Phantastic-Flix
Joined May 2016
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Phantastic-Flix's rating
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Phantastic-Flix's rating
The stage curtains open ...
This movie keeps popping up wherever I go lately, and is generally highly recommended, so I found a copy and watched it for the first time tonight. Werewolf movies are typically pretty weak. For some reason, vampire movies and zombie movies are always better, maybe because it is hard to create a scary or realistic enough looking werewolf to be effective. But, I gotta say ... as far as werewolf movies go, this is one of the better ones I've seen.
The movie starts with a soldier being rebuked and sent back to his unit after he fails to follow an order to kill a dog. The commanding officer of the special ops unit adamantly says he doesn't have what it takes, so he sends him packing. However, these two would cross paths again about a month later for a war games exercise that goes horribly wrong. The soldier finds the commanding officer badly wounded and his special forces group completely decimated. When they discover that there are real killers after them in the woods surrounding them, they are shocked to find out that they are being hunted by lycanthropes ... werewolves. The game of survival begins.
There are some plot holes, as there usually are in movies like this, and a couple of "whatever" moments, like when one of the soldiers is running so fast through the trees that he manages to impale himself on a branch as thick as a human leg ... and this thing was run clean through him. But, its failings aside, this was a fun watch. I thought the practical effects were put to good use. I liked the look of the werewolves, and though most of the film takes place in the dark, you are able to keep up okay.
The only actor I recognized in the movie was Liam Cunningham, and oddly enough, it was from the 1995 film, "A Little Princess", where he played the little girl's father. A movie I share with my daughter as a favorite. In this film, he is a complete jerk. LOL. Even though it starts off a bit weak, by the time the end credits were rolling, it had grown on me. I can see why people like and recommend it. It's the not the greatest film in it's genre, but a solid one.
This movie keeps popping up wherever I go lately, and is generally highly recommended, so I found a copy and watched it for the first time tonight. Werewolf movies are typically pretty weak. For some reason, vampire movies and zombie movies are always better, maybe because it is hard to create a scary or realistic enough looking werewolf to be effective. But, I gotta say ... as far as werewolf movies go, this is one of the better ones I've seen.
The movie starts with a soldier being rebuked and sent back to his unit after he fails to follow an order to kill a dog. The commanding officer of the special ops unit adamantly says he doesn't have what it takes, so he sends him packing. However, these two would cross paths again about a month later for a war games exercise that goes horribly wrong. The soldier finds the commanding officer badly wounded and his special forces group completely decimated. When they discover that there are real killers after them in the woods surrounding them, they are shocked to find out that they are being hunted by lycanthropes ... werewolves. The game of survival begins.
There are some plot holes, as there usually are in movies like this, and a couple of "whatever" moments, like when one of the soldiers is running so fast through the trees that he manages to impale himself on a branch as thick as a human leg ... and this thing was run clean through him. But, its failings aside, this was a fun watch. I thought the practical effects were put to good use. I liked the look of the werewolves, and though most of the film takes place in the dark, you are able to keep up okay.
The only actor I recognized in the movie was Liam Cunningham, and oddly enough, it was from the 1995 film, "A Little Princess", where he played the little girl's father. A movie I share with my daughter as a favorite. In this film, he is a complete jerk. LOL. Even though it starts off a bit weak, by the time the end credits were rolling, it had grown on me. I can see why people like and recommend it. It's the not the greatest film in it's genre, but a solid one.
The stage curtains open ...
Thirteen years after the absolutely enjoyable film, "Elvira: Mistress of the Dark" was released, we got a 2nd movie. This isn't a sequel, it is a stand-alone film featuring Elvira in a much different, gothic-like setting and what appears to be during a different time period as well. The gags and one-liners continue in another fun and amusing diversion for 90 minutes.
Having to vacate their place of residence because they are unable to pay their rent, Elvira and her woman servant flee town and strike out for Paris, in hopes of starting fresh. However, they become unexpectedly sidetracked when they accept a carriage ride from a stranger passing by and end up in Carpathia, Romania. They are shown into a castle that is steeped in mystery and secrecy surroudning the death of the wife of the castle's owner, who happened to bear a striking resemblence to Elvira herself. As they unravel the truth behind her death, the antics build leading to the film's climactic conclusion.
While Mistress of the Dark was fresh,new, and modern, this tale revisits the nostalgic feels of a classic Hammer horror film with major Edgar Allan Poe overtones, but also with the tongue-in-check humor you have come to expect from Elvira. I didn't find this 2nd outing to be as much fun or pertinent, but it was still a lot of fun and worth watching. Cassandra Petersen, as Elvira, stills looks great at 50 years old, and carried the role well, staying true to her character.
Even though some of the gags were a little eye-rolling, such as the Rockettes style kick dance scene, and some of the comedy was a bit silly sometimes, I was smiling and laughing through most of the movie. I think I would recommend this movie, but I think you'd have to be in the mood for it. Mistress of the Dark and Haunted Hills make an effective double-feature. Fun to watch back-to-back and certainly worth your time.
Thirteen years after the absolutely enjoyable film, "Elvira: Mistress of the Dark" was released, we got a 2nd movie. This isn't a sequel, it is a stand-alone film featuring Elvira in a much different, gothic-like setting and what appears to be during a different time period as well. The gags and one-liners continue in another fun and amusing diversion for 90 minutes.
Having to vacate their place of residence because they are unable to pay their rent, Elvira and her woman servant flee town and strike out for Paris, in hopes of starting fresh. However, they become unexpectedly sidetracked when they accept a carriage ride from a stranger passing by and end up in Carpathia, Romania. They are shown into a castle that is steeped in mystery and secrecy surroudning the death of the wife of the castle's owner, who happened to bear a striking resemblence to Elvira herself. As they unravel the truth behind her death, the antics build leading to the film's climactic conclusion.
While Mistress of the Dark was fresh,new, and modern, this tale revisits the nostalgic feels of a classic Hammer horror film with major Edgar Allan Poe overtones, but also with the tongue-in-check humor you have come to expect from Elvira. I didn't find this 2nd outing to be as much fun or pertinent, but it was still a lot of fun and worth watching. Cassandra Petersen, as Elvira, stills looks great at 50 years old, and carried the role well, staying true to her character.
Even though some of the gags were a little eye-rolling, such as the Rockettes style kick dance scene, and some of the comedy was a bit silly sometimes, I was smiling and laughing through most of the movie. I think I would recommend this movie, but I think you'd have to be in the mood for it. Mistress of the Dark and Haunted Hills make an effective double-feature. Fun to watch back-to-back and certainly worth your time.
The stage curtains open ...
After watching the original movie (for like the 100th time), I decided to finally break down and watch its sequel - which I have never seen before. I saw that it starred Kate Hodge, who I liked in the Brandon Lee film, "Rapid Fire", so I was hopeful that this one would be good too ... at least on that level. Well, it wasn't as good as that movie, but it was better than I expected it would be.
The film starts out with a dog walking into the end scene of the previous film while a crew is busy cleaning up the mess. The dog snags a piece of the alien and trots out the door where it eats the alien flesh and then later dies for its efforts. The alien cultivates eggs so that it can spawn anew and begin another reign of terror. When Tom Beck dies, another good alien is sent to Earth and finds his daughter, Juliet, who helps him to adjust to life among humans and find the bad alien, who has begun jumping from body to body. Along the way, she falls in love with him leading to an inevitable conclusion.
Right off the bat, the acting was several notches below the mark set by the first movie, but, it was still done well enough to keep things entertaining. This was definitely a "B-Movie" and it has that feel all the way through. Despite a lousy beginning, it did start to pick up some when the chemistry between our two main characters begins to build, and we find out a little bit more about what life is like on the planet the aliens come from. The special effects weren't jaw dropping, but effective.
This wasn't a bad film. I've seen a lot worse, so I can't complain. It was "okay", and for a sequel, it does what it sets out to do. I am glad, however, that they ended it there. I just don't think there was anything else they could do in a third film to warrant making it. Though, the final scene made me wonder if they were planning on making one at one point. I wouldn't recommend "The Hidden 2", but I wouldn't dissuade anyone from watching it either. It does not measure up to the original, but I had a fun time overall with it.
After watching the original movie (for like the 100th time), I decided to finally break down and watch its sequel - which I have never seen before. I saw that it starred Kate Hodge, who I liked in the Brandon Lee film, "Rapid Fire", so I was hopeful that this one would be good too ... at least on that level. Well, it wasn't as good as that movie, but it was better than I expected it would be.
The film starts out with a dog walking into the end scene of the previous film while a crew is busy cleaning up the mess. The dog snags a piece of the alien and trots out the door where it eats the alien flesh and then later dies for its efforts. The alien cultivates eggs so that it can spawn anew and begin another reign of terror. When Tom Beck dies, another good alien is sent to Earth and finds his daughter, Juliet, who helps him to adjust to life among humans and find the bad alien, who has begun jumping from body to body. Along the way, she falls in love with him leading to an inevitable conclusion.
Right off the bat, the acting was several notches below the mark set by the first movie, but, it was still done well enough to keep things entertaining. This was definitely a "B-Movie" and it has that feel all the way through. Despite a lousy beginning, it did start to pick up some when the chemistry between our two main characters begins to build, and we find out a little bit more about what life is like on the planet the aliens come from. The special effects weren't jaw dropping, but effective.
This wasn't a bad film. I've seen a lot worse, so I can't complain. It was "okay", and for a sequel, it does what it sets out to do. I am glad, however, that they ended it there. I just don't think there was anything else they could do in a third film to warrant making it. Though, the final scene made me wonder if they were planning on making one at one point. I wouldn't recommend "The Hidden 2", but I wouldn't dissuade anyone from watching it either. It does not measure up to the original, but I had a fun time overall with it.