shrame's reviews

Shallow storyline, cardboard cutout characters, silly plot fulled of plot holes, story lacking substance, predictable jump scares, good CGI, I'll give it that, but overall a waste of time. Don't bother.

The Victim (1980) starring Ka-Yan Leung (aka Beardy) and Sammo Kam-Bo Hung & also directed by Sammo Kam-Bo Hung

Decent Kung Fu flick elevated by a cool twist ending. Beardy is definitely one of my favorites & Sammo Hung adds his usual humor & fun to the atmosphere. Add to that an emotionally charged family love story / triangle & countless kung fu action sequences & you've got yourself a recipe for a very memorable, classic kung fu flick.

This was obviously inspired by Grave Encounters. It's pretty much the Korean version except with a better script, better acting, more heart wrenching, horrifying effects. You wanna talk about nightmare fuel, this is it. Does it have plot holes ? Yep, ones the size of Texas, but it still delivers & for this kind of concept, this is as good as its going to get.

For me personally, it was better than expected. It builds up slowly & gets pretty intense by the end of it. I've given it a 10 rating because I was delightfully surprised by it and I'm glad I finally got to watch it. Honestly I can't really imagine this documentary being much better than it is. To people giving this documentary a 1 out of 10 ? why even bother watching something like this if you're a completely skeptic & not a fan of the show ? I mean obviously you're not going to dismiss any evidence they come across & the only way you would believe in anything paranormal was if you experienced it yourself. For me, I just find it hard to believe that all these people could be in on it, including police officers, a priest, government workers, scientists, a suicide survivor & her family.. I mean the only thing that makes me doubtful is the fact that those squatters stayed in the house for such a long period of time without experiencing anything significant, but who knows, they wanted money for their testimonies so you can't really count them as being reliable witnesses. At the end of the day, even if you were to reveal to me that this whole thing was concocted & fraudulent, I wouldn't care since it still has great entertainment value and it's well made.

This film is a pseudo sequel to the original Iron Monkey (1977) which is in its own right a kung fu classic. This film isn't nearly as captivating or cohesive as the original & it's filled with more plot holes & cliches than you could possibly imagine. If you're a fan of old school kung fu flicks & you're willing to turn your brain off for an hour and 40 minutes then this should be somewhat enjoyable for you. On a positive note, there are countless fight scenes, interesting sets, props & cliche characters galore. Although this film doesn't live up to the original or to its own potential, it can still be somewhat enjoyable for fans of the genre.

Honestly, I didn't know what to expect when I watched the first episode on YouTube but this really looks and feels like the original series. The sets, costumes, the story lines, even the effects are spot on. The acting, for some of the crew was a little wooden at first, but by the latest episode, the entire crew has evolved and improved significantly. It's really remarkable what these people have done with their passion and such a small budget, as opposed to some of the garbage that comes out of Hollywood these days. I would love to see this get mainstream exposure, a bigger budget, a release on Netflix or on an appropriate channel like the SciFi network or CometTV. In my opinion it's even better than the recent reboot films and I'm not lying when I say that there are times where I'll be watching this and I'll forget that it's not the real thing, especially the actor that plays Captain Kirk, he really has the mannerisms down to a science.

This film, along with "Train to Busan", is one of the best horror movies that I've had the pleasure of watching recently. It's original, it's gripping and it's intense. The tension builds like a faucet dripping into a sink until it reaches a climax and overflows. It saddens me to see so many haters on this review board. It's almost as if some of these people just want to say something negative just because they have the opportunity to do so. I guess this gem of a movie isn't for everyone. Not everyone appreciates caviar and champagne either right ? If you're the type of person who's typically mainstream in their tastes, and you love everything from McDonalds to big budget blockbuster crappy movies like The Mummy with Tom Cruise, than this may not be for you. If you appreciate cult classics and yearn for a horror movie that's truly original, has real creativity and imagination, then you'll enjoy this.

What a truly tripy movie. An obscure and mostly overlooked cult classic. Not certain if the original Yorga film was to ever see a sequel, and having been paid peanuts compared to what the film had grossed at the box office, Quarry was determined to make a quick buck by exploiting "The Deathmaster" name (which had been used profusely in the iconic promo posters of the original Count Yorga Vampire film) and the whole concept of him as a chic and charismatic vampire. A true exploitation film through and through, the movie obviously tries to make Quarry appear like Charles Manson. It also ties into the whole "evil cult" aspect of the Charles Manson case and the infamous and brutal murders, which had, at the time, shocked the nation to its very core. In the end it's a descent film, but not nearly as entertaining as the original Count Yorga Vampire movie or the riveting sequel, The Return of Count Yorga. In any case, it's nothing less than a true gem of a film for any hardcore horror fan.

If you're looking for a gory slasher type film, then this is not for you. The tension in this film builds up slowly but it ends up being unbearably unnerving and simultaneously captivating. The acting is superb and very convincing, especially from Narges Rashidi, who plays the mother, although I have to say that the actress playing the little girl, really steals the show, with her facial expressions and mannerisms, she's just perfect in the role.

The historical backdrop of post revolutionary Tehran, in the midst of the Iran Iraq war and the socio-economic, religious and feminist themes all add to the realism of the film and help contribute to a truly spooky and ultimately nerve wrecking atmosphere. This film is fascinating, thought provoking, intriguing and leaves you wanting more when it ends abruptly.

Highly recommended

The other two reviews are WRONG, because they are referring to the show as opposed to the actual MOVIE, which this IMDb site is dedicated to.

The movie, is a jewel of a film and very enjoyable to say the least. It's no JU-ON or Ringu but it's still fun to watch, as a guilty pleasure, not only because of the foray into Japanese culture, but also because it mixes horror with some comedy and suspense as well.

For people that enjoyed this I would also recommend you watching the show which is available on ama zon in it's entirety in a single collection. I would also recommend "Scary True Stories: Ten Haunting Tales from the Japanese Underground" and "Dark Tales of Japan"

So the first tale, The Nightwatchmen, is not only interesting but it also starts off by adding some comedy into the mix which was a great addition to the movie. Probably the best or second best story, along with "The Promise"

The second story, Wisps of Smoke, was alright, nothing very memorable. It seems like an analogy for how people die suddenly from smoking cigarettes ?

"Gloves" was interesting and creepy, one of the better stories, I would say 3rd best after "The Nightwatchmen" and "The Promise" Unlike many of these stories, in the end, it actually makes sense and there's nice music in the background at the last moments.

"The weight" seemed like pure filler and it also seemed incomplete actually. The ghost was not horrifying at all and it didn't make ANY sense. Probably the worse story.

"Full length mirror" was well done but a little short and leaves much to be desired. No real back story about mirror. For fans of THE GRUDGE. This was directed by the same guy that directed "The Grudge: White Ghost" and it includes the same old lady ghost with the basketball, except in this case she's holding the basketball because she's in a high school gym and she doesn't croak like in "The Grudge" Probably the 4th best ?

"Line of Sight" was well done and it includes the same nurse from the end of "The Nightwatchmen" when the Chief was being surrounded. Maybe a tie for 3rd or 4th best ?

"The Promise" Now this one, I thoroughly enjoyed. The creepy lady in the end was classic. It could be a movie franchise but like many of these stories it leaves something to be desired, with no explanation of why the ghost is there... 1st or 2nd best tied with "The Nightwatchmen"

"Hisao" A bitter sweet, sad story about a bullied boy who was killed, whose mother speaks to his ghost. It worked in some ways, but also felt like filler, no suspense really no climax...

Overall yea it was a descent movie. I would recommend it to any horror fan but especially to fans of J horror. Check it out and enjoy.

This film is interesting to say the least and it's definitely a different take on the vampire myth, with the setting being in a lakeside resort somewhere in Japan. Overall the movie contains some worthwhile and intriguing aspects. For example, the lead antagonist does an excellent job in his portrayal and the women who are transformed into vampires have a seductive, exotic aura about them. However it ultimately fails to build up a genuinely creepy atmosphere and the abundance of plot holes and ridiculous ideas really make this movie far too silly to be taken seriously.

If you're a fan of vampire movies and you have some spare time on your hands, then maybe give this one a try, because in some ways, the fact that it's set in Japan is somewhat of a refreshing and intriguing change compared to the typical vampire films. But be warned, don't set your standards too high and don't be surprised if you find some of the scenes to be more like a comedy than horror film.