Sinister (2012)

Starring: Ethan Hawke, James Ransone,
Director: Scott Derrickson


Premise:
A true crime writer moves his family into the home where a family was murdered years earlier as he researches their story for his next book. He finds a box of movies suggesting the families murdered might be linked to a series of others by the same killer.

My Take:
A smart movie which lead to places I did not see coming (at least based on the trailer previews). Plus whenever a film can get me on a jump scare or two it has my attention. There are many scenes here which are subtle and so disturbingly creepy. Plus Ethan Hawke is fantastic as the man who willing to sacrifice anything for one more hit novel. A must see for horror fans. 

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.

Dream (2008)

AKA: Bi-Mong

Director: Kim Ki-duk


Premise:
A man discovers his dreams are directly linked to a woman's sleepwalking.

My Take:
I'm a  big fan of director Kim Ki-duk. His movies are always interesting and many of them have horror elements while not actually being in the realm of horror. This movie, at it's core, is a love story but odd one as these two people try to figure out why they are linked. It leads to both having a fragile mental state and self mutilation before they find redemption. It's a unique movie even if I thought the character's actions were a tad silly and not thought out.

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.

Grave Encounters 2 (2012)

Starring: Richard Harmon, Sean Rodgerson, Leanne Lapp
Director: John Poliquin


Premise:
A group of college students attempt to solve the mystery behind if the "Grave Encounters" movie was real or fake by going to the asylum where it was filmed and doing their own investigation.

My Take:
I enjoyed the premise behind this sequel and how the writers set it up with the question was the first Grave Encounters movie real or a fake (a movie I really enjoyed). But once the kids got to the asylum the events start happening at a rapid fire pace and it seems rushed. It's a watchable movie that fell short of being a great sequel.

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.

Nightmares (1980)

AKA: Stage Fright

Starring: Jenny Neumann, Gary Sweet
Director: John D. Lamond

Premise:
Workers in a theater start getting killed.

My Take:
This was a hard movie to finish. It simplied annoyed me with constant flashbacks from scenes in earlier in the movie and the terrible characters. I think it was trying to be a giallo type movie but failed miserably. You are warned.

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.

Frankenweenie (2012)

Starring: Martin Short, Catherine O'Hara, Winona Ryder, Martin Landeau, Atticus Shaffer
Director: Tim Burton


Premise:
After his dog (which is also his best friend) gets hit by a car, a kid tries to revive him for a science project. However, several unintended things happen afterwards.

My Take:
A fine family film with constant nods back to classic horror monsters and a good message. Fantastic animaton too. There's a lot more going on here than what you may have seen in the previews and I was pleasantly surprised.

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.

Magic Cop (1990)

 AKA: Qu Mo Jing Cha

Starring: Ching-Ying Lam
Director: Wei Tung


Premise:
A former cop returns to the city to help the police investigate a drug cartel that uses the dead as couriers.

My Take:
This movie has martial arts, comedy, the dead being controlled by an evil sorceress, and a Taoist monk known for fighting the supernatural. It's hard not to be entertained by such things as it all blends together perferctly.

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.

Paranormal Activity 4 (2012)

Starring: Katie Featherstone, Katyrn Newton, Alexondra Lee, Stephen Dunham
Director: Henry Joost, Ariel Schulman


Premise:
A family in a queit suburban neighborhood start to have strange occurrences after a mother and son move in next door.

My Take:
For the time in the series I came away disappointed. This time instead of going back in time, the movie picks up five years after the events of the first movie. There couple of unique ways the filmmakers used to capture video this time. However unless the story gets better those items just feel gimmicky.

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.

Roommates (2006)

AKA: My Bloody Roommates / D-Day

Director: Eun-kyung Kim


Premise:
Four girls are staying at a boarding school studying for college exam. They try to adjust to each other under difficult pressure. One of them starts having visions from a past tragedy at the institute.

My Take:
The movie takes a good theme (pressure of entering college) and makes it more than just a typical Asian ghost story. It's definitely more of a slow burn where the adults in charge are at times far more frightening than the supernatural elements occuriung. Solid performances all around by the four lead actresses adds to the believability. A very watchable movie.

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.