Don’t Breathe Review (2016) [NC16]

Disclaimer: This movie is rated NC16 for terror, violence, disturbing content, and language including sexual references.

If you are tired of all those horror movies that involved supernatural beings, you may want to consider watching this movie “Don’t Breathe”, involving just three teenagers and a blind old man. You might be thinking, what’s so scary about an old man, and even worse, with vision impairment? Well… for a start, this old man was a well build old man and what he did to these three teenagers was ruthless and unimaginable. Carry on reading this movie review to find out more.

Storyline

Rocky (Jane Levy), Alex (Dylan Minnette) and Money (Daniel Zovatto) were three burglars who target houses of wealthy people. One day, Money told Rocky and Alex about a blind veteran who possessed a huge amount of cash, following the death of his only child. Thinking that he would be an easy target for the three of them, the trio began to invade his house which was situated in an abandoned neighborhood. Little did they know, they found themselves trapped in his house and the old man began his hunt for the three teenagers with his exceptional sense of hearing. As the intruders made their escape, they made a shocking discovery. In the end, will they be able to escape the house of terror and what was the discovery that they have made? Watch the movie and you will find out.

Overall, this horror thriller movie provided me a new perspective of horror movies and showed me that one should not underestimate people with disabilities. The old man might be blind but he was still capable of taking down anyone with his bare hands. In the process of protecting his prized possession, I think that the old man was affectionate but disturbing to a certain extent. The discovery proved to be a major plot twist which definitely caught me off guard.

Character Development

Among the three burglars, the movie focused more on Rocky’s development. Like her name, Rocky had an unstable family and a rocky relationship with Money. As the story developed, you could understand why she became a burglar and her reason for targetting the old man’s prized possession. As for the other two burglars, they were more of a supporting cast whom I would say Alex played a much important role in Rocky’s survival as compared to her boyfriend, Money. In fact, without Alex’s assistance, Rocky would have long been the old man’s next victim and the movie would have ended pretty soon. At one point in the movie, Rocky managed to escape the house but was later brought back by the old man for some unfinished business. As it was an abandoned neighborhood, she could not request any form of assistance from the outside. I could feel the intensity rising as she ran away desperately while being chased by the old man and his dog. What followed after her capture was disgusting as she was being tortured by the old man psychologically while being tied up, feeling helpless. Even though Rocky was at fault for attempting to steal the old man’s possession, I could not help but sympathize with Rocky during the capture as I felt that she did not deserve this form of punishment/torture.

As for the blind old man, I was surprised by his swift movement and flawless combat skills despite his age. However, his biggest weakness is his blindness which provided the burglars with several key opportunities. He created a huge tension whenever he appeared near the burglars. I also held my breath several times whenever he appeared, as if I was there with Rocky. All of these elements made me feel like I am watching a walkthrough of this Indie horror game, entitled “Granny”. For those who did not play or heard of this Indie game, Granny features an unnamed protagonist trapped in a house, needing to solve puzzles while avoiding a “Granny” to get out of the house in a time period of only five days. This game is available on Android, iOS, Microsoft, and PC. Comment down below whether you feel this game resembles anything similar to the movie.

Memorable scene

My personal memorable scene would have to be the chasing scene in the basement where the old man switched off the lights to create an equal playing field between the old man and the burglars. As the lights went out, the burglars began to panic but at the same time, they had to remain silent to avoid getting recognized by the old man. This created a very high-intensity atmosphere for me as the old man played a typical cat-and-mouse game with the burglars down in the basement with only one exit. As the old man managed to catch one of the burglars, I was clenching my teeth, hoping the other burglar will come and rescue. This scene definitely left a deeper impression on me as compared to the rest of the memorable scenes, such as the fighting scene between the old man and Alex.

Movie Rating: 8/10 (Introduce a new perspective of the horror movie with certain disturbing scenes which could have been edited out.)

Movie Duration: 1 Hour 28 mins

#DontBreathe

Train to Busan Review (2016) [NC16]

Disclaimer: This movie is rated NC16 for its violence and gore contents.

Are you a fan of The Walking Dead or any kind of zombie apocalypse movies? If you are, “Train to Busan” is a movie that you will definitely enjoy.

Storyline

Seok Woo (Gong Yoo) was a fund manager in Seoul. He was separated from his wife and lived with his daughter Su An (Kim Soo-Ahn). Due to his busy schedule, Seok Woo doesn’t spend much time with his daughter or show affection to her. On the night before Su An’s birthday, Su An insisted on seeing her mother for her birthday. Seok Woo had no other choice, but to take her to Busan, which later proved to be the best decision that he had made.

The next morning, they boarded the KTX train for Busan. As the train was about to depart Seoul station, a Zombie-like girl jumped onto the train. Apparently, the girl was infected with a horrific virus that was spreading like wildfire through a single bite. Slowly, the passengers and crew began to get infected and turned into zombies. Seok Woo, Su An and the other passengers on the KTX train must now fight for their lives to survive this zombie apocalypse. In the end, did they managed to survive or will they end up the same fate as the Zombies?

Unlike the other zombie-related movies that I have watched (e.g. World War Z and I am Legend), the main characters are trapped in the train along with the zombies. Hence, the level of intensity and anxiety of the characters is higher as compared to the other zombie-related movies, with no way to escape but fight their way through each cabin. The choice of selecting the train as the setting is also fantastic as it means support will not be available until the next station. As a frequent train commuter, I could imagine myself in their position and feel the anxiety as I think of ways to survive the zombie apocalypse. Overall, it was a creative storyline that not only effectively sends chills down my spine, but also heartwarming that could bring tears to some viewers’ face.

Character Development

There were two distinct groups of characters in this movie: the humans and the zombies. Let’s talk about the human characters. Each character represents a different age group, from young Su An to old Jong Gil (Park Myung-sin), addressing important topics such as family, selfishness, and sacrifice. Viewers of all ages can relate very well to each of these characters.

As the main character of the movie, you could see how Seok Woo underwent changes from an irresponsible father to a father who took up the responsibility of protecting his daughter and saving the rest of the surviving commuters. Gong Yoo’s amazing performance as Seok Woo was a reflection of a great father that all fathers can relate to. Seok Woo may appear cold towards Su An, but when encountering danger, he was ready to make the sacrifice in order to protect his daughter. If I had to present an MVP award to the human characters, it would definitely be Sang Hwa (Ma Dong Seok). He provided huge support for Seok Woo as they fought through the crowd of zombies in one of the cabins. I feel it would have been a short movie without him. Other than providing physical support, Sang Hwa also provided emotional support to his wife, Sung Gyeong (Jung Yu-Mi) and the rest of the team as each member turned into a zombie.

Speaking about the zombies, the zombies were definitely very aggressive and relentless which brought about a high level of intensity to this movie. My heart skipped a beat whenever the train door cabin opened and a swarm of zombies rushed in to bite any human insight. I could not sit still and be clenching my teeth throughout the movie, which just shows how intense the movie was. Overall, it was a fantastic performance by both groups, the humans and the zombies.

Special Effects

While the special effects are kept to minimal to create a more realistic look for the movie, some scenes such as the swarm of zombies running towards the moving train and the zombies gushing out of the train station windows increase the level of intensity and pace of the movie and made the escape for the humans even more difficult. The makeup team also deserved some credits for making the zombies not only terrifying but also realistic.

Memorable scene

The most memorable scene for me and also I believe for most of the viewers would definitely be the final few scenes where Seok Woo sacrificed himself to protect his daughter, Su An. It was the most heartbreaking moment and a major plot twist as I didn’t wish the movie would end it that way. As Seok Woo said his final farewell to Su An, I could feel tears flowing down my cheeks as I felt that after all Seok Woo been through in order to protect his daughter, he couldn’t stay with his daughter until the end.

Movie Rating: 9/10 (Creative storyline but with a sad ending which I hoped for a happier ending after all the main characters had been through.)

Movie Duration: 1 hour 58 Mins

#Traintobusan

#Koreanhorror

 

The Conjuring 2 Review (2016) [R]

Disclaimer: This movie is rated R for its sequences of disturbing violence and terror.

If you have not read the first Conjuring movie, click here to view it before reading this movie sequel review, entitled “The Conjuring 2”.

For those who have watched the first “The Conjuring” movie or viewed the movie review, the Warrens (Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson) are back once again for the second time as they handled a new case and a new evil spirit.

Storyline

6 years after the encounter with Bathsheba, The Warrens arrived in Enfield, where they met a single mother, named Peggy Hodgson (Frances O’Connor) along with her four children. The Warrens were called in to investigate the case as the second-oldest of four children, Janet Hodgson (Madison Wolfe) began to show signs of demonic possession, from sleepwalking to acting wickedly like an old man. After the initial investigation, it was believed that Janet was possessed by a spirit that was the previous deceased owner of the house, named Bill Wilkins (Bob Adrian). As the Warrens continued their investigation, Loraine Warren had a vision of her husband’s death, which she warned Ed Warren about it. Apparently, they were investigating another paranormal case prior to this incident which caused Loraine Warren to experience such vision. In another instance, she had a vision of a demonic nun. This malicious spirit was later involved in Janet’s case which complicated the entire case.

How will Janet turn out in the end? Will the Hodgson family be able to survive the haunting just like the Perrons back in the first movie and how is the demonic nun involved in this case? All these questions will be answered when you watched the movie.

In general, this movie has definitely continued to amaze me just like the first Conjuring movie with its fantastic storyline and progressive build-up of the events. Similar to the first Conjuring movie, James Wan made use of the concept of the real-life story to create the setting and environment of the movie. However, this time around, the Annabelle doll was not featured to enhance the horror in this movie. It was a great move by James Wan to remove the Annabelle doll from this movie as I feel the demonic nun was enough to terrify the viewers, or for me at least.

Character Development

I could understand that introducing a new evil spirit is difficult, especially when it is compared with Annabelle and Bathsheba, which have done a fantastic job in scaring the wits out of the viewers. However, I felt that the demonic nun has brought about another approach in its scare through its presence as it blended in with the surroundings and makes its appearance when you least expect it. From the painting of the nun to its appearance at the Warrens’ apartment, the nun has effectively turned the attention away from the possessed Janet to itself. While you can say that the main show of the movie was the nun, the other spirits that were featured in this movie, such as the previously mentioned Bill Wilkins and the Crooked Man (Javier Botet), have also made a significant contribution in creating the tension and the build-up to the final scene between the nun and the Warrens. James Wan has made the nun character very powerful as the story developed, which made it a very strong contender in the Conjuring universe as the scariest character.

In the Conjuring universe, the main characters would still be the Warrens without any doubt. In this sequel, viewers will get to see more of Warrens’ inner feelings and thoughts. More emphasis was placed on Lorraine Warren as she could see the vision of the nun which made her the main target. Vera Farmiga’s excellent acting skills have reflected well on Loraine Warren’s character as I could see how she controlled her feelings and emotions despite her fear in order not to make the people around her panic too much. Another actress that deserved a lot of credits was Madison Wolfe, who had to split her personality several times between Janet Hodgson and Bill Wilkins. Her stand out moments would be the TV interview where she became Bill Wilkins and in the cabinet where the door was opened. She left a deep impression in me through her terrifying appearance and demonic possession. She reminded me of the girl from the Exorcist[1973], named Regan Macneil (Linda Blair). Leave a comment if you think the character Janet Hodgson was equally terrifying as Regan Macneil from the Exorcist.

Lastly, I enjoyed how James Wan built every main character simultaneously in the final confrontation. On one hand, I could see how powerful and terrifying the demonic nun was and on the other hand, I could see how Lorraine Warren became fearless and overcome her fear in the process.

Other Effects

Most of the special effects in this movie were seen on the demonic nun as she made her appearance. However, as the story was dated back in the past, James Wan kept the special effects to the minimal while using the old but effective scaring methods. The sound effects were also very fitting as it helped to bring up the intensity before the jumpscare. Overall, this movie has definitely lived up to the expectations that were set back when the first Conjuring movie was released. I really looked forward to the next installment of the Conjuring series which is estimated to be released in 2020.

Memorable Scene

Among all the horror scenes in this movie, the painting moving scene stood out for me. Even though I could see it coming but it was the intensity build-up to the final scare which left a deep impression on me. The painting of the demonic nun was already scary to view from the start. Furthermore, seeing the demonic nun moving towards the painting and controlling the painting terrifies me even further. Predictable outcome but yet effective scare in my view.

Movie Rating: 10/10 (Successful movie sequel of the conjuring which has kept me on the edge of my seat with the demonic nun.)

Movie duration: 2 hours 14 mins

#TheConjuring2

#TheConjuringUniverse

The Conjuring Review (2013) [R]

Disclaimer: This movie is rated R for its sequences of disturbing violence and terror.

As Halloween is approaching, I am going to recommend several popular horror movies that are not suitable for the faint-hearted. If you think you are not easily terrified by these horror movies, continue reading the review. If not, check out other action movie reviews such as Gemini Man for your entertainment.

Now, let the horror begins.

Let’s begin with one of the most successful horror films of all time, which brought characters such as Annabelle to fame: The Conjuring.

Storyline

The story began back in 1971 when the Perrons, a family of seven moved into a shady looking farmhouse in Harrisville, Rhode Island. Everyone entered the house, except their dog, Sadie, which barked continuously at the house. (It was believed that dogs can sense paranormal activity.) As the family began to settle down in their new house, the first unusual event happened. The clocks stopped at exact 3:07am each night and Sadie was found dead unexpectedly outside the house next morning. As more and more paranormal activities occurred in the house, Carolyn Perron (Lili Anne Taylor), the mother of the family, went to seek assistance from the famous paranormal investigators and demonologists Lorraine Warren (Vera Farmiga) and Ed Warren (Patrick Wilson). They agreed to take the case and began their investigation on the haunted house.

After conducting the initial investigation, the investigators felt that an exorcism was necessary to perform in the house. However, the process of getting a priest to conduct such a ritual was difficult back in the past. Thus, the Perrons and the investigators had to wait patiently for the process to be approved while the malevolent spirit, known as Bathsheba (Joseph Bishara), got stronger each passing day. The spirit became so powerful that it possessed one of the Perrons and began its masterplan: to kill the entire Perrons family and the Warrens. In the end, did the spirit managed to execute its masterplan or were the Warrens be able to save the family from this misery? That’s for you to find out.

Overall, the director, James Wan, has made well use of the concept of real-life stories to create the setting of the movie. Rather than using gore to scare the audience, the director focused more on creating the atmosphere for the vengeful spirit to appear. The suspense before the jumpscares really got me on the edge of my seat. Even though the movie was set in the past, you could still feel as if the spirit could still be very well active in the present day, with the introduction of the Warren’s Occult Museum.

Character Development

What makes any horror film horrifying is how the evil spirit made its presence and haunt the victim. James Wan preferred the old-school way of haunting the victims which fit nicely with the timeline and environment. From hearing claps down at the basement to sightings of the spirits in some scenes, everything was build up progressively to instill fear in us. The Annabelle doll also played a part in setting up the story from the start and nearing the end of the movie. I felt that even without the jump scares, the movie was already very terrifying so could you imagine how it would be like when those jumpscares came into play?

On the other hand, the characters’ performances in this movie were outstanding, especially the children of the Perrons. I could feel how scared and helpless they were as they experienced all those paranormal activities. Carolyn Perron (Lili Anne Taylor) had the worst experience among the family from all the haunting and I felt that she deserved most of the credits in making this horror movie so effective in scaring the wits out of me. The actors who played the Warrens also deserved some credits as they helped me in understanding the haunting process of the evil spirit to the final exorcism which they were both involved. Both of them did their very best for the family and when things were not looking very well for the Perrons, they managed to turn things around and fight against the evil spirit.

Other Effects

James Wan has kept the special effects to the minimal while making good use of the surroundings to create the atmosphere. The sound effects were just as good as any other top horror films as it helped to bring up the intensity before the jumpscare. The experience in directing past horror movies, e.g. Saw and Insidious, has definitely helped James Wan in finding the perfect timing for the scare and instill fear in us. A fantastic start to this Conjuring series as more and more Conjuring related films such as the Annabelle series and Conjuring sequels were released.

Memorable Scene

There were several memorable moments in this movie such as the first appearance of Bathsheba on top of the wardrobe and the exorcism. However, if I would have to choose one among these memorable scenes as my personal favorite, it would have to be the clapping scene at the basement. I felt it was a wonderful concept for the director to think of using the game named “Hide and Clap” to play mind games with Carolyn Perron and after which, lured her to the basement to strike fear. Hide and Clap is a simple game that basically works the same way as “Hide and Seek” but the seeker had to be blindfolded and seek those hiding using their clapping sounds. As the mother was trapped in the stairs of the basement, Bathsheba could have easily made its appearance but instead, it chose to play the same game with the mother. Whether or not Bathsheba appeared afterward, it doesn’t matter as it had effectively scared the wits out of Carolyn Perron and me.

Movie Rating: 10/10 (Wonderful storyline buildup of a clean horror movie that gives me goosebumps whenever this movie was mentioned. Easily one of the best horror movies of all time.)

Movie Duration: 1 Hour 52 mins

#TheConjuring