YOU EUROPEAN WEIRDOS...

TROLLHUNTER (2010)

(Norwegian: Trolljegeren)

A group of students investigate a series of mysterious bear killings, but learns that there are much more dangerous things going on. They start to follow a mysterious hunter, learning that he is actually a troll hunter...

Trollhunter is made in the form of a mockumentary and it features a mixed cast of relatively unknown actors and well-known Norwegian comedians, including Otto Jespersen. According to director André Øvredal, the team tried to maintain maximum secrecy around the project. They kept both the title and cast secret until shortly before the première; instead dropping cryptic teasers to create a viral effect. Producers Sveinung Golimo and John M. Jacobsen reported great international attention around the film. Already before the première, several American companies had expressed interest in doing a remake.
The day the movie opened in the United States, Deadline.com announced that director Chris Columbus's company, 1492, along with CJ Entertainment & Media had acquired remake rights to the film.
The song “Mjød” by Kvelertak, a six-piece metal band from Stavanger, Norway, appears over the closing credits and at the end of the final credits, there is a notice in English, claiming that:
"No trolls were harmed during the making of this movie"

Director: André Øvredal
Writter: André Øvredal
Starring: Otto Jespersen, Hans Morten Hansen, Tomas Alf Larsen, Johanna Mørck, Knut Nærum
Running Time: 90min
Country: Norway
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLEo7H9tqSM

Rating: 9/10


THE BROKEN (2008)

In London, the radiologist Gina McVey organizes a surprise birthday party to her father John McVey with her boyfriend Stefan Chambers, her brother Daniel McVey and his girlfriend Kate Coleman. On the next day, she sees herself driving a car on the street and she follows the woman to her apartment, where she finds a picture of her father and her. While driving back, she has a car crash and loses parts of her memory...

The inventive spelling of the title reads somewhat silly in Norwegian and Danish since the Ø in broken is a letter in the alphabet in these languages and sounds like the "u" in "burden". In addition "brøken" is a Norwegian word meaning "the fraction".
The film premiered on 18 January 2008 as part of the 2008 Sundance Film Festival. It also was the first choice in Horrorfest 2009 and was part of Sitges Film Festival 2008, where Angus Hudson won the award for Best Cinematography.
Sean Ellis is British film director, writer, and producer and he is best known for his film Cashback (2004). For the same film in 2006, he was nominated for an Oscar Award in the category "Best Short Film, Live Action".

Director: Sean Ellis
Writter: Sean Ellis
Starring: Lena Headey, Asier Newman, Michelle Duncan, Melvil Poupaud, Richard Jenkins
Running Time: 88min
Country: UK
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q0nKZd9UxuI

Rating: 8/10


OUTCAST (2010)

Cathal (Nesbitt) is a killer who is pursuing his former lover Mary (Dickie). Mary, a woman who comes from an ancient and magicalceltic race, and her son Fergal (Bruton), hide in an outlying district of Edinburgh and use magic to protect themselves, but Cathal is determined to outsmart them...

Director: Colm McCarthy
Writter: Colm McCarthy, Tom McCarthy

Starring: James Nesbitt, Kate Dickie, James Cosmo, Niall Bruton, Hannah Stanbridge, Karen Gillan

Running Time: 98min
Country: UK, Ireland
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IH5bbbn3vZs

Rating: 7/10

THE RIGHT ONE IS IN

THE BOOK

(Låt den rätte komma in)
(eng.: Let the right one in) 2004
by John Ajvide Lindqvist


Låt den rätte komma in is a vampire fiction novel by Swedish writer John Ajvide Lindqvist. The title refers to the Morrissey song "Let the Right One Slip In", and the element of vampire folklore which says that vampires cannot enter a house unless invited. It takes place in Blackeberg, a working class suburb of Stockholm, in the early 1980s. The book focuses on the darker side of humanity, dealing with issues such as existential anxiety, bullying, pedophilia and murder. It was a bestseller in the author's home country of Sweden and was translated into several languages, including English. A Swedish-language film by the same name, directed by Tomas Alfredson, was released in 2008 to widespread critical acclaim. An English-language film adaptation, directed by Matt Reeves, was released on October 1, 2010, titled Let Me In.
The American version is called Let Me In because the publishers believed that the original title was too long. They first suggested the title be changed to Let Her In, but Lindqvist suggested Let Me In instead.

THE FILM
(Låt den rätte komma in)
(eng.: Let the right one in) 2008

Oskar, a bullied 12-year old, dreams of revenge. He falls in love with Eli, a peculiar girl. She can't stand the sun or food and to come into a room she needs to be invited. Eli gives Oskar the strength to hit back but when he realizes that Eli needs to drink other people's blood to live he's faced with a choice. How much can love forgive?

Alfredson, unfamiliar with the horror and vampire conventions, decided to tone down many elements of the novel and focus primarily on the relationship between the two main characters. Selecting the lead actors involved a year-long process with open castings held all over Sweden. In the end, then 11-year-olds Kåre Hedebrant and Lina Leandersson were chosen for the leading roles. They were subsequently commended by both Alfredson and film reviewers for their performances. The novel presents Eli as an androgynous boy, castrated centuries before by a sadistic vampire nobleman. The film handles the issue of Eli's gender more ambiguously: a brief scene in which Eli changes into a dress offers a glimpse of a suggestive scar but no explicit elaboration. When Oskar asks Eli to be his girlfriend, Eli tries to tell Oskar "I'm not a girl". Lindqvist had insisted on writing the screenplay himself. Alfredson, who had no familiarity with the vampire and horror genres, initially expressed skepticism at having the original author do the adaptation, but was very satisfied with the end result.
> In the film's final scene (on a train), Oskar and Eli use Morse code to communicate. They are tapping out the letters P-U-S-S, which is Swedish for "small kiss".<
The film received widespread international critical acclaim and won numerous awards, including the "Founders Award for Best Narrative Feature" at the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival and the European Fantastic Film Festivals Federation's 2008 Méliès d'Or (Golden Méliès) for the "Best European Fantastic Feature Film", as well as four Guldbagge Awards from the Swedish Film Institute.

Director: Tomas Alfredson
Writter: John Ajvide Lindqvist
Starring: Kåre Hedebrant, Lina Leandersson, Per Ragnar
Running Time: 114min
Country: Sweden
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZJUgsZ56vQ

Rating: 9/10

THE REMAKE
(Let me in) 2010

Interest in producing an English version of Let the Right One In began in 2007 shortly before it was released to audiences. In 2008, Hammer Films acquired the rights for the English adaptation and initially offered Tomas Alfredson, the director of the Swedish film, the opportunity to direct, which he declined. Matt Reeves was then signed to direct and write the screenplay. Reeves made several changes for the English version such as altering the setting from Stockholm to New Mexico and renaming the lead characters. The film's producers stated that their intent was to keep the plot similar to the original, yet make it more accessible to a wider audience.
The film received highly positive reviews from critics, becoming one of the best critically reviewed films of 2010. Many critics noted it as a rare Hollywood remake which stayed true to the original film from which it was based, while some criticized it for being too similar to the Swedish film in light of Reeves promoting the film as being a new take on the original novel. Chloë Moretz won several awards for her performance with critics praising the on-screen chemistry with her co-star, Kodi Smit-McPhee. An official comic book miniseries prequel titled Let Me In: Crossroadswas released after the film which establishes the back-story of Abby and ends where the theatrical film begins.

Director: Matt Reeves
Writter: Matt Reeves, Story: John Ajvide Lindqvist
Starring: Kodi Smit-McPhee, Chloë Grace Moretz, Elias Koteas, Richard Jenkins
Running Time: 116min
Country: United States
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=reRRAEVHq8E

Rating: 7/10

STEPHEN KING MASTERPIECES

THE SHINING (1980)

A family heads to an isolated hotel for the winter where an evil and spiritual presence influences the father into violence, while his psychic son sees horrific forebodings from the past and of the future.

The film is based on the novel of the same name, by Stephen King. Unlike most films by Stanley Kubrick, which saw a slow gradual release building on word-of-mouth, The Shining was released in a manner more like a mass-market film, opening at first in just two cities on Memorial Day, and then a month later seeing a nationwide release (including drive-ins) after extensive television advertising. Kubrick considered both Robert De Niro and Robin Williams for the role of Jack Torrance but decided against both of them. Kubrick didn't think De Niro would suit the part after watching his performance in Taxi Driver (1976), as he deemed De Niro not psychotic enough for the role. There is a great deal of confusion regarding this film and the number of retakes of certain scenes. According to the Guinness Book of Records, the scene where Wendy is backing up the stairs swinging the baseball bat was shot 127 times, which is a record for the most takes of a single scene. Outtakes of the shots of the Volkswagen traveling towards the Overlook Hotel at the start of the film were plundered by Ridley Scott (with Stanley Kubrick's permission) when he was forced to add the 'happy ending' to the original release of Blade Runner (1982).
Despite receiving generally unfavorable reviews upon its initial release, the film is today regarded as one of the best horror movies ever made.

Director: Stanley Kubrick
Screenplay: Stanley Kubrick, Diane Johnson, Novel: Stephen King
Starring: Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall, Danny Lloyd, Scatman Crothers
Running Time: 142min
Country: United States
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3b726feAhdU

Rating: 10/10

THE DEAD ZONE (1983)

Christopher Walken wakes from a coma due to a car accident, only to find he has lost five years of his life, and yet gained psychic powers. Foreseeing the future appears to be a 'gift' at first, but ends up causing problems...

The Dead Zone was the first of several Stephen King novels and short stories that took place in the small town of Castle Rock. Others include Stand by Me (1986), Cujo (1983), The Dark Half (1993), and Needful Things (1993).According to a David Cronenberg interview on the DVD, the film was filmed during a relentless deep freeze which lasted for weeks, creating an authentic atmosphere of subzero temperatures and icy snow-packed terrain. There are several deleted scenes that were filmed and completed but have never been seen publicly and are thought to have been discarded prior to the film's release. This film (and Stephen King's novel) are both loosely based upon the life of famous psychic Peter Hurkos. Hurkos claimed to have acquired his alleged powers after falling off a ladder and hitting his head. The music soundtrack, composed by Michael Kamen, was recorded by The National Philharmonic Orchestra, London at the famous EMI Abbey Road Studios.

Director: David Cronenberg
Screenplay: Jeffrey Boam, Novel: Stephen King
Starring: Christopher Walken, Brooke Adams, Tom Skerritt, Martin Sheen
Running Time: 103min
Country: United States
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lmC5oPc7L3M

Rating: 9/10

MISERY (1990)

Best-selling novelist Paul Sheldon is on his way home from his Colorado hideaway after completing his latest book, when he crashes his car in a freak blizzard. Paul is critically injured, but is rescued by former nurse Annie Wilkes, Paul's "number one fan", who takes Paul back to her remote house in the mountains...

The film received critical acclaim for Kathy Bates' performance as the psychopathic Annie Wilkes.
Kathy Bates won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her role and became the first woman to win an Oscar for Best Actress in a horror/thriller. Jack Nicholson was offered the role of Paul Sheldon but passed because he wasn't sure he wanted to do another movie based on one of Stephen King's novels after what he had experienced with Stanley Kubrick on The Shining. Stephen King was quite impressed with Kathy Bates's performance in this film, so much so that he later wrote to more roles for her. The title role in his novel Dolores Claiborne (1995) was written with Bates in mind.
As of 2010 this is the only Stephen King adaptation to receive an Academy Award.

Director: Rob Reiner
Screenplay: William Goldman, Novel: Stephen King
Starring: James Caan, Kathy Bates, Richard Farnsworth, Frances Sternhagen, Lauren Bacall
Running Time: 107min
Country: United States
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hDoUpcOI-T8

Rating: 9/10

OLDIES BUT GOODIES

THE NIGHT OF THE HUNTER (1955)

Harry Powell marries and murders widows for their money, believing he is helping God do away with women who arouse men's carnal instincts. Arrested for auto theft, he shares a cell with condemned killer Ben Harper and tries to get him to reveal the whereabouts of the $10,000 he stole. Only Ben's nine-year-old son, John and four-year-old daughter, Pearl know the money is in Pearl's doll and they have sworn to their father to keep this secret. After Ben is executed, Preacher goes to Cresap's Landing to court Ben's widow, Willa. He overwhelms her with his Scripture quoting, sermons and hymns, and she agrees to marry him...

The film is based on the 1953 novel of the same name by Davis Grubb, adapted for the screen by James Ageeand Laughton. The novel and film draw on the true story of Harry Powers, hanged in 1932 for the murders of two widows and three children in Clarksburg, West Virginia. The movie was filmed in black and white in the styles and motifs of German Expressionism (bizarre shadows, stylized dialogue, distorted perspectives, surreal sets, odd camera angles) to create a simplified and disturbing mood that reflects the sinister character of Powell, the nightmarish fears of the children, and the sweetness of their savior Rachel. The film's lyric and expressionistic style sets it apart from other Hollywood filmsof the 1940s and 50s, and it has influenced later directors such as David Lynch, Martin Scorsese, Terrence Malick, Jim Jarmusch, the Coen brothers, and Spike Lee.
In 1992, The Night of the Hunter was deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" by the United States Library of Congress and was selected for preservation in its National Film Registry.

Director: Charles Laughton
Writter: James Agee, Charles Laughton, Novel: Davis Grubb
Starring: Robert Mitchum, Shelley Winters, Lillian Gish
Running Time: 93min
Country: United States
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y8dX6ZKJe2o

Rating: 9,5/10

FREAKS (1932)

A carnival barker displays a sideshow freak called the Feathered Hen and tells her story. Cleopatra, a trapeze artist with the carnival, is adored by a midget named Hans. Frieda, Hans' fiancée (also a midget), warns Hans that Cleopatra is only interested in him so that he will give her money. Cleopatra has an affair with Hercules, and when Frieda lets it slip that Hans is to come into an inheritance, Cleopatra and Hercules plan to get the money be having Cleopatra marry Hans. During the wedding reception, Cleopatra, although openly romantic with Hercules, is accepted by the freaks, but is revolted and mocks them...

The film was based on Tod Robbins' 1923 short story "Spurs"and wirh a cast mostly composed of actual carnival (funfair) performers. Director Browning took the exceptional step of casting real people with deformities as the eponymous sideshow "freaks," rather than using costumes and makeup. Browning had been a member of a traveling circus in his early years, and much of the film was drawn from his personal experiences. In the film, the physically deformed "freaks" are inherently trusting and honorable people, while the real monsters are two of the "normal" members of the circus. Despite the extensive cuts, the film was still negatively received by audiences, and remained an object of extreme controversy. Today, the parts that were removed are considered lost. Because its deformed cast was shocking to moviegoers of the time, the film was banned in the United Kingdom for 30 years.

Director: Tod Browning
Writter: Tod Robbins
Starring: Wallace Ford, Leila Hyams, Olga Baclanova, Henry Victor, Harry Earles
Running Time: Original cut: 90 min., Released cut: 64 min.
Country: United States
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Zf-ah9ZrWM

Rating: 9/10

DEAD OF NIGHT (1945)

Architect Walter Craig, seeking the possibility of some work at a country farmhouse, soon finds himself once again stuck in his recurring nightmare. Dreading the end of the dream that he knows is coming, he must first listen to all the assembled guests' own bizarre tales...

This is a British compendium horror film made by Ealing Studios, its various episodes directed by Alberto Cavalcanti, Charles Crichton, Basil Dearden and Robert Hamer. The film is probably best-remembered for the ventriloquist's dummy episode starring Redgrave. Dead of Night stands out from British film of the 1940s, when few genre films were being produced, and it had a huge influence on subsequent British horror films; most particularly, the anthology films produced by Amicus in the 1960s and early 1970s. Both of the segments by John Baines were recycled for later films, and the possessed ventriloquist dummy episode was adapted as an episode of the long-running CBS radio series Escape. It was also used twice by the American television series The Twilight Zone.

Directors: Cavalcanti ("Christmas Party" and "The Ventriloquist's Dummy"), Charles Crichton("Golfing Story"), Basil Dearden ("Hearse Driver" and "Linking Narrative"), Robert Hamer ("The Haunted Mirror")
Writter: H.G. Wells (original story), E.F. Benson (original story), John Baines (original story and screenplay), Angus MacPhail(original story and screenplay)
Starring: Michael Redgrave, Mervyn Johns, Frederick Valk, Roland Culver
Running Time: 102 min.
Country: United Kingdom
Related Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0mOIy5U8eaE

Rating: 9/10

CRONENBERG'S SCI-FI HORROR MASTERPIECES

VIDEODROME (1983)

Set in Toronto during the early 80s, it follows the CEO of a small cable station who stumbles upon a broadcast signal featuring extreme violence and torture. The signal causes brain tumors in viewers, and is revealed to have been developed by the government as part of a conspiracy...

The film has been described as a "disturbing techno-surrealist film". Andy Warhol called the movie the "A Clockwork Orange of the 1980s". David Cronenberg recalled how, when he was a child, he used to pick up pirate television signals from Buffalo, New York, late at night after Canadian stations had gone off the air, and how he used to worry he might see something disturbing not meant for public consumption. This formed the basis for the plot of Videodrome. Videodrome pioneered the flicker-eliminating technology used to film a television screen's images; before, film images were superimposed onto blank television screens. Videodrome's cult film status has made it a popular source for sampling and homage in Electro-industrial, EBM, and heavy metal music.
In 2009, Universal Studios announced that it had obtained the rights to produce a remake, with a possible 2011 release.

Director: David Cronenberg
Writter: David Cronenberg
Starring: James Woods, Deborah Harry, Sonja Smits, Peter Dvorsky, Leslie Carlson
Running Time: 89min
Country: Canada
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fPGszmU1egQ&feature=related

Rating: 9,5/10

THE FLY (1986)

Seth Brundle, a brilliant but eccentric scientist attempts to woo investigative journalist Veronica Quaife by offering her a scoop on his latest research in the field of matter transportation, which against all the expectations of the scientific establishment have proved successful. Up to a point. Brundle thinks he has ironed out the last problem when he successfully transports a living creature, but when he attempts to teleport himself a fly enters one of the transmission booths, and Brundle finds he is a changed man...

The film is a remake of the 1958 film of the same name, but retains only the basic premise of a scientist accidentally merging with a housefly during a teleportation experiment. Despite being a gory remake of a classic made by a controversial, non-mainstream director, the film was a huge commercial success, the biggest of Cronenberg's career, and was the top-grossing film in the United States for two weeks. Make-up effects were created by Chris Walas, who won the Academy Award for Best Makeup. The inspiration for the design of the telepods came from the shape of the cylinder in director David Cronenberg's vintage Ducati motorcycle. Some critics saw the film as a metaphor for the AIDS epidemic.
A sequel followed in 1989 entitled The Fly II.

Director: David Cronenberg
Writters: Charles Edward Pogue, David Cronenberg, Story: George Langelaan
Starring: Jeff Goldblum, Geena Davis, John Getz
Running Time: 95min
Country: Canada
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2BTPOlbW-Cc

Rating: 9,5/10

SCANNERS (1981)

Darryl Revok is the most powerful of all the scanners, and is the head of the underground scanner movement for world domination. Scanners have great psychic power, strong enough to control minds; they can inflict enormous pain/damage on their victims. Doctor Paul Ruth finds a scanner that Revok hasn't, and converts him to their cause - to destroy the underground movement...

The story is structured as a futuristic thriller, involving industrial espionage and intrigue, car chases, conspiracies, and shoot-outs. It was the nearest thing to a conventional sci-fi thriller Cronenberg had made up to that point, lacking the sexual content of Shivers, Rabid, or The Brood; it was also his most profitable film until The Fly six years later. Master make-up artist Dick Smith (The Exorcist) provided the prosthetic make-up effects for the often-cited exploding head and the climactic scanner duel. The effect was made by filling a prosthetic head with dog food and rabbit livers, and shooting it from behind with a 12-gauge shotgun.
Scanners spawned sequels [Scanners II: The New Order (1991), Scanners III: The Takeover (1992)] and a series of spin-offs; [Scanner Cop (1994), Scanners: The Showdown (a.k.a. Scanner Cop II) (1995)]; a remake was announced in 2007, but as of 2010 has not been put into production. None of these projects have involved Cronenberg as director.

Director: David Cronenberg
Writter: David Cronenberg
Starring: Stephen Lack, Jennifer O'Neill, Michael Ironside, Patrick McGoohan
Running Time: 103min
Country: Canada
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d6GNs6MthtU&feature=related

Rating: 9/10

SCIENCE FICTION TERROR

ALIEN (1979)

When a mining ship lands on a planet to investigate upon a suspected SOS, the entire crew are unaware of the terror which they would unleash upon their ship. When a alien life-form attach's itself to the face of a crew member, the rest of the team act fast to try and separate the two organisms. Unbeknownst to everyone, this is the start of the terror which would affect every member of the seven person crew...

Dan O'Bannon wrote the screenplay from a story by him and Ronald Shusett, drawing influence from previous works of science fiction and horror. Producers David Giler and Walter Hill made significant revisions and additions to the script. The titular Alien and its accompanying elements were designed by Swiss surrealist artist H. R. Giger, while concept artists Ron Cobb and Chris Foss designed the human aspects of the film. Giger's designs were changed several times because of their blatant sexuality. He would successfully sue 20th Century Fox 18 years later over his lack of screen credit on Alien: Resurrection. The success of Alien spawned a media franchise of novels, comic books, video games, and toys, as well as three sequel and two prequel films.

Director: Ridley Scott
Writter: Dan O'Bannon
Starring: Sigourney Weaver, Tom Skerritt, Veronica Cartwright, Harry Dean Stanton, John Hurt, Ian Holm
Running Time: 119min
Country: United States
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ojhGdRSkiUw

Rating: 10/10


CUBE (1997)

Six different people, each from a very different walk of life, awaken to find themselves inside a giant cube with thousands of possible rooms. Each has a skill that becomes clear when they must band together to get out: a cop, a math whiz, a building designer, a doctor, an escape master, and a disabled man. Each plays a part in their thrilling quest to find answers as to why they've been imprisoned...

This film was shot in twenty days and the majority of it was shot with a hand-held camera. To show their support for the Toronto film industry, the special effects company C.O.R.E. did the digital effects for free. All of the characters are named after prisons: Quentin (San Quentin, California), Holloway (England), Kazan (Russia), Rennes (France), Alderson (Alderson, West Virginia), Leaven and Worth (Leavenworth, Kansas). An episode of the original The Twilight Zone television series, "Five Characters in Search of an Exit," was reportedly an inspiration for the movie. Despite its low budget, the film achieved moderate commercial success and has acquired cult status.
Cube is followed by the sequel Cube 2: Hypercube (2002) and the prequel Cube Zero (2004).

Director: Vincenzo Natali
Writters: André Bijelic, Graeme Manson, Vincenzo Natali
Starring: Nicole de Boer, Nicky Guadagni, David Hewlett, Andrew Miller
Running Time: 90min
Country: Canada
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=01hUyIrubWE

Rating: 9/10


EVENT HORIZON (1997)

In the year 2047 a group of astronauts are sent to investigate and salvage the long lost starship "Event Horizon". The ship disappeared mysteriously 7 years before on its maiden voyage and with its return comes even more mystery as the crew of the "Lewis and Clark" discover the real truth behind its disappearance and something even more terrifying...

The Event Horizon was named after the theoretical boundary surrounding a black hole, within which gravitational attraction is so great that nothing, not even radiation, can escape because the escape velocity is greater than the speed of light.

Director: Paul W. S. Anderson
Writters: Philip Eisner
Starring: Laurence Fishburne, Sam Neill, Kathleen Quinlan, Joely Richardson, Richard T. Jones, Jack Noseworthy
Running Time: 97min
Country: United Kingdom, United States
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gd0nQUF00Sg

Rating: 8/10

BLOOD LUST

NOSFERATU THE VAMPYRE (1979)

Jonathan Harker is sent away to Count Dracula's castle to sell him a house in Virna, where he lives. But Count Dracula is a vampire, an undead ghoule living of men's blood. Inspired by a photograph of Lucy Harker, Jonathan's wife, Dracula moves to Virna, bringing with him death and plague... An unusually contemplative version of Dracula, in which the vampire bears the cross of not being able to get old and die...

Film's original German title is Nosferatu: Phantom der Nacht ("Nosferatu: Phantom of the Night"). It was conceived as a stylistic remake of the 1922 German Dracula adaptation, Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens.The film also marks the second of five collaborations between director Werner Herzog and actor Klaus Kinski, immediately followed by 1979's Woyzeck. The movie was shot simultaneously in German and English. An almost completely unrelated sequel, Vampire in Venice, was released in 1988 by director Augusto Caminito, with only Klaus Kinski returning to reprise his loosely connected role.

Director: Werner Herzog
Writter: Werner Herzog, Bram Stoker (novel)
Starring: Klaus Kinski, Isabelle Adjani, Bruno Ganz
Running Time: 107min
Country: West Germany, France
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZeYpGsEdEZU

Rating: 9.5/10

MARTIN (1977)

Martin (John Amplas) sedates women with a syringe full of narcotics and then slices their wrists with a razor blade so he can drink their blood. Martin, who comes to live with his granduncle and cousin in the dying town of Braddock, Pennsylvania, has romantic monochrome visions of vampiric seductions and torch-lit mobs, but it is impossible to tell how seriously he takes them. Martin's granduncle, the superstitious old Tada Cuda, has reluctantly agreed to give Martin room and board as he is the closest living relative. Cuda is very much a Lithuanian Catholic who treats Martin like an Old World vampire and tries unsuccessfully to repel Martin with strings of garlic bulbs around the home and a crucifix...

The original cut of the film ran nearly 2 hours 45 minutes. Romero has confirmed that there is no known existing copy of this legendary cut at a recent screening of the film in New York City. Tom Savini also did the stunts (and special makeup effects) in the film. George A. Romero originally wanted the entire film to be in black and white, but the producers didn't want to risk this experiment and insisted that the majority of the film be in color. Much like Romero's Dawn of the Dead, Martin was edited for the European market, under the title of Wampyr. This version is only available in an Italian dubbed version. This version's score was performed by the band Goblin.

Director: George A. Romero
Writter: George A. Romero
Starring: John Amplas, Elyane Nadeau, Tom Savini
Running Time: 95min
Country: United States
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4SwXSiGpCxc&feature=related

Rating: 8/10


THIRST (2009)

Sang-hyun, a priest working for a hospital, selflessly volunteers for a secret vaccine development project intended to eradicate a deadly virus. However, the virus eventually takes over the priest. He nearly dies, but makes a miraculous recovery by an accidental transfusion of vampire blood. He realizes his sole reason for living: the pleasures of the flesh...

Film is loosely based on the novel Thérèse Raquin by Émile Zola. It is the first mainstream Korean film to feature full-frontal adult male nudity (but not the first-ever commercially-released South Korean film to do so) The film won the Jury Prize at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival.

Director: Park Chan-wook
Writter: Park Chan-wook, Jeong Seo-Kyeong
Starring: Song Kang-ho, Kim Ok-bin, Shin Ha-kyun
Running Time: 133 min, S. Korea: 145 min (director's cut), Canada: 148 min (Blu-ray)
Country: South Korea
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ksHBkbERaJI

Rating: 8/10

THE KIDS ARE ALLRIGHT

THE OMEN (1976)

Robert and Katherine Thorn seem to have it all. They are happily married and he is the US Ambassador to Italy, but they want more than to have children. When Katharine has a stillborn child, Robert is approached by a priest at the hospital who suggests that they take a healthy newborn whose mother has just died in childbirth. Without telling his wife he agrees. After relocating to London, strange events - and the ominous warnings of a priest - lead him to believe that the child he took from that Italian hospital is evil incarnate...

Two endings were filmed. The original ending featured a child's casket with Robert and Katherine's, indicating Damien was also killed. But the studio head, Alan Ladd, Jr., said whilst The Omen was a great movie the first ending was a mistake: you cannot kill the devil! He gave Donner additional funds to refilm the ending. The site used for the Megiddo archaeological dig is a real dig, just not in Megiddo. It is located in the Old City of Jerusalem, on the southern end of the Temple Mount. An original score for the film was composed by Jerry Goldsmith, for which he received the only Oscar of his long career.
A remake, The Omen, was released on June 6, 2006.

Director: Richard Donner
Writter: David Seltzer
Starring: Gregory Peck, Lee Remick, David Warner, Billie Whitelaw
Running Time: 111min
Country: United States
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3PuIBNLOeEU

Rating: 10/10


THE ORPHANAGE (2007)
(Spanish: El Orfanato)

Laura, a former orphan, raises her adopted son Simón together with her husband Carlos in an old house and former orphanage where she was raised. While at the orphanage Simón tells Laura that he has five invisible friends which she believes are a product of his active imagination. Laura decides to reopen the orphanage to cater for disabled children and throws a party. During the party Simón tries to persuade Laura to go and take a look at his friends cabin but she's too busy. Later on she sees a mysterious masked boy and realizes that Simón has also disappeared...

The film's script was written by Sergio G. Sánchez in 1996 and brought to the attention of Bayona in 2004. Bayona asked his long-time friend, director Guillermo del Toro, to help produce the film and to double its budget and filming time. Bayona wanted the film to capture the feel of 1970s Spanish cinema; he cast Geraldine Chaplin and Belén Rueda, who were later praised for their roles in the film.
It received critical acclaim from audiences in its native Spain, winning seven Goya awards. New Line Cinema bought the rights to the film for an American remake.

Director: Juan Antonio Bayona
Writter: Sergio G. Sánchez
Starring: Belén Rueda, Fernando Cayo, Roger Príncep, Geraldine Chaplin, Montserrat Carulla
Running Time: 105min
Country: Spain - Mexico
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nUZQgqxIZ6s

Rating: 9/10


HANSEL AND GRETEL (2007)

When Eun-soo gets lost in a country road, he meets a mysterious girl and is led to her fairytale ike house in the middle of the forest. There, Eun-soo is trapped with the girl and her siblings who never age. Eun-soo finally discovers a way out which is written on a fairy tale book. But the book tells a story of none other than himself!

Director: Yim Pil-Sung
Writter: Kim Min Suk
Starring: Cheon Jeong-myeong, Eun Won-jae, Shim Eun-kyeong, Jin Ji-hye
Running Time: 117min
Country: South Korea
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nlfnhVsbyeQ&playnext=1&list=PL8E4BCAB3B615465E

Rating: 7/10


THE OTHER (1972)

In the summer of 1935, 9-year-old twins Niles and Holland Perry live with their family on a Connecticut farm. Their loving grandmother Ada has taught them something called "the game." A number of accidents begin happening, and it seems to Niles that Holland is responsible. It is Ada who begins to see the truth, and she is the only one who can stop this macabre game of murder...

Adapted for film by Tom Tryon, from his bestselling novel. This is the only movie appearance by the twins Chris and Martin Udvarnoky, the featured stars. Despite the grotesque nature of the plot, composer Jerry Goldsmith elected to give the film a mostly upbeat score to reflect the childish innocence of its main character. More often than not, the film's darker scenes feature no music at all. Goldsmith's compositions for the film can be heard in a 22 minute suite found on the soundtrack album of The Mephisto Waltz. This CD was released 25 years after the release of the film.

Director: Robert Mulligan
Writter: Tom Tryon (also novel)
Starring: Uta Hagen, Diana Muldaur, Chris Udvarnoky, Martin Udvarnoky
Running Time: 108min
Country: United States
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMmMqWkudgA

Rating: 8/10

STEPHEN KING OUTSIDERS

CUJO (1983)

Donna Trenton (Dee Wallace) is a frustrated suburban housewife whose life is in turmoil after her husband Vic learns about her having an affair. Brett Camber (Billy Jacoby) is a young boy and a son of a mechanic, Joe, (Ed Lauter) whose only companion is a St. Bernard named "Cujo." Cujo is bitten by a bat with rabies and his behavior begins to change. While the dog begins to succumb to the disease, Brett and his mother leave for Connecticut to visit his mother's sister. When Donna and her young son, Tad (Danny Pintauro), drive out to the home where Cujo and the Cambers live, the gentle Cujo has been driven insane by rabies and has killed Joe and the Cambers' neighbor. Worse, their car gives out near the Camber's house and Donna and Tad are trapped inside while the massive dog waits outside, attacking repeatedly, all while Vic is out of town on a business trip...

Based on the Stephen King novel of the same name. "Cujo" is an ancient Indian word meaning "unstoppable force". Stephen King cites this film as having the most effective scare of any of the movies based on his works, referring to the jolting scare where Cujo first leaps at the passenger window of the car. The film was #58 on Bravo's 100 Scariest Movie Moments.

Director: Lewis Teague
Writter: Lauren Currier, Book: Stephen King (novel)
Starring: Dee Wallace, Danny Pintauro, Daniel Hugh-Kelly, Christopher Stone, Ed Lauter
Running Time: 91min
Country: United States
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v0k21yeVMbM

Rating: 8.5/10

DOLAN'S CADILLAC (2009)

In Las Vegas, school teachers Robinson and his wife Elizabeth are trying for a baby. While horse riding through the desert one evening, Elizabeth witnesses the execution of two coyotes and an illegal immigrant by the human trafficker Jimmy Dolan and decides to report the incident to the police. However, she loses her cellular and Dolan finds it, tracks her address down and threatens her. Elizabeth goes to the FBI with Robinson and they move to a safe house under the protection of two agents. When Elizabeth sneaks from the house to buy pregnancy tests, her car explodes and she dies. Robinson decides to avenge Elizabeth's death...

Based on a short story of the same name by Stephen King. Sylvester Stallone was originally slated to play the role of Jimmy Dolan. He was later replaced with Christian Slater. In Vegas Dolan stays at The Montressor Hotel. This is a tip to the story that inspired Stephen King to write 'Dolan's Cadillac' - Poe's 'The Cask of Amontillado'.

Director: Jeff Beesley
Writter: Richard Dooling, Book: Stephen King (short story)
Starring: Wes Bentley, Christian Slater, Emmanuelle Vaugier
Running Time: 105min
Country: United States
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=71Mv-f_08j4

Rating: 8/10

NEEDFUL THINGS (1993)

Leland Gaunt comes to Sheriff Alan Pangborn's pleasant little New England town, and opens a store. What this kindly Satan sells is whatever you need, from a surcease from pain to an object which you have always coveted. The Faustian price is, of course, corruption, and soon the poor sheriff's town is wracked by jealousy, spite, and violence.

Based on the Stephen King novel of the same name. The setting of Needful Things is a fictional town called Castle Rock, Maine - as in Stephen King's novel. The distribution company Castle Rock was named after it when it released Stand by Me (1986). Castle Rock was also the setting for The Dead Zone (1983), Cujo (1983), and The Dark Half (1993).

Director: Fraser C. Heston
Writter: W.D. Richter, Book: Stephen King (novel)
Starring: Max von Sydow, Ed Harris, Bonnie Bedelia, J. T. Walsh
Running Time: 120min
Country: United States
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kFfdgoGJeEI&feature=related

Rating: 7/10

SERIAL KILLING

MANHUNTER (1986)

Will Graham is a former FBI agent who recently retired to Florida with his wife Molly and their young son. Graham was a 'profiler'; one who profiles criminal's behavior and tries to put his mind into the minds of criminals to examine their thoughts while visiting crime scenes. Will is called out of his self-imposed retirement at the request of his former boss Jack Crawford to help the FBI catch an elusive serial killer, known to the press as the 'Tooth Fairy', who randomly kills whole families in their houses during nights of the full moon and leaves bite marks on his victims...

The film was originally going to use the novel's title, Red Dragon. When Year of the Dragon bombed at the box office in 1985, producer Dino De Laurentiis decided to change the title. The cinematographer was Dante Spinotti, who also served as the director of photography on Red Dragon, the 2002 film version of the novel. Despite generally positive critical reviews, the film performed poorly at the box office.

Director: Michael Mann
Writter: Michael Mann, Book: Thomas Harris
Starring: William Petersen, Kim Greist, Brian Cox, Dennis Farina, Tom Noonan
Running Time: 120min
Country: United States
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=czVMfUd5dFI

Rating: 9.5/10


HENRY: PORTRAIT OF A SERIAL KILLER (1986)

Henry likes to kill people, in different ways each time. Henry shares an apartment with Otis. When Otis' sister comes to stay, we see both sides of Henry; the "guy-next-door" and the serial killer.

The character of Henry is loosely based on real life serial killer Henry Lee Lucas. In prison, Henry Lee Lucas confessed to over 600 murders, claiming he committed roughly one murder a week between his release from prison in 1975 to his arrest in 1983. The film was shot on 16mm in less than a month with a budget of only $110,000. A sequel, Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer, Part 2, was released in 1996.

Director: John McNaughton
Writter: Richard Fire, John McNaughton
Starring: Michael Rooker, Tom Towles, Tracy Arnold
Running Time: 83min
Country: United States
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IU3P6WXzvXU

Rating: 8/10


AMERICAN PSYCHO (2000)

A wealthy New York investment banking executive hides his alternate psychopathic ego from his co-workers and friends as mental instability and blood lust lead him to serial killing...

Based on Bret Easton Ellis's novel of the same name. The soundtrack for the film was scored by John Cale, with artists such as David Bowie, The Cure, and New Order.

Director: Mary Harron
Writters: Mary Harron, Guinevere Turner, Book: Bret Easton Ellis
Starring: Christian Bale, Willem Dafoe, Reese Witherspoon, Chloë Sevigny, Jared Leto, Justin Theroux
Running Time: 101min
Country: United States
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IU3P6WXzvXU

Rating: 8/10


PEEPING TOM (1960)

Mark Lewis, works as a focus puller in a British film studio. On his off hours, he supplies a local porno shop with cheesecake photos and also dabbles in filmmaking. A lonely, unfriendly, sexually repressed fellow, Mark is obsessed with the effects of fear and how they are registered on the face and behavior of the frightened. This obsession dates from the time when, as a child, he served as the subject of some cold-blooded experiments in the psychology of terror conducted by his own scientist father. As a grown man, Mark becomes a compulsive murderer who kills women and records their contorted features and dying gasps on film...

The title derives from the slang expression 'peeping Tom' describing a voyeur. Its controversial subject and the extremely harsh reception by critics effectively destroyed Powell's career as a director in the United Kingdom. However, it attracted a cult following, and in later years, it has been re-evaluated and is now considered a masterpiece.

Director: Michael Powell
Writters: Leo Marks
Starring: Carl Boehm, Moira Shearer, Anna Massey, Maxine Audley
Running Time: 101min
Country: United Kingdom
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IU3P6WXzvXU

Rating: 9/10

POOR POOR GIRL...

ROSEMARY'S BABY (1968)

A young couple move into a new apartment, only to be surrounded by peculiar neighbors and occurrences. When the wife becomes mysteriously pregnant, paranoia over the safety of her unborn child begins controlling her life...

Based on the bestselling 1967 novel by Ira Levin. The film received mostly positive reviews and earned numerous nominations and awards. The American Film Institute ranked the film 9th in their 100 Years…100 Thrills list. The official tagline of the film is "Pray for Rosemary's Baby."
For the scene where Rosemary is raped by Satan, Rosemary's Baby ranked #23 on Bravo's 100 Scariest Movie Moments. Contrary to an urban legend, Anton LaVey did not play the role of Satan in the rape scene of Rosemary's Baby. In fact it was actor Clay Tanner, and no technical advisor was used.
Thirty years after he wrote Rosemary's Baby, Ira Levin wrote Son of Rosemary, a sequel which he dedicated to the film's star, Mia Farrow.
A 2009-2010 remake of Rosemary's Baby was briefly considered. The intended producers were Michael Bay, Andrew Form, and Brad Fuller.
The remake fell through in 2008.

Director: Roman Polanski
Writter: Roman Polanski, Book: Ira Levin
Starring: Mia Farrow, John Cassavetes, Ruth Gordon, Sidney Blackmer, Maurice Evans, Ralph Bellamy
Running Time: 136min
Country: United States
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otPyEsObI1M

Rating: 10/10


THE GIRL NEXT DOOR (2007)

Inspired by true events, the film is set in 1958 and follows the story of two adolescent girls (Blythe Auffarth and Madeline Taylor) who, upon losing their parents in an accident, are sent to live with their Aunt Ruth (Blanche Baker), a sadistic psychopath. Unbeknownst to the residents of the small New Jersey suburb, the girls endure brutal punishment and torture at the hands of their aunt and three cousins.

Film adaptation of the 1989 novel of the same name by Jack Ketchum. It is loosely based on the true story of the murder of Sylvia Likens.
See also:
"An American Crime", which leans more in the direction of a documentary telling of the Likens story was scheduled for release at roughly the same time, but not released until a Showtime premiere in mid-2008.

Director: Gregory Wilson
Writter: Screenplay: Daniel Farrands, Philip Nutman, Novel: Jack Ketchum
Starring: Daniel Manche, Blanche Baker, Blythe Auffarth, Madeline Taylor
Running Time: 97min
Country: United States
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=typY725pjZ4

Rating: 7/10


I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE (2010)

New York short story writer Jennifer Hills (Camille Keaton) rents an isolated cottage by a lake in the countryside to write her first novel. The arrival in town of the attractive and independent young woman attracts the attention of Johnny (Eron Tabor), the gas station manager, and Stanley (Anthony Nichols) and Andy (Gunter Kleemann), two unemployed youths who hang around the gas station. Jennifer receives a grocery delivery from Matthew (Richard Pace), who is shy and apparently mildly mentally retarded, and befriends him. Matthew is friends with the other three men and reports back to them about the beautiful woman he met, claiming he saw her breasts...

A remake of the controversial 1978 cult classic of the same name.

Director: Steven R. Monroe
Writter: Jeffrey Reddick
Starring: Sarah Butler, Chad Lindberg, Daniel Franzese, Rodney Eastman, Jeff Branson
Running Time: 107min
Country: United States
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3zDSzULMqM

Rating: 6/10


ORPHAN (2009)

Kate and John Coleman are rebuilding their troubled marriage. Kate had a drinking problem, but is in therapy and is doing well. She has been sober for one year. The couple decides to adopt a child. When they meet the nine-year-old Russian girl, Esther, at the St. Marina Orphanage, they immediately fall in love with the well-educated orphan...

The film's content, depicting a murderous adopted person, was not well received by the adoption community. The controversy caused filmmakers to change a line in one of their trailers from "It must be difficult to love an adopted child as much as your own," to "I don’t think Mommy likes me very much."

Director: Jaume Collet-Serra
Writter: David Leslie Johnson, Story: Alex Mace
Starring: Vera Farmiga, Peter Sarsgaard, Isabelle Fuhrman, CCH Pounder, Jimmy Bennett
Running Time: 123min
Country: United States
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ywOPNNii9w

Rating: 8/10

FOUND FOOTAGE GENRE TIMELINE

1980 CANNIBAL HOLOCAUST

A New York anthropologist named Professor Harold Monroe travels to the wild, inhospitable jungles of South America to find out what happened to a documentary film crew that disappeared two months before while filming a documentary about primitive cannibal tribes deep in the rain forest. With the help of two local guides, Professor Monroe encounters two tribes, the Yacumo and the Yanomamo. While under the hospitality of the latter tribe, he finds the remains of the crew and several reels of their undeveloped film...

Cannibal Holocaust achieved notability because its graphic violence aroused controversy. After its premiere in Italy, it was seized by a local magistrate, and Deodato was arrested on obscenity charges. He was charged with making a snuff film, due to rumors that some actors were killed on camera.

Director: Ruggero Deodato
Writter: Gianfranco Clerici
Starring: Robert Kerman, Carl Gabriel Yorke, Francesca Ciardi, Perry Pirkanen, Luca Barbareschi
Running Time: 96min
Country: Italy
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZ-Xp6VC7RQ

Rating: 6,5/10

1999 THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT

Three film students travel to Maryland to make a student film about a local urban legend... The Blair Witch. The three went into the woods on a two day hike to find the Blair Witch, and never came back. One year later, the students film and video was found in the woods. The footage was compiled and made into a movie. The Blair Witch Project...

The film relates the story of three young student filmmakers (Heather Donahue, Joshua Leonard, and Michael C. Williams) who hike into the Black Hills near Burkittsville, Maryland to film a documentary about a local legend known as the Blair Witch, and subsequently go missing. The viewer is told that the three were never found, although their video and sound equipment (along with most of the footage they shot) was discovered a year later. This "recovered footage" is presented as the film the viewer is watching.

Director: Daniel Myrick, Eduardo Sánchez
Writter: Daniel Myrick, Eduardo Sánchez
Starring: Heather Donahue, Joshua Leonard, Michael C. Williams
Running Time: 86min
Country: United States
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HZu1cTg-xUM&feature=related

Rating: 9/10

2007 PARANORMAL ACTIVITY

In 2006, Katie (Katie Featherston) and her boyfriend, Micah (Micah Sloat), are a young couple who recently moved into a two-story tract house in suburban San Diego, California. Katie claims that a ghostly presence has haunted her since her childhood and believes that it has followed her to their new home. She hires a psychic, Dr. Fredrichs (Mark Fredrichs), who assesses that she is being haunted not by a ghost, but by a demon...

Originally developed as an independent feature, the film was acquired by Paramount Pictures after representatives attending to a screening were impressed by it.

Director: Oren Peli
Writter: Oren Peli
Starring: Katie Featherston, Micah Sloat
Running Time: 86 min., 99 min.(Director's cut)
Country: United States
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_UxLEqd074

Rating: 8/10

2010 THE LAST EXORCISM

The evangelical Reverend Cotton Marcus was raised by his father to be a preacher. He agrees that the filmmaker Iris Reisen and the cameraman Daniel Moskowitz make a documentary about his life. Cotton tells that when her wife Shanna Marcus had troubles in the delivery of their son Justin, he prioritized the doctor help to God and since then he questions his faith. Further, he tells that exorcisms are frauds but the results are good for the believers because they believe it is true. When Cotton is summoned by the farmer Louis Sweetzer to perform an exorcism in his daughter Nell, Cotton sees the chance to prove to the documentary crew what he has just told. They head to Ivanwood and they have a hostile reception from Louis's son Caleb. Cotton performs the exorcism in Nell, exposing his tricks to the camera, but sooner they learn that the dysfunctional Sweetzer family has serious problems...

It was announced that a poster for the film was banned in public UK places, due to the nature of the poster (described as "offensive", "distressing", and "unsuitable for public viewing") which received 77 complaints, of which two people claimed the girl in the poster seemed to have "suffered a sexual assault". It was then decided the advert was not allowed to be seen again in that format.

Director: Daniel Stamm
Writter: Huck Botko, Andrew Gurland
Starring: Patrick Fabian, Iris Bahr, Louis Herthum
Running Time: 87min.
Country: United States
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9NcYXzZCQsE

Rating: 7/10

LATEST OBSSESSIONS (7)

SAUNA (2008)
As a 25-year war between Russia and Sweden concludes, two brothers who are part of an effort to outline new border accords become undone by their actions, and their mistreatment of a young woman during their journey.

Director: Antti-Jussi Annila
Writter: Iiro Küttner
Starring: Ville Virtanen, Tommi Eronen, Viktor Klimenko
Running Time: 83min
Country: Finland
Official Web Site: http://www.bronsonclub.com/sauna/
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=si8IqpZc8Fo

Rating: 9/10

PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 2 (2010)

In 2006, a "burglary" occurs at the home of Kristi (Sprague Grayden) and Dan Rey (Brian Boland). Every single room is completely trashed except for their infant son Hunter's bedroom. The only thing stolen is a necklace that Kristi's sister, Katie (Katie Featherston), had given to her. Dan installs a number of security cameras throughout the house to watch over their baby son, Hunter. The family starts to hear noises and see items fall or move on their own. Martine (Vivis Cortez), the family housekeeper and nanny, believes evil spirits are the cause and attempts to cleanse the house of "evil spirits," and Dan fires her after catching her burning sage. Katie and Kristi talk about being tormented by a demon or unknown spirit when they were children. Dan's daughter, Ali (Molly Ephraim), begins investigating the mysterious happenings. She discovers that on occasion, a human can make a deal with a demon for wealth or power by forfeiting the life of their firstborn son...

The film is a parallel prequel to the 2007 film Paranormal Activity, beginning two months before and following up with the events depicted in the original film.

Director: Tod Williams
Writters: Michael R. Perry, Christopher Landon, Tom Pabst, Oren Peli
Starring: David Bierend, Brian Boland, Molly Ephraim, Katie Featherston, Seth Ginsberg, Sprague Grayden
Running Time: 91min
Country: United States
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=07XbSk7Rjt4

Rating: 9/10

BURIED (2010)

Paul Conroy, a US truck driver, awakens buried alive, bound and gagged, with only a Zippo and a BlackBerry. Although he initially has no idea as to how he got there, he soon starts to piece together what has happened to him. Gradually, Paul remembers that he and several other convoys were ambushed by insurgents, then all the other truck drivers were killed shortly before he blacked out. After finding the cellphone, Paul attempts to contact his wife and his employers (who gave him a safety number if anything like this should occur) but is able only to leave a message for both of them...

Director: Rodrigo Cortés
Writters: Chris Sparling
Starring: Ryan Reynolds
Running Time: 94min
Country: Spain, United States, France
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j1Yyhxq56Xg

Rating: 9/10

CLIVE BARKER WRITER

CANDYMAN (1992)

Helen Lyle is a graduate student conducting research for her thesis on urban legends. While interviewing freshmen about their superstitions, she hears about a local legend known as Candyman, who is summoned by anyone who looks into a mirror and chants his name five times (similar to the Bloody Mary folkloric tale). However, summoning him often costs the individual their own life. Later that evening, Helen and her friend Bernadette jokingly call Candyman's name into the mirror in Helen's bathroom but nothing happens.
While conducting her research, Helen enters the notorious gang-ridden territory known as Cabrini–Green, the site of a recent unsolved murder.

Based on the short story "The Forbidden" by Clive Barker, though the film's scenario is switched from England to Chicago.

Director: Bernard Rose
Writter: Clive Barker(Short story), Bernard Rose(screenplay)
Starring: Virginia Madsen, Tony Todd, Xander Berkeley, Vanessa A. Williams
Running Time: 99min
Country: United States
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3lFxWo_C2qs

Rating: 9/10

THE MIDNIGHT MEAT TRAIN (2008)

The film opens as a well dressed, barrel chested man stalks the late-night passengers of a subway train. He kills several people with a meat hammer and a butcher's hook. He dispatches his prey with unnatural strength. He wears a ring on his finger, adorned with an eight pointed star. We are then introduced to Leon (Bradley Cooper), a photographer who heads into the city's subway system at night to take photographs and saves a woman from a group of guys harassing her. The next day, he discovers the girl has gone missing. Leon is intrigued and begins to investigate newsreels about similar disappearances. His investigation leads him to a butcher named Mahogany (Vinnie Jones), who he suspects has been killing subway passengers for as long as ten years.

Based on Clive Barker's 1984 short story of the same name, which can be found in Volume One of Barker's collection Books of Blood.

Director: Ryuhei Kitamura
Writter: Clive Barker(Short story), Jeff Buhler(screenplay)
Starring: Bradley Cooper, Leslie Bibb, Brooke Shields, Roger Bart, Ted Raimi
Running Time: 100min
Country: United States
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rk4u8dOOEcE

Rating: 7,5/10

DREAD (2009)

The outcast cinema student, Stephen Grace, does not drive cars due to the trauma of losing his brother in a car accident. He befriends, Quaid, who since the age of 6 has experienced dreadful nightmares and daydreams about the death of his parents. Quaid proposes they research about each one's innermost fear. Stephen sees the chance of developing an original thesis for college and invites his friend, Cheryl, to work with them. Among the interviewees, Stephen talks to his colleague, Abby who works with him in the library. Abby has a complex about the way she looks. When the work is almost complete, Quaid has an outburst at one interviewee's and ends up destroying the camera and editing equipment. Stephen begins to re-evaluate the situation.

Based on Clive Barker's 1984 short story of the same name, which can be found in Volume One of Barker's collection Books of Blood.

Director: Anthony DiBlasi
Writter: Clive Barker(Short story), Anthony DiBlasi(screenplay)
Starring: Jackson Rathbone, Shaun Evans, Paloma Faith, Hanne Steen, Laura Donnelly,
Running Time: 108min
Country: United Kingdom
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OrrpBC3aqpY

Rating: 7/10