Wrong Turn 4: Bloody Beginnings

Directed by: Declan O'Brien

Written by: Declan O'Brien

Year Released: 2011

Sub Genre: Road Trip / Vacation / Slasher

Cast: Jennifer Pudavick, Tenika Davis, Kaitlyn Leeb

A group of friends set off for an adventure in the great outdoors in the middle of winter. Everyone gets on snow machines and start heading towards their destination but are stopped by in their tracks by a hectic storm.

The gang, unable to bare the weather, find an abandoned building along the way and decide to set up camp for the night.

Unfortunately for them, what lurks in the shadows of the old sanitarium may be too much for them to handle.

My first thought coming into this film was "Shit! There are only three In-Bred's and they all happen to be the same ones as in the first movie!".

Of course this already gives away the big secret that this sequel has to offer. No freaks are going to be getting killed off in this film and all those attempting survival, will in fact, be pegged off one by one till there are no longer and survivors.

Now, without any hope of a happy ending, I was forced to hope for some amazing, original and preferably gore filled kill scenes.

This was also taken away from me as they took the easiest route they could to kill everyone off.

There were way too many repetitive deaths, mainly the amount of beheading's which were performed.

The special effects were pretty good compared to some of the crap this series had to offer up in the past but they still couldn't put a decent budget into the make up for the villains making them look yet again, worse than they did in the prior film.

This was basically used as an origin story that was not necessary as the first film explained perfectly what they are and why they kill.

Conclusion:

Hot garbage is what I'm going to go with on this film. Avoid at any costs of you can as it's once again unnecessary to the series.

1 out of 10

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Hellraiser IV: Bloodline (1996)

In the year 2127, a young man open up the puzzle box to once again unleash to wrath of the cenobites. However, as the box is in an unauthorized area he caught by authorities and must explain to them the history of the box.

Directed by Kevin Yagher (credited under Alan Smithee) and Joe Chappelle (who went completely uncredited for the film). Written by Peter Atkins and starring Doug Bradley, Bruce Ramsay and Valentina Vargas.

For a quick moment I would like to talk about "Alan Smithee". For those of you whom are unaware, Alan Smithee was a pseudonym used by directors who wanted to disown a specific project. Basically, if they didn't like the final product and could convince the director's guild that they could not have done any better due to unforeseen circumstances, the guild would allow them to use the name to cover up their work with the rules of not speaking about the project nor admitting to anybody that it was their work.

This basically tells you, in a nutshell, where this review is going.

Working as a prequel and a sequel bloodline shows not only the history on the lament configuration, but it's present and future as well.

The film lost my interest the moment they jumped back in time to explain the origin of the box. I just can't get into a film that looks like a period piece. It's something I personally have no interest in even though I know the importance of origins.

The future acting was decent, at first
The present wasn't so great and the past was just laughable. Sure they had the outfits and all but they were not acting in the ways of old. They seemed more like a bunch of people who may belong in the crazy home as opposed to those actually living in the Victorian era.

The ending also was not very good in my books. Let's use advanced technology cause it's the only way we can kill these demons. So you're telling me the previous entries really should have all ended differently then? Cause if you can't kill a cenobites, how you gonna get rid of it for good? The answer? You just can't thus  ruining the story line in all the other films.

I found this to be not only a waste of time, but the film itself ruins any momentum the franchise had going. This may be the sole reason why all the following films have been direct to video.

2 out of 10 and the only reason it gets that much love from me is because Of Doug Bradley's reprising of the Pinhead role.

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The Devil's Rejects (2005)

Following the events of the first film, the Firefly family is resting peacefully in their beds until the entire county's police force came knocking on their front door.

Knowing it's a kill or be killed scenario, the family prepares by arming themselves and start to fight back. After a few deaths, Baby and Otis find their way out of the house and start running for their lives in order to find refuge.

Once again written and directed by Rob Zombie and starring, Sid Haig, Sheri Moon Zombie, Bill Moseley, Ken Foree and Matthew McGrory.

The storyline for this sequel has much more depth than it's predecessor. As opposed to just being a gory slasher, Zombie has taken the characters he has created and gave them more emotion by turning the tables and putting them in the same situations they would typically have had their victims in.

The characters being portrayed didn't really show me anything new and played the same old crazy killers they had in the first which did nothing to help me enjoy the film more. In example, the scene's where the Firefly's were torturing and holding prisons captive seemed almost repetitive from the first as well as many other low key horror films.

Although watchable, it's not a film I would go out of my way to see. Zombie does get better from here in his filmmaking endeavors so do not take this as a warning to stay away from his films because you will regret missing out on his better work as it is excellent. If you don't believe me, I implore you to watch both his versions of Halloween. You will see exactly what I mean.

With everything being said and done I will throw this sequel a 5 out of 10!

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House of 1000 Corpses (2003)

While on a country wide journey, four friends whom are attempting to write a book about roadside attractions runs into a clown named captain Spaulding who tells them about a local legend named Dr. Satan. The group, now intrigued, decide to hunt down Dr. Satan's place of death but are interrupted by a passing hitch hiker who drags them all to her family home and to their possible demise.

Written a directed by Rob Zombie and starring Sid Haig, Bill Moseley, Sheri Moon Zombie, Rainn Wilson and Chris Hardwick.

If you are a fan of fun, gore filled slasher movies, loaded with more maniacs than you can shake a stick at, then look no further! Zombie takes the Texas Chainsaw Massacre "family" idea, throws in a few extra crazies and cranks it all the way up to eleven and you have yourselves the Firefly family!

The story line seems to be all over the place with the unexpected and unexplained just popping up every which way making this slightly confusing among somebody's first viewing on the film. After watching it two or three times you should be able to pick up on all the little things that would help piece it all together.

The special effects were excellent to say the least. They really gave out the effect it needed too in order to bring up the creepy factor.

Not Zombie's best work, but still good, especially considering this was his first go as a director. Corpses gets a 6 out of 10.

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Hellraiser III: Hell On Earth (1992)

In the continuation of our series review, Hellraiser: Hell on Earth is the third entry in the series and the first to take everyone's favorite cenobite leader on a walk through the city streets for a large dose of destructive action.

After the events in Hellbound, Elliot Spencer has been free'd from the grips of hell and is no longer forced to be the leader of the cenobites. Unfortunately, the force of life surrounding Pinhead is much too strong to just die and starts to take on a life of it's own, on earth.

Now, with the help of her dreams, news reporter Joey Summerskill must try to stop Pinhead and send him back to hell.

Directed by Anthony Hickox and starring Terry Farrell, Paula Marshall, Kevin Bernhardt and Doug Bradley reprising his roles as Pinhead and his human counterpart Elliot Spencer.

Being that the storyline is a little different than the other two entry's I was kind of skeptical about this film when I had first watched it. After about the halfway point of the movie I realised it was probably the smartest thing they could have done with this series and it made the remainder of the film a real treat to watch giving us a whole world of greatness.

The greatness I am referring too is of course all the new aspects they added into the film. First off, the new cenobites looked awesome and is always a great idea to keep secondary characters of this nature fresh just so people don't get bored of them and of course the scenery change was beautiful!

Having the cenobites in the streets of a city was another genius idea! Not only is it fresh, but they have a ton more they can do with the environment that doesn't just involve the use of chains with hooks on the end.

The storyline itself was a little confusing but like I've said in the past for this series and surely, it will be said again with some of the next films, it's mainly used to show off gore which again, everyone who likes the 80's type of slasher horror films, will enjoy this one for that reason.

Don't get me wrong, I love a great storyline, but most times in this genre you just have to take what you can get.

Better storyline than the first, more confusing that the one from the second but the new baddies and scenery really took the cake for me in this one and so i will give it a 7 out of 10!

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Hellraiser (1987)

Hellraiser is a 1987 film written and directed by horror icon Clive Barker and was based off of his novella "The Hellbound Heart".

Starring Andrew Robinson, Clare Higgins, Sean Chapman, Ashley Laurence and Doug Bradley.

After solving a mysterious puzzle box he purchased, Frank Cotton mistakenly summons a group of Cenobites who take him back to hell with them to torture him for eternity. But after a small household accident causes Franks brother to bleed onto the floor where his brother was killed, he ends up making an escape from hell by rising from the dead.

Seeing this movie yet again after all these years has made the story line very plain and very long for me. The reason I enjoy it so much is because of the amazing special effects. No matter how bored I get with the plot, I know that the effects of the kill scenes, the cenobites and the body rebuild (if you have seen it you know exactly what I mean) will always get me excited to watch this film. There is just so much to appreciate in it.

I will be honest with you, I had a hard time writing the plot for this film in a manner that would not ruin it for anybody as the story line is pretty thin and straight to the point.

Now, I don't want to go out and say that this is a boring movie next to the effects. I only sound like I am speaking this way due to the fact I have seen it a minimum of 60 times now and know it inside and out.

For someone who has not seen it in years or who has never seen it at all, I can guarantee that they will love it all around, plot, dialogue, effects and the iconic characters such as Pinhead. And I say this with the utmost confidence. Eight sequels can't be wrong can they?

Based on my history with this film I would give it a lower rating as the story did not hold up for me and I found myself getting bored very quickly but once again the special effect came in to save the day and locked down a 6 out of 10 for the original flick.

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Jaws (1975)

Jaws is the classic 1975 Steven Spielberg film based off of the Peter Benchley novel of the same name.

Starring Roy Scheider, Robert Shaw and Richard Dryefuss, Jaws follows the story of the small summer destination town of Amity and how it is being plagued by a great white shark with the acquired taste for human flesh. The town is then forced to close all their beaches causing an uproar with the townsfolk as their livelihood is at stake.

Now, if you are over the age of 15 and have never seen this movie in any setting at all then you need to come out from the rock you've been living under and watch this damn movie!

I have seen Jaws a countless amount of times and I can tell you right now that I have never gotten sick of it and will probably never be able to get sick of it due to the greatness it portrays.

Great actors, great dialogue, top of the line animatronics and special effects and something that could potentially happen anywhere due to the fact that it takes place right off of a beach. And what city or town doesn't have a beach. It scared the shit out of me when I had first seen it as a child and several times more after that as well causing me and some of my friends to refuse going swimming for a very long time.

I absolutely loved all the under water scene's from the sharks point of view while he was hunting and attacking his victims, something several horror films followed suit with for years to come.

Another thing that I have to mention, and yes I know, now we might be getting a little too geeky for your tastes but if you can get the blu ray edition of the film, please check out all the special features, mainly the making of Jaws (which amazed me and got me hooked on this film when I saw it as a kid) and the two hour documentary. They are both phenomenal pieces and will make you love the movie more than you did before.

Without actually having to say it, this beauty is getting a 10 out of 10 from me!

Again if you have not seen it, go find a copy and watch the damn thing!

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A Nightmare on Elm Street Part 3: Dream Warriors (1987)

The remaining group of Elm Street children have been shipped off and locked up in a psych ward at Westin Hills thanks to their recurring nightmares of the Springwood slasher, Freddy Krueger.

When Freddy's nightmares start resulting in the death of the kids, their only hope at survival is Nancy Thompson, a dream specialist and the sole survivor of Freddy's first rampage after his death.

Directed by Chuck Russell, produced by Robert Shaye and written by Wes Craven, Bruce Wagner, Chuck Russell and Frank Darabont. Starring Craig Wasson, Patricia Arquette, Heather Langenkamp and Robert Englund as Freddy Krueger.

This is my third favorite entry into the franchise and the one I have seen the most, thanks in part to the 90's and having it play on the specialty stations on a monthly basis.

I loved the story line in this one. Teaching the kids to take control of their dreams was a genius move and made every one of the characters seem bad ass to one degree or another once they were able to follow through with their transformation.

The acting was excellent from practically the entire cast including one Laurence Fishburne, who played a young orderly and you can't go on without the mention of all the great one liners that Freddy has in this one. They are just classic! But my hands down favorite has to be "Welcome to Prime Time, Bitch!" 

As always, the special effects were excellent and it was reflected in a lot of the kills. For example, the TV kill and the puppet master kills are a great example of this.

It's a definite 8 out of 10 for me!

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The Human Centipede II (2011)

I'm going to be a hundred percent honest here and say that I wanted nothing to do with this movie but felt like I had to review it to properly follow up with the original.

I feel like the only reason this sequel was even thought up was to cash in on the popularity that the original had gained over the prior years. So in other words, it's a freaking money grab.

We start by following an over weight, under confident and possibly mentally challenged man named Martin, he is a security guard who is obssessed with the movie "The Human Centipede".

He is so enthralled with the idea of having his own home made pet centipede that Martin decides to take the movie's horrific idea and turns it into his own reality.

Like most other sequel concepts, bigger is always better and  that's exactly what they did with this one, attempting to create a twelve man human centipede.

The use of black and white mixed with the obsessant nagging of Martin's mother was very reminissant to me of the original Pshyco film.

I found alot of the the killing scenes very bland and boring. It looked like the same kill was done over and over again to different victims.

Another part that does not bode well with me is that there was no authority figures that ever appeared nor did anybody even attempt to question Martin about any of the missing people or the continuously crying infant that he left in the car.

Althought I did not want to see this film, I did enjoy the first half of it for some reason. It's possible the fact that the main character did not say a word the entire time and the resemblance to pshyco that drew me in. But that feeling was lost thanks to the last thirty minutes of the movie.

I will have to give the human centipede II a 4 out of 10 as I did for it's predessesor.

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The Guardian (1990)

William Friedkin made his return to the horror genre 17 years after the release of The Exorcist with a movie entitled "The Guardian".

Starring Dwier Brown as Phil Sheridan, Carey Lowell as Kate Sheridan and Jenny Seagrove as Camilla.

The Sheridan's have just given birth to a bouncing baby boy and they could not be any happier. Unfortunately, the young couple realizes that they will be financially unstable until Kate is able to return to work. So in place of waiting, the couple decide to hire a live in Nanny to take care of their bundle of joy.

After a couple of interviews (and their first pick not returning for her second interview), a young lady named Camilla is chosen for the job and seems to be the perfect person for the job. Until the family discovers the truth behind Camilla's past.

The direct did not want his name attached to this project after how poorly it did at the box office but 20 or so years later, after seeing the cult following this film had gained, Friedkin came crawling back and took the credit for his work claiming that to him it's not a horror film, but a different take on fairy tales for adults.

Either way, since day one that I saw this movie, I loved it. The plot is very simple, the acting is passable but still entertaining enough to keep you into the film, the dialogue was another simple factor but the biggest thing that took the cake for most people in this film. The amazing special effects that were used.

Camilla's "alter-ego" looked freaking awesome and still, up to this viewing looked amazing as did the "tree" which, if you watch it, will understand what I mean,

I truly do love this film and always suggest it to anybody looking for a good gore filled horror flick to watch. And will gladly give this one a 7 out of 10.

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The collection (2012)

Admittedly, I did not do my research before watching this movie. I just saw it as a suggestion on Netflix and started watching it without any knowledge of The Collection being the sequel to the film The Collector.

Lucky for me, this film did not really need any explanation and was still a good watch without the first part having been seen.

The Collection is a gore filled horror movie about a serial killer who collects one surviving victim each time he sets a killing spree in motion.

One of his victims, Arkin (Josh Stewart), is set free by a young lady, Elena (Emma Fitzpatrick), from a box the collector was keeping him in. She in turn, is kidnapped and placed in the box in his place.
Arkin is later forced to help a group of mercenaries who have been hired by Emma's father to find the collector and rescue his daughter.

The club scene about 10 minutes into the movie was just fantastic! It's completely gore filled fun. Think of a game of saw, with hundreds of people, and only one person can make it out alive. Then that person gets kidnapped ten seconds after surviving.

The visuals throughout the movie were awesome, each room had it's own theme and it's own kills to go with it.

Most of the death scenes were very inventive and the special effects really did a big number to help them look as realistic as possible.

The dialogue seemed a little plain at times and some of the acting looked forced but they covered most of that with the effects used in each scene.

The closing scene seemed kind of ridiculous even though he explains why and how he is doing it. Still found it a waste of an opening for another possible sequel.

For the entertainment value of the death scenes alone, I will have to give this on a 5.5 out of 10. Most of the movie didn't do anything for me and I doubt, next to going on youtube for them, would only watch it again for the intro killing spot.

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Hatchet III (2013)

So Victor Crowley is dead? Head hacked up by his own hatchet and the remainder of what was once his ugly face, blown to hell with a shot gun blast.

Oh, wait! I was wrong... He's back!

Thanks to a local news reporter, Mary-Beth is once again forced to go back into the woods to try and put Crowley to rest once and for all.

Written by Adam Green, directed by BJ McDonnell, produced by Adam Green and Sarah Elbert. Staring Danielle Harris, Derek Mears, Caroline Williams, Zach Galligan and Kane Hodder as Victor Crowley.

The third (and doubtfully last) entry in Hatchet film series by Adam Green, plays out in the opposite manner that the first entry had. Starts off serious and half way through, someone goes a little crazy and pulls out the old "bazooka" rocket launcher... Hilarity ensues.

One of the biggest kicks I have gotten out of these films is not only the appearances by top horror genre actors such as Derek Mears, (Hills have eyes series) Sid Haig (House of 1000 corpses) and Sean Whalen (The people under the stairs), but the continuous addition of Parry Shen who has played a different character in each of the three films. They also included a scene of a paramedic stating that one of the victims looked just like him, in which he took offence to it.

The end of the trilogy was not at all what I was expecting it to be but I was very happy with the dedication to the campy 80's throwback style that was obvious in all the entries since the start.

The gore looked a lot better for this film than it did in part two. Although most of the kills were over the top, they still went all out for the gore effects to give it an edge.

Adam Green had written this installment but gave the directing task to BJ McDonnell who did a great job and was able to keep in line with the rest of the trilogy. And no need to worry, Adam did make his (drunken) appearance in this film as he had done previously.

Great throwback, fun kills, awesome cameo's and a whole hell of a lot of gore! This series was over the top and campy and I loved it for those reasons. But this entry has to be my favorite of the bunch and I need to give it an 8.5 out of 10.

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Hatchet (2006)

A group of guys set out to Mardi Gras to take things off their friend Ben's mind after he is dumped by his longtime girlfriend.

When the booze and the girls won't seem to help with his heartbreak,  Ben decides to take a haunted boat tour where he and everyone aboard, run into a snag and must ban together in order to escape from the fearsome spirit of Victor Crowley.

Written and directed by Adam Green. Starring Deon Richmond, Tamara Feldman, Joel Moore and Kane Hodder as Victor Crowley

To start off, this film was FILLED to the top with some of the biggest stars the horror genre has ever seen, including Robert Englund (Freddy Krueger), Kane Hodder (Jason Voorhees) and the aforementioned Tony Todd.

Written and directed by Adam Green, you can tell that this was the inspired work of someone who loves watching the classic slasher films. From the cameo's to the ending there was always something an old school fan could pick up on at almost any point of this movie.

The first hour seemed like it was a little too goofy for my tastes, all I could think of this movie as was a mix between Lake Placid and one of the Friday the 13th films, but I soon realized what the writer was doing. And it paid off when the story line got serious and the scenes had started getting filled with gore.

I did find the main character's dialogue a little bit odd at first but it suited the look and mannerisms of the actor portraying him and made me see the type of person he is supposes to be resembling.

The kills in this were a mix of straight old school slasher and new original, innovative deaths which is always a plus when I'm watching a slasher. And the gore used was amazing and very realistic. Although some of the kills weren't overly convincing it was still very well made.

And for the 80's fan out there, the ending is made especially for you! You will love it and hate It all at the same time, I can guarantee that.

So for my big finale, I will have to say that watching this movie is a big yes, even if you're not really a fan of the first hour, such as I was, just keep watching it and it will pay off in the long run. Hence why I am giving it a 7 out of 10.

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You're Next (2011)

I have been waiting a while to do this one, but here it finally is and it's thanks to my friend Matt for making the request.

You're next is simply about a family who have gathered for their parents 35th wedding anniversary. But to their misfortune, they are targeted by a group of bandits who start killing off each family member one by one.

Directed by Adam Wingard, written by Simon Barrett, starring Sharni Vinson, Nicholas Tucci, Wendy Glenn, A.J. Bowen and Joe Swanberg.

Now, I am not going to give any more detail about this movie as I do not wish to ruin any part of this film for anybody. Instead I will give you a list of why you should watch this movie for yourselves.

Right from the start you get all you need to create a perfect slasher film, just like they used to make back in the 80's. The music on queue, the "no cell reception" aspect was done in the most intelligent way possible, with full explanation to boot.

Add in your necessary soft core nudity, simple reason why the killings are taking place, some pretty good acting, a whole hell of a lot of well done gore filled scenes and you have yourself an excellent homage to the 80's that's sure to please any fan of old school slasher flicks.

Predictability was the only problem I had with this film, but it gave it the full slasher movie effect and I can respect that.

Now with all that being said I have to easily give this beauty a 9 out of 10. If you think that it's higher than it should be, that just means you aren't a real slasher fan!

Thanks for reading and I would once again like to thank Matt G. for the excellent request. Feel free to comment, e-mail (horrorshootreviews@gmail.com) or follow us on twitter @horrorshoot!

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Friday the 13th: A new beginning (1985)

Five years have passed and Tommy Jarvis has since been institutionalized. He is sent out to the Pinehurst Halfway House, which homes a large group of troubled youths.

After the death of one of the youth's, strange murders start to happen all around the Pinehurst area leading Tommy to think that Jason has come back to life and is looking to finish what he started.

The grown-up version of Tommy was not at all who I would have wanted him to be. A kid who they could have had become a real bad ass was turned into a shy, timid and nervous individual. Not matching any of the descriptions that he was in his film debut.

I really enjoyed the ending of this entry as it did not do anything crazy or out of the ordinary. They kept it very simple and it worked out well in my books.

I used to hate this movie as a kid due to the fact that I wanted to see a supernatural Jason kicking ass and what I got was a very plausible, real life-like story line that could happen to anybody in this day and age.

The kills in this one were freaking awesome! Most of them were original and innovative making the gore factor HUGE in this part of the franchise. I particularly like the belt kill as it's just gruesome as all hell! Can't ask for better than that in a slasher!

The whole time I had gotten bored maybe twice in between the kills, usually due to the Tommy scene's. But in all it held up very well and the kills made up for most of the crap it may have produced. It will receive a simple 7 out of 10.

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