It Follows

When director David Robert Mitchell appeared on the indie scene in 2010 with “The Myth of the American Sleepover,” few would have guessed that his next project might be a horror movie. And yet, as follow-ups go, “It Follows” makes perfect sense, applying what worked best about that debut — namely, its haunting evocation of adolescent anxiety and yearning, set against the backdrop of an atmospheric Michigan suburb — to a far more commercial genre. Starting off strong before losing its way in the end, this stylish, suspenseful chiller should significantly broaden Mitchell’s audience without disappointing his early supporters in the slightest.

From the opening scene, the pic feels different from typical genre fare: A disoriented young woman stumbles out into the street of an otherwise peaceful tree-lined neighborhood. The camera keeps its distance, slowly rotating as she runs up and down the block, trying to avoid a threat only she can see. The next morning, the girl’s corpse is found down by the lake, twisted beyond recognition.

Something scary is stalking the young people in this WASP-y Detroit suburb — the same environment where Mitchell grew up. If “Myth” was his John Hughes homage, then “It Follows” is the director’s best stab at doing John Carpenter. From the eerie electronic score to the suffocating sense of dread, the resemblance is uncanny: This is the kind of film that, if watched on VHS, might have kept the slumber-party teens wide awake in his last movie. Except that on video, they would have missed out on Mitchell’s expert use of widescreen, in which audiences are constantly looking over the character’s shoulder, scanning the frame to find the “follower.”

As bogeymen go, Mitchell’s monster is both intuitive (like something out of a bad dream) and impossible to comprehend (despite much discussion, no one seems to know how to beat it). The pic’s malevolent shape-shifter can take the form of anyone, from a beloved relative to a complete stranger. Sometimes it’s subtle enough to blend in with crowds. At others, it’s frighteningly conspicuous: a naked old man staring at you from a nearby rooftop, or a cheerleader leaking urine as she lurches across the living-room floor. The only certainty seems to be that it won’t stop until you’re dead. And once you’re dead, it will go after the person who “gave” it to you.

Judging strictly from a filmmaking p.o.v., “It Follows” is remarkably effective for most of its running time, ratcheting up the tension, then stinging the audience periodically with one of those jolts that sends everyone levitating a couple inches above their seats. But the excitement wears off after a point, once the kids realize they don’t really understand what they’re dealing with, resulting in a couple of badly staged setpieces, including a clunky lakeside attack and a virtually nonsensical climactic encounter at a public pool, where a plan that wasn’t clear to begin with goes awry.

Generally speaking, horror is only as potent as whatever fear it exploits, and “It Follows” relies a bit too heavily on a wobbly venereal-disease allegory. Instead of exploiting near-universal adolescent anxieties about virginity, Mitchell creates a situation where the infected are super-motivated to pass it on. All it takes is one ill-advised backseat tryst to turn carefree college-aged beauty Jay (“The Bling Ring’s” Maika Monroe) into a paranoid mess. As it is, the neighborhood kids are constantly spying on her, but after hooking up with the wrong guy (Jake Weary), she starts to notice all sorts of creepy people in her peripheral vision.

As Mitchell explained at the pic’s premiere in Cannes, “It Follows” marks his attempt to make a “beautiful horror movie” — equal parts gentle and aggressive. At times, his meticulous compositions rival Gregory Crewdson’s ethereal suburban-gothic photographs (sometimes staged at roughly the same budget as this admirably inexpensive feature). While “It Follows” isn’t a period piece per se, the incidents take place in a world of abandoned buildings, rusty old American automobiles and outdated landline telephones. Even without a supernatural stalker in the mix, one wants to advise these kids — who include plausible next-door types Olivia Luccardi and Lili Sepe, awkwardly shy Keir Gilchrist and faux-tough Daniel Zovatto — to run away from this dead-end existence as fast and as far as they can.

source:http://variety.com/2014/film/festivals/cannes-film-review-it-follows-1201194726/

After a strange sexual encounter, a teenager finds herself haunted by nightmarish visions and the inescapable sense that something is after her. (C) Radius-TWC

• Rating: R (for disturbing violent and sexual content including graphic nudity, and language)
• Genre: Horror
• Directed By: David Robert Mitchell
• Written By: David Robert Mitchell
• In Theaters: Mar 13, 2015 Wide
• US Box Office: $4.8M
• Runtime: 1 hr. 34 min.

Radius - TWC

source:http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/it_follows/ 

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Unfriended

"Unfriended" may be a normal R-rated teenage fright-flick with one identifying gimmick: It's told via laptop. therefore all the Anthony Charles Lynton Blair Witch Project-style "action," like it's, takes place on Blaire's portable computer, the story progressing through Skype sessions, Facebook updates, text messages and playlists. Oh, and in fact, laptop cam-filmed suicides. it is a variant on the "found footage" figure, and in an exceedingly approach it's creepily fitting, given what quantity of teens' lives square measure spent on-line. once your each waking moment is documented somewhere on the net, the movie's manufacturers appear to raise, why not your horrific dying, too?

The ensuing response from the audience I watched this film with? Laughter.

And there's extremely not far more to share here. there is definitely nothing to love.

"Unfriended"

The hereafter may be a pretty mysterious factor, even for those people UN agency have a decent plan of wherever we're going. what is going to our final destination look like? Feel like? can it have voluminous harps? may it spiral through 9 circles? we tend to scan our Bibles and hear the consultants and perhaps even watch Heaven Is for Real, however we tend to still haven't got a concrete plan of what, exactly, our lives are going to be like when we tend to die.

But one factor we are able to make sure of: The hereafter has killer Wi-Fi.

Laura Barns committed suicide on Gregorian calendar month twelve, 2013. Some say she was intimidated to death. But, as you recognize, it takes plenty quite death to stay teens off from their social media. So, on the day of her suicide, she barges into a Skype voice communication with six of her supposed bestest buds—including one-time BFF Blaire.

Oh, sure, her living comrades square measure a bit skeptical that Laura's really with them initially. I mean, the lady hasn't updated her Facebook page in ages. They figure some low-humor troublemaker hacked into Laura's previous accounts and is staging the shenanigan.

And then the buddies begin killing themselves.

Is Laura out for revenge? Or is she simply sharply making an attempt to introduce everybody to the wonders of post-death web connectivity? Is MorgueSpace a factor over there? will everybody shorten links with Obitly?

You could argue that Unfriended may be a bloody morality fable underlining what obstructed In has been telling you for years: watch out what you are doing on-line, 'cause that stuff lives on forever. This teen-centric flick takes a powerful stance against bullying, lying and thoughtless on-line communication, with Laura serving because the final "I told you therefore."

The hereafter may be a truth of life in Unfriended, what with Laura hacking into all manner of on-line accounts to hack off then hack up her friends. She not solely haunts the net, however will possess her friends and build them do what she desires. Why? Well, there is a suggestion that Laura's soul did not land up in an exceedingly significantly great spot. once one amongst her friends (still basic cognitive process that Laura's simply another on-line troll) says they ought to join up somewhere, Laura varieties, "Sounds nice, however you would not am passionate about it here."

A website details alleged instances of dead individuals taking revenge on the living. It suggests that the sole thanks to survive such AN encounter is to confess your sins.

Credits

Genre: Drama, Horror

Cast: Shelley Hennig as Blaire; Moses Jacob Storm as Mitch; Renee Olstead as Jess; Will Peltz as Adam; Jacob Wysocki as Ken; Courtney Halverson as Val; Heather Sossaman as Laura

Director: Leo Gabriadze

Distributor: Universal Pictures

In Theaters: April 17, 2015

Reviewer: Paul Asay

source:http://www.pluggedin.com/movies/intheaters/unfriended.aspx

- Movies for your Androids -

The Woman in Black 2: Angel of Death

A bunch of London kids area unit packed up and shipped off to a large house within the country for keeping throughout warfare II. And once there, they notice one thing rather sudden. 

Sounds slightly just like the starting of The Lion, the Witch and therefore the Wardrobe, does not it? Except there is not any wizardly wardrobe able to spirit curious kiddos off to a keen land named Narnia during this tale—just a creepy previous cellar, a purportedly bolted nursery and plenty of troubling playthings. there is not any lion, either. however a witch? American state, yes. there is a witch.

No white witch, this one, however a mysterious, morbid figure UN agency skulks through the house dressed tired black. She died within the house it slow agone, however her unhappiness and hate create her linger. and she or he will love very little children—to death. She'd like nothing a lot of than have this new large indefinite amount of very little ones keep with her ... forever.

It seems like many of the scariest supernatural horror villains I've heard of or seen lately have been women. Bathsheba from The conjury, Mama from Mama, all those stringy-haired women from Japanese-inspired horror flicks just like the Ring ... there is one thing significantly subversive concerning casting females in these roles, I think—particularly once they (as happens here) take advantage of kids. we tend to associate girls, naturally, with motherhood. A mom would do anything to protect her kids, we tend to believe—and thus once we tend to see that maternal instinct twisted into one thing horrific, it bothers us maybe to a small degree quite after we see constant behavior coming from men. 

The Woman in Black 2: Angel of Death is so a irritating, troubling film, filled with part creeps and many jump scenes. there is not the maximum amount visceral content as you may expect from such a scarefest: very little to no physiological property on show, hardly any language and astonishingly spare quantities of blood. however all that will during this case be to a small degree beside the purpose, as a result of there is additionally little redemptive worth lurking during this darkness. 

"Our own worst enemy is ourselves," Jean says. "Our fears. Doubts. Despair. that is what can destroy United States of America." we tend to see individuals attempt to clear their minds of such negative thoughts. Optimism, the film suggests, is that the key to pushing back its cold, black villains. and that we see some noble efforts therein regard.

Keep calm and smile at the demon, you may say. however since once will that kind of issue save the day? within the finish we tend to're left—as we were within the 1st movie—with a sense of unhappy, spooky inevitability: in spite of what proportion spirit our heroes show, or however fervidly they need to smile wide enough to dispel the evil, we tend to get the sense that jenny can simply persevere stalking those gloomy halls—and maybe venture on the far side them, too. 

The Woman in Black can't be stopped with a gay acknowledgement or a double dose of grit and gumption. Not, at least, as long as there is cash to be created within the business of sequels.

GENRE

Drama, Mystery/Suspense, Horror

CAST

Phoebe Fox as Eve Parkins; Helen McCrory as Jean Hogg; Jeremy Irvine as Harry Burnstow; Oaklee Pendergast as Edward; Adrian Rawlins as Dr. Rhodes; Amelia Pidgeon as Joyce; Jude Wright as Tom; Leanne Best as The Woman in Black

DIRECTOR

Tom Harper

DISTRIBUTOR

Relativity Media

IN THEATERS

January 2, 2015

ON VIDEO

April 7, 2015

REVIEWER

Paul Asay

source:http://www.pluggedin.com/videos/2015/q2/woman-in-black-2-angel-of-death.aspx

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The Babadook

An often-effective, surpringly rare horror motion-picture show maneuver is to require Associate in Nursing everyday state of affairs that’s straightforward to relate to and to ramp it up to the purpose of psychopathy. Australian writer-director Jennifer Kent’s assured initial feature is that child everybody is aware of (or has been), the one who’s thus scared of the bugbear — or no matter imagined terror haunts his nights — that he utterly disrupts his parents’ life and his own.

Young Noah Wiseman may be a force of nature as guided missile, promptly the foremost vulnerable and most irritating kid conceivable, infecting his worn-down mother (Essie Davis) with temporary state (at one purpose, he crawls into her bed whereas she’s exploitation her vibrator), having a screaming ill temper within the automotive whereas kicking the rear of her seat, and in bother for transferral home-baked monster-fighting weapons to highschool. The backstory — Amelia’s husband died in a very automotive crash driving her to the hospital to own their son — is poignant and also the portrait of mother and son bolted in a very single, escalating fantasy is riveting and awfully credible. the house stretch, that hints at the origins of the monster, is suspensive and surprising.

At first, we’re cornered in a very house with a child World Health Organization is relentless in his fantasy — to the purpose wherever his mother suspects he’s producing proof of Babadook activity, like broken glass the soup. Then, the film enters deeply into Amelia’s troubled mindscape as "The Babadook", that has secure to kill her son by possessing her to try to to the deed, takes over, and guided missile has cause to be genuinely afraid. In films just like the "Amityville Horror" and "The Shining", fathers ar influenced by the supernatural to become menaces to their kids, however this can be a rare instance of the syndrome moving a mother. Davis is surprising because the drained mum, troubled to traumatize a toddler World Health Organization forever says and will the incorrect issue at the incorrect time — protesting regarding the medication he’s been given to create him sleep whereas the social services ar creating a decision.

"The Babadook" shares some traits with up to date ghost stories like sensory receptor, "Mama" or "Insidious" however with a stronger character basis. It’s genuinely scarey in its jump moments, however additionally imparts a lingering sense of dread that may stick with you for days — and can positively come back to mind subsequent time you get up within the middle of the night curious what that scratching noise was. Its expressionist vogue means that it’s not simply reduced to an easy story of a psychological delusion — there's a true monster, tho' ambiguity on its nature is carried throughout to the worrisome end.

The deceptive, vicious, odd pop-up book that turns up within the home with no real rationalization and triggers the crisis is bright designed, and unsettling. The Seussish-with-a-nightmare-edge illustrations ar dextrously horrid, exactly not appropriate for pliant youngsters, however still gift a unforgettable, virtually cute brand. The Babadook manifests in varied forms — at one purpose, taking drugs on late-night tv within the middle of a Georges Méliès film — strutting and denudation teeth sort of a hideous mixture of Struwwelpeter, Nosferatu, Willy Wonka, Freddy Krueger and also the Child Catcher.

source:http://www.empireonline.com/reviews/reviewcomplete.asp?FID=138767

Movie Info
Six years once the killing of her husband, birth defect (Essie Davis) is at a loss. She struggles to discipline her 'out of control' half-dozen year-old, Samuel (Noah Wiseman), a son she finds not possible to like. Samuel's dreams ar littered with a monster he believes is coming back to kill them each. once a troubling storybook known as 'The Babadook' turns up at their house, Samuel is convinced that the Babadook is that the creature he is been dreaming concerning. His hallucinations spiral out of management, he becomes additional unpredictable and violent. Amelia, genuinely frightened by her son's behaviour, is forced to medicate him. however once birth defect begins to ascertain glimpses of a sinister presence all round her, it slowly dawns on her that the factor Samuel has been warning her concerning is also real. 

(C) IFC

• Rating:     Unrated
• Genre:     Drama, Horror, Mystery, Suspense
• Directed By:     Jennifer Kent
• Written By:     Jennifer Kent
• In Theaters:    November twenty seven, 2014 restricted
• On DVD:    April thirteen, 2015
• Runtime:    one time unit. 34 min.

IFC Films - Official Site

source:http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_babadook/ 

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Jinn

Despite OK visual effects, a few chills and some newfangled movie monsters, writer-director Ajmal Zaheer Ahmad’s supernatural thriller “Jinn” often feels like one-half of an old grindhouse double bill.  It’s a watchable if rather convoluted effort.

The titular jinn, according to Eastern mythology, are one of three races created “In the beginning…” (the other two are man and angels).  Conveniently--for a horror film, anyway--the mysterious jinn are nothing if not flexible.  These time- and shape-shifting beings can be good or bad, peaceful or violent, invisible or in your face (at times they resemble upright fireplaces).  Whatever, you want them on your side.

Unfortunately for Shawn (Dominic Rains), a model-handsome Michigan auto designer married to the equally pretty Jasmine (Serinda Swan), he must suddenly do battle with a vicious sect of the jinn, the Shayateen, due to a family curse that stretches back to 1901.  Suffice to say this ancestral history is news to Shawn and it’s delivered the old-fashioned way: on a VHS tape.

What follows is a frantic few days in which Shawn must collaborate with an unlikely trio of jinn experts--a shadowy priest (William Atherton), a protective tough guy (Ray Park) and a manacled mental patient (Faran Tahir)--to learn how to fight the fiery Shayateen at their own miserable game and, y’know, save the world.  This demands that, among other things, Shawn pass an ancient ritualistic test called the Chillah (don’t ask).

Meanwhile, Jasmine, who may or may not be pregnant with Shawn’s child, has allegedly been abducted by the bad jinn. Cue the stacked deck.

Magical swords, evil doppelgangers, a sexy black muscle car, an unremarkable final showdown and lots of first-draft dialogue factor into this thankfully brief (about 80 minutes plus end credits) frightfest. 

As for the film’s closing promise: “The Jinn will return”--don’t hold your breath.

~ By Gary Goldstein

source:http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/moviesnow/la-et-mn-review-jinn-cant-rise-above-horror-cliches-20140405-story.html 

 

Movie Info

In the beginning, three were created. Man made of clay. Angels made of light. And a third made of fire. For centuries, stories of angels and men have captured the imagination and been etched into history crossing all boundaries of culture, religion and time. These two races have dominated the landscape of modern mythology, shrouding the evidence that a third was ever created. This third race, born of smokeless fire, was named the jinn. Modern man has all but forgotten this third race ever existed. It is time for him to remember. 

(c) Freestyle

 

Rating:	PG-13 (for some intense sequences of violence and terror)
Genre:	Horror , Mystery & Suspense , Science Fiction & Fantasy
Directed By:	Ajmal Zaheer Ahmad
Written By:	Ajmal Zaheer Ahmad
In Theaters:	Apr 2, 2014 Limited
On DVD:	Apr 12, 2015
US Box Office:	$0.1M
Runtime:	1 hr. 37 min.

Freestyle Releasing - Official Site

source:http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/jinn_2014/

 

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