Here is post 4 and week 4 of my Halloween horror fest (with a little extra coming after this). I’ve decided this month I shall be watching a horror film a night. Weeks 1, 2, and 3 were cram packed with some amazing horrors and my last full week will deliver some solid work too. Some of these include my favourites as well as international horror and one or two that I haven’t seen before.
22. Death Bell
This beauty from Korea was one of the first films I watched that I would describe as ‘The Puzzle Horrors’ which basically means solving a series of puzzles to escape fate. I’ve watched many Asian films that use this plot device but none come close to Death Bell. There are many plot twists which you do not see coming as well as a really funny end credit sequence. At an exclusive high school in Seoul, examination marks matter and so do parents’ social status. To prepare for a visit from students from England, two popular teachers, Mr. Kim and Ms. Choi, gather top pupils for a Saturday study session. Things go awry: one by one, students disappear, dying in grisly ways. A voice on the P.A. system warns of death if anyone tries to leave. The voice also asks questions, and Mr. Kim leads the students in trying to solve them, hoping to save a student. Amazing film with solid acting from the cast. I highly recommend it!
23. Cube
This is a new one for me and has a similar plot device as Death Bell. Without remembering how they got there, several strangers wake up in a prison of cubic cells, some of them booby-trapped. There’s one-time cop Quentin, scientist Holloway, young math genius Leaven, master of escape Rennes, autistic savant Kazan, and architect Worth, who might have more information on the maze than he lets on. The prisoners must use their combined skills if they are to escape. It has a similar plot line to Saw so it’s nothing we haven’t seen before, but from what I’ve read, it is definitely worth a watch.
24. REC Apocalypse
Rec 2 is done and watched and Rec 3 I’m not going to even bother with, BUT I have plenty of time for Rec Apocolypse. Plenty of time for it! You can tell that the writers just wanted to bring the series to an end and have fun with it as well. Our main girl is completely badass in it and the storyline is really good. It does come off as a slight parody but it’s still pretty entertaining. Survivors of a strange contagion which turns humans into ghouls find themselves aboard a ship where a doctor is trying to isolate the source of the outbreak. It’s so good and one of my guilty pleasures!
25. Wishing Stairs
Jin-seong is a boarding school student and aspiring ballerina who desperately wants to get into a world-renowned arts academy. To improve her chances, she takes advantage of a local school legend: if a student walks up the dormitory staircase and counts all 28 steps, a 29th step will appear — and a spirit will grant her a wish. But, when her friend suffers a horrible accident, Jin-seong realizes too late that she doesn’t have control over how her wishes get fulfilled. This film sounds really interesting and it has a plot that I haven’t seen being used before (except maybe Aladdin). It has South Korean actress Song Ji-hyo whose an amazing actress so I can’t wait to see another film of hers.
26. Dumplings
I’ve written a review on Dumplings before and it’s a great film! Dumplings centres around an aging actress who wishes to reclaim her youth and rejuvenate herself to bring back the passion in her marriage with her horrid husband (who, unbeknownst to her, is having an affair with his much younger masseuse). On her quest, she finds Aunt Mei, who is a cook famous for her dumplings which have a rejuvenating affect. However, they contain one gruesome ingredient. It may not be jumpy or your usual horror flick, but it’s gruesome and the film is aesthetically pleasing too! Visually stylish and very vibrant.
27 Ju-On
The film that paved the way for my love of horror. Ju-On is an Asian horror classic which has three sequels from Japan (including a recent one where Sadako and Kaiako come face to face, in other words, The Ring vs The Grudge). It also has an American remake which soon became a trilogy and all of which are great! From the disturbing sounds to her freakish walk, Ju-On perfected the long black haired ghoulish figure. The story is about a mysterious and vengeful spirit that marks and pursues anybody who dares enter the house in which it resides. When I head to Japan, I’ve already planned on visiting the house where all 6 films were filmed! I cannot wait!
28. House of a 1000 Corpses
My partner showed me this film about a month ago and I immediately fell in love with it. I’m a massive Rob Zombie fan and I was really excited to see it. It’s a fun, crazy film and I’m in love with Captain Spaulding. As Rob Zombie says he’s such a loveable asshole. An empty fuel tank and a flat tire lead two couples down a terror-riddled road to the House of 1000 Corpses. The movie is, at its core, a story of family – a cast of twisted individuals who, with each slash of a throat or stab thru the chest, add bodies to their sick human menagerie. The cast did an amazing job with their characters, except for our victims, they were horrible. I’m completely in love with Sherri Moon Zombie in the film too!
