I really hope you have a way of making hard decisions because this weekend is going to be a tough one for horror fans. Not only are a ton of you still playing through the excellent, horrific and mind-blowing “Resident Evil: biohazard”, but there’s a handful of new genre releases that you’re going to have to sort through.
I’m going to try and help make your decision for you.
If you want to go to a theater, Paramount Pictures has just released Rings, the third film in The Ring franchise, which began with the 2002 remake directed by Gore Verbinski. From what I’m quickly learning, the younger readers have no idea that Rings is a sequel, so maybe you’ll enjoy it more than the rest being that it’s brand new to you. Our first review was pretty mixed, not to mention the opening scene being impossibly stupid, so Rings isn’t really must-see material. If you’re having trouble deciding whether to trek out to a theater or not, there’s a simple solution: check to see if it’s even playing near you as it’s quietly been slimmed down to a limited release.
Fans of The Ring have probably seen the Japanese Ringu films as well, which means there’s no reason to rush out to see Rings, especially with all of the negative reviews popping up online. Instead, maybe the Japanese sequel is what the doctor ordered?
Sadako vs Kayako is now on VOD platforms and pits the cursed ghosts from The Grudge and The Ring franchises in an anticlimactic battle. Yes, it’s flaccid. In fact, Jon Squires calls the film the most deceptive title since Jason Takes Manhattan (spoilers). Joe Lipsett saw the film at its Toronto premiere and hated it, calling it a huge disappointment. He’s right, this movie, outside of a wicked opening sequence, is awful. This is for hardcore completionists who need to see everything (that’s all horror fans, right?)
Hoping to shy away from the negativity a bit, your probably best option, if you’re indecisive, is to check out Don’t Knock Twice, which is a witch movie starring Katee Sackoff. While it’s not the greatest of films, it does boast some impressive visual effects work, including the look of said witch. Luiz enjoyed the film, pointing out that one should expect a lot of drama with their horror (not necessarily a bad thing), and calling it “a charming and well-crafted thriller.”
“Don’t Knock Twice follows a guilt-ridden mother (Sackhoff) who wants to reconnect with the daughter (Boynton) she was forced to place into care. To save her estranged daughter, she has to uncover the terrifying truth behind the urban legend of a vengeful, demonic witch.”
The Covenant‘s Chace Crawford, Wrong Turn‘s Eliza Dushku, Tropic Thunder‘s Brandon T. Jackson and Final Destination 5‘s PJ Byrne star in Eloise as four friends who break into an abandoned insane asylum in search of a death certificate; however, finding it soon becomes the least of their worries in a place haunted by dark memories.
Vertical Entertrainment is behind the U.S. release of the Robert Legato-directed psychological thriller penned by Chris Borrelli (Vatican Tapes) that’s now on VOD platforms. While we don’t have a review yet, it does look like a fun production. Jon Barkan visited the set and shared a lot of cool information, as well as behind-the-scenes photography. Fans of Wrong Turn and Eliza Dushku may want to enter the asylum this weekend; it could be a nice supplement to your “Resident Evil” gameplay.
Lastly is an oddly specific film that’s solely for those looking for a throwback genre film that’s impressively authentic. While I wasn’t a huge fan, a lot of writers are infatuated with Anna Biller’s Love Witch. In fact, our very own Patrick Cooper says the film “casts a sexy, subversive spell.” In short, don’t watch this with your parents in the other room.
Starring the stunning Samantha Robinson, Biller explained:
“I wanted to make a movie about a witch, because I think that every woman is made to feel like a witch by the men who don’t understand her: that is, mysterious, dangerous, different, abnormal. Elaine, the main character, has men constantly freaking out around her because of her sexiness. But they don’t really love her, and this makes her feel lonely and alienated. So she takes her revenge. Elaine is monstrous, wreaking havoc wherever she goes, but she is also sympathetic, because she has essentially been driven mad by being a woman, and is struggling to find love and acceptance in a world that has disappointed her at every turn.”
Robinson stars as Elaine, a beautiful young witch, is determined to find a man to love her. In her gothic Victorian apartment she makes spells and potions, and then picks up men and seduces them. However her spells work too well, and she ends up with a string of hapless victims. When she finally meets the man of her dreams, her desperation to be loved will drive her to the brink of insanity and murder.