BLACK CHRISTMAS (1974)

This one is kind of a sleeper as far as horror films go. I think its pretty cool but its more a psychological thriller rather than a flat out horror film, despite the "R" rating on the cover its actually pretty tame aside from some coarse language. I'd seen the 2006 version of this film and it was so shitful I couldn't even sit through it, so it was with some trepidation that I threw this one into the trusty old DVD player.

This one revolves around a university sorority house (mostly attractive girls) who are receiving obscene phone calls from an unidentified pest. Serial pest is not taken seriously until one of the girls is found dead asphyxiated with a plastic bag in the dorm. Who's next? And who is the killer? Of course I won't ruin this one for you.... you'll just have to watch for yourself! 

Black Christmas bills itself as a pre-runner to the 'slasher' film genre, to some degree I agree, it was a few years before Friday 13th and Halloween but for my thinking the jury is still out. Regardless it was a much better film than the modern remake, it doesn't rely so much on gore or explicit killings but building an atmosphere, which it does with a fair degree of success. The movie is well shot and the plot is pretty cool with enough twists to keep it interesting … There's nothing in this film that really lets it down. Basically I'd rate it as a pretty solid watch without being particularly outstanding in any way.

One cool thing about this film is that it stars a very young and attractive Margot Kidder as Barb (who went on to be Lois Lane in the 70s/80's series of films) … I had no idea she'd been acting since the early mid 70's and a younger John Saxon (Nancy's dad in A Nightmare on Elm St) 

Overall, I thought this was pretty cool as something to watch and I'm quite happy to have this one in my collection! 

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

Thanks to the magic of youtube you can see it for yourself!

PROM NIGHT (1980)

This is a pretty cool film, not excellent but pretty cool. I have to admit the main draw card for me was the fact that Jamie

Lee Curtis was in it. My version of this is the straight 80's style 4:3 view and looks to have the genuine VHS graininess which does tend to make this one look a little dated. I would love to see it remastered in the modern format.

The story revolves around a group of high school seniors who as kids played a strange game in an old abandoned building and caused (un-intentionally) one of their friends to fall to her death out of a window. The kids decide to keep their involvement in the young girls death a secret. in the investigation into the girls death a known sex offender is questioned but flees and winds up in a terrible car accident and to the current day remains in a state of catatonic coma.

Now as seniors the group are getting mysterious phone calls in the lead up to their senior prom, Who is making the phone calls? The situation escalates the mysterious caller hunts the high school students one by one. That's really all I can say without ruining the film.

Overall I have to say I enjoyed it.... it did feel to move a little slow at some points but that was cool, and despite the obvious 'dated' feel of the film it still holds up as a cool watch. Its not too heavy on the violence or gore so would be safe for horror keen kids or those not really into the full on stuff.... and of course Jamie Lee Curtis is in it!

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I've managed to find a version on youtube for those keen to check it out:

JASON X

Not sure whether this was meant to be serious or more poking fun at the series, or maybe it was meant to be the final nail in the coffin of the Friday 13th series but it left me with a bitter taste in mouth for some reason. 

The movie had some potential and if it featured another villain... like say someone we didn't already know and love this movie would have been quite reasonable as a veg-out watch or something to do when hungover..  hell, its kinda fun, as far as B Grade horror goes, but as far as a movie that befits one of the most iconic horror characters of all time its a definite fail. 

Basically the pot revolves around a future team of space scientists (yes the movie is set in the space of the future) that stumble upon a cryogenically frozen Jason Vorhees and a would be victim from the early 2000's and the then proceed to thaw out the young victim who warns them about the potential horror Jason could unleash if brought back to life. The captain of the starship of course sniffs a few dollars out of Jason's corpse and decides to keep it. As you can probably guess the frozen corpse of Jason thaws out and he comes back to life to wreak havoc on the space cruiser. I have to say the film is shot quite well and the horror / sci-fi effects are actually pretty cool. Someone took some reasonable time, and spent some reasonable money on this film, its just the plot is quite undigestable to anyone who's followed the series...  the ship security team proceed to hunt down Jason onboard the ship and blast him to kingdom come, many times over which brings me to the next question, is Jason now immortal? he seems to regenerate at the drop of a hat, (sort of like the liquid terminator in T2) so basically you can amputate limbs or shoot him in the head, and he falls over but regenerates within minutes to start killing again. This does not sit right with me. Again if this was another character I didn't already know, maybe I could suspend disbelief but with Jason its hard.

Anyway this is one of those "If you see it cheap" at a flea market or download it for free type things... but unless you're a Friday 13th Collector, I wouldn't pay big $$ for this film,  As I've said with other Friday 13th installments I really think its best you the viewer go back to the start of the franchise to really get a feel for the legend that is Jason Vorhees before you worry about watching this film


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

Also check our reviews on:
Friday 13th 
Friday 13th Part 2
Friday 13th Part 3
Friday 13th Part 4
Friday 13th (remake) 

MANIAC (1980)

To be honest I'd only heard about this one after reading the "Video Nasties" list, a list of movies that got banned from the UK due to their explicit horror content.

The film revolves around a deranged serial killer with mommy issues, Frank who is striking fear into the hearts of the New York City residents after a series of his murders go unsolved. Frank obviously has issues separating reality and fantasy and his apartment is littered with mannequins with whom he has deluded himself that he is carrying on a relationship.

I could probably over analize this film and say that Frank has the similar sexual retardation as many horror movie villains (such as Jason Vorhees) and takes it out on his attractive female victims, but really this film isn't a thinker.... It does however attempt to dwell into the psychology behind the serial killer, and for that reason it still holds up to some degree today... but  I'm going to say its more firmly rooted in the B Grade Genre and I don't want to attribute any brilliance to it that wasn't there... Not to say its a bad film either, its quite watchable, and enjoyable... solid, but by no means a classic. The gore was reasonably full on for the era (but there was way more extreme films around by 1980) which was over seen by the one and only Tom Savini.

I got a reprint of this film, but I hear the currently available versions of this film are quite expensive. If you're on a budget there are a lot of films you should get before this one. If you see it cheap or have a lot of money to blow on BLURAYS its not a bad addition to the collection. And for collectors, it is... As I'm sure the main audience for this film now days would be the horror collector market.

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.

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MACABRE (2009)

This is an Indonesian horror flick, I was unaware they had any sort of film industry there let alone a horror scene.... but I have to say this one isn't bad... In fact I was quite impressed with it!

The plot focus in on a group of tourists, who seem to be of mixed decent (either Indian or south east Asian) They decide to go on a break in Indonesia and let their hair down a little. On the drive back from a bar they meet a young attractive woman by the side of the road who says she'd been robbed. The friends decide to pick her up and take her back home. Her family are obviously glad to see her returned alive and thank the friends for their kindness by offering them a place to rest and a hearty meal.

This is where the plot thickens and it turns out the family are a murderous gang of butchers who on sell human meat to the wealthy elite.

I won't say the plot is fairly predictable, it does start out a little 'paint by numbers' but as the movie progresses we do get a couple of nice twists in it, and it is quite entertaining and the gore / violence levels are quite high, grim in parts actually, and the gore/bloodshed quite realistic adding well to the brutality of the movie. One thing that may deter watchers is the fact that the film is not in English, it does have English subtitles, but really the plot isn't that complicated so once the gang are in the house and it's evident what's going on you really don't need to focus too hard on the subs as the visual aspects of the film more or less keep it going.

Anyway if you do see this around or can download it, its defs worth a watch........

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HALLOWEEN 2 (1981)

Tis the season! With Halloween approaching, I thought I'd celebrate by watching the 2nd installment in one of the greatest horror movie franchises ever.... Halloween. Obviously by virtue of the fact there is a second installment its obvious that escaped mental patient Michael Myers was not as dead as was previously thought at the end of the first film. Set in the immediate aftermath of the first film Michael survives a barrage of six bullets and resumes his killing spree around the town of Haddonfield.

One quite nasty killing involving a particularly attractive (and topless) nurse left me a little sad....... It's always a shame when a lady with knockers like that gets killed too early in the film. In all seriousness though, while the plot is not particularly involved the movie is well shot and I really can't see anyone not liking this film. The action and well really, the killings are a little more full on than the first film and definitely pack more impact than the original.

Over all its a pretty cool film, and a worthy sequel, though nothing could really top the original this one keeps the viewers interest though out the whole movie. It's more of a simple watch with  straight forward plot, and great fun to watch!

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

FRIDAY 13th PART 2 (1981)

It's Friday the 13th here in Australia, so what better way to celebrate the occasion by watching a Friday the 13th movie? Friday the 13th (along with Halloween) set the standard for all slasher flicks  to follow ... So how does part 2 stack up? To be honest I can't really remember, it was so long since I've seen this one, but it was great to pull out the box set and relive the follow up that I watched so long ago.

If you haven't seen the original I strongly recommend you do so as it is a classic but not necessary to enjoy this film in my opinion. Either way whatever you decide to do It's pretty easy to follow this film (though this following review could ruin the plot for you if you're one of the few horror fiends on the planet that still haven't seen it.)

Part 2 opens up with a dream sequence recap of the first movie through the mind of the lone surviving teenager, Alice (which makes it easy for newcomers to follow the plot) who is obviously messed up from the whole affair and 5 years after the event is still having nightmares regarding Mrs. Vorhees and the boy in the lake which she's sure she's seen. Meanwhile, camp Crystal Lake has reopened for a new bunch of teenagers to experience the joys of the great outdoors.

Whilst obviously Mrs. Voorhees had been decapitated in the first film it turns out the body of her supposedly drowned son had never been found, or confirmed dead. Somehow he'd been surviving in the woods on his own (no mean feat for a mentally disabled lad... not really what I'd call a plot hole, but the only hard to swallow aspect in an otherwise quite reasonable plot sequence) and wants revenge for the death of his mother and begins to take it out on the camp inhabitants one by one starting with the death of the old crazy dude from the first film

Whilst the first film was an all time classic this is a more than worthy follow up and definitely worth watching as it is really here that the legend of Jason Vorhees really starts to develop. Overall it's not really that much of a thinker, but more of a genuine slasher film which can be enjoyed on your own or with friends but either way its great fun and a cool watch!

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

FRIDAY 13th (REMAKE 2009)

Producer Michael Bay (despite being a big time hollywood guy) was always going to have a huge task ahead of him remaking one of the greatest horror films of all time. I don't think he did a particulary bad job of it, its just that remaking the first film for anyone who's seen it would be a pointless affair as the plot relied on the major twist at the end (you know what I mean) and rewatching another version of it when you already know the ending just wouldn't have any effect.

With that said the film moves fairly fast through the territory covered by the first film and then the second and seems to land somewhere in the territory covered by the third film, where its spends the rest of the film as a standard slasher film from the point where Jason dons the hockey mask for the first time and the classic representation of Jason Vorhees is now able to be used. Lets face it, this is the way most people (except hardcore afficionado's) will remember Jason and it really does up the commercial appeal of the project.

As a slasher flick its pretty good actually, the horror effects are great and the acting is good enough to get it over the line. It's actually not a bad flick at all, but inevitably the question will be asked 'How does it compare to the original' and it doesn't. The original is one of the greatest horror movies of all time and this is what I'd call a solid slasher flick at best, definitely worth a watch and I'd take a punt it would be aimed at the younger horror fans who maybe wouldn't be inclined to watch the original series of films, maybe with the intention of getting them to go back and watch the original films which I could totally see it doing.

Easy to follow plot and lots of topless babes, and some righteous killings make it an easy to follow plot as well if you're having a few drinks or watching it with friends.

Be sure to check out our review of the original film here FRIDAY 13th FILM REVIEW

Don't forget to check out more great horror reviews at http://www.gorenography.com

SHOCKER (1989)

Directed in 1989 you know anything with Wes Craven as director is going to be a pretty solid film. Shocker is no exception. Violent killer Horace Pinker has been terrorising the town for a while now and nobody can get a lead on who he is, except high school football player Jonathon who after a series of on field head blows develops an ability (maybe a psychic dream connection) to meet the killer in his dreams and see the brutal crimes for himself.... witnessing the brutal murder of his own family. Jonathon's dream connection to the serial killer allows him to lead the police to Horace and have him captured (in spectacularly violent fashion) and eventually put to the chair.

The main problems is that true evil like Horace doesn't die, and after a black magic ritual conducted in his cell before his execution, neither does Horace's spirit, as a result ...after his physical body is executed Horace's spirit continues inflicting his atrocities in a more supernatural fashion, possessing the bodies of still living to hunt down Jonathon. There's a little more to the plot than that but I'll leave a few surprises for the viewer..... Overall its a really cool flick and the attention to detail is pretty good, especially the way that the hosts infected by Horace have the same gimpy leg that Horace does.

It has a similar feel to another Wes Craven movie, "A Nightmare on Elm St" in many regards and I'd say it would appeal to a similar crowd.  The movie has a deliciously 80's hard rock / heavy metal soundtrack featuring Megadeth, Iggy Pop, and "The dudes of Wrath" featuring hard rock icons Tommy Lee, Paul Stanley, Rudy Szarzo and Vivian Campbell which provided a huge bonus for an old metal head like myself!



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SEE NO EVIL (2006)

First up I must apologise for the slackness in not having done a review for the last couple of weeks, but sometimes life gets in the way... Plus after re-watching Halloween last time there's no point in watching anything directly after it as lets face it, few things really compare to that. It was in that spirit that I approached "See No Evil" expecting nothing

See No Evil was produced by the WWE team (yes the wresting dudes) and stars wrestling superstar "Kane"... I have to say I was a bit dubious but I have to say I was pleasantly surprised by this one!

This film while not making it into the "masterpiece" category is quite solid and enjoyable. The production is pretty good actually (well I guess they do have the budget and technology readily available). The acting is as solid as needs be for a film like this and no obvious plot holes. In fact it kind of reminds me of the "Friday 13th" vibe with yet another abusive mother daughter relationship relationship resulting in a twisted offspring turning into a demented killer. The violence is ramped up a few levels and when compared to something like "Friday 13th" and some of the gore effects are actually quite stunningly macabre (the emptied eye sockets particularly impressed me) so not a film for the squeamish or newbies to horror.

The plot itself revolves around a group of teenagers who are out on a "work for parole" type deal from their local correctional facility and are tasked with doing some fix-it work around a delapitated old hotel run by a seemingly sweet old lady. Of course as fate (and many slasher film plots) would have it she's hiding a dark secret in the form of her retarded but blood-lusting son Jacob, played disturbingly well by wrestler Kane, The kids are instructed to stay in their rooms after dark but of course go wandering, in search of hidden loot, and of course run into trouble when confronted by demented Jacob, who one by one sets out to slaughter the lot of them.

Over all its a cool watch, nothing revolutionary as it uses many of the same plot devices as countless slasher / teen flicks that came before it but I found it quite enjoyable and the horror scenes were really well done in my opinion

The movie is available to rent on you tube and probably quite easily available in the bargain bin at your local video store or flea market!

For more great horror movies be sure to check out http://www.gorenography.com

HALLOWEEN (1978)

Halloween is one of my all time favourate films, not just me but the horror world in general applaud this film as one of the all time classics of horror. It was shot in 1978 by John Carpenter (on a slim budget of $300,000 I understand) and grossed over 70 million worldwide, and no wonder ... It is a captivating tale, brilliantly shot and produced and as a slasher / horror / suspense flick it keeps the viewer engrossed and on the edge of their seat the whole way through this experience.

I'm probably going over familiar ground with most horror fans in detailing the plot but it focus' in on Mike Myers who brutally stabbed his sister to death as a child and was subsequently institutionalised for the following 15 years. He is then scheduled for a court appearance at age 21 (I assume) to assess whether he should be let out into the world but Mike somehow escapes (I'm not sure how he got out and I will concede this to me seems to be a bit of a plot hole) to return to his home town of Haddonfield where he starts preying on the teenagers of the town.

I guess this follows on from Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho in many ways but is the next generation of slasher flick with actual blood and some level of gore. It's by no means extreme, but it's a film that can cross over into the realms of non-horror fans quite well. Main star Jamie Lee Curtis (who oddly enough is the daughter of Janet Leigh of Psycho fame) as Laurie is stunningly beautiful and everyone in the film holds their ends up well meaning the film is believable and immensely watchable

I have to give props out to director John Carpenter as its a unique method of filming and his films always seem to be brilliantly executed and captivating from start to finish. I can't say enough good things about this film except that if you haven't watched it, go out and buy it now, its a must for any horror collection and if you haven't seen it in a while chuck it on again and relive the magic.

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

SAW III - Directors Cut

REVEIW: BY TAMAKAZEE

In short, for a movie about love this was pleasingly gory. Those involved in the Saw franchise have a pretty solid grasp on how to create realistic looking special effects, and the traps depicted are always interesting. The traps depicted in this installment, however, were not possible to escape and I did find this slightly annoying- stick to the formula, guys!! There is no point in creating the psychological tension associated with ‘playing a game’ if the dice are loaded.

Now, why a love story? It primarily explored secondary feelings such as jealousy or grief that are created when a person loves another and the influence these secondary emotions have on the psyche, through Jigsaw’s games and the choices his victims made. While some of these choices came across as standard dumb-arse horror movie mistakes (cue shouting at screen “Just tell him you’ll die!!” “Use your damn shirt!!”), some were plausible and supported by convincing acting.

The director used flashbacks to fill in the backstory of the characters, notably Jigsaw and his assistant, while these scenes would make more sense to those who have seen the previous movies they did not feel too much like mere padding. The cinematography was standard for the genre, somewhat dark and plenty of close shots focusing on actors faces or gore. Overall, a decent watch- not intellectually challenging, or a movie that would leave one shaken, but a nice enough way to while away a few hours.

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FRIDAY THE 13TH (1980)

One of the greatest horror movies of all time, without question. And the film responsible for introducing a whole generation (of then)  teenagers to discover the simple joys of the slasher flick. And paving the way for many horror franchises to come.

Set in the present time (of 1980 ish) a group of hormone filled teenagers volunteer to work at a summer camp in a newly re-opened Camp Crystal Lake. Upon arrival to the nearest town the teenagers are warned of a mysterious drowing death in 1958 and a couple of violent killings that took place at the camp the following year in 1958. The camp was shut down soon after and the murders never solved, only to be re oponed again 20 odd years later under new management.

In true horror movie style nobody heeds the warning of the locals and one by one the the teenagers start getting killed.

Most of you will have probably seen this movie but for the few people on the planet who haven't yet had the pleasure (or are lucky enough to be too young to have seen it)  I won't spoil the plot beyond that. Needless to say there are some excellent plot twists which makes the movie quite unique for its time, perhaps reminiscent of Alfred Hitchcock's "Psycho" in some ways.  I will say however that this film is well written and beautifully shot.I have it on DVD so I'm not sure if my version has been remastered but its a great watch and holds up well to this day, the actual horror while not considered over the top by todays standards, I think would have been considered pretty confronting for the time (aside from the more extreme films like Dawn of the Dead and the wave of Italian horror/cannibal flicks surfaced around the same time) as the death scenes do look fairly realistic.

Anyway for me this film is considered to be an all time classic and still receives a regular rotation on my DVD player once every couple of years at least. More than worth anyone's time to check it if you haven't seen it or a good one revisit if you haven't seen it in a while.

I couldn't find a full version of the movie on you tube (which is fair enough as the movie still probably sells well) but it shouldn't be too hard to buy and its worth it or if you can find the 8 disc box set and get the first 8 films its a box set worth having, or hunt it down at any second hand haunts you may have I'm sure you'll find it somewhere

Also be sure to check out our reviews of:

FRIDAY 13TH part 2
FRIDAY 13TH PART 3
FRIDAY 14TH PART 4
JASON X
FRIDAY 13th (2009 remake)

for more great movie reviews and recommendations be sure to check out http://www.gorenography.com regularly!