Whether or not you enjoy “Paranormal Activity 2: Tokyo Night” is directly proportioned to whether or not you enjoy the “Paranormal Activity” franchise at all. At the end of the day this is Japan’s piece of the Paranormal pie and it is officially a sequel to and an extension of Oren Peli’s lore that he established with he first film and that has been established with the second film. This is not the first time an American film has seen a foreign sequel matched with an American sequel as George Romero saw his film “Dawn of the Dead” become its own franchise in Italy while “Day of the Dead” was simultaneously released and for once it’s refreshing to see Japan take on an American hit film and provide their own adaptation of the source material.
Tag Archives: Suspense
The Walking Dead – The Complete First Season: 3-Disc Special Edition (DVD)
With “The Walking Dead” being perhaps one of the biggest television hit in years, it was only obvious AMC television would rush out a box set of the entire first season of “The Walking Dead.” I can’t imagine it took them very long since the first season of the 2010 hit series is only six episodes, but that’s only the norm for AMC who practices a formula of six trial episodes leading in to a hopeful second and third season of thirteen episodes. It happened with “The Killing” and they also practiced the formula for “Breaking Bad,” two truly genius series.
With “The Walking Dead” rushed in to production on the home video front, fans were treated to a hastily created albeit much welcomed addition to their horror collection that brought together one of the biggest hits of 2010. For folks looking for a more complete edition, AMC and Anchor Bay have released a more thought out and well versed edition in a Three Disc hard cover treatment that should be a welcome collector’s piece for hardcore fans of “The Walking Dead.”
Chromeskull: Laid to Rest 2 (2011)
I didn’t enjoy “Laid to Rest” as much as other people did, for the simple fact that as a slasher it featured some of the most annoying and difficult to root for characters ever created, with a character named Chrome skull who had potential but was sorely wasted. “Laid to Rest” was a missed opportunity to conceive something of a unique slasher franchise and it failed big time. “Chromeskull” however is an even bigger waste of time, as it never knows what to do with the premise, nor can it completely connect the first film to the second film without it feeling like cheap fan service.
The Dead (2011)
The Ford Brothers have obviously come from the school of Romero with “The Dead,” a film that touts itself as one of the first South African zombie movies ever released. It strives to bring audiences the genre that Romero built in its most traditional sense as a zombie movie where the living must fight to ward off the walking dead, all of whom lumber and groan at the sight of fresh meat. There’s not a runner to be found, which should please traditionalists looking for a dread filled good time and the Ford brothers seemed to have been fed on a strict diet of Romero’s films as their monstrous zombies actually walk in rigomortis stricken pale bodies that turn them in to rather omnipotent and menacing beings.
The Howling: Reborn (2011)
I don’t see “The Howling Reborn” so much as a reboot of “The Howling” as a dramatic twist on “Teen Wolf.” That’s basically the premise behind this re-launch of the infamous “The Howling” franchise. It basically takes it back to high school with a fresh young cast of Canadians, all of whom are embroiled in the tooth and snout of the full moon madness. Landon Liboiron who is becoming a very well versed Scream king is the Teen Wolf this picture sets down on who is merely your average friendly neighborhood geek who has a destiny he is not yet aware of. Considering we barely see any werewolves at all, “The Howling Reborn” really could have been so much worse.
Creature (2011)
If you’re looking for a good old fashioned horror film with a man in a rubber suit painted to look like one ferocious motherfucking monster, you need look beyond “Creature.” What is “Creature” but a poor man’s “Creature from the Black Lagoon,” a movie about a bunch of tourists, and a backwoods monster in New Orleans who has a hefty appetite for attractive women and muscle bound men. Shocking enough, “Creature” is a theatrical release in 2011, and tells the tale of a bunch of American tourists–a few of whom happen to be Navy Seals (this is important for the second half of the film)–who happen in to the back woods of New Orleans in search of adventure. Little do they know that if you come across Sid Haig on any adventure, you’re bound to find trouble and terror. It’s just common sense. Granted, Haig is an icon of the horror culture, but he should be in the horror rule book as a word of warning to anyone seeking adventure.
Demonic Toys (1992)
With a screenplay by David S. Goyer, Charles Band’s brand of miniature madness presents the audience with something of an imagination and creativity. It’s “Demonic Toys,” another in a brand of Full Moon tiny terrors that I loved as a child and continue to to this day and for a Full Moon fan like yours truly, “Demonic Toys” has somewhat evaded me over the years. The 1992 horror film is a wicked entry in to Brand’s trademark creativity where director Peter Manoogian manages to make good use of the single setting piece he sets up for the audience.