cnsea Reviews

A Haunting at Silver Falls (2013)

Been there, haunted that

[5/10 · 29 May 2013]

It's not great. It's not terrible. It's just kind of there.

Basically, if you've ever seen any other ghost story, you've already seen this one. The ghosts are a set of twins this time. This doesn't really bring anything new to the table, as they still open doors, knock stuff over, and do any manner of typical spirit things. At the very least, you'd think they could at least open two doors simultaneously to show off their undead twin powers. Everything from their look to their agenda is purely prototypical. And while their makeup and look is precisely what you'd imagine (whether that's a good or bad thing depends on whether or not you like innovation or tradition), the actual ghost effects are flat out terrible, and the ghosts are just on screen too often, robbing them of any sense of mystery.

The acting is mostly tolerable, though the villains are unconvincing. The story is, again, exactly what you'd expect for this sub-genre. The actual filmmaking is perfectly sound for a B-movie, it's just that there isn't much to work with. So all in all it's a half-decent foray into all-too-familiar territory.

Madison County (2011)

Have some buddies and a comical pig mask? Get together and make a horror flick, why not?

[2/10 · 20 October 2012]

Do YOU like disjointed, nonsensical films where the characters behave stupidly and unrealistically, where the "plot" is an excuse for some highly unimaginative killings of tedious bad actors whom you won't care to root for, and which end abruptly without any sense of closure? Well, then, Madison County may just be for you! Even by slasher movie standards, this is extremely weak. When the end credits popped up, I strongly felt that the word "written" in "Written and Directed by" should have been in heavy quote marks, as the script and continuity feel quite haphazard.

Low budget horror can be more inventive and interesting than its A-list counterparts, or it can be ... well, this.

The Devil's Rock (2011)

Yet more Nazi shenanigans in a surprisingly solid horror flick!

[9/10 · 5 June 2012]

Okay, this was something of surprise. I wasn't expecting much (I never am when it comes to B movies) but this is earnest, atmospheric, well-filmed, generally well-acted (the German officer's accent seemed a bit dodgy though, and some of the dialogue is muttered to the point that it's hard to understand), and the demoness is sexy and striking. The slow burn build-up kept me interested, if perhaps not quite in suspense, since it was easy to guess what was coming. The one (minor) twist really wasn't much of a twist at all, but the ending was quite satisfying.

All in all, I enjoyed Devil's Rock - I would watch it again. It was a great example of what can be accomplished on a small budget.