Tinseltown terror
25 October 2008
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According to Wes Craven's 1996 slasher flick 'Scream', there are several strict rules which need to be followed in order to survive in the world of horror movies. Never have sex, don't even think about drinking or doing drugs and, most importantly, never, ever say, "I'll be right back". But 2008 has seen all the rules literally massacred with a host of breakthrough original films guaranteed to give you the creeps. With only 'Saw V' to look forward to in cinemas this Halloween, we take a look back at a brilliant year for scary movies.Perhaps the most innovative take on the genre was 'Cloverfield', the mutant spawn of 'The Blair Witch Project' and 'Godzilla'. If you can deal with a potentially sea-sickness inducing 90 minutes, this story of a group of friends escaping an enormous prehistoric-type creature (which the audience only catch glimpses of) as it terrorises New York City was a breath of fresh air. Rob (Michael Stahl-David) and his friends Hud, Lily, and Marlena race across Manhattan to rescue Beth (Odette Yustman), who is trapped in a collapsed building. But destroyed bridges, baby monsters and falling heads of national landmarks ensure their mission isn't easy. By showing the chaos through the lens of a home video camera (cinema verite for the film geeks), the movie excels with the rather underused technique of never revealing to the viewers what everyone on screen is so terrified of, leaving your imagination to provide a lot of the scares. It also humanises the film, an all too important factor for horror. If you don't get it right, the audience can actually feel a desire to see some of the characters murdered in the goriest way possible (Paris Hilton in 'House of Wax' springs to mind...)Later in the year, newspapers were faced with the dilemma of whether to crucify or praise an exploitation film about kids with blades in the height of the UK's knife crime epidemic. However, 'Eden Lake' impressed. School teacher Jenny (Kelly Reilly) is whisked away on a romantic getaway to Eden Lake by her boyfriend Steve (Michael Fassbender). Everything seems perfect in the idyllic British town, before a group of pesky kids who just won't turn their music down launch a campaign of terror against the couple involving torture, fire and happy-slapping. Much like 'Cloverfield', 'Eden Lake' features realistic characters and puts them in situations most of us find familiar. It's one of the most morally devoid films to come out of 2008.So what's more scary than a bunch of tooled up kids with camera phones? Answer: former soccer star Vinnie Jones stalking the subways as a psycho killer in 'The Midnight Meat Train'. Officially released alongside 'Saw V' on October 31 in the UK, the film was first screened at London's FrightFest horror festival in August, where it impressed gore lovers. Probably one of the bravest casting choices for an unmasked killer ever, Vinnie delivers a chilling performance as crazed butcher Mahogany (he doesn't say much, but you still wouldn't mess with him), who slaughters scores of innocent passengers in the underground passages beneath Los Angeles. Leon (Bradley Cooper) is the obsessive freelance photographer determined to uncover the truth behind the mysterious murders.Legend of fright flicks George A. Romero returned with another instalment of his hugely successful 'Dead' films with 'Diary of the Dead', a fresh take on the zombie genre he pioneered back in 1968 with 'Night of the Living Dead'.The filmmaker's fifth attempt follows a group of wannabe directors who encounter a rabble of real-life zombies during production. Arguably one of the very few horror directors to maintain credibility the more films he makes, Romero will never fail to create an interest in adding more prefixes to the '...of the Dead' brand - so the upcoming 'Island of the Dead' stands to reason.Representing horror-comedy - a consistently successful sub-genre with 'Ghostbusters', 'Shaun of the Dead', 'Army of Darkness' and 'An American Werewolf in London' all springing to mind - was the bizarre concoction 'Teeth'.Dawn O'Keefe (Jess Weixler) is a spokesperson for a Christian abstinence group. But the virgin eventually caves in to her passionate feelings for boyfriend Tobey (Hale Appleman), who soon discovers the inhospitable environment in his lover's toothy private parts.
Probably more scary for male viewers (is there anything more frightening?), but 'Teeth' is delightfully entertaining and confirms the 'no sex' in horror films commandment in the most vivid way possible.
The obligatory Halloween horror sequel 'Saw V' - released the week before October 31 jus like it's predecessors - boasts the tagline, 'You Won't Believe How It Ends'. What may be more unbelievable still is that a further sequel, 'Saw VI', has been given the green light - especially as the killer died in the third movie. But the franchise continues to reap in the box-office cash and has even inspired an upcoming rollercoaster at UK attraction Thorpe Park. Jigsaw (Tobin Bell) may have passed on two movies ago, but his traps continue to wreak bloody havoc as Detective Hoffman (Costas Mandylor) is plagued by more of the killer's cryptic death puzzles which he left behind.
Of course, there have been some more run-of-the-mill fare - but some are still deserving of acclaim. 'The Strangers', starring Liv Tyler, depicts the apparently true story of couple Kristen (Tyler) and James (Scott Speedman) who become victims of a break-in by the titular predators who siege their home. Certainly worth a look, if not just to marvel at Tyler's incredible screaming ability, reminiscent of her Aerosmith singer dad Steven, but the far superior 2006 French film 'Them', does the same job, but better.
Less well received efforts include 'The Eye' - a remake of the Hong Kong horror classic - starring Jessica Alba as a blind violinist who is plagued by visions when a cornea transplant gives her clairvoyant powers, and the barely worth mentioning 'The Ruins'.
But what's waiting to jump out at us from behind the curtain in 2009? Director Joe Johnston's reimagining of the classic horror 'The Wolfman' sees Benicio Del Toro - there isn't really anyone else in Hollywood more perfectly suited to the role - in what looks to be shaping up as a major return to form for blockbuster horror. Meanwhile, British funny men James Corden and Mathew Horne are following in Simon Pegg's footsteps with 'Lesbian Vampire Killers', fate stalks accident prone teenagers in the fourth in the 'Final Destination' series and David Lynch's director daughter takes a stab at murder mystery in 'Surveillance'.
Cinemas may currently be offering little more than another inevitable sequel routinely churned out by studios at this time of year, but this Halloween is the perfect excuse to gorge on a few of 2008's horrific gems on DVD. Or if you must, re-watch the first four 'Saws'.
By Josh Saxon.
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