John Dowdle’s 2008 Quarantine: aka [REC]

Quarantine: a strict isolation, usually imposed by the government in order to prevent the spread of something considered dangerous, such as that of disease. The duration of such being typically 40 days, presuming anyone would survive that long....

TV reporter Angela Vidal (Jennifer Carpenter) and her ever ready cameraman Scott (Steve Harris) are documenting a night in the life of the Los Angeles Fire Department - as seen from the inside - with the firemen themselves providing the guided tour. As the hours tick away and night settles in, Angela begins to itch for a call, albeit one not life threatening, so she and Scott can find some action to report in the otherwise boring night; something camera worthy.

Luckily they don't wait very long before a routine call comes in summoning them to a downtown apartment building where local cops are already on scene. Screams of torment can be heard coming from one of the tenants apartments though upon investigation, it's unclear exactly why she was screaming. The only signs of disorder is her foaming at the mouth, uncontrollable wheezing, and what appears to be dried blood covering the front of her nightgown and chin. The cops and firemen aren't too concerned with these minor details at first. At least not until the tenant decides to violently attack one of the cops with her teeth. Suddenly everyone is paying attention.

The whole "film documentary" effect seems to be coming somewhat commonplace in Hollywood, even though we saw it back in 1985, with the release of Cannibal Holocaust. The theatrical release of The Blair Witch Project in 1999 revived the concept, almost acting as a catalyst for copycat writers. I for one think The Blair Witch Project was highly overrated, but I seem to be in the minority with that thought. Since that time though, we have had George A Romero's Diary of the Dead, Cloverfield, Welcome to the Jungle, and now Quarantine, the US version of the Spanish release [REC].

Quarantine was filmed rather effectively, providing the viewer a broader range of vision than what has been typical in this genre thus far. I would imagine this is largely due to the "character" in control of the camera being a cameraman by trade. Typically, the "documentarist" is a college kid, using a cam for the very first time, or some guy with glasses that keep getting in the way. The camera shakes, scenes are cropped, and you only see half the drama. Scott, the cameraman in Quarantine, was obviously "skilled" so camera shake or moments of un-focus were not due to inexperience, but rather unexpected and sudden events, resulting in them lasting briefly. I found the documentary effect of this movie to be virtually unnoticeable or annoying until the very end at which point, actually aided the fear factor.

In minutes from the tenant's attack on the police officer, the apartment building is sealed off from the outside world, with power and cell phone service stopped. Not only can the tenants no longer contact the outside world, but the outside world can no longer enter the quarantined zone. No explanation is given; no remedy is provided; and no hope is felt as the tenants begin to realize they have been left for dead. Their only explanation is that the CDC is following government orders and will kill them, rather than letting one of them out of the building.

So what do you do when you are trapped like mice, waiting for the snake to swallow you whole? You look for a way out. Any way out, to avoid suffering death on the inside. Death in a very unpleasant and painful manner. A manner none of them would have dreamed in their worst nightmares, or wished on their worst enemy. Only every way out is anticipated and blocked, and all paths lead back inside. Inside where hell is no longer a state of mind...

Quarantine does a great job of playing up the fear factor and scare tactics, although they lack in originality at times. There is a sufficient amount of bloodshed and gore to keep this film at an R rating, however it is no where near as much bloodshed and gore as has become standard for Hollywood. Did this detract from the movie? For me, not at all. I enjoyed this movie almost as much as the Dawn of the Dead remake. Will others enjoy this movie? Reviews show it will depend largely on whether or not you have actually seen the original [REC] - if you have, most likely this movie will suck, as reviewers claim it pales in comparison. If you have not seen [REC], chances are you will really enjoy this one. I have not seen [REC] and true to theory, I enjoyed Quarantine, and I really need to give credit for that to Jennifer Carpenter for her amazing portrayal of Angela. I felt her excitement at the thought of a real story when the call first came in. I felt her fear when the senseless killings and mass hysteria started. And I not only felt her terror, but believably saw it written on her every moment even after the credits rolled.

I have watched Quarantine 5+ times since its original release, and every time continues to leave me chilled. In my mind, that is the sign of a "keeper" worthy flick. And in my list of favorite zombie flicks, this one is in the top 10.

.......but to be perfectly honest, I can't wait to see [REC]!

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Trailer Park of Terror

Catchy title, isn't it? You have to admit, it's somewhat intriguing (dare I say enticing?) even if the title implies that it will be filled with nothing more than white trash stereotypes. One thing I knew for sure though, and that was that this movie was right up my alley!

For starters, one of the headliners was Trace Adkins, and when a country singer stars in a movie Read more

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Dario Argento’s Suspiria

Suspiria is an Italian horror movie released in 1977 about Suzy Bannion (Jessica Harper,) an American ballet dancer who enrolls at a famous ballet school in Europe only to discover it is run by a coven of witches. It is classified as being Dario Argento´s finest work, and if memory serves me right, the very first horror movie I ever saw on the big screen. I was 8 years old.

The film opens with Suzy arriving at the school via cab on a very stormy night. As she approaches the front door, she is greeted by a terrified girl who mutters something about a flower, before fleeing into the miserable night. Unable to get anyone to let her into the school, Suzy retires to a nearby hotel, while the fleeing girl runs to a friend's apartment building, in hopes to seek shelter from whatever it is she fears has been following her since her departure from the ballet school.

Ok - so my first question was why did this fleeing girl not get into the cab and have him drive her off somewhere? Why run into a freakin' pitch black thunderstorm? These are questions not meant to be asked in movies such as this, so I cast them aside and continued to wait for what was to come....

This opening segment effectively raises the suspense factor in an almost Hitchcock-type manner, but ends with a dramatic and gory double murder that Hitchcock would never have displayed. Granted the blood was primarily koolaid but considering the age of the movie, I did not judge based on this fact. The murder sequence was very intense, and promised of supernatural things to come. This movie did nothing less than scare the shit out of me when I was 8, and now at ...... 29 and holding...... still sent chills down my spine.

Scene break to Suzy´s first day, where we are introduced to most of the key players. The school is run by Madam Blanc (Joan Bennett) and her sidekick Miss Tanner (Alida Valli), both of which appear mysterious and well, creepy. It is about this time that Suzy suffers a dizzy spell, resulting in her not having an off site apartment as planned, but rather moved into the academy against her wishes. It's for her "best interest" she is assured, at least until she is "better."

Some of the girls are catty, some of the boys are gay, but one of the girls befriends Suzy and tells her stories about strange and unusual happenings within the walls of the school. They begin to investigate nightly, but Suzy, made to eat specially prepared meals to combat her "illness" usually passed out before any real investigations could occur. This meant her friend was off and snooping by herself.

Side Note: One of the first rules of surviving a B movie is never, under any circumstance, wander off alone. Unless you have a death wish, then have at it. I'm guessing Suzy's friend had a death wish. I'm also guessing those nightly special "meals" were a bit drugged.....

The story's suspense builds steadily, providing several scares along the way. The climatic ending is unexpected, and though not gruesome like some of Argento's other creations, definitely leaves you relieved it was merely a movie, and not some insight into a sinister evil lurking in your neighbors backyard.

Suspiria has somewhat of a Gothic air about it, tinged with a hint of LSD, appearing hallucinogenic with dramatic lighting effects and unusual camera angles. I also get the impression Argento was aiming for a type of dark, romantic feel, albeit a twisted one, and delivered just that.

Suspiria is toted as being one of the scariest horror movies of all time, as well as being "beautiful and dream-like." When you take into account the era of which it was came from, I would have to agree. Granted by today's standards this movie may pale in comparison, but it can still scare the hell out of you and leave you with an impression you won't soon forget.

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Clive Barker’s Midnight Meat Train

Ok, so with a name like "Midnight Meat Train" it's probably safe to assume there is going to be meat, though probably not the kind you would want to eat unless you are of the same sick and twisted caliber such as Ed Gein, or Jeffrey Dahmer.

Oh, and there will probably be blood on the Midnight Meat Train. Lots and lots of blood.

In Clive Barker's Midnight Meat Train, Leon (Bradley Cooper) is an struggling "city life" photographer who gets a career break when his girlfriend Maya (Leslie Bibb) pulls some strings and hooks him up with the renowned "art gallerist" Susan Hoff (played by none other than Brooke Shields.) Susan sees potential in Leon, and states that she will consider showcasing his work when he can bring her pictures of the "real" city. She also recommends that when Leon finds it, not to be afraid and run; rather face it, and take the picture.

Leon's first "photo shoot" starts out with a potential rape victim in the subway. Leon happens along a couple of thugs harassing a young woman, all the while silently taking photos of the attack. When the victim notices Leon from the corner of her eye, he interrupts the attack and manages to prevent things from getting messy for himself and the female target.

Upon developing the photos of the attack, Leon finds one in particular that turned out exceptionally expressive. At the urgings of his girlfriend, Leon shows the picture to Susan Hoff. She was "wowed."  So much so that if Leon can come up with two more shots, equally gritty, he can have a spot in her next showing.

"Take the picture." That was Susan's advise for capturing the darkness of the city. Too bad Leon didn't have the foresight to see that those three little words would cause such a downward spiral of his life and sanity.....

When the subway girl in the "almost attack," a famous model, ends up missing, Leon goes to the police with the photos of the attack he interrupted, citing his suspicions that the attackers in his photographs did not flee, rather doubled back after he was gone. The police aren't too concerned with him or his theories however, and suggest he should not bother to come back unless he has something more concrete to work with than theories......

Take the picture. That's all Leon needs to do. So he puts aside caution, and begins his nightly quest to find the perfect shot, the one (ones?) with more substance than theory, more darkness than light, more feeling than thought. Only Leon ends up finding more than he bargained for.

Way more.

What Leon finds is Mahogany (Vinnie Jones) a butcher by trade, who randomly "butchers" passengers taking late night rides on the subway. Of course Leon doesn't know this when he first discovers Mahogany exiting the subway in the wee hours of the morning, yet in his growing obsession with discovering the darker side of the city, Leon finds himself stalking Mahogany, night after night, looking, and waiting, for something to happen...

The subway. What is so fascinating about the subway? Leon itches to know as he photographs Mahogany repeatedly entering and leaving it's dark recesses, until soon suspicions fester, and Leon begins to piece together the photos he takes of Mahogany along with news clippings of missing people. Could Mahogany somehow be responsible? Could he be the serial killer the newspaper's have been writing about??

Well you can't have a horror movie with people making smart decisions, and this one promises to be no different. Instead of Leon cutting his losses and forgetting about the potential misdeeds taking place in the subway, he decides to change things up by actually entering the subway, and taking a late night ride on the same train as Mahogany.

It was one of the worst mistakes Leon would ever make.

With the direction of Japanese filmmaker Ryuhei Kitamura, Clive Barker's Midnight Meat Train offers more than it's fair share of bloodshed, guts, and flying body parts. The shock effects were cleverly delivered, the graphics convincingly real, and I am happy to say I saw no traces of Koolaid or creamed corn in the presentation of entrails and gore. I am however, sorry to say that I actually found myself looking between my fingers on more than one occasion, apparently losing my ability to watch someone's head become violently severed at the eyeballs. Thankfully I can still listen to it just fine, and I can assure you that the screams of Mahogany's bludgeoned victims will send chills up and down your spine.

Surprisingly (and I can't believe I am saying this) I don't want to give the ending away to Clive Barker's Midnight Meat Train as it will take you by surprise (unless of course, you have already read the book) but I would like to point out that it involves reptilian/alien type carnivores and an underground network of "partners in crime." I mention this because like most books made into movies, much is lost in the translation, and things (such as the reptilian/alien type carnivores) just don't add up. The underground network doesn't even add up although it does help to tidy things into a neat little bow. Typically convenient.

What does translate well onto film however, is the stoic demeanor of the ever silent Mahogany as he performs his nightly ritual, almost as though it were his duty. At one moment we see him so hellbent on murderous precision and delivering just that without a drop of remorse, yet the next minute, but only for a second, you see a softer side, one with apparent repulsion and possible regret. I actually found myself feeling sorry for Mahogany, but it was only for a fleeting moment, as that of his softer side.

Gruesome and chilling, Midnight Meat Train is definitely not for the faint of heart, but conversely, it may not be quite brutal enough for hardcore horror fans who relish the Saws of the world. Is it worth watching? Most definitely. Is it a keeper? Probably not. But the meat cleaver will remain in your memory banks long after the movie is over.

"Now serve, as we all do, without question......"

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Flight of the Living Dead: Outbreak….

Flight of the Living Dead is a relatively new zombie flick (2007) that sort of incorporates Snakes on a Plane thrills with a sort of Dawn of the Dead feel. It sounds kind of loser-y I know, but you might be surprised to find yourself liking this one.

Cause & Effect

Your typical "let's reanimate the dead so they can fight our wars" scientific mentality comes in to play right out of the gate. This scientist however has not gotten the o.k. from the powers that be, so he has enlisted a fellow scientist to play guinea pig for his genetically engineered virus.

Upon trying to "smuggle" said guinea pig in the cargo hold of a flight from LA to Paris, the ideal plan goes horribly awry (never saw THAT one coming) when the plane hits not one, but two severe thunderstorms. The result of course, is your required electronics malfunction that not only messes up the radio system so the plane cannot make ground contact should they need to (hint hint) but it also means that the sealed container holding the scientist/guinea pig becomes conveniently unsealed setting her free.

A guard set in place to keep an eye on things gets freaked out by the scientist crawling out of her box, so even though she is still human at this point, he shoots and kills her causing the virus to take full effect (good thing he hung around long enough to feed the now reanimated zombie's growing hunger!)

So enter a couple more scientists (one of which is the zombie chicks clueless hubby) who decide to check out the cargo hold to make sure nothing has gone wrong due to all the turbulence. Hhhmmm... 2 fresh scientists.... 2 new zombies with appetites.... yup. That makes 4 zombies.

And they are all pretty damned hungry!

Result

It doesn't take long for the 4 zombies to spread the joy and soon there is a mass attack on board the flight. One by one innocent passengers are brutally attacked and eaten. This also means that one by one the human count drops, and the zombie count rises.

Luckily a few good men still stand strong against the attack, as they try to make ground contact in a desperate attempt to stop the military from blasting them out of the sky. Surely the survival of 3 or 4 humans is worth the risk of say, 100 zombies loose in an airport...... right???

Recommendation

I don't think this movie is gonna go down in the annals of history as one of the great cult classics (think The Living Dead.) There are no great one liners; the cast is weak; the zombies bursting out of the airplane floor and bathroom walls is a bit more than ridiculous, but I must confess, the blood shed is pretty damned good. I found that it actually amused me even though I caught myself rolling my eyes alot.

I think that probably goes to show that if it has zombies in it, chances are I will watch it and be glad that I did. But then again, I like these Z type B wannabes. They make me laugh.

So what do you think? Did you see it?

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