Originally published: October 6, 2006 @ 1:40am PST
There it is. Looks like you’ve got some kind of alternate universe in there or something. – Bill, the Electrician
Sorry for the late posting on this, I meant to get it out earlier, but had a few things get in the way. Better late than never and we’re still on tap for the 6th, also! On with the review! This one was alot of fun for me to see again. Just like with the first House (my review), Netflix allowed me to get in touch with my past again. The movie, while still part of the House franchise, had almost nothing to do with the first movie, outside of the title (House II: The Second Story), the screenwriter (who stepped behind the camera this time), and a guest star from a popular TV sitcom. So, was it worthy of the title or does it fall short of its predecessor?
We open in 1961 where a couple are giving their baby to another couple (most likely in-laws). The baby’s mother is rather distraught and you can really tell that she doesn’t want to give up her child. As the parents go back into the house, the sound of a spur can be heard and a shadow goes by upstairs. The wife is afraid, while the husband insists that it’s most likely local vandals, but he grabs a large firearm anyway. They both go upstairs and check the rooms, finding a figure standing in the shadows in a room at the end of the hall. A hoarse, gravelly voice demands they give him "the skull", but the couple have no idea what he’s talking about. Hubby raises the gun yet the figure gets his shot in first and in the light from the blast, we can see an almost skeletal face with a long mustache. The wife runs out the door, but doesn’t make it very far before bumping into the figure who’s standing in front of her. He raises his gun to her head and demands the skull again. She screams as the picture cuts to the outside of the house and we hear his shot.
Flash ahead 25 years and the baby, Jesse, has grown up and come to claim the house with his music producer girlfriend Kate. As they enter they hear the sound of spurs, but write it off as nothing. That night, as they’re settling in, the sound of an engine comes up and Jesse’s friend Charlie and his girlfriend Jana arrive, knocking over a pillar at the start of the walkway (setting up a running gag). The next morning, while Kate’s on the phone with where she works, Charlie sets things up so that Jana, an aspiring singer, is heard by Kate who just happens to be looking for a new act. She brings in her associate, John, and goes off to have lunch with him and Jana, leaving Jesse alone with Charlie. Jesse is going through some old family pictures, showing Charlie a picture of his grandfather when he was a boy, along with a picture of his great-great grandfather who he was named after. He also shows a picture of Great-Great Grandpa Jesse standing in front of an ancient Aztec temple holding a crystal skull, with his partner Slim Reezer in the background. The two of them realize that the skull Gramps is holding isn’t the same one that was shown in an archeology magazine and determine that the real skull must be buried with Gramps in a nearby cemetery. That night, after digging for hours (with Charlie almost giving up), they finally find his casket and open it to find the skull is in there. As he reaches for it, though, Jesse’s arm is grabbed by the occupant of the casket…
This movie is, of course, one of my favorites as are the others in the series. The acting is rather well-done, especially considering the budget, and features several then relatively unknown actors who’ve since made it pretty big. Jesse was played by Arye Gross who went on to also star in Hexed and play in Gone in 60 Seconds as well as Minority Report. Gramps was played by Royal Dano, a long-time actor who also played Farmer Green Gene in the cult classic Killer Klowns from Outer Space and played in 1990’s Martian invasion comedy Spaced Invaders with a young Ariana Richards, too. John was played by Bill Maher, who’d go on to be Politically Incorrect after spending time with the Cannibal Women in the Avocado Jungle of Death. Bill the Electrician, the character I quoted above, was played by John Ratzenberger of Cheers fame who gives an excellent performance. Kate was played by Lar Park-Lincoln, who would go on to play Tina in the 7th Friday the 13th movie, The New Blood. Jana was played by Amy Yasbeck, who went on to play Maid Marian in Robin Hood: Men in Tights and Mina in Dracula: Dead and Loving It, as well as playing Casey Davenport on the sitcom Wangs. And, of course, we can’t overlook the major star of the movie: the house itself. That place was amazing, with a distinctly Aztec-influenced design.
All in all, a fun movie that I can definitely recommend and feel comfortable giving a 5 out of 5. I’m glad that I could entertain you with these two movie series, but now it’s time to move on to a singleton. One that I think some might find a little… Shocking. Stay tuned and as always, until next time, this is Red Hawk signing out!
It won, Roger. It tricked me. I didn’t think it could, but it did. It’s going to trick you, too, Roger. This house knows everything about you. Leave while you can!
- Aunt Elizabeth in House
From 1986 comes one of the unknown classics, House. I don’t remember as well when it first came out, but I remember watching it and enjoying it (so much, in fact, I think we watched it twice when we first rented it). Thanks to the miracle of Netflix, I’m able to bring it to you. But, have the years been kind to it or are my memories of it just that?
We open on a tour of the grounds during the opening credits and the house looks amazing, someplace I wouldn’t mind living in myself. As the credits end a grocery delivery boy comes up and knocks on the door, when it swings in. Reluctantly, he goes inside, meaning to only leave the groceries where the old woman who owns the house can find them, when he hears a sound from upstairs. He slowly heads up the stairs, not really wanting to be there but investigating, anyway. He looks in a room and screams as the owner’s body swings back and forth, having hung herself.
Next, we find our main character, horror writer Roger Cobb, at his aunt’s funeral. She’s left him the house and he originally is going to sell it, as he has some bad memories there (especially since his son disappeared there not too long before and he and his wife divorced shortly afterwards). Soon he decides to move in, at least until after he can write his latest book about his experiences in Vietnam. The house seems to help, as he’s able to make progress on his book. However, strange things start happening, almost from the moment he moves in. First, he sees his aunt who delivers the message above to him. Then, a record-setting swordfish his uncle caught starts suddenly moving on the wall as if it were alive. And then things start really taking off when his ex-wife comes to visit…
This movie was a blast to watch again. The scary parts are good, with some great special effects sequences. The acting is good, as well, with William Katt playing Roger. Before House, he starred in the superhero series Greatest American Hero and went on to star in several movies and TV series, including the fourth House movie where he reprises his role. Playing his neighbor Harold is George Wendt, best known for his role as Norm on Cheers. In the flashback scenes to Vietnam, we meet a member of Roger’s platoon, Big Ben, played by Richard Moll, one of my personal favorite actors who is possibly best known for playing the big, bald, benevolent bailiff Bull Shannon on Night Court. The delivery boy who finds Aunt Elizabeth was played by James Calvert, who went on to star in one of my favorite television series, Deadly Games. And Aunt Elizabeth herself was played by the late Susan French, who played in several TV series and movies, including Flatliners and Fist of the North Star.
Normally, I would have another picture in the middle of the article to show some of the action, but unfortunately, I can’t seem to find anything (it’s amazing how many movies use the word house in them!). So, to make up for it, I’ve included a link to the original movie trailer on YouTube. I hope that I’ve brought back some pretty good memories for people and jogged a few minds about the movie, as well. Oh, yeah, the link!
A good time was had by me watching this movie again and I’m pleased to give it a solid 5 out of 5. Wow, four days and four 5 scores, so far. Can our next entry keep the trend going?
Find out tomorrow, when we check out a movie that has a "Doom with a View". Take care, everyone, and until next time, this is Red Hawk signing out!
"You’re trespassing." – Mondrique from Fear House (2008)
What scares you the most? What things that affected you in your youth come back to haunt you as an adult? That’s the theme of this movie where a haunted house torments and kills a group of people based off of their worst fears.
Fear House begins with a young couple entering an old spooky castle. The guy is a film director and the girl seems to be his casting agent because she has audition photographs. This part is interspersed with the opening credits and has a border around it (that’s me with the sharp observations!). After the couple starts making out for a bit, with the guy getting some dust in his directing eye and the girl almost choking on some gum and saying she doesn’t want to die with something stuck in her throat. They meet the caretaker, Mondrique (played by Roger Trammell), who tells them they’re trespassing. The couple start to leave only to have Mr. Make-out slip and fall on the floor. He starts to get up when a coat tree falls, impaling him through his "directing eye". The girl panics and runs out the door but a hanging hook from somewhere above her catches her by throat, leaving her to die with something, well… stuck in throat!
From here we meet Samantha Ballard (who’s played by Aleece Jones, also of 2007’s Sick House), a horror writer interested in investigating the old castle for her new book. The movie jumps forward nine months later and we meet two groups of people all coming to find Samantha. The first is her brother; Eva Tinski (played by Meredith Barnett), the daughter of Arnold Tinski (the well-credited video game voice actor William Knight of The Darkness, Xenosaga) the realtor who showed Samantha the house; Samantha’s agent Morty (Matthew Montgomery from Reign of the Dead) and finally, Morty’s assistant Fiona (Olivia Price). In the other car, unknown to the occupants of the first car, is Samantha’s husband Rhett (who played Roy the Meth Cook in Poker Run) and his current girlfriend, Suzette (Hott Zombie from Dorm of the Dead) who wants to finalize Samantha’s divorce from him. During the first few minutes of meeting them, we find out that each of the characters have a specific fear unique to them. Who in this group, if any, will survive the night? Who will face their worst fears and who will run screaming?
The acting in the film was decent. There wasn’t too much ham included which can be a problem when it comes to fear and screaming.
All in all, not that bad of a movie and alot better than some of the straight-to-DVD offerings out there. I feel comfortable giving this film a 4 out of 5. So, until next time, we’d like to remind you to not be afraid, especially of the big hairy one-eyed creature slobbering over your shoulder. This is Red Hawk signing out!
"You can keep the baby or you can put it in the street."
- a real orphanage note shown in Children of the Grave
Quite a shame that in order to type this review I’ve got to have the lights on due to the fact that I take the notes for my reviews by hand. It’d be far more eerily appropriate in the dark.
Children of the Grave presents a crisp, spooky documentary that’s quite unlike anything I’ve covered on Happy Horror before. However, when I saw the channel guide showing this documentary I couldn’t resist reviewing it for you, Merry Readers. That being said, I do warn you that this film is heavier than your typical horror movie.
As the opening scenes began to unfold, I saw that the show was a Spooked Television Releasing – a Booth Brothers film. Just who are these Booth Brothers? Well, according to their website (which I’ve linked to above) they are Philip Adrian and Christopher Saint Booth, brothers. Twin brothers, even. Philip’s the director of the pair, having done work for the music videos, the Sci Fi Channel and even the TV shows Xena Warrior Princess and Hercules The Legendary Journeys. Christopher’s the producer, also a songwriter and marketer among his other talents. Together with their crew they make documentaries of the supernatural using local lore, psychic mediums and high tech equipment.
You can tell right away that Children of the Grave received a great deal of passion from its filmmakers. It’s all put together sanely with an attention to artistic sensibilities. Simply put, I rarely see documentaries on supernatural subjects exhibit such lovingly crafted cinematography. The whole show’s totally gorgeous from start to finish. And don’t think this is all auteur silliness and hearsay, these guys actually suffer for their art. While scouting the shooting location for their documentary Death Tunnel, Christopher Saint Booth became mysteriously ill – but when he came back he had some incredible photographs that only further the pair’s notion (and my own!) that the ghosts do indeed exist.
To start with we see what they call the Paranormal Task Force going out to Crown Hill Cemetery in Indianapolis, Indiana. Here there’s a section of graves bearing only numbers – 699 of them unmarked. These are the graves of children. Orphans, in fact. From what I understand, back in the early 1900’s, formaldehyde in milk was not uncommon because it was considered a cheaper means of pasteurization. As a result, many children – especially those in orphanages – died of poisoning.
Obviously, that’s going to tug at your heart strings. Investigators actually go through these cemeteries and orphanages asking "Are you lost and looking for your mommy or daddy?" They ask many questions to the spirits said to be there and sometimes they got EVPs, which stands for Electronic Voice Phenomenon, something first noticed by Thomas Edison himself in the 1920’s. He also wanted to talk with the dead.
Now in a documentary of this nature it’s fairly commonplace for the creators to sensationalize the story and trump up the talk of evidence rather than let you see or hear it. The Booth Brothers don’t play games. They offer their own observations, witness reports and then they play those EVPs and images from thermal cameras. They don’t dilly dally around trying to get your pity, they simply tell you the stories and what they’re saying exists in public records.
We get to see Bartonville Asylumn in Peoria, Illinois. At a State Mental Hospital such as this one, many patients come in without names. This means they go to their graves the same way, too. If I remember correctly, at the asylum there’s a cemetary with 4,000 graves and only 1,500 of those mark people with currently known identities. A place like that’s clearly going to be ripe for hauntings and restless spirits. I won’t tell you what all they experience in Bartonville, but I’ll tell you it’s genuinely unnerving.
There’s also an excursion into the Pythian Castle, located in Springfield, Missouri. This place started out as an orphanage run by the Knights of Pythias but since there weren’t too many young ‘uns, it was sold to the US Military during World War II and turned into a Service Club. In other words, a recreational facility. Today it’s still standing, but being rennovated for hosting murder mysteries and ballroom dances.
I found this particular segment exceptionally creepy because for one, the Ozarks are what I consider to be America’s Transylvania ™. Anything set in that region’s bound to be freaky. Afterall, that’s where Wal-Mart sprang from, ya know? In this bit there’s some rumor of a bad guy who may’ve done nasty things to children. (No, not Sam Walton ya weirdos!) Using heat signature imaging technology, they actually pick up what looks to be a large man’s hands. Then one of the guys actually goes down into the laundry tunnel where this spirit’s known to be and starts calling him out! Suffice it to say that things turn freaky and we close that segment with this quote:
"True evil exists both in life and in death – we know because we have seen it"
- the filmmakers of Children of the Grave
Before I wrap this article up, I’ve got to dive into one last bit of Missouri lore covered in the show. It’s called Zombie Road and this place gives me a serious case of ye olde heebie jeebies! Apparently, during the misspent decades of the 1960’s and 70’s, Zombie Road served as a route for drug traffickers. Alot of real terrible shizz went down out in those woods, the local law enforcement says. So, naturally the Booth Brothers want a slice of that action. I mean, locals call the forest there the Devil’s Woods so how could they resist?
The Zombie Road actually dead ends into the Meramac River and we’re told ‘Meramac’ is a Native American phrase meaning "River of Death". Indeed, quite a few drownings happened in that river, as well. All sorts of craziness scurries afoot during this segment of the show. Tales of a quarter mile of dismembered animals (we’re not told what species) and other craziness attributed to Satanic groups.
Here’s where things get really weird. See, there’s local lore about "shadow people" that inhabit the woods. I’ve heard of this type of apparition being common among speed freaks, too. To try and film the shadow people, the crew sets up laser grids that in the past have slowed down dark masses caught on film. It’s all really wild stuff and as these events are going in, the locals decide to play a The Hills Have Eyes style prank. On the road they spray paint DEAD PEOPLE to try and scare the crew. What ends up being the biggest freakout is the guys hearing "You know too much" and getting shots of dozens of shadow figures standing out in the woods.
Oh, and during the credits I noticed the names Dylan, Devin and Dakota Vorhees. You know, like Jason Vorhees? No relation, though. They’re child actors we’ll be seeing more of in the years to come, but that chilled me a touch, I must admit.
I have to say Children of the Grave does a superb job delivering not only creepy tales, but solid historical and folkloric information at the same time. If you chance upon the show either being aired or you buy the DVD you’ll definitely be in for a hair-raising ride!
I easily give this one 5 out of 5 and I came away with a solid respect for the Booth Brothers. I’ll be reviewing more of their work as soon as I can get my lil paws on it, you can count on that!
Until next I speak of the dead, Merry Readers, this is GlowStormLion heading out into the Ozarks to party it up with some shadow spooks!
Just kidding – I’d never do that.
Or would I?
OH!
Bonus Feature: Check out this video of the Children of the Grave’s trailer!
Looking for the first parts of the Ghost List? Click these: PART ONE or PART TWO
Pictured: Koji Behind Miku in Fatal Frame for the PS2
Welcome to another installment of the Ghost List for Fatal Frame! I hope that everyone viewing these enjoys them, as I plan on covering all the ghosts in all three of the games by the time we’re done here. But, that’s for the future! We’re up to ghost number 5 on our list, and he’s one of the first night’s three story-centered ghosts. So, let’s take a look at our friend!
Ghost # 5: Editor’s
Yes, according to the in-game ghost list and pics you take of him in battle, the ghost is "Editor’s", but his real name is Koji Ogata. When Takamine first decided to write a book about the Himuro Mansion, he had Koji do research on the mansion – but he couldn’t find very much. When they first went into the Mansion, Koji was the first to fall victim to the curse, seeing rope marks appear on his arms, legs and neck. As his time in the mansion continued, his sanity slipped increasely further, to the point where he was seeing more and more ropes. Finally, when Kirie came after him, he ran and hid in the closet in the Library where she found him. When Miku comes to the house, he’s the first spirt she encounters, originally peeking at her from behind a screen and watching her from the rafters in the rope hallway. It’s his spirit she sees in the Library closet, grabbing her arm when she reaches for the tape recorder and she sees what happened to him through her sixth sense. In the next room, when she approaches the tape laying on the ground, she hears a voice say "Hey" and turns, but doesn’t see anything… then, when she starts to run for the door again, he appears in front of her. She has to fight him three times before he’s finally exorcised, his last words:
"Please… please… let me out of this mansion!"
There are a few scenes with Koji that still make me jump, even after playing through the game a few times and knowing what to expect. He appears in front of you when you open the door to the Library the second time, then appears behind you when you find his photograph inside the drawer in the Kimono Room, where you first fought him. The first fight against him is generally easy. I was able to take him out with one powered-up shot of the basic camera, but he’s a bit more difficult the other two times you face him. Koji is also the initial ghost that you have to deal with when you first go into Battle Mode. All in all, a pretty good introduction to the battle system for the game’s main character.
This review covers the original 1979 film The Amityville Horror Jay Anson’s book of the same name. Jay Anson did write a screenplay for this film but it was rejected in favor of one by Sandor Stern. Since that book will be reviewed right here on our site at another time, I’m going to stick strictly to the movie and not delve too much into the back story. With this disclaimer in mind, let’s get to the review, shall we?
Here’s the basic sketch of the story – as much as I care to say without spoiling it for those of you who may not’ve seen it (because I’m told it ends differently than the 2005 re-make). On November 13th, 1974 police were summoned to the DeFeo residence at 112 Ocean Avenue in Amityville, New York. Here they discovered all but one member of the DeFeo family slain execution style in their beds. Later, Ronald DeFeo, Jr. was convicted of their murders and sentenced to life in prison. Thirteen months later, on December 18th, 1975 the Lutz family moved in. This is where the movie begins…
I don’t know what it is about movies from the 70’s and 80’s that makes them feel so much scarier to me. It’s not just George Lutz’s (played by James Brolin) hair, either. It’s not even the tighty-whiteys he wears when he walks about the house in the middle of the night. No, I think it’s the lighting. Movies from this era (and I saw quite a few when they were edited for television, during my childhood) have such harsh lighting that doesn’t soften the facial expressions of the actors. Each shadow presents a contrast that almost always ends up making people look even creepier than they might appear otherwise. Rooms seem darker and the end effect is that the ambience is all the more unnerving.
Brolin and Margot Kidder do a superb job in their roles as George and Kathy Lutz. It seems that with all the special effects, clever dialogue and cinematic tricks available to filmmakers now we rarely see this style of performance. In many scenes the actors have nothing but their own gestures, voices and facial expressions to work with and they do quite a good job keeping you watching their performance. There’s something especially disturbing about little Amy Lutz (played by Natasha Ryan) – even when she’s not talking about her imaginary friend, there’s something in her mannerisms that suggests she’s more aware of what’s going on than the script allows her to say.
Of course, through the lens of time we may find certain elements of The Amityville Horror to be quaint or silly. The wardrobe would appear unfamiliar to younger audiences and an embarassing memory to those who lived through this time period. The house, however, certainly helps create the sense of forboding with its interior design. I’ve lived in houses alot like the one on 112 Ocean Avenue and I can tell you firsthand that they are not the easiest places to relax in. Houses like this seem just a little too silent, a little too old.
The tension which builds reliably throughout the course of the story is to be expected as part of any horror movie, but I felt this movie did it nicely. There’s no rushing from plotpoint to plotpoint and the director allows the scenes to flow evenly. There’s no forced use of jump-cutting MTV-style through the story, we’re allowed to experience a more natural pacing so that we have time to formulate our own ideas of what may lie ahead for the characters. It’ll be interesting to see how these aspects compare with the 2005 re-make which I’m eager to review.
