Knight at HOME at the Movies
 | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  |
Scary Stuff
Four good ways to scare yourself silly in this edition of DVD Recommendations.
Four good ways to scare yourself silly in this edition of DVD Recommendations.
Cloverfield – From Paramount. This ingenious movie supposedly shot by its cast of 20-
something New Yorkers as some nameless monster attacks Manhattan (ala The Blair Witch
Project) has been one of my favorite movie watching experiences this year. There's still
nothing like seeing a film with an unsuspecting audience and thanks to Paramount's total
blackout on the internet before the movie opened, this ranks right up there among my
most memorable (Signs, Silence of the Lambs, and Aliens have been three others). The
film has a very simple premise and wants nothing more than to scare you (and it will if
you let it). For those that haven't seen it I advise you to watch the film first then delve
into the disc's special features - a pretty intensive making of featurette (it's particularly
fun to see the party sequence without the noise and music that was added in later and
also the detailed and creative ways the effects team visually created Manhattan in the
midst of a riotous meltdown - this they really pulled off). There is also a gag reel and two
different endings - one that is extremely tantalizing (you'll know which one and it
promises a sequel). This was a really great film in the theatre and another at home (we
watched, naturally, with the lights off, and a houseful of guests screamed and squealed
throughout - delightful!).
The Orphanage – From New Line Home Video. This is another great movie to watch
with a group of friends albeit of a very different nature. I'm a huge fan of great ghost
story films like The Haunting (the original of course), The Others, and Ghost Story and this
terrific Spanish film "presented" by Pan's Labyrinth writer-director Guillermo Del Toro is
another. The story follows Laura and her husband whose adopted son Tomas has the
AIDS virus. The young couple are remodeling the large Victorian house located on the
seacoast, once the site of an orphanage where Laura grew up. Tomas' imaginary
playmates like nothing better than playing games with Tomas and Laura joins in but are
the playmates really imaginary or ghosts trying to reveal a dark secret hidden within the
orphanage's walls? This creepy, enthralling thriller works on many levels, is also
emotionally very involving and is much more about suspense than gore. My screening
group picked it over a lot of other contenders as word of mouth has been justifiably
terrific. The special features on the disc (again, watch them AFTER you've seen the movie
as they have unintentional spoilers) include several making of featurettes and director J.
A. Bayona in rehearsal with the cast. There are about an hour's worth of vignettes in all.
The film is in Spanish with subtitles.
The Cottage – From Sony Pictures. Okay, okay, I know some of you LOVE your gore
porn. It's not for me but somehow, when it's mixed with dark comedy as in Shaun of the
Dead and especially Hot Fuzz, it becomes a bit more tolerable. For those who love a bit of
a scare mixed with their black comedy, then this little thriller about a kidnapping gone
really wrong is just your ticket. Andy Serkis (Gollum in the Lord of the Ring series) heads a
group of really inept kidnappers who have the bad fortune of taking a really foul
mouthed, tough (but sexy) young lady as their prisoner. She just happens to be the
daughter of a mob big shot who doesn't hesitate to send his murderous thugs to follow
the kidnappers to their hideout, the cottage of the title. What none of them know, of
course, is that a serial killer who would make Leatherface from Texas Chainsaw Massacre
proud, is lurking nearby and once these bickering criminals wander by mistake into his
lair...well get ready to close your eyes if you're gore pornaphobic (like myself) or relish
the gross out effects to come. This is an offbeat little indie that has, by turns, some fun
and creepy twists. There are deleted scenes, a lot of trailers, a storyboard gallery, and a
few other special features. Tech heads will be happy to note that a copy for the home
computer or player of choice is included with the disc.
Dark Shadows: The Beginning Vol. 4 – From MPI Home Video. The legendary
Gothic, vampire, witches, warlocks, and werewolf series has a rabid following not unlike
that for "Star Trek." Ironically, both shows appeared around the same time and both are
still going strong. True, "Star Trek" has the decided edge with all its spin-offs and feature
films but now, with Johnny Depp ready to take on the role of vampire Barnabas Collins in
a big screen remake and the eventual release of the original "Dark Shadows" movies
(there were two) on DVD, fans of the show have plenty to anticipate. In the meantime, we
can thank MPI for continuing to release the pre-Barnabas episodes. This set, 35
episodes spread out over 4-discs, finds the series decidedly moving from a spooky Gothic
soap opera into supernatural territory (it was an attempt to save the show which was
sagging in the ratings - Barnabas the vampire would be the final effort to keep the show
on the air. That worked. That turned it into a hit). At any rate, this set finds the show
following the odd storyline of the Phoenix, a fan favorite. Roger Collins' estranged wife,
Laura returns to Collinwood demanding to have a relationship with their son David. But
little David has been having bad dreams of his mother in flames. Little does he know
that she's a sort of energy vampire who needs him to help her be reborn ala the Phoenix
or she really will burn up. That's the main plot line of these episodes, though, of course,
there are several other strands - all leading up to the arrival of Barnabas. The set
includes three new interviews with cast and crew members reminiscing. As always, these
are great, atmospheric fun.
something New Yorkers as some nameless monster attacks Manhattan (ala The Blair Witch
Project) has been one of my favorite movie watching experiences this year. There's still
nothing like seeing a film with an unsuspecting audience and thanks to Paramount's total
blackout on the internet before the movie opened, this ranks right up there among my
most memorable (Signs, Silence of the Lambs, and Aliens have been three others). The
film has a very simple premise and wants nothing more than to scare you (and it will if
you let it). For those that haven't seen it I advise you to watch the film first then delve
into the disc's special features - a pretty intensive making of featurette (it's particularly
fun to see the party sequence without the noise and music that was added in later and
also the detailed and creative ways the effects team visually created Manhattan in the
midst of a riotous meltdown - this they really pulled off). There is also a gag reel and two
different endings - one that is extremely tantalizing (you'll know which one and it
promises a sequel). This was a really great film in the theatre and another at home (we
watched, naturally, with the lights off, and a houseful of guests screamed and squealed
throughout - delightful!).
The Orphanage – From New Line Home Video. This is another great movie to watch
with a group of friends albeit of a very different nature. I'm a huge fan of great ghost
story films like The Haunting (the original of course), The Others, and Ghost Story and this
terrific Spanish film "presented" by Pan's Labyrinth writer-director Guillermo Del Toro is
another. The story follows Laura and her husband whose adopted son Tomas has the
AIDS virus. The young couple are remodeling the large Victorian house located on the
seacoast, once the site of an orphanage where Laura grew up. Tomas' imaginary
playmates like nothing better than playing games with Tomas and Laura joins in but are
the playmates really imaginary or ghosts trying to reveal a dark secret hidden within the
orphanage's walls? This creepy, enthralling thriller works on many levels, is also
emotionally very involving and is much more about suspense than gore. My screening
group picked it over a lot of other contenders as word of mouth has been justifiably
terrific. The special features on the disc (again, watch them AFTER you've seen the movie
as they have unintentional spoilers) include several making of featurettes and director J.
A. Bayona in rehearsal with the cast. There are about an hour's worth of vignettes in all.
The film is in Spanish with subtitles.
The Cottage – From Sony Pictures. Okay, okay, I know some of you LOVE your gore
porn. It's not for me but somehow, when it's mixed with dark comedy as in Shaun of the
Dead and especially Hot Fuzz, it becomes a bit more tolerable. For those who love a bit of
a scare mixed with their black comedy, then this little thriller about a kidnapping gone
really wrong is just your ticket. Andy Serkis (Gollum in the Lord of the Ring series) heads a
group of really inept kidnappers who have the bad fortune of taking a really foul
mouthed, tough (but sexy) young lady as their prisoner. She just happens to be the
daughter of a mob big shot who doesn't hesitate to send his murderous thugs to follow
the kidnappers to their hideout, the cottage of the title. What none of them know, of
course, is that a serial killer who would make Leatherface from Texas Chainsaw Massacre
proud, is lurking nearby and once these bickering criminals wander by mistake into his
lair...well get ready to close your eyes if you're gore pornaphobic (like myself) or relish
the gross out effects to come. This is an offbeat little indie that has, by turns, some fun
and creepy twists. There are deleted scenes, a lot of trailers, a storyboard gallery, and a
few other special features. Tech heads will be happy to note that a copy for the home
computer or player of choice is included with the disc.
Dark Shadows: The Beginning Vol. 4 – From MPI Home Video. The legendary
Gothic, vampire, witches, warlocks, and werewolf series has a rabid following not unlike
that for "Star Trek." Ironically, both shows appeared around the same time and both are
still going strong. True, "Star Trek" has the decided edge with all its spin-offs and feature
films but now, with Johnny Depp ready to take on the role of vampire Barnabas Collins in
a big screen remake and the eventual release of the original "Dark Shadows" movies
(there were two) on DVD, fans of the show have plenty to anticipate. In the meantime, we
can thank MPI for continuing to release the pre-Barnabas episodes. This set, 35
episodes spread out over 4-discs, finds the series decidedly moving from a spooky Gothic
soap opera into supernatural territory (it was an attempt to save the show which was
sagging in the ratings - Barnabas the vampire would be the final effort to keep the show
on the air. That worked. That turned it into a hit). At any rate, this set finds the show
following the odd storyline of the Phoenix, a fan favorite. Roger Collins' estranged wife,
Laura returns to Collinwood demanding to have a relationship with their son David. But
little David has been having bad dreams of his mother in flames. Little does he know
that she's a sort of energy vampire who needs him to help her be reborn ala the Phoenix
or she really will burn up. That's the main plot line of these episodes, though, of course,
there are several other strands - all leading up to the arrival of Barnabas. The set
includes three new interviews with cast and crew members reminiscing. As always, these
are great, atmospheric fun.
