Child's Play (1988)

Child’s Play (1988)

7/10

Starring
Catherine Hicks
Chris Sarandon
Alex Vincent
Brad Dourif

Directed by Tom Holland

To be honest watching Chucky in 2011, still made me shiver. This is one of the best movies we loved back in the 80s, and it was just a cult classic. A magnificent movie about a serial killer's soul getting trapped into a doll. The doll then goes on a killing spree, which involved a young child named Andy.

I'm going to take my time here to discuss the comparison between this Child's Play movie and the rest.

Here is one of the best and only few movies about inanimate objects becoming killers, that is enjoyable.

The movie starts with a serial killer named Charles Lee Ray being chased by a detective. Charles gets shot and still manages to escape to a warehouse. Coming to the understanding that he is about to die, Charles transfers his soul into a Good Guys doll there in the warehouse, using some sort of vodou spell.

A widow named Karen buys a doll from a peddler, as a birthday gift for her six-year-old son Andy. That so happens to be the doll that has Charles' soul.

Charles, still has some set plans for himself, and killing was still something he liked, he killed Karen's best friend who came to babysit Andy, and then started to hurt/hunt Andy and his mother.

What makes Child’s Play 1 better than the rest before the 2013 Curse of Chucky?

The screenplay, when watching a movie especially a horror movie about a Serial killing Doll, the screen play has to be exceptional.

Because I can’t be walking around and a doll will jump me or over power me.

So the screenplay in Child’s Play 1 had scenes were the dolls action’s (although not possible) but were probable. You'd feel, ‘it could happen’ if there was a serial killing doll that was super fast. But the other Child’s Play movies had scenes that were neither possible nor probable.

For example, In Child’s Play 2 there was a scene were Andy tied up to a bed both arms and legs. This was done while Andy was sleeping. So either Andy was a deep sleeper or Chucky has some supernatural muscular strength and with four arms. Or when Chucky used his super muscular arms to knocks him out with the back of a knife.

The director, the second reason why this Chucky is better than the rest is the director, Tom Holland who was also part responsible for the writing and the screenplay. This was the first and only Chucky movie he was involved in. Tom Holland was also responsible for the masterpiece Fright Night which came out 3 years before Chucky.

The movie does put you at the edge of your sit, and makes you feel young again.

The casting of the movie is probably not possibly the reason why this movie is great to see again.

Alex Vincent, who played Andy, acted marvelously well, as his portrayal of a child hunted by a killer doll was intriguing. The fear, the excitement, and the facial expressions were so well done and I believe that all the teen idols of this time need to go learn this.

I even liked his one liner when he had to roast Chucky.

Chucky: Andy, No we are friends to the end, remember

Andy: This is the end, friend!.

Go see Child’s Play 1 if you haven’t seen it and go see it again if you have.

Fright Night (1985)

Fright Night (1985)

7/10

Starring
Chris Sarandon
William Ragsdale
Amanda Bearse
Roddy McDowall


Directed by Tom Holland



Watching Fright Night (1985) alongside Fright Night (2011) (only a day apart), may not be the best way to review the movie. But I must say Fright Night (1985) is a good movie, although it has so much loose strings in the plot, and the CGI not anywhere near what we see now, but yet still I give Kudos to the makers.

The Acting was far much better than Fright Night (2011), but the plot in the later version is much more precise and straight. The Visual Effect was not masterful but it was good, there was a scene where Peter Vincent (Roddy McDowall) killed Ed (Stephen Geoffreys) the visual effect in the transformation was nicely done, as the Camera was changing focus during the transformation, will make you appreciate the 80s.

The plot of the movie is a little like its remake, Charley Brewster (William Ragsdale) has a feeling something funny is leaving next door. He started observing his neighbor and he discovers that a fanged creature is leaving next door. When he expresses his thoughts about the fanged new neighbor Jerry Dandridge (Chris Sarandon) to the police, he was laughed at. But upon telling his girlfriend, Amy (Amanda Bearse) she believes he is avoiding their relationship issues by making up stories. His best buddy Ed thinks his gone bananas and his single mom thinks Dandridge (Chris Sarandon) could be a potential boyfriend.

I really appreciate the work done by the editor and the cinematographer, making this movie look captivating and the horror scenes engaging that even 26 years later the movie is still interesting to watch and not a mediocre that is only good to watch when in the 80s.

The director Tom Holland (who also directed and wrote the first Child’s Play: Chucky in 1988) who was also the writer put this all together, the thing about when a writer directs his own film is what you get in the end will be what he had in his head. Roddy McDowall won a Saturn Award for best supporting actor that year and the movie won best horror film that year. The movie came out same year and same time with Nightmare on Elm’s street 2: Freddy’s Revenge.

This movie was a critical masterpiece with a Rotten Tomatoes score of 93%, higher than its remake.

All i can say is that movie lovers should go watch this horror flick don't mind the time it was made, it is a classic horror movie that has aged well. The acting is top-notch and the drama gets you glued from the start to the finish.

Fright Night (2011)

FRIGHT NIGHT (2011)

7/10

Starring

Anton Yelchin
Colin Farrell
David Tennant
Imogen Poots
Toni Collette
Christopher Mintz-Plasse


Directed by Craig Gillespie



Fright Night is Dark Night.

This is a remake of the 1985 movie of the same name and it is exceptionally good. This is the second Colin Farrell lead role movie that I enjoyed first being Phone Booth (2002).
This is a movie to go see this weekend with your girl by your side.

With a mix of comic thrill, horror and fantasy, fright night is well packed. This movie is what the Twilight Series is meant to be, removing the melodrama and the watered down life of the underworld which Twilight brings.
Fright Night displays Colin at his best, as we first see him play Jerry as a boring obvious vampire neighbor and in minutes turn to Jerry the sneaky odd  neighbor then to a CGI shark teeth creature, who won’t die easily.

The movie plot has Charlie, a young adult feeling cool with his life right now. He hangs with the famous crowd and has a hot girlfriend. Things start to turn upside down when old time friend Ed, starts to call Charlie that they need to go investigate the missing students. It gets more awkward when Ed further suggest they investigate his theory that there is something odd about his neighbor, Jerry.

Can’t say more than this not to spoil the fun for you so go watch it and be amazed at the fun you’ll have.

The director Craig Gillespie (Lars and the Real Girl) and writer Marti Noxon (Buffy the Vampire Slayer), did a good job by not letting the movie turn to a mockery, since horror movies which tend to infuse comedy in it always end up looking lost.
This is a firm upgrade for Marti as she is use to the writing material thanks to Buffy the WHACK! Vampire Slayer, she made the movie dark just how a vampire movie should be.

No one can help but love the two lead cast Colin Farrell and David Tennant (the 10th version of Doctor Who), they delivered wondrous performances, with the later having to act an alcoholic magician with some vampire issues. Like all good movies come, Fright Night doesn't slack in adding its own twists that just keep a smile on your face.

The CGI was graceful, and dialogue unique.

The movie displays fun face-offs between the leads, and the CGI in the movie is well grafted into it.
The movie is a good upgrade to its 1985 version in every way, and it showcases fun scenes that are both funny and scary.
If you are like me and don’t find horror flicks interesting, then this may rejuvenate your thinking.

Final Destination 5 (2011)

Final Destination 5

4/10

 

Starring
Nicholas D'Agosto
Emma Bell
Miles Fisher
Arlen Escarpeta
 

Directed by Steven Quale

 

Based on the same storyline as the previous prequels, Final Destination 5 adds nothing new to the already known tale of:

“Death’s revenge on the ones that made it.”

This movie coins the phrase “you’ve seen one, you’ve seen it all,” although the writers were more creative with the death scenes—more likely, the plot that leads to the death scenes. Still, Final Destination 5 lacks creativity and is all too predictable.

All other Final Destination movies (except Final Destination 2) always have a tragic end where death wins—including this one—giving us the idea that you can run as much as you want, but death is still gonna catch ya.

For me, if I get a premonition I’m about to die, I guess I’ll do the same as our leads and try to make a getaway.

Hey!

Why not prolong the inevitable?

Horror movies get to go on and on, like SAW, but I guess Final Destination was made for those who are mentally OKAY, who just want to see a quick, painless death, rather than the more gory, torture-to-death path that SAW provides. The acting in this movie was not bad, at least I give it that, the actors made it a lot easier for me to get through the predictability of the film.

Our main character here is Sam, who works at a paper company and was heading on a company retreat with his fellow co-workers. While on the bus, he has a premonition about the death of everyone in the bus on Vancouver’s Lions Gate Bridge. He sees his colleagues killed in the most horrific ways as they try to escape the collapsing bridge. Upon waking up and seeing events unfold just as in his dream, he causes a scene, gets off the bus, and takes his girlfriend with him. He’s chased by his best friend and his girl, then tagged along by a serious Black dude, the office perv, a discount pornstar, and someone who looks like they’d rather be grading papers.

The incident happens just as he saw it, but the lucky eight escape—and we then watch as death starts to take them out one by one.

One thing the director did well is the tease, he teases you each time you’re watching a death scene. You start to guess what exactly is going to send these characters to the next realm. As you’re watching, you see fire burning here, needles sticking out there, a screw loose somewhere, and you just can’t figure out which one’s going to do the deed. I give the movie that, even though the entire idea is predictable, the way the people died, was not, and that made the movie at least watchable for that reason.

Written by Eric Heisserer—who worked on A Nightmare on Elm Street remake, he adds a twist, the movie ends in a way, bring us back to how all these started.

The movie in total is enjoyable, but not the best movie you can see out there, and it can be missed and you will not feel like you have missed out on anything.