Archive for Psychological Thrillers
Nine Dead
Posted by: | CommentsSkull Rating: 3
Description:
Starting without a single clue , nine strangers face the mind-bender of a lifetime when a hooded madman locks them in a basement and announces that he will slay one of them every 10 minutes until they uncover the mysterious connection they all share. Can any of them solve the puzzle in less than 90 minutes? This horror-suspense film from director Chris Shadley stars Melissa Joan Hart, John Terry and Lucille Soong.
Rated R, 1 hr. 26 min., 2009
Our Opinion:
This is another single location shoot, but it is mixed with flashbacks as each participant is trying to recall their connection to their abductor. This one is very entertaining and will leave you guessing to the very end.
Breathing Room
Posted by: | CommentsSkull Rating: 3
Description:
When Tonya (Ailsa Marshall) finds herself stranded in an unfamiliar room with 13 prisoners, and each is held hostage by an electronic collar left to agonize about what horrible fate may await. It turns out, they’re slated to die, and as the clock ticks down, the terrified strangers go toes up one by one. The catch, of course, is that one of them is the killer — but who is it?
Rated R, 1 hr. 29 min., 2007
Our Opinion:
There a few movies like this where you have a single location and we a forced to examine each character to figure out the puzzle. This one is good and I would recommend it.
Surveillance
Posted by: | CommentsStar Rating: 4
Description:
Revealing the stunning truth behind a horrific string of homicides near Santa Fe, a young girl (Ryan Simpkins), police officer (Kent Harper) and drug addict (Pell James) spill their wildly different witness accounts to FBI agents Elizabeth Anderson (Julia Ormond) and Sam Hallaway (Bill Pullman). Jennifer Chambers Lynch (Boxing Helena) directs this thriller that co-stars Michael Ironside, Cheri Oteri and French Stewart.
Rated R, 1 hr. 37 min., 2007
Our Opinion:
Found this little gem cross-referencing other horror movies. How could Bill Pullman make a bad movie? So I took a chance. This one written and directed by Jennifer Chambers Lynch (yes, David Lynch’s daughter) will keep you on the edge of your seat. While not a fast pace movie, you will find yourself hanging on every word. About mid-way through the film you will start to scratch your head. Nothing is really what it seems. You won’t have any love for the bad cops that are being interviewed by the FBI, but karma is a bitch right? Brilliant movie.
Funny Games
Posted by: | CommentsStar Rating: 3
Description:
Anna (Naomi Watts) and George (Tim Roth) are enjoying a vacation with their son when two sadistic young men (Michael Pitt and Brady Corbet) break into their cabin and hold the family hostage. The psychotic duo plays twisted games with their prisoners, forcing them to comply to stay alive. Director Michael Haneke remakes his chilling 1997 German-language film as an indictment of the media’s fascination with violence.
Rated R, 1 hr. 51 min., 2007
Our Opinion:
This is psychological horror at its best. What would you do if placed in this situation? Naomi is always great, but this is probably not her best film. Not because of her its just not mainstream like her other films. You will feel something watching this movie.
The Girl Next Door
Posted by: | CommentsStar Rating: 3
Description:
After losing their parents in an accident two adolescent girls (Blythe Auffarth, Madeline Taylor), are sent to live with their Aunt Ruth (Blanche Baker), a sadistic psychopath. Unbeknown to the residents of the small New Jersey suburb, the girls endure unthinkable punishment at the hands of their aunt and three cousins. Inspired by true events, this thriller set in 1958
Rated R, 1 hr. 37 min., 2007
Our Opinion:
This is the is the one based on the writings of author Jack Ketchum and based on real events. At times horror reaches the edge and this is one of them. You most likely will not be comfortable watching this movie in mixed company. The cinematography and the attention to detail with this period piece set in the late 50s is well done.
Live Animals
Posted by: | CommentsStar Rating: 2
Description:
After a night of partying, siblings Nick (Christian Walker) and Erin (Jeanette Comans) and a group of their college friends become prey for a diabolical human trafficker (John Still) who has one of his minions — a trapper (Patrick Cox) — hunt them down and take them hostage. Now, chained in a barn like cattle, the kids face much worse to come from their tormentor in this gruesome horror flick from director Jeremy Benson.
Rated R, 1 hr. 26 min., 2008
Our Opinion:
For low budget this one wasn’t too bad. I could not pull myself to give it a 3, but it is a high 2. The beginning was to dark to see anything as they begin with a party at a cabin rental. The character development was rushed so we really don’t feel anything for the characters. These film is similar to Hostel and Shuttle. If they cleaned up the beginning to be like the rest of the movie it would definately get a 3 rating in my book. Give this one a chance. It does get better if you can get past the rough start. There are some good twists at the end.
Senseless
Posted by: | CommentsStar Rating: 3
Description:
Ambitious young businessman Elliott Gast (Jason Behr) is violently kidnapped by political terrorists, who torture him for crimes he unknowingly committed. What’s worse, his torment is being streamed live online. An unwilling contestant in a sadistic reality show, Elliott fights for survival, hoping that someone in the home audience will come to his aid in this tense, probing thriller.
Rated R, 1 hr. 30 min., 2008
Our Opinion:
A one location shoot is the best choice for low budget film making. The art is what they do with it. Like The Cube, it is amazing how you can make a story in one room interesting. I thought they did a good job here. All I can say is that you will probably end up pitying Jason Behrs character for all that he goes through.
Silence of the Lambs
Posted by: | CommentsStar Rating: 5
Description:
Starling needs clues to help her capture a serial killer; unfortunately, her Faustian relationship with Lecter soon leads to his escape … and now, two deranged killers are on the loose. In this pulse-pounding adaptation of Thomas Harris’s novel, FBI trainee Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster) ventures into a maximum-security asylum to pick the diseased brain of Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins), a psychiatrist turned homicidal cannibal.
Rated R, 1 hr. 58 min., 1991
Our Opinion:
Anthony Hopkins is creepy, oh but you knew that. This a very well done movie, one that you don’t mind seeing again once and a while because of the richness and depth of the story and its characters.
Rest Stop (Dead Ahead)
Posted by: | CommentsStar Rating: 5
Description:
Brace yourself for a spine-chilling experience with this bloodcurdling gore fest from director John Shiban, writer and executive producer of The X-Files and Supernatural, keeps the terrors and twists coming, each out-shocking the last. Stop. Stay awhile. But don’t expect to rest. Runaway lovers Jess (Joey Mendicino) and Nicole (Jaimie Alexander) are on a road trip to Hollywood. But when they pause at an abandoned rest stop, Jess disappears. Now, Nicole is tormented by a terrifying psychopath (Nick Orefice) who has an arsenal of equipment — including drills and staple guns — to carry out his demented desires. Joseph Lawrence co-stars.
Rated R, 1 hr. 20 min., 2006
Our Opinion:
I knew they would do a sequel on this mostly because it was unique enough with the right elements. Look for Rest Stop 2 (Don’t look back) to explain how the guy with the truck and the family in the RV come into being. Despite what other horror critics say, I say this one is original mostly for the depiction of roadside ghosts. Rest stops are scary enough, but this one takes ou down to hell.
The Cell
Posted by: | CommentsStar Rating: 5
Description:
Directed by Tarsem Singh (in his big-screen debut), this harrowing, mind-bending thriller features a strong supporting cast. Schizoid serial killer Carl Stargher (Vincent D’Onofrio) has been captured at last, but a neurological seizure has rendered him comatose, and FBI agent Peter Novak (Vince Vaughan) has no way to determine the location of Stargher’s latest and still-living victim. To probe the secrets contained in Stargher’s traumatized psyche, the FBI recruits psychologist Catherine Deane (Jennifer Lopez), who has mastered a new technology that allows her to enter the mind of another person. What she finds in Stargher’s head is a theater of the grotesque, which, as envisioned by first-time director Tarsem Singh, is a smorgasbord of the surreal that borrows liberally from the Brothers Quay, Czech animator Jan Svankmajer, Hieronymous Bosch, Salvador Dali, and a surplus of other cannibalized sources.
Rated R, 1 hr. 47 min., 2000
Our Opinion:
This movie is visually stunning. Very artsy bazaar and surreal. At times shocking. You really get the sense that you are in the mind of a psychopathic serial killer. I liked this one for its originality and the art references. This is one you will want to see again and again.
