Grave Encounters 2

A film student gets obsessed with the original movie “Grave Encounters” and decides to visit the abandoned asylum with his friends.

Grave Encounters 2 certainly doesn’t equal his predecessor, but it still remains a decent horror movie with a few jump scares.

Like you may already have guessed, the whole trip goes south and ends up in a complete nightmare. If you’re a fan of urban exploration gone wrong, you surely will like this found footage horror film.

A Christmas Horror Story

This is by far my favourite X-mas movie ever! The film is a serie of interwoven stories tied together with William Shatner as a radio DJ. Shatners’ soothing voice and particular sense of humour create the feeling of warmth and coziness throughout these gruesome tales of horror. The four stories in themselves are great with a twist you’ll never see coming, featuring an epic battle between Krampus and Santa.

I absolutely love this movie! Christmas woudn’t be the same without A Christmas Horror story. It has become a holiday season classic, like “Trick ‘r Treat” for Halloween.

If you love Christmas and horror films, you should definitely watch this one!

SiREN

A bachelor party becomes a savage fight for survival when the groomsmen unwittingly unleash a fabled predator upon the festivities. – IMDB

I didn’t have any expections for this movie, yet, this must be one of the best horror movies I’ve seen as of late. The “siren” was really quite terrifying, yet, I couldn’t help but feel sympathy for her. I did see the segment in V/H/S where her character originated from, the same girl reprises her role in SiREN. All actors were excellent and believable.

I don’t want to give away any spoiler. The movie was top notch and just perfect for a Saturday horror night. A real must see!

The Gallows

Twenty years after a horrific accident during a small town school play, students at the school resurrect the failed show in a misguided attempt to honor the anniversary of the tragedy – but soon discover that some things are better left alone. – IMDb

Well, what can I say? The Gallows is bad, really bad. So bad, we’ve skipped it after 15 minutes which makes it hard to say anything relevant about his one. Shelved and never to watch again!

Extinction

Extinction is about two men and a little girl surviving a zombie apocalypse in a snowy landscape. It’s a pretty good movie despite the bad ratings Rotten Tomatoes has been slapping around our ears. I usually see that as a reference these days ;p

Granted, the movie isn’t a masterpiece, but certainly very eye-candy without the typical “run, shoot, run” and “die, zombie, die” scenes. It lasts for two hours and it is a slow paced and character driven story. The casting does an excellent job… The mystery surrounding the two men’s falling out and the relationship with the little girl keep you guessing for a while. Of course, the plot twist isn’t so unpredictable that you don’t guess it early on, but it is nice, nonetheless.

Thinking back about the movie makes me realize how much I liked it. I don’t know whether it was the story, the snow galore, or both, but it sure was perfect for a great night snuggling in the couch.

Rewatch material that I most definitely can recommend to any zombie fan.

Windchill

Windchill is one of my Christmas holiday favourites. Two students share a ride home for the holidays. They end up in an accident, and, while waiting for help, they are haunted by the ghosts of the neighbourhoods’ brutal past.

I’ve watched this movie twice by now and still love it as much as the first time. It may not exceed in visual effects, but the acting and overall vibe of the movie makes entirely up for that. Emily Blunt is amazing and the snowy landscapes are just stunning. Eventhough I’m not a huge fan of rewatching things over and over again, I think that it won’t be the last time I’ve watched this film.

Like I’ve said before : definitely one of my favourites around this time of the year!

Visions

After moving to a vineyard to start a new life with her husband, a pregnant woman begins to experience terrifying visions.- IMDB

Don’t let the corny trailer fool you! It starts off as an ordinary haunted house movie but switches into a pretty nice thriller. The plot twist was simple, not overwhelming but definitely interesting.

The film was okay. Isla Fisher did a great job portraying a haunted pregnant lady. Eva Longoria’s role, however, wasn’t transcending and could have been played by anyone. There are a few good jump scares and it feels refreshing to watch because it wasn’t another typical possession movie. The only complaint I have is that it was too short! Overall, I enjoyed it from start to finish. It was fast paced, thrilling and straight forward.

Maybe not my favourite, but it made a good evening. I can definitely recommend to give this a watch.

The Remains

A father and his three kids are moving into a new house. The price is surprinsingly low for such a beautiful mansion, what’s the catch? Well, the real state agent forgot to mention that the house belonged to a medium in the 1800 and appears to be have been haunted since…

Slamming doors, broken glass and an hormonal teenager, everything is there to make your typical haunted mansion movie. Yet, The Remains manages to reach the sweet spot between haunted cliches and heavy dramas. The movie starts with a pretty strong scene and brings us to the conclusion with a decent rythm, avoiding a common flaw in that genre: needlessly long scenes.
Even if the Remains is not the creepiest of them all, it certainly manages to create the right ambiance. It even gave me an eerie feeling before going to bed, and that isn’t an easy feat to accomplish, especially after the hundreds of haunted house movies I’ve already seen.

The Shrine

A young journalist gets obsessed with the disappearances of several tourists in the fictional Polish village of Alvania. Despite her boss’ disapproval, she drags her boyfriend and intern along on an adventure that quickly changes into an unexpected struggle against a mysterious kind of evil.

Despite its’ bad rating, I think that “The Shrine” deserves more credit than granted for. It’s a sincerely original and frightening movie with the right amounts of suspense and gore. The effects were credible and the fact that there were no subtitles during the Polish scenes added to the growing tension in the movie. These people must have felt clueless, living such a creepy adventure and having no idea of what those angry locals were talking about, especially when things turn out for the worst. I don’t want to spoil anything further, but if you like movies about European vacations gone wrong, you’ll enjoy this one. Watch The Shrine and I assure you that you will be scared.