My Review Of “Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones”

“Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones” is the flag-ship of a “Paranormal Activity” spin-off franchise. The film is directed by Christopher Landon and stars Andrew Jacobs, Jorge Diaz, Gabrielle Walsh, Richard Cabral, Gloria Sandoval, Carlos Pratts, Catherine Toribio, Juan Vasquez, Molly Ephraim, Katie Featherston, and Micah Sloat. “The Marked Ones” brings the paranormal to a new zip code, adding some supernatural beliefs from the Latino point-of-view, as well the “bruja”.

The story revolves around an apartment community’s residentss, Jesse who, after purchasing a video camera finds more than he wanted when the reclusive lady in the apartment below his dies a violent death. The neighbor was a bruja and soon after her passing some strange things begin to happen with Jesse and his friends. It doesn’t help that young friends experiment with magic for themselves to test the bruja’s practices.

Now I personally found this film a bit boring. For nearly half of the film very little supernatural happens. It was like watching candid vid clips of ordinary peoples through daily humdrum affairs. Your basic dares, shenanigans, and trivial banter permeate the screen. I had to keep reminding myself to be patient and that this is a paranormal “horror” film. The paranormal finally kicks in on the film, at first having more similarities to “Chronicles” than evil spirits, utilizing the standard special effects tricks, however it soon gets into the normal groove of paranormal. The story is a strong concept that just seems to get cluttered with half hearted direction. One cool thing about the film was the cast’s ability to make the drama, banter and interaction on screen seem genuine. The dialog maintain a constant fluidity from start to finish. There is a mild sense of inability to sell the paranormal fright from a couple of the actors when the crap hits the fan but it is minimal and soon the cast is back in sync.

The effects and music score are standard, expectable tricks of the trade which keep “The Marked Ones” in pace with the original “Paranormal Activity” series. The atmosphere does get a little creepy but I never really felt any chills or thrills. The film really falls flat in the horror department. I can’t remember any scene where I jumped, or cringed from the fright intended pieces to this film. Again the story is a nice, fresh spin that highlights a normalized slice of life in an area of society most people don’t see. Plus I love me some bruja heritage highlighted in horror or film in general. “Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones” is a fail in my opinion but the audience that loved the original franchise will probably like this film as well. I do need to add that the concept of personalized, in-hand, video documentary style for this film does more to help the whole found footage subgenre than hurt it.

Official Poster Released For Dystopian Horror “Chrysalis”

Check out the official poster released for dystopian horror film “Chrysalis”. The film is directed by John Klein from a script written by Ben Kurstin. It stars Sara Gorsky, Cole Simon, Tanya Thai McBride, Clayton Stamper.

Chrysalis is a post-apocalyptic horror film, set 25 years after a biological terrorist attack unleashes a virus upon the world, transforming much of humanity into vicious creatures and laying waste to civilization. The remnants and survivors have staggered about for years, as the "infected" slowly starve and die off. Our story follows Joshua (Cole Simon) and Penelope (Sara Gorsky), two such survivors who have banded together in the hope of rescuing others and hopefully rebuilding civilization. When they encounter Abira, the lone survivor of another group, their worlds and goals are irrevocably altered, and they must face new and terrifying challenges if they are to survive.

Trailer Released For Dutch Action Fantasy Film “Labyrinthus”

Check out the first trailer released for Dutch produced action/fantasy film “Labyrinthus”. The film is directed by Douglas Boswell and stars Spencer Bogaert, Emma Verlinden, Felix Maesschalck, Pepijn Caudron, Herwig Ilegems, Tine Embrechts. “Labyrinthus” has a theatrical release set for Belgium on July 2, 2014. This is a family film and there is no word when the film will hit U.S. shores.

Frikke, a 14-year-old boy, discovers a computer game that is being played with real children, uploaded in the game's labyrinth. In a race against time, he starts to search for the evil creator of this horrible game.

Classic Horror “Sorority House Massacre” Blu-ray Release

One of my fave slasher horrors is getting a Blu-ray release thanks to Scorpion Releasing. The disc details and release are yet to be announced but check out the cover artwork.

Directed by Carol Frank and starring Angela O’Neill, Wendy Martel, Pamela Ross, Nicole Rio, and John C. Russell.

A little girl’s brother kills their whole family but her (she escapes by hiding in the basement). He is committed, and she grows up with a new family, eventually going to college, where she joins a sorority. Due to a memory block, she doesn’t remember that the sorority house was her childhood house. Her brother senses her presence in the house and escapes so he can finish the job he was unable to complete.

Two New Clips Released For Ajmal Zaheer Ahmad‘s “Jinn”

Check out the two new clips released for upcoming horror “Jinn”. The film is directed by Ajmal Zaheer Ahmad and stars Dominic Rains (“Flight 93”), Serinda Swan (USA’s “Graceland”), Ray Park (“Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace”), Faran Tahir (“Elysium”) and William Atherton (“Die Hard”).

In the beginning, three were created.  Man made of clay.  Angels made of light.  And a third made of fire.  For centuries, stories of angels and men have captured the imagination and been etched into history crossing all boundaries of culture, religion and time.  These two races have dominated the landscape of modern mythology, shrouding the evidence that a third was ever created.  This third race, born of smokeless fire, was named the jinn.  Modern man has all but forgotten this third race ever existed.  It is time for him to remember…





You can check out the full trailer and more details on “Jinn” here. The film hits theatres April 4th 2014.

Distribution Deal For “The Dead 2: India”

The follow up to the modern cult fave “The Dead” has struck a distribution deal. Anchor Bay has picked up “The Dead 2: India” for U.S. release. The film directed by Howard J. Ford, Jonathan Ford and stars Joseph Millson, Meenu Mishra, Anand Krishna Goyal, Sandip Datta Gupta. Read the details below.

Press Release:
Anchor Bay Films has acquired the rights to the award-winning film The Dead 2: India, the highly-anticipated follow-up to the company’s 2012 release of The Dead. Written and directed by Howard J. Ford and Jon Ford (Mainline Run, Distant Shadow, The Dead), stars Joseph Millson (Casino Royale, Enid) in this critically-acclaimed epic zombie road movie. The company has acquired the theatrical, home entertainment, digital and VOD rights for the U.S. and Canada. The announcement was made today by Bill Clark, President of Anchor Bay Entertainment.

“We’re thrilled to be releasing the next film in the Ford Brothers’ films,” commented Kevin Kasha, Head of Acquisitions for Starz. “We had a great experience on the first film and are looking forward to offering audiences another round of The Dead.”

Set against the spectacular vistas and stunning scenery of Rajasthan, known as The Land of the Kings and one of the world’s first and oldest civilizations, The Dead 2: India puts the Ford Brothers’ unique apocalyptic vision on a far bigger canvas in terms of breathtaking scope, thrilling action, death-defying stunts, emotional resonance and spine-tingling fright.

“We really enjoyed working with Kevin and the rest of the Anchor Bay team on The Dead,” stated Amir Moallemi, Executive Producer of The Dead 2: India. “We felt they did an amazing job which resulted in the film becoming a top selling title in 2012. With The Dead 2: India, Anchor Bay was the natural choice for us. We have made an even bigger, more epic movie which we cannot wait to share with the fans.”

A ship docks fresh from Somalia which contains one infected worker that passes unnoticed into the very heart of India’s overpopulated bustling streets, setting off an unstoppable chain of events. Meanwhile, American turbine engineer Nicholas Burton (Millson) is working in the peaceful stunning Indian countryside when he receives a call from his love, a local girl who lives on the outskirts of the slums of Mumbai. She reveals she is now pregnant and scared for her life as chaos and terror have taken ahold of the cities as the dead return to life and attack the living. Nicholas has to battle his way across their 300 mile distance, all of which is ferociously infected. With the help of a young street kid, he has to rely on his wits and sheer brute force to try and save them all.

Widely regarded as one of the most popular of all the recently made zombie films, The Dead has enjoyed international praise, critical acclaim and success since its initial release a few years ago. The film was the first horror film entirely filmed in Africa. It was only fitting that the next stop be another first for the genre; India, where the challenges of filming a horror film are as unique as the dramatic setting.

My Review Of "I, Frankenstein"

"I, Frankenstein" is a modern re-invention of one of literature's most fascinating characters, Frankenstein's Monster. A character that dominates the screen in almost every film that features him. "I, Frankenstein" manages to meld the monster creatively into a new saga based on an old world spiritual concept of good and evil and humanity and all that is right and balanced in the cosmos. Yea I know that last statement seems a bit much but the struggle of good and evil and maintaining balance has fueled culture since the beginning of civilization. I imagine one of the food sources was probably hallucinogenic and our concept of the world just echoed from that first moment of existentialism. Anyway back to the film "I, Frankenstein"...

The story that  Stuart Beattie and Kevin Grevioux give us is a standard saga that has planned out in many a film, television drama and game. The dark lord of infinite evil sets forth to consume all the world and bring back the age of chaos. The truth and light of the universe battle the evil to keep order and protect humanity. It is a great epic drama filled with plenty of action, passion and spectacle fit for a gamer. I just feel the story may be a bit "monochrome". "I, Frankenstein" works as an elaborate blast of high theatricals and it did justify my expense for a theatre quality sound system. The film just lacked feeling, and connectivity. I didn't feel the characters. Just as the Monster lacked a soul but still managed to be fueled by a passionate rage, "I, Frankenstein" was without soul. The difference is unlike the Monster, this film lacked the passionate fuel that the story demanded. It was like watching an intro to some video game story sequence. It was a really good story, creative and all. I just didn't find the depth of character that would make me connect with the film.

The effects where what one would expect in this "big popcorn", wall rattling spectacle. The CGI was tight, I did feel that it was a bit too much. Like "Van Helsing", "I, Frankenstein" relied heavily on the CGI which stripped the film down to a "basic", going through the emotions action film. That sort of anchor creates a disconnect from the organic feeling, and natural flow of character interaction on a personal level that allows the audience to really connect with, not only the characters and story, but also the heart and intent of what the writer and directer are aiming for. "I, Frankenstein" is a 50/50 film for me. Yeah the movie brings the action and excitement. It is entertaining-especially with a Sony theater system that can rattle the walls and windows but so much seemed to be missing and at times I found my self wondering of in thoughts and kind of bored.