Signs (2002)

Genre: Horror, Sci-Fi

Director: M. Night Shyamalan 

Writer: M. Night Shyamalan 

Staring: Mel Gibson, Joaquin Phoenix, Rory Culkin 

Rating: ★★★★

Signs isn't just a Sci fi film about aliens and crop circles, it's a film about fate and how life gives you signs of what's meant to be. Although inspirational to some extent it's horrifying, M. Night Shyamalan's has written and directed a fantastic film, the use of sound or the lack of it, in silence creates a fear of the unknown and a fear of the unheard. It's an amazing film with an amazing crew as well as cast that will make you leave a few half empty glasses of water around your house. 

The film follows the "Hess" family who owns a farm in the small town of Bucks County in Pennsylvania. Former Reverend Graham (Mel Gibson) has just recently lost his wife, with his faith being tested he then discovers crop circles up to 500ft big in his field, later finding out he's one of many to suffer world-wide. He lives with his two kids Morgan, who suffers badly from asthma and Bo, a little girl who is more than a little picky when it comes to water and finally his brother Merrill (Joaquin Phoenix) a former mini league baseball player known for his big swing. After animals start behaving strange, crop circles getting more than enough publicity world wide and some dodgy baby monitor reception they are all in too deep and are about to encounter the unknown and be tested as a family. 

As I said before Signs isn't just about crop circles, its about fate and signs that aren't always visible in life giving an inspirational twist on a Sci fi horror making it stand out to the rest. It's also a heart warming story about how a family sticks together and fights its way through hard times. M. Night Shyamalan has written a film that will make you shiver and give you chills not only due to horror but due to the relationships between the characters. The key element that sticks out is the sound, the use of silence makes you fear the unknown and creates a feeling of loneliness and helplessness, for me it was the best thing about this film alongside the cinematography and the suspense created by keeping the antagonist off screen until the climax. 

M. Night Shyamalan was at his best when creating this film in my opinion, it deserves all the credit it can get. It's one of my favourite films that discuss the topic of extraterrestrials due to its different approach and use of tin foil hats. It's one to watch on a dark lonely night for sure, but don't expect to get much sleep after. 

Ghost (1990)

U

Genre: Drama, Fantasy, Romance

Director: Jerry Zucker

Writer: Bruce Joel Rubin

Staring: Patrick Swayze, Demi Moore 

Rating: ★★★★

Ghost is a film that shows love can even transcend death. It mixes the two genres of romance and thriller together effectively to create a heart warming story that unfolds before your eyes. It has a outstanding acting, a magical soundtrack all completed by a great storyline. 

Sam Wheat (Patrick Swayze) is a banker who has just recently moved in to a new apartment in New York with his girlfriend Molly Jenson (Demi Moore). After a date to the theatre together they walk back home through a dark alley, a robber jumps out and demands Sam's wallet at gun point. Refusing to give in they get into a scuffle and Sam gets shot and dies however his spirit stays on earth. He realises his death was no accident or coincidence and that Molly is in danger, through the use of psychic Oda-Mae Brown (Whoopi Goldberg) Sam has to reveal his death true meaning and protect his love, Molly. 

The on-screen romance at the start of the film between Sam and Molly shows such a connection from the way they touch and look at each other. It sets up one of the most famous scenes in film history and one of the best romances. The film focuses on how their love is eternal and can even transcend death. Whilst the characters of Sam and Molly provide a eye watering romance, Oda Mae Brown provides eye watering comedy. Whoopi Goldberg plays a hustler con artist who poses as a medium who just happens to discover her true powers when Sam arrives. She's from the "ghetto" and is tough cookie, but she changes as she helps Sam protect Molly and uncover his murderer. Ghost also provides thrills and tense scenes that keep you entertained. 

For me the acting in Ghost is faultless, the romance between Sam and Molly is so real, Patrick Swayze and Demi Moore were very convincing and made it believable, for me making it one of the best film love stories. This was completed and entwined with magical score and soundtrack including "unchained melody" and the theme song Ghost written by Maurice Jarre. Ghost is a endless classic and one you can watch over and over again, it has everything to entertain you with comedy, romance and thrills all embedded into an amazing unique storyline. 

Review: My Little Eye (2002)

Genre: Horror

Director: Marc Evans 

Writers: David Hilton, James Watkins

Staring: Sean Cw Johnson, Kris Lemche, Jennifer Sky

Rating: ★½

My Little Eye has the potential to be a great film due to its unique storyline however instead of providing gasps and jumps it creates snores and yawns. In a period where British Horrors were thriving with the likes of Dog Soldiers and 28 Days Later, My Little Eye definitely lets down the team and failed to make an impression on anyone. Maybe it was the unknown actors and crew or maybe it was because it has the least amount of horrifying moments produced by a horror ever. 

The storyline plays homage to at the time recent and popular reality TV series Big Brother. Five contestants must stay in a completely isolated house for six months, if they all stay they win $1million however if one leaves or breaks the rules they all loose. Each contestant represents the classic stereotypes, you have your innocent fragile virgin, the whore, the jock and the comic relief. Everything is there and in place to make a great movie however they choose to put all the action at the end. 

The group eventually finds out that they're not being broadcasted as a young Bradley Cooper who plays Travis who works and pratically lives on the Internet discovers the house when skiing and explains how he's never heard of them or seen a single advertisement online.  The reason they're in the house soon becomes clear, they are there to be watched and tortured by "the company". However torture in this film is a crate of bricks being delivered or a nasty message being left of a steamed up window, not a limb cut off. There is then a big plot twist at the end that brings the action and violence you would expect, however for me it's too little to late and many of you would of probably switched of well before. 

The acting is of low quality and it feels scripted and unnatural, the score is again below average and fails at trying to create any suspense and tension. The only creditable thing about this film is the use of in narrative cameras giving us a constant third person outsider perspective. No wonder this film isn't heard of by many and I'm sure now Hollywood star Bradley Cooper wants to keep it that way, its possibly the most boring horror to date, the rating I'm giving it is purely for the storyline. I wouldn't rush to see this one. Marc Evans and My Little Eye you've been evicted please pack up your bags and leave! 

Review: The Descent (2005)

Genre: Horror, Adventure

Director: Neil Marshall 

Writer: Neil Marshall

Staring: Shauna Mcdonald, Natalie Mendoza

Rating: ★★★½

Just like Danny Boyle's 28 Days Later three years previous, The Descent is another British horror film that was both popular in the UK as well as the US producing an American sequel. Neil Marshall, director of Dog Soldiers this time takes on an all female cast that go caving and discover some more than unfriendly inhabitants. Providing thrills, jumps and shocks it truly lives up to its genre. 

The film follows the character of Sarah (Shauna Mcdonald) who has just recently lost her husband and daughter in a horrific accident shown at the beginning of the film. Despite no longer being in the stage of grieving Sarah is obviously still suffering from her loss but however agrees to go on a routine caving trip with her friends to Boreham Caverns. The narrative has a side plot and a in group protagonist of Juno (Natalie Mendoza) after it becomes obvious she was having an affair with Sarah's late husband. Juno, who's planned this caving trip decides against the tourist options and take the girls to an unknown cave in the hope of them being the first to discover it but all this is unknown and a surprise to the girls. 

When in the unknown cave system things start to go wrong and their entrance and possibly only
exit becomes blocked, eventually a worried panicky Juno tells the group the truth. However they're still far from knowing what they are getting themselves into, the cave is home to hundreds of blood thirsty monsters. These "crawlers" are fast, clever and hunt in packs for flesh and the group become top of their menu. Being hunted the group must try to escape the cave, however Sarah has other things on her mind as she sets of for revenge on Juno. The rest of film fuels on tense chase scenes, providing many jumps and scares. It also focuses on the transformation of Sarah and how troubled she really becomes, from visions of her dead daughter to extreme acts of violence.

The Descent is a very different and unique horror, for starters its all female cast is something we don't often see and it strays from the stereotype. The "crawlers" are a new take on a monster, they however provide blood, guts and gore as they hunt the group down, creating just what we expect. The setting is also something new, however despite this innovation as a viewer you still get what you came to see, and that's a thrilling, gore-filled horror. The acting despite not standing out is good and is something you come to expect nowadays, although Shauna Mcdonalds performance as Sarah is worth a mention. For me the editing and the graphics of the "crawlers" is something that deserves credit, they are realistic but at the same time horrifying and will really stay in your mind. The sound used also creates suspense moments, although mostly its natural diegetic score when long silences and stings are used its effective and well timed so be prepared to jump.

 Neil Marshall definitely represented the British horror industry positively once again as The Descent is a great horror and its no surprise the Americans made a sequel. A film that's somewhat discredited and underrated but for me it's one to watch, a film very much accurate to its genre and good for a dark night.

28 Days Later (2002)

                                                                      

Genre: Horror, Sci-Fi, Thriller

Director: Danny Boyle 

Writer: Alex Garland

Staring: Cillian Murphy, Naomie Harris,  Christopher Eccleston

Rating:★★★

The British horror industry definitely got boosted when Danny Boyle released his post apocalyptic film in 2002. The film although low budget was a big hit in both the UK and US and even produced an American sequel 28 Weeks Later. The film starts in a lab, where animal testing on chimpanzees is taking place, when animal rights members break in to set them free it soon appears that the chimpanzees have been injected with something and are now all infected. We are given knowledge that the scientists have injected them with an "inhibitor" that causes rage, making the at first innocent and harmless chimps into blood thirsty killing machines. Ignoring warnings they free them only to be attacked and infected themselves, spreading to humans it then becomes a national pandemic wiping out the population and turning them into rage infested "zombies". 

Now knowing how the problem was caused the film focuses on the 28 days after and follows the life of Jim (Cillian Murphy) who has just woken up in hospital after a collision with a car when he was delivering a parcel on his bike. Unknown to him that his former life is now history and he's about to walk out into a living hell he adventures across an abandoned London in search of life. However all he can find is dead, but the living dead? As he gets chased by a hoard he gets rescued by two over survivors Selena and Mark (Naomie Harris, Noah Huntley ). Held up in a corner shop they're protected and have good and shelter and explain to a confused Jim what has happened.

Without ruining the film and giving away spoilers things go wrong when Jim searches for his family in what used to be his home. They then discover more survivors in a block of flats in a more rural London, Frank (Brendan Gleesan), a  friendly cockney cab driver with a passion for wine and his daughter Hannah (Megan Burns), a 12 year old who knows how to change a tyre and hand-break turn. They set off for a "safe camp" a last resort in Manchester where they believe its safe and the military have a cure. After playing homage to Dawn of The Dead 1978 in a local Budgens they arrive in Manchester but is the answer to infection there? The rest of the film is set in an heritage countryside mansion but the zombies aren't Jim's only problem when he finds out the military have alternative motives.

 

28 Days Later is very different to other films of its genre, it takes a different approach on the "zombie" with the idea of rage, which at the time was a very common and talked about theory. I rate this film highly when looking on the technical side, for such a low budget film that used such underdeveloped equipment 28 Days Later has some remarkable shots. Danny Boyle captures the eye with an extraordinary opening sequence of a completed isolated London, something so rare and almost impossible to achieve again. He also makes it clear this is a British film unlike most others that play to the American audience and stereotype. The score and original soundtrack is also worth a mention, repetitively played throughout the film it creates a tense atmosphere but at the same time its refreshing and encouraging. Although a "horror", 28 Days doesn't have too many moments where you jump or gasp, it plays more on conflict between survivors and relationships. Despite this the film does have some gore and the bloody violence you would expect in the closing sequence. 

Although its no classic compared to the Dawn Of The Dead's it should be credited and for me it is one of the best British horror films in the last decade. Danny Boyle producing another must watch film as always.