The Gallows, Good Scary Movie/Bad Horror Movie

4 of 8 viewers "Liked" "The Gallows" (USA, 2015)

Here's what the citizens of the Overlook Theatre had to say:

The Impostor - "Nothing new was brought to the found footage genre by this film. The Gallows leaves you hanging on the fear factor and had major potential but fell short. Annoying characters, predictable in parts, all in all I'd say give it a watch if not in theaters. It's a good rental. I didn't hate The Gallows but didn't love it either." - 3 Stars

KillDozer - "How do you take an over used boring plot and an over used style of shooting and make it worse then expected??? Answer The Gallows!!! To be fair, the writers have potential, this film could have worked much better as a straight forward slasher though. With that being said the "found footage" seemed forced, the over acting was bad and not in a fun 80's B-movie way, and the shaky/fuzzy camera work was sad. The setting was awesome thought! No joke the empty dark school setting works extremely well. The audience in the theatre seemed to enjoy it, leaping out of their seats with every jump scare. So mission accomplished with the casual movie goer but warning to all you seasoned horror nerds SAVE YOUR MONEY AND DON'T BOTHER!!" - 2 Stars (for effort)

Huntress - "Everything about The Gallows sounded very promising and original, which is hard to come by in this age of remakes. It definitely did some things right and had whole scenes that kept me really tense, but it also had a lot of cliche eye-rolling blemishes throughout. The Gallows squashed just about all of the suspense that it had built up ." - 3 Stars

Lord Battle - "The scene used for the trailer was not only amazing, it was the best scene in the film." - 3 Stars

B4DK - "Yes, it could have been worse... Definitely made me laugh (in a bad way) but did have its share of good jumps. I like found footage movies, however, story-wise this was wack from beginning to end. Entry level found footage." - 2 Stars

Ice Giant - "The Gallows was definitely very average... I don't know how else to describe it. Wasn't good enough for me to really get into it and I am a person who loves found footage... But it also wasn't horrible it had its moments. Talked with B4DK and KillDozer and I agree it would have been way more awesome if it was a slasher." - 2.5 Stars

The Overlook Theatre Final Rating*

(Below is for after you've seen the film)

At the time we saw The Gallows it had 19% on Rotten Tomatoes, it now has 15%. I think people like to lash out against found footage because it's ultimately a narrative that works despite being in-your-face silly. Paranormal Activity made an audience scream by showing a door close on its own and the first time you see that you can relate with your own experiences of strange happenings, things you thought you heard in your house but probably didn't.
The problem with found footage films like The Gallows, isn't that the movie didn't work (the girls sitting behind us were proof it does), it's that they are still reworking the same scares. The first instance of *sigh* paranormal activity in The Gallows, is a locker opening and slamming shut on its own. The film features an awesome looking ghost who sneaks a noose around your neck, so why does this evil spirit even bother playing pranks?
After the film ended, KillDozer said he thought the lights would come on in the audience to illuminate the nerds sitting together laughing. The more I thought about this, the more awesome it became. The idea that Pfeifer was "acting" throughout the film to get some lame revenge for some kids highschool girlfriend is insulting. But when the revenge is for 4 years of torture exacted by the douche with the camera the whole movie and the nice guy is just a conduit, things get a little complicated. Reese choosing to save Pfeifer's life over his own, in the nerd scenario, would have really felt evil and the audience dirty. The best part about the alternate Overlook nerd ending is that they were all stage hands from the beginning, so all the lame scary ghost things couldn't realistically be explained but I would've bought that they pulled it all off with FX tricks. The ghost angle is just more of the same stuff we get all the time.
I will end this on a positive note by saying I absolutely loved the imagery of Charlie floating around holding a noose. I honestly think if the film had just been about Charlie as a ghost slasher it would have been awesome and who knows, we might have had another classic horror character on our hands... Sequel maybe?

- Lord Battle

*Based on the star ratings turned in by character reviewers, others viewed and got to "Dislike" or "Like" but that does not effect the rating.

A Discussion on Scream Episode 2 "Hello Emma"

Okay, now that we have a feel for the characters and a bit of the show, we can start having a discussion about the episodes. Please don't continue reading if you haven't watched the second episode yet. I'm later than I wanted to be in posting this, I wanted to have it done yesterday while everything was fresh in my mind but it got kinda late after the second time we watched it.

This episode did so much finger pointing that it seems pointless to even try to make up your mind as to who the killer is. Not that this stopped any of us! It starts off immediately implying that we should be suspicious of Audrey with a call back to Scream 3, the Impostor pointed out. I'm talking about the phone call that Rachel got with what sounded like Audrey on the other line, coaxing her to come outside to her balcony and ultimate death. Impostor's point was that it could be the same voice altering app or whatever as in the third movie and may not have been her at all. But then why was it coming from her phone..? 

The next person we are pushed to suspect is Noah. During his very brief interview with the sheriff, he reveals that he tried to research and write about the Brendan James murders. During his research, he found and contacted the deformed boy's brother. He also tried to look for Emma's estranged father but said that he didn't try to contact him. And later, he also talks about a project he had finished that will allow people to "tool around the universe on any mobile device," which reminds us that he is capable of maybe making some kind of voice altering program. 

The two jock types are also suspicious in this episode, as well as in the first one. They obviously pulled some kind of prank or something on Nina the night that she was killed and Will is much more worried about getting rid of the evidence than Jake. Lord Battle pointed out that since there are two of this character archetype, they can actually talk about things that would normally just be going on in one character's head. That could also mean that they are more likely to team up together. 

We also found reasons not to trust Riley, who is in everyone's business and very connected. Or Kieran who seems very brooding and hell bent on driving Emma and Will apart. And Brooke, the spoiled manipulative girl who keeps secrets until it will do the most damage to expose them. 

But these all seem too obvious and it's impossible to decide on just one, right? Personally, I'm hoping my theory comes true: Kieran and Will are somehow competitively rival killing.

I also want to make sure I mention a point that the Impostor pointed out whenever it happened, which it did several times: revamped scenes from the Scream movies that have been injected into the show. Not necessarily obvious things, but you'd notice them if you've seen and paid attention to the movies. I already mentioned the first one, the misleading phone call that caused the opening death. The other major one was the bathroom scene from the first movie (where Sidney overhears a candid conversation about the murders going on). In this version, our survivor girl Emma rus to the bathroom to get away but walks into the very same conversation. 

We'll have more next week!

-Huntress

Bluray Tuesday!

July 7th 2015

Bluray Tuesday is back and loaded with horror releases to add to our collections this week. Shout Factory releases two newer titles this week with Paul Solet's Dark Summer and Found footage Alien Outpost. Maggie is finally released this week as well. Maggie is a interesting take on the zombie genre, I've watched this back when first released on VOD and i did enjoy it. If you liked 2012's The Pact from the sequel The Pact 2 is out today. I liked the first one alot Caity Lotz returns for the sequel to help the new main character deal with the nightmares and visions she is receiving. Best Buy releases The Town That Dreaded Sundown as and exclusive to their store until September where it will be released at all retailers. This sequel/remake is one of my favorites of last year and caught me by surprise. Ryan Murphy ( American Horror Story, Glee, Nip/Tuck) is a producer of this film, I highly recommend and this will be a great blind buy for sure especially the $10 price this week. Rounding out the week is Simon Pegg's new film Kill Me Three Times and for the first time on bluray Jennifer Lopez in The Cell, this I haven;t seen since it was first release in 2000. What will you be buying, renting or just skipping this week? Let us know in the comments and check us out on Instagram.

Maggie: Amazon - $12.99

After his daughter (Abigail Breslin) is infected with a virus that transforms her into a zombie, a small-town farmer (Arnold Schwarzenegger) will stop at nothing to save her.

 

The Town That Dreaded Sundown 2014: Best Buy - $9.99

65 years after a masked serial killer terrorized the small town of Texarkana, the so-called 'moonlight murders' begin again. Is it a copycat or something even more sinister? A lonely high school girl, with dark secrets of her own, may be the key to catching him.
 

 

Alien Outpost: Amazon - $12.98

A documentary film crew follows an elite team of soldiers following an alien invasion.

 

Dark Summer: Best Buy - $17.99

A 17-year-old is on house arrest for the summer while his mother is away on business. A horrifying incident occurs leaving an ominous presence in the house.

 

The Pact 2: Best Buy - $9.99

A woman plagued by nightmares of a serial killer learns her dreams have a horrifying connection to the real world.

 

Kill Me Three Times: Amazon - $12.98

While on a seemingly routine job, a jaded hit man (Simon Pegg) discovers that he's not the only one with his target in the crosshairs.

 

The Cell: Amazon - $9.99

An FBI agent persuades a social worker, who is adept with a new experimental technology, to enter the mind of a comatose serial killer in order to learn where he has hidden his latest kidnap victim.
 

 

  

 -The Impostor   

Up-Coming Action Figures/Collectibles

With San Diego Comic Con around the corner, toy companies are beginning to unveil their exclusive releases. Even though most people won't be able to make it to the extremely sold out event, eBay has become the only option for a lot of us and everyone knows it, and because eBay prices are almost always way too high, this section ends up as mostly a tease... Sorry. But thankfully these companies have realized all the hype does make non attendees hungry for a good collectible, so I've also included some IndieGoGo offers Huntress dug up and standard upcoming releases.

Pamela Voorhees and young Jason are easily one of the most hyped NECA releases this year. For $50 at Comic Con you get 8" tall Mrs Voorhess (with equip-able ax and knife) and 5.5" tall, young Jason Voorhess. Both are dressed in cloth clothing and come in the awesome packaging seen above. This will most likely flood eBay for around $80 after the event, so start saving now.

Next is WolfCop! WolfCop 2 had a very successful IndieGoGo campaign and they now have these awesome toys to show for it! Far from cheap at $89.99 these figures are for the true collector only.
And for the real hardcore Wolfcop fans, head over to the IndieGoGo page now and you can get your hands on a special WolfCop that comes with his beer, bourbon, an Electric Gold Plated Badge and Pewter Gun. The IndieGoGo Limited Edition had only 100 created and 30 made available through the campaign, which at this time only has 5 days left!

This very blue Gypsy Danger is a NECA, Toys R Us exclusive. The Antiverse Gypsy Danger will be 7" tall and available sometime this summer. If you're wondering about the missing arm, this figure is of course from one of the final scenes in the film and to avoid spoilers I'll leave it at that.

I personally love that sword!

Comes equipped with a plasma blast!!

The Toy Tokyo booth will be carrying this ReAction Wolfman figure at SDCC. I myself am not a huge fan of the retro figures coming out lately, I need articulation and better sculpts, I also think they are over priced. Having said that I own 4...
(The *flocked means it's furry!)

This SDCC Exclusive Jaws comes with a Quint snack but has the size (10 inches) to eat any other ReAction (or Star Wars) size figure you'd like. They have another version of this Jaws (minus the blood and Quint) that didn't sell too well and can be found every now and then for a reasonable price.

Love them or hate them, Funko's Pop vinyls are everywhere and all inclusive. TV shows to films, video games to animation, the Pop figures have something for everyone. Horror fans also have dark characters spanning the media spectrum and Funko does a good job wrangling the evil, be it on one of the million horror TV shows out now or burried in the film vault forgotten to all but the die hard fans. I may be exaggerating a bit but if they keep going as strong as they have, its only a matter of time.

American Horror Story has been on a hot streak and Funko hasn't missed a beat. These season 4 pops have been out for a little while now but need to be shared here just in case you may have missed them. Elsa Mars and the Twins have the most unique releases from Funko to date. Elsa Mars is basically 2 pops for 1 as she comes with Ma Pettite and the Twins have a unique sculpt that may never be used again. Not to mention Twisty is yet another scary clown, making the total scary clown count raise to 4 (if you count The Jokers henchman). This is exciting stuff!

This is the unmasked Twisty another SDCC exclusive and definitely the one I'll be searching eBay for. Twisty is really one of the best examples of the magic behind the horror pops. Other pop figures are just cutsey sculpts of cute characters, which is pretty boring. The horror pops on the other hand take gruesome often unforgivable characters and make them adorable. I could see someone thinking this Twisty pop was the cutest thing ever, just to be traumatized by his character in the show.

Say hi to Art the Clown from the film All Hallows Eve. He's currently trying to be come a Pop figure through the Terrifier IndieGoGo campaign. If you jump into the $350 donation, you'll receive a digital download of the new film and soundtrack, a signed copy of the DVD (signed by principle cast and crew members!), and a custom Funko of Art the Clown, designed by Director/FX artist Damien Leone! Now if you are skeptical about custom pops check out the custom Twisty next to the SDCC exclusive...

SDCC Exclusive

Most custom pops tend to be more graphic or simply less cute.

The custom Art has yet to be purchased and there is only 10 available, so hurry over to the campaign page and be the first (Wait too long though and I'll be the first)!

SDCC Exclusive Unmasked Jason

Toy Tokyo Exclusive Wolfman (Also furry)

SDCC Exclusive Bryan Fuller from Hannibal

SDCC Exclusive Lil' Gruesome from Wacky Races will appear in several different colors and all at Comic Con...

SDCC Exclusive "Gone Batty" Minion

SDCC Exclusive (Limited of 500) Metaluna Mutant

Now before you get excited to grab a few horror pops you missed out on or bummed out that the ones you already bought now come in a cool tin, you should know that these are Pocket Pops. Smaller and much cheaper ($14.99 per tin), these pops come in sets of 3. I honestly think this new size will only be worth purchasing if you open your pop figures, as you could display many more on a shelf or even load them into a shot glass display (I have pictures of vinyls in my shot-glass display on instagram).

And last but not least we have Funko Pop Key-chains. These aren't new but are pretty overlooked, so what better of a place to show what might be the most practical pop to date. I myself could often careless about key-chains but there are definitely some pop figures that I enjoy so much that I'd love to carry it around with my keys. It seems like almost all of the pop collections have crossed over to key-chains, so if you have a favorite go check it out.

If you end up attacking eBay for a certain figure, hit up our instagram and tell us about it. Or you can always comment below...

- Lord Battle

Scream the TV Series, presented by the least likely of networks

With Lord Battle out of town, some of us reviewers got together on our own in order to watch and talk about the premiere episode of Scream the TV series. The Impostor, Math Mage, Unicorn Slayer, and I were very entertained, despite having certain doubts. We were all immediately reminded of the groundbreaking Unfriended in the first couple of seconds, although this show didn't spring for the real names of the various media. They instead used Chirpster and Cliplicious. Weirdly, they were able to name a ton of show and movie titles though. The Impostor and Unicorn Slayer also mentioned that they got a Teen Wolf vibe, partially because if the MTV format and also because the bitchy blond, Brooke Maddox, had similar a similar personality and mannerisms as Lydia Martin.

The opening sequence was great and all of the reviewers agreed! Technology changed the way certain expected aspects of the opening kill were incorporated, in ways that made me shake my head and grin, but I appreciate the effort to appeal to a younger audience. And I thought they got the sound effects right too.

I will say that a lot of things about this show felt like a straight up parody or exaggeration of life, starting with how fast the "kids" text. It's inhuman. Also, the kids themselves, who we are supposed to believe are still in high school, are easily in their mid to late 20's. Almost the same age as their teacher... These are nothing new in the world of Scream, I don't think I even came close to believing the students' ages until part 4. 

This series has been getting a fair amount of hate because it doesn't keep in the guidelines of Scream, what with the new town name, new motivation, a viral video, and so on. But the show never claimed to be a continuation or anything of the film franchise, so I think those things are forgivable. I can totally understand the anger over calling it something with the intention of just attracting the existing audience (ahemLeprechaunahem). But unlike some horrible reboots or butcherings, if you remove the movie franchise aspect, this show would be fun on its own. The series does have some shreds of its namesake, but it isn't purely Scream; it definitely borrows from a long list of other slasher movies and franchises. But that impurity is not enough of a reason to forget about all the good things in this episode. 

I wish we had more time to talk about it. Hopefully next week with episode 2!

-Huntress

Bluray Tuesday!

June 30th 2015

The final Bluray Tuesday of June has arrived.Very light week this week only horror release is a Scream Factory double feature of 1988 films Ghosthouse and Witchery. Next week will bring lots of horror to our collections like Dark Summer, Alien Outpost, Maggie, The Pact 2 and The Town That Dreaded Sundown 2014 and thats just the first week. July has many great releases in store I'm excited for what is to come in the next few weeks. Action thriller The Gunman and Comedy Get Hard are also released today, I've heard good things about both and will for sure check these out sometime this week for sure. Tonight on MTV is the Premiere of Scream the Tv Series. I watched the first 8 minutes online and I think it has a promising start. I hope it wont disappoint. Don't forget to check out our Instagram page for news, events and giveaways as well. So what are you guys buying, renting or skipping this week? let us know we love comments.

Ghosthouse / Witchery: Amazon - $17.90

Ghosthouse: A teenager (Lara Wendel) and her boyfriend (Greg Scott) discover strange radio messages are screams from the future.

Witchery:A photographer (David Hasselhoff) and others (Linda Blair, Catherine Hickland) are stranded at a Massachusetts island hotel haunted by a woman in black.

 

The Gunman: Amazon  - $19.99

Eight years after fleeing the Congo following his assassination of that country's minister of mining, former assassin Jim Terrier (Sean Penn) is back, suffering from PTSD and digging wells to atone for his violent past. After an attempt is made on his life, Terrier flies to London to find out who wants him dead -- and why. Terrier's search leads him to a reunion with Annie (Jasmine Trinca), a woman he once loved, who is now married to an oily businessman (Javier Bardem) with dealings in Africa.

 

Get Hard: Amazon - $22.99

When obscenely rich hedge-fund manager James (Will Ferrell) is convicted of fraud and sentenced to a stretch in San Quentin, the judge gives him one month to get his affairs in order. Knowing that he won't survive more than a few minutes in prison on his own, James desperately turns to Darnell (Kevin Hart) -- a black businessman who's never even had a parking ticket -- for help. As Darnell puts James through the wringer, both learn that they were wrong about many things, including each other.

 

Kumiko, The Treasure Hunter: Amazon - $12.99

Frustrated with her mundane life, a Tokyo office worker (Rinko Kikuchi) becomes obsessed with a fictional movie that she mistakes for a documentary. Fixating on a scene where stolen cash is buried in North Dakota, she travels to America to find it.

 

    - The Impostor 

The Return of the Stanford Theatre

It's been a couple of months since we were making weekly excursions to the beautiful Sanford Theatre for their Hitchcock double features, and we have been itching to go back. Well, someone must have heard our cries and decided to answer them, because there are some great titles coming back to the Stanford in the next couple of weeks. Let's take a look:

Dracula (1931)
July 1-3 at 6pm and 8:55pm

The role that both blessed and cursed Bela Lugosi until the day he was buried in his Dracula costume, on the big screen! 
It will be playing with

The Old Dark House
July 1-3 at 7:30pm

This will be a first for me, but this poster is pretty cool. And Boris Karloff is a great selling point. 

Rashomon (1950)
August 15-18 at 7:30pm and 3:50 on Saturday and Sunday

This will be playing with 
Throne of Blood (1957)
August 15-18 at 5:30pm and 9:10pm

These are both directed by Akira Kurosawa and, although they may not be straight horror, the atmosphere and cinematic contribution these films made are reason enough to give them a watch. Also these films has 100% and 98% on Rotten Tomatoes respectively, if that matters to you. 

The Time Machine (1960)

August 22-25 at 5:30pm and 9:20pm

It will be playing with

Forbidden Plant (1956)

August 22-25 at 7:30pm and 3:45 on Saturday and Sunday

Both of these are huge titles that I must admit I have never seen, so this will be a great month of firsts for me! 

These are just a couple of the films that will be playing at the Stanford Theatre. You can find the full list of their summer lineup at their site and hopefully you guys will try to make it out to a couple of the double features. 

-Huntress