Horror Fest 2006

As some of you may know, this past weekend was Horror Fest. 3 days of "8 Films to Die For." Horror movies supposedly too horror-ish for general release.

I did not, money and time would not allow, see all 8 movies. I did watch 3. I would give a general recommendation about Horror Fest. Even if you like horror movies in the theater, I would suggest waiting for DVD or VHS. Apparently (and no matter what theater I went to) these films are not rated, or at least, no one told theater staff they have a rating. As a result, they let anyone in. Including kids. During the first movie this group of 6 teenaged girls wouldn't stop giggling and other members of the audience wouldn't stop cursing at them. The next movie some kid kept bugging someone about what was this and what was that. The third movie another group of gigglers was present. Basically, the worst of the theater going kinds decided to attend Horror Fest. No matter how good the movies were, the viewing was unenjoyable due to people in the audience.

Resurrection:

This was directed by the guy who did the Grudge. It was in Japanese, but quite well subtitled. This was a good movie, and a little easier to follow/understand than the typical Japanese horror movie. All in all the movie was quite good, although a bit formulaic. No real SHOCK! moments although a nice little surprise towards the end. Visually very well presented and not as over the top as American films tend to be. Some weak spots in the acting, mostly on the part of the child actors so it's acceptable. A few loose ends left dangling, but the ending is quite satisfactory.

Unrest:

Definitely the weakest of the three. The action was easy to predict and there were moments when it took a second to process and realize that stuff had happened you weren't privy to. None of the moments skipped really weakened the story telling but the information would have helped prevent momentary confusion. A romance was thrown in for no reason and was probably the fastest trip to home base that didn't involve copious amounts of alcohol and a complete stranger. This accelerated romance just supported the feeling that half the movie was moving at 3 times the speed of the rest of the movie. Acting by the supporting cast was weak, and the gore wasn't very gory. If you're going to watch this one, wait for it on TV. Although, given the ending, they might release a sequel before that happens.

The Gravedancers:

This would have been a really good movie except somewhere towards the end of the film it becomes obvious the writer had no idea what to do, got desperate, and smoked something. What started as an engaging, well-paced movie became a cheese-tastic cheesefest. The dialogue became on par with the writing of a pre-teen, they introduced poorly done CGI special effects, and it all fell apart. If you like watching movies as a group and commenting on them, I would recommend this movie for that sort of viewing.

It wasn't a part of Horror Fest but I feel the need to comment on The Descent. Was that not the worst ending ever?