HOSTEL (2005)

This is an interesting one, I'd seen this a when it first came out and to be honest I didn't think that much of it, but that was years ago, and I'd already started to get sick of the newer style of horror that was coming out.

After having a few beers at a friends house he chucked the movie back on and I thought "Why not give it another shot?" and I'm glad I did.

Hostel was important for a few reasons, it is credited as starting off the "torture porn" genre of horror films its not to say that its particularly more extreme than many of the other films reviewed here that came before it, but it did drag the more extreme end of horror out into the mainstream where as before (from my memories) this level of gore or violence was more at the underground subculture level of horror. This I guess was due to two things the skill that the then newcomer to the horror genre Eli Roth brought to the table, and the muscle that Quentin Tarantino's production company would be able to throw behind it.

The plot itself is pretty well thought out and well written as well..... revolving around a group of university students that take a back packing holiday in Eastern Block Europe (Amsterdam, Slovakia, Romania etc...) partying, drinking and carrying on like most young backpackers would do. During their travels they meet other like minded young adults and after a night of partying one of them (Oli) goes missing and while the other stick around to see if they can figure out what happened to their friend they too are drugged and abducted into a strange organized crime ring where wealthy business men pay large sums of money to torture and kill people for little more than sport.

What follows is a litany on torture and mutilation the likes of which all but the hardcore horror fans would have yet to have been exposed to. The gore is graphic and sadistic which will keep almost any gore fiend happy, but  more importantly it is a well written and rather watchable film which holds belief for the viewer (unless of course gore upsets you) but I'd recommend it to any seasoned fan of horror or those not easily offended.

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DEMONS (1985)

Directed by Dario Argento (also known for his work on Suspiria) this one is less of a "thinker" than Suspiria, more a film where you can just sit back and enjoy the over the top gore.

I had seen a download of this film before, but seeing it again on BluRay was something else all together, I'm not sure if its been remastered and coded onto blu ray but the picture was really sharp, much sharper than I remember it. The film itself is well shot and the horror effects are really cool, though they can look a little dated as many 80's horror flicks can tend to do.

Another really cool thing about this film is the most righteously rocking 80's rock soundtrack featuring Motley Crue, Saxon and heaps more, its a fun ride and nothing to be taken too seriously. I said before the gore content in the film was over the top (and the film itself got an 18 rating on my copy) its nothing too full on or offensive ... good, clean, gory, pus filled fun!

The plot itself is pretty straight forward featuring a few central characters including some young adults / teenagers, hookers, married couples young and old who all go to a screening of a new horror movie and one of the aforementioned hookers tries on a display mask, set up as a promotional display) before entering the theatre. The mask cuts her and whilst watching the film she develops an infection which turns her into a zombie like creature (I guess a demon as the title alludes) who of course embarks on a murderous rampage and the movie goers are soon exposed to a real life horror movie in which they are part of the proceedings. As usual I won't spoil the plot beyond this point, but what follows is a epic gorefest contained within the cinema

Whilst I won't say its a classic by any means its definitely a worth watch and great fun!

For more great horror movie reviews and other stuff be sure to check out http://www.gorenography.com on a regular basis!

UP COMING HORROR PREVIEWS

Looks like we've got some great movie action coming up in the near future with new installments from A Nightmare on Elm St, Halloween (with John Carpenter attached) and a remake of one of my favorate films of all time, Re Animator and something I'm definitely keen to see... Slender Man. Check 'em out below!

HOBO WITH A SHOTGUN (2011)

Holy crap! This one is hard going, but  a great film. Starring Rutger Hauer (Salute of the Jugger) this is a grim portrayal of the not too distant future where gangs have taken over and reduced the city to a cesspool of addiction and poverty. Our protagonist (the Hobo) seems to be the only one prepared to take on the gang ruling the city in a violent and grim one man retaliation.

Our hobo proceeds to wage a one man war on the drug cartels that rule the city whilst making a valuable friend in a young prostitute, together the two find a little bit of the paradise they've been looking for in each other in a non sexual way of course.This is bloody, gritty and hard look at what could so easily happen in many big cities. The violence and gore is quite contronting in this one and i'd recommend it for hardened violence/gore fiends maybe not for the horror newbie!

I remember seeing this one on the big screen in a double feature alongside Human Centipede 2 and again left the cinema feeling like I'd gone a round with Mike Tyson or something. This is cinema noir at its ultimate, black and disturbing, a grim look at what society could well become depending on what turns it takes in the future

Anyway as luck would have it you can watch the whole thing on youtube! Enjoy!

For more great horror movie reviews be sure to check out http://www.gorenography.com on a regular basis

XTRO (1982)

This one film that I've been waiting a long time to get my hands on, considered a cult classic I was excited to finally get my hands on a VHS copy of this bad boy! This one sits half way between sci-fi and horror and would probably appeal to both crowds.


The plot focuses in on a young boy, Tony whose dad is abducted by aliens. He's struggling to deal with it obviously and longs for the return of this dad. Meanwhile a strange alien creature is lurking in the country side attacking innocent humans and on the second occasion impregnating them with its alien embryo.

The title "Xtro" to me suggests the film was meant to cash in on the wave of publicity and interest in sci-fi garnered by Stephen Spielberg's film ET. This one however is not family viewing and more aimed at the seasoned horror fan. The gore factor is pretty high, and quite impactful especially the scene where the woman who was raped by the alien gives birth to a full sized version of Tony's missing dad!

Tony's dad is not the same as he was however this becomes apparent in a gruesome chain of events that I won't spoil for you. Regardless, it's good squeamish fun!

The film itself is quite watchable and would definitely be considered a cult classic in my books. It apparently got canned by critics at the time, but this time I'm going to have to disagree and say I think its a B Grade classic. It's well shot and keeps the viewer interested the whole way through the film. Being an English production the pommie accents dominate the film and old school 'moog' type synthesizer sounds really ad a creepy atmosphere to the proceedings.

for more great horror movie reviews be sure to check out http://www.gorenography.com on a regular basis!

THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS (1991)

This is  a wonderful movie for a few reasons.... It is expertly shot, produced and sequenced and for my money really holds the viewer gripped to their seat for the entire length of the movie, at no point is the viewer feeling like the pace has slowed down or bored. The star power in this one is at peak levels with Anthony Hopkins starring along side Jodie Foster as the Psychopathic Dr. Hannibal Lecter and Clarise Starling respectively.

Secondly the film gets into the mind of serial killer like no other movie I've ever seen. I haven't read the book, so I can't tell you if it was author Tom Harris' knowledge of the killers' psyche or if the movie producers took it to a new level but either way they've really connected the viewer to the mind of the serial killer with Hopkins' character Hannibal Lecter.

The plot revolves around a young FBI agent (nearing the end of her training) who is obviously standing out from the current crop of students and is asked to talk to long time incarcerated serial killer / cannibal and psychologist Hannibal Lecter in the hopes of picking his brain about a new killer who they can't track down. Hannibal is as mentioned above a psychologist by trade and an expert in getting inside peoples psyche and a master manipulator, none of the other FBI agents have been able to get anything out of him but Clarise manages to find a soft spot in Dr. Lecter who helps her out in a cryptic round about way which leaves Clarise to have to get tot he bottom of both Lecters clues and the serial killer before he kills his latest victim.

This is one of those films that anyone into horror really needs to watch, it does have a reasonable amount of gore and violence but focuses in more on the psychological aspects and probably is closer to a thriller than a horror but either way the quality of this film will appeal far beyond the base of horror fiends and is a staple in may mainstream movie fans list of favorate movies.

For more great movie reviews be sure to check out http://www.gorenography.com on a regular basis