Wake In Fright (1971)

Starring: Donal Pleasance, Gary Bond
Director: Ted Kotcheff


Premise:
A school teacher from the a small town in the Outback heads to Sydney for his yearly break. Along the way he loses his money and gets stuck in another small town where he is taken in by a local. Over the coarse of a few days this educated man goes down a spiral of depravity and loses his sense of being.

My Take:
A fine film about how easy it can be for a person to spiral out of control when put in certain situations. There is violence in almost every frame of this movie (both real and anticipated) including an incredibly intense kangaroo hunt that is sure to turn a few stomachs. It's an intense movie to watch and just might have you thinking about situation in your own life.

Rating: So Good

 


 
Fringes of Horror by Sean Kimmel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
Based on a work at www.seankimmel.com.

Fiend Without A Face (1958)

Starring: Marshall Thompson, Kim Parker
Director: Arthur Crabtree

Premise:
In a small community which houses a military base, strange murders begin happening. The local blames the military and the military believes it to be invisible vampires.

My Take:
Pure sci-fi camp is the best way to describe this film. It is unique in that the creatures are actually created by a scientist's mind and gain their power through radiation. Yep, this flick is out there.

Rating: Warning





Fringes of Horror by Sean Kimmel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
Based on a work at www.seankimmel.com

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012)

Starring: Martin Freeman, Ian McKellar, Richard Artimage, James Nesbitt, Aiden Turner, Graham McTavish, Ken Stott
Director: Peter Jackson

Premise:
A young hobbit, Bilbo Baggins, is persuaded by a wizard, Gandolf, to accompany a band of dwarves to Smaug, the dwarves former home which a dragon has since took over.

My Take:
Honestly, I was a disappointed with the movie. It look greats and every thing, especially the action sequences, but it's feels like too stretched out and long. The first forty minutes is the relucant Baggins preparing for a journey he doesn't want to go on (which is a tad boring) and then next two hours is the group falling into one hardship into another (which is tad much). It never lets up as the group battles giants to trolls to goblins to orcs. It's worth watching and maybe you will enjoy it more than me.

Rating:In the middle





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The Monitor (2011)

AKA: Babycall

Starring: Naomi Rapace, Kristoffer Joner
Director: Pål Sletaune


Premise:
An over protective and emotionally fragile mother starts to hear sounds of abuse through a newly bough baby monitor which causes her to become paranoid about her recent past.

My Take:
A stylish film is bogged down a tad by the an average story. It's fairly simple to figure out what is going on and what the outcome will be. The positives are plenty however and witnessing a powerhouse performace by Rapace as she breaks down emotionally as time ticks away is worth the viewing alone.

Rating: In the middle

 


 
Fringes of Horror by Sean Kimmel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
Based on a work at www.seankimmel.com.

The Clearing

Author: Thomas Rydder


Premise:
A small town in Pennsylvania is tormented by a pack of larger than normal wolves with a hidden agenda.

My Take:
The author manages to put a new spin on werewolf lore yet keeps the familiarity of the lore intact. The book is full of rich characters, a realistic setting, and a nice plot which keeps the reader guessing at every turn. I ended up very impressed with this novel.

Rating: So Good




 
Fringes of Horror by Sean Kimmel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
Based on a work at www.seankimmel.com.

Loft (2008)

AKA: Tödliche Affären

Starring: Matthias Schoenaerts
Director: Erik Van Looy


Premise:
Five married men share a loft as a place where they all take their mistresses. One night they all come in to find a dead women and they realize that one of them is a murderer.

My Take:
An outstanding mystery seeps through this film. It had me guessing up until the end. Excellent cinemaphotography helps add to the mood.

Rating: So Good


 



 
Fringes of Horror by Sean Kimmel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
Based on a work at www.seankimmel.com.

The Bay (2012)

Starring: Kether Donohue, Kristen Connolly
Director: Barry Levison


Premise:
A small, coastal town is over ran by an infectious parasite. 

My Take:
A solid eco-horror flick provides realistic scares. The documentary style helps add to the narrative as never seems too obtrusive thanks to veteran director Levison's masterful skills. The script does have a few holes in it, which works against it. Regardless, I felt satisfied by the time credits roll.

Rating: In the middle

 


 
Fringes of Horror by Sean Kimmel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
Based on a work at www.seankimmel.com.

Raaz: The Mystery Continues (2009)

AKA: Raaz 2

Starring: Kangana Ranaut, Emraan Hashmi
Director: Mohit Suri


Premise:
A model gets possessed by an angry spirit and she must find out why.

My Take:
A watchable movie that does run a too long due to the song and dance routines found in many Indian films. The script is rather cliched and not the least bit scary. The actors do a fine job and the colors are amazing, also typical of an Indian film.

Rating: In the middle




 
Fringes of Horror by Sean Kimmel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
Based on a work at www.seankimmel.com.

Scream and Scream Again (1970)

Starring: Vincent Price, Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing, Peter Sallis
Director: Gordon Hessler


Premise:
Police follow a serial killer to a scientists' lab where they find a scientist creating super spies.

My Take:
What hurts this film the most is bad directing decesions. There are several longs (and not needed) takes thoughtout the movie including a never ending chase scene and laughable fight scene with Vincent Price. It was boring and more substance is needed. I can only watch the great Christopher Lee ride in a police car and say "he's heading this way" so many times before I get irrated. Good thing the plot kept me guessing in between as it's very different and goes all over the place.

Rating: Warning




 
Fringes of Horror by Sean Kimmel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
Based on a work at www.seankimmel.com.

Warehouse 13, Season 4 part 1 (2012)

Starring: Joanne Kelly, Eddie McClintock, Sal Rubinek, Allison Scagliotti, Aaron Ashmore


Synopsis:
A group of secret agents find cursed artifacts from history before damage is done onto the world.

The first pat of season 4 sees Arnie reversing the damage caused by Pandora's Box with an even more dangerous artificat. He tries to keep this secret from the other agents while chaos keeps onse step ahead of the team.

My Take:
I always thought this was a fun show that hits the perfect balance of drama, action, comedy, mystery, and at times fright. And the cast is terrific. Too bad SyFy Channel feels the need to break it up into two parts with months between each (like they do with many shows). This season banked a little more of a fear factory and the reprecussions of ones actions than previous ones. And it does so with fantastic results. 

Favorite Episode:
"We All Fall Down" - The midseason finale was a whopper It ties almost everything up from the previous episodes while laying out the main story for the second half of the season. 

Rating: So Good

Fringes of Horror by Sean Kimmel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
Based on a work at www.seankimmel.com.

John Dies At the End (2012)

Starring: Paul Giamatti, Chase Williamson, Rob Mayes
Director: Don Cascarelli


Premise:
Two slackers has adverse effects to a new street drug. It allows them to see supernatural things and they uncover a plot for creatures from an alternate universe to take over our world.

My Take:
I'm a huge fan of the novel and there was so much in the story that would be hard to trasnlate into the film medium as it is simply over the top and dense. Cascarelli does an excellent job though at getting a good amount of the pure craziness into the film to construct a coheret narrative while hitting the right comedic and horror tones. The cast does an excellent job too. Overall, it's an entertaining adaptation.   

Rating: So Good





Fringes of Horror by Sean Kimmel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
Based on a work at www.seankimmel.com

The Chernobyl Diaries (2012)

Starring:Ingrid Bolsø Berdal, Jonathan Sadowski, Jesse McCartney, Olivia Dudley, Dimitri Diatchenko
Director: Bradley Parker


Premise:
A group of urban explorers sneak into the abandoned city of Pripyat. They quickly find out others still remain and want to eat the group.

My Take:
The story isn't the problem with the movie. I actually like the idea and the filming. The details are what kills it as most of the characters are one dimensional cliches (especially the foreigners) which the viewer could care less about. I think the cast does well with what it's given. The movie does look good, dispite being filmed in a found footage style.

Rating: In the middle

 


 
Fringes of Horror by Sean Kimmel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
Based on a work at www.seankimmel.com.

Body Parts (1992)

Starring: Teri Marlowe
Director: Michael Paul Girard, Jan Marlyn Reesman


Premise:
A killer video tapes the killing of a group of strippers from the same club and the police must figure out who it is.

My Take:
This one is a Troma stinker and not in the good way. For almost the entire length of the flick it's about a serial killer investigation and then in the final a demon possession is really the culprit. Right out of the blue, for no reason what so ever. Sorry I ruined it. But let's be honest. You weren't going to watch it anyways. And the comedy is just bad.

Rating: Steaming Pile




 
Fringes of Horror by Sean Kimmel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
Based on a work at www.seankimmel.com.

Destination Truth, Season 5 part 1 (2012)

Starring: Josh Gates


Synopsis:
A team of crypto hunters/paranormal investigators search the globe trying to find the truth behind legends, myths, and lore

My Take:
I simply enjoy this show. The also choose interesting cases to investigate and generally seem to have fun seeking the truth. No exception in the first half of season five.

Favortie Case:
"Return to the Haunted Forest" - The second trip to the Hoia Baciu Forest in Romania. This place is loaded with strange, unexplainable activity.




Rating: So Good

Fringes of Horror by Sean Kimmel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
Based on a work at www.seankimmel.com.

The Awakening (2012)

Starring: Rebecca Hall, Dominic West, Imelda Staunton
Director: Nick Murphy


Premise:
During the early 1920's in England, a woman becomes famous for exposing ghost hoaxes. She is hired by a boarding school to find out if the school is haunted.

My Take:
A nice movie with a lot of layers, most of which you probably wont see coming. Rebecca Hall is fantastic as the grief stricken exposer who wants to find a sign of the afterlife to help ease her own pain. Actually, the entire cast is excellent. And there is more than few eerie moments.

Rating: So Good





 
Fringes of Horror by Sean Kimmel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
Based on a work at www.seankimmel.com.

Grey Knight (1993)

Starring: Corbin Bernsen, Adrian Pesdar, David Arquette, Ray Wise, Martin Sheen, Billy Bob Thorton, Cynda Williams
Director:George Hickenlooper


Premise:
Slave traders accidentally release an entity which possesses soldiers during the Civil War. Members from both the North and the South form an strong army of the undead and it's up to small group of Northern soldiers and their Southern captive to stop them.

My Take:
A stellar cast effortlessly makes their way through a very orginal story. The movie is heavy on atmosphere and suspense while keeping the gore almost nonexistent. It's hard to find new ideas in the genre of horror, but this brings something new to the table.

Rating: So Good

 



 
Fringes of Horror by Sean Kimmel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
Based on a work at www.seankimmel.com.

The Beast (1975)

AKA: La Bete


Starring: Lisbeth Hummel, Guy Tréjan
Director: Walerian Borowczyk

Premise:
Two wealthy families arrange a marriage between their son and daughter. The daughter arrives at the estate, which has a legend surrounding it about a roaming beast, to meet the family.

My Take:
This film threw me off a bit. I simply was not expecting to see many of things put in this movie and it's rather hard to shock me. There is a lot of werewolf on human sex complete with phallus and multiple ejaculations. Granted it's all special effects and done in a dream type sequence, but it's really strange. It's very easy to see why the movie has been banned for so long in numerous countries, but it's also the reason film connisuers might want to watch it.

Rating: Warning

 



 
Fringes of Horror by Sean Kimmel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
Based on a work at www.seankimmel.com.