They're Coming, I Swear.

Hello all. Sorry for the delay on further posts about my exploits at Fantasia. I kinda put it off because, well, I was on vacation, after all. Rest assured, I will have them up for you shortly just as soon as I get my wind back. Reviews to expect in the coming days are for the Greek zombie flick Evil: In the Time of Heroes, a doc about Herschell Gordon Lewis, a double shot of Japanese splatter with Mutant Girls Squad & Alien Vs Ninja, as well as the I Spit On Your Grave remake. Stay tuned.

Bonjour!

I'm here in Montreal! Though I guess I was a little optimistic about the wi-fi. Blogging from my hotel room's toilet if I want to get two bars of a signal, is not really an ideal circumstance if you know what I mean. I made it out to a hot spot at a café to update you now, but even that is a chore as my laptop shares its size and weight with that of a small car.

Anyways, the first genre film I took in was the Thai anthology Phobia 2. Now, as you may remember, I was a big fan of the first Phobia (aka 4bia) back in 2008 – so much so that I put it on my top five of that year – so I was really pumped to hear there was a sequel.

This time around, there are five stories instead of four. The first story is called “Novice” by Paween Purikitpanya about a juvenile delinquent who finds himself in trouble after desecrating a temple offering. The second is Virsute Poolvoralak's “Ward”, which sees a young man bedridden in hospital with broken legs terrorized by the unconscious patient in the next bed. “Backpackers” by Songyos Sugmakanan has two hitchhikers picked up by a pair of shady truckers who definitely have something to hide. The dastardly duo of Parkpoom Wongpoom & Bonjong Pisanthanakun (Shutter, Alone) each provide a story of their own. Wongpoom's “Salvage” has a woman learning the perils of karma while working late and Pisanthanakun's “In The End” reunites the cast of the first Phobia's short “In The Middle”, to again lampoon the Thai horror film industry.

Phobia 2 has a lot going for it. The pacing is better for starters, as the story order is much better suited this time around. It gets increasingly better as it progresses, ending on a supremely high note, whereas its predecessor went up and down a bit. The weakest of the Phobia 2 lot is the first, but “Novice” is a definite improvement over “Tit For Tat”, which was Purikitpanya's entry in the first Phobia. That being said, it still looks phenomenal and the sound design is especially excellent. The second story is pretty par, but “Ward” is enjoyable in its simplicity, even if the jump scares weren't as creative as some we've seen before. Things ramp up considerably in “Backpackers”, where things take a mighty turn in the middle and finish on a fantastically frenetic tracking shot. “Salvage” was really well done and works largely due to its original location - a creepy used car lot/salvage yard. As I said, Phobia 2 ends on a high note with “In The End”. This time, we see our four 'heroes' working on the set of Alone 2, where they actually encounter a ghost. Hilarity ensues.

These characters work so well together, that they really deserve their own film. Everything works in this short, even some of the jump scares, which by this point we should have been desensitized to. Purikitpanya is so good at giving us the laughs that when we all relaxed, he hit us with the scares.

The clever thread of some stories being referenced in others is present again in Phobia 2 with even better results, as one occurrence is probably the biggest laugh of the entire movie. There is also a running theme this time, as car crashes and cell phone calls appear in all.

Yep, the ample talents of the Thai film industry are resolute and standing tall to let you know that the Asian horror genre is still alive and well. Phobia 2 is another solid effort that is best watched with the lights out and the volume cranked.

Bienvenue à Montréal

Well, I'm off to Montreal for Fantasia. It's a long drive, but I've got my trusty crew of usual suspects to keep me company. I'll have a laptop and wi-fi with me this time, so hopefully I'll be checking in from time to time. Until then, au revoir!*

*That's French for goodbye!

The Rest (Part 2 of 2)

So here we are at the end of the line. The coverboxes below are the remaining titles we had at my store. They consist of ones that took me the longest to find - in some cases I still wish I could find a better image - didn't fit into a theme or I just inadvertently missed. So, here's the last Coverbox Wednesday, or at least of the ones that chronicle my old horror section.

Once again, thanks to all who look in here from time to time. If you want to peruse any of the previous Coverbox Wednesdays, check the sidebar index to your right. You can also see a master list of all the titles we carried back in the day, by clicking here.

They Came Back.

Today I’m going to throw out some thoughts about a little film that Cory over at The Inevitable Zombie Apocalypse brought to my attention during his recent month-long movie marathon. It’s a French production called Les Revenants, aka They Came Back.


Without warning, the recently dead come back to life and begin walking the streets. Besides being in varied degrees of catatonia, they are all completely awake and healthy. The inhabitants of a small French town begin the process of reuniting them with loved ones and reintegrating them into society.

Les Revenants is a strange little film. Obviously, there was some initial suspension of disbelief needed - the "returnees" streaming from the town’s cemetery are neither decomposed nor largely wearing what they likely would have been buried in – but considering how rare it is that a "zombie" film tries to do something original with the genre, I was willing to cut it some slack.


This was fairly easy to do because the film is both beautifully shot and wonderfully acted. Les Revenants is wholly a mood piece where very little happens, yet it is still managed to keep me engaged. You get this feeling that there is something sinister going on, but only by way of music and visuals, rather than action. I just wish the conclusion had been more satisfying. I think I understand what director Robin Campillo was going for, but I guess I've been conditioned to always expect a punchline. This wasn't helped by the fact that I was reminded of M Night's flicks while watching the movie. The same brooding narrative is at play here, but considering Shamhammer's last three or four efforts have been completely laughable, I guess I should be thankful Les Revenants didn't end with a twist.

Waaaay creepier than that crazy plant lady from The Happening.

While it is slow at times, Les Revenants at least held my interest, which is more than I can say for some European mood pieces I've seen over the years. I find it difficult to recommend this movie, though I can't write it off either. It had a truly interesting premise, which uses genre tropes to explore, but it never quite pays off.

Don't Kill The Messenger 68

Hello all. Aside from the Fantasia lineup announcement, it seemed like a pretty slow week. I have to admit I'm a little burnt out as well, so I'm just going to put up some trailers.

The first is a teaser for an Australian flick called The Tunnel.



Now, I'm sure that looked extremely 'familiar' to most of you, but what I find interesting about this project was that it was completely fan-funded and will see its release exclusively on torrent sites later this year.

Moving on...

First, the casting. Then, the stills. Now, the trailer...



Okay, okay, you've convinced me to give it a go.

Lastly, this week saw a teaser for the sequel to last year's phenom Paranormal Activity.



Yeah I know, you either loved or hated the first movie. I myself liked it well enough to give this a whirl. If it turns out to be another Book Of Shadows, well I have only myself to blame.

Oh, as a little bonus, I've tacked on Adam Mason's early short Prey. Yep, he's always been a madman.

Bring On The Sun!

It's Canada Day here, folks!

Right now, there's a Moosehead and a patio chair with my name on them, so I just popped in to say, whether it be today or on the 4th, ENJOY YOUR HOLIDAY!! Talk to you all soon.