Tag Archives: Revenge

The Purge: Anarchy (2014)

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I really appreciate how director James DeMonaco has a second chance to fully embrace his absurd premise of the Purge a year later, and now seems to finally get it. The only way a film like “The Purge” could be any kind of fun is if it embraces its exploitation and darkly comic roots, and “Anarchy” achieves just that. DeMonaco also makes a case in the opening that you really don’t need to see the first movie to understand what the film is aiming for. Truthfully, unless you have a real weakness for home invasion films, “The Purge” can be skipped entirely. Director James DeMonaco blames a lot of the first film’s problems on budget constraints and really gets to explore his premise more with a wider scope, and better grasp of his own idea this time around.

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The Raid 2: Berandal (2014)

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Way too often have I invested time in a martial arts film only to find the sequel is pretty much just a repeat of the same beats from the original. Thankfully “The Raid 2” is a wonderful and seamless extension of the original Gareth Evans’ crime thriller. Evans returns to deliver what is now a much more complex narrative based around deception, the mafia, and a very elaborate revenge ploy that promises to bring down even the most valiant heroes in the story. Evans manages a very fluid timeline that makes “The Raid 2” a very good chaser for the powerful first action entry. Immediately after the massive raid in the first film, we find out that things never quite worked out too well for hero Rama.

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All Cheerleaders Die (2013) (DVD)

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Director Lucky McKee and Chris Siverston attempt what many directors have in the past and remake their early film, “All Cheerleaders Die.” Now that they’ve reached a point of success, their considerably entertaining horror indie is now reworked in to a bigger scale, bigger budgeted, and gorier horror film. While the movie suffers from its caveats, “All Cheerleaders Die” works as a entertaining and twisted amalgam of “Heathers,” “I Spit on Your Grave,” and “The Craft.”

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The Prowler (1981)

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You can really see Tom Savini’s fingerprints all over “The Prowler,” as it elicits a lot of gruesome deaths for such a downbeat slasher movie. Much of the effects also echo a lot of the gore we saw in “Dawn of the Dead” including the exploding head moments. That said, “The Prowler” is a surprisingly strong slasher effort that doesn’t hold a lot of doors open for sequels, but manages to be a surprisingly decent and vicious whodunit with a creative and merciless serial killer unleashed on a vacation resort.

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All Cheerleaders Die (2013)

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Directors Lucky McKee and Chris Siverston backtrack over their 2001 indie horror film “All Cheerleaders Die” and remakes it in to a classic rape revenge horror film where hormonal jocks get their comeuppance. Director McKee and Siverston seem to have a lot of fun with the premise, channeling the likes of “Jawbreaker,” and “Satan’s Cheerleaders” in what is one of the more creative revenge horror films I’ve seen in a while. Maddy is an aspiring journalist who begins following around her friend Alexis during her tryouts for the cheerleading team. As well she learns about Alexis’ views on politics in high school not to mention the twisted social dynamic involved with dating and being a cheerleader.

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Sleepaway Camp (1983): Collector’s Edition [Blu-Ray/DVD]

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One of the interesting aspects of “Sleepaway Camp” that’s managed to keep it legendary is that, despite not being a very good horror movie, it garners a shocking surprise ending that no one saw coming. Even during its initial release. Though it’s mostly common knowledge among horror buffs, if you’ve never been aware of the closer to “Sleepaway Camp,” you’re in store for a pretty haunting final scene that will boggle your mind. Despite the low tech approach, it still warrants a gasp from me to this day and is a worthy turn of the screw that earns the entire film a place on any horror fans’ collection. Scream Factory gives the new Collector’s Edition the absolute best treatment possible, and it’s nothing short of an impressive re-release for horror fans both old and new.

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Stage Fright (2014)

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We’ve had horror musicals before, and rock operas aplenty, but it’s not often we get slasher musicals. “Stage Fright” is a very niche horror film, and one that runs the risk of alienating its audience, but for experimental audiences and for folks that appreciate horror comedies with an eighties twist, “Stage Fright” is an excellent and occasionally brilliant bastard child of many sub-genres, that works well as a truly memorable cocktail of madness and gore. Director Jerome Sable really creates a unique and genuinely raucous horror musical that takes “Phantom of the Opera” and builds a very refreshing revenge story from its roots.

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