Directed by
Gerard McMurray

Written by
James DeMonaco

Starring: Y’lan Noel, Lex Scott Davis, Joivan Wade, Steve Harris
 
Budget $13M                          Box Office $137M
 
      IMDb 5.1/10                Rotten Tomatoes 54%               Metacritic 54/100

It has been quite a while since I have seen The Purge, which was the first Purge movie.  I do remember that it messed with my mind and I thought it was a pretty damn good movie, although I also remember it wasn’t something I was willing to watch over and over again.  Maybe that’s because of the idea behind the plot of the movie.
 
This film, The First Purge, is about the very first Purge in the United States.  Now, remember that the original movie was just a depiction of a typical “Purge” night.  By then the people have long fortified their homes and have chosen one side or the other, whether they participate or stay home.  
 
So, for those of you who don’t know, “The Purge” is an idea the government has put into practice that allows all crime, ALL CRIME, to be 100% legal and acceptable without retribution or consequences from the law for 12 hours each year, providing they don’t attack any government officials.  Medical and Emergency are available the whole time.  So, one night every year for twelve hours, all crime is legal and unpunishable.  
 
Again, remember the first movie took place in 2022.  THIS movie takes place in 2014, when the new government first passed the law allowing the Purge.  In, this film we see the original purpose of the Purge night and what happened therein.  Not to mention, we get a very good idea of how the agencies involved in the Purge exploited people in order to try to make it more successful.  It becomes a fight for survival as people start to realize that they really are free from the law for twelve straight hours.  
 
THE END

It must be the whole idea of this Purge thing that spooks me the most.  The idea that for twelve hours our government would say it’s acceptable to murder or rape someone just, well…scares the shit out of me.  There really aren’t many movies that can give me the willies or make me feel uncomfortable but, these Purge movies, they are some twisted stuff.
 
I liked that we got to see the origination of The Purge itself.  When I saw the first movie I was like, how did this happen?  Were there not people opposed to this?  Funny how, in this movie, they answered my questions completely.  
 
I liked this movie.  It made want to watch the first one again.  And the other Purge movies.  There’s a whole slew of them PLUS a television series now.  Definitely a major franchise.  So, I assume the other movies will be good too but, then again, we have Halloween III: The Season of the Witch…ummm yeah.  So, you never really know where they’re gonna take it at times.  Still, I think this is a good flick for a Friday Night Fright with friends and food.  There’s action, horror, a tiny bit of love, suspense.  Practically something for everybody in the horror club!
 
RATINGS
4/5 Stars

Directed by
Kevin Kōlsch and Dennis Widmyer

Screenplay by
Jeff Buhler

Story by
Matt Greenberg

Based on Pet Sematary by
Stephen King
 
Starring: Jason Clarke, Amy Seimetz, John Lithgow
 
Budget $21M                          Box Office $112.4M
 
IMDb 5.8/10               Rotten Tomatoes 57%            Metacritic 57/100

As you all know I am a huge Stephen King fan.  Also, you should all know by now that I am NOT a huge fan a remakes, reboots, redux, re-whatevers.  I love the original Pet Sematary and so I had to see this just to see what they did to mess it up.  Because I assume if it is one of those RE-somethings it’s not going to be as good as the original.
 
With this movie, I was right AND wrong.  They change quite a few things from the first film.  For example, the circumstances of the death of Ellie’s cat are different.  Why?  They bring up Zelda, Rachel’s dead sister, way earlier in this version than the original AND they changed the way she died.  For what purpose?  What was wrong with the original story?
 
Now, I will admit that I have NOT read this book.  So, I can’t say what parts are accurate to the book itself and what parts are not.  But there is something that is missing from this new remake version that I feel is crucial to the story.  And they completely left it out.
 
We all know that Ellie’s cat Church dies.  Louis, her father, takes the dead animal and goes with the neighbor from across the street, Jud, to bury it in the Pet Sematary.  In the original, Jud is taking Louis to the old Native American burial ground beyond the Pet Sematary.  He gives Louis a speech as Louis buries the cat, telling him that what you put in the ground is yours, and it will always come back to you.  I have to tell you, that’s one of the creepiest moments in the original and they don’t have it in this version.  Plus, how they end up dealing with Church after he returns has been changed too.
 
There are some other changes but I don’t want to ruin the whole movie for you.  It’s not that I didn’t like this version.  I actually did.  But I have to say that I think some things were needlessly altered.  Then again, some of the changes had a very strong impact just as taking out some things did too.
 
All in all, I did like this film and I thought it was done well.  I wouldn’t be afraid to recommend it to anyone who likes horror, thrillers, those kinds of movies.  I do hope, as with all remakes, that you will keep an open mind when you watch this if you’ve seen the original and are a big fan.  I’ve seen all of the Pet Sematary movies so, I knew they would be changing some stuff just to switch things up in an effort to make it fresh.  But it was fun to watch and there were definitely a few moments where I was shocked and surprised to say the least.  You should probably check it out if you haven’t already.
 
RATINGS 
4/5 Stars