DeadandWalking http://deadandwalking.com Movie News, Reviews and Forum Fri, 03 Sep 2010 20:19:08 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 Suicide (2006) http://deadandwalking.com/suicide-2006/ http://deadandwalking.com/suicide-2006/#comments Fri, 03 Sep 2010 20:05:48 +0000 Death Gore Machine http://deadandwalking.com/?p=282

I guess the burning question is…Why would anyone feel the need to commit suicide? Firstly, I think you must establish the reasoning behind such a film. In a convincingly good way, the camera draws you in, and even though we only meet each person for ten minutes we feel like we’ve known them for a lifetime.

Suicide follows Markus Eberhard and Yvonne De Bark, who believe everyone is entitled to their ‘fifteen minutes of fame’ even if it’s their last. Now, as many films don’t portray suicide, here it’s the ‘norm’, hence the film’s title.

Markus and Yvonne set up a website that offers people the chance to have their suicide filmed. With camera in hand, they begin going to the homes of people who wish to commit suicide. We get to hear their own story, why life must end and the ultimate act of suicide. Each suicide is a fairly intense act, not only on the eye, but emotionally too. We feel compelled to view each act as ‘this is their time and we must pay them attention’. So grueling was each shot that the actors and crew could only do one take due to the emotions involved. I’ve never seen anyone commit suicide but I guess this is as real as it would be. Hearing some of the stories can be a little drawn out but it sets the scene for the final act.

As they get more and more involved with each suicide, Markus and Yvonne become torn between sympathy for the clients and the need to earn more and more money.
Are they accomplices to these deaths?

Shot in a stylishly real way, and drawing you in for the next act, we become immersed in a world that we don’t normally get to see. This is a film that delivers, asking more questions than giving answers. What you have to remember is it’s only a film that is cleverly shot for maximum impact.

I could give away some spoilers but I feel this would go against the grain with this type of film. There are no big FX, no big name actors, nor are there buckets of blood and guts, but you will need to adjust your seat after viewing Suicide. The only thing I would say is, the end of the film is cleverly done, I slowed it down to 1/32th and I couldn’t find the edit.

The script is pretty well thought out for such a film, quite cold blooded and stark. If documentary style films and the subject of suicide appeals to you then this is a must have for your collection. To categorize this film, I would have to put it in with Cannibal Holocaust, Blair Witch, The Last Horror Movie, My Little Eye and Open Water. Purely for the ‘home made’ feel to it.

Producer and Director Raoul Heimrich shot his first film on 8mm at age twelve. Since 1995 he’s been involved with some 28 projects for German TV.

Overall, Suicide gets the thumbs up for its sheer ‘in your face’ attitude, a solid 8.5 out of 10.

Please Note: There are several methods of suicide involved in this film and I strongly urge anyone who has felt, or is feeling suicidal to go and talk to someone they trust.

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]]> http://deadandwalking.com/suicide-2006/feed/ 0 Children of The Corn II – Review as Part of Special Edition Boxset http://deadandwalking.com/children-of-the-corn-ii-review-as-part-of-special-edition-boxset/ http://deadandwalking.com/children-of-the-corn-ii-review-as-part-of-special-edition-boxset/#comments Fri, 03 Sep 2010 19:59:49 +0000 Death Gore Machine http://deadandwalking.com/?p=278

Back in Gatlin Sheriff Blaine (Wallace Merck – Friday 13th 6, Brainstorm) discovers the adults murdered by Isaac Chroner, Malachai and the towns children, some three years earlier, in basements of homes and out in the corn fields, where ‘He Who Walks Behind The Rows’ dwells. The townsfolk of neighbouring Hemmingford agree to take in the surviving children unaware that ‘He Who Walks Behind the Rows’ will be rejuvenated and once again, command the children to rid the land of adults and those who defile the corn. Mrs. Burke (Marty Terry – Black Rainbow, Cry Wolf) tries to warn the Hemmingford folk that evil is still working through the children, however, she is ignored, and the time has come for The Final Sacrifice…

Driving the back roads of Gatlin, Nebraska, assaying reporter, John ‘The Ragman’ Garrett (Terence Knox – An Ordinary Killer, Forever), along with his son Danny (Paul Scherrer – Standoff, JAG), go to Gatlin for the story; their relationship is somewhat tarred and they use a battle of wills which, in turn, provides us with some light hearted banter from the moment we meet them. After nearly having an accident with two other reporters, Wayde McKenzie (Robert C. Treveiler – Carrie 2, Hellraiser 3) and Bobby Knite (Leon Pridgen – Nightmare in Columbia County, Assault at West Point), John tries to find out some information about the Gatlin murders, to no avail. John and Danny continue to Gatlin, meanwhile, Wayde and Bobby take a short cut through the corn fields to get some footage for their story, where they become lost in the maze of corn. Shortly after, the wind gets up, the sky blackens, something’s not right… Getting out of the van, Wayde proclaims to Bobby, “How the Hell did we get out here..?”. Panic soon takes over, Bobby is drawn into the corn fields where he gets his throat slashed by the leaves of the corn. Wayde gets back in the van, a spear of corn drives itself straight through the windshield and is thrust straight into Wayde’s neck. As sudden as the sky blackened….all becomes tranquil again, just like nothing
had happened.

Interim, we cut to John and Danny, arriving late, they meet Ruth Gordon (Kristy Wagner – Children of the Corn 2), the lady who agreed to take in Micah (Ryan Bollman – Neverending Story, No Vacancy). Reading Ruth’s T-Shirt promotion, ‘Come Sleep with Me – Bed & Breakfast’ John asks if he and Danny could stay, to which she agrees. After an argument during dinner, Danny goes to wait for the next bus out of town. Whilst waiting, Danny meets Lacey Hellerstat (Christie Clark – Nightmare on Elm Street 2, Days of Our Lives) who informs him the next bus isn’t until next Tuesday. Meanwhile, Micah is out in the cornfield trying to find the other children. ‘He Who Walks Behind the Rows’ chases Micah and ‘possesses’ him. Mordechai (Ted Travelstead – Rock n’ Roll Frankenstein, Children of the Corn 2) and Jedediah (Sean Bridgers – Sweet Home Alabama, Nell) are in the corn waiting for “He Who Walks Behind the Rows to show us the way”. Jedediah is somewhat skeptical. Mordachai recites Isaacs word “A leader shall come from the corn and make us as one”…It’s time…Micah arrives through the corn. He instructs the children to return home and wait for a sign.

John goes to Mrs. Burke’s home to find answers. She tells John “Have you ever seen evil..? It works through the children”, she continues, “Nobody would listen, I showed em in Gatlin”. “Showed them what?” John replies. “The drawing’s….by the little children, they knew”. Looking distressed, she remarks “My husband walked out in to a cornfield fifteen years ago….he never came back!” They soon discover a crudely daubed cross on the front of her home. Micah takes the cross as the sign – “It is like the light from the corn”, He tells the children, “Not from the hand of man but the mark from ‘He Who Walks Behind the Rows’.”

During a sermon with Rev. Hollings (John Bennes – I Know What You Did Last Summer, King’s The Night Flier) a brilliantly constructed scene starts to unfold with Micah and David Simpson (Joe Inscoe – Night of the Hunter, The Stepford Husbands), involving a wooden voodoo doll and a knife…. Price less footage and incredibly bloody for such a film. Searching for more information, John goes to the old, abandoned elementary school in Gatlin. The corridors are full of corn and children’s voices can be heard echoing around the school, this is where he bumps in to Frank Redbear (Ned Romero – Expiration Date, Fabulous Shiksa in Distress). Frank, works for the State University’s Department of Anthropology, he’s returning John’s wallet that he left in his unlocked car.

Meanwhile, Mrs. Burke has been slowly crushed to death under her home. Her sister, Mrs. West, also played by Marty Terry, knows the truth about the children. Sheriff Blaine dismisses her, claiming it was ‘an accident’. Upon leaving, she warns, “You blind fools!….You fools!….You let the wolf in your door!”. Mrs. Burke’s body is taken to Dr. Appleby (Ed Grady – Wolfman, Children of the Corn III). The ultimate adult nightmare begins…

I must say, I’m glad to see Children of the Corn 2 puts on more ‘on screen’ violence than the original. Probably a decision made by director David Price. It works well enough to make up for ‘the lack of..’ in Children of the Corn. Price is the son of Frank Price (former Columbia and Universal president and producer – Ghostbusters, Gandhi, Tootsie, Out of Africa). David Price has had a highly credible career as a producer, including films – Prince of Lies, Desert Flowers, Leprechaun and currently in pre-production Knight Rider, rumoured for 2008. Price has directed, to the same degree of professionalism, the films – Sons of Darkness: To Die For II, Dr. Jekyll and Ms. Hyde, Prince of Lies and, of course, Children of the Corn 2. I’m usually a little skeptical about sequels but Children of the Corn 2 has a set of good characters who carry the meaning of the original film through this entire film in a believable manner. Marty Terry, as Mrs. Burke and Mrs. West, has a great presence in the film. Her ‘terror’ toward
the children is actually quite un-nerving to say the least. Great stuff Marty! The only tiny draw back, for me, was the CGI clouds. I much prefer a time lapse camera to do this kind of work. It doesn’t spoil the film but it would have been nice to see time lapse instead.

This first sequel also failed to impress at the US box office as did the original, only managing $6.373.445, but again, proved popular on video. King fans must have thought there’s no place for this sequel after the initial ‘flop’ of the original, but time has proved that the ‘Corn’ series has become some of King’s most popular work. I’ve read many reviews about Children of the Corn, and its sequels, many look for the negative side of filming etcetera, continuity errors, that sort of thing. This is upsetting. As a reminder, the ‘Corn’ series is born from a thirty page short story by Stephen King, so top marks for that! Overall, Anchor Bay’s special edition box set inc. COTCII: The Final Sacrifice deserves a cool 7 out of 10.

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]]> http://deadandwalking.com/children-of-the-corn-ii-review-as-part-of-special-edition-boxset/feed/ 0 Children of The Corn – Review as Part of Special Edition Boxset http://deadandwalking.com/children-of-the-corn-review-as-part-of-special-edition-boxset/ http://deadandwalking.com/children-of-the-corn-review-as-part-of-special-edition-boxset/#comments Fri, 03 Sep 2010 19:45:30 +0000 Death Gore Machine http://deadandwalking.com/?p=264

First appearing as a short story from King’s Night Shift collection and originally published in a March 1977 edition of Penthouse, Children of the Corn was mocked by critics, using the fact that it was a film conceived from a thirty page story. What we should remember is both Stand by Me and The Shawshank Redemption, two other acclaimed films of King’s were also based on short stories which have become classics in their respective rights. Stanley Kubrick’s adaptation of The Shining also failed early on to impress critics and King fans alike, but is now a horror classic.

Moving to the film; “It was about three years a go, I was the only kid in church that day”, are the first words spoken by Job – Robby Kiger (The Monster Squad, Crazy Like a Fox. Pronounced Jobe), our young narrator for the film, Children of the Corn, which opens in Hansen’s cafe, where most of the adults are poisoned, and all others struggling to survive are murdered by the children who lock them in and wreak havoc with hand held farming equipment and a bacon slicer. Job is the only survivor who also sees his dad slaughtered in Hansen’s. Now all the adults are gone…

Three years later, Job and his sister Sarah – Anne Marie McEvoy, (Full House, Invitation to Hell) help a young boy escape from Gatlin. He uses the corn fields to escape to the back roads. Whilst running through the corn, he has his throat slashed in a vicious ‘off screen’ manner. Cutting to a remote motel, we meet Burt – Peter Horton (Where the River Runs Black, 2 Days in the Valley) and Vicky – Linda Hamilton (Skeletons in the Closet, The Terminator), whose marriage is struggling, and who eventually become lost in Nebraska whilst driving. Cutting through the back roads surrounded by corn fields, they hit a young boy who stumbles out into the road. Burt discovers the boy has had his throat slashed. Going into the corn, Burt finds the boy’s blood spattered suitcase in the fields. Upon returning with the suitcase, the body is put in the trunk of their car and they set off to find help. After getting directions from an old gas attendant, they eventually come to Gatlin, a small town in Nebraska, where the adults have been sacrificed to ‘He who walks behind the rows’, a devil, if you will. The children are led by Malachai – Courtney Gains (Headshot, The Watchers, Memphis Belle) and their Shakespearian styled-speaking religious leader Isaac Chroner – John Franklin (Children of the Corn 666- Isaacs Return, The Addams Family, Child’s Play -Voice of walkabout Chucky). Whilst they drive around the town looking for help it becomes clear to Burt and Vicky that all’s-not-right with Gatlin. Malachai finds Job and Sarah playing a board game in their old home. Games, music and drawings are forbidden and they are taken to Isaac, who discovers Sarah has the ‘gift of sight’ and she warns of Burt and Vicky’s coming in one of her drawings. The struggle between good and evil begins…

Children of the Corn is a classic Stephen King story which is brought to the screen in a cold blooded way, thanks to the directional skills of Fritz Kiersch. Fritz has directed such films as The Hunt, Surveillance, Shattered Image, Swamp Thing and The Stranger. Considering that Children of the Corn is a thirty page short by King just goes to show how dedicated Kiersch must of been to stretching it out to a full length feature film. No mean feat, I’m sure you’ll agree. As far as gory moments go, there are some, but as I mentioned earlier, they’re ‘off screen’ which adds to the atmosphere. The ‘goodies’ in the film, Burt, Vicky, Job and Sarah play their parts convincingly and it’s good to see Linda Hamilton, who later that year (’84), went on to get her big break in The Terminator. The ‘baddies’, Isaac and Malachai are menacing enough to send a shiver down your spine, and Malachai’s stare is priceless.

The scripting is ok as these kinds of films go, but it has to be Isaac’s young boy looks and strange little voice that steals the show. Children of the Corn had a ‘sleeper success’ due to its initial ‘flop’ when first released. The film didn’t go down well at the US box office, only grossing $14.5 million, which made it the lowest earner for King that year. Through the medium of home video, the film gained some momentum, gathering an audience that more than likely never knew the film existed. This set the ball rolling for fans of The Terminator and/or Linda Hamilton to find other work she had done. They soon discovered Children of the Corn, which began to gain a status only King would have wished for earlier. Children of the Corn is a must for any King fan, it’s a great little film which has spawned six further sequels. If you haven’t seen it, I
would recommend it giving a credible 8 out of 10.

Anchor Bay has done a box set containing the original Children of the Corn trilogy, which is uncut and fully restored. The transition from video to disc has been done well enough to allow the picture’s colour and sharpness to be as good as possible considering its twenty two years old. It comes presented in a nice little box and packed with special features and a booklet full of information.

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]]> http://deadandwalking.com/children-of-the-corn-review-as-part-of-special-edition-boxset/feed/ 1 Bram Stoker Film Festival – October 2010 [UK] http://deadandwalking.com/bram_stoker_festival/ http://deadandwalking.com/bram_stoker_festival/#comments Thu, 02 Sep 2010 16:24:12 +0000 Death Gore Machine http://deadandwalking.com/?p=255

This might actually be worth going too. Its great thats its so close to me aswell, which makes a change.

Dates: 14th – 17th October 2010

Official Website | Film Listings | Special Guests | Buy Tickets (Prices start at £25)

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]]> http://deadandwalking.com/bram_stoker_festival/feed/ 0 Daniel (Harry Potter) Radcliffe To Star In Hammer Film http://deadandwalking.com/daniel_radcliffe_to_star_in_hammer_film/ http://deadandwalking.com/daniel_radcliffe_to_star_in_hammer_film/#comments Thu, 02 Sep 2010 16:18:51 +0000 Death Gore Machine http://deadandwalking.com/?p=247
Daniel Radcliffe

It was announced today (19 July) that Daniel Radcliffe, perhaps best known for playing the titular role in the Harry Potter series, will star in the forthcoming film adaptation of Susan Hill’s novel The Woman In Black from Hammer Films. – Source: Hammer Website

Click Here for more.

Press Room Article

- Well, as a horror fan, i dont like the harry potter stuff at all, but Radcliffe is growing up and needs to expand his acting ability. Hammer horror is known the world over and ive got loads of hammer productions. I just hope that the hammer team get it right with Radcliffe and he doesnt fuck it up.

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]]> http://deadandwalking.com/daniel_radcliffe_to_star_in_hammer_film/feed/ 0 Dario Argento’s ‘Inferno’ Released on Blu-Ray and DVD! http://deadandwalking.com/dario-argentos-inferno-released-on-blu-ray-and-dvd/ http://deadandwalking.com/dario-argentos-inferno-released-on-blu-ray-and-dvd/#comments Wed, 01 Sep 2010 10:10:33 +0000 Joe Fitzpatrick http://deadandwalking.com/?p=240 Pre Order Here

Get ready UK Argento fans as the guys down at Arrow are releasing Argento’s Inferno as a special edition, on Blu-Ray and DVD!
Never released in the UK, Inferno is a sequel to the cult hit ‘Suspiria’ and part of the Mother of Tears trilogy.

Comes with a decent cover art, and i’m expecting the usual 2 disc, poster and booklet. Can’t wait. I have never seen this before, because I couldn’t get my hands on a copy without splashing out a fortune. Should be great, I loved Suspiria.

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]]> http://deadandwalking.com/dario-argentos-inferno-released-on-blu-ray-and-dvd/feed/ 0 Phenomena (1985) Review http://deadandwalking.com/phenomena-1985-review/ http://deadandwalking.com/phenomena-1985-review/#comments Mon, 30 Aug 2010 21:15:18 +0000 Joe Fitzpatrick http://deadandwalking.com/?p=235 Okay, so before I begin you may be wondering where the ‘mini’ review came from. Basically, I find it easier to sum things up quickly rather than droning on about nothing. On with the review…

This Review May Contain Spoilers!

Phenomena (1985) is one of Dario Argento’s most popular movies, known also as Creepers. It stars Jennifer Connolly, who plays ‘Jennifer’, the daughter of a very famous actor. She moves to some sort of all girls school in Switzerland whilst her dad works away for a year. Upon her arrival a schoolmate warns her of a local unknown killer, who stalks women around their age. Jennifers strange attraction to insects brings her over to Professor John McGregors (Donald Pleasance). Jennifer’s attraction to insects and McGregors professionalism in the subject forms a detective hunt to find the killer.

I hated this film at first. I thought Argento had made a poor effort compared to his ealier Italian movies Deep Red, Suspiria and Tenebrae. However, after watching it the second time, I found it an excellent 80′s movie, and should definitely be given a watch. The whole atmosphere of the movie with it’s soundtrack (apart from the Maiden songs) makes you feel uneasy and sort of crazy. Very good work there.

On terms of pacing Phenomena will not have you feeling bored. There are no unneeded scenes to fill in time space and every scene merges together well. Acting wise, expect a little cheese, but isn’t that what makes 70/80′s films great?

Gore wise? Quite good. There will be a certain ‘pool’ scene which will have you gagging, or at the least thinking ‘fuck that’. Whilst not particularly disturbing, Argento has made a good effort at shocking the audience.

Storywise, Phenomena is quite original and strong, and expect twist after twist. Phenomena is not one of Argento’s best works, but it’s certainly up the higher end of his ‘good’ movies.

Rating: 7/10

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SPOILER
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Oh yeah, there’s a knife wielding monkey.

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]]> http://deadandwalking.com/phenomena-1985-review/feed/ 0 Call of Duty: Black Ops RC Car Footage http://deadandwalking.com/call-of-duty-black-ops-rc-car-footage/ http://deadandwalking.com/call-of-duty-black-ops-rc-car-footage/#comments Thu, 12 Aug 2010 18:48:06 +0000 Joe Fitzpatrick http://deadandwalking.com/?p=231 The 7th instalment of the Call of Duty franchise ‘Black Ops’ is released this November. Here is new footage of the RC car, which players will be able to use in game.

Black Ops has been developed by Treyarch (World at War), so hopefully a lot of the Modern Warfare 2 problems won’t arise.

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]]> http://deadandwalking.com/call-of-duty-black-ops-rc-car-footage/feed/ 0 New US Poster for ‘Monsters’ Released http://deadandwalking.com/new-us-poster-for-monsters-released/ http://deadandwalking.com/new-us-poster-for-monsters-released/#comments Thu, 12 Aug 2010 12:51:11 +0000 Joe Fitzpatrick http://deadandwalking.com/?p=227 Source
Another new poster for Gareth Edward’s ‘Monsters’ has been released. The UK’s FrightFest will allow an advanced screening of the upcoming horror movie, but for those who are not attending, we will have to wait until 12th November (UK). The US gets their viewing a couple of weeks earlier and will be released on 29th October.

“Six years ago previously, a NASA probe returning to earth with samples of an alien life form, crashed over Central America. Soon after, new life forms began to appear, and half of Mexico was quarantined as an INFECTED ZONE. Today, the American and Mexican military still struggle to contain “the creatures”… The story begins when a US journalist agrees to escort a shaken American tourist through the infected zone in Mexico to the safety of the US border.”

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]]> http://deadandwalking.com/new-us-poster-for-monsters-released/feed/ 1 New ‘Up Close’ Thai Piranha 3D Poster Released! http://deadandwalking.com/new-up-close-thai-piranha-3d-poster-released/ http://deadandwalking.com/new-up-close-thai-piranha-3d-poster-released/#comments Thu, 12 Aug 2010 10:30:44 +0000 Joe Fitzpatrick http://deadandwalking.com/?p=223 A Thai poster for the upcoming horror movie ‘Piranha 3D’ really get’s up close with it’s audience. Pirahna 3D comes out on August 20th 2010 (UK), and has cast well known industry actors including Ving Rhames (Pulp Fiction, Dawn of the Dead), Eli Roth (Hostel, Cabin Fever) and Christopher Lloyd (The Addams Family, Back to the Future).

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