Black Death Review by Samantha Mauney

Searching through a list of horror movies coming out this year (specifically this summer) to ward off studying for the LSAT, I came across this film listed as a 2010 favorite. So you can imagine how happy I was to find that Netflix offers to stream instantly for all of its customers.

Black Death is a supernatural, story-driven, period-piece horror flick about the effects of the bubonic plague in fourteenth century England. A local bishop's envoy and his entourage arrive at a monastery with tales of a place that the plague cannot reach. When they leave they take with them a young monk from the monastery as a guide, as he was raised in the marsh they are headed to. What the soldiers do not know is that the monk has a hidden agenda. He has sent his young lover to the marshes for her safety, with the promise to meet her there. However, it is revealed that the other men have a few secrets of their own. While they are looking for a village where there is no pestilence, that same village is a godless one that is said to be lead by a necromancer. The men seek to find it and "turn it's people back to God." With that goal in place, the story begins to move and breathe at a very comfortable pace as the search for the young monk's true love, as well as this mysterious village and its pagan sorcerer starts.

Most true horror fans will think that the film starts off WAY slow, with virtually nothing in the way of scare or suspence for the first thirty minutes. In fact, despite the fact that I was completely engrossed in the story, for a while I was wondering why both movie-moron.com and Netflix classified Black Death as a horror film to begin with. Roughly an hour into the movie, however, you'll think you're watching torture porn. While that aspect of the film doesn't last very long at all, from that point on the film is remarkably fast-paced, and amazingly compelling.

I cannot begin to state how remarkable the acting was in this movie. Eddie Redmayne (Pillars of the Earth, Elizabeth I, Glorious 39), one of my favorite young British actors, shines as a young man of the cloth who's having a hard time keeping to his vows. By far the character with the most growth, you see both innocence and cold-hearted malice in his performance, two qualities that Eddie Redmayne is a master at conveying, garnering him praise in Pillars of the Earth and Glorious 39.

However, most of you will probably recognize the great Sean Bean (Lord of the Rings, Game of Thrones, GoldenEye) more easily. It's no argument that Bean is a wonderful and highly-seasoned actor, and his performance here does not dissapoint. Unfortunately, his character, while it certainly has depth, has no real arc to it, so we see Bean once again playing the unchanging, honorable soldier. It would have been nice to see him in a role with more development. Other characters in the film are just as honorable, but are not given enough screen time to be as likable.

The cinematography in this film is fairly one-note, though quite captivating. The bleak color present throughout the movie helps to convey the atmosphere in England int he 1300's. The harshness of the landscape will never let you forget that there is death all around, as inescapable and as fast as the fog hovering above the marsh. Exactly what you'd expect from a Medieval action movie, but presented in a nice way nonetheless.

I try to be a fiercely anti-spoiler reviewer, but I don't think that I'm giving away too much by saying that religion is a huge theme in this film (but that doesn't by any means mean that it's preachy or any other negative connotation you associate with religion). With that come love, temptation, betrayl, lust, vengeance, and duty: all of which make a for great story, and that's truly what this film is. I disagree with Netflix calling it primarily a supernatural horror, but there are definitely parts of the story that are horrific. Unfortunately, the true scares only account for about 10% of the movie. I will say that the lack of jump-off-the-couch-scares and on-the-edge-of-your-seat suspense is due to the complete devotion to realism of Christopher Smith and Dario Poloni, the director and screenwriter. I really like and respect that there is no suspension of disbelief necessary for any part of the story, and that fact, more than any torturous scene, is the most horrific aspect of this film. Watch Black Death if you like original, extremely well-written, action films in addition to horror. Don't watch if you're looking for something to keep you awake when things go bump in the night.

Super 8 Review by Corbin Bond

Today, I had the amazing opportunity to go see Super 8 with my dad and older brother, and let me tell you one thing. This movie was an awesome experience! Before I get into an in depth review I do want to mention that there may be some minor spoilers but nothing too bad. Anyways, the film is about a group of kids that are just getting out of school for the summer in the late 70s/ early 80s. They plan to spend their summer filming a super 8 zombie horror film to be submitted to a Ohio Film Festival. Meanwhile the main character, Joe, who works with makeup and effects, is currently trying to move on following the death of his mother 4 months earlier and dealing with an especially distant father, who is a deputy in the local police force.
One night after, sneaking out to film a scene for their movie at a train station on the edge of town, they are witness to, and almost killed by, a massive train crash that later leads into many unusual and otherworldly occurrences in the small town. The military comes in and soon, these children are about to learn that their small little town is about to become victim to a dangerous government secret that could lead to the destruction of their town while a mysterious "thing" lurks in the shadows. It's a race against time as the characters must stand together against both the military and this unknown force that could easily destroy them if time runs out.
Okay, that was just the gist of what this Hollywood spectacle has to offer. Let me first start by saying that if you love the classic Steven Spielberg films, such as Close Encounters of the Third Kind, E.T., The Goonies, Jaws, and even Jurassic Park, then you will undoubtedly love this movie as it is clearly J.J. Abrams (director of Cloverfield and Star Trek) love letter to the classic Spielberg films that made going to the movies fun. What Abrams does that makes this film so successful is he makes it very character driven. The characters can either make or break a movie, but Abrams cast amazing young actors and non-A-listed celebs to portray the roles in the film with realistic emotions and depth. Meanwhile, this film is also outstanding in how it keeps to the nostalgia. From beginning to the end, you literally feel immersed in 1970's/1980's culture all the way down to the most infinitesimal detail.
Speaking of Spielberg, who also worked together with Abrams on the film, Super 8 has many moments that look and feel very much like a classic Spielberg moment. There are moments that are shocking, touching, terrifying, violent, and powerful. The film succeeds very well in being an amazing Sci-Fi monster movie. Though it doesn't have the touching connection of child and alien like in E.T., there are those moments that feel like you are watching Elliot on his bike when it is really Joe or his friends. Furthermore, this film has some rather frightening and suspenseful moments that can easily make you jump. There is a lot of atmosphere in the night scenes of this film to easily consider it as Sci-Fi Horror. This idea may also relate to how Spielberg used to delve into multiple genres in his films. For example, though Jaws was a fantastic Horror film, it also had touching moments of a drama. This film is no different, there are some clever chills and thrills, and even some bloody moments to make any fan of classic Spielberg happy.
As for the actors, I was very impressed with the cast, especially with how they were not very well known actors. They were all very believable in their portrayal of 1970s/1980s life. The child actors are especially note worthy in that they are the ones that hold the movie together. The best ones in my opinion were the actor who played Joe and Elle Fanning (Dakota Fanning's younger sister), who played the role of Alice. Fanning really delivers a wonderful performance as a young and somewhat troubled girl and at times she literally had me on the verge of tears. As for the adult actors, Kyle Chandler was awesome as Joe's father and the deputy. There were moments where his character made me angry yet he had a way of subtly provoking pity due to his situation. Overall, the casting was impressive.
The most impressive part of this film though has to be in the cinematography and effects. One stand out scene has to be the catastrophic train crash at the beginning of the film. Abrams utilized the combination of CGI with actual sets to produce an amazing piece of eye candy in how this train crash was both extremely intense and frightening while also mesmerizing. Meanwhile, the night scenes and sound provided allowed for a lot of tension to be built up at a very good pace leading to some of the frightening moments of the film. Finally, the ending, which I will not get into too much detail with, is truly a spectacle that brings everything together and ultimately left me extremely satisfied.
Overall, I must recommend this movie to everyone. It is an amazing summer movie that will definitely gather following over the years and it should definitely be recognized as a revitalization of classic Spielberg with the right amount of scares, drama, and steady pacing to make this a movie that would be great to see in a theater. It is an awesome viewing experience, and it is also one that I shall definitely add to my movie collection when it arrives on DVD!

Eskalofrío (Shiver) Review by Samantha Mauney

This Guillermo Del Toro-produced Spanish horror/thriller packs a punch!

The film follows the story of Santiago, a photophobic/ photosensitive teenager whose condition gets so bad that his doctor recommends to his mother that they should move to the countryside, where there is less sun because of the high mountains and because the days are shorter.

At first Santiago and his mother think that their lives will finally have some sense of normalcy. Soon after the two arrive, however, strange things start to happen in the woods surrounding the small town. A farmer's sheep are found gutted on three seperate occasions, and later two people are murdered in the woods when Santi is near by. Fingers start pointing in the young boy's direction, and it is up to him to find out just what, or who, is causing all of this destruction. Is it a monster? A ghost? Someone in the town? Furthermore, why are they suddenly doing it? Finding the answer to such questions (refreshingly) takes the entire length of the film as you, the viewer, and Santi, the story's hero and underdog play detective in this 2008 horror/thriller.

A great amount of the cinematography will remind you of Twilight. A large number of sublime shots of the local landscapes are filtered through bleak but beautiful color correction to convey the perpetually overcast weather of the otherwise perfectly picturesque small town. The set designer of this film also did work for Pan's Labyrinth (Toro really does like to keep it in the family), and you will see touches of her handiwork on the many sylvian portions of the film.

The movie is definitely written with a set formula concerning characterizations and twists, but still manages to be unpredictable where it really counts. There are stock characters, but they are presented in a subtle (some others may say underdeveloped) manner. The symbolism of a troubled teen living in the shadows having to fight for what's right is also very striking, and is an important theme throughout the film. All things considered, Eskalofrío the perfect film for a lazy Saturday morning/afternoon/night.

New Promo Video and Blog Updates

Below is the Fall 2011 promo for the Virginia Horror Society called "Withheld!"

Check it out (in HD)! Rate it! Comment on it! Share it!

Also, for those of you readers who didn't know, the comment problem has been (finally) fixed! It is now possible to comment on the posts and reviews on the site.

Happy Hauntings,

Samantha M.