Voice From The Stone (2017)

I was looking for a film to watch today and I realized I haven't seen enough Horror films yet and I have this amazing app I haven't used a lot called Shudder. If you are a horror fan and you do not have this app then you are truly missing out on the amazing library they have which leads me to the film I chose for today which is 2017's Voice From The Stone which was directed by Eric D. Howell (From Heaven to Hell). The film is based off of the novel La Voce Della Pietra which was written by Silvio Raffo and it stars Emilia Clarke (Solo: A Star Wars Story) as Verena, a nurse who goes from house to house and she helps children that are in need of help. She decides to take a job looking after a boy who has fallen silent after the passing of his mother, but soon haunting things begin to happen at the manor. The film also stars Marton Csokas (The Amazing Spider-Man 2) as Klaus, Caterina Murino (French Fried Vacation 3: Friends Forever) as Malvina, Remo Girone (Ford V Ferrari) as Alessio,  Lisa Gastoni (Come Play With Me) as Lilia, Edward Dring (In The Coat's Pocket) as Jakob, Duccio Camerini (Bruno Is Waiting On The Car) as Doctor, and Kate Linder (The Young and The Restless) as La Vecchia.

I am going to be perfectly honest in saying that I had no idea what the "horror" part of the story was because I understood the plot. She is trying to convince the boy that everything is in his head and that he needs to speak because his mother would be disappointed in him if he didn't. Then it all starts to make sense towards the end of the film when she starts hearing the mother as well and she ends up finding out some haunting truths about some of the people she talks to. I don't think it's a possession story by any means, but more of a ghostly brainwashing if you ask me because all of a sudden she wants to stay and she can't live without them and what the mother says to the boy in the beginning comes true after all. You'll have to watch the film to get what I am saying because it's really not that scary at all. The fact that Emilia gets naked in the film is not that big of a deal because she spent most of Game Of Thrones naked to begin with. The acting was fantastic from Csokas and Clarke while the overall tone was that grayish haunting look for a while mixed with some bright colors. The cinematography was pretty good with all of the great shots of the manor and other scary angles. That was one scene actually that scared the crap out of me was the scene at the top of the watchtower. There was definitely some suspense there, but not enough to help this film. That is why I am giving it an B-/C+ (somewhere in there) for a final grade.

The Love Witch (2016)

I haven't watched a lot of horror this year as of yet and for some reason I felt like checking one out on the Shudder app. Last year during the Halloween season, Kirk Hammett of Metallica was asked to name some of his favorite horror films and one of the films was 2016's The Love Witch which was written and directed by Anna Biller (A Visit From The Incubus). The film stars Samantha Robinson (Once Upon A Time In Hollywood) as Elaine, a witch that is sort of on the run from San Francisco and in search of the one thing every woman wants and that is love. She wants love so much that she begins making potions and going through guys in this new city like they are spells, but their are deadly consequences and it could come back to bite her. The film also stars Gian Keys (Horror House) as Griff, Laura Waddell (Saving Mr. Banks) as Trish, Jeffrey Vincent Parise (The Young and the Restless) as Wayne, Jennifer Ingrum (The Young And The Restless) as Barbara, Jared Sanford (A Visit From The Incubus) as Gahan, Robert Seeley (Perfect Match) as Richard, Randy Evans (The Bold and the Beautiful) as Steve, Elle Evans (Scouts Guide To The Zombie Apocalypse) as Star, and Lily Holleman (The Lady Killers) as Miss Curtis.

The director of the film was definitely a fan of European erotic witch themed horror of the 1960's and 70's because it reminded me a lot of Living Dead Girl, Virgin Witch, and other films just like it. I would be super interested to see what exactly influenced her when she wrote the film, but for now we'll talk about it. One of the the things that confused me at first was when was the film taking place because a lot of the costumes seem like they are out of the 70's and a lot of the dialogue felt that way too, but then you get one of the driving a modern car and a lot of the cars are mixed between classics and moderns. The film also looked like it was shot with a vintage camera and film stock which added a cool element to the film and hence helped my confusion. Other than that, when you figure it out, it's actually a very good film that takes you on that classic journey of a girl who is so desperate for love that she will do anything even if it means that some will be harmed. One of the other huge differences in this compared to the classic films is the fact that she is complete control and she is not the victim which was different from the classic films and that is some powerful stuff. Some will say that is because it's a feminist film, but why shouldn't a woman be in control the whole time? I guess the idea of a strong female role just scares the crap out of men, but I find that attractive. That is why I am going to give the film an A- for a final grade because it's smart, sexy, and different while looking familiar.

Mayhem (2017)

There are so many different ways to watch films these days from your television, DVD's, Redbox, Netflix, Disney Plus, and so many more. If you are a fan of horror then one app you will definitely want to check out is Shudder which is a reasonably priced app. The film I chose for today is featured on the app and it stars one of my personal favorites in Samara Weaving (The Babysitter) and it called Mayhem which was directed by Joe Lynch (Chillerama). The film stars Steven Yeun (I Origins) as Derek Cho, a rising star in a huge law firm that is about to find out that he was just framed for something he didn't commit and he is about to be fired. Before he can get the boot, the building is put on lock down due to a virus that causes it's victims to act out their wildest urges and with the help of Melanie Cross (Weaving), he'll get the revenge he craves because of the virus no one is held accountable for their actions. The film also stars Steven Brand (The Scorpion King) as The Boss, Caroline Chikezie (Supernatural) as The Siren, Dallas Roberts (Dallas Buyers Club) as The Reaper, Mark Frost (Faust) as Ewan, Claire Dellamar (Dick Pic) as Meg, and André Eriksen (Vikings) as The Bull.

This was an excellent film from beginning to end and I say that because there was non stop bloody action and mayhem (pun intended). I loved the concept of the film where because Derek found that legal loophole, you can do whatever you want and not be held accountable as long as you are infected. Remember, they are acting on pure impulses because of what the virus does to you. It kind of has the feel of 28 Days Later without them being zombies and at the work place like Fight Club. I thought some of the acting was a little over the top, but it actually worked for this situation because this is a satire of ruthless no good coke snorting lawyers and the crap they get away with. We are supposed to be rooting for Derek and hope that he catches up to his jerk boss before the quarantine time is up and they succeed in accomplishing that. The acting from Steven Yeun and Samara Weaver was fantastic and Samara is growing to be one of my favorites as she carried The Babysitter, Ready Or Not, and definitely helped with this one. Yeun does an amazing job as the films main character and protagonist as I said before you root for him to make it to the end. If you love the right kind of insanity to go with your comedy and horror then this is definitely the film to watch and you can do so on Shudder. Remember, the film has lots of action, great comedy, some nudity, and some bad ass scenes which is why I am going to go ahead and give the film an A- for a final grade.