Piranha: It could have been worse (I don't know how though!)

Spring break is in full effect at Lake Havasu as partiers take to the water. But when an earthquake releases a pack of ravenous piranha into the scene, things take a turn from fun to deadly.

For at least parts of the film (albeit very small parts), Piranha seemed like it was heading in the right direction with its tone, story and scares. There were quick flashes of wit and humor (which were usually provided by Brooklynn Proulx and Sage Ryan, the two youngest actors in the movie), respectful nods to the original Piranha which inspired this remake and decent bits of acting (or overacting in the case of Jerry O’Connell). It was when director Alexandre Aja decided to turn up the gore factor that Piranha became a tired and clichéd hackney creature feature. Rather than build tension and only give the audience hints about all the horrid things the little fish were doing to their victims, Aja hit them over the head with scene after scene of graphic violence. The main attack that the nasty little title characters inflicted on the various spring breakers near the end of the movie was almost pornographic in its violence, so much so that the audience had to either laugh the whole thing off as utterly ridiculous or turn the film off altogether in disgust. Let’s not even go into the “3D” aspects of the film, which were distracting, underwhelming and awful to say the least.

Films like Piranha shine a true light on the sad state that the horror film genre is in these days with its unoriginality, brutality and silliness.

Grade: D

Trick 'r Treat: If you're looking for a decent horror film, look no further

In the small town of Warren Valley, Ohio the locals are celebrating Halloween. It's during this celebration that four interlocking tales explore all the tricks and treats those residents uncover on All Hallow's Eve.

First time director Michael Dougherty (who also penned the script) did right by making Trick 'r Treat a somewhat unique horror film that did not hang its hat on buckets of blood, a silly story or being another sequel. The interlocking stories lent a breath of creativity in story and character that most horror films seem to be lacking nowadays. By constructing a universe in which stories and characters were the focus and could overlap one another Dougherty was attempting to keep the audience engaged in the goings on in Warren Valley. And while there were times in which the story being shown failed to keep the audience's attention (like the story involving that creepy looking thing on the movie poster to the right, seriously, could someone tell me just who or what that is?) the rest of Trick 'r Treat was awash in frightening moments, surprisingly dark humor and a great misdirect involving the story of Laurie (the always effective Anna Paquin) which one would have been hard pressed to see coming but was completely satisfying nonetheless. The most outstanding part of the film was the "school bus massacre" story. Built upon a local urban legend in which a group of "special" children were killed in a bus accident (an accident which they avenge later on in the film in rather nasty fashion) this section featured everything a good horror film needs; moody lighting, good characters, tension, excellent dialogue and a twist at the end which grabbed you by the gut and twisted just for kicks. In this age of useless sequels and mindless gorefest it's a shame that a story like the "school bus massacre" is relegated to being only part of a film instead of its own stand alone feature.

Trick 'r Treat fits with the particular season we are in at the moment (it is October after all). It was original, creepy, scary, funny and accomplished being all of those things by not resorting to the tired "Saw" method of overwhelming the audience with blood and gore in lieu of good filmmaking.

Grade: B-

The Hills Have Eyes: and you need to know that this film has a nasty streak to it!

Horror films are a staple of Hollywood but recently some of them have taken on quite a rough edge to them. These uber-gore fest seem to be more concerned with inventing new ways to realistically crack a skull rather than make the audience freak themselves out by pulling the camera away just as the monster approaches its victim. The Hills Have Eyes is certainly one film that did not hold back and wanted to show you every nasty little detail of its gruesome universe.

On their way out to California, a family takes an unknown desert road in order to save time and wind up fighting for their own survival against a group of grotesque hill dwellers who have devolved into blood-thirsty monsters.

If a gritty, no-holds-barred, gore-fest is what you’re in the mood for, then The Hills Have Eyes is for you. This re-imagining of the original low budget Wes Craven classic was so intense and unflinching when delivering its visceral ferocity that even the most harden horror film fanatic might have to turn away at points. The absolute beauty in which the film was shot only heightened the grisly nature of “The Hills”. The desert became something of an alien landscape, further hindering the family and aiding the hill dwellers. Unfortunately the film spoiled its opulent look by failing to capitalize upon it and tell an equally stunning story. These characters and the film's plot have been done to death (not only because it was a remake) by a million other directors and writers. It seems the only way to put a unique spin on a horror film anymore is to see how bloody you can make it, damning the characters and story to the background or sometimes dispensing with them all together. There was no grey area in the film, there were good guys (Bobby, Doug, Brenda, etc.) and bad guys (the hill dwellers), but to make an audience take a journey with those good guys it would have been worthwhile to make them believable and human instead of cardboard and clichéd. That didn’t happen here so when you get down to it, The Hills Have Eyes was nothing more than a faux snuff film that some of the ADD generation can watch over and over again in order to see their favorite death scenes.

Grade: C-