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dissolvedpaul
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Psychosis (2010)
Direct remake of "Screamtime" 1983
EDIT- At the time I was writing I was not aware that it was in fact a "Remake" of the second story in the 1983 film "Screamtime". Therefore you can understand why I thought that it was a direct rip off of this particular movie. Being very fond of that particular short, I was a bit upset because I thought someone was ripping it off! Amusing in hindsight I suppose. For your enjoyment here is my original review and feelings written before knowing it was a 'remake'::
I will keep this review short but I'm still in shock after seeing this movie. Not because it was scary, not because it shocked me, not because I was bowled over by its brilliance. No, simply because I've never shook my head in disbelief at such outright plagiarism in a movie.Clearly the Director was really really hoping that no one had ever seen the fantastic little anthology horror film "Scream time" from 1983, more specifically, the second story in this film "Dream house". Now the stories in "Scream time" are relatively short since it's an anthology movie so in order to pad out "Psychosis", the director had at least to attempt to introduce some other little elements to attempt to keep things interesting before the scene for scene stealing begins. Unfortunately these elements are dull, lots of sex which is not thrilling in the least and flat acting. The movie falls flat very quickly overall to be honest and towards the end and dotted throughout, the 'hallucinations' of Charisma Carpenter are about the most interesting thing happening. Her name is the most charismatic thing about the movie, it's never scary due to some dull direction, predictable soundtrack and characters that are never in the least bit likable at any point. It starts off initially with a "slasher film" type prologue which really does nothing for the rest of the film, only serving to confuse and then we watch as Carpenter slowly descends into the "Psychosis" of the title. On my first viewing I already picked up on how much it was stealing from the "Dream house" episode of "Scream time" to the point where I was pointing out things before they even happened. I could not believe it. The director should be rightly ridiculed for such stealing and I'm sure more and more people will pick up on this as they see it. It's a shame because movies like this will get lots of exposure and acclaim from people none the wiser where as "Scream time" remains unreleased on DVD anywhere in the world and is a far more scary and interesting little 80's film. Spoilers------ Charisma's Hallucinations are wholesale lifted from "Dream house". This will make sense if you've seen it. She constantly see's someone in black playing with a football outside in her garden but when she goes out to tell him off she's gone. 'Dream house' -The main actress constantly see's a little boy riding on a bike outside in her garden but when she goes out to tell him off he's gone. In "Psychosis" the husband calls a Psychic to the house to investigate after Charisma has complained about all the visions she's been seeing and the psychic tells Charisma that there is nothing there at all.
Almost exactly the same scene happens in 'Dream house' and the Psychic tells the husband she is possibly mad.
Towards the end, when the murders start to play out more extended, the madman stabs the victims repeatedly and at one point, charisma grabs a telephone and throws it at the vision, (the madman is strangling the victim using the telephone) which promptly vanishes. In "Dream house", the murders are playing out and the actress grabs a telephone and throws it at the vision of the man stabbing and strangling the victim with the telephone wire which promptly vanishes.
At the end, Charisma's husband (Charisma is in a mental hospital after all this) greets the "new owner" and we are introduced to the new people moving in, all of whom we've seen previously in the visions like the kid playing with the football etc. In "Dream House", exactly the same thing happens. The husband welcomes the new owners, says they hope they will be happy there and all around him, the people we have seen being murdered are working around him, like the decorator painting the window and the boy riding the bike.
The husband gets into his car and is attacked from behind, has his throat slashed and goes into a fit, holding his foot down on the accelerator. The radio announces that a crazed murderer has escaped from a mental hospital and is on the loose.
It's quite sad that it's so obvious really. Clearly this director though he would get away with it but I reckon it's going to come back on him at one point or another. Watch "Scream time" and the "dream house" episode if you can get a copy. It's infinitely better than this poor excuse for a copy of a movie.
The Evil Dead (1981)
A horror classic
So much has been written about this film over the years that it's hard to be subjective about it anymore. It's a film I know so well now that it's too easy for me to get into a massive dissection of it.So instead I thought I'd focus on how it first affected me and what it still means to me now.My first knowledge and exposure of this film was surprisingly not a first viewing of it but rather a shocking (for me,I was only 7!) cinema trailer that was showing on British television at the time.A fast cutting trailer(that I've never seen since)comprising mostly of the rushing shots through the forest accompanied by the now famous Evil Dead chase sound and the "were going to get you" chant. The trailer absolutely terrified me and I had nightmares for weeks, mainly because I had no idea what it all meant and also had never really seen anything but Hammer horror on the TV.
When I was old enough to start seeing more risqué' horror(about 12) The Evil Dead was one of the first I saw on video (along with "The Exorcist", "Mothers day" and "Halloween 3" bizarrely enough.)What can I say, the film had a profound effect on me and I can safely say it was the one that whetted my appetite and eventual love of horror in the years to follow. Never had I seen such an atmospheric, creepy and sense assaulting, freaked out horror film. Repeated viewings years later only confirmed what an effective low budget this film still is.I recently watched the Bruce Campbell audio commentary on the Elite DVD and all I will say is that his views put paid to all the detractors of the movie. For every one that complains about the supposed shoddy effects, the bad acting and how it's not really scary, these are the same people who queued for "Armageddon" and "Godzilla" and sat there numb at 'Blair Witch' waiting for an explosion or sex scene. A film like "The Evil Dead" reeks of passion, made by people who love films and not fuelled by mass market and greed. The original camera work, the scant disregard for the faint hearted in the audience, the repeated viewing factor, the mastering of equipment because it was all they had to use, the atmosphere (Intentional and un-intentional) and the jet black comedy in this film all put it up there in my all time top five. A must see for any self respecting horror fan.To partly quote Alan Bryce "If you don't like this film you have no imagination" (talking about Blair Witch) I'd say if you don't find at least something redeeming in this film then you don't like Horror.
Superstition (1982)
A great low budget horror film
Definitely an underrated horror flick,this gory and spooky little film really impressed me when I first saw it(around 1994)when I picked it up on the VTC label (its first release in Britain, a release which saw it briefly entertain certain police want lists during the ridiculous nasties scare in the early eighties!)It later turned up in a re-release version on the Stablecane label under the title "The Witch". The early scenes although consisting of annoying "call out the missing actors name over and over" type stuff, quickly redeem themselves by chucking in a few very effective gore scenes. The film quickly goes uphill from here,introducing a spooky little girl and half decent actors and actresses. The flashbacks are fairly intriguing with a good supernatural scene involving wine corks popping and a great crucifiction(A good example of early primitive bladder and latex effects)Other death scenes are good because they are shown as accidental(But obviously are not)and again the effects and music are very effective. Worth a watch and hopefully it will show up on DVD at one point.
Friday the 13th (1980)
An excellent early slasher that still stands the test of time.
Friday the 13th. Sean Cunningham may have directed this film mainly to make some profit returns after a disappointing small run of "family" orientated movies but I still think he was oblivious to what an effective little sleeper he was creating, easily his most significant work since "Last House" with Wes Craven.It was further helped because of when it appeared, with audiences trained and tuned for on screen gore after "Dawn of the Dead" and other films like "Zombie Flesh Eaters". And of course Tom Savini was on board to create the amazingly effective on screen murders.Although the movie can seem like just a routine slasher in terms of plot and murder set pieces today, people sometimes forget it was the film that spawned a million clones. It wasn't unoriginal at the time(although that is open to debate of course with both "Bay of Blood" and "Halloween" both sited as influence on the film and its sequels) and in fact created traits that have been copied countless times by other movies of its type. It has an undeniable atmosphere and a fantastic effective score.Add Savini's masterful effects,the pouring rain, POV shots and a heroine you care about and you have a classic horror film that will never be forgotten.