NOSFERATU (1922)

Now we're going right back to the start of Horror cinema... Nosferatu!

I have to say this took me a couple of attempts to get into the right headspace to sit and watch this film but when I finally got my head right to sit down and appreciate it it was well worth it.

Some interesting background on this film was that while it was based on Bram Stokers "Dracula" it never gained legal rights to do so and instead of using the words vampire they are referred to as "Nosferatu" and instead of using the name Dracula they called the main villain "Count Orlok". They were still sued and as a result of copyright infringement all copies of the film were ordered to be destroyed. Thankfully at least a few must have survived for the movie to have remained in circulation until the digital age we now find ourselves in.

NOTE: I'm going to go into more detail with this plot as I'm sure any fan of the genre pretty much knows the story of Bram Stokers Dracula anyway, its by no means a comprehensive outline of the plot, lest it would become an essay length blog entry... but if you would rather no spoilers .. skip the next paragraph.

Nosferatu follows the story of a young real estate agent, "Hutter" who is acquiring real estate in England  for the wealthy Transylvanian Count Orlok. As the commissions on the property deal will be big, he is asked to travel to Carpathia (In Transylvania)  see the Count in person.  As he gets close to the Counts abode the tour guides refuse to go any further. He does not take this as a warning, but instead presses on to visit the count. ... and of course falls under the vampires (I mean NOSFERATU) spell. Upon entering the castle he dines with the Count and cuts his finger , which stirs  up a blood lust within the count and he sucks the blood dripping from Hutter's finger. Its then Hutter realizes things are getting strange. Hutter stays in the house and is bitten in his sleep by the Nosferatu. He starts to fall under the spell of the Count. Hutter's betrothed, Eilleen whilst still back in England also falls under the spell of the Nosferatu from across the seas. Orlok is then transported to England via sea vessell (whilst killing most or all of the crew with a plague that seems to be carried by him.. and spread into the town where he bought his house) whilst Hutter also tries to escape the Castle but hits his head and is found by the villagers who keep him in an infirmary to rest him up, wasting valuable time and giving the Count a great headstart. Hutter eventually recovers and sets sail back home,  only to find England ravaged by an plague which the Nosferatu has unleashed on the town. Count Orlok is keen is keen to sink his teeth into Hutter's fiancé,  but Eileen has read in a forbidden tome that the way to defeat a vampire is to keep him distracted by feminine beauty until the sun comes up which she does (by default) and of course the Count vapourises into dust and the curse he's brought with him is nullified.

The movie itself is primitive and has no dialogue. You can kind of see the stuttering of the frames. The film is shot in Black and White / Sepia and in some places seems to have a strange green hue to it (I'm not sure if the restoration process did this or the original film)  The accompanying music is a recreation as the original score had been lost in time... But there in lies the charm of this film. The music that accompanies this film is quite hypnotic and other worldly in its own way and adds to the atmosphere of the film. Scenes are cut with script text laid out in old style gothic script which does help a lot, but also adds to the arcane feeling of this film. But like I said it did take me a while to get into the headspace required to appreciate this work, but I have a sneaky feeling this is the film that spark a new interest in vintage horror for me (Note: it most certainly DID!) 

Anyway here's a really neat, HD version of the film I've found on YouTube for your enjoyment so check it out!

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

OUIJA (2014)

This is a neat little film! I didn't hold too much hope for it as it had copped some negative reviews on the net but I have to say I really liked it. Ouija is probably more a thriller (or a supernatural thriller) than a gore flick, but there are some cool horror effects to be seen as the film progresses. After a slow-ish beginning things do ramp up and I have to say it kept me on the edge of my seat and even provided this seasoned horror veteran with a few jumps and that unnerving feeling of having watched a genuinely scary flick.

The film centres around two now teenage girls, Laine and Debbie who are inseperable best friends, who both seem to have everything going for them. Debbie inexplicably kills herself one afternoon after acting a little strange. Laine is not convinced Debbie killed herself and suspects that Debbie had been messing around with a Ouija board and decides to investigate. She and her friends begin using the board with the hopes of calling up Debbie and finding out what happened but inadvertantly summon up a more malevolent entity.

That's probably about as far as I can go without ruining the plot for you, dear reader, but the plot does have some neat twists and a few good scares. As a film its quite well shot, and flows well as a film and it kept my interest through out the film. Due to the nature of the film, I don't know how it would hold up to repeated viewings but overall I enjoyed it!

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

FRIDAY 13th Part 4

With Friday the 13th upon us it is of course time to throw on another installment of the Friday the 13th series.

One of the biggest horror franchises in history returns for another trip around the block. The movie opens with another recap of the last movie where Jason is carted off to the morgue... and another group of over sexed teenagers descend on to Camp Crystal Lake to party and carry on as they do in these films. Among the usual assortment of teenagers another family takes up residency there with a young Corey Feldman as Tommy the 12 year old kid of the family.

The box office takings from the third installment were surprisingly good, so good in fact, that Jason somehow resurrects himself from the massive injuries and escapes from the morgue to start wreaking havoc on Crystal Lake once again. If you can suspend disbelief long enough to believe that he could recover get through that what you have is a quite enjoyable teenage slasher film in the tradition of the 3 that preceded it. Heaps of attractive females and some cool killings keep things moving along nicely. Despite the sarcastic tone of this paragraph, I have to say I did enjoy this movie and would again recommend to any fans of the first 3 movies. If you haven't seen a friday the 13th film, I'd suggest you go back to the beginning and start from there, as this is one series that's much more enjoyable in chronological order.

Anyway you guys have a great friday 13th whatever you're doing ... and if you're looking for more horror reviews always check out http://www.gorenography.com

for other Friday 13th movie reviews check out:
Friday 13th
Friday 13th part 2
Friday 13th part 3
Friday 13th (2009 remake)

A NIGHTMARE ON ELM ST. 2 : FREDDY's REVENGE (1985)

Following hot on the heels of the original "A Nightmare on Elm St." movie, which had done unexpectedly well at the box office it was time to strike while the iron was hot so to speak.

Plot wise it follows on from the first movie with a new family that has moved into the Thompson house on Elm St. after the events of the first movie had taken place. Obviously I'm assuming if you're reading this you've seen the previous movie (but if not check out our article on it here). Jesse a teenage boy is having some disturbing nightmares centering in on an unknown character who is trying to get Jesse to do his killing for him. After learning of the horrid past of the house they've just moved into from another student at school, Jesse and his love interest Lisa do some research into the house and find Nancy's diary left there and realise it is the same creature haunting his dreams that caused so  much bloodshed in the first movie, Freddy Krueger.

Freddy is back and forcing his way into the real world through the dreams of Jesse. This movie takes on a more 'fantasy' approach to proceedings where it allows more emphasis to be placed on the Freddy character than in the first movie. This has the 3 fold effect of allowing for more creative horror effects and the building of another completely different realm within the dreams which can be explored in this film and the subsequent sequels that followed it, and also opening up the character of Freddy and most importantly allowing the viewer to build a relationship with the iconic character.

Similar to the first film Jesse is afraid to sleep for fear of the nightmare to make its way into reality but either way the body count starts to mount and it is up to Jesse to stop the dreams and with it, Freddy Krueger.

I didn't like this film as much as the first one, nor the sequels when I saw it as a teenager, but through the magic of DVD re-releases I've been able to go back and give it another watch through older eyes and I have to say I really liked it this time around. Obviously its not directed by Wes Craven but I think the film holds up well, and follows on from the first quite nicely. Obviously I wasn't the only one who liked it as it managed to surpass the original in terms of box office success as well ($40mil at box office) and pave the way for a raft of sequels. The movie itself has gone on to be a staple part in what is one of the most successful horror franchises of all time

Anyway track it down for yourself, there's an 8 pack DVD release which I've got quite cheaply which is a great way to get the whole series in one hit which you should be able to get quiet easily online.

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

INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS (1978)

Now this one, I have to admit... I'd never seen before, not this version or the original. Whilst obviously I can't comment on the original or much less the book that came before that, this is a great film in its own right that keeps your interest the whole way through, with some big names who both deliver pretty solid performances in my opinion ... It stars Donald Sutherland and Jeff Goldblum (the Fly remake, Jurassic Park etc...) and the one and only Leonard Nimoy (Dr. Spock of Star Trek fame)  It's not too high on the gore so you could really show it to younger horror fans as well so it could be a bit of fun for the whole family, it sits halfway between horror and science fiction but should appeal to both crowds equally.

The plot itself revolves around a strange goo like substance that attaches itself to plants and grows some mighty strange flowers ... I'm not sure if its spores that attack the humans and eventually kill them or there's something I missed in the plot, but either way the plant like creature is killing off humans and growing replacements for them which it then tries to assimilate back into society. The only problem is that the humans are not the same mentally, appearing to be distant and not themselves to anyone that knows them. Its not long before the central characters Elizabeth, discovers her boy friend / fiance is not himself and enlists the help of a few friends including heath board official (Sutherland) and his friend (Goldblum) and a psychiatrist (Nimoy) who stumble on to the truth that the alien plants have started replacing humans and have to find a way to stop this before the invasion takes a hold on the human population as a whole

I don't know if I'd go so far as to say its an all time classic of either the horror or the sci-fi genre but at the end of the day it was rather enjoyable and a great way to spend a couple of hours. I would recommend it to everyone who considers themselves a horror or sci-fi fan

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