Directed by Julien Maury and Alexandre Bustillo
Written by Seth M. Sherwood
 
Starring: Stephen Dorff, Vanessa Grasse, Sam Strike, and Lili Taylor
 
IMDb 5/10                               Rotten Tomatoes 28%                        Metacritic 40/100

I just happened to catch this on tv and decided to watch it.  I figured, okay, the history behind Leatherface…this has potential.
 
Now, I must clarify that when I say something has potential, I mean it has enough potential to be good but also enough to be bad.  I say that when the plot sounds good but it’s all going to depend on the execution (not trying to play word games about murder and death, at least, not just yet). Also, being the eighth film in the TCM franchise, that also gives it potential to suck.  So, I was skeptical when I started it.  Also, I was tired so I figured if I fall asleep that means it couldn’t keep my attention.  However, just the opposite occurred.  
 
This film, surprisingly, grabbed my attention from the minute I started watching it.  I actually got so interested in it that I went from laying down on the couch to sitting up so I wasn’t watching it sideways and with one ear covered.
 
The basic story is four kids escape from a mental hospital.  In doing so they kidnap the new young female nurse who is also very pretty.  During their escape and while on the run the two running the show kill a number of people until the Sherriff (Stephen Dorff) catches up with them.  
 
I need to explain a little bit about these kids.  There’s the leader Ike, Clarice, Bud and Jackson.  Ike and Clarice are like the couple from Natural Born Killers or like Bonnie and Clyde.  Bud is very VERY quiet and frankly, a little slow mentally.  Jackson is actually Jed Sawyer.  His family, the Sawyers, killed the Sherriff’s daughter.  In retaliation, Jed is taken from his family and put in a mental institution.
 
Ten years later, Lizzy is hired as a new nurse to help with the patients.  She is eager to “help” these young adults but, she is quickly corrected by the doctor in charge who tells her that they are ALL there for a reason, because they are violent murderers and it is safer and best for everyone if they remain locked up.
 
Verna, Jed’s aunt or mother…or both, is hell-bent on getting Jackson/Jed out of the hospital before he turns eighteen.  Once he becomes an adult the doctor can (and threatens) to recommend him for prison instead of release.
 
So, all these crazy ass teens are on the run and this poor nurse is along for the terrifying ride. One by one, they get killed. Eventually, it’s just Jackson and Lizzy. Jackson ends up getting shot in the face and it tears through a number of areas, mangling his face forever. Verna sews him up and they commence to finish killing everyone.
 
So, here’s my thing. All through the movie Jackson/Jed is fairly mentally stable.  Well, comparatively speaking.  Then he gets shot in the face and all of a sudden he’s the Hunchback of Notre Dame, is completely out of it mentally and has a wicked limp.  That can’t ALL be caused by a bullet ripping through your cheek. I mean, even if he had a wicked case of PTSD or something, where did the weird posture and limp come from?  I get that after he’s sewn up and his mother puts a muzzle on him that he wouldn’t be able to talk.  But, he gets shot and sewn and all of a sudden he’s a completely different person.  I felt like that was a HUGE hole in the story and wasn’t explained very well.  
 
The rest of the teens were crazy as hell.  Jackson was definitely the sanest out of all of them.  I mean Clarice, my god.  This chick is completely nuts.  And her man, Ike, not only a loser but also a psycho.  They really are a creepy match made in hell.  Then there’s Bud.  You really do feel sorry for this kid.  I mean, truly.  It seems like he’s not really sure what’s going on or in control of what he does. Jackson seems to have the biggest anger control issue and our Bonnie and Clyde wannabes are two people with an insatiable hunger for blood and murder.
 
Now, having not seen all of the TCM movies, I can’t tell you if this one is worse or better than all the others.  I CAN tell you that it IS worth watching (even if Rotten Tomatoes thinks it’s a bust, I hardly ever agree with those morons).  Any horror fan should like this film and any fan of the TCM movies will dig this too.
 
RATINGS
3.5/5 Stars

Co-directed and Written by
Jaume Balagueró and Paco Plaza
 
Starring: Manuela Velasco, Ferran Terraza, Jorge-Yamam Serrano
 ​
IMDb 7.5/10                Rotten Tomatoes 88%            Metacritic 69/100

This thrilling film takes us through the horrifying events of an apartment complex that comes under quarantine after it’s discovered that there may be a deadly virus in the building, spreading among the occupants.  Fire and Rescue workers arrive on scene only to watch the horrors unfold right before their eyes.  One by one each person must face the terrifying truth that they are trapped among the sickness and try to figure out what to do as bodies and fear start to pile up.
 
This is a Spanish found footage film that inspired the American made film Quarantine.  Although it was in Spanish and had subtitles, I did NOT find that to be bothersome or a problem.  The acting was fantastic and the scare factor was good too.  As I have stated before, I don’t usually like found footage films but, this was on a list of top 100 horror movies of all time so I thought I would give it a go.  I’m so glad I did.
 
The film takes a little bit to get moving but once it does, it is constant and intense.  There were definitely times I was like “Whoa!” and there was some serious shock value in some of the scenes.  But, the best part of the film was just the constant action and chilling realizations that hit as the movie unfolds.
 
We start with a field reporter and her cameraman.  They are doing interviews at a fire station and when a call comes in for help at an apartment complex, they are allowed to tag along.  They soon find out that the call turns into them being trapped in the apartment complex, faced with certain death as a virus spreads and infects the residents.
 
The reporter and the cameraman are determined to get EVERYTHING on camera, especially once they find out they are not being allowed to leave OR getting any answers from police and government officials outside the building.
 
The rest is just gross, disgusting, horrifying and WONDERFUL!!!!
 
If you get a chance and can handle subtitles, you’ll like this film.  I thought it was very well done.  It even spawned a franchise, the [Rec] series.  I believe there are four of them.  All are in Spanish but, as we have seen, that doesn’t always make a difference.  This is probably the best found footage film I’ve seen thus far.  So, I would recommend you give it a shot.  I’ll watch Quarantine and see how similar they are. I’ll have that up to read within a couple weeks.
 
RATINGS
4/5 Stars

Directed by David Gordon Green
Written by David Gordon Green, Jeff Fradley, Danny McBride
 
Starring: Jamie Lee Curtis, Nick Castle, Judy Greer, Andi Matichak, Will Patton, and Virginia Gardner
 
IMDb 7.4/10                Rotten Tomatoes 79%            Metacritic 67/100

​This is said to be final installment of the Halloween series.  Jamie Lee Curtis does a fantastic job reprising her role of Laurie Strode.  The movie definitely builds, starting at the very beginning and going all the way up to the finale.
 
I don’t want to give a lot away because I know there are still people out there that haven’t seen this yet. But I have a few things I want to point out.
 
First and foremost, I give great applause for the performance of Jamie Lee Curtis.  I love her in this role.  She is the ULTIMATE scream queen to me and even though she doesn’t like horror movies, doesn’t watch horror movies, she does a fantastic job in bringing our virtuous heroine to the screen.
 
Also, there are a number of things in this film that struck me as an homage to the original.  If you pay attention and know the original well, you’ll be able to see them and appreciate them.
 
Now, for a few complaints.
 
One of the things I noticed right away was that Michael Myers walked so much faster than he did in the first one.  Part of the scariness of the boogeyman (and in most slasher films) is that no matter how fast you run, no matter how far you go, no matter where you hide, Michael Myers is RIGHT THERE…and yet the man walks slower than a hundred-year-old with a walker.  His slow and steady walk that always seemed to keep him caught up with his victims is gone. Now, he walks with gusto and purpose. That seems so opposite of what we know Myers to be.  Not to mention the fact that this IS forty years later and one would think he would move slower in his older age, not faster.  So, that’s the first complaint.
 
Then, I am listening to the theme song, which the original Carpenter theme song is my ringer on my phone so I am VERY familiar with it, and they’ve modernized it.  They’ve added things and layered tracks.  It just made it a little “off” for me.  One of the reasons that music, like that of Jaws or the creepy “ki ki ki, ma ma ma” sound of Friday the 13th, is its simplicity.  The bare and basic compositions are so eerie and when you inflate them and complicate them, the theme songs are no longer as effective.  I mean, you know when you here the Jaws music or the original Carpenter music for Halloween that SOMETHING is about to happen.  However, when a more complex version of that music is playing throughout the film during general scenes instead of slasher scenes, it loses its effectiveness.
 
I will also say that, for me, I expected more of a showdown between the heroine and the killer.  I felt the film did a superb job of building up to a big ending battle between Laurie and Michael and I just felt that it fell flat compared to the rest of the movie.  There were parts that were obviously tried to offer a twist but they weren’t a surprise.  I expected a number of them because of the route the movie was going.
 
Lastly, the new doctor (our replacement for Dr. Loomis) seems out of place for this film.  His attitude and personality for someone replacing the good Dr. Loomis is off.  This character seemed like a necessary evil almost.  It’s like the filmmakers said “We need a doctor and Donald Pleasance is dead so…let’s do THIS.  I feel like the character was almost an afterthought.  It just didn’t fit the rest of the movie to me, especially how he was portrayed.
 
All in all, I enjoyed the film.  But, even though they tried to equal the original, it just can’t happen.  Magic on film like that is a crazy concoction that cannot ever be reproduced.  It doesn’t mean it’s an inferior film, it’s just not the same.
 
Now, here’s the big question…Is it worth going to the show to see it OR is it best to wait for the DVD/Blu-ray?  I think it’s worth paying the money to go to the show to see it once.  I wouldn’t pay to see it in the theater more than once but, it was definitely worth going for.
 
I know there are a lot of reviews online saying this is the best sequel of the Halloween series and things like that.  I don’t know that I would agree 100% with that but, I do feel it was well done.
 
RATINGS
3.5/5 Stars

Directed by Ramaa Mosley
Written by Tim Macy, Ramaa Mosley
 
Starring: Leven Rambin, Taylor John Smith, Jim Parrack, Landon Edwards, Kip Duane Collins, Toni Chritton Johnson, Debbie Sutcliffe
 
IMDb 5.3/10                Rotten Tomatoes 44%            Metacritic NO DATA

Plot Summary:  
 
LOST CHILD follows an army veteran, Fern, who returns home in order to look for her brother, only to discover an abandoned boy lurking in the woods behind her childhood home. After taking in the boy, she searches for clues to his identity, and discovers the local folklore about a malevolent, life-draining spirit that comes in the form of a child; the Tatterdemalion.
 
 
Opinion Dominion
 
I actually really enjoyed this film.  It wasn’t super scary or extremely fast paced but, it DID keep my attention.  It reminded me of how a Criminal Minds episode unfolds. Something is always happening.  It may not be a huge event or seem important but, it all comes together at the end.  That is how this film was.
 
It was an emotional journey from beginning to end filled with pain, anticipation, suspense, wonder, curiosity and mystery.  I found myself feeling empathy for Fern and her brother.  I also found myself leaning into the film and waiting anxiously to find out what happened.
 
I feel like Fern’s brother was the most authentic character but, the Fern character was relatable as well. While watching I felt Fern, played by Leven Rambin, was a believable character but her brother Billy (Taylor John Smith) was truly the gripping character for me.  He seemed to be the one that suffered the most, being left behind and feeling abandoned and even in the making of the film his character, although the center of Fern’s being back home, was still seemingly kind of in the background and not a priority.
 
But, let’s talk about the child.  Cecil. Cecil is played by Landon Edwards. I recognized this kid actor from SOMEWHERE and just couldn’t place it.  So, I looked him up.  That did me no REAL good.  I saw that he was in two other movies released around the same time.  But, still, it’s driving me batty that I can’t place where else I’ve seen him.  I’m almost certain it was a TV crime drama show but, anyways, I’m going off on a tangent.
 
Where were we?  Oh yeah.  Cecil.  This is a kid that lives in the woods.  He is found by Fern and she takes him in.  It’s obvious this kid has had SOME raising.  And Fern certainly isn’t the mothering type.  (And NO, I don’t say that because she was military, all of whom I love and appreciate by the way, but because she is so twisted up emotionally about herself and her own life experiences she just doesn’t seem to have that “caring” drive that a lot of mothers have.  It doesn’t bother Cecil though.  He’s just happy to be there.  He’s very polite.  He’s very quiet and doesn’t say much of anything to anyone.  But he’s just as messed up inside as Billy and Fern.
 
Now, Fern feels guilty for leaving her brother behind and going into the military to get away from her home.  She gets out of the Army and goes back home to look for her brother and right her wrongs. She’s hoping to reconnect and repair her family.  Having Cecil around disrupts ALL of her plans.  I will give her credit.  She finds a kid in the woods and doesn’t have the heart to just leave him there to fend for himself…so, atta girl, you did what every decent human being would do.  
 
As soon as Fern gets Cecil in her home she starts and continues to feel sick.  She is warned by others in the area to put the kid back in the woods and forget him.  Whoa!  Hello!  That seems a little harsh to me.  Seemed harsh to Fern too, as she ignored the warnings.
 
The rest of the film is her experience with Cecil, her struggle in trying to figure out who he is and where he came from and her dealings with her brother Billy.
 
This is NOT a bloody, gory horror film.  It’s more of a psychological thriller with a touch of paranormal folklore.
 
If you are looking for something horror related but a little more relaxed and a little different, this is a great pick.  I think this would even be good for people who don’t usually go for horror movies too. I hope you guys take the time to check this out.  I think the majority of horror fans would enjoy watching this film.
 
RATINGS
3.5/5 Stars

Written and Directed by Lucio A. Rojas
 
Starring: Catalina Martin, Macerna Carrere, Ximena del Solar, Dominga Bofill, Daniel Antivilo, Eduardo Paxeco, Felipe Rios, Claudio Riveros, Florencia Heredia
 
IMDb 6/10                   Rotten Tomatoes NO DATA               Metacritic NO DATA

​There are very few films that leave me speechless.  Films that leave me feeling so shocked and so disturbed that there’s a lasting sense of unsettlement long after the credits finish rolling.  Films that truly drive that question of “does Evil exist” or the depravity of humanity.
 
For the opening scene of this film I was more than disturbed.  It was so vile and so violent and so graphic that I was literally holding my hand over my mouth in disbelief.  Plus, what I know about psychology, this film is one of the most horrific and disturbing films I have ever seen.
 
We start in Chile decades ago where we see a woman tied to a table, bloody and beaten so badly her eye is swollen shut.  She is bleeding from her face, her wrists, her mouth, her ankles and very heavily between her legs.  The men holding her captive bring in her son.  He’s a young man, teenager.  Not only do they shoot him up with something, they force him to rape his tortured and bloodied mother.  In the midst of doing that, they shoot her in the head and then force him to continue to rape her until eventually they stop forcing him and he’s raping her deceased body all on his own.
 
Now, that’s just the first like five minutes.  The psychological impact of something like that on a young man would be catastrophic. It would completely twist not only his moral compass but also his sexuality and what arouses him and it would impact on how he gives and receives love, if at all.
 
Then, we join a group of girlfriends who are, I don’t know, basically vacationing.  This part is taking place more recently (the present era, I don’t remember what year).  These girls are busted in on in their cabin and violated and tortured by a man and his son. They lust for pure horrific violence and sexual depravity.  And they do whatever they want to these girls.
 
But, don’t discount these chicks just yet.  Once they figure out there is no help for them anywhere near this little rural town in Chile, they decide to take justice into their own hands.  Four tough chicks gut it out through as much as they can to get their vengeance.  
 
Who survives?
 
You can find out with your own copy on October 23.  Or you can see it on cable.  It’ll be available on Blu-ray, DVD, cable and digital HD.
 
Now, IF YOU CAN STOMACH IT, this is a FANTASTIC horror film.  It is filmed in Spanish.  I personally don’t speak Spanish so I had to use the subtitles but, that took nothing away from the film.  An incredible and intense psychological thriller and rape revenge film.  Like I said, very few films can make my stomach turn and this one did.  Very few films can make me feel dirty and disgusting like I need a hot shower after watching it to cleanse the filth and evil from every part of my being.
 
That, my friends, is when you know you have horror.  When, after you watch it, you are left sitting there with your arms wrapped around yourself and this look on your face like you just ate something rotten and you can’t sit still and the scenes just replay in your head over and over and over again.  You start thinking about how truly messed up and depraved the subject matter of the film is. This film in particular would be a classic feast for psychologists on the “nature vs nurture” debate.  I promise you, both influence a human being.
 
And I really want to tell you about certain things but I don’t want to give away too much. Besides, nothing I say is going to match what you see on screen.  
 
Now, while I want to recommend this film to every horror lover, there are certainly going to be some of you that aren’t going to be able to handle this.  So, I thought I would sort of give you a rundown on what things are in the film that MIGHT be offensive to the softer sensibilities.
 
Graphic violence
Rape/Sexual Assault
Blood and gore
Murder
Profanity
Disturbing psychological premises
Nudity
Graphic sexual activity
 
Now, I happen to think that this film reminded me of the original ‘I Spit On Your Grave’ but, this one was taken to a much more graphic level.  So, if you can stomach that, that gives you some form of reference as to what you are going to be getting.
 
Again, I LOVE revenge horror.  And while it took me two days after watching this to collect my thoughts enough to write this review, I would totally watch it again.  This, in my opinion, is like the new shock horror but not.  It’s similar to the Italian horror that was many times banned in the US for its content.  But, it IS just a movie.
 
Once again, the claim that this story is based on real events is made at the beginning of the film. IF that is really true, my heart would totally ache for these poor victims.  But so often we hear that and it is actually, as I’ve stated many times, INSPIRED by true events.  Now, I didn’t do the research this time on whether or not this actually happened. Whether it did or not, it is a completely horrifying journey controlled by a deranged madman and his demented son.
 
If slasher movies bother you, if rape in films bothers you, if a lot of blood and gore bothers you, if psychological deviance and twists and compulsions of the vilest nature bothers you, then don’t watch this movie.  (Also, you might want to rethink watching horror movies altogether but, hey, that’s just my opinion, I know no one asked me.  Consider it free advice.)
 
But for all you hard core horror fans that are looking for the horror movie version of something like I Spit on Your Grave meets Faces of Death, this is for you.
 
I personally like all horror so I thought this film was great.  It left me feeling “Oh. My. Fucking. God.” and slightly sick to my stomach. I could literally feel my stomach churning stomach acid, nauseating me.  Now, come of folks!!!  That’s a horror film!!!
 
Be prepared for an awesome film filled with gory and twisted things purposely thrown in your face to make you feel as uncomfortable and uneasy as possible.  Which is the whole point of horror, isn’t it? 
 
RATINGS
4.5/5 Stars

​Directed by Rudolf Buitendach
Written and Produced by Frida Farrell (Glynn Turner, writer)
 
Starring: Frida Farrell, Gabriel Olds, Matthew Marsden
​
IMDb 8.2/10          Rotten Tomatoes NO DATA          Metacritic NO DATA

I just watched a horrifying film depicting a tragic horror that really truly IS based on REAL EVENTS. Formerly titled “Selling Isobel”, this film is based on the real life experiences of Frida Farrell, who plays a woman named Isobel in the movie.
 
Isobel is a Pilates instructor, a mother and a girlfriend.  One day she is approached by two men one day while having lunch.  The first us a homeless man asking for spare change.  When she says she doesn’t have any he gets very rude and belligerent.  Enter man number two.  He hops up from where he is sitting at the restaurant and engages the rude beggar, finally convincing him to leave her alone and leave the restaurant.
 
From that exchange, the good Samaritan tells Isobel how much of a natural beauty she is and how the people he works for are looking for someone just like her for their promo ads. He gives her his card, after she declines his interview invitation repeatedly, and says the job is worth $7000 and to check out his website and then give him a call.  
 
She discusses it with her boyfriend and they decide it’s okay for her to go to the interview, which is a very short photo session to take a couple of test shots.  She shows up at this old apartment building.  She has bad feelings from the get go.  From the moment he talked to her in the restaurant actually.  Yet, with his charm and easy demeanor, he convinces her to go ahead and come up to the fourth floor where the shoot will be happening.  She does and everything goes fine.  He has a studio set up and an assistant named Chloe and she finally feels like everything is legit.  She is told she will get a call if the client picks her.
 
She gets the call. She is told to go to the same place the next day.  And she does, no problems.  She tells her boyfriend the address of where she’s going, to be safe, and rides her bicycle there.  Once she gets there, the charming Samaritan opens the door, allows her to enter and then locks the door behind her.  That, my friends, is where the REAL horror begins.
 
Beaten, drugged and held captive, Isobel does her best to survive and to deal with the heinous and hideous things she is subjected to.  For three days and two nights Isobel is terrorized and tortured, beaten and drugged.  
 
Her bravery and intense will to be back with her daughter, coupled with her instincts turned her from a victim to a survivor.  She wanted her freedom back.  She wanted her daughter back.  She wanted her life back.  She wanted to be home with those she loved and that loved her.
 
The fact that she was able to escape is so incredible all on its own.  There are millions all over the world abducted or sold into human sex trafficking.  By sharing her gripping and emotionally intense story herself, we get a front row seat to the horrors that await so many unfortunate souls.
 
Even at almost two hours, this film is nowhere near dull or slow.  It gets right to the dark and twisted center of the topic at hand. Frida Farrell gives us excellence all the way around.  I found this movie much more terrifying and scary than traditional horror films.  I see this kind of thing on the true crime documentary shows I watch all the time.  This REALLY DOES HAPPEN.  And It can happen to anyone.  THAT is what makes it so horrifying to watch.  Watching this made me feel more horror, terror and EMPATHY than almost any ACTUAL horror flick I’ve seen to date.  It’s entirely gripping and intensely compelling.  This film will give you true insight into one of the worst epidemics destroying the fabric of human society.  This is an important issue.  These are human beings.  This is a story that needs to be told.
 
RATINGS 
5/5 Stars

Based on Frida's own horrific true-life experiences, APARTMENT 407 tells the story of Isobel (played by Frida), a young mother whose life is changed when a charming stranger invites her to take part in a photo shoot. Instead, Isobel is kidnapped and sold into the sex trade, and the film concerns her fight to escape. After remaining silent about her own real-life horrific experience for fourteen years, Frida transformed her pain into art not only for personal catharsis, but also as a powerful statement against gendered violence. The result is a harrowing tale of indomitable tenacity that has received 18 film festival nominations. Featuring the work of master cinematographer Stefan Ciupek (SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE, 127 HOURS), APARTMENT 407 is a chilling depiction of the hellish realities faced by millions of women and girls around the world daily. 
 
Frida was born and raised in Malmo, Sweden, but left at an early age to pursue a modeling career, which brought her to the international runways of Paris, New York, and Milan. At the age of 21, she resumed her studies at the prestigious Central School of Speech and Drama in London. Following graduation she started her own London-based theatre company at age 24 where she produced plays. In 2006, she moved to Los Angeles to further explore on-camera work and began working extensively in film and television. She started her own film company, Development Hell Pictures, in 2010. Frida is an ardent human rights activist and has used her platform to fight international and online human trafficking.
 
For more information, please see www.fridafarrell.com. 

Credits for this excerpt only to Anderson Publishing Group

Directed, Written, Produced by Peter Sullivan
 
Starring: Marisol Nichols, Brian Krause, Jearnest Corchado, Bella Stine, Pedro Correa, Mick Ignis
 
This is a film that premieres on SyFy, Saturday, October 13, 7pm ET/PT and 6pm CT.  I had the opportunity to watch it prior to the premiere and I have to say, I thought it was a great film.  

​Here's the trailer:

The story of The Cucuy is a folk legend in Hispanic history.  As the story goes, unruly and misbehaved children, those that don’t listen to their parents and do what they are told are reminded of the Cucuy, a shapeshifting monster/spirit that comes in the night and kidnaps the bad children and takes them to his cave.  There, he keeps them until he’s ready to eat them, their REAL punishment for being bad little children.
 
This is a story parents tell their kids, just like campfire stories of the Boogeyman, in order to scare them into being good and obeying.  (Seems a little extreme to me, I mean, if you don’t brush your teeth a monster is going to kidnap you and eat you.  I guess that’s one way to scare them into submission.  Of course, taking away their phone or games or computer might be just as effective but, not near as terrifying.)
 
Nevertheless, the story of the Cucuy is the entire basis for this fast paced thriller. A young and rebellious teen gets in trouble with the law after defending her hearing impaired sister and is sentenced to house arrest, complete with the very fashionable and highly desired ankle bracelet monitor.  With this on she basically can’t go past her property line (give or take a bit) without the monitor sounding a three-minute warning for her to return to her home.  
 
Being on house arrest is absolutely no fun.  There’s no friends, no excitement, no anything.  That is until she starts spying on her neighbors with her telescope. She’s become particularly interested in her male schoolmate that lives across from her and also a new neighbor that has just moved into the area.
 
At the same time this is all going on, there are children going missing in the neighborhood at an alarming rate.  A rate so high it’s completely out of the normal statistics for the area and time of year.
 
From that point it’s all about figuring out who is responsible for the children disappearing. Is it the mysterious new neighbor? Is it a crazed serial killer running rampant around the town?  Is it the REAL Cucuy coming to teach little kids to behave?
 
Watch SyFy on October 13 at 7pm ET/PT and 6pm CT to find out for yourself.  You won’t want to miss this movie.  It is intense, fast paced and very well done.  If you pay attention, you may even see a few small things that could be considered an homage to previous horror films.  There are some excellent scare moments with suspense providing a constant thrill.  
 
In a new and updated way, this film still follows the formula of the traditional horror movie that we all know and love.  Teenagers…check.  Teenagers acting stupid…check.  Female lead and hero…check.  Horrible stalking killer that doesn’t kill adults…check.
 
I highly recommend this film for all of you horror lovers.  It was truly a pleasure to watch.
 
RATINGS
4.5/5 Stars

​Directed and Written by Jennifer Phillips
 
Starring: Alyx Melone, Cynthia Lee MacQuarrie, Biden Hall
 
IMDb 5.6/10                Rotten Tomatoes NO SCORE             Metacritic NO DATA

I was sent this film by Justin Cook Publications.  I was immediately interested just by looking at the few images I was sent.  So much so that I skipped watching the trailer and dove right into the movie.
 
This film was tense.  All the way through in fact.  I was captivatingly on the edge of my seat, knowing something bad was about to happen but, not sure what it would be.  The suspense is well played, in my opinion.
 
Now, I read some reviews of this film and a couple of them were, well, not glowing opinions.  They complained about the believability of the story line and the characters and blah, blah, blah.  They need to get over themselves.
 
First let me give you a VERY short rundown of our plot.
 
Ash and Bill are a young married couple living in Singapore on temporary assignment from Bill’s job. Life is good and they are happy as can be.  They live in a nice place and have a live in housekeeper named Siti.  Eventually, Ash and Bill become pregnant and are very excited to welcome their new baby into their home.  Unfortunately, one night Ash is found by Siti in the bathroom hemorrhaging and in immense pain.  Once she is taken to the hospital she is informed that she has lost the baby.  As if that wasn’t bad enough, the couple is told that it is unlikely that she will ever conceive again.  Ash is crushed and lives in a depressed, blank, almost emotionless state while Bill tries to resume normal life.  They move back to the States and bring Siti with them. That is when weird things start happening.  Horrible spells in their den, odd sounds in the house, strange happenings around the property.  What is the cause?  Can it be stopped?  Has something evil or sinister followed them home from Singapore?
 
I’m not telling you.  All I will tell you is, be careful what you wish for.
 
THE END
 
Now that I told you all that…
 
I liked this film…a lot. I thought it was a good horror/suspense film.  It was an hour and a half which, to me, is a perfect length for a horror flick. Although the acting was A-list I still feel it was at the top rung of the B-list ladder.  The dialogue flowed fairly naturally and there were few awkward moments.  (When I say “awkward moments” I am referring to those points where the timing in dialogue is just a bit off or the acting feels forced or the effects are done in a way that we know they are low budget but they tried to make it look high budget and it just didn’t work at all…that kind of stuff.)
 
I found an interesting piece of imagery that I am going to call an homage to a couple other horror movies. In this film there is a small red child’s toy ball that rolls around in the house from time to time.  It reminded me of the instances of red in “The Sixth Sense” and the red balloon everywhere in “It”.  I thought it was a great way to show a foreboding presence without doing the usual stuff with lighting or music or the actors reactions themselves. 
 
I really think they did a good job on this film.  I’m actually quite surprised it’s an indie film.  It seems to me like the kind of picture a major studio would have picked up.
 
It DOES say this film is based on true events and although names are changed to protect privacy, the events are depicted exactly how they happened.  We ALL know how I feel about that message at the start of a horror film.  I also did a cursory search for said events and I could not find anything substantial to back up that claim.  But, it’s not like I spent hours searching.  I spent five minutes.  Still, I get kind of annoyed when that claim is made with no evidence to back it up.
 
However, I still think horror fans would like this.  I do this B-rate fans will LOVE this film.  Mainstreams might feel a little “eh” about it, so be warned.
 
RATINGS
3.5/5 Stars