A Haunted House 2

MPAA/Content  R (AC, SL, N, V)

Distributor Open Road [2014]

Technical  HD 1.85:1

Genres  COM HOR

Runtime  87 mins.

Cntry./Lang.  USA [English]

Budget  $4M

 

CAST

Marlon Wayans, Jaime Pressly, Essence Atkins, Gabriel Iglesias, Missi Pyle, Ashley Rickards, Affion Crockett, Steele Stebbins, Rick Overton, Hayes MacArthur, Dave Sheridan & Cedric the Entertainer

 

CREDITS

Director: Michael Tiddes; Screenwriters/Producers: Marlon Wayans & Rick Alvarez; Director Of Photography: David Ortkiese; Production Designer: Ermanno Di Fabio-Orsini; Editor: Tim Mirkovich; Costume Designer: Ariyela Wald-Cohain; Music Composer: Jesse Voccia

 

THE SYNOPSIS

One year after the terrifying incidents at the home he shared with his possessed girlfriend Kisha (Atkins), Malcolm (Wayans) has moved on—and in—with the lovely Megan, a single mother with daughter, Becky (Rickards) and son, Wyatt (Stebbins)—who has an invisible hoodlum friend named Tony…

Their new home comes complete with a friendly Chicano neighbor & landscaper, Miguel (Iglesias)—who becomes fast friends with Malcolm. So do the demons and ghosts that follow him from Part 1. Sure enough, Malcolm is afflicted by an evil doll named Ashley—whom he sodomizes; Tony and his ghost buddies amp up the paranormal activities while the video cameras roll; the here-to-fore dead Kisha returns (!) and Malcolm finds old film cans in the attic—which reveal some scary stuff. What to do?

Calls to his friend Professor Wilde (Overton) are a waste of time, as the learned man is continually thrown in jail for “Breaking Bad” during constant partying, orgies and drug binges. Desperate, Malcolm enlists the help of his friend, Father Doug (Cedric The Entertainer) and ghost mediums Ned (MacArthur) & Noreen (Pyle) to save Malcolm and his new family. Even his gangbanger cousin Ray-Ray (Crockett) swings on by with his posse—until the paranormal goo hits the fan!

 

THE CRITIQUE

As if 2013’s A Haunted House proved that the “Paranormal Activity” parodies already hit a nadir, then its ill-gotten sequel A HAUNTED HOUSE 2 thumbs its low-rent nose at the movie masses—by being really (really) bad—AND actually getting a theatrical release before heading to that late-night CINEMAX graveyard.

You have to hand it to co-writer/producer/star Marlon Wayans: the guy has some brass cojones for keeping the shtick going and for his willingness to do whatever it takes to wring out a laugh or two. As one of the writing team—the other being producer/scribe Rick Alvarez (A Haunted House)—the movie’s premise is a dull retread of A Haunted House’s dull retread of better horror movies including: the Paranormal Activity series (2009-present), The Possession (2012), Sinister (2012), The Conjuring (2013) and a few others thrown in for good measure.

The third instigator in this motley endeavor is director Michael Tiddes (A Haunted House) who allows his star to run around in shrill histrionic mode without applying the tranquilizer dart guns. While he gets mileage from a game cast (including Jaime Pressly, Hayes MacArthur, Missi Pyle, the amusing Gabriel Iglesias, Cedric The Entertainer and returning Affion Crockett—funny in a stereotypical “gangbanger” way), Tiddes is smart enough to not over-direct a project that relies more on the naturalism of modern, digital cinéma vérité—without actually being cinéma vérité.

Still, even with a game cast—and don’t forget the cameo by a frightened chicken (don’t ask)—A HAUNTED HOUSE 2 is already doomed to failure thanks to a pedestrian screenplay, shameless mugging by its star, a found footage horror sub-genre beaten to death by legitimate ventures and a low budget veneer. It’s sad to see how far these movies have fallen—even more so when you realize that Marlon Wayans was part of the movie series that kicked this whole horror parody cycle: Scary Movie (2000).

If you recall, that one was co-written, directed and produced by Marlon’s older brother Keenan—and the movie is a masterpiece of comedy-horror. In fact, that one and the lesser-but-still decent Scary Movie 2 (2001) were Wayans family affairs that showcased humor, good production values and the common sense when to call it a day (they stopped after Part 2, but others carried on the name in three successfully worsening sequels). What’s missing here is the steady hand of the other Wayanses (and how many of them are there…900?) to balance Marlon out creatively and actor-wise.

Shot in Los Angeles, production values on this tight $4 million (boxofficemojo.com) insult are at least decent. The HD-lensing (via the Sony CineAlta PMW-F55 camera system) was performed by TV cinematographer David Ortkiese—whose small-screen lensing style works well for the subject matter. He is abetted by a smooth cutting schema by rising editor Tim Mirkovich (The Messengers, The Devil Inside) and surprisingly good VFX by company unknown. Nice technical facts for a really dumb movie!

 

THE BOTTOM LINE

A HAUNTED HOUSE 2 proves that stupid movies can still get made even in today’s recession. The tired humor is amplified by writer/producer/star Marlon Wayans’ shrill histrionics—but I do admit that he can be funny…sometimes. This one gives up the ghost quickly, but a game cast goes along with the tomfoolery—so does a crazed chicken. Don’t ask.

 

 

IMDB:                    http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2828996/

Wikipedia:             http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Haunted_House_2

Official Site:          http://ahauntedhouse2film.com

The Quiet Ones

 

MPAA/Content PG-13 [AC, AL, BN, V]

Distributor   Lionsgate [2014]

Technical  HD  1.85:1 1.37:1

Genre  HOR THR

Runtime   98 mins.

Country   UK

Budget  $??M

 

 

CAST

Jared Harris, Sam Claflin, Erin Richards, Rory Fleck-Byrne & Olivia Cooke

 

CREDITS

Director: John Pogue; Screenwriters: Craig Rosenberg, Oren Moverman & John Pogue; based on a screenplay by Tom de Ville; Producers: James Gay-Rees, Simon Oakes, Tobin Armbrust, Steven Chester Prince & Ben Holden; Director Of Photography: Mátyás Erdély; Production Designer: Matthew Gant; Editor: Glenn Garland; Costume Designer: Camille Benda; Music Composer: Lucas Vidal

 

THE SYNOPSIS

The University of Oxford, 1974. Brilliant but arrogant parapsychology professor Dr. Joseph Coupland (Harris) enlists the aid of pupils Krissi (Richards) & boyfriend Harry (Fleck-Byrne) as well as audio-visual cameraman Brian (Claflin)—who is to document everything via 16mm film—to work on a special research project involving a disturbed young woman named Jane Harper (Cooke).

Coupland aims to “cure” her of her purported phantasmagorical possession using untested and potentially groundbreaking protocols. When the University shutters the program, Coupland and his colleagues relocate to a remote, dilapidated estate to continue Jane’s experiments—which include sleep deprivation, psychic evaluation and séances.

Eventually, Jane manifests a poltergeist she calls “Evey”. Then, the hoodoo really hits the fan as Evey makes it known that she is a very angry and violent manifestation. Brian falls for Jane and wants to help her—convinced that Coupland’s methods are hurting her. It all comes to a head one night when Evey goes on a paranormal rampage. No one is left unscathed as the blood runs and the walls burn…

 

THE CRITIQUE

Recalling the type of horror movies Hammer Films used to make between the 1950s-1970s, THE QUIET ONES is a genre movie that makes the noble attempt of creating horror out of spooky locations, bumps in the attic and that very English mannerism of drawing the suspense out until the final Act. Charming. But what may have worked in the days of yore—like the mesmerizing The Uninvited (1944) or the fantastic The Haunting (1963) or the eerie The Legend Of Hell House (1973) or the creepy Ghost Story (1981)—does not really translate to ghost movies of today.

Make no mistake: the atmosphere and restraint of gore is the breath of fresh air prevalent in THE QUIET ONES, Hammer’s newest effort after its 2007 revival—following the scarier (and better) The Woman In Black (2012). This one takes its time to set up the story, characters and mood. Good…but it does so with a rather bland disposition.  Based (or more accurately, inspired) by true events, the movie was originally written by a former actor named Tom de Ville—who based his screenplay on “The Phillip Experiment” (a series of paranormal experiments performed in Toronto, Canada in the 1970s). The true events, though not remotely as violent as its screen progeny, were actually filmed and documented. To read about the experiments and the characters associate with it, click here.

Apparently, the producers felt that the screenplay was lacking, so Aussie scribe Craig Robertson (After The Sunset, The Uninvited [2009], 7500), NYC’s own Oren Moverman (writer/director of The Messenger & Rampart) and Yale University alum John Pogue (U.S. Marshals, The Skulls, Rollerball [2002], Ghost Ship) came in to write other drafts. What the latter two scribes came up with is not bad, as moving the story to England was probably a good idea. Adding that psychosexual triangle involving the patient, the cameraman and the professor surely spiced things up a bit—though the eventual PG-13 rating keeps it rather tame at best.

What dampens the screenplay’s chances of being a really great scare is the destructive third act, where it all goes to flames (literally) and the here-to-fore level-headed and scientific Professor descends into the mad scientist realm—perhaps possessed himself by the malevolent poltergeist? Not really made clear. Neither is the illogical assumption that Coupland’s students Krissi & Harry and Brian the cameraman have nothing else to do in their own lives—like, ya know, go to other classes (for the formers) and shoot audio/visual projects for his employer, the University (for the latter). But hey, I get it: hanging around a possessed scary chick sure has its allure. Believe me, I’ve been down that road before…

THE QUIET ONES is competently directed by the aforementioned John Pogue (Quarantine 2: Terminal)—who employs classic chills rather than gore (and minimal CGI FX) in an attempt to be present a different horror film. Sadly, the result (while commendable) is bland in execution. I bring this up only because recent ghost movies like The Conjuring (2013; directed by horror-meister James Wan) and Sinister (2012; directed by horror-meister Scott Derrickson) were better and scarier movies. The fact that they were also R-rated—as opposed to the PG-13—may explain why.

Let’s face it: horror movies should be R-rated, dammit! But I digress…

The cast does their part to tell the tale—with terrific veteran British actor Jared Harris (son of the late, great actor Richard Harris) leading the small cast of relative unknowns—although Brits Olivia Cooke & Sam Claflin have been getting Stateside exposure recently in A&E’s Bates Motel (Cooke) and the big screen’s The Hunger Games Saga (Claflin), respectively. The Welsh Richards (Open Grave) and Irish Fleck-Byrne (Vampire Academy) barely register beyond being photogenic poltergeist fodder.

Production values for this multi-million dollar affair are rock solid. No production budget has been reported as of yet, but I’ll guestimate that it came in at around $10 million. Regardless, the production makes great use of Oxford University and the surrounding English region of Oxfordshire. The rain and gloomy weather were free, by the way.

Credit the handsome HD-lensing to Hungarian cinematographer Mátyás Erdély (Delta, Miss Bala)—who manages to create strong images (via the ARRI^® ALEXA camera system) in both the high-key lighting schema as well as in the shadows of darkness. As I understand it, the 16mm film sequences were also lensed in HD—and then denigrated via special filters to give the found footage that film-like veneer. Solid. But one question: if you have actor Sam Claflin lugging around a real 16mm camera—why not use the equipment and really film these sequences on film?

Regardless, the found footage and HD movie footage come together seamlessly thanks to Rob Zombie’s regular cutter Glenn Garland (The Devil’s Rejects, the Halloween & Halloween II remakes, The Lords Of Salem). This much I can say: unlike other “found footage” horror movies—like The Blair Witch Project (1999), [REC] (2007), the Paranormal Activity series (2009-present)—THE QUIET ONES does not simply rely on the 16mm footage to tell the story. Garland and his director make a clear distinction between that 16mm footage and the diegetic lensing of the movie itself not only by the use of the aforementioned film filters, but by also (and correctly) shifting the movie’s aspect ratio from 1.85:1 (movie) to 1.37:1 (16mm footage) throughout—and without being overly-jarring in execution. Nicely done!

Production Designer Matthew Gant (an English craftsman known for British TV projects) does a great job for presenting the creepy, dilapidated estate where the main crux of the movie occurs, as does newbie Costume Designer Camille Benda for creating believable period costumes. Spaniard composer Lucas Vidal (The Raven [2012], Fast & Furious 6) creeps us out with an appropriately moody score.

 

THE BOTTOM LINE

THE QUIET ONES presents as an atmospheric yet bland horror entry from the revered & revamped Hammer Films entity. Retro chills accentuate strong production values and bucolic English setting, but ultimately falls short of true horror. You could say that this one doesn’t have a ghost of a chance of gliding itself into the top echelon of its horror sub-genre.

 

 

 

IMDB:                   http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2235779/

Wikipedia:             http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Quiet_Ones_(2014_film)

Official Site:          http://www.thequietonesmovie.com

Carrie (2013)

MPAA/Content R [AC, AL, N, SV]

Distributor Screen Gems

Technical HD 2.35:1

Genres HOR THR

Runtime 99 mins.

Country USA

Budget $30M

 

CAST

Chloë Grace Moretz, Judy Greer, Portia Doubleday, Alex Russell, Gabriella Wilde, Ansel Elgort & Julianne Moore

 

CREDITS

Director: Kimberly Peirce; Screenwriters: Lawrence D. Cohen & Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa; Producers: Kevin Misher; Director Of Photography: Steve Yedlin; Production Designer: Carol Spier; Editors: Lee Percy & Nancy Richardson; Costume Designer: Luis Sequeira; Music Composer: Marco Beltrami

 

THE SYNOPSIS

Maine, years ago.  A religious but disturbed young woman named Margaret White (Moore) gives birth to a girl and intends to kill her.  She doesn’t and raises her instead.  Modern day: daughter Carrie (Moretz) is a shy—but special—girl who’s nearing high school graduation.  Besides having to contend with her disturbed mother at home, the young woman is the victim of school bullies—especially when Carrie experiences her first menstrual cycle during a post-gym class shower.

The other girls, led by the nasty Chris Hargensen (Doubleday) and Sue Snell (Wilde), throw tampons at Carrie and record phone video for internet playback.  The bullies are busted by gym teacher Miss Desjardin (Greer) and punished—ousting Chris from school and the prom when the girl rebels.  Wanting to make real amends, Sue gets her jock (but simpatico) boyfriend Tommy Ross (Elgort) to ask Carrie to the prom—who agrees.

On prom night, Margaret tries to dissuade her from going.  Their confrontation becomes violent as Carrie’s strengthening telekinetic powers puts Mother in her place immediately.  Meanwhile, that nasty Chris and her nastier boyfriend Billy Nolan (Russell) plot revenge on Carrie.  They slaughter a pig and fill a bucket with its blood.  Chris’ friends on the prom committee rejigger the ballots to make Carrie and Tommy prom queen and king.

On stage, Carrie glows with pride…until Chris and Billy cause the bucket to spill on her and Tommy (a nice guy to the end).  The metal bucket lands on Tommy’s head and kills him.  Not realizing the extent of what’s happened, the crowd laughs at Carrie, now covered in pig’s blood.  They laugh no more when Carrie goes on a telekinetic killing spree—sparing almost no one but the benevolent Miss Desjardin and a few lucky kids who manage to escape the gym.

Sue appears, not realizing what has happened—but is spared by Carrie’s wrath.  The same cannot be said for Chris and Billy, who try to run Carrie over with his hot rod.  They die very painfully.  Later, Carrie, zoned out and blood-splattered, heads home to confront her mother—who believes that the Devil has possessed her little girl.  It doesn’t end well…

 

THE CRITIQUE

It seems these days as if every new generation needs their watermark movie—even if that movie is a remake of an already established (and superior) motion picture.  The new CARRIE is no exception.  Based on prolific author Stephen King’s 1974 debut novel, it is a updated retread of its cinematic progenitor, 1976’s Carrie—helmed by the brilliant Brian De Palma and starring the talented Sissy Spacek during her angenieux days.  The long shadow is starting to cast itself…now!

The remake (or “reboot”—a silly moniker that studios are using today to recreate movies that usually don’t need to be) is an ambivalent motion picture with a strong pedigree.  It was co-written by the original film’s screenwriter Lawrence D. Cohen (he also wrote the TV versions of King’s It and The Tommyknockers) and Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa (TV’s Big Love and Glee).  A nice touch to bring in the screenwriter of the original—yet at it is also a curse, because one cannot grab lightning in a bottle twice.

However, the scribes smartly updated the premise to modern times and incorporated the digital technology to further incense Carrie’s bullying—e.g. posting her menstrual freakout on the internet…further intensifying her humiliation beyond the walls and ecosystem of her own high school.  The movie’s downside is that we’ve seen this all before—and with better results by De Palma, et al.  The new screenplay downplays the novel’s—and the original film’s—religious overtones and parallelism of Carrie’s telekinesis with the late onset of puberty in favor of the type of teenage angst one can see on TV’s CW network.  A pity…

CARRIE is competently directed by Kimberley Peirce (Boys Don’t Cry, Stop-Loss), an intelligent and measured filmmaker.  The idea of hiring a female to direct a movie like this makes all the sense in the world…in theory.  Female director, female cast, female problems of puberty, society and maturity—it will make more sense now, right?  Ehh…not so fast!  Working from a mediocre script, Peirce is forced to make changes in the fabric of the story to meet the new plot points.

Her cast of interchangeable actors and actresses also suffer, as they all look alike: clean-cut, wired for technology and either wispy (the girls) or wimpy (the guys).  At least (in the original) Amy Irving, Nancy Allen, John Travolta and William Katt all looked different and had interesting personalities to boot.  Here, I feel like I’m watching the CW network programming…further pissing me off because I’m not as young, trim and handsome as I used to be.  Well, still handsome at least!

I love the casting of Julianne Moore (a lovely and talented actress in her own right) as the religious zealot mother—though she is sadly hampered with an underdeveloped character that neither frightens nor inhibits.  Now, Piper Laurie (as the original Margaret White) scares the crap out of you—because you can surely believe that the cuckoo bitch will indeed knife you to death!  So start prayin’ and get the hell outta Dodge while you’re at it!!

Which brings me to Carrie White herself, Chloë Grace Moretz.  Another talented actress who has done better work in better movies (check her out as the ultraviolent “Hit-Girl” in the popular Kick-Ass movies), Miss Moretz happens to be in the right age bracket to play the character.  However, I feel that she is too young to play Carrie White—why not cast a girl above age since we’re going to be exposed to her budding sexuality…vis-à-vis, telekinetic powers.  Casting a waify, almost-ethereal Spacek (then 26) as Carrie White at least allowed us (the viewer) to indulge in De Palma’s lurid high school girl fantasies (and that is NOT an indictment—De Palma knew how to push our buttons!).

Moretz, bless her heart, is not given the necessary motivational ammo to portray a tortured soul.  And, she too is hampered by a screenplay that quashes her budding telekinesis until Act III…where she goes all X-MEN on everyone.  Why?  More build-up throughout the movie would have solidified Moretz’s performance; more bloodshed (like the original) would have made her performance scarier.

Anyway, at least the production values for this $30 million (boxofficemojo.com) movie—made in Toronto, Canada—are modest across the board.  Using the ARRI ALEXA camera system, the HD-widescreen cinematography, lensed by Steve Yedlin (Brick, Unknown, Looper), is clear and serviceable.  Gone is the soft-focus/creepy look of the original; in its place is a palette designed to darken towards the end, when Carrie goes on her telekinetic rampage.

Smooth editing by veteran cutters Lee Percy (Re-Animator, 54, The Ice Harvest) and Nancy Richardson (Selena, Lords Of Dogtown, Twilight) highlight good production design by David Cronenberg’s favorite designer, Carol Spier (The Dead Zone, Naked Lunch, A History Of Violence) and a lush, underused score by genre composer Marco Beltrami (Scream series, Dracula 2000, World War Z).

My problem with this polished, well-produced, (surprisingly) R-rated vehicle is that it’s not scary!  The original had that ‘70s, otherworldly, organic horror thang brewing under the surface.  It was scary!  Here, the scariest aspect is the effective poster art featuring a close-up of Moretz’s bloodied Carrie White.  That’s what we needed more of in the movie—which was quite bloodless for a horror movie.  In De Palma’s masterpiece, you felt the horror because NO ONE WAS SPARED Carrie’s wrath.

Another thing—and I am certainly not advocating this—is that the bullying felt trite.  In the Carrie of the 1970s, bullying was a serious matter that was largely ignored (believe me, I remember!).  Today, there is a national and societal taboo associated with bullying and its consequences—post Columbine, post-Virginia Tech, et al.  I did not believe for one minute that Carrie’s tormentors were capable of going to the lengths that they’re scripted to.

Again, blame the actors…the scribes…the director?  Yes, they’re all culpable, so burn the gym down flip as many cars as you want.  Then watch the original, because that long shadow has already covered this mediocre remake.  After that—and if you’re in the mood to watch remakes—pop in Marcus Nispel’s scary The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003) and Zack Snyder’s terrific Dawn Of The Dead (2004).  At least those flicks scared you!

 

THE BOTTOM LINE

In terms of remakes, the New Millennium CARRIE neither misses nor hits its mark.  Living in the long shadow of the previous feature film adaptation, this one attempts to update the plot to modern times and norms.  On the plus side, the movie is polished and well-produced with a game cast.  Too bad about that long shadow, though…

 

 

IMDB:                    http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1939659/

Wikipedia:             http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carrie_(2013_film)

Official Site:          http://www.carrie-movie.com/site/

Insidious: Chapter 2

MPAA/Content PG-13 [AC, AL, V]

Distributor FilmDistrict

Technical HD 2.39:1

Genres HOR THR

Runtime 106 mins.

Country USA

Budget $5M

 

CAST

Patrick Wilson, Rose Byrne, Lin Shaye, Ty Simpkins, Steve Coulter, Barbara Hershey, Leigh Whannell, Angus Sampson, Andrew Astor, Danielle Bisutti, Hank Harris, Tom Fitzpatrick & Jocelin Donahue

 

CREDITS

Director: James Wan;  Screenwriters: Leigh Whannell;  Producers: Jason Blum & Oren Peli;  Director Of Photography: John R. Leonetti;  Production Designer: Jennifer Spence;  Editor: Kirk M. Morri;  Costume Designer: Kristin M. Burke;  Music Composer: Joseph Bishara

 

THE SYNOPSIS

Los Angeles, 1986.  Nurse Lorraine Lambert (Hershey) calls upon the help of her medium friend Carl (Harris) and his psychic friend Elise (Shaye) to uncover the basis of her son Josh’s haunting.  After the apparition of an old woman is (temporarily) expunged, the psychics hypnotize Josh into forgetting his astral projection abilities…

Twenty-five years later (and immediately after the horrifying events in Insidious), an adult Josh (Wilson), his wife Renai (Byrne) and their children Dalton (Simpkins), Foster (Astor) & infant daughter Cali have moved in with Lorraine—hoping to rebuild their lives after the supernatural happenings that has claimed the life of her friend Elise.

The police are still investigating and those supernatural happenings are now occurring at Grandma’s house as Josh becomes possessed by the spirit of the scary old woman, Michelle (Bisutti)—who turns out to be the disgruntled specter of a former patient of Lorraine’s named Parker Crane (Fitzpatrick)…a psychotic serial killer who committed suicide back in 1986.  Lorraine enlists the help of Elise’s partner Carl (Coulter) and the dynamic duo of Specs (Whannell) and Tucker (Sampson) as Josh becomes more possessed by Crane’s mother.

Clubbed in the head by Josh/Michelle Crane, Carl ends up in The Further (the phantasmagorical realm of the dead/undead) and comes upon the real Josh, who is being guided by Elise’s benevolent spirit.  Together, they must combat Crane and his mother to save the Lambert family from unspeakable Evil…

 

THE CRITIQUE

Sequels to horror movies are inevitable as death and taxes (and another New York Giants Super Bowl win…hope, hope!)—so the fact that a sequel to the rather excellent Insidious (2011) has been produced and released was not surprising.  What is surprising however, is how well-crafted INSIDIOUS: CHAPTER 2 is on all levels.  I credit much of this to the solid production infrastructure led by the new Millennium’s current It-Horror Franchise Producers Jason Blum & Oren Peli (both of the Paranormal Activity series) as an example of successful & stable pedigree.

Directed with typical flair by genre veteran James Wan (Saw, Dead Silence, Insidious, The Conjuring) and written by series scribe Leigh Whannell (Saw I-III, Insidious, Dead Silence)—both of whom are college buddies from Australia, by the way—this sequel supersedes others by preserving the linear spine of the overall story and using alternate perspectives to fill in (or answer) several plot points in the original movie.  This concept impregnates INSIDIOUS: CHAPTER 2 with more heft in terms of story structure and continuity.  Nicely done, mates!

The returning cast of thespians keeps the continuity of the Insidious-verse intact—with veteran actors Barbara Hershey, Steve Coulter & Lin Shaye getting the best characterizations.  It is interesting to note how the roles of leads Patrick Wilson (Josh) and Rose Byrne (Renai) reciprocate in this sequel—with the former (now dangerously possessed), becomes less reactive…while the latter evolves into a more aggressive protector of hearth & home.  I love tough mommas!

Production values for this $5 million production (boxofficemojo.com)—shot entirely in California—are top-shelf.

The movie was shot in HD using the ubiquitous ARRI^® Alexa camera system—and again, while not a fan of digital photography (especially for genre movies), I will concede that veteran cinematographer John R. Leonetti (The Mask, Mortal Kombat, The Scorpion King) lenses the proceedings nicely with a widescreen palette chock full of shadows and eerie blue filters.  Of note, he also shot James Wan’s Dead Silence (2007), Insidious (2011) & The Conjuring (2013).

Production designer Jennifer Spence (Paranormal Activity 2-4) does a bang-up job of creating naturalistic sets within real locations: such as the use of a grand Victorian house in Northeast Los Angeles—as well as the closed Linda Vista Community Hospital (a dormant, yet oft-utilized structure in movies); and creation (and expansion) of the eerie realm of The Further, personified by darkness, fog and seemingly-infinite space.

Rounding out the kudos, veteran editor Kirk M. Morri (2006’s Pulse, Insidious, The Conjuring) gets a shout-out for some sharp cutting and strong continuity schema with the original (as aforementioned in the scripting) while veteran composer Joseph Bishara (Pulse, Insidious, The Conjuring) creates a very creepy score to go along with costume designer Kristin M. Burke’s (Paranormal Activity 2, Insidious, The Conjuring) appropriately creepy costuming of the restless specters.

All told, this creepy sequel holds up to its hit predecessor in all facets—even in spite of its genre-repelling PG-13 rating.  The use of the same talented cast & artisans in this series is the key to INSIDIOUS: CHAPTER 2’s solid mise-en-scene.  So are the terrific phantasmagorical SFX (both physical and digital) that were utilized in Part I.  Going forward, there’s a ghost of a chance for an Insidious three-peat!

THE BOTTOM LINE

INSIDIOUS: CHAPTER 2 contains more of the same horrors and revelations as its predecessor.  However, this movie—done on a low budget—still manages to fulfill its genre prerequisites with style.  Nifty production values and its pedigree cast/crew make the second go-around a frightfully fun affair.  Watch out for those red doors!

IMDB:                   http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2226417/

Wikipedia:             http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insidious:_Chapter_2

Official Site:          http://www.insidiousch2.com

You’re Next

MPAA/Content R [AC, AL, GV]

Distributor Lionsgate

Technical HD 2.35:1

Genres HOR THR

Runtime 94 mins.

Country USA

Budget $1M

 

CAST

Sharni Vinson, Nicholas Tucci, Wendy Glenn, A.J. Bowen, Joe Swanberg, Sarah Myers, Amy Seimetz, Ti West, Rob Moran, Barbara Crampton, L.C. Holt, Simon Barrett & Lane Hughes

 

CREDITS

Director/Editor: Adam Wingard; Screenwriter: Simon Barrett; Producers: Keith Calder, Jessica Wu, Simon Barrett & Kim Sherman; Director Of Photography: Andrew D. Palermo; Production Designer: Thomas S. Hammock; Costume Designer: Emma Potter; Music Composers: Jasper Justice Lee, Kyle McKinnon, Mads Heldtberg & Adam Wingard

 

THE SYNOPSIS

An older man and a younger woman make love in a large, post-modern home in a remote area of rolling hills and forests.  Afterwards, they are both ruthlessly murdered by three animal-masked intruders: Lamb Mask (Holt), Tiger Mask (Barrett) & Fox Mask (Hughes).

The next day—and next door (read: about a mile away)—wealthy couple Paul (Moran) and Aubrey (Crampton) Davison arrive at their vacation Tudor-style mansion in celebration of their wedding anniversary.  Waiting for them is their middle son, college professor Crispian (Bowen) and his lovely Aussie girlfriend, Erin (Vinson)—a former student and teaching assistant.

The day after, the other siblings arrive: antagonistic oldest son Drake (Swanberg) and his distant wife Kelly (Myers); kindly daughter Aimee (Seimetz) and her pretentious filmmaker boyfriend Tariq (West); and disinterested youngest son Felix (Tucci) and his goth girlfriend Zee (Glenn).  Old tensions rise up as the day progresses into night and as dinner is served.

Suddenly, all bets are off when an arrow finds its way into Tariq’s head and he goes down.  More arrows shatter the windows as the Davisons and company are shot at.  Drake is injured protecting his mother and Aimee loses her head (at the neck) to strung-up piano wire when she runs out the door to get help. The cell phones are down as the intruders are using a signal jammer.  Now what?!

Crispian manages to get away—promising to return with the authorities.  Erin proves her mettle by beating away Tiger Mask with dexterity and galvanizing the remaining people into survival mode.  Having gone upstairs to rest, Aubrey is murdered in her own bedroom by Fox Mask—who has been hiding indoors all along.  Kelly makes a run for the aforementioned neighbor’s home—but is murdered by the waiting Lamb Mask for her troubles.

Back at Murder Central, Paul is murdered by Fox Mask in the presence of Felix and Zoe—the former being the architect of this murderous rampage in an effort to reap the financial rewards of the inheritance.  Downstairs, Erin kills Tiger Mask (Lamb Mask’s younger brother, by the way) to protect the injured Drake.  Turns out—and unbeknownst even to Crispian—that Erin was raised in a survival camp as her paranoid parents prepared for Armageddon to come to Australia.

Felix murders Drake as Erin goes into full Ellen Ripley mode and turns the tables on the two remaining assassins, Felix and Zoe by setting traps and killing her attackers one by one—even managing to text the police when the signal jamming ends.  It is only when Crispian returns alone that she realizes who really orchestrated the whole bloody affair.  It doesn’t end well…even when the police finally show up.

THE CRITIQUE

Shot in 2011 and finally released in 2013, the $1,000,000-budgeted YOU’RE NEXT is a solid, home-invasion horror flick that manages to both meet genre expectations and rise above those same conventions courtesy of taut direction & tight editing by horror up-and comer Adam Wingard (A Horrible Way To Die, Autoerotic, V/H/S/ 1 & 2), a clever and effective screenplay by co-star Simon “Tiger Mask” Barrett (A Horrible Way To Die, Autoerotic, V/H/S/ 1 & 2) and a cast of seasoned actors who bring the goods to the proverbial chopping block.

First and foremost is a shout-out to lead actress Sharni Vinson—a lovely and athletic Australian actress who brings the right amount of brains, ingenuity and brawn to what could have been a more passive role has the filmmakers gone the reeeeally clichéd avenue.  Girl Power!!

Continuously, the rest of the cast inhabits their roles with veritas.  Standouts include veteran actors Rob Moran (a Farrelly Bros. staple in movies like Kingpin and There’s Something About Mary) and former ‘80s scream-queen Barbara Crampton (Re-Animator and From Beyond).  If you look closely, you’ll notice genre filmmakers Larry Fessenden (producer-director of Wendigo and Beneath) and Ti West (House Of The Devil and The Innkeepers) in the small roles of the murdered neighbor and Tariq the pretentious filmmaker, respectively.

Behind the scenes, credit up-and-coming cinematographer Andrew D. Palermo (V/H/S/) for his handsome HD-widescreen lensing—combining the rich, shadowy schema of horror yarns with the standard high-key lighting style of action flicks.  You know I’m still not a fan of the new fangled HD formats for features—but this one gets a pass as the filmmakers were fortunate (and maybe smart) enough to utilize the terrific RED ONE Camera System (www.red.com) for shooting.

Production Designer Thomas S. Hammock (V/H/S/ 2) gets a shout-out also—for managing to transform a historical Tudor-style mansion in Columbia, Missouri into the killing field of YOU’RE NEXT.  Per the press notes, the production spent most of the 26-day shooting schedule at the manse without wrecking the joint!  Thanks to the collective artisans’ skills, the aforementioned veritas glows right through the screen.

For a low budget movie, YOU’RE NEXT works.  In terms of Barrett’s screenwriting structure, this one plays like a weird cross between the family dysfunction of Ordinary People (1980) and the home-invasion terror of The Strangers (2008)—minus the high-wattage star power of the former and the home invaders’ sinister randomness of the latter.  But I digress; check out this flick—preferably on a dark, eerie night when no one’s around…

 

THE BOTTOM LINE

A breath of gory fresh air, YOU’RE NEXT earns its post-modern horror pedigree by excelling in practically all facets: clever, effective screenplay; taut direction; strong production values on a budget—and most of all, an attractive & intelligent heroine who kicks some serious ass!  Hey, YOU’RE NEXT… you’re next on my blu-ray shelf!

IMDB:                     http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1853739/

Wikipedia:             http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/You%27re_Next

Official Site:           http://www.yourenextfilm.com