GHOST HOUSE (2017)

USA, Thailand/2017
Directed By: Rich Ragsdale
Written By: Kevin O'Sullivan, Jason Chase Tyrrell, Rich Ragsdale, Kevin Ragsdale
Starring: Scout Taylor-Compton, James Landry Hebert, Michael S. New
Streaming On Demand: August 25, 2017

Julie (Scout Taylor-Compton) and Jim (James Landry Hebert) are a young couple taking a vacation to Thailand where they become engaged after Jim proposes. Julie is interested in the local custom of ghost houses which are small house shaped shrines to the spirits and are meant to house troublesome spirits and appease them with candles and other offerings. Julie and Jim meet a pair of young English men named Robert and Billy who show them a good time during the night and promise to take them somewhere special out in the country. When they arrive hours later they trick Julie into taking a piece from an old ghost house as a memento of their adventure and she quickly becomes possessed by an incredibly angry and vengeful spirit who burned to death after finding her husband cheating on her. Local legend says Julie has just a couple of days to rid herself of the evil spirit before it swallows her soul for good.

At its simplest GHOST HOUSE sounds like any number of Asian horror films that saturated the horror market about fifteen years ago and it does share similar traits but it is not just another clone of The Grudge or The Ring. It has a visual style that sets itself apart from the hordes of J-Horror lookalikes. I think the vengeful spirit has a creepy look rendered in black and grey with a menacing face and details like her crooked teeth and slightly sunken in skin. She's seen mostly in short glimpses until the finale where we get a good long look at her and I don't think fleshing it out hurts the design quality. While watching I found myself thinking that this movie looks and feels much more like a version of Sam Raimi's Drag Me To Hell than the standard pale white face, long black hair Asian ghost film of the early 2000s but without the humor Raimi imparted upon his 2009 film. This feeling was cemented when we get to see the evil spirit ecompassed in fire which bore a strong resemblance to a scene out of Drag Me To Hell. It wasn't only the look and feel of the movie but the film shared some key plot points as well including a personal token had to be used to transfer the spirit a coin in DMTH and a piece of scarf here. Even the timeline from initial possession to total loss is almost if not completely the same.

There are worse movies to be compared to than Drag Me To Hell as I found hat movie to be a nice return to form for Sam Raimi with his high energy, slapstick influenced style of filmmaking and it had some great scary scenes and visuals. Unfortunately GHOST HOUSE is like the store brand version of it. It loses all of the humor, which is fine, I think this movie could easily work as a straight forward horror film that goes for intense scares but the excitement is fleeting. Some scenes work and others seem totally drained of energy or passion. Scout Taylor-Compton (Rob Zombie's Halloween) is good in the lead role and shows promising growth and ability. Some of the scenes, such as when she's visualizing their hotel is a burned out hollow shell of itself, still engulfed in flames work toward showing how the spirit is affecting her and then there are other scenes, generally those carried by James Landry Hebert that I found to be unconvincing and tiresome. GHOST HOUSE is a mixed bag in that regard. All too often most of what I saw in GHOST HOUSE just seemed sucked of any real energy. A lesson could be learned from Gogo (Michael S. New) who was a joy to watch and should be commended for his character's loyalty. I sure hope he got a big tip at the end.

I do appreciate that the production feels rather large with several changes in setting from the main drag and hotel in Thailand, to the countryside, a small village, the hospital, an abandoned urban complex (a mall perhaps?) where they meet Reno (Mark Boone Jr.) a sleazy man with power and the knowledge of how to help Julie, and finally the secluded Shaman house. GHOST HOUSE feels like it is sprawled out all over Thailand. Between that and the design of the film I never felt like I was watching a cheap movie. And despite my problems and critiques of the film I also can't say I was ever really bored. I may not have been on the edge of my seat the whole time but I didn't lose interest and thought GHOST HOUSE was a passably entertaining film even if it's entirely too familiar and predictable to be any sort of stand out success. When it comes down to it GHOST HOUSE isn't a total waste of time but it is a forgettable experience.

THE BEFORE TIME (DVD Review) - Brain Damage Films

USA/2014

Directed By: Miguel Muller

Written By: Scott Bunt

Starring: Ted Jonas, Jules Hartley, Aidan Marus

Color/80 Minutes/Not Rated

Region FREE

Release Date: March 8, 2016

The Film

The headless bodies of eight Hispanic men have been found in the Arizona desert spiking TV ratings. An independent producer proposes a reality TV show idea to capitalize on the story and the ratings based around two rival groups investigating the story and the legend of an ancient treasure of gold buried in the area but they quickly find out the truth lurking in the desert is far more dangerous than they could have imagined. 

THE BEFORE TIME uses the found footage, handheld camera style to show the story of this reality show cast as they venture in to the desert and try to set up shots and scenes for their production. The group is filled with semi-famous local talent and a lot of shitty young attitudes with big dreams about making it big. Sometimes they're serious about getting their work done and others they're disrespecting locals and acting like stereotypical assholes. They fall victim to creepy natives, drug laced foods and ghostly occurrences as each day brings them deeper and deeper into the unforgiving desert.

It all feels familiar, like ground we've tread before. It's predictable and despite being decently made and having an exciting scene or two, it's not very interesting. The cast is decent but their writing is lazy. The movie leaves too much to the imagination and doesn't give us the visual goods often enough. It's an attempt at making the film more psychologically driven than it needs or even should be. 

THE BEFORE TIME isn't a bad film overall but it doesn't capitalize on its best aspects and suffers from many of the downfalls of the found footage style.

The Audio & Video

Brain Damage Films gives THE BEFORE TIME a nice home on DVD with a 16x9 anamorphic widescreen transfer that has a sharp look and good colors for a standard def transfer. Black levels are deep and there's no problems with compression or blocking. The mostly English audio which features sporadic Spanish with English subtitles is handled with a 5.1 surround mix which sounds very nice. There's no damage or background noise and the overall quality is crisp and powerful when needed.

The Extras

-Behind the scenes featurette

-Trailer

The Bottom Line

If you're a lover of the found footage genre you'll find plenty to enjoy with THE BEFORE TIME. 

THE BEFORE TIME is available HERE

HOUSE OF LAST THINGS (DVD Review) - Revolver Entertainment

USA/2013
Directed By: Michael Bartlett
Written By: Michael Bartlett
Starring: Lindsey Haun, Blake Berris, RJ Mitte
Color/110 Minutes/Not Rated
Region 1
Release Date: February 10, 2015

The Film
HOUSE OF LAST THINGS centers around a couple who leave their home in the hands of a young girl as the caretaker while they visit Italy in an effort to save their marriage. The girl allows her boyfriend and her brother to stay at the house with her when all sorts of weird things start happening such as pictures changing their image, ghostly apparitions, and perhaps most of all, her boyfriend kidnapping a boy in a harebrained ransom plot. The house is pushing them towards the brink of insanity while exposing a nasty truth.

From the start, HOUSE OF LAST THINGS throws so many different tones at the viewer that I have no clue if they knew what kind of movie they wanted to make. There's moments of comedy that are along the lines of Three Stooges slapstick style thrown in on psychological horror and supernatural horror along with moments that make your daily soaps look good. There's plenty of loose ends that are so messily tied up its like they didn't bother tying their shoe, they just stuffed the laces in the sides.

With moments that harken back to The Shining, Asian horror films of the early 2000s, and maybe even some David Lynch films HOUSE OF LAST THINGS really doesn't manage to hit any of the right notes. There's some interesting visuals and some scenes are directed pretty decently but the movie runs too long, is way too worried about being weird instead of crafting a tighter film and simply does not manage to pull itself together.

The Audio & Video
Revolver Entertainment's DVD release of HOUSE OF LAST THINGS features a 16x9 anamorphic widescreen transfer that looks quite good. The picture is sharp and features vibrant colors with strong detail levels. The Dolby Digital audio is equally as nice with great clarity and an excellent mix job between dialogue and soundtrack. There's no background noise or damage.

The Extras
None.

The Bottom Line
HOUSE OF LAST THINGS is an effort that shows potential in multiple areas but ends up being a muddy mess of ideas that never come to fruition.

HOUSE OF LAST THINGS is available HERE

Ouija (Blu-ray Review) - Universal Pictures

USA/2014
Directed By: Stiles White
Written By: Juliet Snowden, Stiles White
Starring: Olivia Cooke, Ana Coto, Daren Kagasoff
Color/90 Minutes/PG-13
Region A
Release Date: February 3, 2015

The Film
 Best friends Laine and Debbie have played with Ouija boards since they were little girls. Now as they're getting ready to graduate high school, Debbie uses one alone and is disturbed by what she experiences and attempts to burn the board and planchette. After talking to Laine but not letting her inside Debbie's eyes turn white and she hangs herself.

With the tragic death of their friend lingering over them Laine and four other friends gather at the funeral and later decide to have a seance to attempt to talk to their friend, and make contact with a spirit that calls itself "D". The group stops playing after being spooked but each get a message of "Hi friend" and decide to return to the board as they think it is Debbie communicating with them. Quickly they find that it is not Debbie speaking to them but a malicious spirit with their mouth stitched shut and another named "Mother". One by one the friends begin to suffer similar fates to Debbie as their eyes turn white and are killed in mysterious ways. That is when Laine finds out the truth behind the board they're using, the spirits they've encountered and the living relative to the spirits and that intentions aren't always good. Laine and her sister attempt to end the evil by burning the board with the body of the evil spirits that haunt it.

About an hour in to OUIJA I thought to myself "Why is this rated R?". I quickly realized it wasn't. I have nothing against PG-13 horror films as I feel film makers can achieve a proper level of dread, suspense and horror in that rating if they're creative and skilled enough. Unfortunately OUJIA barely deserves the PG-13 rating. A few spooky looking ghosts or bodies is really all I can see separating it from a lesser rating. The film is bland as can be and plays out like a late 90s Scream clone but instead of being a slasher film it is a supernatural horror film. Exchange a fish hook wielding killer for this nasty spirit and I don't think the comparison is to see.

The characters are boring and paper thin, sure they seem like nice kids but none of them are the least bit interesting. Lin Shaye appears in yet another supernatural horror film and she's becoming more common in these types of films than Troma's Lloyd Kaufman is in Z-grade no budget schlock. I like the woman and think she's a fine actress but it's getting old seeing her in these films. The scare and shock moments of the film are laughable. Check out the dental floss scene and try not to laugh. The others are generic paint-by-numbers junk that was all the rage a decade ago. Are we back to it? I sure hope not.

The Audio & Video
Universal Pictures' Blu-ray of OUIJA is downright beautiful. The anamorphic widescreen 2.40:1 aspect ratio has great clarity and strikingly vivid colors. Detail level is very high in textures and surfaces while skin tones look natural and healthy. Black levels are deep and inky with no blocking or pixelation.  The English audio track is a DTS-HDMA 5.1 mix that sounds excellent. The mix is full and boisterous when it needs to be. Dialogue and score are complimentary of each other and there's no background noise or imperfections to speak of.

The Extras
-"The Spirit Board: An Evolution" (Blu-ray Exclusive) - A brief 4 minute look at the history of spirit boards and their place in our culture.
-"Icon Of The Unkown" (Blu-ray Exclusive) - Another four minutes spent looking at the experiences Ouija board users have had that influenced the film.
-"Adapting The Fear" - How about another four minutes? This time with a look at the cast and crew's opinion on Ouija boards.

The Bottom Line
To put it simply, OUIJA is not a good film. It is boring and mundane in every way and would be hard pressed to get a scare out of even the most novice horror viewer. 

OUIJA is available HERE

Odd Thomas (Blu-ray Review) - Image

USA/2013
Directed By: Stephen Sommers
Written By: Stephen Sommers, Dean Koontz
Starring: Anton Yelchin, Addison Timlin, Willem Dafoe
Color/96 Minutes/Not Rated
Region A
Release Date: March 25, 2014

The Film
Odd is a young man with the power to see dead people along with other supernatural entities. He uses his abilities to help solve paranormal crimes and mysteries. His personality matches his name but his beautiful girlfriend Stormy adores him and they both believe they're destined to be together forever thanks to a 25 cent crystal ball machine. Lately Odd has been seeing an alarming amount of bodachs around, a supernatural monster that appears before a violent and deadly event. Odd begins his investigation with help from Stormy and the town sheriff (Willem Dafoe) to put the pieces of the puzzle together before the tragic event strikes the town and he loses the people closest to him.

ODD THOMAS is based off the novel of the same name by Dean Koontz. I've never read the book but apparently this film is a very faithful adaptation. On top of being a faithful adaptation it is a very entertaining film. Stephen Sommers previously directed the first two Brendan Fraser Mummy films, which I find to be decent popcorn adventure flicks to pass the time on a lazy afternoon. ODD THOMAS ends up being better than that, with it's extremely likeable lead, to the attractive Stormy who you can't help but love for her endless love of Odd and Willem Dafoe's portrayal of the sherriff who has one major love in his life and that is date night. The CGI effects on the Bodachs is quite good, never looking cheap or obvious. The rest of the CGI also has the same level of success. ODD THOMAS ends up being a heartfelt, comical, and well made supernatural adventure flick that works on all the levels it wants to.

The Audio & Video
Image has done a very nice job on this modern supernatural adventure flick. The Blu-ray features a full 1080p HD transfer with a 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen ratio. Detail levels are high and colors are rich and vivid. Skin tones are natural and there is no edge enhancement or DNR that I could notice. The DTS-MA 5.1 English audio track (optional English subs are available) sounds excellent. The mix is full and powerful. A nice job working the sound effects, dialogue and music together to perfection as well. There are no audible hiccups present.

Please note: Images have been taken from DVD copy of the film

The Extras
Unfortunately this disc is bare bones. Some behind the scenes featurettes, a commentary track or even interviews would have been nice from the very likeable cast.

The Bottom Line
Despite the lack of special features I still have no problem recommending this Blu-ray because the film is well made and entertaining on top of a great technical presentation.

ODD THOMAS is available HERE

Lord Of Tears

Recently I was approached by a filmmaker about his soon to be released horror film that is in post production but needs some funding help to finish up the soundtrack and other loose ends. After only a brief discussion with Lawrie Brewster I was immediately aware of his passion for not only his project but creating horror and art on a broader level. And rest assured, this is not a backyard production looking for help so they can burn DVD-Rs on their computer in the basement. No, this is a project filled with talented people that has a gorgeous look to it as is evident in the trailer. The trailer alone is a triumph and is among the most interesting and terrifying I've seen for any horror film in recent memory. This film needs a little bit of help to wrap things up, and I for one had no reservations about posting this to try and spread the word on LORD OF TEARS as I am extremely anxious to check out the final cut. Below is some information and links about the film, thanks for reading.

Links
KICKSTARTER
TRAILER
FACEBOOK
IMDB