Posts Tagged ‘thriller’
Beneath the Darkness: Review
Starring Dennis Quaid, a group of high school students hear rumors about the “creepy mortician” in the neighborhood and decide to pay him a visit. What they find is a disturbing sight. After bring confronted and escaping the house of the mortician they are now his targets. He starts terrorizing the kids for what they saw and determined to silence them one by one.
This is one of those “under the radar” kind of movies. You know, the ones that make you say “Hmmm, well that sounds intriguing”. It was interesting to see Dennis Quaid in a role such as this. It’s huge departure from what he has played in the past and to be honest it kind of suits him well. I don’t think I’ve seen any of his work quite like this. The story could’ve used some work though. It has a good premise but I kept waiting for the big moment and it just never happened. Certain scenes had good build up and just as soon as I thought a good scare was coming it kind of fell flat. One of the only parts that made me feel creeped out was a buried alive scene. I don’t think I need to say why, it pretty much speaks for itself. Basically, this film had the inner workings of being pretty damn good but just missed the mark. It wasn’t completely horrible but most likely something I wouldn’t watch again.
The Thing (2011): Review
This film tells what happens that leads up to the events of the 1982 film “John Carpenter’s The Thing”. A Norwegian research team stumble upon a spaceship and an extraterrestrial being out in the Antarctic snow. They return back to base with “The Thing” (frozen in a block of ice) and call on Paleontologist Kate Lloyd (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) to examine the recent find. While celebrating their discovery it breaks out and wreaks havoc on the crew. It isn’t until after their first encounter with the creature that they realize it kills its prey and replicates its body, hiding itself in plain sight.
There’s something about this flick thats a bit more disturbing than the 1982 sequel. I don’t know exactly what it is but I think alot of it has to do with the advancement of movie effects. The way the creature reveals itself and tears the hosts’ body open on numerous occasions is the key “gross out” factor of this film…..and I loved every minute of it! It says alot when a movie makes me not want to eat or drink anything while I’m watching it. This one does the trick. That, along with the fact that everyone is being questioned and no one can be trusted makes this a great horror/thriller flick. I’m glad that this ended up being a prequel rather than a remake for the simple fact that I remember watching the original so many times and always wondering what happened at the base they stumble upon. They made the gap between the two movies rather seamless and it shows. If you watch both movies back to back (i really suggest you do) and pay close attention to the end of the 2011 version and watch the beginning of the 1982 version, the continuity that is kept at the Norwegian base excellent. From the creature that is out in the snow, down to a simple thing as an ax in a wall. A definite watch if you’re interested in a nice little scare.
The Thing is out on DVD and Blu-Ray 1/31/12
