CrookedStairs

Let's get this one put to bed. More years ago now than I care to remember, I sat down in a movie theatre with a friend for a very late night showing of a new horror release. Loving the genre as much as I do, I was pretty excited for what was to come but equally having noticed the lack of significant promotion for the new release with largely unknown cast and crew I was fairly sure I was in for another mediocre ride...

BASIC PLOT: A young bright girl from a poor background goes off to study at college. However she soon finds herself caught up in ever increasingly violent and terrifying attacks while on and off campus from a seemingly unseen force. When things escalate and both the Courts and the Church get involved, the only question becomes what truly happened and why...

REVIEW: I will be honest from the get-go. This movie has become my line of measure for *newer* horror releases and for me also one of the best horror films I have seen that has ever been released. I say that having been a horror fan for 20 years so please do allow me to clarify.

The story and screenplay itself are the key to the movies success. Although the movie doesn't start in a particularly slow manner, all the necessary information is translated quickly and effectively in a few opening scenes. We see the fragile family and key characters, and the audience cares from the start. From there, (without giving too much away) the story is so fantastic and unique because it is so open to interpretation, as the court section of the film conveys. The story shows both sides of the same tale in places, each terrifying in its own way, with the weight squarely on the viewer as to what they feel is taking place. Ethier way what the script effectively does is draw the viewer into the story and makes them become more emotionally attached to the characters while battling what they feel is the truth.

Technically, it's an absolute joy to watch. This movie is Scott Derrickson making his directorial mark in horror, littering the film with dark and ominous shots guaranteed to get the blood going. Incredible lighting making use of Derrickson's soon to be trademark of eerie coloured lighting in certain scenes (look out for strong purple lighting in key scenes here and what it may represent). The sound and score is subtlety so unnerving, building more on slow tingly terror than bigger dramatic moments, but there certainly are moments also... The editing is fantastic, keeping a strong pace to keep even a casual viewer engaged but slow enough for someone who's really into the storyline to also gain more information when needed.

The acting is probably the biggest surprise. In horror, if you don't have the actors let's face it, you don't have the movie. The fact that the 'big 3' in this film came from an entirely different world to horror, indeed with all of them being much closer to the world of comedy, speaks volumes for what was created. Laura Linney and Tom Wilkinson were just perfect. I believed every word, they added much needed weight and they were key in creating the overall tone of the movie. Of course, the main shock (and I'm sure it was for most) was in young actress Jennifer Carpenter. Her portrayal of the title character was genuinely other-worldly. For a young actress to go from a small part in a comedy such as 'White Chicks' a year prior to this performance is just incredible. This whole project worked because of the care and professionalism each member put into it and for me that is tangible at every moment throughout the picture.

VERDICT: A friend asked me recently when discussing horror movies, "what was the last movie you watched that made you keep the light on?" I had to think for a while. It had been a while. There have been movies that have made me uneasy, scenes that have scared me, shots that have startled. But in truth the last time I remember actually going to bed, keeping that little light on because of what I had witnessed was The Exorcism Of Emily Rose. The movie just speaks for itself really and seems to hit home regardless if you believe in the subject matter or not. As an horror fan, it is my go-to if I need a stark reminder of how things can be done effectively in the newer aspects of the genre and this one never loses its sting. 10 years later and I'm still rushing for those lights...

When the initial teasers and trailers for a new Scott Derrickson horror feature came around, I must admit that I was very intrigued. His work on 'The Exorcism Of Emily Rose' previously for me was a game changer, tying up a killer combination of classic scripting, fleshed out characters and acting- all while adding the little technical flares of visuals and unnerving sound that make a good horror tale come to life. Could he repeat his new found talents...

BASIC PLOT: A true crime writer moves into a new home with his wife and two children. The local authorities initially do not seem too happy to have the family around digging up facts about the towns grizzly past, not to mention the authors potential to get deeply involved in unsolved cases. It's safe to say that what transpires, changes everyone's perspective...

REVIEW: I love the horror genre for many reasons, but for me it has always been very important for a movie to scare effectively while building a solid background. Sinister delivers this straight up. I connected with the family, with the writer who needed to try and elevate his career again but equally with the family who had to deal with the situation as a whole. The script is a solid one, a slightly different take on a few kinds of horror including traditional old school suspense mixed with more modern almost 'found footage' style horror which has become popular in recent years. For me, what director Scott Derrickson and the team have done here so well is to fuse the two together. From the first scene I felt like I was on a journey and the acting from all members of the immediate family was fantastically portrayed. Derrickson (I was relieved to discover) delivered yet again in his original brand of slow building tension, strange & eerie lighting in key scenes (look out for it in all of his horror work) and sudden intense visuals and sound to create a genuinely griping experience. Where there cons? Yep. Never wanting to give too much story away, but I feel anyone who has seen the movie will have some reservations with the Scream/Scary Movie Deputy Dewey-esque character. It seemed to just take the viewer right out of an engaging and scary piece and into the realm of what can only be described as comedy. I do wonder who pushed for this particular character to have such a large role in the final cut...

***POSSIBLE SPOILER***

Also, it is just strictly my opinion and not meant to annoy, but while I feel the main horror character in the film has some very nicely shot key scenes (found footage), I think the overall character is just not all that terrifying... At times it seems to resemble a character from the rock band Kiss more than a true horror character. Just my opinion.

***POSSIBLE SPOILER DONE***

VERDICT: Overall despite a few cons, a fantastic piece of horror work from Mr.Derrickson in my humble opinion. It builds a classic narrative around a family in distress, and then we slowly see the creepy elements take place and unfold at an alarming rate leaving the viewer engaged until the end. Thumbs up on this one.

Well, we were all waiting for this one to hit theatres for a while weren't we? From the moment I heard talk that this unholy veiled spectre was to be given her very own movie to conduct her ghastly business I had mixed emotions. Having thoroughly enjoyed the character in The Conjuring 2 and admitting that she certainly gave me a few hair raising moments in some scenes, I was eager to see more from the ghoul. But if, and ONLY if, it was done correctly. There in lies the rub...

BASIC PLOT: A young nun apparently takes her own life at a remote convent situated in an ancient castle in Romania. A priest with a dark past and a young girl on the verge of taking her vows to becoming a nun, travel to the site to investigate and find out that more than a few things go bump in the night at this castle.

REVIEW: I can only be honest and speak from a personal standpoint... this film just didn't pan out. At all. I always tend to come back to a similar standpoint when reviewing movies, especially horror and that is that you HAVE to get people caring about the characters early on. You have to achieve this through a strong script so that audiences can identify with the characters, emotionally invest in them and THEN they are worried for the characters in the film and the fear & tension can start. This film for me just did not make me want to really connect with anyone. I just didn't really care. So after a loose start to the film more airing on the side of comedy than horror, by the time the characters reached the castle, I just didn't have a sense of dread for them going inside. Once they reach Romania, the script just goes completely off the reservation and reads more like a child writing a scary story more than a horror movie from the same universe that brought us the Conjuring tales. The plot holes start and just do not let up. I found myself shaking my head and laughing at numerous points which let's be honest, is just not really the emotions you want to be feeling during a horror film. Positives, they were scare but there were a few. On the technical side of things the film was very polished and slick. It did look gorgeous at points, some wonderful shots of the old castle, very Transylvania like. The sound and music also preyed upon certain scenes nicely, building crescendos and unnerving sound effects working in harmony with the visuals, everything employed that was successfully learnt in the Conjuring series. Acting was lacklustre overall, although I almost don't blame the actors themselves as with a script and dialogue as it was, it must've been very hard to find any true depth to these characters and get in the role. The only mention I really feel I could give is to Taissa Farmiga yerself, who does do well and keeps up her characters conflicted and unnerved persona decently throughout.

VERDICT: For me, a colossal disappointment and failed attempt on what could have been a interesting and terrifying offshoot from the franchise. The fear and scares just never materialised and when they did, they somehow felt more comical and over the top than true horror. I feel this movie got green lit before any story was penned and the entire project was built around money, money going into the film with no real direction or strong plot with the hopes of a lot of money to be made at the box office simply because it rides on the coat tails of its successful Conjuring predecessors. A sad miss.