Horror Movie Challenge Game!

Ever want to put your horror movie knowledge to a test in the security of your own house with the Horror Movie Challenge. Well probably could before on multiple other horror movie tests, but none of them were narrated by Tobin Bell from Saw. UGO.com is the party responsible for this very well written multiple choice quiz; however, they are also responsible for going over the top with unnecessary features...

The good is, the narration voice is perfect, the questions are at the right level of difficulty for anyone with a general knowledge of horror films, and finally you get three different difficulty levels. There are a lot of "bads" unfortunately to go with the "goods". The video is unnecessary and with a slow Internet connection must be agony. Bell's voice echoes in annoying manner as the worst piano themed music ever plays. You clearly hear the director whispering the cues to Bell before he makes a response to your answer and then after the line delivery, the video freezes him in some awkward constipated position always. I feel he deserves better than this. Finally what the hell is going on with that spinning chainsaw that follows your cursor, I can't read the questions!

I am happy to say I got 9/10 on easy, failed with one question to go on medium, and completely lost it on hard. This is a great quiz and you should all check it out. Just be warned... it's not for those with slow Internet connections, slow minds, and slow tolerance levels.

Well I Finally saw Saw 2...

Keeping up with my promise of viewing the first three Saw films before the release of Saw IV, I sat myself down and watched this film a few hours after seeing the first. Now, we all know what's coming, "the first movie was great and original and the second was just kind of there." Well to be honest, the first was original and stuff, but I liked this second one more surprisingly. My favorite element of movies is always plot twists and surprises, and this movie is full of them and has excellent connection to the first film making it a true sequel with returning characters, themes, and settings. The connections between the first and the sequel here definitely saved this movie.

So let's see what we got here, we got a bunch of new torture scenes, about twice as many new characters as in the first film, and we already have captured the mastermind of the first film within the first 15 minutes of the film. We also have some recycled creepy scenes like the little puppet on the tricycle. I don't know if that puppet is suppose to be scary or mocking horror films of the past, but I find it hilarious. I feel the director knew these movies could include a little more fun like the boy's cell phone answering message being changed to the raspy voice was funny. I definitely did laugh at some of the over the edge deaths and dialogue, and only really found the foot cutting and eye gouge scenes in these two movie somewhat disturbing.

The characters are usually what makes or break films in my eyes, usually in horror everyone has the intelligence of a rhinoceros on narcotics, especially the steroid abusing man who decides it would be easier forget logic and reason to not write the combination of the safe, start killing everyone, and even slice off part of his own skin. Come on, no one is that stupid. I felt that the characters stuck in the house did not play the desperate to live thing well at all; they all seemed dumbfounded by nothing. The house was a great idea, but I would have loved to see more character interaction and maybe some of the more dry death scenes would have had more passion to the audience. When a movie features likable characters you care about it, you feel destroyed like someone you really know died, you feel like the director has created some injustice or crime by killing off the innocent person. I didn't feel happy or sad when these people died, they just kind of.... well died, I knew they would eventually, but at least make me feel some pride in the overly rich drug dealer or the serial rapist getting burned, shocked, stabbed, or sliced.

Well I enjoyed the beginning and end of this film. There were a few plot holes here and there, but making a few personal assumptions never hurt anyone and was probably intended. Generally seems like most people wish this movie was nonexistent, but it's definitely a watchable sequel. If you loved Saw and need a little more check it out.

Saw 4...Can't Wait

Well another Halloween is rolling around and what do you know so is another Saw movie. How many of these things are they going to make? In ten years will we be awaiting the trailers for Saw 14? The first Saw moive was good I will have to admit, but the two to follow have done the original an injustice. The first movie was creative and fresh, it kept you guessing until the end. Oh, I do not want to hear anyone say that they knew that the guy laying on the floor was alive. That was just a great ending. The second Saw movie had its good points, but it seemed a little bit stale, the same with the third Saw. I mean how many disgusting things can you think of? After half of the second movie the torture seems to lose its shock factor.

One thing that I will give credit to Saw for is creating a new stlye of movies, the so called "torture genre." This genre has created cinematic master pieces such as Hostel, Hostel II, The Hills Have Eyes, and Turistas. Speaking of torture I would rather stick a screwdriver through my eye then watch the acting and predictability of these movies.

The Saw series has ruined a a great movie, in the original Saw, and it has managed to bring about a chain of movies with horrorable acting. In addition to horrible acting they also use tasteless gore to keep its audiences coming back. I will be looking foward to the release of Saw 44 in 2047, I even know the date for it 10/31...how predictable.

Warning This Clip Is an Actual Clip From Saw 4

Get Out of the Water---JAWS

Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water…I decide to discuss JAWS. In the movie JAWS there are many innovative and memorable shots used. I already talked about these shots a little bit in my first post. However, I plan on going much deeper into detail into details in this post.


I will start with one shot that is very interesting. There is a part of the movie where Hooper goes in a cage and into the water. If you notice this portion of the movie there is a real shark, not the animatronic shark. The way they captured this portion of the movie was they went to an area where there was actual Great White sharks and they lowered a cage into the water. The sharks would not attack the cage like they wanted, but by luck a large Great White became entangled in to rope holding the cage. The shark began to panic because it was caught in the rope. The shark began to trash about eventually bringing the entire cage down, and creating an exciting shot.

The next shot I want to discuss is the opening scene where the girl swimming is killed. The girl is swimming and is grabbed by the shark and is shaken back and forth. The way the did it was a pulley system with ropes. They created a type of harness where they could connect ropes to the actress and then all the way to the beach. When they wanted the actress to be pulled the guys on the beach simply ran back and forth to create the jerking effect. This shot is effective because it demonstrates the power of the shark without actually showing its size. I guess I am trying to say to get a sense of the size of the shark and a fear for its power without ever actually seeing him.


Now for the beach scene there is a lot going on here so try and follow me. First off Chief Brody is sitting on the beach nervously watching the swimmers and to show his nervousness the director constantly has bathers with different colored swimsuits walking in front of the camera in different directions. After each bather “wipes” the shot the camera will be zoomed in or out already. This works well to create a nervous atmosphere and tension. The next shot, which I alluded to in an earlier post, has to be one of the all time greatest shots. As soon as Chief Brody sees the Kittner boy being eaten the camera zooms in on him, but not normally. The set the camera up on a type of track so the camera physically moved closer to Brody, but the camera was panning out. This creates a great effect of the actor not moving at all, but the scene around him is being distorted. Hitchcock used the same technique in his films.


The great thing about the movie is that you do not see the shark until half way through the movie and when you finally see it, it is stunning. The thing about the reveal that is great though is it is preceded by a joke Brody is doing a chum line and he tells Quint, “Why don’t you come down here and chum some of this shit.” At that point the shark pops out of the water, which works great in the movie. First the audience is relaxed by the joke and then stunned by the reveal of the shark, which makes it very memorable. The scene where the shark is first seen is followed by the most famous line from the movie, “We’re gonna need a bigger boat.”

Thoughts on the Horror Genre

What is it about horror movies that keep people coming back? How does this genre keep the interest of the masses? These are some questions that I have been thinking about.

People love to be scared. There is a thrill, a rush of adrenaline, when the crazy psycho killer jumps out with a giant butcher knife. Think about the movie theatre experience. There are certain aspects that create a comfortable vulnerability. You are sitting in the dark and there is a frightening story playing out in front of you. However, you know that you are safe because you are with other people and you are not actually in the movie. Anytime the movie becomes too scary you can say to yourself it is just a movie and I am safe. A large part of the appeal of movie is you can experience something frightening and dangerous without actually being in danger. The other aspect of it is confronting your fears. People may feel a sense of accomplishment my watching a movie that they were scared of. Movies are a painless way to surmount your fears. I guess what keeps people coming back for more with the horror genre is the experience that is offered by watching horror movies. All movies offer the experience of taking you to a different world for two hours, but only horror movies offer this special feeling of comfortable vulnerability.

Another great part of the horror genre is the fact that it changes to the times. The reason I feel that this genre can hold the interest of the masses is that it appeals to fears that are present in society at the present time. Basically as the fears of society change so do the topics of horror movies. Recently there have been many more films that are based around technology being the enemy. An example of this is the movie Virus. In this movie a “virus” is brought down from space and the thing manipulates anything robotic and turns it against man. In the past technology was looked at, as only positive so in the past there may not have been that many movies with technology as the enemy.

The face of horror movies is constantly changing. One thing remains constant, however; horror movies provide a rush and sense of conquering your fears that other movies cannot provide. While the horror genre may be changing today more than ever, the truth is it has always been changing. As long as society keeps dictating the fears of people, the horror genre will keep changing.

The Rotting Torso: Freddy Krueger

Every week I will interview a famous Hollywood monster to find out what makes them tick. This weekly section will be called, The Rotting Torso.

For The Rotting Torso’s first guest we decided to invite one of the best, Mr. Freddy Krueger.

Q: So Freddy, what is the deal with the green and red sweater?
A: I happen to like red and people have told me that the green brings out the color in my eyes. Also red and green are a nice festive combination and reminds me of Christmas.

Q: Most killers have no personality, you seem to have a good sense of humor, and so do you have any good jokes?
A: No, and if you ever ask me to tell a joke again I’ll gut you like a fish.

Q: That was a great joke, that’s why people love you because you’re so funny. Alright, you knew this question was coming. What was you favorite kill out of all of your victims?
A: That is a tough question, but I would have to go with Tina Grey. Not only did I kill her, but I as I was cutting her belly open I dragged her all over the ceiling of the bedroom while her boyfriend watched

Hmm…all right. That’s all the time we have for today. I would like to thank our guest Freddy Krueger and to all of you out there be sure to read The Rotting Torso, new every week.

One...Two...Freddy's Comin' For You

From the time we were little we always feared going to sleep. At some point all children wake up in the middle of the night and scream for their parents. They had a bad dream, so the parents come in and check under the bed and in the closet. Then the child goes back to sleep and they are fine. However from that point on they always have a slight fear when the lay down to go to sleep. As grown adults they ask themselves is someone under my bed, or is someone in my closet. Nightmare on Elm Street draws on this to create a terrifying experience.

Freddy Krueger is probably one of the most frightening characters even to grace the silver screen. One of the huge reasons for this is that Freddy is not tangible. This poses the questions how can you stop someone that only exists in your sleep. Right away the film grabs you. There is an old dingy basement and a man with razor blades for fingers. Then there is the shot during the opening credits in the boiler room the girl in the nightgown is running, but seems to be running in place. This is a brilliant shot its adds to the dreamlike nature of the opening sequence.

There are so many great shots and effects in the movie. The next cool effect is where Freddy is stalking Tina in the alley. He is walking towards her and is arms grow in length to probably twenty feet across right in front of the camera. This very dreamlike and creates a surreal camera shot. This next shot is ridiculous. Glenn (played by Johnny Depp) falls asleep and Freddy’s arm comes up though the bed and pulls him in. Then thousands of gallons of blood flow upward out of the bed, not like and eruption though. The blood flows straight up out of the bed and coats the ceiling. The blood flows as if gravity has been reversed. This is such a strange shot and it is unforgettable. Also this scene brings about a funny quote. One of the paramedics arriving at the scene says, “We don’t need a stretcher up there, we need a mop.” The next scene I love is, and you knew it was coming, is the bedroom scene. Tina looks as though she is having a seizure in her sleep, but she is not she is being attacked in her dream. All of a sudden her chest is sliced open by four long slashes and she is dragged across the ceiling, screaming and bleeding. This has to be one of the best horror scenes ever and definitely one of the most revolutionary. The ending scene is great, its starts out happy ending like most of the movies at that time. Then it turns bad as the red convertible gets some green stripes as the cars drives away there is some question is she still in the dream world or not. Then the question is answered as Nancy’s mother is yanked in through a small window by Freddy’s arm.

The whole tension of the entire movie really makes it what it is. Watching this movie is so scary it is almost uncomfortable to watch. After watching the movie you feel like you have just driven for two hours on a busy highways with your hands gripped tightly on the wheel.

We're Gonna Need a Bigger Boat

I am a self-proclaimed horror movie expert. My fascination with horror movies started at age 8. My mom and me used to stay up late and watch such movies like The People Under the Stairs and Nightmare on Elm Street. I see a lot of things in movies that the normal person does not notice. I like to think about what goes into making a specific shot work and how underlying themes in movies reflect society. I am a very tough critic, while most people are busy enjoying cheap thrills in movies I am busy picking out small flaws in the plot. Enough about me lets get to the good stuff my five favorite movies and what makes them my favorite.

5) The Descent-From the time the movie starts you are sitting on the edge of your seat. All people have an inherent fear of being buried alive and being trapped in a cave is the next worst thing. That fear of being confined combined with the fairly original cave creatures makes this movie uniquely scary.

4) Halloween-Carpenter truly created something special with this movie. I love how Carpenter manages to create a truly scary film without all the blood and gore. Another aspect that makes this film scary is trick or treating is something everybody has done and Halloween is a holiday everyone can relate to. Ability to Relate = Scary

3) Nightmare on Elm Street-Where to begin with this? I will start where most people would not the music. Charles Bernstein created a perfect soundtrack to accompany this movie. I remember watching this movie with my mom and staying up all night because I was scared Freddy was going to get me in my sleep, this was just a few days ago. It is similar to Halloween in that we all have to sleep and that is a major part of what makes this film scary. You feel like you are dreaming while you are watching the movie because of the amazing visual effects. Do not be mistaken the effects are revolutionary for their time.

2) 28 Days Later-The best zombie film I have ever seen, and I have seen a lot. I like a zombie that can chase down a person on foot or chase down a car on foot for that matter. These infected are very quick that is one thing that sets this movie off from regular zombie/infected movies. My favorite part has to be that by the end you do not know who are the real bad guys in the movie the infected, or the soldiers. I will go much deeper into this eventually

1) Jaws-We’re gonna need a bigger boat. There are so many things in this movie that make it my all time favorite, but I’ll limit it to a couple for now. One is that every person who has seen this movie thought twice before going into the water at the beach again. For a while after this movie came out mothers would not let there kids go swimming in the pool, let alone at the beach. The big reason I like this movie is all of the great shot techniques used. One specifically is where Brody is on the beach and the Kitner boy is killed. The camera does a close up of Brody, but the backround seems to move away. This is very Hitchcockesque.

Blog Mission Statement

Our goal is to watch and review horror movies and give insight on different facets of horror. This blog will cover reviews of movies as well as techniques used in the movie making process and even the directors themselves. There will be three posts a week by a given member and a post will discuss not only a review for a given movie, but also the directing style for a given director. If you like classic Universal Studios monsters or if you like a torture film like Hostel this blog is for you. The black and white aspect of movie making will also be represented, but do not worry the blog will not be stuffy. The writers of this blog are going for a lighthearted atmosphere, but we also aim to be observant in posts. All members will share equal responsibility. Our group members consider themselves specialists in virtually all areas of horror. One member specializes in zombie movies, one in mainstream horror, and even one in classics. This blog will be unlike any other blog because it will relate horror movies to life and point out underlying messages in the films themselves. We will build credibility by actually watching movies and taking into account what experts say about movies. In summary this blog will blow your mind with all the new insight into movies. The authors of this blog strive to create a completely original blog experience. In order to create a good blog we must work as a team, a complete working unit. All of our posts will complement one another just like good actors in a movie. As they say in Night of the Living Dead, “We may not enjoy living together, but dying together isn’t going to solve a thing.”