Movie Review - The Collection

The Collection

2012

The Cast

Though this is the sequel to "The Collector" and ties in well with the ending of the first film, it actually has very little to do with the original.  For starters, you have to forget the premise of the first as well as The Collectors modus operandi.  Like the original, these films work well if you don't think... at all.  Once you do you'll start spotting the massive gaping flaws in the story.  So in this chapter, The Collector has upped his game and has gone after a club full of young adults.  From which one survives.  Luckily for her, she has a loving and rich father who will do anything to get her back... so he sends in his own band of mercenaries to get her out... okay, everybody, let's march into the blood-spattered decrepit hotel and chant at the top of your voices, "Let's Go Die, Let's Go Die".  And so the carnage continues.

The thing which made the previous film so good is the same thing that makes this... the tension and suspense.  Dunstan is a maestro at manipulating the pace and atmosphere to get you on the edge of your seat.  Every time a trap is sprung you wonder how nasty it'll be... answer... very nasty.  That's the second thing keeping the audiences attention, the kills and the action.  There is a tonne of gore, enough to keep Hershall Lewis smiling in heaven, and plenty enough for the gorehounds.

Stewart is much better as Arkin in this film.  It would appear that being the collector's plaything has added an extra depth or two to him.  His motivation to escape is evident in every scene he's in.  Lee Tergesen does a passable job as the hired killer Lucello.  However, the rest of his merry men are ten-a-penny redshirts... proper cannon fodder.  So, it would appear that the writers decided not to fill out their characters too much.  Then there was Fitzpatrick as Elena, who was okay while she didn't say anything.  However, when she did speak she spoke with wooden tongue.

The special effects were awesome, the re-breaking of Arkin's arm and the escape attempt is quite nearly sickening.  The sewn together body parts is eerie and disturbing.  And the traps are gruesome and deadly.  Hopefully, all of this should be enough to satisfy, who needs a story, right(?)

The story really could have made this into a better and stronger film.  In the original, all you had to do was forget that it takes time to jerry-rig a house with all the traps, the collector used - forgivable, for entertainment's sake.

The character of the collector breaks into a house and leaves a present for the homeowners.  A trunk, inside of which is a tortured person from his previous escapade.  This "Present" is for shock value to throw the prey into confusion and fear.  Then he sets about torturing and killing everyone, but one, in the house... nobody lives.

This is even mentioned on a TV News Broadcast in the sequel.  There's been a spree of home invasions with this MO.  Even though it's the police being interviewed in the broadcast there appears to be no manhunt for The Collector.  No Task Force.  No FBI.  Then there's a party at a secret location... not too secret as TC's had time to set up a really nasty combine harvester trap, which is rigged to the trunk, hidden away in one of the rooms of the derelict house.  Boy, he was really hoping that somebody would be curious enough to go looking through a condemned building, so they'd set the trap off.

Then when we get to his hotel it just gets worse.  Not only does this killer torture and murder homeowners but he must also be picking up people off the street judging by the number of dismembered cadavers laying around...  Not only that, but he now has "The Collection" roaming around the place too.  People too scared to try and escape.  Most of which are high on drugs.  TC must be cooking the stuff or he really is one sick rich dude.  However, the strange thing is the traps in this place... a place that's his so he has all the time in the world to construct the best traps ever,  but are really weak-assed.  One of them is a hallway of plywood with nails knocked through them.  They don't even move together.  Another is a hallway full of bear traps.  Which you can easily get through by just walking to the side of them.  Damn this place really needed Kevin McCallister's touch.

Then there's the stitched together body parts.  Looks, like TC's been watching The Human Centipede, what a sicko...  This absolutely breaks with his persona.  There is no way that he would do this.  And then to arrange them in some kind of fluid inside glass canisters... believability is out the window.

Had the writers chosen, not to go down this path but to remain on the original and begin to explain TC's psychosis and background a little then it would have only helped to define the character better.  The strongest films give their audience an inkling into the psychopath and his thinking.  You know what's eating Norman, what's driving Michael, why Freddy is so evil, and even Jason gets a backstory and motivation.  These add to the power of their characters and hopefully the films.

If you're a gorehound then this film is definitely for you.  If you don't like blood then I'd recommend you stay away.

I give this a blood-soaked and gore-stained 6 out of 10.

The Trailer

Movie Review - The Last House On Dead End Street

The Last House On Dead End Street

AKA:  The Fun House 

1977

Production Concepts Ltd. / Today Productions Inc.

Cinematic Releasing Corporation / DCS Video Screams / Fright Video / Vinigar Syndrome

6.5 / 10

This film isn't as bad as it should be.  Let me explain, the concept is that after serving a sentence in prison for drug related crimes Roger Watkins has had an epiphany.  Kill people for fame and money.  To do this he will make snuff movies with the help of his friends.  Then for it to be told from the miscreant's point of view is a horrifying idea.

However, writer, director, and actor, Terry Hawkins does not turn this into an exploitation film or glorify or condone the horror's portrayed within.  What he gives his viewers is a psychological chiller, which is heavy on the chills.  Hawkins actually makes the audience think and reflect on the nature of the participants of the crimes committed.  I came away feeling mentally cold and more than a little sickened, which is a pretty hard thing to do as I have a strong stomach.  This emotion is a good thing though as I believe it was the aim of the filmmaker.  This is thought-provoking entertainment and not a happy and joyful performance; you should not come away from this movie feeling cheerful.  It should make the audience at least start to wonder how dark the thoughts within mankind are.  How far would one go to make money(?)  Or to be the person they are under their "Normal-World" mask?

The original title when the film was released in 1974 was The Fun House and there are rumours of the BBFC getting it wrong by banning the wrong Funhouse by choosing Tobe Hooper's film of that name from 1981 - see my review here.  When it was rereleased in 1977 to larger audiences somebody had the idea to use Wes Craven's success with The Last House On The Left to rename it to the present title.

I liked the way Hawkins builds up to the story.  The movie starts out slow as he paints the picture of Roger Watkins', his dream, the recruitment of his friends, and the choice of his victims.  Then when the killings start he takes his time to pull all the tension and disgust out of his viewers with some very nasty and graphic images.  The special effects team, as well as the lighting crew and cameramen, do a magnificent job of making all of this feel and appear realistic.  I've seen some pretty nasty horrific special effects, though this is one of the few that has stayed with me.

There's also the concept of what's next(?)  In this film, Hawkins asks the question of the porn business.  When people have become used to and complacent with the normal sex acts and even S&M is becoming run-of-the-mill then what's the next big thing(?)  To some extent, this is still evident today on the internet, so this notion and opinion are still viable today, especially when you get psychopaths posting animal cruelty videos online.

Hawkins is also a pretty good director and though it feels like it's been shot on a handheld 8mm there are some good camera angles and iconic shots which also add strength to the movie.  The use of imagery, particularly the use of Greek masks adds a nice eeriness. Apart from the unrelenting depravity, the only thing which makes this film a little grating is the acting which is below average, though to be fair, most of the actors are students.

Would I recommend this to anyone?  Yes:  To anyone looking to create horrific imagary, either for a horror or a thriller film then watch this movie... this is how it should be done, this is the kind of atmosphere you should be looking to create.  The same can be said of directors who are working on a budget.  If you're a film fan and have a strong constitution and enjoy thought-provoking movies then this could be for you, but don't think you'll be a happy bunny at the end of watching it.

Movie Review - Aurora Teagarden Mystery: A Bone To Pick

Aurora Teagarden Mystery

A Bone To Pick

2015

Lighthouse Pictures / Muse Entertainment Enterprises : The Hallmark Channel / Muse Distribution International

6.25 / 10

Being English, the title of this movie threw me at first... "The Aurora Teagarden" sounds like a place you would go for a nice cuppa cha while sitting in beautiful floral surroundings...  But no "Aurora Teagarden" is the name of the leading character - poor girl.

That aside, this is a good way to pass an hour and a half.  Aurora "Roe" Teagarden, played nicely by Candace Cameron Bure. is a member of a mystery group dedicated to "Real Murders".  One of the members, Jane Eagles (Barbara Wallace), invites Roe round to her house so she can borrow a book on female killers, as this had been her "Real Murder" discussion subject.  A few days later she learns of Jane's death and is surprised to find herself in the will as the beneficiary of her house.  It's when she finds the hidden human skull that a mystery starts to reveal itself to her... and her friends...

It's hard to say why I enjoyed this film because some things annoyed me, such as Lexa Doig's character, Sally Allison, who is grating on the nerve and at times I wondered why the two were friends, let alone besties.  This isn't Doig's fault though as she did a more than an admirable portrayal of a strong, independent, and intelligent woman on Andromeda.  But here, she's not such a likeable character.  Though that may be the strong point of this series as it's not relying on characterisations as much as others do in this genre; they're a little more like everyday people, rather than "feel-good" representations.

Another thing which was annoying was how simple the mystery was, I pretty much had it solved at the skull, as I would think most would since previous scenes are so heavy handed at giving you the clues.  I couldn't really believe that it took Roe so long to figure it out.  This is more like a Columbo movie as it's not really about the mystery it's more about the trip to get to the reveal.  At least there's still some mystery here, unlike Columbo.

All of the cast give a solid and equal performance and portray their characters well; none outshines any of the others.  Director Martin Wood does a nice job of keeping the pace steady throughout, which works well with this type and style of story.

If you like your characters to be more "normal" in your mystery movies then you will like this; if you don't mind about the easy solve mystery because you prefer the drama more then this will really be your cuppa cha'.  At least worth one viewing... on a wet and miserable day - English Summertime - when you can't make it out into the Teagarden.

Story - Flash Fiction - The Room

By Stephen A Abell

Copyright: 3rd May 2017

Number Of Words: 300

He loved this website.

Since his best friend gave him the address he'd visited every day.  From all the available girls, Lil’Daisy was his favourite.  She was twenty-something though wore her hair in two pigtails and along with her soft sweet voice this gave her the glamour of being younger.  No doubt that’s what the punters wanted… but not him.  Her vivid blue eyes were the attraction, he envisioned diving into them to float and drift for hours.

His hands were sweating… his heart palpitating… as he typed one word and one punctuation into the message box and hit send... and it felt as though he were having a heart attack - Private?

Yes - flashed the reply in the chat box - Private 500 tokens.  True Private 1000 tokens.

He typed in - 1000 - in the token box and hit the mouse button.  The gift was underway.

Thirty seconds later, he alone was drinking in her beauty.  She lifted the tablet and asked the screen, “Do you want to spin the wheel of chance?  It decides what we do… or do you have something special in mind?”

Anything would be good; he just wanted to be with her for a little while.

- Spin

The wheel on the tablet whirled; the options were a blur.

As the wheel slowed he noticed only two choices…  a shiver ran down his back.

LIVE

DIE

What the hell?

The wheel slowed… slowed… stopped.

DIE

Before he could type anything, Lil’Daisy brought a knife up to her throat and in one graceful movement, she sliced deep, severing the jugular.

Transfixed, he watched as blood jetted in wild arcs from the wound and her life drowned in her eyes of blue.

The screen went blank then a notice filled the sudden void.  

This Model Is No Longer Available!

Afterword:

I am a member of the wonderful writer's website writing.com - WdC to the enlightened. If you are a writer of any style, be it, poetry, stories, essays, etc. then I would highly recommend the site.

After being away from WdC for a few years I dared to venture back and try my hand and a few contests to see if I could unblock my writer's mind and imagination. I love the Daily Flash Fiction Challenge as it really makes you work to produce something of substance. The judge sets the prompt, which is usually three random words - in the case of the above story they were Notice; Daisy; Wheel. Then all I had to do was write a story - with a beginning, a middle, and an ending in three-hundred words or less.

That last bit is the kicker as it's so short a word limit I always overshoot the target. Though this is the other reason I love the contest as it makes you reread the story and edit out elements of the story, all the while you're trying to keep the context, the flow, and the power of the tale. It's a wonderful skill to learn.

This story was in the back of my mind after reading about the "Blue Whale" game that is supposedly going on with teens, where they are dared to keep hurting themselves until their last dare where they are commanded to commit suicide. I just couldn't believe that teens would fall for this but maybe their lives are so bad this way out seems like a good thing. Anyway, that story kicked off the idea for the above story, which I hoped you enjoyed.

Video Nasty - Bloody Moon

Bloody Moon

1981

Lisa-Film / Metro Film / Rapid Film : Megastar Films / Inter-Light Video / Trans World Entertainment / Video Instant Picture Company

6.0 / 10

Another murder mystery placed under the Horror banner due to the gory content.

This is the story of a twisted and murderous affluent family set in Costa Del Sol, Spain.  Miguel's psyche is broken.  He is in love with his sister and their love has been consummated, though Manuela has now stopped his amorous attentions; she tell's him their feelings are wrong and that he should go back to the party and enjoy himself.  At the party, he picks up a blonde woman and they go back to her room.  Unfortunately, when she spurns his advances Miguel picks up a pair of scissors and brutally and fatally attacks the girl.

This opening sequence, while setting the scene and Miguel's character doesn't feel realistic or believable and that is a big drawback to the story and the movie.

Then after just five years in a mental asylum, he is released into his sister's custody.  Once again this doesn't make much sense as their incestuous affair should have been the talk of the asylum as this is the supposed cause of his breakdown and subsequent murder spree.  It's this and following inconsistencies in the story that make the movie less than it should be.  The writer, Erich Tomek, who didn't want to put his name to it so used the pen name Rayo Casablanca, needed to tighten these elements up and the viewer would have gotten a much better film.  That said, the twists are pretty good, shame they weren't managed better.

The other thing which lets the movie down is the lackluster direction by Jesus Franco, who has a pretty standard and average style.  Again, some differing camera angles and a few artistic shots wouldn't have gone amiss to bring this movie out of its averageness.

 The special effects are okay and passable, though not too realistic.  The big stone cutting saw sequence is actually let down by how fake the decapitated head is; it's pretty close to being laughable.

If you like gory murder mysteries then you may like this though I wouldn't recommend rushing out to purchase a copy, however, if the chance comes up to watch it you could do worse.

Nergling - Video Nasties Scare - Bloody Moon

Video Nasty - Bay Of Blood

Bay Of Blood

1971

Nuova Linea Cinematografica : Hallmark Releasing / Hokushin Audio Visual / Image Entertainment / Arrow Video / Cult Epics / Gorgon Video

8.25 / 10

Bay of Blood is listed as a Mystery, Horror, Thriller film.  Well, two out of three ain't bad... this is NOT a horror film, it doesn't really fall into the Stalker genre either because at it's core is a solid Thriller and Mystery... just with lots of gore...

The opening sequence is a masterful exercise in creating atmosphere and tension as the director, Mario Bava, shows us the death of a wheelchair-bound woman.  Bava gives the audience an uneasy feeling by hinting that something isn't quite right.  The elderly woman wheels herself slowly to the window and looks out, though when she doesn't notice anything amiss she starts back into the house.  Something catches her attention and she turns round towards the window once again.  It's at this point she spots the noose... hands push her towards the awaiting death...  as the rope tightens around her neck, somebody kicks her wheelchair away...  This is shot in minimal light, though Bava makes sure it's not too dark giving the scene an eerie feeling.  This is one of the better opening sequences I've seen in a movie as it immediately grabs the viewer and pulls them headlong into the story...  Who is this woman?  Why has she been murdered?  Who murdered her?  These questions get answered but are replaced with more mysteries in the course of the movie.

The writers, Franco Barberi and Dardano Sacchetti, and screenwriters, Filippo Ottoni, Giuseppe Zaccariello, and Mario Bava, have scripted a tight murder mystery.  As grisly death after grisly death occurs the audience is wondering what is happening as four sightseers are slaughtered.  Slowly, the killer's motives are exposed and revealed to the viewers, with a couple of twists in the tale.  It's a very good story and I didn't really work out whodunnit until it was disclosed.  This was fantastic for me as I usually work out the murderer and their motives well before the reveal.

The special effects are extraordinary, even today... there's one scene where one of the sightseers gets a machete to the face, though the kill shot is off camera the scene where the killer pulls it out of his victims head isn't.  I must admit it's more than a little disturbing due to the reality of the effects.

I'm still not too sure about the ending though.  I have a dark and morbid sense of humour so the finale made me smile, though I don't think it quite fits with the film.  It also has a feeling of being added to try and give the story a moralistic finish.

Should you like murder mysteries then I would advise you to give this a viewing, though you have been warned about the goriness of some of the death scenes.

This has to be one of the strangest and artistic trailers I've ever seen, please give it a watch, though it gives very little away about how good the movie is.

Nergling - The Video Nasties Scare - Bay Of Blood

Video Nasty - The Witch Who Came From The Sea

The Witch Who Came From The Sea

(1976)

MCI / Matt Cimber Productions

7.75 / 10

After watching the film I can understand how it made the Video Nasty list; the director, Matt Cimber, chose to show Molly's sexual abuse at the hands of her father, who was mentally unstable.  Though most of these scenes are shot well and the abuse is suggested, sometimes very subtly.  It's the pivotal scene which is the most disturbing.  Robert Thom, the writer who also wrote Death Race 2000, added a nasty twist at this point.  It adds to the reason why Molly is so broken.  Cimber does tone it down a little but couldn't remove the scene entirely as, like I said, it's pivotal and adds to the story and character of Molly; it clarifies a lot of things for the audience.

That said, the film is felicitous and unfortunately still relevant today.  The film starts on the beach as Molly is babysitting her sister's children, Tad and Tripoli.  As she tells her nephews the stories of her seafaring father, their grandfather, she watches the men on the muscle beach, drinking in every inch of their bodies,   She drifts off into a daydream where they all die.

As the film progresses Molly keeps fading in and out of daydreams where the men in mind die, most in gruesome ways.  Then one morning she wakes up in her on-again-off-again lover's bed as he shakes her awake to tell her that two famous football players have been murdered.  One of her killer daydreams were of her sexual and murderous encounter.  This startles her but doesn't trouble her.

As the dreams keep coming, as do the deaths, the police start to close in on her just as she and her friends start to believe she's the killer.

Now, this is the strange thing for all but the last murder her dreams came before the murder, whereas the last killing is her dream - it occurs at the same time.  Apart from the last death you never see her commit them in her real life, just in her dreams.  This makes the film feel disjointed and I was left wondering if she really did carry them out or if some other force was at work.

Along with the memories of her abuse, which also appear in dreamlike sequences the entire film has an abstract impression.  This, in turn, gives the film more depth and power.  I'm not one for flashbacks and the like as they inevitably make a movie feel cluttered and sometimes incomprehensible.  So respect due to Cimber for making so many work comprehensibly to strengthen the story and film.

Millie Perkins, known for playing Anne Frank, does a splendid job of playing down her troubled past, though you can see the effects working free on her face.  You know she's troubled but not to what extent.

Lonny Chapman, who plays the bar-owner and on-again-off-again lover, is brilliant as the man who truly loves her and is worried for her but just cannot really help her.

There is so much in this film to like, I just wished that Cimber and Thom had gone for a more paranormal explanation for the murders since it appears impossible for her to have carried out a couple of them.  It may have made the film cleaner.  Even the poster, which when you first look at it emanates an exploitation vibe, is pretty true to the film and pulls images from a mermaid tattoo, Birth Of Venus by Botticelli, and her feelings towards men and her father.  The images are featured in the movie and once you see them the poster makes better sense.

Though I liked the film it did feel more like an art-house film than a thriller, though if you like revenge movies you may like this.  Just be warned, it may leave a nasty taste in your mouth, thanks to the aforementioned abuse scenes and the end sequence.

Not for everybody.

 Nergling - The Video Nasty Scare - The Witch Who Came From The Sea