I'm watching a bunch of horror movies this month.
Highly Recommended
First Love (aka Hatsukoi) (2019) (Japanese Crime Thriller) – A young boxer decides to help a prostitute, but both are framed and hunted by the yakuza in this film by Takashi Miike. This is a crowd-pleaser with many good elements. It uses an ensemble cast to play characters with multiple enemies, which creates an interesting dynamic in terms of interaction. My favorite characters were played by supporting actors Shota Sometani and Nao Omori, who are just as essential to the story as the two leads. The tones are balanced very well here, since this movie takes itself seriously most of the time. The violence is fun too.
Horror of Dracula (aka Dracula) (1958) (British Horror) – The first in the series of Hammer Horror films starring Christopher Lee as Count Dracula, this film also features Peter Cushing as Doctor Van Helsing. Conflict escalates quickly in this version, which creates a brisker pace than some other adaptations (also, the runtime is only 82 minutes). The story is also quite different when compared to more “typical” adaptations, which gives it a fresh feel. Set design and visuals are very good. Performances are top notch. This is considered a classic for a reason.
Recommended
The House of Usher (1960) (American Horror) – Upon entering his fiancée's family mansion, a man discovers a family curse and fears that his future brother-in-law (Vincent Price) and his bride-to-be may be dying prematurely. Price is fantastic in this, and the mansion is a great location. It’s deliberately paced but engaging. Certainly worth checking out for fans of gothic horror.
An American Werewolf In London (1981) (American/British Horror) (repeat viewing) – Some guy goes to London and gets attacked by a werewolf. This is a solid movie overall. Some of the most memorable aspects are the practical effects, which show some really cool werewolf transformations and bloody flesh wounds. The dream sequences are fun, but involve random werewolf violence that adds nothing content-wise. The atmosphere captures the cold, rainy London weather of the late winter months. There are a few funny moments to enjoy as well.
The Tingler (1959) (American Horror) – A pathologist (Vincent Price) devotes his life to studying the effects of fear on the human body, but his research leads him to horrors that even he could never anticipate. The introduction by director William Castle is very amusing. Price had very good range as an actor; here he plays a very likeable (albeit flawed) protagonist. The interaction between his character and the wife is unusually manipulative and dark-natured. The most memorable scares occur during the second half and are quite good. Near the end it gets goofy, but in a good way. There are a few interesting plot developments as well. This is good stuff that has a certain charm to it.
Silent Rage (1982) (American Horror/Thriller) – A sheriff (Chuck Norris) tries to stop the killing spree of a silent maniacal murderer who, as the result of secret genetic experimentation by an unethical scientist, has the ability to self-heal. This starts off well, with Chuck going against this killer at the beginning. Then, the bad guy lies unconscious in the hospital for about half the film while Chuck tangles with some random biker dudes. This causes some pacing issues, but Ron Silver helps to keep things interesting as one of the doctors who actually has a conscience regarding the experimental serum. The deputy side characters are totally incompetent and kinda annoying. Regardless, the thrills ramp up again near the mid-point where the villain essentially plays a version of Michael Myers as he silently murders people at night. A sufficiently suspenseful film that’s somewhat unusual for Chuck Norris.
Lobster Cop (2018) (Chinese Crime Comedy/Thriller) – Four police officers open up a crayfish restaurant as a cover in order to catch a notorious drug dealer, only to find their secret recipe is more popular than they expect. This is a sufficiently charming flick that has some amusing character interaction. It’s thankfully low-key and does not get too wacky. The lighting is colorful too. The similar Korean film “Extreme Job” is a bit better though.
Predator 2 (1990) (American Action/Horror) (repeat viewing) – Amidst a territorial gang war in 1997, a sophisticated alien hunter stalks the citizens of Los Angeles and the only man between him and his prey is veteran L.A.P.D. officer. This begins badly, with a rushed opening and bad dialogue. It does settle in fairly quickly with a moderately entertaining shootout in a high-rise apartment between a violent gang and the Predator. It’s decent fun watching this alien dude hunt and kill people in urban environments, and there is some strategy involved in the meat freezer sequence (which is the best set piece of the film). The writing in general is not good, and I’ve always felt that Danny Glover was miscast as the lead, but we get Bill Paxton in a supporting role (which is always a plus). This is watchable.
Tomb Raider (2018) (American Action) – Lara Croft, the fiercely independent daughter of a missing adventurer, must push herself beyond her limits when she discovers the island where her father disappeared. Much of the action in this movie is only kinda related to the main plot. There are lots of disaster-style survival scenes and chases, but they are only partially related to the artifact finding itself, which is poorly developed and not interesting. It’s not like she has to do these things to accomplish a specific goal, she just kinda runs into them along the way. The obstacles do become more focused during the latter third of the film. Still, the “bike chase game” early on is neat and fun to watch. Alicia Vikander and Daniel Wu make a decent team. This is watchable fluff.
The Phantom of the Opera (1925) (American Horror) – A mad, disfigured composer (Lon Chaney) seeks love with a lovely young opera singer in this classic silent film. Nicely shot, with good use of shadows. The traps and passages under the opera house are cool and creative. This is a slightly monotonous and drawn-out viewing experience, with a notable runtime and repetitive orchestra music going non-stop, but it’s still neat and interesting to watch, with some memorable scenes.
