Showing posts with label Netflix and Thrill. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Netflix and Thrill. Show all posts

Tuesday, May 26, 2020

Netflix and Thrill Remakes: The Blair Witch Project, The Crazies, and Pet Sematary

Netflix and Thrill is a feature where I review horror movies I've watched recently.

I have decided that I want to watch original horror movies and their remakes so I can compare and review and talk about which I like better. So here is the first post of remakes. 


The Blair Witch Project Poster

Title: The Blair Witch Project
Release Date: July 30th, 1999
Stars: Heather Donahue, Joshua Leonard, Michael C. Williams
Watched on: Vudu (Can also be found on Prime if you have Starz)
 

Three film students vanish after traveling into a Maryland forest to film a documentary on the local Blair Witch legend, leaving only their footage behind.

Blair Witch Poster
Title: Blair Witch
Release Date: September 16th, 2016
Stars: JamesAllen McCune, Callie Hernandez, Corbin Reid, Brandon Scott
Watched on: Vudu 



After discovering a video showing what he believes to be his vanished sister Heather, James and a group of friends head to the forest believed to be inhabited by the Blair Witch.

What I thought:
So bits and pieces of these movies are the same. They both are found footage films, which is good because if the remake wasn't then it would be absolute crap and not really a remake. Anyway, they both deal with an urban legend of the blair witch. They both have teens/adults whatever going into the woods and getting lost, and they both have crazy possessed or haunted houses.

So in theory these movies are very much the same. But not really.
In the original Blair Witch Project it was very slow. They get lost, but nothing really actually happens to them up until the end. It was really very slow, and boring. I can't believe so many people loved that movie.

The new one is so fast paced and has things happen almost from the beginning. I was actually pretty freaked out when watching the new one, and that's not easy to do anymore. The acting is better, I feel like the story line was better, and the jump scares are pretty legit. 

I also just figured out that it's more of a continuation, than a remake. But I'm still counting it. 


The Crazies Poster

Title: The Crazies 
Release Date: March 16th, 1973
Stars: Lane Carroll, Will MacMillan, Harold Wayne Jones
Watched on: Amazon Prime


The military attempts to contain a manmade combat virus that causes death and permanent insanity in those infected, as it overtakes a small Pennsylvania town.

The Crazies Poster
Title: The Crazies 
Release Date: February 26th, 2010
Stars: Timothy Olyphant, Radha Mitchell, Joe Anderson, Danielle Panabaker
Watched on: Amazon Prime 


After a strange and insecure plane crash, an unusual toxic virus enters a quaint farming town. A young couple are quarantined, but they fight for survival along with help from a couple of people.
What I thought:
I couldn't even get through the original, I found it to be really slow and boring. I'm thinking movies from the 60's and 70's were much slower than newer ones. Either way, I said nope. 
So I watched the remake and it was decent. I watched it years ago and thought it was meh. From what I watched of the original the remake is quite different.
I don't think I really care for either of these, and because I didn't watch the original I can't really compare. 


Pet Sematary Poster


Title: Pet Sematary

Release Date: April 21, 1989
Stars: Dale Midkiff, Fred Gwynne, Denise Crosby
Watched on: Prime


After tragedy strikes, a grieving father discovers an ancient burial ground behind his home with the power to raise the dead.
Pet Sematary Poster

Title: Pet Sematary
Release Date: April 5th, 2019
Stars: Jason Clarke, Amy Seimetz, John Lithgow, Jete Laurence
Watched on: Hulu


Dr. Louis Creed and his wife, Rachel, relocate from Boston to rural Maine with their two young children. The couple soon discover a mysterious burial ground hidden deep in the woods near their new home.
 

What I thought:
I have been a Pet Sematary fan for quite a few years. I read the book and I loved the original movie a lot. So when I found out they were doing a remake I absolutely had to go see it in theaters with the Hubby.
The original is closer to the book, however I found it to be just a little slow. It didn't have many jump scares, which I love in my movies. It was more of a slow burner.
The new one however scared the living daylights out of me. There was a lot more fast paced action, jump scares, and honestly more "scary" elements. It was just all around creepier. 
I also really loved the twist in the new one. A lot of people didn't like it, but I think it's great that they made the daughter be the one who died. I feel like it made it creepier and more intense.
Some of the differences I found were first of all like I said above that it was Ellie who died not Gage in this one. The way that she died was a bit different, a bit less graphic than with Gage. They had a bit more backstory about the Pet Sematary. And also more about her sister, which was the scariest part of the whole movie I swear.
I love the original but I definitely love the new one more. 




Monday, May 11, 2020

Netflix and Thrill: March Meh

Netflix and Thrill is a feature where I review horror movies I've watched recently.




Chopping Mall Poster
Title: Chopping Mall
Release Date: March 21, 1987
Stars: Kelli Maroney, Tony O'Dell, Russell Todd, Karrie Emerson
Watched on: Shudder
 

A group of young shopping mall employees stay behind for a late night party in one of the stores. When the mall goes on lock-down before they can get out, the robot security system malfunctions, and goes on a killing spree.
 

Mini Review:
This is a bad 80's b list horror. And I would have loved it if it was more of like a creature that's killing them or a slasher instead of like killer robots. It didn't really feel like it fit. I think that's what would have made this one great instead of just meh. 


Dead Shack Poster
Title: Dead Shack
Release Date: July 2nd, 2017
Stars: Matthew Nelson-Mahood, Lizzie Boys, Gabriel LaBelle
Watched on: Hulu
 

While staying at a cabin in the woods during the weekend, three teenage kids discover their neighbor is 'feeding' guests to her zombie family. In short order, the battle is on as the kids fight to save themselves and their family.

Mini Review:
I wanted to love this. I really did. It sounded like a great zombie movie. But it was just meh. It was a bit slow and the zombies were weird. 




Monday, May 4, 2020

Netflix and Thrill: March Not So Favorites

Netflix and Thrill is a feature where I review horror movies I've watched recently.

Still behind. I kind of forgot to do this. So I'm going to post my least favorite, and next week I'll do my meh, and then work on April's.

Feral Poster
Title: Feral
Release Date: September 23rd, 2017
Stars: Scout Taylor-Compton, Olivia Luccardi, Lew Temple, Renee Olstead
Watched on: Hulu 
 

Students fight to survive a weekend in the woods.


Mini Review: 
This one just got weird. It started off okay but then it was weird and just kind of meh. Not one I'd watch again that's for sure. 


The Reef Poster
Title: The Reef 
Release Date: March 17th, 2011
Stars: Damian Walshe-Howling, Gyton Grantley, Adrienne Pickering
Watched on: Shudder
 

A great white shark hunts the crew of a capsized sailboat along the Great Barrier Reef.



Mini Review: 
I actually didn't finish watching this one. It was so slow and nothing happened most of the movie.


Stake Land Poster
Title: Stake Land
Release Date: September 17th, 2010
Stars: Connor Paolo, Gregory Jones, Traci Hovel
Watched on: Shudder
 

In a world of vampires, an expert vampire hunter and his young protégé travel toward sanctuary.

Mini Review: 
I actually didn't finish this one either, I got most of the way through it. This wasn't what I was expecting and it was just kind of boring to me.






Sunday, April 12, 2020

Netflix and Thrill: March Favorites

Netflix and Thrill is a feature where I review horror movies I've watched recently.

I'm a little more than a little behind on my horror movies. I got Shudder again and have been watching a lot. I'll post the worst movies I watched in March next week, but for this week here are my favorites from March

Downrange Poster
Title: Downrange
Release Date: December 14th, 2018
Stars: Kelly Connaire, Stephanie Pearson, Rod Hernandez
Watched on: Shudder
 
Stranded at the side of the road after a tire blowout, a group of friends become targets for an enigmatic sniper.

Mini Review: 
Oh man this one was intense. I knew it would be as soon as I saw the preview. But it was even more so than I thought it would be. It had me holding my breath and wanting to watch more and more.
Lost a star because of the ending.


Train to Busan Poster
Title: Train to Busan 
Release Date: July 20th, 2016
Stars: Yoo Gong, Yu-mi Jung, Dong-seok Ma 
Watched on: Shudder
 

While a zombie virus breaks out in South Korea, passengers struggle to survive on the train from Seoul to Busan.

Mini Review: 
I watched this a while back and loved it. The biggest problem is that it is in Korean. So you can't do anything while watching it and you have to pay attention. But even with it being in another language it had me on the edge of my seat and holding my breath. It was creepy.


The Furies Poster
Title: The Furies
Release Date: April 12th, 2019
Stars: Airlie Dodds, Linda Ngo, Taylor Ferguson
Watched on: Shudder
 
A woman is kidnapped and finds herself an unwilling participant in a deadly game where women are hunted by masked men.

Mini Review: 
Oh man this one was soooo much better than I thought it would be. The description sounded a bit weird, but then when I watched it it was sooo good. It was fast paced and me second guessing everything. 


Mayhem Poster
Title: Mayhem
Release Date: November 10th, 2017
Stars: Steven Yeun, Samara Weaving, Steven Brand
Watched on: Shudder
 

A virus spreads through an office complex causing white collar workers to act out their worst impulses.

Mini Review:
I've also watched this one before and loved it. We wanted Jenn to watch it. She didn't love it nearly as much as I did.
Anyway. This movie was funny, definitely dark comedy. It was definitely very gory. I love Samara Weaving, I haven't watched a movie with her in it that I don't love.


Zombieland: Double Tap Poster
Title: Zombieland: Double Tap 
Release Date: October 18th, 2019
Stars: Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone, Abigail Breslin 
Watched on: Amazon
 

Columbus, Tallahassee, Wichita, and Little Rock move to the American heartland as they face off against evolved zombies, fellow survivors, and the growing pains of the snarky makeshift family.
Mini Review: 
I definitely loved this movie just as much as the original. The humor is there, it has drama and a little bit of horror. Sometimes sequels are hard to watch, or not as good, but this one definitely is. 




 
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