Leatherface (2017)

Starring: Lili Taylor, Stephen Doriff, Sam Strike, Vanessa Grasse, Finn Jones, Sam Coleman, Jessican Madsen, James Bloor
Director: Alexandre Bustillo, Julien Maury


Premise:
A young man gets put into a mental institution due to his family being unfit. The kid and a few others escape and get chased down by the sadistic sheriff.

My Take:
Did we really need a Leatherface origin story. Especially one so cut and dry - kid from a bad home has traumatizing experience that turns him into a killer. There's nothing too special here and the movie is played far more as police chase movie.

Rating: In the middle

Watched: Netflix DVD

Fringes of Horror by Sean Kimmel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License
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Wrong Turn 4: Bloody Beginnings (2011)

Starring: Jennifer Pudavick, Kaitlyn Leeb, Tenika Davis, Terra Vnesa
Director: Decaln O'Brien


Premise:
A group of college kids get stranded on a mountain during a snowstorm. They take refuge in an abandoned mental hospital not knowing that it is home to a group of cannibals.

My Take:
The origin tale of cannibals One Eye, Saw Tooth, and Three Fingers is about what one might expect. Plenty of gore and stupidity.

Rating: Warning

Watched: Cinemax

Fringes of Horror by Sean Kimmel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License
An affiliate of http://seankimmel.com/

Insidious: The Last Key (2018)

Starring: Linn Shaye, Leigh Whannel, Angus Sampson, Kirk Acevedo, Josh Stewart, Spencer Locke
Director: Adam Robitel


Premise:
A parapsychologists takes a case that leads her back to her childhood home where the calling first began.

My Take:
This sequel/prequel completes the background tale of Elise Rainier with a solid story.

Rating: In the middle

Watched: Netflix DVD

Fringes of Horror by Sean Kimmel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License
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Annabelle: Creation (2017)

Starring: Anthony LaPaglia, Mirando Otto, Samara Lee, Lulu Wilson
Director: David F. Sandberg


Premise:
A doll maker's daughter dies in a car accident. Twelve years later he and his wife open their large house to a group of orphans. The youngest soon becomes a target of a possessed doll.

My Take:
I actually liked this prequel better than the first prequel. It has a lot more natural creepiness and scares. The two movies tie in together in fine fashion at the end. My big complaint is there could have been a little bit more with how the doll got possessed instead of just of just telling the audience.

Rating: So Good

Watched: Netflix DVD

Fringes of Horror by Sean Kimmel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License
An affiliate of http://seankimmel.com/

Insidious: Chapter 3 (2015)

Starring: Lin Shaye, Dermot Mulroney, Stefanie Scott, Angus Sampson
Director: Leigh Whannel


Premise:
The prequel to the popular series goes back to how a paranormal investigative team came together as they help a father who may have a possessed daughter.

My Take:
The movie provides decent scares and a solid cast. It's a good backstory with the pivotal characters while providing an entirely new story.

Rating: In the middle


Watched: Netflix DVD





Fringes of Horror by Sean Kimmel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License
An affiliate of http://seankimmel.com/

Annabelle (2014)

Starring: Annabelle Wallis, Ward Horton, Alfre Woodard, Tony Amendola
Director: John R. Leonetti


Premise:
A doll gets a demon inhabiting it which creates havoc for a couple expecting a new born.

My Take:
The first thirty minutes does a fine job on jarring up the tension with a home invasion and the couple coming to terms with what happened in their quiet neighborhood. The rest of the movie has some moments but not enough to make it memorable.The doll itself it quite creepy.

Rating: In the middle


Watched: Starz

Fringes of Horror by Sean Kimmel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License
An affiliate of http://seankimmel.com/

Tremors 4: The Legend Begins (2004)

Starring: Michael Gross, Billy Drago
Director: S.S. Wilson


Premise:
In the Old American West, an upstart mining town awakens underground creatures

My Take:
A fun entry in the Tremors lore.

Rating: In the middle


Watched: AMC

Fringes of Horror by Sean Kimmel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License
An affiliate of http://seankimmel.com/

Fear the Walking Dead, Season 1 (2015)

Starring: Kim Dickens, Cliff Curtis, Ruben Blades, Mercedes Mason, Elizabeth Rodriguez,


Premise:
A group of people come together when a epidemic sweeps the globe.

My Take:
For a series claiming to be how The Walking Dead began it felt rushed and was very underwhelming on how things really got started. It's basically a group of people banding together at the beginning of the outbreak in Los Angeles. Most of the time they are under government protection in a compound asking "what is going on?". Maybe my expectations were too high. Not all is lost however, it was a short season and perhaps some things will get flushed out as the series progresses in season two.

Rating: In the middle

Watched: AMC

Fringes of Horror by Sean Kimmel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License
An affiliate of http://seankimmel.com/

Prometheus (2012)

Starring: Noomi Rapace, Micheal Fassbender, Charlize Theron, Logan Marshall-Green
Director: Ridley Scott


Premise:
Archeologists find a common link to several ancient cultures, the same drawing of the stars. A group of scientists head across the universe for the planet in search of the alien beings. What the team ends up finding is beyond their worst horrors.

My Take:
I cant talk in depth about the movie without giving away major spoilers, which I try not to do on these short reviews. 
This movie is not a true prequel to the Alien franchise but a more a direct link to the series which set in an earlier time frame. The first half is a very thought provoking and dares to challenge a lot of people's beliefs. Then the second half is filled with a lot more action and gore but is just as thought provoking. And Fassbender is amazing in this movie.
A visual stunning masterpiece. I recommend watching in 3D as it flows perfectly but isn't distracting.

Rating: Mind Blowing



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.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011)

Starring: James Franco, John Lithgow, Andy Serkis
Director: Rupert Wyatt

Premise:
A scientist trying to cure Alzheimer's takes a baby chimp home to raise when the project is shut down. The chimp becomes an ultra intelligent being. After the chimp attacks a neighbor he is sent to an ape shelter, where he leads a revolution of the species to take on the abusive humans.

My Take:
I've never been a fan of the Apes flicks but after seeing this on so many best of lists I decided to give it a chance. 
I was engrossed in the first two-thirds of the movie watching the chimp develop and eventually break free from his abusive captors. But the final act became a bit too action oriented for me. Still I've watched far worse movies.
And I love the seeds planted for future movies in this franchise.


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 Thing (2011)

Starring: Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Joel Edgerton
Director: Matthijs van Heijningen Jr.


Premise:
A Norwegian scientific team in Antarctica finds an alien spacecraft buried in the ice. They extract the alien corpse and soon it begins to take over the complex.

My Take:
John Carpenter's The Thing is my all time favorite horror movie. It's perfect. Period. So I had my reservations about the prequel.
The movie has a strong cast of fairly believable characters. It does a good job of filling in most of the blanks about what happened at the Norwegian base and the dig site. The movie tows a fine line between being similar to Carpenter's movie yet different with it's scenarios. While the CGI effects are above average, it in no way compares to the awesome special effects in Carpenter's version. And the prequel doesn't come close to building the same tension and claustrophobia as Carpenter's but then again, it doesn't try. It goes for the more out in the open and chaotic approach.

With all that said, one can't really compare this one to Carpenter's outstanding film. In in the end the movie is a true prequel and not a remake. The movie is quite enjoyable on it's own.

Rating: In the middle (but really fun)





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.

Bereavement (2011)

Director: Steven Mena
Starring: Michael Biehn, Brett Rickaby, Alexandra Daddario


Premise:
A prequel to above average serial killer flick Malevolence. Starts with Allison moving to the country to live with her uncle's family after her mother and father died. He lives down the road from the infamous slaughterhouse. She sees a young boy in the abandoned building and gets curious. The young boy is Martin, who was kidnapped by a serial killer and is forced to watch him torture and kill people.

My Take:
I left with the same feeling as the first movie. I enjoyed it, but some minor, logical flaws kept me from thinking it was really awesome. Still the movie asks some good questions and is better than most. If you liked Malevolence, watch this one.

Rating: In the Middle (with a lot of positives)




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.