Terror Train – Film Review

Posted on June 15, 2021 by ashleymanningwriter

Director: Roger Spottiswoode

Starring: Jamie Lee Curtis, Ben Jonson, Hart Bochner and David Copperfield

Rating: ★★

Towards the end of the 1970s/early 1980s, Jamie Lee Curtis gained recognition for starring in horror films and being dubbed a scream queen. Halloween from 1978 is the earliest of these roles, a classic horror film that helped cement the tropes of slasher films and spawned endless sequels and copy-cat films. One of these limitations is Terror Train, also starring Jamie Lee Curtis. It’s even described by its producer, Harold Greenberg, as ‘Halloween on a train’. Greenberg asked for, and was given, the blessing to make the film from Halloween’s writers, John Carpenter and Debra Hill.

Terror Train is essentially what the creators set out to make, an imitation of Halloween. It’s no where near as good. Instead of building up a group of characters that you want to survive and the slow building of tension and horror, Terror Train gives you blank characters with no real depth or personality who are killed one by one without any tension or horror. Saying that while it may not be scary, it is in some ways charming and endearing, just not enough to carry the whole film.

It starts with a prank at a New Year’s Eve party that goes very wrong, with the victim of the prank ending up in hospital. 3 years later the same group of people, minus the prank victim, and a whole lot of extras end up on a rented train for that year’s New Year’s Eve party. One by one, members of the group die. I’m sure you can guess the ‘twist’ ending from that alone. It’s beyond obvious who the killer is going to be and at one point I actually thought they weren’t going to toy around with who it could be and just get on with it, but no we still get a red-herring or two and when the final reveal happens, there isn’t any shock.

The first thing you will notice when watching Terror Train is how bad the acting it. Pretty much the entire cast is awful. Almost none of the dialogue feels genuine or believable in the way it is delivered and when you combine that with some of the most unnatural lines of dialogue ever written, that’s where the charm comes in. There are a few moments of unintentional comedy, that makes this film charming, even if it isn’t intended.

The second thing you will notice is how dark the film is. The film is completely shot at night, due to budget constraints and the hanger they were using being too loud during the day. The lighting inside the train is dim. Instead of adding to the horror, it makes portions of the film hard to make out. Instead of being enveloped by an unsettling atmosphere, you’re straining to see what is going on. It really weakens the film. This also ruins the prologue, with the prank as you can’t see clearly enough what is going on.

The most important aspect of a slasher film is the deaths, they need to be memorable, which is another failing of Terror Train. They aren’t very good or entertaining to watch. The characters don’t really react to being attacked and they become laughable. The only person who puts up a real struggle is Curtis, and she is the one who survives being attacked.

One of the more memorable things about the film is that it stars David Copperfield, the illusionist, as a character simply named The Magician. It’s an odd addition to a slasher film, but his tricks between the killings work as a nice change of pace. They’re fun and amp up the charming quality of the film and separate it from the production line of slashers from the 80s.

While for the most part this film isn’t scary, creepy or unsettling, the ending is a step up from the rest of the film. The reveal of the killer, while completely obvious, is unsettling and does make the film worth watching, it’s a shame the rest of the film, especially the killings couldn’t keep it up.  

On paper this film could be a really good horror film. Turning Murder on the Orient Express into a slasher film, where you can’t tell which of the passengers is the killer. In execution it isn’t the classic it could have been. It takes too long to get going, the deaths are pitifully poor and the acting is atrocious. It’s charming in its own way, but this is probably a 1980s horror film that is best forgotten.  

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Dead & Buried – Film Review

Posted on June 14, 2021 by ashleymanningwriter

Director: Gary Sherman

Starring: James Farentino, Melody Anderson, Jack Albertson, Dennis Redfield and Robert Englund

Rating: ★★★

Continuing with my deep dive into 1980s horror, I came across Dead & Buried from 1981, Directed by Gary Sherman with a screenplay written by Ronald Shusett and Dan O’Bannon. Dead & Buried tells the story of Potters Bluff a small town with the inviting line of ‘A new way of life’ written on the signs welcoming you to the town.

The opening scene of this film is one of the most effective openings you’ll ever see. It starts with a slow sequence of a photographer taking photos of the local area and then of a young woman who offers to model for him. All of this accompanied by a slow, subtle and foreboding piece of music by Joe Renzetti. Without any warning, the scene turns dark and the photographer is beaten and set on fire by a group of people. The change in tone is beautifully done and completely out of the blue. Straight away this film tells you things are going to be ugly.

We then shift gears as the local sheriff of the town, Dan Giles (which he describes as no bigger than a postage stamp, starts to investigate this murder. It’s been framed as an accident, but his gut feeling tells him otherwise. It’s not long before other bodies are joined to the death toll and the sheriff ends up unwinding a conspiracy leading to a shock ending that makes sense and isn’t your first guess.

This should be considered more of a thriller detective film than a straight out horror. It definitely isn’t scary, although it does have it’s moments and there is an unsettling tone throughout that will keep you gripped to the end. The effects don’t help the lack of scares. They are pretty dated and look fairly poor even for 1981, the year after Friday the 13th came out. If you can ignore that get on board then you will be in for a good time.

At 90 minutes the film feels pretty short, it’s paced well and never feels like it’s dragging. The story builds up nicely and gives you enough suspense and gore that you won’t be checking your watch. As I’ve mentioned, the ending works well and is a good payoff.

The music is one of the highlights throughout the film. Joe Renzetti perfectly punctuates the film throughout with a chilling score that adds to the tension and unsettling feeling. There are a couple of moments when it is too much and does spoil a jump scare or two, but these are few and far between. For the most part the score is brilliant. The opening piano piece, which reappears in the credits is haunting and stayed with me well after watching the film.

The performances are pretty good. Not spectacular but believable enough to carry the film along. The stand out performance is Jack Albertson, who plays the local mortician William G. Dobbs. He’s strange, eccentric and full of energy that brings the whole film to another level. Without his performance this film would be borderline forgettable.

With a stunning opening that rivals some of the best openings in horror cinema, Dead & Buried is well worth watching. It may be dated, with some very poor special effects that look poor, even for 1981, but there is some tense scenes in the film. There are a few times when the camera feels like it’s in the wrong place and you can’t quite make out what’s going on. A moment of horror when a family is trying to escape in a car, is ruined by not being able to see everything. The camera placement is probably down to budget more than anything else, but it does ruin an otherwise heart-racing moment. Dead & Buried is entertaining and will keep you guessing to the end. There are a lot worse ways to spend an evening. 

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The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard – Film Review

Posted on June 13, 2021 by ashleymanningwriter

Director: Patrick Hughes

Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Samuel L. Jackson, Salma Hayek, Morgan Freeman and Antonio Banderas.

Rating: ★½

Somehow we’ve received a sequel to one of the most under-whelming comedies of all time and despite having a star studied line up, The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard fails to live up to the low bar that the first one set. It may be a lot shorter than the first film, but it doesn’t feel like it. Somehow it actually feels longer. I genuinely couldn’t believe how little time had passed when we left the cinema.

Michael Bryce (Ryan Reynolds), triple A bodyguard is back. This time he is on a sabbatical while his licence is under review due to the events in the first film. While on holiday in Italy Sonia Kincaid (Salma Hayek) finds him to get help in freeing her husband and infamous hitman Darius Kincaid (Samuel L. Jackson. Soon enough they are working together to stop Aristotle (Antonio Banderas) from turning Europe into chaos.

The biggest problem with this film is that it isn’t that funny. There are so many attempted jokes that just land flat. So many punchlines that you can see coming a mile away and aren’t funny in the slightest. So many clichés from action/comedies that you can piece together so many bits before they even happen. It has one of the best cast lists possible for a comedy released in 2021 and somehow it barely has any laughs. And yet they agreed to star in this. A lot of the humour is vulgar, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but someone needs to tell the writers of this supposed comedy that being vulgar isn’t enough to be funny.

To be fair, there are a few moments that will make you laugh throughout, but not enough to warrant watching the entire film. Around the halfway point there is a sequence with Morgan Freeman that is genuinely funny. It gives hope that the second half will be better than the first, but almost as soon as it happens, we are back with rubbish jokes, poor action set pieces and the desire for the credits to roll as soon as possible.

Everyone works well with the script that they’ve been given. But that doesn’t make the film any less boring. The effects are pretty good, with explosions and some nice blood splatter at the beginning that looks very real. The action isn’t that entertaining though. It’s not thrilling and it’s not very funny. The scenery looks great.  Europe looks beautiful throughout and if anything I want to visit Italy even more than I did before.

It barely works as a comedy, and it certainly doesn’t work as an action film. This is a poor film and should have been so much better. There are so many better things that you could do with your time than watch this. With a cast as great as this it should be good, and yet it just isn’t.

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In The Heights – Film Review

Posted on June 12, 2021 by ashleymanningwriter

Director: Jon M. Chu

Starring: Anthony Ramos, Corey Hawkins, Leslie Grace, Melissa Barrera and Lin-Manuel Miranda

Rating: ★★★★½

Lin-Manuel Miranda and his work is becoming widely known around the world. It wasn’t going to be long before his original stage musical was brought from the stage and turned into a big screen epic musical. The adaptation being directed by Jon M. Chu (Crazy Rich Asians), with a screenplay from Quiara Alegría Hudes. I going to admit upfront that I don’t know the original musical, so I can’t compare the two or comment on the changes made.

The story is framed with Usnavi, played by Anthony Ramos, telling a small group of children including his daughter, about Washington Heights, a mostly Latino neighbourhood in upper Manhattan, and the stories of the people who live there. Through the first musical number, also named In the Heights, you are welcomed into a fantastical wonderous world. Straight away, this is begging to be seen on the big screen, with a massive dance sequence on the streets and one hell of a catchy song, that you don’t mind being stuck in your head. During this song we are introduced to the numerous characters and their stories that bring life to Washington Heights.

Each story is continued through fantastic songs and dance, that is a magical spectacle to watch. Each is given enough time to breath in the packed film, that flies by even with it’s almost 2 and a half hour run time. You will be gripped by each character’s story. Even though there is a lot of darkness in the story, most of it is masked with very upbeat and energetic songs, filled with magic and wonder. Even though there is a positive tone on the surface, the darker side is still there and there are loads of emotional scenes. I could hear people around me crying in the cinema at certain points.

The whole cast is amazing, and all fit their roles perfectly. Everyone can sing and dance. There isn’t a weak link at all. All the characters are likeable as well, with you wanting each one of them to succeed and fulfil their dreams. There isn’t really a villain in the film, for the most part, the characters are wrestling with themselves, their past and heritage and finding a place for themselves in the world.

This is a film about finding where you belong. It tells the story of people whose families moved them to America, most of the main characters were too young to remember the countries they came from. There is a sense of not knowing where you belong woven throughout the film. The neighbourhood is being gentrified around them, with things such as a dry-cleaning business being too expensive for the community to afford. Finding where you belong, and not feeling like you belong. It’s a universal theme, that is accessible and relatable by most people. It’s a story about being an individual in a community, making a mark in the world so people notice you and fulfilling your dreams.

In the Heights is an amazing film, with a great cast. It’s an old tale of chasing your dreams and making a mark on the world, but through very cinematic sequences, catchy songs and mesmerising dances, the film feels fresh and full of life. This is the film of the summer for sure and is bound to become a timeless classic, joining the ranks of West Side Story, Grease and The Wizard of Oz as musicals that pass-through generation after generation.

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Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 – Film Review

Posted on June 11, 2021 by ashleymanningwriter

Director: Tobe Hooper

Starring: Dennis Hopper, Caroline Williams, Bill Moseley and Bill Johnson

Rating: ★★★

The original Texas Chainsaw Massacre from 1974 is an undeniable masterpiece. It’s full of suspense, a dark atmosphere and genuine horror. The low budget proto-slasher film holds a place in the hearts of most horror fans. The idea that it is based on a true story has fascinated people since it first came out, although it is inspired by the same events as Norman Bates from Psycho and Hannibal Lector, so it isn’t true at all.

It must have been a challenge when 14 years after the original’s release director Tobe Hooper was back to bring a higher budget sequel. It was 1986 when the second film finally came out, and by this time there was a whole production line worth of horror films, especially slasher films which the original had helped popularise. Was there even room for a new Texas Chainsaw Massacre when there was a yearly Friday the 13th and regular Halloween films. When Leatherface and family finally arrived back on the screen, to remind people how scary these films could be, there was a lot to live up to. The original is genuinely scary, almost 50 years later. And when the second film finally did come out, it was critically panned.

As part of trying to avoid expectations Hooper and writer L. M. Kit Carson turned the tense filled horror into a black comedy. Leaning in more on the humour that was in the first one and getting rid of tension for all out gore and gruesome. The poster parodies the poster for The Breakfast Club, which is probably funnier than the film itself, showing that this was different from the original. For the most part this works. Straight from the beginning this isn’t the same kind of film as the first one. Gone is the character build-up at the beginning, which is replaced by 2 guys who are prank calling a radio station, while messing with other drivers on the road. They are annoying and when they get cut down moments later on what must be the longest bridge in Texas it’s entertaining as you are glad they’re gone. There isn’t horror in the deaths as you don’t care, but just gore and chainsaw swipes.

While they are being killed by Leatherface, they are on the phone to the local radio station where DJ Stretch, played by Caroline Williams, listens to the whole event. It’s recorded and she takes it to a former ranger nicknamed Lefty, played by Dennis Hopper, who initially turns her away before later accepting her help in hunting down the family. Why she doesn’t take the tape to the police first is glossed over. They don’t believe Lefty, so the audience is led to believe that they don’t care about killings if they involve chainsaws in Texas. It happens all over the state, and it is just passed off as accidents or missing people.

The film then gets going and we end up in the new hide out for the cannibal family. Instead of a small shack in the middle of nowhere that is believable and more personal on scale like in the first one, they have now moved into a seemingly never ending set of underground tunnels that are lined with body parts and hanging skulls. It’s gruesome and watching Leatherface skin someone, who turns out is still alive is stomach churning, but it isn’t scary or have any building terror. The one scene in the radio station that does this, is out of touch with the tone for the rest of the film.

For most of the later part, we are essentially watching a re-hashing of the first film. They tie up the heroine, while she screams and then grandpa, wielding a hammer, tries to hit her and drops the hammer multiple times. She then escapes and runs away while Hopper has a chainsaw duel with Leatherface.

The best part of this film is the effects. Tom Savini is a genuine master of practical horror effects. Any film with his participation is going to look good and Texas Chainsaw 2 is no exception. From the peeled skin of their victims, to the slicing of people with chainsaws, knifes and the exposed metal plate in Chop Top’s head. It all looks great, in the goriest and most horrific way possible.

Dennis Hopper’s character is a strange one. For the first half of the film, he is quiet and thoughtful, investing the disappearance of his nephew from the first film. He knows that the police aren’t looking into it properly and takes matters into his own hands. Then he buys a few chainsaws and turns into a complete nut-job for almost no reason. It’s great to see a chainsaw duel, but most of his action is just running around chopping support beams in the underground tunnels, which acting hysterical. He’s got a death wish and I wish we got more time with him to explore this.

While it is nowhere near as good as the original, Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 is still enjoyable to watch, it’s funny, entertaining and full of great effects that still stand up today. It’s not a classic by any stretch of the imagination, but it does attempt to follow up one of the best horror films of all time by trying something completely different. Stretch is a good character that you really want to survive. The ending shot is also pretty great in mirroring the first one while also spinning it on it’s head. It’s not a must see, but horror fans who haven’t already seen it will more than likely get something out of it.  

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