In 1991 in Madrid the police responded to a 911 call in an apartment complex. What they found frightened and baffled them. This case is listed officially listed by the police as "unexplained". Then the film backtracks to a few days before the opening sequence. During an eclipse three teenage girls including one named Veronica (played by Sandra Escacena) sneak away from their classmates and play with a Ouija board to contact their respective dead loved ones. Something strange happens while they play with the Ouija board although Veronica doesn't seem to remember. Over the course of the next few days paranormal events start happening at Veronica's house although only the children see or experience anything.
Like many other people I got sucked into the hype of "this is the scariest film on Netflix" and how only "1 in 10 people have been able to watch it all the way through". Just like the others I'm sure, I recognized hype but I decided to watch it anyway with low expectations. I wasn't disappointed but I know it was because I went in with low expectations.
The acting was very good especially by the lead actress Sandra Escacena. I was impressed to learn that this was her first film. She certainly didn't give any indication that this was her first film.
Overall the horror had some similarities to other demonic films. There were a few jump scares but I thought that they were appropriate considering. I personally enjoyed the film more than I anticipated and I do recommend it to those who are curious.
Regarding the "based on true events" aspect I did research the real story as best as I could. Of course everything that I found was articles that were biased one way or the other. They all claimed to have real photos and real statements from the incident and media outlets that covered it. I personally believe in paranormal things particularly involving demons so I found the real story very frightening. I liked how the movie incorporated aspects of the the real story although there was some understandable condensing and slight creative license taken.
It's nice to have a film based on true events actually present the true events to a larger degree than Hollywood tends to. Future Hollywood productions based on true events should borrow a page from this film's filmmakers. They would have better films based on true events.
A word of caution regarding watching this film. There are two Spanish films on Netflix called Veronica, both are horror movies, and both were released in 2017. Look for the one involving teenage girls playing with a Ouija board.
Tuesday, July 7, 2020
Monday, July 6, 2020
Hell House LLC Not rated there is some violence, language, and disturbing/frightening imagery
A documentary crew is investigating the mysterious events that resulted in the deaths of tourgoers and staff at a haunted house attaction called Hell House. One lone witness who was a staff member named Sarah (played by Ryan Jennifer Jones) comes forward with new evidence including video recordings leading up to that final tragic tour.
This is a newer found footage film movie so if you don't like found footage films then this movie isn't for you. I personally don't have issue with found footage films so I thought that this film was surprisingly good. I say surprisingly good because there have been so many found footage films and some are so similar that they feel like the same movie.
When I first started watching the film I was skeptical and put off by one of the main characters Alex (played by Danny Bellini). I felt that the actor was trying too hard to be a douchey tool so I stopped watching it. A friend who is a huge fan of found footage films, strongly urged me to give the film a second try. I did with some reluctance, fully prepared to be disappointed. I was pleasantly surprised by the film. I thoroughly enjoyed it and continue to watch it often lately.
The story was interesting and part of its appeal for me is what the filmmakers left out for the audience to piece together/imagine. I personally love it when filmmakers grant audiences the chance to make films scarier/more interesting by leaving stuff to the imagination as long as it is done well.
I was also pleasantly surprised by the lack of reliance on excessive anything whether it was violence, sexuality, gore etc. Unfortunately many horror movies especially modern ones seem to rely heavily on either sexuality and/or gore. There also wasn't a lot of jump scares which can get tiring after awhile.
Alex grew on me and the rest of the characters made sense. Very good job of presenting a "believable" horror story. The visuals were also good considering this is a found footage film.
This is a newer found footage film movie so if you don't like found footage films then this movie isn't for you. I personally don't have issue with found footage films so I thought that this film was surprisingly good. I say surprisingly good because there have been so many found footage films and some are so similar that they feel like the same movie.
When I first started watching the film I was skeptical and put off by one of the main characters Alex (played by Danny Bellini). I felt that the actor was trying too hard to be a douchey tool so I stopped watching it. A friend who is a huge fan of found footage films, strongly urged me to give the film a second try. I did with some reluctance, fully prepared to be disappointed. I was pleasantly surprised by the film. I thoroughly enjoyed it and continue to watch it often lately.
The story was interesting and part of its appeal for me is what the filmmakers left out for the audience to piece together/imagine. I personally love it when filmmakers grant audiences the chance to make films scarier/more interesting by leaving stuff to the imagination as long as it is done well.
I was also pleasantly surprised by the lack of reliance on excessive anything whether it was violence, sexuality, gore etc. Unfortunately many horror movies especially modern ones seem to rely heavily on either sexuality and/or gore. There also wasn't a lot of jump scares which can get tiring after awhile.
Alex grew on me and the rest of the characters made sense. Very good job of presenting a "believable" horror story. The visuals were also good considering this is a found footage film.
Thursday, July 2, 2020
What We Do in the Shadows (2014) rated R for bloody violent content, some sexual material, and language
This film (which led to the show of the same title) is a "documentary" on a group of vampires living in modern times in Wellington New Zealand. Viago (played by Taika Waititi), Deacon (played by Jonathan Brugh), Vladislav (played by Jemaine Clement) and Petyr (played by Ben Fransham) are all sharing a flat together and have allowed access to a private world. A film crew follows these flatmates as they go about their daily lives, including following a chore wheel, hunting, and meeting/interacting with new people while dealing with the challenges that being undead can bring. All throughout the film comedic hijinks ensue.
I first became aware of this film when I saw a preview for the show of the same name. Afterwords I learned of the movie. I personally find that so far I've liked what little I've seen of Taika Waititi's work so I was sold as soon as I heard about his involvement. I wasn't disappointed at all.
I loved the dynamic between the cast. Viago is a sweet earnest nice guy who obviously wants to live but seems genuinely concerned about everyone around him whether it is his flatmates or his victims. Deacon is great fun as a this bombastic party guy who is selfish and self-centered but he's really not a bad guy and he does care about his friends. Vladislav is probably the most "familiar" in that he is a "traditional almost old-school" type vampire. He's been around for awhile, he's seen and done some things and he's not ashamed but he's also more refined than perhaps the younger "generation". Finally we have Petyr. He is the silent stoic type probably because he's a Nosferatu and he's the oldest of them all. We see the least of him but the film did a good job of keeping him in the present despite his being in the background. The characters are well rounded off by the side characters who do a great job of holding their own. I also loved how all of the actors were so wonderfully generous. You never really forgot about any one of the side characters while keeping your focus on the main three.
The comedy was great for me. I was laughing the whole time. I'm very happy that I was able to procure a dvd copy of this film because I love it and apparently it was at one time hard to find. If you're looking for a great original comedy this is one to watch.
I first became aware of this film when I saw a preview for the show of the same name. Afterwords I learned of the movie. I personally find that so far I've liked what little I've seen of Taika Waititi's work so I was sold as soon as I heard about his involvement. I wasn't disappointed at all.
I loved the dynamic between the cast. Viago is a sweet earnest nice guy who obviously wants to live but seems genuinely concerned about everyone around him whether it is his flatmates or his victims. Deacon is great fun as a this bombastic party guy who is selfish and self-centered but he's really not a bad guy and he does care about his friends. Vladislav is probably the most "familiar" in that he is a "traditional almost old-school" type vampire. He's been around for awhile, he's seen and done some things and he's not ashamed but he's also more refined than perhaps the younger "generation". Finally we have Petyr. He is the silent stoic type probably because he's a Nosferatu and he's the oldest of them all. We see the least of him but the film did a good job of keeping him in the present despite his being in the background. The characters are well rounded off by the side characters who do a great job of holding their own. I also loved how all of the actors were so wonderfully generous. You never really forgot about any one of the side characters while keeping your focus on the main three.
The comedy was great for me. I was laughing the whole time. I'm very happy that I was able to procure a dvd copy of this film because I love it and apparently it was at one time hard to find. If you're looking for a great original comedy this is one to watch.
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