features focusing on the visual effects, make up and thoughts behind remaking the 1940 film. Included as part of the package here is the ability to stream the original film via BD Live (it would have been nice if they had included it on Blu-ray as an extra here)and it looks quite good (here’s hoping a BD version will arrive soon).

“The Wolf Man” is QUITE gory and as well as being an atmospheric film. While I’m not sure if it is a “classic” it is an entertaining if flawed film and the “Unrated Director’s Cut” is far superior to the theatrical version even if it is only 16 minutes longer.

If in doubt, I’d suggest renting before buying.

HOMAGE TO A GREAT CLASSIC – Dean Caudill – Muncie, IN
I won’t go into details about the movie except the characters are true to form and the storyline is changed a little (but good changes). The costumes and all the sets for the period plus the special effects are all first rate. I grew up watching the universal movies of the Wolfman, Frankenstein and Dracula, so after reading reviews and such on the making of this movie, needless to say, caught my special interest. The only hit i would have on this movie, is that the gore is a little bit overdone. So be forewarned. There is blood a plenty, plus arms, legs and heads flying everywhere. I guess the producers of this movie needed to illustrate just how dangerous this creature is. And that’s where i’ll leave it. Curious what’s in store for remakes of Frankenstein and/or Dracula

Worth seeing – Osiris – Detroit, MI USA
It was decent for a remake. If you like the Universal horror classics then you will like this too.

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Add comment June 3rd, 2010

Evil Aliens (Unrated & Theatrical Edition) [Blu-ray]

If you thought you’d seen it all, brace yourself for this jaw-dropping slice of sci-fi horror lunacy that has audiences rolling and gagging in the aisles! Gruesome mutilations, inappropriate body probes and pointy weapons ranging from sports gear to chainsaws populate this gore-drenched, splatstick classic of giddy alien mayhem, the successor to Aliens, Phantasm, Bad Taste and The Evil Dead. Looking for a hot new story, struggling Weird Worlde TV reporter Michelle Fox totes her crew to Wales where residents of a small farming town are reporting alien abductions and impregnations. Unfortunately, their dramatic recreation of the suspicious event turns downright nasty when the real interstellar visitors arrive, and they’re hungry for more than a close-up! A no-holds-barred fight for survival ensues, with farmers and TV crew alike falling prey to the ruthless, relentless, unstoppable Evil Aliens!

Evil Aliens (2005): This one was written and directed in the UK by Jake West who was responsible for one of my fave UK low budget vampire flicks, “Razor Blade Smile”. Jake has maintained his reputation for providing high VACS (Violence, Aliens, Carnage, & Sex) levels in his movies with this one. It is kind of like “ET” meets “Alien” and “Signs” plus a heavy dose of “Gilligan’s Island” for flavor. There is also an excellent homage to Sergio Leone’s famous Mexican stand-off scene from “The Good the Bad and the Ugly” but this time it’s between a bunch of aliens and some raucous, possibly inbred Welsh farmers.

It seems a UK TV show about aliens isn’t doing well in the ratings, consistently falling behind the cooking channel so the star is told to take her crew and get a story or else. They read an article about a Welsh farm girl who claims to have been abducted and impregnated by aliens and off they go to the remote island which she and her three brothers call home. The boys consider English an inferior language and don’t speak anything but Welsh which makes for some interesting subtitles. Soon the entire group is in a series of mostly hilarious battles with the aliens who have landed at a nearby ancient stone circle which they also used to re-power their ship. The aliens appear to try and impregnate almost every earth girl they can get their hands (or tentacles) on and a female alien eventually seduces the nerdly guy in the group for his first role in the hay. After lengthy battles and a late farm harvester assisted human victory, the survivors of both sides (1 each) get back home. The movie ends with the surviving alien telling her story about the dangerous Earth people to a local TV program and being laughed off the stage. This is not one to take seriously at all, just sit back, put on a guilty grin and watch the bodily liquids spray. The movie is unrated but would probably bleed an R for: cow dung bathing, massive blood flinging, double amputees, quadruple amputees, cranial amputees, shot gunning, arrow piercing, blade ripping, impregnation by Cesarean section and definitely for the worst alien anal probing ever seen this side of Uranus.

EVIL ALIENS – JOSE ANTONIO BELLO – TAMPA, FLORIDA USA
This movie is AWESOME!! It has all the ingredients to entertain but beware, it’s very gory and people with weak stomachs should stay away from this one.

evil sci fi aliens strike. – Michael P. Dobey – colorado springs
This is a pretty good low budget movie. In fact the special effects are very well done and the unrated version does have alot of gore in it. With heads and guts exploding out from the aliens which look like rather like demons with strange helmets on. The characters in this movie though are the typical selfish drug user types who are usually just trying to save themselves. This is obviously a movie for older viewers and not for kids. It has a cruel sense of humor that befits drug users too but that’s just the way this movie goes. In some films they create a world where drug use is acceptable and everywhere but in reality most people know it’s a deadend and stupid lifestyle. And this movie plays to stupidity for sure. The stupid characters run all over a Island in Wales where some people still don’t speak English. Which is a jab at the self-consciousness of the Welsh about their language. I would agree that this movie is influenced by films like ‘the evil dead” and ‘alien” and others but those are classic films and this isn’t , nor does it pretend to be.
It does make fun of the crazed ufo people who still haven’t figured out that crop circles are created by people using ropes or boards, and other true believers. There may be aliens but most of what we get is hoax’s. Or joke books like ‘chariot of the gods”. Human’s built the pyramids after all; and humans made this sci fi flick with it’s British Edge. The acting is over the top and the characters are stereotypes; but that is what the director wanted and the cast is does a good job here; they are all good at this in this flick. The unrated film pushes female cleavage
and a topless female alien who copulates with a UFO nerd as well.
Which is another reason that this movie isn’t for kids.
The picture looks fine and the print is without defects or lines too. These type of films are for fans of sci fi and low budget movies and that’s why we watch them.

new meaning to the a-probe – S. Banzhaf – Iowa, USA
I gave this 5-stars – strictly for the sick and twisted humor factor, cuz my humor IS, sick and twisted LOL. Otherwise it’s clearly above the usual low budget constraints (they spent the money wisely)- special effects and gore with a side of bizzare toilet-style humor that guys will likely enjoy more than ladies, but it is a pretty ambitious film and they met the challenge VERY well. I see plenty of high budget eye candy garbage out there, that was not as busy and involved and multi-faceted as this film was. I’d call this a “fringe” film in a way, but have to say I like it and it gets lots of laffs outta me each time I see it. It’s just a crazy movie and really delights in being crazy – which is good cuz “We all go a little crazy-sometimes”. Just be prepared for a real strange ride with this one LOL! AND if buying, I really suggest the unrated one – it’s too weird to miss.

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Add comment May 15th, 2010