Scream 4: A return to the good stuff!

Ten years after her last encounter with the Ghostface Killer, Sidney Prescott seems to have finally put herself together. While on tour promoting her new self-help book, she stops by her old hometown of Woodsboro and reconnects with her old friends Dewey, Gale and her niece Jill. But her reappearance also brings about the reappearance of the Ghostface Killer, who seems intent upon finally getting the best of Sidney.

The thing that made the original Scream so groundbreaking was that it broke the rules in regards to horror films. When it was released in 1996, it not only acknowledged that horror films (like Friday the 13th, A Nightmare on Elm Street, etc.) existed, but that there were certain rules that one needed to abide by in order to survive a horror film scenario. The original was also aided by screenwriter Kevin Williamson and director Wes Craven and the immense talent they both brought to the project. The self-reflexive look/story aspect of the film helped to break the mold of the Hollywood horror film (a mold that had existed since the early 1980's and something Craven helped to create with A Nightmare on Elm Street). However, the successive sequels fell victim to the flaws the original skewered and, as a result, lacked the punch and staying power of that original.

But, as with any good horror film franchise, it just could not die and Scream 4 was released nearly 15 years after the first one. Thankfully Craven and Williamson returned to guide the project which does not quite live up to the original (how could it honestly), but has the same spirited scares, laughs, pop culture references and sturdy performances to make it the best sequel in the franchise. Williamson's script kept the audience involved by presenting the mystery of who or whom was responsible for the new Woodsboro killings while giving the characters plenty of opportunities to rift on cultural gems like "the death of horror films" or how cliched the situation they were facing at the time was. Meanwhile Craven was also able to strike a balance between building up the tension as Ghostface stalked his (or her) victims and allowing the audience to breath and chuckle. Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox and David Arquette all pitched in with solid performances, breathing life into the characters that helped get them bigger paychecks when looking for other starring roles, and the youngsters in the cast added a needed jolt of youth and energy (Emma Roberts performance in particular was absorbing).

Scream 4 was a return to the uber-intelligent, fun and self-reflexive horror film ways that made this once fabled horror franchise relevant enough to pass judgement on the horror genre as a whole.

Grade: B

Paranormal Activity 2: Scary. Yes, it's actually scary.

Dan and Kristi have just welcomed a new baby boy named Hunter into their house. Along with Ali, Dan’s daughter from a previous marriage, and their dog Abby, everything seems wonderful. But when unexplained events start happening in the household, the family must deal with the supernatural forces that are vexing them.

When people hear, “horror film sequel,” they no doubt have visions of Friday the 13th Part 8 or Nightmare on Elm Street Part 5, films that have iconic characters as their villains, but lack in storytelling or even continuity story - wise. In fact, horror sequels such as the ones previously mentioned seem to only be concerned with reusing the same plot devices and storylines (sprinkled with excessive gore and nudity of course). That is why Paranormal Activity 2 was something of a surprise for it was a horror film sequel that not only acknowledged the first Paranormal Activity, but surpassed its predecessor in both scares and story. From the start, director Tod Williams was able to keep the audience both on the edge of their seat and squirming with uneasiness while on that edge for he slowly built the tension in the beginning of the film via subtle knocks and bumps that the family laughed away at first. As the film (whose story cleverly tied to the first in an unexpected surprise) unfurled, the thrills and scares intensified, culminating in an ending that was both startling and disturbing. Another welcome change to this sequel was the lack of gore and blood used to evoke the scares. Williams used those creepy sounds and subtle incidents to make the audience’s imagination fill in the horrifying blanks of what was happening to the family.

You want scary, pick up Paranormal Activity 2. But you might want to think twice before watching it alone.

Grade: B

Audition: Seriously, this one is....tough to watch.

I used to be a big horror film fan (I say used to because as I grow older I find that I just do not have the stomach for them anymore or at least the ones that have no plot and only wish to fill the screen with as much blood and carnage as possible). After watching all the Friday the 13th and Nightmare on Elm Street films, I thought there was no horror film that could get to me. And then I rented this film and, as the title of this post says, even I found it tough to watch.

Shigeharu has been living as a widower for far too long in the eyes of his family and friends. So in order to obtain a new wife with all of the qualities he seeks, he holds a fake movie audition. It is during this process that he meets Asami, a seemingly perfect woman. But there’s more to Asami than he could ever imagine.

Even days after you’ve watched the final moments of Audition, you are terrorized by the whole endeavor. What starts off as a faux romantic comedy devolved into a disturbing psychological thriller/horror film whose context and imagery will forever be burned into a viewers’ mind (especially male viewers). And it was this startling turn in tone that hit the viewer like a sucker punch for they cared for both Shigeharu and Asami, wanted them to fall in love and live happily ever after but wound up realizing, like Shigeharu, that you can never judge a book by its cover, even the most delicate flower can have a penchant for garrote wire and torture. One of the film's bigger missteps was the number of times it tried to misdirect the audience with dream sequences posed as reality. Audition ask a lot of the audience just with its visual content alone, and to play with their emotions in that way seemed unfair. A quick word of warning, if you thought the actions and reactions in Fatal Attraction were harsh, you should stay away from this movie for it takes you to a level so far beyond boiling a bunny that you honestly have to remind yourself, “it’s only a movie."

Grade: C

The Descent: (or why I'll never go into a cave ever again!)

Today's film audiences have acquired a sort of "seen it all, heard of it all" attitude toward movies and this is especially true in the horror genre. Think about the number of Friday the 13th, Nightmare on Elm Street and Halloween movies you yourself have watched. Now think about how pedestrian the scares and chills have become as each successive sequel has come out. You might start to wonder if there are any films out there that can actually scare you? I think this one might do the trick.

A year after a tragic event, six friends decide to go caving. However after they become trapped in those caves, their friendships are tested as they must struggle to find a way out and also face a horrifying terror that unknowingly stalks them.

Writer/director Neil Marshall was able to turn what could have been a cheesy and predictable horror flick into an absolutely terrifying white knuckle experience that had the audience pinned to their seats until the final credits rolled. He was able to do this by first creating a group of characters that the audience could identify with and feel for. It’s true that the group of friends was comprised of all women, but they were far from damsels in distress. Each had their own uniqueness and held their own against not only the natural elements, but the evil creatures they encountered. Marshall, paying homage to Ridley Scott’s Alien (an obvious influence on the film), only gave the audience noises and quick glimpses of those creatures in the early parts of the movies, building the tension to an overwhelming degree until they finally appeared and scared the bejesus out of everyone (cast and audience). The audience was so unnerved and on edge throughout due to not only the lack of light in the caves, but their cramped nature as well (claustrophobics need not apply for this one). The Descent will make you sweat, laugh, cringe, scream and everything else a good horror film should.

Grade: A