WRETCHED REVIEWS: TEXAS CHAINSAW 3D

Heather (Alexandra Daddario) is menaced by Leatherface (Dan Yeager)

TEXAS CHAINSAW 3D

Starring Alexandra Daddario, Trey Songz, and Tania Raymonde

Directed by John Luessenhop

Written by Adam Marcus & Debra Sullivan and Kirsten Elms

VVS Films

 

Nearly 40 years after its release, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is no longer “just” a horror classic. It is a brand, with the direct sequel Texas Chainsaw 3D, out today, just the latest iteration in a line of sequels, prequels, and remakes. The fact that this new Chainsaw manages to draw fresh blood makes it all the more impressive because, really, who thought this might actually be good?

EXCL: “NIGHTBREED: THE CABAL CUT” SCREENS IN TORONTO TONIGHT!

The DLB recently spoke to Russell Cherrington, the restoration director of Nightbreed: The Cabal Cut, the extended/re-purposed version of Clive Barker’s notoriously troubled second film as a director, for MSN Canada. You can read that article here.

Cherrington, alongside Mark Miller from Barker’s Seraphim Films and effects animator Paul Jones, will be in Toronto tonight (July 19) to present the new Nightbreed as part of Rue Morgue Magazine‘s Cinemacabre film series. The screening starts at 9pm and takes place at the TIFF Bell Lightbox (350 King St. West).

WRETCHED REVIEWS: MOTHER’S DAY

MOTHER’S DAY

Starring Rebecca De Mornay, Jaime King and Patrick John Flueger

Directed by Darren Lynn Bousman

Written by Scott Milam

Alliance Home Entertainment

 

It’s hard not to get excited about a movie when the director is excited. When I spoke to director Darren Lynn Bousman back in summer 2009 from the Winnipeg set of Mother’s Day for Rue Morgue Magazine, the Saw II – IV director was ecstatic about the film’s progress and his cast, which included Rebecca De Mornay as the titular psycho mom.

So seeing Mother’s Day released straight to video (sorry, DVD and Blu-ray) nearly three years after completion of filming made me think that a) Bousman was getting screwed or b) the movie must be awful, despite fellow horror journalists reporting how good it was. Fortunately, the latter has turned out to be (mostly) the truth.

WRETCHED REVIEWS: “THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO”

THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO

Starring Rooney Mara, Daniel Craig and Christopher Plummer

Directed by David Fincher

Written by Steve Zaillian from the novel by Stieg Larsson

Columbia Pictures

First of all, macabre movie fans, yes, we do get to hear Karen O, Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross’s version of Zeppelin’s “Immigrant Song,” in a stunning opening credits sequence that rivals anything Maurice Binder ever created for the early Bonds and makes me want to get in line to watch this film again.

That aside, there are many reasons for horror fans to want to see this film: David Fincher’s dark, edgy aesthetic is in full effect; Rooney Mara is a Goth goddess, more frail physically than Noomi Rapace, the original Lisbeth Salander, but still tough as nails; and Reznor and Ross’s score walks the line between eerie and ambient.

VICIOUS VIDEO: “SCREAM 4″ BLU-RAY REVIEW

Audiences did not seem to connect with Scream 4 upon its release this spring — a pity since, as per the DLB’s original review, it’s the best one since the original. Perhaps horror fans will give Ghostface and the put-upon citizen of Woodsboro another stab now that this third sequel is on DVD and Blu-ray.

TORONTO AFTER DARK ANNOUNCES NEXT SLATE OF FILMS

Toronto After Dark Film Festival founder Adam Lopez announced the next slate of macabre movies to show at his fast-growing genre film festival, which will take place at the Toronto Underground Cinema between Oct. 20 and 27, on last night’s edition of Inner Space. Among the new additions:

WRETCHED REVIEWS: “BEREAVEMENT” (2011)

BEREAVEMENT

Starring Alexandra Daddario, Michael Biehn and Brett Rickaby

Written and directed by Stevan Mena

Anchor Bay Entertainment

The prospect of reviewing Bereavement did not tickle my fancy. It’s a prequel, you see, to Malevolence, the first in director Steven Mena’s proposed trilogy. But Malevolence was awful, a clichéd bore which took its allegiance to ‘80s slasher films so seriously that it would have been an exercise in redundancy and slavishness back in 1983. So I held out little hope that a return to that bloodstained universe would yield much in the way of entertainment. Who knew that going back in time would also rewrite my opinion of Mena’s talent?

EXCLUSIVE! ROB ZOMBIE TALKS NEW TOUR + DRUMMER

The DLB recently spoke with multitasking mad man Rob Zombie about numerous subjects, including his upcoming summer tour, new drummer Ginger Fish, working with friend and comedian Tom Papa, and his next film, The Lords of Salem. Here is is updating us on the tour and Fish. Look for more Part 2 of our conversation soon.

You’re touring Europe soon and then North America with Slayer and Exodus. Is that the best way to spend the summer?

Well, I don’t know if it’s the best way, but it seems to be the only way. That’s the way every summer seems to pan out. Last summer I spent all summer touring with Korn on the Mayhem Tour so I guess it wouldn’t be a summer if I wasn’t losing some hearing.

REVIEW: “SCREAM 4″ (2011)

SCREAM 4

Starring Neve Campbell, Courtney Cox and David Arquette

Directed by Wes Craven

Written by Kevin Williamson

Alliance Entertainment:

 

They say you can never go home again and that maxim is especially true for Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell). A decade after the events of the last film, Sidney, the primary survivor of the first three Scream films, returns to her hometown of Woodsboro to wrap up the tour for her best-selling survivor memoir Out of Darkness and spend time with her aunt Kate (Mary McDonnell) and teenage niece Jill (Emma Roberts). But the Ghostface Killer is back and determined to kill everyone Sidney loves.

“INSIDIOUS” WEEK: JAMES WAN & LEIGH WHANNELL TALK ABOUT THE “SAW” LEGACY

Insidious, one of the best original American horror films to come out in awhile, gets a wide theatrical release this Friday, April 1, and The DLB suggests you stop complaining about all the remakes and sequels clogging up cinemas and go see it.

Leigh Whannell (l) & James Wan (r) of "Insidious." Photo: Sean Plummer

Insidious stars Patrick Watson (Watchmen) and Rose Byrne (Get Him To The Greek) as Josh and Renai, young parents whose son Dalton (Ty Simkins) falls into what appears to be a coma. To make matters worse, the couple’s house appears to be haunted. But it’s not the house that’s haunted, it’s their son.

I sat down in Toronto last week with Insidious‘s director James Wan and screenwriter/co-star Leigh Whannell to discuss the film, as well as the legacy of Saw, the first film they worked on together which, of course, went on to make tons of money and spawn multiple sequels of varying quality. I’ll be presenting that interview throughout the week. Here the duo talks about the impact of Saw upon their lives.