Here's to Halloween: Murder Party (Review)

Hey everybody! Before I get into my review of Murder Party I wanted to inform you guys of a new kind of miniseries I will be doing from now until Halloween. As many of you know, this time of year is a favorite for horror geeks like myself and many others. So to celebrate the greatest time of the year I have decided to run a series of posts through October 31 that highlight all sorts of movies that are perfect for the season. What I am calling "Here's to Halloween" will include movie reviews, marathon suggestions, Netflix Pix and more, anything that I can find that will get you into the spirit of Halloween. So pop some popcorn, turn out the lights, carve a pumpkin and get ready for the greatest holiday of the year. First Up: My review for Jeremy Saulnier's Murder Party, an instant new holiday favorite of mine.

Murder Party (2007)

Horror, Comedy

Directed By: Jeremy Saulnier

I was first introduced to the genius of writer/director Jeremy Saulnier when I saw his Indie revenge masterpiece Blue Ruin and instantly fell in love with what he does with film. So when I came across Murder Party on Shudder (a service every horror fan should at least consider) last night and saw his name attached it was an easy decision to hit play. He had crafted such a beautiful revenge thriller in Blue Ruin and I couldn't wait to see his take on horror-comedy. The film does not disappoint as it is an intelligent, dark humor filled, blood ridden ride that will make you wish it were Halloween today.

The film keeps it simple as far as story goes, focusing on a lonely middle aged man who finds a random invitation to a party on Halloween. Despite the cryptic name "Murder Party" he decides to go anyways. He appears to have few friends but a strong love for Halloween, so he crafts together a makeshift suit of armor out of cardboard and heads out to enjoy the holiday. When he arrives at the party and finds only a handful of art students it quickly becomes clear that these people had no intentions of enjoying a good night of partying with this fella. Instead, this group of drugged out, wacky art students are planning to kill him in the name of their craft. Lucky for him, these idiots can't seem to agree on anything and if he can stay alive long enough, he just might survive the night.

With such a ridiculous plot this flick is actually a rather intelligent horror-comedy that operates on a different level than most others like it. Yeah, there are a few blatant laughs that are there to remind you that this is all fun and games but most of the humor throughout the film is quite dark and seriously deadpan, Saulnier wants you to decide when you think it is okay to laugh, this film is only as funny as you will allow it to be and for myself it was hilarious. While poking plenty of fun at the art scene in Brooklyn this film is really pushing a simple lesson: don't trust strangers. Just like your mother told you as a kid and this film is reminding you of the second nature our species has to lie at every chance we get.

This is hardly a film made to teach us lessons though, no, this is a film made to entertain the hell out of us come Halloween (or any other day of the year for horror geeks). The story moves along at a quick pace and once the action starts, it gets bloody. These borderline psychotic artists set the stage for a true murder party that goes every which way besides the one they planned. Using a bunch of unknown actors Saulnier pulled great performances out of them all with Macon Blair (Blue Ruin) being the only familiar face in the bunch. They each create the personas of their respective characters and in turn shape the film into the madness we see on screen.

Murder Party is exactly what horror audiences want to see from a Halloween time movie. It embodies the atmosphere of the holiday and gets us all excited to dress up come the 31st. Rather than aiming to be the midnight film that scares the teens, this succeeds at being a film you can watch at any time and enjoy with a good pumpkin beer. Even with all the blood, guts, and violent death it is hard to feel anything more than excitement for Halloween while watching this. If you are a Shudder subscriber I suggest checking this one out ASAP and for those who aren't, track down a copy because it is definitely worth your time.

As always, thanks for reading and I am Zach Who Watches Movies. You can find me anytime on twitter @ZachWWMovies, smell ya later!

MOVIE REVIEW: Turbo Kid (2015)

Turbo Kid (2015)

Action, Sci-Fi

Directed By: Francois Simard, Anouk & Yoann-Karl Whissel

Plenty of films nowadays try to recapture the look and feel of our favorite late seventies and eighties genre films. We have film geeks making films that pay homage and respect to the pictures that birthed their love of the medium and we all know how much humanity loves feeling nostalgia. However, as much as these filmmakers love to make a modern film that looks or feels like it could have been from the past, so few actually try to make an eighties film in the modern age. Well, Francois Simard, Anouk Whissel, and Yoann-Karl Whissel set out to do just that with their new film Turbo Kid, and they have succeeded. This not only feels like a classic genre film, it is a classic genre film, and a highly entertaining one at that.

With clear influence from renowned directors like John Carpenter and George Miller, this film is set in the post-apocalyptic world of 1997. Much like in most movies of this nature from the eighties, humanity does not make it into the 21st century before plunging their world into chaos and death. The film establishes global warming and acid rain as the cause for the downfall of humanity and makes it clear that water is now the prized treasure of the world. The film focuses on The Kid (Munro Chambers), a lonely teenage boy who has been surviving in the waste lands since his parents were killed. He captures deformed rats and collects garbage to barter for water and goods with the locals, he spends his free time reading old Turbo Rider comics and fantasizing of a better world.

The Kids life is instantly changed however when a mysterious girl named Apple (Laurence LeBoeuf) forces her way into his life. Despite her eccentric personality and in-your-face attitude, he finds himself attached to her rather fast. So when she is taken by local thugs he vows to do whatever he can to get her back. With the help of an arm wrestling champ (Aaron Jeffrey) and a high tech suit he found in an abandoned plane, it may actually be possible too. Zeus (Michael Ironside) runs the land with his army of malicious goons and it is now up to them to try and bring peace to the land once and for all. The story is wacky, the costumes are out of this world, and the action is gory as all hell, making this the perfect genre flick.

The film sets the tone immediately as we watch The Kid scavenge the lands for anything worthwhile, with a killer 80's track that sounds like it was lifted from a John Carpenter movie playing in the background. The filmmakers are telling us right out of the gate what we are going to get as we watch The Kid traverse the barren lands on nothing more than a cruddy BMX bike, the preferred vehicle of this apocalypse. These guys didn't want to remind you of the films you loved as a kid, they wanted you to relive them. Turbo Kid looks, feels, and is a movie from the past that will do so much more than remind you of the good ol' days. This movie is proof that just because we live in a world of gorgeous VFX and big budget blockbusters that a movie can't be made the old fashioned way. With fantastic practical effects, buckets of blood, amazing costume design and a plot that feels like an extension of George Miller's brain this film transcends time.

This is a movie set in 1997, released in 2015 that appears to be from the 80's and for this to be possible they needed a lot to go right. Starting with the art direction, set design, and special effects, without these this film is just another wannabe throwback that cashes in a generation of nostalgia. Thankfully that is not the case here as they nailed the look and feel of this flick. The set and costume design lay out the tone of the film in a blatant manner with guys and girls dressed in ridiculous get-ups with even more ridiculous attitudes. They look like a cartoonish version of the characters of The Road Warrior, the outfits tend to match the true personality of the people wearing them. This all complimented by the gallons of blood spilled throughout the film, often times when you are least expecting it. When blood is shed, things get messy and no one in this world is stopping to say they are sorry.

To bring all of these wonderful visuals together and give them purpose the world needed to be populated with memorable characters and actor performances. Turbo kid uses a great cast to do just this with impressive outings from Munro Chambers, Laurence LeBoeuf, Michael Ironside, and Aaron Jeffrey. Although these are mostly undiscovered and up and coming actors you may recognize Michael Ironside who is a veteran of the eighties genre scene portraying roles in such classic films as Total Recall and Starship Troopers. His presence as Zeus adds a layer of familiarity to the film that reminds you what kind of movie this is supposed to be.

Making a movie like this takes some serious brass, it could have easily turned into a flop B-movie that no one would care about but instead they have created one of the cooler films of 2015 so far. Rather than play with our nostalgia and love for the past they created a film that is from a time that movie geeks claim can never be recaptured thus proving them all wrong. Turbo Kid shows us that if a filmmaker desires to do so, they can make a film the old school way and be rewarded for doing so. You can find this movie streaming on all major VOD outlets and in select theaters. I had to rent it but if you have the opportunity to see this on the big screen take advantage. This is a one of a kind film nowadays and it deserves every ounce of respect it has been getting. 

As always, thanks for reading and I am Zach Who Watches Movies. You can find me anytime on twitter @ZachWWMovies, smell ya later!

Netflix Pix #4

Hey everybody! I took most of last week off as I moved into my new place and enjoyed a nice little vacation from life in general. Well the honeymoon is over kids and it's time for me to get back to work. What better way to do so than with a new Netflix Pix, it is Monday after all. This week has a rather interesting new release, the newest film from one time all-star director M. Night Shyamalan, The Visit hits theaters Friday and some of us are hoping it’s a return to the Unbreakable days. The film appears to be going back to his small budget roots as it is sort of found-footage film about two kids who spend a weekend with their grandparents. It is low budget and looks to focus much more on story and character development than any of his most recent flops have.

In honor of the release of this on Friday I went through and highlighted five highly intense thrillers, all streaming on Netflix, that are perfect to get you in the mood for the weekend movies. The five films range rather widely in both theme, tone, and even language but be sure that each and every one of them will keep your gripping the edge of the seat until the credits role. So grab a drink, pop some popcorn and open up your Netflix queue because at least one of these is sure to hook you.

Welcome to Woodsboro: Why Scream is the Greatest Horror Franchise of All-Time

As we all know by now, this Sunday horror legend Wes Craven passed away at the age of 76 and with it the genre community was left with a giant void. Losing him felt like losing my favorite uncle, you know, the one who would always come over with a twelve pack of your favorite pop and a movie your parents would never let you watch under their own supervision. Rather than mourn his passing however, I have been celebrating his life by going through his filmography and watching whatever I can get my hands on. The Last House on the Left is absolutely brutal and A Nightmare on Elm Street changed horror cinema but it was while I was watching through the Scream series for the hundredth time that I realized what he had actually done. After going out in 1984 and kick starting one of the most popular and profitable franchises of all-time he went on to do it again, and better.

Forget Haddonfield, forget Elm Street, forget camp Crystal Lake, Woodsboro is the setting of the greatest horror franchise of all-time. Not to detract from any of the other three, the Halloween franchise is one I completely adore and the other two have popularized the genre, but the Scream franchise is the only series to come out and deliver on every single movie. Yeah, it may only be four films while the others make it into double digits, but these four films define a generation of horror. Not only that, but Craven himself directed all four films, something he wouldn't do with the Elm Street franchise, and because of that the movies grow off of each other and keep a clear narrative throughout.

The series follows Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) as her family history, and poor choice of friends and significant others send her down a rabbit hole of sadistic, psychopathic murder sprees enacted by a mysterious killer in a ghostface mask. Each movie the motive becomes more elaborate and insane, and each time Sidney is the center of the killers plot. Take down all of her friends and family in the area and then turn the knife on her. No matter where she goes she can't escape her past and through four different movies you never once question how these horrible events could happen to one person, over and over again.

The franchise's success stems directly from the star Neve Campbell as Sidney. Unlike any other horror series, this one keeps her on for all four installments. The easiest way to keep your audience invested and attached to the movies is to keep the original star in it as long as possible. This has proven true for both the Elm Street and Halloween franchises as the most successful films have brought back Jamie Lee Curtis and Heather Langenkamp. Neve Campbell's presence as Sidney throughout all of the films gives audiences a familiarity to the other movies and allows for some carry-over story from the past, which would become crucial for future stories.

Aside from Sidney, Craven keeps just enough consistency throughout to root it in the original world while continuing to expand the universe with each new film. The addition of Deputy Dewey (David Arquette) and Gale Weathers (Courtney Cox) in each as the "killed but not really" characters keeps the audience thinking of the original masterpiece even when watching a sequel. He also builds off of the previous storylines to keep it calling back to where it all began. Even when the movies leave Woodsboro they still feel like they are in Woodsboro, whether it be the set design or bringing in character with connections to the past, it all fits together somehow. This is the rare horror franchise that takes the time to keep continuity in line and it does it in a wonderful way.

They key to it all though is Ghostface, and through four films the man (or woman) behind the mask(s) is always as human as possible.  This is huge, while the other big horror series tend to have supernatural and inhuman killers Scream opts for something as simple as a man in a mask. Halloween began like this but by the end of the second film Michael Myers had exceeded the boundaries of human existence and became a literal monster. Ghostface is always a human, whether it's a single killer or multiple working together, it is always apparent that whoever is wearing the mask is as real as the people they are killing.

This is what makes these movies terrifying, even with all of the meta/self-aware humor poured on throughout. As a kid, I found the humanity of the killer to be a bit silly as I was used to a more supernatural threat as in most other movies of this nature. When Ghostface was falling over chairs or fumbling with the knife I thought it was cheap but as I have grown and watched this films over and over I have comes to actually love that aspect of the film. Seeing Ghostface fall over himself or miss a strike with his knife and fall through a window reminds you that this isn't some force of the supernatural coming after you but a human with a hunting knife who simply just snapped. These movies have a reality to them that is terribly unsettling and much like Elm Street, it brought that terror into the suburban homes of millions of people.

Most of the time a great film is judged over time by its ability to transcend its decade and feel relevant no matter when you watch. Scream is the rare instance when the exact opposite of this is just what is needed. This franchise serves as a time capsule that defines an entire generation of movie geeks. Wes Cravens use of meta self-awareness and social commentary create a movie world where the geeks at home who live for this kind of entertainment (like me!) can sit back and feel good knowing that they aren't the only ones around who feels the way they do about this amazing art form.

The fact that this franchise was able to keep Craven, Campbell, and the enormous fandom coming back film after film just shows how amazing the franchise truly is. Instead of shooting for a quick cash grab with the sequels they kept setting out to make quality films and after four of them they never failed. Scream 1-4 are all well-made, thoroughly entertaining and truly scary movies that remind us why we love this genre in the first place.

You are lucky to find four good films within the pantheon of Freddy Krueger, Jason Voorhees, or Michael Myers movies yet Ghostface managed to bring the pain all four times. Am I saying that Scream is better than the original Halloween or A Nightmare on Elm Street? Not necessarily but when looking at the franchises as a whole it is clear that no other keeps the success and quality that Wes Craven kept with Scream. I find it fitting that the final directing credit to Craven's name is the final of four Scream films, capping off an incredible career of genre filmmaking. Most filmmakers would be lucky to make one film as good as any of the four in this franchise, for Wes it just seemed like another day on the job.

 

As always, thanks for reading and I am Zach Who Watches Movies. You can find me anytime on twitter @ZachWWMovies, smell ya later!

Thank You For Scaring the Hell Out Me, Mr. Craven

As many of you already know, a few nights ago the horror community was dealt a great blow. Sunday evening genre legend Wes Craven passed away after a hard fought battle with brain cancer. He left behind with him a cache of movies that have not only influenced, but consistently changed the way we make and view horror cinema. There are few filmmakers who possess the talent to so radically chang the way something is perceived and Mr. Craven has done it multiple times throughout his career

Right out of the gate he turned heads by making one of the most brutal and unforgiving horror movies I have ever seen, The Last House on the Left. As a vicious rape/revenge story this movie is not easy to watch, and it isn't meant to be. Craven showed from the first step that he had the power to terrify his audience and he would continue to do so for over forty years. He then went on to create not only one of the most successful movie franchises but also one of, if not the, most iconic movie villains of all-time. In 1984 his most successful and influential film, A Nightmare on Elm Street, rocked the movie world and forever changed the landscape of horror movies. His mangled dream slaying monster, known to the world as Freddy Krueger invaded the dreams of the young and old and left a lasting impression on multiple generations. 

The franchise would go on to make way too many movies, but in 1994 Craven returned to the world he created and notched the first step in his next transformation of the genre. New Nightmare took a known brand and turned it on its head when he had Krueger leave the screen and enter the "real world". This was the first time he would implement his "meta" form of filmmaking and add a new level of creativity to the genre. He would hone this skill to the best of his abilities in 1996 however, with the release of Scream. The meta, self-aware, tongue-in-cheek, yet still scary as hell movie was a phenomenon. When this movie was released it took over the world; you couldn't walk into a Wal-Mart for half a decade without seeing a Ghostface mask within twenty feet of you. His inventive and clever new style of filmmaking would go on to change and influence the genre to this day. In fact, the last Director's credit the legend is credited for is Scream 4, the final film of the series.

 With a career like that it is no wonder there are thousands of articles pouring out all over the internet from people offering their condolences and sharing why this man was such a huge part of their lives. For me, his movies were a crucial component of my ever growing love and passion for the genre. As a kid, I couldn't watch horror movies. I just could not handle them, I did not have a lot of nerves and was not much of a fan of being scared. It was when I first saw Scream and other movies like it that I began to realize that there is so much to enjoy and love with this genre. Craven's work made me realize that it wasn't just about being scared, it's about why you are scared and what that fear does to you. This film had a direct impact on me and would push me head first into the genre I know call my favorite.

Since then, as it has been nearly twenty years since the release of the first Scream film, I have slowly been making my way through his filmography and have continued to be impressed with the work he did. Even some of his lesser, more unique films like The Serpent & the Rainbow or The People Under the Stairs have their own type of brilliance and charm to them. If you want to know where something is going, you have to look back at where it has been and if you look back on Wes Craven's entire career it's clear just how much his work influenced the entire horror genre and helped shape it into what it is now.

There are only so many people who understand the genre this well and are able to manipulate it in the ways he had done. He was like a father to the modern age of horror filmmakers and film geeks, all of whom praise some aspect of his prolific career and we are now sadly without him. He found a way to tap into the collective conscience of the world and literally scare the hell out of us all through multiple films. He is responsible for two of the most successful franchises of all-time and with them, two of the most iconic killers of all-time. Through Freddy Krueger and Ghostface his legacy and his name will live on for generations.

Artists have the ability to emotionally touch their audiences through their work without ever meeting them, this is an incredible ability. Wes Craven became a figurative family member to horror fanatics and after hearing some personal stories from people who have met him, this is no surprise. For someone who could create some of the most twisted and terrifying horror movies he was clearly the kindest person. From what I have read he was never afraid to engage a fan or chat up a film writer, he loved the world he lived in and the people who supported him. I may have never got the chance to meet him myself, but I feel like I've been able to pick his brain just enough through his incredible body of work.

So instead of mourning his loss this week, let's celebrate his life by watching and consuming as much of his work as possible. Watch the Scream or Elm Street series, pop in Scream Factory's new blu-ray release of The People Under the Stairs. Whatever it is that you want to do to honor this man's life, do it. It is weird to think we are now living in a post-Wes Craven world and as sad as that sounds, we will always have his movies to keep him alive. Thank you, Mr. Craven for scaring the hell out of me all of these years and for helping shape me into the person I am today. For that, I am forever grateful to you and your incredible work.

As always, thanks for reading and I am Zach Who Watches Movies. You can find me anytime on twitter @ZachWWMovies, smell ya later!