Last Blog On The Left

Hello, ghouls!
Another year has passed and we´re all one year closer to the grave. Some of us have already been there so we know what lies in store for us. We hope that you survived Christmas.

2007 was a great year for us. Our debut album will be hitting the stores in February and we have a feeling that 2008 will be a good year for horrorpunk. Our good friends The Spookshow will be releasing their third instalment in their ongoing “Psychosexual”-saga and The Nightshift will also be releasing their debut album on Dr. Cyclops Records. We´re really looking forward to these releases so what are you gonna do while you pass the time, waiting for these masterworks to land in record store near you? You watch a lot of horror movies, of course! So that´s why we thought that we´d give you a quick rundown of what we thought were the best horror movies of 2007. Bear in mind that we haven´t had the time to watch as many as we would have liked to, but here´s the list of the best of the ones we actually managed to see… Enjoy!

HOSTEL Part 2

Eli Roth managed to keep our interest alive all through the second installment of his torture-and-nudity filled saga. The thing that worked really well and made this one surpass the original was the fact that we got to see more about how the organization worked and who their customers really are. Plus, the fact that Roth had the good taste to give Edwige Fenech a minor role as the art-teacher, didn´t make it any worse. Edwige Feneche had roles in such fantastic italian films as “Your vice is a locked room and only I have the key” and “Strip nude for your killer” during the seventies. She has been absent from the silver screen for way too long.

Rob Zombie´s HALLOWEEN

Rob Zombie continues to show that music needs to be his hobby. This is nearly as good as “The Devil´s Rejects” but then again, not many films are. Zombie´s main talent as a writer-director is that he´s exceptionally good at writing filthy dialogue and at keeping it down and dirty. This re-imagining/remake/interpretation/cover (or what the hell they call it nowadays) is really good, although the ending drags on a bit too long. I´d love to see Zombie do another instalment of this franchise. After all, it was pretty dead in the water after the obscenely awful “Halloween: Resurrection” from 2002 (Busta Rhymes and Tyra Banks in a “Halloween”-movie? Have mercy…) but Zombie brought it back to its gritty 70´s-roots and that´s where this franchise needs to remain if it doesn´t wanna turn into a joke again. This movie also hade one of the years greatest casts: Malcolm McDowell, Danny Trejo, Brad Dourif, William Forsythe, Udo Kier, Ken Foree and Sid Haig. What more do you want?

28 WEEKS LATER

The first one was a good film but this sequel is much better. I thought that the first half of “28 Days later” was great but when the militaries entered into it, the film fell apart. The director of this one, Juan Carlos Fresnadillo (whose debut film “Intacto”, starring our favourite swede Max Von Sydow, is recommended viewing), manages to keep the story interesting and action engaging all the way. An excellent sequel that doesn´t skimp out on the gore.

THE HOST (Gwoemul)
Alright, I´ll admit it: This isn´t a fantastic film. It´s way too long for its own good but this films opening scene is one of the greatest ones… ever! That scene alone should guarantee this movie a spot on many “Greatest ever”-lists for years to come. I won´t spoil it for those of you who haven´t seen it but if you´re at all into monster movies, this is a more than worthy addition to the genre. Like many asian films the mix between action, suspense and humour doesn´t always sit right and like I mentioned earlier, it could do with some trimming in the editing room. There a couple of side stories that isn´t as interesting as the one that focuses on finding the monster´s lair but this is still one of the most enjoyable monster romps I´ve seen in the last couple of years.

VACANCY
A really entertaining “couples-in-peril”-flick starring Luke Wilson and Kate Beckinsale. This film aims to be a modern version of a Hitchcock film and even though it isn´t as stylish as old Hitch managed to be in the most cases, this is a really fun movie. Frank Whaley nearly steals the film as a creepy motel manager. It´s a fast-moving film with a plot that includes snuff movies and I gotta tell you, I have a real weakness for films that touches on the subject of “snuff”. “Snuff movies” is the ultimate urban legend that we have left and call me sick, call me twisted but the subject matter absolutely fascinates me. There was another movie released this year that also mostly took place in a hotel room, “1408″. I liked that movie too but I thought this one was by far more entertaining. I had some doubts about Luke Wilson as the lead actor in a horror film but he actually worked. I´d love to see a sequel or prequel where you got to see more about the whole “snuff”-network and how it worked, along the lines of “Hostel part II”. Anyway, check this one out. It´s a lot of fun.

GRINDHOUSE (DEATH PROOF & PLANET TERROR)
Unfortunately, us sorry bastards here in Sweden didn´t get to see “Grindhouse” in all its glory. Instead we got two separate releases of Tarantino´s “Death Proof” and Rodriguez “Planet terror”. Both films were longer, so we shouldn´t complain too much, right? This is a tricky one, when it comes to choosing a favourite. I think that “Death proof” is probably the best film of the two but “Planet terror” is definitely the one that´s the most fun. I still haven´t recovered from it. Everything in it: the music, the gore, the violence and the dialogue breathed 80´s horror and I absolutely loved it! However, there is one thing “Death Proof” has that “Planet Terror” doesn´t and that is… Kurt Russell! This is one of his best roles ever and that´s saying quite a bit. I´m talking about Snake Plissken, MacReady, Jack Burton, Elvis and now Stuntman Mike! There´s really no good way to describe with words how amazing Russell is in this movie. Like all great movie psychos, you can´t help but like him. Russell is irresistible and I hope that Tarantino uses him again. Josh Brolin and Michael Biehn are pretty damn cool in “Planet Terror”, too. Watch the separate DVD releases while we wait for the ultimate Grindhouse-experience.

ZODIAC
I know that this isn´t really a horror film but hear me out on this one… David Fincher is one of the most talented director working today. I´ve enjoyed all of his films. Hell, I even consider the third “Alien”-instalment the best one except for the first. I´ve gotten a lot of shit for that over the years, but I can´t help it. Fincher´s films are so dark and unrelenting that you can´t help but love them and “Alien III” is no exception. I am aware that “Zodiac” isn´t a horror film per se but it´s definitely horrific. This is more of a police procedural and the killer remains faceless. This kinda reminded me of Michael Myers a bit. Anyway, if you´re expecting “Seven part II” when you´re going into this you´re gonna be pretty disappointed. I have no idea how closely this follows the events that actually took place and I don´t really care about that. This is the most mesmerizing, harrowing and exciting film I saw last year. The films pace and mood draws you into it and even though the film clocks in around 155 minutes, I wasn´t bored once. I don´t know about you, but I´ve grown pretty weary when it comes to the never-ending serial killer genre. Really, when was the last time you saw good one? Hell, I haven´t even gotten around to watching “Hannibal Rising”, that´s how tired I am of the genre. But consider this: most serial killer movies doesn´t have Fincher directing Robert Downey Jr. and Mark Ruffalo. Even though this isn´t a full-on horror film, I still recommend it to horror fans. I think you´re gonna get a kick out of it.
Until next time: Stay sick, Stay ghoul & stay in touch!

Thomas Lovecraft

This entry was posted on Wednesday, February 13th, 2008 at 8:40 am and is filed under Film. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.