Jack Ketchum's The Girl Next Door [2007]

Synopsis: Based on the true story of the death of teenager Sylvia Likens who was murdered by her caregiver and caregiver's children. Meg Loughlin and her younger sister Susan are left to live with their abusive Aunt and cousins after the tragic death of her parents. It is not long before Meg is the center of verbal and subsequent horrific physical abusive which leads to her slow three month long death.

Review: This movie is NOT for the weak. Imagine if the dungeon scenes from Hostel were real, and Eli Roth decided to take you into the realm of a factual torturous death, with more shocking implied horror than effects laden exhibitions; this is what director Gregory Wilson has done with Jack Ketchum's novel of the same name. Not all the facts are real, however, the abuse and conclusion are. Wilson does not shy away from creating uneasiness and discomfort for the viewer, he forces us into the world of the movie and obliges us to feel her pain. Fantastic performances were given from the entire cast, fronted by lead actress Blythe Auffarth who blew me away with her role of Meg. Highly recommended for genre lovers with strong stomachs.

9/10

Frontieres [2007]

Synopsis: A group of hooligan rioters flee Paris, make a convenient but unfortunate stopover at a rural motel en route to Holland, as it is run by an in bred family of neo-fascist nazis.

Review: Somewhat of a mish mash pot of horror: 3 cups Texas Chainsaw Massacre, 2 cups Hostel, an ounce of Wolf Creek, a pinch of The Descent, bring to a boil and let simmer. This hearty meal is one grotesque, defiled and immoral stew, only to be savoured by the depraved movie goer. Although not without flaws (unoriginal story, cliche torture scenes), it's put together rather well. A balance of sturdy actors, ridiculous death scenes, a wild score, and an unaccustomed story will keep most viewers in their seat. By far not the best French slasher to come out recently, but much better than most of the U.S. produced garbage of late!

8/10

WΔZ [2007] aka The Killing Gene

"Saw meets Se7en?"

Synopsis: A creative, vengeful serial killer forces his victims to choose between taking the life of a loved one or their own.

Review: Critics have described this UK thriller as "Saw meets Se7en". I wouldn't be too quick to throw comparisons of the brilliant Saw or the masterpiece Se7en, however...their similar tones, stories and polished production might just be able to justify it. Stellan Skarsgård (Ronin) gives a fabulous performance as the mysterious Eddie Argo, a detective assigned to solve the shocking and scientific killings of local hoodlums and their loved ones. This dark film is paced quite well, which allows the story to unfold methodically all the way to its fantastic twist ending that comes completely out of left field. It's weaknesses are few and far between, but a standout minus goes to the inconsistant (rookie?) detective Helen Westcott (Melissa George), who can not properly balance her Skarsgård protagonist counterpart. Recommended to all dark crime thriller lovers.

7/10

The Mist [2007]

"The hype ruined it for me."

Synopsis: A large group of locals and non-locals of a small town are held hostage in a grocery store by a mysterious mist.

Review: It has taken me awhile to finally get around to seeing this Stephen King adaptation. What I had heard was "an incredible blockbuster", "the best King adaptation yet", and "one of the best endings to a horror movie". And when that "ending" finally happened, I didn't realize it until the credits rolled, and I felt confused and alone like a hooker with a sale on. "That's it!?!?", I screamed. The hype ruined it for me. Perhaps I needed to be an ignorant movie goer or a horror newbie. The surprise finale was neither unpredictable nor shocking, and was completely inconsistant compared to the characters previous actions and decisions. The middle third was irratatingly religious. Suspense and terror was nowhere to be found. Had I been on of the first to see this, perhaps my feelings would be different, but I wasn't so they're not.

6/10

The Last Winter [2006]

"Sierra Alpha Yankee, Whiskey Hotel Alpha Tango!?!?!?"

Synopsis: In the great white tundra of the north, a group of oil drilling experts, accompanied by two operational scientists, are challenged by the effect of global warming and their quest for the much coveted natural resource.

Review: Things I learned from The Last Winter: Global warming will release giant caribou ghosts with a taste for blood from the frozen glaciers, walking nude into the icy abyss will result in my eyes being plucked out by crows, Ron Perlman wets his bed, sour gas will make us all crazy, and drinking doesn't help to battle hypothermia. What could have been an atmospheric, claustrophobic, and chilling psychological thriller, is sadly over complicated, over time and ironically, over everyone's head. The performances were strong enough, but the characters were developed to go nowhere...like the story.

4/10

Funny Games [2007]

"Funny Games... manipulates, force feeds, and drags the audience on a short leash with a strong grip."

Synopsis: Two young sociopathic killers enter and exit the lives of an innocent family vacationing at their lake-front cottage.

Review: Funny Games, a shot-for-shot remake of the 1997 film of the same title and director, manipulates, force feeds, and drags the audience on a short leash with a strong grip. Michael Haneke should be commended for taken the reigns on the remake inevidibility, and in this second effort, admirably, neither dumbs-down or over-simplifies his risky and controversial objectives deeply lined in his first triumph. Each and every visceral, disturbing, confusing, and substantive shot, dialogue, and scene is maintained and preserved. The script is undeniably engaging, uncomfortably hypnoptic and sadistically voyeur. Each and every performance is painstakingly real and brilliant, principally Michael Pitt, as "Paul", who arguably outperforms Funny Games' original, Arno Frisch. This film is still hard to watch, still difficult to digest, and still impossible to decipher.

9/10

[REC] [2008]

"[REC] needs only a second to interest you, a minute to suck you in, and an hour to eat you whole."

Synopsis: A beautiful young reporter and her cameraman follows the working lives of a fire fighting detachment. A late night call of a "screaming old woman" brings them to a small apartment building where they meet it's residents, local law enforcement, and their soon to be fate.

Review: Not many recent horrors can leave you speechless...and speed reaching for the remote to replay it. [REC] does that and more. It infects you. It consumes you. It's a fuckin' masterpiece. What writers/directors Juame Balaguero and Paco Plaza have done is not rocket science, they stripped down horror to its bare fuckable necessities. They conjured up a simple idea, made it relatable and realistic, shot it stylistically, and hinted on and implied a deep rooted back story. The action is fierce and each "scene" catapults you into the next. Where Cloverfield failed to produce likeable characters, [REC] succeeds. We know nothing about the female protagonist, but her personality just beckons you to care for her; and her firefighter cohorts need only their professions to do the same. [REC] needs only a second to interest you, a minute to suck you in, and an hour to eat you whole.

10/10