Horror sequels are much maligned. Mostly, deservingly so! There’re plenty of reasons to dismiss an arm of exploitation cinema that typically undermines a genuinely original idea by running it into the ground. Witness, for instance, how Freddy Krueger’s oneiric menace was eroded into wisecracking mediocrity by a string of undercooked, underbudgeted imitators. And, yet, many…
Haunted doll Annabelle is a beacon for spirits, so strap in for a whole bunch of ghouls and ghosts once she’s unleashed.
By itself, this is a fairly generic horror film, pairing supernatural parental anxiety with Hispanic myth.
Escape Room is like Cube meets Saw meets Hostel …minus the gratuitous gore.
While I’m not going to argue that The Nun is a good film, I do think that’s its more interesting than its detractors give it credit for.
Annabelle Creation is nothing particularly original, sure, but neither was The Conjuring. What it does deliver is judiciously-executed scares and a pervasive atmosphere of dread.
Trust Mike Flanagan (Oculus, Hush) to turn a flippin’ board game into a good horror film.
James Wan’s haunted house oeuvre is a well-oiled machine. Creaky floorboards and fearsome presences roll off the production line like clockwork; creepy, broken, grandfather clockwork. And, although The Conjuring 2 is bound by formula, when the scares are this good, I’m happy to buckle my seatbelt and enjoy the ride. Wan’s recent good form (Insidious et al) is…
It’s easy to forgive horror films their sins if they’re actually scary. If Annabelle had been a genuinely frightening film, I could’ve happily forgiven its hollow Polanski references – ranging from a host of Rosemary’s Baby quotations to a Charles Manson’s appearance on television. I wouldn’t have had a problem with how it mishandles/abandons its…
The Conjuring feels very old-fashioned. That’s not surprising, given the 1971 setting and accompanying huge sideburns, but (aside from some obvious J-horror influences) this is a film that could have been produced decades ago, with the personality and pacing of classic horror. Director James Wan has commendable patience, slowly developing an ominous atmosphere before breaking…
