Halloween night is here! Maddie (Monica Keena) is all smiles, and she’s ready to go to the big Halloween bash at The Broussard Family Mansion, hosted by Angela Feld (Shannon Elizabeth). Maddie arrives at the party with her friends, Suzanne (Bobbi Sue Luther) and Lily (Diora Baird). Loud music, drinks, an electric atmosphere, and the duo of Jason (John F. Beach) and Dex (Michael Copon) eventually joins the trio. Everything is seemingly perfect, right?
Sure, Maddie sees potential setbacks. She spots her ex-boyfriend, Colin (Edward Furlong), and the party is officially over, after the arrival of a group of police officers (Angela didn’t get a permit!). But Maddie has bigger problems to worry about, when Angela is unknowingly possessed by a demon. After a game of spin the bottle, Angela passes the demon to Dex, starting a chain reaction, that involves Dex, Lily, and Suzanne being sucked into the first round of possessions.
Facing slim hopes of making it to sunrise, Maddie is forced to fight to survive. Maddie slowly emerges as the leader. There’s two specific scenes, where Maddie aggressively speaks up as the voice of reason. Jason freaks out about a possessed Suzanne showing no signs of any damage after he stabs her with a fireplace poker. Also, let’s not forget about Maddie realizing how important it was to protect the spells written on the walls in the upstairs room.
And Maddie has to interrupt the bickering between Colin and Jason to show them a possible alternate exit in the basement. Colin starts whining about his problems, and Maddie sternly reminds him that Jason was just murdered by Angela, and he transformed into a demon. Colin witnessed a demon ripping Jason’s guts out, and he’s still only thinking about himself? Come on, man!
Maddie also plays the role of a babysitter for Jason and Colin. She’s a caring person, and you can see she still believes there’s some hope for Colin to turn his life around. Colin pleaded with Maddie to leave him alone, when he fell through the floor. Yeah, Colin turned into a demon, and she barely escaped, but Maddie still took a big risk to go down and check on him.
Eventually, the story reaches a point, where Maddie is the last woman standing. Everyone else is a demon, and Maddie realizes she can’t wait it out. No more running, or hiding. No, Maddie had to go for the last stand and fight.
One of my favorite moments in all of the Night Of The Demons films shows Maddie walking up to the camera in the dark during the finale. She scans what’s in front of her, cocks the shotgun, and she boldly says “come and get me, motherfuckers.” Truly a cool moment, daring the demons to attack her, because Maddie knew what she had to do.
Monica Keena brings a mix of a wholesome and ordinary presence to Maddie. You’d never believe this is someone, who’s capable of fighting off demons. Maddie has a perky personality, and she justifiably panics every now and then. But Maddie shows flashes of fire in certain scenes. One moment that sticks out for me happens during the scene, where Maddie slams the door in Angela’s face, because she was sick of her taunting and failed attempts to scare her. She gave it her all, but Maddie couldn’t save everyone, and you have to believe losing Colin to a demonic possession was a tough pill to swallow.
Still, Maddie fought off and outsmarted the demons to walk away as the sole survivor. For me, the best shot in the movie shows the aftermath of Maddie calmly landing on the ground after she faked an attempt to hang herself. It’s daylight outside. Maddie is standing there, exhausted, and she’s covered in blood, but she’s also smiling. Maddie, the gutsy and scrappy final girl, beat the odds to escape. No missing limbs, or serious injuries for the woman, who just wanted to hang out and have fun with her friends at a Halloween party.
The Story- Evangeline Broussard (Tatyana Kanavka) hosts a seance at her mansion in 1920’s New Orleans. Madly in love with Louis Devereaux (Michael Arata), Evangeline uses the seance to spark a romantic connection with Louis. But Evangeline is unknowingly tricked by seven demons, unleashing a massacre inside the mansion.
Eighty-five years later, Angela Feld (Shannon Elizabeth) hosts a Halloween party at The Broussard Family Mansion. Angela invites Maddie (Monica Keena), Lily (Diora Baird), Suzanne (Bobbi Sue Luther), Dex (Michael Copon), Jason (John F. Beach), and others, while Colin (Edward Furlong) bribes Diana (Tiffany Shepis) for access to the party. The police force, led by Sergeant Dawson (Lance Nichols), pulls the plug on Angela’s party, but the group has bigger problems to worry about, when Angela and Colin discover seven skeletons in the basement.
My Thoughts- Amelia Kinkade’s Angela was a goth nerd, the outsider, who was into witchcraft and the occult. Shannon Elizabeth’s Angela? She’s clearly more popular, has a wild side, and Elizabeth brings out a more cocky and confident side of herself, when the demonic possession takes over. There’s a scene, where Angela is taunting Maddie about her chances of survival and Maddie’s feelings for Colin. Good stuff from Elizabeth during this scene, as her eyes are deviously wandering around the room, with that big smirk on her face, because you can see Angela’s having fun toying with Maddie.
The remake fills out the rest of the cast with likable characters, who are easy to root for. Monica Keena’s Maddie easily leads the pack, the scrappy fighter, who slowly emerges as the leader, and a sensible voice of reason. Keena brings a wholesomeness to Maddie, but she steps up to FIERCELY fight back towards the end. “Come and get me, motherfuckers” is one of the cooler one-liners in the movie. Keena really nails the delivery for that line, and the timing is perfect, because it comes at point, where the odds are not in Maddie’s favor, but she’s not going down without a fight.
Edward Furlong’s Colin is a sad sap. He’s a struggling drug dealer, who just can’t catch a break. You get the impression life has just run him into the ground, and to make matters worse, he’s on a hit list, if he doesn’t make enough money after Angela’s party.
John F. Beach is consistently hilarious. No denying he owns all of his scenes and numerous moments throughout the movie, with nervous or spirited rants and outbursts. The paintball scene (“NO COSTUME, NO CANDY, MOTHERFUCKER!”) is a good pick, and his explanation for what happened with Lily after the lipstick scene is just priceless.
Characters with bit parts and limited screen time deliver some notable highlights here. Tiffany Shepis is good for a few laughs as Diana. She’s sneaky, and Diana doesn’t care about breaking Angela’s rules, if she can make some extra cash on the side.
I wish Jamie Harris’ Nigel had a bigger role in the movie. Real show stealing stuff from him during his scene with Furlong, while Harris is laying it on thick as this unhinged crime boss. And another thumbs up for Lance Nichols playing the grinning and smarmy cop, who gladly leads the charge to ruin Angela’s party.
Dex, Lily, and Suzanne? No complaints about the performances from Diora Baird, Bobbi Sue Luther, and Michael Copon, but I just wish their characters had a bit more depth. Dex is a normal and nice guy, and that’s it? Lily’s entire personality basically revolves around being obsessed with Dex. Suzanne is spunky and she likes to have fun. But Bobbi Sue Luther brings some good positive energy to Suzanne, and I did get a laugh out of the costume snafu with Lily, because they’re not just cats, they’re pussy cats!
No more Hull House! If I’m being honest, I actually prefer the dark history and the lore behind Evangeline, her disastrous seance, and The Broussard Family Mansion over Hull House and “Old Man Hull.” Everything behind Evangeline and the demons feels more sinister. The thought of this seemingly innocent woman going to extraordinary lengths to chase the man of her dreams, and her quest for love blowing up in her face in the worst possible ways, is more of an impactful story.
I’m always a sucker for fine details, and there’s no denying The Broussard Family Mansion has a rich history. The secret room in the basement, underground tunnels, the protective spells written on the walls by Evangeline’s maid (Tiffany Billiot) in the safe room, and they drop a few hints for bootlegging runs throughout the mansion during prohibition. If we’re talking about overall visuals, I guess you could make the argument for Hull House (limited to the original Night Of The Demons and Part 2 only) being more spooky, but Broussard Manor still works as a death trap that you’d want to avoid at all costs.
The demons! The designs and the makeup for the demons in the remake are far more grotesque and bizarre. Boobs with tentacles, horns, and bloody, decaying flesh? Oh, the horror! I never had any real problems with the designs for the demons in the original trilogy, but the demons in the 2009 film are more believable as monstrous creatures.
Going back to the lore behind the demons and details reinforcing the demons as serious threats, after doing some research, Maddie reveals the seven demons were cast out of hell, because they were too much to handle. Imagine that. You get kicked out of HELL, because you can’t follow the rules.
The front gate is a problem here. Again. It’s one of those strange plot holes, and I’m wondering if they did it intentionally as a weird wink to the original, and the problems with the gate in that film. One gate is capable of causing so much trouble? Sorry, not buying it.
The stuff with the gate is still annoying, but Night Of The Demons 2009 is a good remake. The 1988 original works as the quintessential 80’s horror film. But NOTD 2009 proves you can still make an entertaining film, without settling for a lazy shot for shot remake.
Adam Gierasch and Jace Anderson created their own version of Night Of The Demons, while still paying homage to the original. Angela is different, Linnea Quigley’s cameo is a callback to the convenience store scene in the original, and Suzanne’s disappearing lipstick scene makes a comeback! But the magic trick with the tube of lipstick goes a few steps further in this one. The puddle of blood on the floor, and Lily’s blood soaked hand, when she yanks the tube of lipstick out is something else. Also, a big thumbs up for all the effort they put into Evangeline’s backstory. Starting things off in 1925 with the old style black and white silent films era was a nice touch for something unexpected.
New Orleans! During, the opening there’s some short highlights of Halloween festivities in New Orleans. Before the cops show up, Angela’s Halloween party is a big bash. Remember, in the ‘88 original it was just supposed to be a little get-together between a small group of friends at a dusty old funeral home. Nigel briefly mentions how New Orleans is still struggling after Hurricane Katrina, but it’s not a big plot point for the story.
Night Of The Demons 2009 is truly different, because you can see a lot of noticeable changes. They left out the underground stream acting as a barrier that prevents demons from leaving the property. More graphic gore, a lot of blood, and overall, NOTD 2009 is a more extreme film, if we’re comparing it to the original. There’s also more sexual innuendos and jokes. NOTD 2009 also reveals it’s possible to pass demonic possessions through anal sex. So, yeah, that’s a thing here.
NOTD 2009 delivers consistent humor and laughs, including the post-credits scene, and all the bickering between Maddie, Colin, and Jason, when things go south. It’s a bloody and fun horror remake, good practical effects, a hefty amount of gory violence, and there’s one really good jump scare that plays around with the usual tropes for mirror jump scares.
As far as the music goes, I’ll give the edge to the original for the overall better soundtrack, and how they used each song from that soundtrack. But Night Of The Demons by 45 Grave is a perfect fit for the remake. It’s catchy, campy, and it’s a good choice for the fight scene after the demons invade the mansion.
The Story- Evangeline Broussard (Tatyana Kanavka) hosts a seance at her mansion in 1920’s New Orleans. Madly in love with Louis Devereaux (Michael Arata), Evangeline uses the seance to spark a romantic connection with Louis. But Evangeline is unknowingly tricked by seven demons, unleashing a massacre inside the mansion.
Eighty-five years later, Angela Feld (Shannon Elizabeth) hosts a Halloween party at The Broussard Family Mansion. Angela invites Maddie (Monica Keena), Lily (Diora Baird), Suzanne (Bobbi Sue Luther), Dex (Michael Copon), Jason (John F. Beach), and others, while Colin (Edward Furlong) bribes Diana (Tiffany Shepis) for access to the party. The police force, led by Sergeant Dawson (Lance Nichols), pulls the plug on Angela’s party, but the group has bigger problems to worry about, when Angela and Colin discover seven skeletons in the basement.
My Thoughts- Amelia Kinkade’s Angela was a goth nerd, the outsider, who was into witchcraft and the occult. Shannon Elizabeth’s Angela? She’s clearly more popular, has a wild side, and Elizabeth brings out a more cocky and confident side of herself, when the demonic possession takes over. There’s a scene, where Angela is taunting Maddie about her chances of survival and Maddie’s feelings for Colin. Good stuff from Elizabeth during this scene, as her eyes are deviously wandering around the room, with that big smirk on her face, because you can see Angela’s having fun toying with Maddie.
The remake fills out the rest of the cast with likable characters, who are easy to root for. Monica Keena’s Maddie easily leads the pack, the scrappy fighter, who slowly emerges as the leader, and a sensible voice of reason. Keena brings a wholesomeness to Maddie, but she steps up to FIERCELY fight back towards the end. “Come and get me, motherfuckers” is one of the cooler one-liners in the movie. Keena really nails the delivery for that line, and the timing is perfect, because it comes at point, where the odds are not in Maddie’s favor, but she’s not going down without a fight.
Edward Furlong’s Colin is a sad sap. He’s a struggling drug dealer, who just can’t catch a break. You get the impression life has just run him into the ground, and to make matters worse, he’s on a hit list, if he doesn’t make enough money after Angela’s party.
John F. Beach is consistently hilarious. No denying he owns all of his scenes and numerous moments throughout the movie, with nervous or spirited rants and outbursts. The paintball scene (“NO COSTUME, NO CANDY, MOTHERFUCKER!”) is a good pick, and his explanation for what happened with Lily after the lipstick scene is just priceless.
Characters with bit parts and limited screen time deliver some notable highlights here. Tiffany Shepis is good for a few laughs as Diana. She’s sneaky, and Diana doesn’t care about breaking Angela’s rules, if she can make some extra cash on the side.
I wish Jamie Harris’ Nigel had a bigger role in the movie. Real show stealing stuff from him during his scene with Furlong, while Harris is laying it on thick as this unhinged crime boss. And another thumbs up for Lance Nichols playing the grinning and smarmy cop, who gladly leads the charge to ruin Angela’s party.
Dex, Lily, and Suzanne? No complaints about the performances from Diora Baird, Bobbi Sue Luther, and Michael Copon, but I just wish their characters had a bit more depth. Dex is a normal and nice guy, and that’s it? Lily’s entire personality basically revolves around being obsessed with Dex. Suzanne is spunky and she likes to have fun. But Bobbi Sue Luther brings some good positive energy to Suzanne, and I did get a laugh out of the costume snafu with Lily, because they’re not just cats, they’re pussy cats!
Maddie is the sole survivor! Obvious? Yes, Maddie narrowly escaping wasn’t a big shocking surprise, because you could see it coming. There’s a good effort for teasing Maddie possibly committing suicide by hanging herself, similar to what Evangeline did in the 1920’s. Lining up the flashbacks with Evangeline’s suicide, while Maddie is preparing to jump off of the balcony with the rope around her neck ALMOST works as a good nail-biter. They wanted to give you the impression that Maddie would sacrifice herself to stop the demonic invasion, while showing you how Evangeline did it step by step, but it just wasn’t believable.
Still, it’s an excellent final girl ending for Monica Keena. Maddie, clothes torn and covered in blood, and beaten up during sunrise, but also smiling and relieved that it’s finally over and she survived. That is truly a great visual.
No more Hull House! If I’m being honest, I actually prefer the dark history and the lore behind Evangeline, her disastrous seance, and The Broussard Family Mansion over Hull House and “Old Man Hull.” Everything behind Evangeline and the demons feels more sinister. The thought of this seemingly innocent woman going to extraordinary lengths to chase the man of her dreams, and her quest for love blowing up in her face in the worst possible ways, is more of an impactful story.
I’m always a sucker for fine details, and there’s no denying The Broussard Family Mansion has a rich history. The secret room in the basement, underground tunnels, the protective spells written on the walls by Evangeline’s maid (Tiffany Billiot) in the safe room, and they drop a few hints for bootlegging runs throughout the mansion during prohibition. If we’re talking about overall visuals, I guess you could make the argument for Hull House (limited to the original Night Of The Demons and Part 2 only) being more spooky, but Broussard Manor still works as a death trap that you’d want to avoid at all costs.
The demons! The designs and the makeup for the demons in the remake are far more grotesque (faceless demon Suzanne is truly impressive) and bizarre. Boobs with tentacles, horns, and bloody, decaying flesh? Oh, the horror! I never had any real problems with the designs for the demons in the original trilogy, but the demons in the 2009 film are more believable as monstrous creatures.
Going back to the lore behind the demons and details reinforcing the demons as serious threats, after doing some research, Maddie reveals the seven demons were cast out of hell, because they were too much to handle. Imagine that. You get kicked out of HELL, because you can’t follow the rules.
The front gate is a problem here. Again. It’s one of those strange plot holes, and I’m wondering if they did it intentionally as a weird wink to the original, and the problems with the gate in that film. One gate is capable of causing so much trouble? Sorry, not buying it.
The stuff with the gate is still annoying, but Night Of The Demons 2009 is a good remake. The 1988 original works as the quintessential 80’s horror film. But NOTD 2009 proves you can still make an entertaining film, without settling for a lazy shot for shot remake.
Adam Gierasch and Jace Anderson created their own version of Night Of The Demons, while still paying homage to the original. Angela is different, Linnea Quigley’s cameo is a callback to the convenience store scene in the original, and Suzanne’s disappearing lipstick scene makes a comeback! But the magic trick with the tube of lipstick goes a few steps further in this one. The puddle of blood on the floor, and Lily’s blood soaked hand, when she yanks the tube of lipstick out is something else. Also, a big thumbs up for all the effort they put into Evangeline’s backstory. Starting things off in 1925 with the old style black and white silent films era was a nice touch for something unexpected.
New Orleans! During, the opening there’s some short highlights of Halloween festivities in New Orleans. Before the cops show up, Angela’s Halloween party is a big bash. Remember, in the ‘88 original it was just supposed to be a little get-together between a small group of friends at a dusty old funeral home. Nigel briefly mentions how New Orleans is still struggling after Hurricane Katrina, but it’s not a big plot point for the story.
Night Of The Demons 2009 is truly different, because you can see a lot of noticeable changes. They left out the underground stream acting as a barrier that prevents demons from leaving the property. More graphic gore, a lot of blood, and overall, NOTD 2009 is a more extreme film, if we’re comparing it to the original. There’s also more sexual innuendos and jokes. NOTD 2009 also reveals it’s possible to pass demonic possessions through anal sex. So, yeah, that’s a thing here.
NOTD 2009 delivers consistent humor and laughs, including the post-credits scene, and all the bickering between Maddie, Colin, and Jason, when things go south. It’s a bloody and fun horror remake, good practical effects, a hefty amount of gory violence, and there’s one really good jump scare that plays around with the usual tropes for mirror jump scares.
As far as the music goes, I’ll give the edge to the original for the overall better soundtrack, and how they used each song from that soundtrack. But Night Of The Demons by 45 Grave is a perfect fit for the remake. It’s catchy, campy, and it’s a good choice for the fight scene after the demons invade the mansion.
The Story- Charlotte (Ducky Branson) is kidnapped on a playground in broad daylight in front of her mother, Monica (Katie McClellan) and her grandmother, Gail (Claire Slemmer), lured into a car by a man and a doll. Elsewhere in the same area, Jaq (Hayden Panettiere) misses her rideshare car. Jaq convinces Shane (Tyler James Williams), another rideshare driver, to accept a large tip for a ride.
Eventually, Jaq spots a Toyota Camry that matches the description for Charlotte’s Amber Alert. Jaq, Shane, Monica, Sergeant Phil Casey (Kevin Dunn), and an emergency dispatcher named Cici (Saidah Arrika Ekulona) all work together to rescue Charlotte. Aaron (Kurt Oberhaus), the driver of the Camry, claims he’s innocent, but Jaq realizes something is off, when she learns the truth about the license plate number.
My Thoughts- The remake for Amber Alert is a good example for why it’s not so easy to make a found-footage film. Amber Alert 2012 took the found-footage approach, and when you compare that film to the 2024 remake, the problems for the 2012 original are more obvious. The big one? Recording when there’s no real reason to record anything during long stretches of the movie. I’ll even go as far as saying the car chase scenes, or the scenes, where Jaq and Shane are following Aaron are easily more exciting. There’s a more uneasy and believable feeling that anything could happen at any moment. A big difference compared to the found-footage film, where the main idea basically is, let’s keep following Muller, while we wait to see what he does next.
The 2024 remake is a more polished and refined film by a long shot. The story has structure, the characters have more depth, and all the other loose screws are tightened up, including smoother storytelling, better pacing, and it’s a more consistently tense film. I could actually buy into Jaq and Shane’s reasons for wanting to save Charlotte, if we’re comparing the two to Samantha and Nate (mainly Samantha) from the original. Shane is a father, and you can tell he loves and cares about his son. Jaq is still heartbroken about the tragedy involving her baby boy, so it’s easy to go along with a thought process, where she probably believes she couldn’t save her son, but there’s a chance she can save Charlotte.
There’s some callbacks and similarities to the original. The gas station, Jaq dropping her earbud in the backseat, so she can hear what’s going on inside the car, and the confrontation with Aaron in the open field. A few tweaks and some minor changes, but it’s still easy to see some connections to the 2012 film.
So Aaron is the bad guy. Okay. Not a big surprise, and they made things more obvious for the big reveal in the remake. Going back to that scene in the open field, where Jaq and Shane faked having car troubles, you can clearly see Aaron was ready to kill them, while their backs were turned. That, and his story about Charlotte being his daughter was completely phony. Also, it doesn’t help that you can actually see Charlotte in the backseat, when Aaron drives away.
Still, Amber Alert manages to deliver a satisfying finale. Aaron’s house of horrors? Some genuinely creepy stuff. It’s not just limited to keeping Charlotte in a cage. The video camera, the room decorated to resemble a little girl’s room, the shoes from all the girls he kidnapped outside, the scrapbooks, and Aaron’s bizarre obsession with dolls and dressing his deceased victims as dolls. You really get to see how Aaron is a disgusting and vile creep, a man with a disturbing dark side.
Jaq and Shane survive with some help from Sergeant Casey, Casey kills Aaron, and Charlotte is reunited with Monica. Comparing the two films, the remake decided to go with the happy ending. Yes, certain events were a little bit too convenient. Casey shows up at the exact moment, when Aaron was seconds away from killing Jaq? But that final shot with Charlotte and Monica embracing, while Jaq, still wounded on a stretcher, has a smile on her face, when she sees both of them together really works as a feel good moment.
The chemistry between Hayden Panettiere and Tyler James Williams is excellent. They did a good job of playing off of each other, with a bold and somewhat reckless Jaq pushing a reluctant Shane to continue the pursuit. Williams and Panettiere are convincing as two ordinary people, who stumbled into a dangerous problem, and there’s a handful of funny moments from Jaq and Shane during the chase.
Is Amber Alert perfect? No. The story mainly goes through the motions step by step. The twists and the attempted swerves were easy enough to predict, but Amber Alert is still an effective mystery/thriller. The reveal for the house of horrors and the unpleasantness behind the villain’s dolls completely changes the mood towards the end, taking a dark turn just when you believe things couldn’t possibly get any worse.
As the story unfolds, you also realize it’s not so easy to put out a successful Amber Alert. The accuracy, crucial details, including a license plate number, are all important factors. Add in the fact that dispatchers will be flooded with calls that might or might not help, AND if the perpetrator is driving a common or popular car (e.g. the Toyota Camry here), the odds of saving a kidnapped victim could swing in either direction. And what’s going to happen, when the suspect realizes they’re on the radar and the clock is ticking?
A big upgrade over the 2012 original, featuring solid performances from Hayden Panettiere and Tyler James Williams, and of course, Kevin Dunn delivers with the strong presence of a veteran actor. And kudos to Saidah Arrika Ekulona for playing her role well, as the concerned dispatcher, who’s trying to help Monica and Charlotte. The 2012 original’s ending was bleak and shocking. But the remake takes a more joyous and upbeat approach to close out the movie, and overall, it’s a rare case, where the remake definitely outshines the original.
The Story- Charlotte (Ducky Branson) is kidnapped on a playground in broad daylight in front of her mother, Monica (Katie McClellan) and her grandmother, Gail (Claire Slemmer), lured into a car by a man and a doll. Elsewhere in the same area, Jaq (Hayden Panettiere) misses her rideshare car. Jaq convinces Shane (Tyler James Williams), another rideshare driver, to accept a large tip for a ride.
Eventually, Jaq spots a Toyota Camry that matches the description for Charlotte’s Amber Alert. Jaq, Shane, Monica, Sergeant Phil Casey (Kevin Dunn), and an emergency dispatcher named Cici (Saidah Arrika Ekulona) all work together to rescue Charlotte. Aaron (Kurt Oberhaus), the driver of the Camry, claims he’s innocent, but Jaq realizes something is off, when she learns the truth about the license plate number.
My Thoughts- The remake for Amber Alert is a good example for why it’s not so easy to make a found-footage film. Amber Alert 2012 took the found-footage approach, and when you compare that film to the 2024 remake, the problems for the 2012 original are more obvious. The big one? Recording when there’s no real reason to record anything during long stretches of the movie. I’ll even go as far as saying the car chase scenes, or the scenes, where Jaq and Shane are following Aaron are easily more exciting. There’s a more uneasy and believable feeling that anything could happen at any moment. A big difference compared to the found-footage film, where the main idea basically is, let’s keep following Muller, while we wait to see what he does next.
The 2024 remake is a more polished and refined film by a long shot. The story has structure, the characters have more depth, and all the other loose screws are tightened up, including smoother storytelling, better pacing, and it’s a more consistently tense film. I could actually buy into Jaq and Shane’s reasons for wanting to save Charlotte, if we’re comparing the two to Samantha and Nate (mainly Samantha) from the original. Shane is a father, and you can tell he loves and cares about his son. Jaq is still heartbroken about the tragedy involving her baby boy, so it’s easy to go along with a thought process, where she probably believes she couldn’t save her son, but there’s a chance she can save Charlotte.
There’s some callbacks and similarities to the original. The gas station, Jaq dropping her earbud in the backseat, so she can hear what’s going on inside the car, and the confrontation with Aaron in the open field. A few tweaks and some minor changes, but it’s still easy to see some connections to the 2012 film.
The chemistry between Hayden Panettiere and Tyler James Williams is excellent. They did a good job of playing off of each other, with a bold and somewhat reckless Jaq pushing a reluctant Shane to continue the pursuit. Williams and Panettiere are convincing as two ordinary people, who stumbled into a dangerous problem, and there’s a handful of funny moments from Jaq and Shane during the chase.
Is Amber Alert perfect? No. The story mainly goes through the motions step by step. The twists and the attempted swerves were easy enough to predict, but Amber Alert is still an effective mystery/thriller. The reveal for the house of horrors and the unpleasantness behind the villain’s dolls completely changes the mood towards the end, taking a dark turn just when you believe things couldn’t possibly get any worse.
As the story unfolds, you also realize it’s not so easy to put out a successful Amber Alert. The accuracy, crucial details, including a license plate number, are all important factors. Add in the fact that dispatchers will be flooded with calls that might or might not help, AND if the perpetrator is driving a common or popular car (e.g. the Toyota Camry here), the odds of saving a kidnapped victim could swing in either direction. And what’s going to happen, when the suspect realizes they’re on the radar and the clock is ticking?
A big upgrade over the 2012 original, featuring solid performances from Hayden Panettiere and Tyler James Williams, and of course, Kevin Dunn delivers with the strong presence of a veteran actor. And kudos to Saidah Arrika Ekulona for playing her role well, as the concerned dispatcher, who’s trying to help Monica and Charlotte. The 2012 original’s ending was bleak and shocking. But the remake takes a more joyous and upbeat approach to close out the movie, and overall, it’s a rare case, where the remake definitely outshines the original.
The Story- A tragic mining accident disrupts the quiet town of Harmony, when Tom Hanniger (Jensen Ackles) forgets to bleed the lines, causing a deadly cave-in. Tom escapes, but Harry Warden (Richard John Walters) murders the other miners.
A year passes, and Warden suddenly awakes from a coma to continue his killing spree. Tom, his girlfriend, Sarah (Jaime King), and Axel (Kerr Smith), and his girlfriend, Irene ( Betsy Rue) have plans to enjoy Harmony’s mining party. But Harry shows up to butcher anyone who crosses his path. Axel, Irene, and Sarah escape. Tom survives Harry’s attack, with help from Sheriff Burke (Tom Atkins), who wounds Harry with a series of gunshots. An injured Harry disappears, and Tom decides to leave Harmony.
Ten years later, Tom returns to Harmony to sell the Hanniger Mining Company. Tom is prepared to cash out. His decision upsets Sarah and the mine’s supervisor, Ben Foley (Kevin Tighe), because the Hanniger Mining Company is Harmony’s lifeline. Axel is Harmony’s new sheriff. To make matters worse for Tom, Axel is now married to Sarah, and they have a son named Noah.
Tom struggles to navigate his emotional roller coaster, because he still has feelings for Sarah, but a bigger problem causes more trouble. Harmony’s dark past resurfaces, as Tom, Sarah, Axel, Deputy Martin (Edi Gathegi), Ben, and a retired Sheriff Burke are forced to deal with the possibility of Harry Warden returning to finish what he started.
My Thoughts- There’s a good amount of noticeable differences between the remake and the original. In the original, T.J. was a young man who left home. He went out into the world to try and find himself and make it on his own, but things didn’t work out, so he returned home to work in the mines. T.J. put a lot of effort into humbling himself. Tom? Well, early on you get the impression he really is the selfish and whiny spoiled brat that everyone else makes him out to be. He’s the pariah of Harmony, and unlike T.J., Tom actually has a direct connection to Harry Warden.
As the story progresses, Tom changes his mind. He doesn’t want to sell the mine, but are his intentions truly genuine? It’s blatantly obvious Tom hoping he still has a chance to steal Sarah away from Axel is one of the main reasons why he wants to stay in Harmony. The love triangle is far more tense and serious in the remake. Ackles and Smith did a great job of making the rivalry between Tom and Axel feel real. You can tell both men hate each other, while Sarah is stuck in the middle.
Kerr Smith is the true spark in the cast. Smith absolutely nails the different faces of Axel. Axel is hot-headed, a jerk, and a cocky tough guy, with a smart mouth. He’s also having an affair with Sarah’s employee, Megan (Megan Boone), and to throw in another disastrous twist, Megan is pregnant with Axel’s child. Axel is a mess, but you can also see he doesn’t want to lose his family. And he cares about protecting the peace in Harmony.
If you’re a fan of 80’s horror, there’s a good chance you know about Tom Atkins. Atkins’ presence in a horror slasher provides some good nostalgia. The grizzled old sheriff is a perfect fit for him. Atkins shows he’s still got some fire left in him during the bar fight scene, when shouts out “EVERYBODY STAND DOWN GOD D****!!” to diffuse the tension. Truly a classic Tom Atkins moment.
Harry Warden/The Miner is still a dangerous and menacing villain in the remake. The remake features a handful of creative and brutal death scenes. Selene’s (Selene Luna) death is a good example of just how callous The Miner is, when he jams the pickaxe through her head and slams her body into the ceiling lights. There’s also a callback to Mabel’s death scene in the original with Axel and Sarah’s maid. The Miner stuffs Rosa (Joy de la Paz) in the dryer, and the shot is set up to mirror what happened in the original, when you see Rosa’s charred corpse. That’s exactly what happened to Mabel.
Revealing Tom as The Miner wasn’t a big shocker. In the 1981 film, they hold off revealing the fact that Harry is dead until the final moments. In the remake, Axel reveals Burke and Ben killed Harry in act of “vigilante justice” ten years ago, and they buried his body in the woods. The possibility of Harry returning for revenge is squashed a lot sooner this time around. Honestly, it’s for the best, because unless they planned on going the supernatural route, there’s no point in teasing Harry still being alive. A coma? A cave-in? Gunshot wounds? A mortal man can only survive so much.
They tried to throw a curveball with the possibility of Axel as the killer. Megan’s death could’ve easily raised a red flag. He wanted to kill Megan, because he didn’t want Sarah to know about the affair and his illegitimate child. Tom was hoping that would be enough to pin the murders on Axel.
Tom? If you pay close attention, too many sensible clues killed any chances for his innocence. It’s revealed Tom hallucinated Harry’s appearances throughout the movie. IF Harry was actually alive, then the scene where Tom is “trapped” inside the cage in the mines doesn’t make any sense. Harry locks Tom in a cage, while he murders another miner named Red. Harry kills him, runs off, and he leaves Tom in a safe place unharmed? Harry Warden is a cold blooded killer. During, the opening of the movie, you can tell Harry clearly hated Tom, so why would he spare his life?
I’ve always had mixed feelings for the explanation and the reasons behind Tom’s transformation into The Miner, because it could go both ways. So we learn Tom was in a mental institution for seven years, and they show him taking medication at the motel. We’re lead to believe Tom has a personality disorder, but the flashbacks tell a different story. When they show the flashbacks with Tom carrying out the murders, it’s possible to believe he was possessed by Harry Warden.
To take it a step further, Tom starts talking in Harry’s voice during the big standoff with Axel and Sarah towards the end. When Axel is revealed as the killer in the 1981 film, it’s undeniably clear he completely lost his mind. The idea of Harry’s evil spirit controlling Tom works, but there’s also the possibility that Tom just finally snapped. His mental health deteriorated, his father is dead, the whole town hates him, and Sarah, the one person he truly loves, moved on with her life. Tom had a lot of heavy burdens to carry, and holding on to all that rage finally got the best of him.
My Bloody Valentine 2009 is a 3D film, but it wasn’t necessary. The 3D side is just way too gimmicky. The lingering scenes with The Miner pointing the pickaxe at the screen loses the wow factor quickly. The remake could’ve stood on its own without 3D. The 3D disrupts the flow of the movie, because if you’re not wearing a pair of 3D glasses, there’s almost no point in watching certain scenes.
The remake tries to be a raunchier film at times. No nudity or sex scenes in the original. The 1981 film is more modest, but the 2009 version has one over the top sex scene. Irene is completely naked, when she confronts Frank (Todd Farmer), and well, she’s still nude when she’s trying to hide from and fight off The Miner. There’s a sleazy motel in Harmony, and let’s not forget Axel is supposed to set the standard for morals, but he’s having an affair.
My Bloody Valentine 2009 is a solid remake, that manages to pay homage to the original, while maintaining its own identity. The remake works as a more modernized version of the original, and as a throwback to 80’s slashers. There’s more comedy and tongue in cheek scenes, including the kills, but the original had a more consistent serious tone.They don’t hold back on all the brutal violence and bloody gore. Keeping the bloody hearts in heart shaped candy boxes and the dark humor Valentine’s Day cards helps push the idea of a sinister side to the holiday.
There’s a cliffhanger with Tom secretly escaping, and a planned sequel was cancelled, but I’m glad it never happened. Sure, you can go the route of Tom returning to go after Axel and Sarah, but there’s no point. They exhausted almost every avenue for Tom, Axel, and Sarah here. Anything else would’ve been overkill, so the remake was better off as a one and done deal.
I struggled with this one for a while, because I was stuck on a three way tie between Maniac, The Conjuring, and Evil Dead, but I picked Maniac for my final decision.
Why? For starters, Maniac is shocking, grotesque, and bloody. Now I know you can say the same thing about Evil Dead, but director Franck Khalfoun crafts a dark and mesmerizing slasher film. There's a chilling sense of fear throughout Maniac, and Frank's POV is a refreshing touch. The audience sees everything from Frank's eyes, and you can feel the madness behind Frank's disturbing thought process. On top of that, Maniac features an outstanding soundtrack. The eerie scores are a perfect tie-in for Maniac, and it's hard to ignore the nostalgic 80's vibe.
Elijah Wood is incredible in the leading role. Frank is an unhinged man, who's struggling to control his murderous impulses. The rage, the violent outbursts, the conflict, and Frank's grief during troubled flashbacks with his mother. You can feel everything, and Elijah Wood taps into his dark side again (i.e. Sin City) to deliver another A+ performance with the leading role in Maniac.
The finale is amazing. Frank's demise mirrors the final moments of the original, and the set up for the fiasco at Anna's (Nora Arnezeder) apartment is perfect. A frustrated Frank is trying to console Anna after Rita's (Jan Broberg) death (of course, Frank murdered Rita after Rita's taunts at Anna's exhibit), but Frank accidentally reveals himself as the killer, when he mentions the short distance to Rita's apartment. And Frank drives the nail into the coffin, when he mentions the recent murders in the city.
The horrified look of shock on Nora Arnezeder's face is spot on, and the tension after Frank's accidental confession is unreal, because you're waiting for that one moment, when Anna attacks Frank for survival, or when Anna makes a move for an escape. Great stuff.
The 1980 original gained a strong following as a cult film, but the 2013 film is on a short list of remakes that challenge the original for superiority, and you can make a legit argument for the 2013 remake taking the top spot for the better film. Don't pass on a chance to watch Maniac 2013 horror fans. If you do, you're missing out on a great hidden gem.
**This review contains MINOR spoilers. No major character deaths, or reveals.**
I'll do a more thorough compare and contrast review with the original
and the remake in the future, because I'm planning on a review series
for every RoboCop film. It's similar to my Night Of The
Demons and Silent Night, Deadly night review series, if you're
wondering. Let's get to it.
It’s 2028, and OmniCorp is on a mission to change the world. As the
world’s largest supplier for robot soldiers and drones in the US
military, OmniCorp launches a plan to use robots for crime fighting in
the US, but strict laws prevent crime fighting robots in America.
Senator Hubert Dreyfuss (Zach Grenier) dedicates his life to fighting
OmniCorp, and their plans to use robots in the US. Senator Dreyfuss
believes emotionless machines are untrustworthy in the field of battle,
and the risk of a malfunctioning product will endanger the lives of
innocent US citizens.
At OmniCorp’s headquarters in Detroit, OmniCorp CEO Raymond Sellars
(Michael Keaton) devises a plan to fight Senator Dreyfuss, and erase the
stigma for dangerous robots. Sellars is making money overseas in wars
and occupied countries, but he’s missing out on a big payday with no
crime fighting robots on US soil.
Sellars pushes his team to come up with a solution. Liz Kline (Jennifer
Ehle) is the head of OmniCorp’s legal affairs, and Tom Pope (Jay
Baruchel) controls marketing, but OminCorp’s top sceintist, Dr. Dennett
Norton (Gary Oldman) doesn’t like the idea of crossing moral boundaries.
Sellars plans to exploit a loophole in America’s robot laws (or the
“Dreyfuss Act”)? Sellars wants to put a man inside a machine, but
OmniCorp needs the right candidate, someone wholesome, a victimized hero
for the people to rally behind and idolize. But Sellars and his team
run into a serious of problems for the right candidate after a thorough
search on a list of wounded soldiers and police officers.
Meanwhile, two Detroit detectives named Alex Murphy (Joel Kinnaman) and
Jack Lewis (Michael K. Williams) form an undercover team to infiltrate
Antoine Vallon‘s (Patrick Garrow), a ruthless crime boss, empire. But
Jack is stuck in a hospital bed after a fierce shootout with Vallon’s
thugs. Alex is motivated by revenge, but Chief Karen Dean (Marianne
Jean-Baptiste) warns Alex about the consequences for pursuing Vallon
without the proper evidence to convict Vallon.
One night, Alex leaves his house to shut off the alarm on his car, but
Alex triggers an explosion from a bomb, when he opens the door. A
disfigured Alex has one shot at survival: OmniCorp. During his coma,
Alex’s wife, Clara (Abbie Cornish) signs an agreement for Alex’s once in
a lifetime procedure with Dr. Dennett leading the way. Alex has trouble
adjusting to his new as a half-man, half-machine crime fighter, but
more money is the top priority for Sellars, and using Alex to change
American public’s perception for robots. And Alex needs to sharpen his
skills as an elite crime fighter, so he receives training from Rick
Mattox (Jackie Earle Haley), OmniCorp‘s combat expert.
Pat Novak (Samuel L. Jackson) uses his show (The Novak Element) to push
pro robot propaganda, and Novak is an important supporter for Sellars
and his never ending mission to use robots in the US. Alex’s new life as
a living, breathing crime fighting machine is full of obstacles. Alex
is trying to balance his crime fighting duties, and his responsibilities
as a father and a husband, and Alex honors his promise to Jack. During
Alex’s search for a location on Vallon, Alex exposes corruption at the
police station with a few tips from Detective Andre Daniels (K.C.
Collins) and Detective John Lake (Daniel Kash), and Alex uncovers the
truth behind OmniCorp’s plans for the future…….
Joel Kinnaman is solid in the leading role, and he deserves credit for a
strong effort. The new look for RoboCop? Kinnaman sports a sleek look
as a modernized version of RoboCop. He’s faster, and Kinnaman’s
movements are more fluid. That’s a big difference, when you compare
Kinnaman’s RoboCop to the clunky Robocop (i.e. Peter Weller and Robert
John Burke) from the originals, but you have to expect some big changes
for a modernized version.
Using black as a new color didn’t bother me at all, and you’ll see the
original color, but vintage (using that word loosely) RoboCop‘s screen
time is very limited. Also, don’t worry about the exposed human hand for
Kinnaman. I’m mentioning the hand, because I vividly remember a lot of
complaints for the human hand in various places on the internet. Trust
me, you’ll barely notice the hand after a while, and it’s not a big
deal.
Abbie Cornish is believable as the supportive wife. Jackie Earle Haley
delivers an entertaining performance, as the tough and uncompromising
trainer, and you’ll see a few funny moments during the little feud with
Alex and Rick.
No real complaints about the veterans. Michael Keaton is a decent
antagonist, as the greedy and two-faced corporate tycoon. Gary Oldman
maintains a streak of reliable consistency with another quality
performance, and Samuel L. Jackson is a nice fit for the Pat Novak
character. Novak is this obnoxious loudmouth (“Why is America so
Robo-phobic?!?!”), who will do and say anything to push the robot
movement, and Jackson delivers another one of his classic tirades during
the finale.
Of course, the remake tries to explore the “Man VS Machine” dilemma, and
the dangers of trusting an emotionless machine over a rational human
being with feelings and reasoning. But the quandary never reaches
thought-provoking levels, because the remake favors action and CGI, so
the Man VS Machine stuff takes a backseat.
RoboCop is a harmless remake, but they stay in a safe zone here. You
won’t see an effort to take any real risks, because RoboCop 2014 never
reaches an embarrassingly awful low point. On the flip side of that,
there’s no real attempt to create a different film with a bold vision.
RoboCop 2014 is a safe and modernized version of the 1987 original, and
the remake avoids a nomination for a spot in the Hall Of Shame for
terrible remakes (i.e. A Nightmare On Elm Street 2010).
Die hard fans of the ‘87 original will nitpick and tear this one apart,
but RoboCop 2014 is a decent action/sci-fi film. Director Jose Padilha
deserves credit for a handful of slick and hard hitting action
sequences, and the cast is rock solid, featuring a few noteworthy
performances from the veterans (Jackson, Haley, and Oldman).
Is RoboCop 2014 perfect? No. Ten years from now, will RoboCop 2014 join a
lengthy list of forgettable and harmless remakes? Yeah, there’s a good
chance that’s going to happen. Still, RoboCop 2014 could’ve been a lot
worse. I set the bar low for this one, but RoboCop 2014 earned a spot on
my list of pleasant surprises for 2014, so I‘ll go with a positive
score.
Rating: 5/10
Michael Jordan had another run with the Wizards after winning six
championships. Brett Favre was one step away from earning a second ring
with the Vikings.
As the world's definitive multi-talented superstar athlete, Trisha
Bunrastar is taking an unexpected and shocking leap into a new career
path. Assuming the identity of Freechelle Fantabulous, Trisha vows to
fight crime and battle evildoers as a superheroine. Will she conquer her
new mission? Find out more here! http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EFLI6VK
Or take a trip into
my special world of madness that includes comedy, horror, and the supernatural in this collection of short stories-
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EFMYZ0U
Remember Amazon offers free Kindle App downloads for various
platforms. Follow this link to find out more-
http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html?ie=UTF8&docId=1000493771
And don't forget to follow me on Twitter here- https://twitter.com/LQuigleyFan1
I'll do a more thorough compare and contrast review with the original and the remake in the future, because I'm planning on a review series for every RoboCop film. It's similar to my Night Of The Demons and Silent Night, Deadly night review series, if you're wondering. Let's get to it.
It’s 2028, and OmniCorp is on a mission to change the world. As the world’s largest supplier for robot soldiers and drones in the US military, OmniCorp launches a plan to use robots for crime fighting in the US, but strict laws prevent crime fighting robots in America. Senator Hubert Dreyfuss (Zach Grenier) dedicates his life to fighting OmniCorp, and their plans to use robots in the US. Senator Dreyfuss believes emotionless machines are untrustworthy in the field of battle, and the risk of a malfunctioning product will endanger the lives of innocent US citizens.
At OmniCorp’s headquarters in Detroit, OmniCorp CEO Raymond Sellars (Michael Keaton) devises a plan to fight Senator Dreyfuss, and erase the stigma for dangerous robots. Sellars is making money overseas in wars and occupied countries, but he’s missing out on a big payday with no crime fighting robots on US soil.
Sellars pushes his team to come up with a solution. Liz Kline (Jennifer Ehle) is the head of OmniCorp’s legal affairs, and Tom Pope (Jay Baruchel) controls marketing, but OminCorp’s top sceintist, Dr. Dennett Norton (Gary Oldman) doesn’t like the idea of crossing moral boundaries. Sellars plans to exploit a loophole in America’s robot laws (or the “Dreyfuss Act”)? Sellars wants to put a man inside a machine, but OmniCorp needs the right candidate, someone wholesome, a victimized hero for the people to rally behind and idolize. But Sellars and his team run into a serious of problems for the right candidate after a thorough search on a list of wounded soldiers and police officers.
Meanwhile, two Detroit detectives named Alex Murphy (Joel Kinnaman) and Jack Lewis (Michael K. Williams) form an undercover team to infiltrate Antoine Vallon‘s (Patrick Garrow), a ruthless crime boss, empire. But Jack is stuck in a hospital bed after a fierce shootout with Vallon’s thugs. Alex is motivated by revenge, but Chief Karen Dean (Marianne Jean-Baptiste) warns Alex about the consequences for pursuing Vallon without the proper evidence to convict Vallon.
One night, Alex leaves his house to shut off the alarm on his car, but Alex triggers an explosion from a bomb, when he opens the door. A disfigured Alex has one shot at survival: OmniCorp. During his coma, Alex’s wife, Clara (Abbie Cornish) signs an agreement for Alex’s once in a lifetime procedure with Dr. Dennett leading the way. Alex has trouble adjusting to his new as a half-man, half-machine crime fighter, but more money is the top priority for Sellars, and using Alex to change American public’s perception for robots. And Alex needs to sharpen his skills as an elite crime fighter, so he receives training from Rick Mattox (Jackie Earle Haley), OmniCorp‘s combat expert.
Pat Novak (Samuel L. Jackson) uses his show (The Novak Element) to push pro robot propaganda, and Novak is an important supporter for Sellars and his never ending mission to use robots in the US. Alex’s new life as a living, breathing crime fighting machine is full of obstacles. Alex is trying to balance his crime fighting duties, and his responsibilities as a father and a husband, and Alex honors his promise to Jack. During Alex’s search for a location on Vallon, Alex exposes corruption at the police station with a few tips from Detective Andre Daniels (K.C. Collins) and Detective John Lake (Daniel Kash), and Alex uncovers the truth behind OmniCorp’s plans for the future…….
Joel Kinnaman is solid in the leading role, and he deserves credit for a strong effort. The new look for RoboCop? Kinnaman sports a sleek look as a modernized version of RoboCop. He’s faster, and Kinnaman’s movements are more fluid. That’s a big difference, when you compare Kinnaman’s RoboCop to the clunky Robocop (i.e. Peter Weller and Robert John Burke) from the originals, but you have to expect some big changes for a modernized version.
Using black as a new color didn’t bother me at all, and you’ll see the original color, but vintage (using that word loosely) RoboCop‘s screen time is very limited. Also, don’t worry about the exposed human hand for Kinnaman. I’m mentioning the hand, because I vividly remember a lot of complaints for the human hand in various places on the internet. Trust me, you’ll barely notice the hand after a while, and it’s not a big deal.
Abbie Cornish is believable as the supportive wife. Jackie Earle Haley delivers an entertaining performance, as the tough and uncompromising trainer, and you’ll see a few funny moments during the little feud with Alex and Rick.
No real complaints about the veterans. Michael Keaton is a decent antagonist, as the greedy and two-faced corporate tycoon. Gary Oldman maintains a streak of reliable consistency with another quality performance, and Samuel L. Jackson is a nice fit for the Pat Novak character. Novak is this obnoxious loudmouth (“Why is America so Robo-phobic?!?!”), who will do and say anything to push the robot movement, and Jackson delivers another one of his classic tirades during the finale.
After a flashback from his bombing accident, Alex uses his new equipment to track down and kill Vallon and his men at Vallon’s secret hideout. But there’s something fishy about Vallon’s last stand. Vallon was ready and waiting for Alex, because someone warned him, so Alex returns to the police station for more answers.
Eventually, Andre and John reveal their secrets as dirty cops. They’re on Vallon’s payroll, and both men sabotaged Alex’s attempted murder case and Jack’s shooting to erase any suspicions for Vallon as the prime suspect. And Chief Dean joins the growing list of informants for Vallon, because she’s the one, who warned Vallon about Alex’s raid. Alex forced a confession out of Dean at gunpoint, but Rick pulled the plug at the last second with the shutdown (whenever Alex crosses any lines, OmniCorp uses a shutdown button to stop him) button for Alex to prevent Chief Dean’s certain death.
But it’s not ever yet. Alex fights OminCorp’s mind control, and Sellars jumps into damage control mode. Sellars orders Alex’s death, because Sellars fears the repercussions for the American public knowing the truth about OmniCorp. Sellars wants to kill Alex, and Sellars will use the legacy of a “dead hero” to push his propaganda for robot soldiers on US soil. But Alex escapes his execution with some help from Dr. Norton.
Sellars is holding Clara and David hostage on the roof at OmniCorp. Alex is a broken mess after taking one too many bullets from Sellars’ drones. To make matters worse, Alex struggles to fight Sellars and his mind control device. Long story short, Alex’s programming influences his decisions, and Sellars is wearing a bracelet that prevents any harm. Sellars is about to pull the trigger to kill Clara and David, but Alex’s love for his family overcomes the odds. Alex’s fights Sellars and the mind control device, and Alex shoots and kills Sellars on the roof.
The standoff on the roof? The sequence with Murphy fighting off the drones at OmnicCorp to save Clara and David features its fair share of thrills, but the standoff is predictable. You can see the happy ending with Alex fighting Sellars, and Alex’s reunion with his family coming from a mile away, but it’s a passable feel good moment.
Of course, the remake tries to explore the “Man VS Machine” dilemma, and the dangers of trusting an emotionless machine over a rational human being with feelings and reasoning. But the quandary never reaches thought-provoking levels, because the remake favors action and CGI, so the Man VS Machine stuff takes a backseat.
RoboCop is a harmless remake, but they stay in a safe zone here. You won’t see an effort to take any real risks, because RoboCop 2014 never reaches an embarrassingly awful low point. On the flip side of that, there’s no real attempt to create a different film with a bold vision. RoboCop 2014 is a safe and modernized version of the 1987 original, and the remake avoids a nomination for a spot in the Hall Of Shame for terrible remakes (i.e. A Nightmare On Elm Street 2010).
Die hard fans of the ‘87 original will nitpick and tear this one apart, but RoboCop 2014 is a decent action/sci-fi film. Director Jose Padilha deserves credit for a handful of slick and hard hitting action sequences, and the cast is rock solid, featuring a few noteworthy performances from the veterans (Jackson, Haley, and Oldman).
Is RoboCop 2014 perfect? No. Ten years from now, will RoboCop 2014 join a lengthy list of forgettable and harmless remakes? Yeah, there’s a good chance that’s going to happen. Still, RoboCop 2014 could’ve been a lot worse. I set the bar low for this one, but RoboCop 2014 earned a spot on my list of pleasant surprises for 2014, so I‘ll go with a positive score.
Rating: 5/10
Michael Jordan had another run with the Wizards after winning six
championships. Brett Favre was one step away from earning a second ring
with the Vikings.
As the world's definitive multi-talented superstar athlete, Trisha
Bunrastar is taking an unexpected and shocking leap into a new career
path. Assuming the identity of Freechelle Fantabulous, Trisha vows to
fight crime and battle evildoers as a superheroine. Will she conquer her
new mission? Find out more here! http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EFLI6VK
Or take a trip into
my special world of madness that includes comedy, horror, and the supernatural in this collection of short stories-
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EFMYZ0U
Remember Amazon offers free Kindle App downloads for various
platforms. Follow this link to find out more-
http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html?ie=UTF8&docId=1000493771
And don't forget to follow me on Twitter here- https://twitter.com/LQuigleyFan1
Early in the 19th century, Lord Emerson Blackwood (Garry McDonald) sets a trap for his maid one night. Blackwood, a reclusive man and painter, waits in the basement of his mansion in Providence County, Rhode Island, until the maid falls down the staircase, after stumbling over Blackwood’s trip wire. Blackwood uses a hammer and chisel to murder the maid by smashing out her teeth. With hopes of seeing his son again, Blackwood offers the maid’s teeth and some of his own teeth to small creatures, who live within the fireplace of Blackwood’s basement. But the creatures refuse to return Blackwood’s kidnapped son. Instead, the creatures pull Blackwood into the fireplace to take him as another prisoner.
Years later, Alex Hurst (Guy Pearce) and his new girlfriend, Kim (Katie Holmes) await the arrival of Alex’s young daughter, Sally Hurst (Bailee Madison) at the airport. With her parents divorced, Sally’s mother believes a change would help Sally, so Sally is sent to live with her father in Providence County. Sally, bitter and furious about having to move away from her mother, refuses to accept Kim as the new mother figure in her life. As Sally tries to adjust to her new life, Alex is more concerned with renovations on the new home: Lord Blackwood’s old mansion. Alex will do anything he can to impress Architectural Digest magazine, and a wealthy businessman named Mr. Jacoby (Alan Dale), but in the process, he ignores his daughter.
Desperate and lonely, Sally eventually finds the sealed basement, where Blackwood vanished. Here, she listens to the voices of the creatures, who trick her into becoming friends with them. Mr. Harris (Jack Thompson), an elderly worker, who’s helping with the repairs, has history with Blackwood Manor dating back to his grandfather, who also worked as a repairman on the mansion. Harris, knowing the dark history of the mansion, pleads with Alex to leave the basement alone, but Alex refuses, and breaks open the barricades blocking the entrance to the basement.
The creatures, still trapped in the sealed fireplace, use Sally’s desperation for companionship against her, and they convince Sally to open the fireplace and release them. The creatures stalk and torment Sally throughout the house, but Alex, believing his daughter is mentally ill, calls a psychiatrist to the house to evaluate Sally. The creatures leave a rare silver coin underneath Sally’s pillow, but in exchange for the coin, the creatures want Sally and her teeth. Kim believes in Sally’s fears, and after a wounded Mr. Harris (Harris was attacked by the creatures after trying to reseal the fireplace) instructs Kim to visit the local library for more information on Blackwood and the creatures, Kim urges Alex to leave the mansion. Discovering their only true weakness, Sally uses light to fight the creatures, and Sally is forced to rely on light and Kim to save her from an eternity of imprisonment in the dark depths of the fireplace.
Well, the most obvious change in the remake is Sally. She’s not a fully grown woman and a housewife. Sally is a small child, who’s lonely and struggling to adjust to her new life. For my money, Bailee Madison’s Sally is better than Kim Darby’s Sally. Sally comes off as this disrespectful brat at first, but Madison does a better job of showing the emotional heartache and desperation, as her pleas about the real existence of monsters are ignored. Adding the dynamic of the homesick and lonely child to the Sally character helps, but Madison still deserves all the credit for being able to pull it off. A few more layers are added to the Sally character, and Madison nailed each one. The disruptive brat, the lonely outcast, the fragile child, who’s begging for someone to understand her, and Sally uses her amateur drawings (including drawings of the creatures) to express herself. Madison was given a tougher challenge with 2011 Sally. She conquered that challenge, and that’s the main reason why she gets my pick for being better than Darby.
Of course, this film was released in 2011, so you have to expect CGI creatures. Others will complain, but I actually enjoy the CGI upgrades for the creatures. They have a more monstrous and intimidating look. Plus, I like the idea of giving the creatures a more thorough backstory. There’s a diabolical mystique surrounding the creatures, as ancient and sinister tooth fairies, who won’t take no for an answer.
You have to expect changes in any remake, but I give Don’t Be Afraid Of The Dark 2011 credit for adding some new changes and paying homage to the original. A few examples of the winks to the original include the creatures using a trip wire to catch Sally, but instead, someone else (Kim) gets caught in the trap. That’s reminiscent of the creatures trying the same thing with Sally in the original, but they caught Mr. Perez instead. And the final moments of the remake resemble the ‘73 original (“we have all the time in the world”), with the exception of Sally and Alex returning to the mansion.
Guillermo del Toro (Del Toro loved the original as a kid) is a producer for this film, and he helped with the screenplay. You can see del Toro’s touch throughout this film, because the remake is full of visual splendor, with Sally’s carousel night light being a noticeable standout. Although, the landscape in the remake lacks a lot of the eerie spookiness in the original.
Like the original, the remake takes the slow burn approach towards the build to the big finale. Problem is, if you’ve seen the original, you won’t be able to feel the suspense and shock factor of the creatures revealing their big plan for Sally (“WE WANT YOU!”). So when Kim goes to the library to do some research on Blackwood and the mansion, and she finds out the big secret behind what the creatures want, there‘s a good chance you‘ll (for people who saw the original) have a facepalm type of reaction, because you already know what’s coming before Kim goes to the library. Then again, the remake’s foreshadowing for the creature’s plans are very obvious, so feeling the void of the intended shock factor probably won‘t matter either way.
Overall, I enjoy Don’t Be Afraid Of The Dark as a modernized and polished remake of the ‘73 original. As I said before, you have to expect changes in a remake, and Don’t Be Afraid Of The Dark managed to mix in some new material, while paying homage to the original in an attempt to please fans (although some will bitch no matter what). Oh, and the ending with Kim being yanked into the fireplace is one of the most cringeworthy moments you’ll see in any horror film. The way her legs and ankles snap in half, when the creatures slam her against the fireplace door…ouch.
Rating: 7/10
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Living in Las Vegas, teenager Charley Brewster (Anton Yelchin) chooses to leave his nerdy life behind him, and he refuses to believe or listen to “Evil” Ed Lee’s (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) accusations about Charley’s new next door neighbor being a vampire. Charley is more concerned with pleasing and paying attention to his new friends and girlfriend, Amy (Imogen Poots), so he kicked Ed, his best childhood friend, to the curb. And Ed using the mysterious disappearance of Adam (Will Denton), the third member of the childhood trio of friends, as motivation isn’t enough to persuade Charley.
One night, Jane (Toni Collette), Charley’s mother, introduces Charley and Amy to Jerry (Colin Farrell), the new next door neighbor. Jerry works night construction, and after meeting Jerry face to face, Charley doesn’t notice anything suspicious, so he leaves Ed to solve the vampire mystery by himself. But after Charley leaves Ed alone at night, Jerry stalks Ed, and eventually, Jerry reveals himself as a vampire. Jerry turns Ed, and Charley is uneasy about Ed’s random disappearance. Looking for more answers, Charley goes to Ed’s house, and on Ed’s computer, Charley finds video proof of Jerry being a vampire, because Jerry doesn’t show up on Ed’s recordings.
Fearing for his life, and the safety of his mother and Amy, Charley takes the necessary precautions (carving out wooden stakes, gathering crosses, etc.) for any plans from Jerry. After escaping an attack that leaves Charley’s mother hospitalized, Charley realizes he must deal with Jerry head on. With no else to turn to, Charley visits Peter Vincent (David Tennant), a famed magician and the host of a Vegas stage show called Fright Night. Vincent flat out refuses to help Charley, after he recognizes the symbol from an ancient vampire crest in one of Charley’s pictures. But after some goading, Vincent joins forces with Charley to destroy Jerry, and rescue a kidnapped Amy during a morning stand off.
Chris Sarandon was more of a Cassonva, but Farrell’s Jerry is a cold-hearted dick. Farrell shows flashes of the witty charm we all saw in Sarandon’s Jerry, but Farrell is more menacing, vicious, and cruel. Remember how Jerry turned Amy in the original? Jerry turned Amy in the original, because he saw an opportunity to have a second chance with a woman from his past, and Amy resembled a painting of this woman. But Farrell’s Jerry just turned Amy 2011 to piss Charley off. She was just bait to lure Charley to his death, and Farrell’s Jerry wanted to stick the knife in deeper, by giving Amy a bloody kiss in front of him. Plus, unlike Sarandon’s Jerry, Farrell isn’t dressed up like he’s going to a five star restaurant or an opera concert. No, Farrell’s Jerry has a more casual wardrobe more often than not. Sarandon is still the better Jerry, but Farrell has nothing to be ashamed of, because he provides a confident and smooth performance as Jerry in the remake.
When I first watched Fright Night 2011 in theaters, it kind of pissed me off how they turned Charley into this pseudo hipster, who went out of his way to fit in with the cool kids at high school. But to be fair, after Ed turns into a vampire, Yelchin’s Charley becomes William Ragsdale’s Charley. You know, the nervous wreck, who can’t get anyone to believe in his claims of a vampire living next door to him. Yelchin is solid as the new Charley, and I’m glad they QUICKLY turned the corner with the direction of his character, because it would’ve been annoying as hell to watch, and damn near impossible to root for a hipster brat version of Charley. As far as Charley’s mother goes, Toni Collette’s role as Jane is similar to the role of Charley’s mother in the original: she’s limited to sporadic appearances, and her character doesn’t receive a significant amount of screen time. And Collette fades out of the story, when Jane is hospitalized.
No real complaints about Imogen Poots’ Amy. Amanda Bearse’s Amy had a more humble look, and she was a humble character, who had a few feisty moments every now and then. But Poots is made out to be the hottest girl in school, so that’s a big change character wise. But Mintz-Plasse’s Ed? Ugh. Stephen Geoffreys was actually funny, as the outcast nerd. Plasse on the other hand, is just annoying and unbearable. It’s hard to feel sympathy for Ed, when Charley treats him like the deformed abomination, who would bring shame on you, if you went out in public with it, because Plasse comes off as an unsympathetic nerd. You WOULDN’T feel bad, if someone else was bullying Ed 2011 in real life. Yeah, he’s that annoying.
David Tennant’s Peter Vincent has a bigger ego than Roddy McDowall’s Peter Vincent. He’s a self-absorbed egomaniac, and like McDowall’s Peter Vincnet, Tennant is a coward for the majority of the movie, until he finds his courage for the final showdown at the end. Tennant is hilarious, his character never reaches a too unlikeable point, and coming to Charley’s aid at the end is a great moment of redemption. Oh, and Peter has a girlfriend in the remake. Sandra Vergara portrays Ginger, but her cookie-cutter character never rises above average standards, as a fiery, and bitchy Latin woman.
You’ll always have the complaints from die hard fans of the originals, but it’s impossible to avoid modernization for remakes. In Fright Night 2011, Peter Vincent is the host of a Vegas stage show at a Hard Rock hotel, and he lives on the top floor in a lavish penthouse. A big contrast from Roddy McDowall’s Peter Vincent hosting a Hammer style horror show in the original, and Roddy’s Peter living in a normal apartment. Another noticeable change is, mirrors aren’t used to detect the reflectionless blood-suckers. Jerry is caught, because he doesn’t show up on Ed’s video camera, and of course, Jerry doesn’t appear on the security monitors at the hotel. During the final battle, Charley arms himself with a crossbow, and Peter gives Charley a special metal stake, specifically designed to kill Jerry’s breed of vampire, and turn his victims back to normal. Peter also brings some heavy artillery, using a cannon/gun to fight off Jerry’s minions. Plus, using Peter’s advice, Charley uses fire in the battle with Jerry. In the original, Charley and Jerry relied on crosses and sunlight to kill Jerry. And Peter actually has some history with Jerry in this film, because Jerry is the vampire, who murdered Peter’s parents as a child. Oh, and Farrell isn’t Jerry Dandridge in the remake. He’s just Jerry, no last name.
Fans of the original should be able to pick out a few winks here. During the beginning, Plasse’s Ed tells Charley “You’re so cool Brewster” during an argument. Evil Ed in the original poked fun at Charley with this line, and it’s the closing line of dialogue in the original. As Jerry transforms into his more beastly vampire form in front of Peter at the end, he says “welcome to Fright Night….for real.” Sarandon said this exact line in the original to Roddy’s Peter, but Sarandon was more sarcastic. Farrell on the other hand was more sinister. And it’s brief, but Chris Sarandon has a cameo as a motorist here. Sarandon suffers a gruesome demise at the hands of Farrell’s Jerry, but witnessing the two Jerry’s come face to face was a cool moment for me.
Of course, Fright Night 2011 is A LOT more bloody, nasty, gory, and disgusting than the original. But the deaths, attacks, and gory scenes have a stylish flare, and you can tell director Craig Gillespie put some effort into the demises in Fright Night, because the deaths aren’t limited to a barrage of dead bodies piling on top of one another, and senseless scenes of flesh tearing violence. Fright Night 2011 is a satisfying remake, with some necessary updates, an enjoyable cast (minus Plasse), and the nostalgia winks should please fans of the original.
In 1974, a mob in Newt, Texas corners the Sawyer family at their house. Led by Mayor Burt Hartman (Paul Rae), a mob of townspeople demand blood for the crimes of Jed Sawyer (or “Leatherface“). Sheriff Hooper (Thom Berry) tries to make a deal with the Sawyer family, that would secure Jed’s peaceful surrender. But Burt orders his mob to burn down the Sawyer house, killing most of the Sawyer family. Jed’s chainsaw is found in the charred rubble, but the mob can’t find Jed’s body.
The mob takes Jed’s chainsaw as a trophy prize to hang in the local tavern, but Gavin Miller (one of the townspeople) finds two members of the Sawyer family scared and by themselves. Loretta Sawyer (Dodie Brown) cradles her infant daughter, Edith, but Gavin murders Loretta, and he takes the baby for his infertile wife, Arlene. Edith’s name is changed to Heather, and the Miller’s raise her as their child.
Years later, Heather (Alexandra Daddario) is a grown woman, and she receives a letter about her grandmother's passing. In her will, Verna Carson (Heather’s grandmother) gives Heather a luxurious mansion in Newt, Texas, and Heather learns the truth about her “adoption” from the Millers. Heather decides to visit the mansion with her boyfriend, Ryan (Trey Songz), her best friend Nikki (Tania Raymonds), her boyfriend, Kenny (Keram Malicki-Sanchez), and in an exchange for a dropped lawsuit, the friends pick up a hitchhiker named Darryl (Shaun Sipos).
Upon arrival in Newt, Texas, Heather receives Verna’s final letter and the keys to the mansion from the Sawyer family’s lawyer, Farnsworth (Richard Riehle). Heather tries to grasp the sight the Sawyer family cemetery in the front yard, but she’ll have to deal with a bigger problem. Behind a secret door, Jed Sawyer (Dan Yeager) is living in the dank cellars beneath the mansion. Sheriff Hooper tries to derail the sinister plans of a bitter Mayor Hartman, as Jed embarks on another killing spree.
First of all, Texas Chainsaw 3D IS a remake. It’s not the only and first direct sequel to Tob Hooper’s 1974 classic. Tob Hooper directed The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2, and here’s a DVD cover to prove it.
Sorry, but I just had to mention this. Texas Chainsaw 3D tries to ignore its predecessor with the “direct sequel” stuff, but you can’t just omit the existence of a film like it never happened. I have the same feelings about The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo 2011. They marketed the 2011 film as a direct adaptation of the novel, ignoring the 2009 Swedish film.
Anyway, Alexandra Daddario delivers the best performance in this film, easily. Raymonds is just eye candy, and director John Luessenhop is obsessed with constant close-up shots of her ass. Trey Songz is just there, and Malicki-Sanchez doesn’t last long. Rae is a believable loud-mouthed and rambunctious redneck, and Thom Berry is decent enough as Sheriff Hooper.
Now on to Leatherface. Jed has his moments as an intimidating chainsaw wielding maniac. His cross-dressing habit is bizarre (for obvious reasons), but Jed is still a ruthless and cold-hearted killer looking for revenge. Thomas Hewitt (Leatherface in the 2003 remake and The Beginning) is still my pick for the most intimidating Leatherface. Andrew Bryniarski (Hewitt) embodied the presence of an unstoppable killing machine, but Dan Yeager provides some hope for future installments in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre franchise. Plus, Yeager probably did some research (i.e. watching other Massacre films) for his character, because he really nailed Leatherface’s clunky style of running.
The 3D effects were impressive, Texas Chainsaw 3D is loaded with bloody and gruesome gore, and I enjoyed John Luessenhop’s usage of footage from the 1974 original. Luessenhop shows actual footage from the 1974 original during the intro, and then he makes the transition to the present setting of Texas Chainsaw 3D. Clever trick, and I appreciated the extra effort.
And they just had to throw in this stupid “search the house” scene towards the end. One of Sheriff Hooper’s deputies is searching the Sawyer mansion. He’s armed with one gun, a flashlight, and he uses his cell phone as live look-in camera for Sheriff Hooper and Mayor Hartman. The deputy is walking though the mansion ALONE, and he follows a long trail of blood to Leatherface’s cellar. He discovers Leatherface’s den of body parts and blood, BUT he never takes the numerous chances to safely leave the mansion, and of course Leatherface murders him in cold-blood, and he decides to use his face as a new mask. Ugh.
The slasher blueprint for Texas Chainsaw 3D is very predictable, but Heather’s SHOCKING decision at the end is a different story. So after narrowly escaping Leatherface’s attack at the town carnival, Heather is sitting in the Newt police station for protection, and Sheriff Hooper leaves a box of evidence from the Sawyer family murders on the table. Heather learns the truth about the Sawyer massacre, and the townspeople’s assault on her family. Oh, and Leatherface is her cousin.
Heather sneaks out of the police station, but she’s picked up by Deputy Carl. Throughout the film, Heather forms a friendly relationship with Carl…..until Carl reveals himself as Burt’s son. Carl isn’t trying to help Heather. He’s kidnapping her, and Carl is taking Heather to the local slaughterhouse. In an attempt to destroy the Sawyer bloodline once and for all, Burt plans on torturing and murdering Heather, and when he shows up, Burt will finish off Leatherface. Heather is tied-up and helpless, but Jed uses his chainsaw to free Heather. And as Sheriff Hooper gives the green light, Jed murders Burt.
Heather finally reads her grandmother’s last letter, and she learns about the strings attached to her new mansion: Heather must take care of Leatherface, and keep him hidden from the outside world.
Of course, a handful of horror aficionados are creaming themselves over Leatherface’s anti-hero status in this film. I’ll give Texas Chainsaw 3D some credit for this bold move. It was an unexpected twist, and I laughed myself into tears, when Heather shouted “do your thing cuz!” as she gave him the chainsaw in the slaughterhouse. But where are they’re going to go now? The Heather character fully embraced her Sawyer heritage towards the end, and she agreed to take care of her cousin Jed, but can Heather really trust Jed? What’s going to stop him from losing his cool, and slicing Heather in half with his chainsaw? Plus, Heather keeping Leatherface a secret is easier said than done. The people of Newt are aware of his presence, and there’s only ONE place, where he could hide from the world. Is Heather capable of fighting off an entire town to protect her cousin? I doubt it.
Storyline wise, the anti-hero twist could be a disastrous hurdle for the future, but after thinking it over, I’ve settled into the “let’s see where it goes” mind set.
Texas Chainsaw 3D is trash, but it’s fun trash. You’ll see plenty of “don’t go in there!” or “don’t do that!” moments in this film, and the cheesy one-liners (“WELCOME TO TEXAS MOTHERFUCKER!”) might bring a few cheap laughs out of you. Horror fans, who love gruesome gore and sickening deaths should enjoy this, and Texas Chainsaw 3D is my first guilty pleasure of 2013. Also, Gunner Hansen (the original Leatherface) has a cameo in this film, but I didn’t notice him.
It’s Christmas Eve, and a murderous Santa Claus is determined to punish everyone on his naughty list. A small town’s annual Christmas Eve parade is a joyous and peaceful tradition, but two local cops must stop Santa’s bloody rampage. Sheriff James Cooper (Malcolm McDowell) and his nervous Deputy, Aubrey (Jamie King) are the last line of defense. Will they be able to save what’s left of Christmas? Or will Santa eliminate each target on his hit list?
Jamie King. She easily delivers the best performance in this film. On the acting side of things, King really carries this film on her back, because Malcolm McDowell’s performance is just atrocious. And yes, McDowell’s performance is a problem, because he receives a significant amount of screen time. McDowell just phones it in here, and to make things worse, his character is an annoying asshole.
Now let’s talk about Santa. He’s a raging lunatic, and more importantly, Santa has an intimidating presence in the remake. Robert Brian Wilson (the Santa in the original) wasn’t intimidating or scary. In fact, he was kind of goofy at times. But 2012 Santa is a cold-blooded killer, and the dark eyes on the mask really pull everything together.
Plus, Santa has a larger arsenal of weapons this time around. You can see the flamethrower on the box cover, and Santa also uses a stun gun and a poker. And of course, for the sake of nostalgia, Santa will break out the axe every now and then.
The Silent Night remake is more serious than the original. The 1984 original was very campy and cheesy, but Silent Night 2012 is darker. But the fan base for Silent Night, Deadly Night constantly over hypes that film. Let’s be honest, Silent Night, Deadly Night isn’t remembered for being a quality film. The controversy surrounding the 1984 release caused the uproar. Remember, watching Santa murder people crossed too many lines in 1984, and Silent Night, Deadly Night was pulled from theaters. Angry mothers protested, and the critics went out of their way to condemn it. So in the end, the original is remembered for creating unreal amounts of controversy, because quality wise, it’s an average film at best. Hell, take away the Christmas theme, and it’s just another cheesy and over the top slasher from the 80’s.
All in all, Silent Night is a respectable remake, but it’s not good enough to stand out amongst other modern-day slasher flicks, that feature tons of blood and nudity. I enjoyed this film, but horror remakes based on campy 80’s originals share this annoying trend. For some strange reason, the filmmakers try so hard to make a more serious movie. If we distance ourselves from the campy stuff in the original, we’ll make a better film. This seems to be the thought process. But if you’re going to fall into the bin with so many other predictable and ordinary modern-day slashers, then what’s the point of changing?
So yeah, if you’re into Christmas horror, and a psychopathic Santa Claus murderer, then Silent Night is worth watching. There’s a nice cliffhanger at the end, and the cliffhanger sets up a sequel. I would give another set of Silent Night films a chance, but nothing is guaranteed so far. But if it does happen, Jamie King NEEDS to come back. Fuck Malcolm McDowell.
