Michi wrote:Last batch before October rolls around:
Buried Alive
The title says "Edgar Allan Poe's", but that's only because "Lightly inspired by the works and themes of Edgar Allan Poe" would have been way too long. It's just a mish-mash of ideas that Poe had, shoved together into a slasher story. In fact, they seem to have used the "kitchen sink" method with much of the plot, too. You've got a mystery, a creepy school, secretive teachers, hallucinations, bugs, teenagers that are clearly no longer teens, and Donald Pleasence in a wig that looks suspiciously like the scruffy end of an old mop. It's a mess of ideas and nothing is really unique, except for maybe the death by kitchen hand-mixer. Gotta admit that I haven't seen that one before.
The Rift
Also known as Endless Decent, this is another one of the six ocean themed horror films that was released in the same year. Sadly, this one isn't one of the better ones. It's just too derivative and predictable. You can pretty much see every plot twist coming long before it gets there. It does have R. Lee Ermy in it, and some nice monster effects at the end, but the good stuff feels way too short to be worth it.
Dolls
It's Charles Band working with living dolls/puppets years before Puppet Master came about, but it's directed by Stuart Gordon, so it doesn't suck. I actually really like this one. It's got some plotting issues, and it ends too abruptly to feel fully satisfying, but the great atmosphere, all the neat animated dolls and the kid protagonist make it feel like a (very) dark fairytale. I dig it.
Out of the Dark
This is a slasher that looks great, has a lot of good characters/actors, and also has some increasingly bloody and dramatic deaths, but unfortunately the plot starts to fall apart in the second act. The mystery starts to falter, the editing gets wonky, characters and plotlines get abruptly forgotten and abandoned... It kinda feels like maybe the filmmakers either bit off more than they could chew, or the second half needed a few more edits. It still ends up entertaining enough, but the second half really drags it down from the greatness it could have achieved.
The Nun
Oh look, another Conjuring movie (which I didn't realize when I started it). This one is an origin story for the Nun demon from the second Conjuring film. The movie is beautiful, with some stunning vistas, excellent use of color/composition, and even some impressive camera work (and I rarely take note of the camera work.) But good gravy is the plot of this thing a hot mess. The beginning is gripping and the end is fun, but everything in between is a logical conundrum, filled with gaping plot holes and historical inaccuracies so bad that history buffs will want to tear their hair out. Thanks goodness for the visuals, but this is really something you'll probably HAVE to turn your brain off to enjoy.
What are your thoughts on The Conjuring? I thought that was OK. The later films and spin offs, though…