Last Shift 2014 Quick Review

Last Shift 2014 Quick Review

Last Shift 2014 Quick Review

Last Shift 2014 Poster Image

Last Shift. It’s Jessica Loren’s first shift as a police officer. She must spend the graveyard shift alone, babysitting the last night of a closing police station. The question becomes, is she really alone?

Last Shift is scary, creepy and interesting. It’s also frustrating and filled with so many, “Don’t fucking do that!” moments that keep it from being a great film. The acting is fine. Juliana Harkavy is totally believable in the role of Jessica Loren, the rookie cop. She’s in every scene and her performance never grows old or stale. The story is also good. It’s just a few of the little things that ruin the overall experience. Just too many times when I grew frustrated at the decisions our young rookie cop made.

The special effect are well done. There are some very nice closeups of the various makeups and they’re all wonderfully gruesome. You don’t see a lot of closeups of the makeup in a lot of lower budget movies because the quality just isn’t there. It’s a lot of quick cuts and the camera keeps its distance from the effect. That’s not the case in Last Shift. Really strong effects done by Lee Grimes.

Creepy Girl | Last Shift

There’s just so much to like about Last Shift. Last Shift also contains some homages to other great films, A Nightmare on Elm Street and The Sixth Sense to name a few. It’s obvious the filmmakers are fans of the genre.

I’m on the bubble here. I think what bothered me were all the slamming doors or the expectation of them. At one point Jessica, the rookie cop gets herself locked in a room. Sort of predictable. Then it’s scene after scene of her walking into other rooms and she seems to have no memory of getting locked in the last room. One would think after that mistake she’d be a little more wary of walking into rooms without making sure the door isn’t going to swing shut again.

Then, there was the ending. I don’t want to give it away but I wasn’t thrilled with it. I liked parts of it. I can’t go into detail without ruining it so I will say, I liked all of it but the finality of it. After you see it, you’ll understand what I am saying.

A good ending can make or break a film. The only exception to that is Titanic. Serious, they kill off the main character for no reason. Then, to top it all off, old Rose throwing that priceless diamond into the ocean and people loved the fucking movie! Brilliant film otherwise. Anyways, Last Shift’s ending just didn’t work for me. I got where the film was going. It just wasn’t the outcome I was looking for. The ending basically said, “You just watched and cared for no reason.” But, I honestly don’t know how the film could have ended any differently.

So I say watch it. Let me know what you thought of the ending. As I write this sentence I’m also at the end of the Last Shift. I always have the movie on as I write these reviews. Maybe it’s me and not the ending. Maybe all that needs to be said about this movie is how I started this review? “Last Shift is scary, creepy and interesting.” When it comes down to it, that’s kinda the point of a horror movie.

To all two and a half fans of this site, it’s on you now. Watch it and tell me what you think.

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Jessabelle 2014 Quick Review

Jessabelle 2014 Quick Review

Jessabelle 2014 Quick Review

Jessabelle 2014 Poster Image

Jessabelle 2014. After barely surviving a horrific car accident Jessie Laurent returns home to Louisiana to stay with her father while she recuperates. She discovers three old VHS tapes left to her by her late mother. They soon reveal that Jessabelle is being haunted and if she wants to survive, she will need to go down a dark path.

I saw Jessabelle about a year ago and what I remember most is how really, really good it was until the end. It wasn’t a bad ending, it didn’t ruin the movie. Just wasn’t the happy ending I was looking for. I would be interested in hearing what others think about it. Great story, good acting, creepy, scary with a solid spooky atmosphere.

The acting was good with a lot of character actors you’re sure to recognize. I don’t recall a bad actor in the bunch. I have Jessabelle on as I write this review and was just reminded of a few of those character actors. The story was strong. There’s a real mystery here. The best ghost stories have them. It’s all about the who and they why. These are the kind of supernatural tales I love the most.

Jessabelle Bathtub Scare Scene

The locations were beautiful. It’s supposed to be set in Louisiana but was filmed in North Carolina. I’ve been to Louisiana several times, never noticed Jessabelle wasn’t really filmed in Louisiana. Still they managed to capture the feel of Louisiana. Jessabele’s father’s house she works as creepy but not over the top. The outdoor scenes don’t disappoint either.

Everything about Jessabelle is well done. If you love a good ghost story, I think you’ll love this one. If you’re looking for some teens have sex and get killed, this isn’t it. Looking for a solid story that is creepy and scary. Watch this. Side note, there’s nothing wrong with horror movies with teens having sex and getting killed. Just saying, if you’re mood for one of the few horror movies that doesn’t involve that, this would be a great choice.

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The Autopsy of Jane Doe 2016 | Bad Horror Movies

The Autopsy of Jane Doe 2016 | Bad Horror Movies

The Autopsy of Jane Doe 2016 | Bad Horror Movies

The Autopsy of Jane Doe 2016 Poster Image

Father and son coroners find themselves pulled into a mystery of what killed Jane Doe, the beautiful young woman found dead and partial buried in the basement of what appears to some kind of murder suicide. It’s up to the

The Autopsy of Jane Doe centers around a beautiful young woman who is found partially buried in the basement of an apparent brutal murder suicide. The catch, Who is Jane Doe and what does she have to do with it? Her discovery seems almost unrelated to the murder suicide that happened upstairs. The coroners job is to determin cause of death. The further the father & son team get into the autopsy of Jane Doe the more they come to realize that how she died isn’t as important as who and what she is.

Director: André Øvredal
Writers: Ian B. Goldberg (as Ian Goldberg), Richard Naing
Stars: Emile Hirsch, Brian Cox, Ophelia Lovibond and Olwen Catherine Kelly as Jane Doe

I really enjoyed the The Autopsy of Jane Doe. I wasn’t expecting to enjoy it as much as I did. I will say that it starts off with all the intrigue of films like Silence of the Lambs. Unfortunately it doesn’t sustain this level throughout the rest of the film. The Autopsy of Jane Doe is more about the the who and what Jane Doe is. It’s the journey in getting there that is what sets this film apart. Once the mystery is solved, the film goes from something special into just an above average horror film. What I am trying to say is that this movie could have been great. It was good, don’t get me wrong. It’s got some really good creepy scenes and it’s so interesting until the final act. Scary, weird, and morbidly fascinating. It’s just that the final act of the film, it’s where it goes from great, slightly above average stuff we’ve all seen before. It’s just hurt by not having as strong an ending as the rest of the movie.

Olwen Catherine Kelly, Brian Cox and Emile Hirsch

Things that make The Autopsy of Jane Doe great. The acting. Brian Cox is exceptional in everything he does. Emile Hirsch, I don’t really know him from anything he’s done. Though looking at his IMDb page, he’s in a few movies that are my list to see. It also stars Ophelia Lovibond. I LOVE her! Though her character isn’t around much, it was a surprise to see. Many will recognize her from as Alex from Guardians of the Galaxy. However, I recognized her as Kitty from Elementary. Just a strong cast in every role.

The story is so interesting. The suspense slowly builds and it’s just so oddly fascinating. What killed this beautiful young women? Who they hell is she? What in the hell happened to her. As the father and son coroner team discover as the autopsy progresses, the more interesting and creepy it gets. The storm brewing outside is matching the storm brewing on the inside. As they progress, strange this start happen. Unexpected sounds here and there. Those eerie freezer doors open for no explainable reason. Have some of the corpses reanimated?

Strange and creepy things are afoot at the morgue.

Now, the few things that I didn’t like. The Autopsy of Jane Doe has one scene that was so predictable, I saw it coming from mikes away. it was so obvious what was about to happen that it ruined any emotional impact the scene should have had. I sat there knowing it was coming and it just took me out of the film and that’s sad because it should have been a powerful scene and instead the emotional moment was ruined by its predictability.

This is how the third act ends. The Autopsy of Jane Doe was so great until this moment. The forth and final act, wasn’t bad. Had some interesting moments in it but with the conclusion of the 3rd act it becomes obvious this is now just a horror movie. Sure, we knew that going into the movie but it was on another level up until this point.

In conclusion, I really do strongly recommend The Autopsy of Jane Doe. It’s creepy with a slow methodical suspense that builds and draws you into the mystery. It’s got a little for everyone. It’s got gore, a solid and very interesting story with a lot of creepiness. It’s a must have for any horror fan’s collection

Sadly, The Autopsy of Jane Doe, at this point isn’t going to be released on DVD and Blu-ray until May 2nd, 2017. The good news is that you can rent on Amazon right now! I sincerely recommend it.

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The Abandoned 2015 Quick Review

The Abandoned 2015 Quick Review

The Abandoned 2015 Quick Review

The Abandoned 2011 Poster

The Abandoned is about a young woman trying to get her life back in order. She takes a job as a security guard during the graveyard shift. It’s her first night working in this beautiful old building. But, the more she learns to about the buildings dark past the further down the rabbit’s hole she goes.

Let me start by saying that I saw an excerpt from a review of The Abandoned by the Roger Ebert website and all I can say is that the person who wrote what I read was full of shit. In a nutshell, they loved the first hour of the movie and thought the ending ruined it. Now being someone that is constantly shitting on movies for having shitting endings, I could understand their feelings. However, as a person that has seen this movie, I know for a fact that the ending works well. I didn’t read the interview, I just read description for the article that turned up doing a Google search for “The Abandoned 2015”

Okay, let’s talk about what this movie has going for it. The acting, great. The story, interesting. The setting, perfect. The atmosphere, creepy and believable. The screenplay, well written. The ending, thought provoking and I didn’t see it coming. No one really does anything too stupid. At least nothing stands out that I recall. I try to give a movie at least a few days after seeing it before I review it. I want it to sink in. If I still feel strongly about it after a few days, then it’s a good movie. This is a good movie. It’s not the scariest movie I’ve ever seen but it’s got a solid creepy atmosphere, a couple of good scares, and above all it’s a good ghost story. It’s because it’s a mystery. It’s not just about creepy scary shit, it’s about why the creepy, scary shit is happening.

Louisa Krause is completely believable in her role as Streak. She’s strong yet fragile and stands up well to Jason Patrick’s character Cooper who is somewhat of a verbal bully at first. He is the other graveyard security guard and has been there from the beginning. He has no desire to get to know the new guard, Streak. Patrick’s character could have easily been simply one dimensional but it wasn’t. Krause’s character could have been annoying and unsympathetic. Both these actors took their well written characters and made them better.

If you’re looking for a solid ghost story with an actual story you’re going to enjoy this. It’s also got a twist at the end. I wish I could tell you more about the ending but I don’t want to ruin it. I think almost anyone that enjoys a good ghost story will like this as well as anyone who likes a good mystery.

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The Innkeepers 2011 Quick Review

The Innkeepers 2011 Quick Review

The Innkeepers 2011 Quick Review

The Innkeepers Poster Poster Image

The Innkeepers is about a two employees working the last weekend before the Inn Closes for good. With only a couple of guests staying for the weekend they decide this is their final chance to do some serious ghost hunting and prove the place is haunted once and for all. The more they hunt, the more they find.

Written and Directed By
Ti West

Cast:
Sara Paxton, Pat Healy, Kelly McGillis

The Innkeepers has been on my list to watch for a while now. I am sorry that I put it off for so long. I loved everything about this movie except for the ending. It doesn’t ruin the movie but it doesn’t do the movie justice. The acting, the dialog, the story, the direction and cinematography all superb. With the exception of the ending there just isn’t much not to like about this movie.

Ti West, the writer and director does an excellent job of capturing everything from the mundane and monotony of the the employees at the beginning of The Innkeepers. And, he did it without making the audience feel bored. Then, as the story progresses he builds the tension and suspense until it’s final climactic glory. But, it was the dialog that most caught my attention. There was a line uttered by Luke played by Pat Healy about being a realist that is almost verbatim to what I have been saying to describe myself or rather my philosophy for decades. It made me wonder if I had met the guy before.

The Acting was great and Sara Paxton was amazing as Clair. The faces she makes are so expressive. I fell in love with her character instantly. Pat Healy was great. His character Luke was an asshole most of the time but not to the point of total douchery. That’s not easy to pull off. You want to like the guy but you can’t and then you can. It made for an interesting character.

Now, as mentioned, the ending. A bad ending can ruin an otherwise good horror movie. This didn’t ruin the movie by any means. I am sure it’s possible that some may have even been okay with the ending. I was not. But, I have to admit that maybe I just didn’t get the ending? I felt it needed more. It’s like there was a twist to it that I felt was supposed to have a deeper meaning to it that I just didn’t see. However, I can’t stress enough to not let that stop you from watching this. It’s a good story. There’s some good creepiness and some decent scares to it. And, Sara Paxton’s performance was brilliant.

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