The Exorcist
The Exorcist – Rating 4 out of 5
You know the Exorcist, or if you haven’t you have no business reading the movies on this site. Even though the movie came out in 1977 it still has plenty of disturbing imagery and a creepy soundtrack.
In conjunction in with the debate on good versus evil and the strength of faith we have the scenes of pain and suffering Regan as she not only undergoes the doctor’s tests, but the physical contortions of the possessions. Although some of the scenery and costuming will seem dated they are easily overlooked as you get hooked into the story.
And yes, the spiderwalk scene is pretty creepy looking. And no matter how many years have gone by the final scene of Regan spewing vomit, cursing, spitting and destroying the room in the final showdown is still pretty un-nerving.
This is still a great movie and definitely worth seeing, again.
Other Articles of Interest:
- Exorcist II – Heretic – Ranking 3 out of 5
- Exorcist III – Ranking 3 out of 5
- Exorcist – Dominion/Exorcist – The Beginning
- Dead Silence – Rating 3 out of 5
- The Gravedancers – After Dark Horror Fest – 8 Films To Die For
- Best Halloween Movies?
- The Omen – Remake – 06-06-06
- An American Haunting – Rating 2 out of 5
- Reincarnation – After Dark Horror Fest – 8 Films To Die For
- Unrest – After Dark Horror Fest – 8 Films To Die For
Exorcist – Dominion/Exorcist – The Beginning
Exorcist – Dominion
Exorcist – The Beginning
Rating – 3 out of 5, but if you watch them together 4 out of 5
Who can forget the Exorcist? A movie that can still scare us decades later. But how did it all start? Here we have not one, but two ways to try and explain that. And honestly each movie has flaws and well as its good part and while the plot between the two movies is similar they do go in separate directions.
Quite frankly, had they combined these two movies together and removed the overlapping scenes it would have made for a pretty good movie. So even though each movie is somewhat weak on its own, watching both of them back to back makes for a pretty good story.
Father Merrin goes to Africa on an archaeological dig after a church has been uncovered. We get the sense the church has a sinister past which may be caught up in voodoo or tribal legend. There is trouble in the land of the dig and a mass burial and cover-up seems to going on. And the more of the church that is discovered and uncovered the more mysterious happenings begin to take shape.
If nothing else we learn a lot of Father Merrin and his dealings with the Nazis. We learn of the horrors he has had to witness and the sacrifices he has made to survive. We learn how his faith has been tested and his somewhat shaky relationship to the church.
As stand alone movies they are somewhat hit and miss, as both movies have their flaws, plot holes and different story lines, but as a background pieces they work quite well. As I mentioned, it’s best to see both of them to get the real story of this movie. One movie is too Hollywood, while the other has an under whelmed horror theme. Pick and choose the best pieces as you watch and it makes for a good story.
But look at this way, they are both on sale at Amazon and you get both for less than the cost of the Exorcist.
Dominion – Prequel to the Exorcist
Exorcist – The Beginning
Other Articles of Interest:
- The Exorcist
- Saw III
- Exorcist III – Ranking 3 out of 5
- Exorcist II – Heretic – Ranking 3 out of 5
- Best Halloween Movies?
- Saw
- An American Haunting – Rating 2 out of 5
- Rob Zombie’s Take on Halloween and Halloween II
- The Dead Matter
- Imprint – Masters of Horror – Rating 2 out of 5
The Omen – Remake – 06-06-06
The Omen – Remake – Rating 3 out of 5
What makes this movie a good one is the same thing that makes it bad. It’s literally a repeat of the original movie. Very little has been changed as far as the story goes, while the sets and locations have all been updated. Although one scene of note is the decapitation scene is fully intact in this rendition even though it was cut from the original DVD release of the original Omen.
We all know the story – a set of parents lose their child during birth while another child loses its mother during birth. So what to do? Switch the babies and act like nothing ever happened. Good plan.
Except for the baby you take home is the spawn of evil. Damien has become synonymous with evil and this movie once again shows us why. Maids hang themselves, mom almost falls and kills herself at the top of the stairs and all sorts of other “accidents” occur.
If you’ve never seen The Omen then this is a fine version to get. It’s updated, more stylized, and faithfully follows the original story. All the original elements are there – the photographer who can see the impending death of others in the negative of the pictures he takes, the whole slew of “accidents” (including the decapitation), the journey to uncover the truth, etc. However, if you seen the original then this really adds nothing to the mix. The story is the same and it has been expanded or changed at all.
The acting is a little stiffer, but the scenes are nicely done. If you’re one for completing sets (like me) then go ahead and get it (plus its dirt cheap on Amazon). If you are looking for something new in this version you’ll be disappointed.
Overall, it’s worth watching just to see the updated wardrobe and scenery, but you won’t gain any new insight by watching this one. Still a worthwhile movie to watch.
Other Articles of Interest:
- Count Dracula – BBC Mini-Series – Rating 3.5 out of 5
- Van Helsing – Rating 1 out of 5
- The Exorcist
- Saw III
- Saw
- The Possession
- Dead Silence – Rating 3 out of 5
- Dark Ride – After Dark Horror Fest – 8 Films To Die For
- Exorcist – Dominion/Exorcist – The Beginning
- The Dead Matter
Dead Silence – Rating 3 out of 5
Dead Silence – Rating 3 out of 5
If you don’t like ventriloquist dolls or those damnable clown dolls like we see in Poltergeist then you will hate them even more after this.
What starts off ominously with a old and dirty ventriloquist doll dropped off on the doorstep on a newlyweds apartment. Right off the bat we hate this doll with his demonic eyes and creepy look.
The doll springs to life and begins hacking and slashing the wife. The husband comes home to find her terribly disfigured and he is the prime suspect. What follows is a fairly uneventful and fairly lame story.
Mary Shaw, a master ventriloquist, who was apparently mocked on stage, is seeking revenge for the smart ass of comment of one young boy. Her name is not to be spoken and apparently she is quite the hell spawn. Our young hero must now figure out how to undo the curse.
What could have been a truly atmospheric and creepy movie is a fairly silly and boring tale. There is very little suspense, poor acting (even Donnie Wahlberg seems comical as the detective) and a story that really has no meat on it – a band of dolls will rise up and destroy everyone?
This movie pales in comparison to Saw and it has no real memorable qualities of its own. It has some scary moments, some great scenery such as the abandoned theater, but overall there is really nothing to love about this movie.
It’s interesting to watch just to see what the creators of Saw can do, but it’s not a keeper. The dolls are creepy, the movie isn’t.
Other Articles of Interest:
- Reincarnation – After Dark Horror Fest – 8 Films To Die For
- An American Haunting – Rating 2 out of 5
- Unrest – After Dark Horror Fest – 8 Films To Die For
- The Hamiltons – After Dark Horror Fest – 8 Films To Die For
- The Washingtonians – Masters of Horror – Rating 2 out of 5
- Penny Dreadful – After Dark Horror Fest – 8 Films To Die For
- The Abandoned – After Dark Horror Fest – 8 Films To Die For
- Bram Stoker’s Dracula – Rating 2 out of 5
- Saw II
- Wicked Little Things – After Dark Horror Fest – 8 Films To Die For
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