Guest Blog - Justin Ruff - Nightmare on Elm Street

So, while we're on vacation, we asked for guest bloggers. Thanks to Justin Ruff (@justinruff) for volunteering! Below is his review of Nightmare on Elm Street (2010)

NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET - BY JUSTIN RUFF

So yesterday, I saw Nightmare on Elm Street in the dollar theater. (This is not part of the movie, but the theater did smell and my coke tasted funny.) I, like most people in my age bracket, hold the original Nightmare on Elm Street in sacred, reverent territory. Freddy Krueger was such a beloved villain and the Nancy character really paved the way for strong women’s roles in horror films.

We had a decent cast. Rooney Mara (sorry, Kate is still my favorite Mara sister), Thomas Dekker (Sarah Connor Chronicles), Clancy Brown and a VERY underutilized Aaron Yoo. I hate Kyle Gallner. I’m not sure why anybody casts him. Ever. So I had to sit through his inane… whatever he does on the screen. And from the beginning, I was ok with Jackie Earle Haley. I like him and I thought he’d be able to bring the same creepiness to Freddy.

To say I was disappointed was an understatement. I felt life they took a great movie and then injected it with all the angst of Twilight and withdrew everything that made the first one click. There were no over-the-top gore scenes (like Johnny Depp in the bed). There was no sex (not even with their bras on). It was dark and brooding and just depressing.

I’m not going to blame Jackie Earle Haley. I think he delivered his lines great and played the role great. There just wasn’t much there for him to work with. Freddy always had so much glee and joy behind what he did. He had a smile on his face, as sadistic as it was. Jackie never got the chance to do that charismatic glee.

As cruel as I’m being, the ending was a lot better than the first (even though it really made no sense). I’m trying to think of things I liked about it, but they’re just not there. I liked Aaron Yoo. It’ll be interesting where Rooney Mara goes in her career. She’s not the prettiest Mara sister, but she does have a plain look and does the Nancy role well.

So, should I see it or not? I say yes to completest or people who have no connection to the original. It has virtually no sexual content. The tub scene doesn’t show too much of Ms. Mara’s “assets.” The language wasn’t too bad and the violence was tame by today’s horror standards (and in my opinion, a lot tamer than the original). I’d let a mature teenager see it. Why not check it out?

Scream 4: On the Set

Several pictures from the set of the newest Scream movie have come out and we have them here for you thanks to beforethetrailer.com

Neve Campbell on set



Wes Craven



Seems Sidney is an author now. Hmm... wonder what the book's about?? (sarcasm)



One can't help but wonder what Gale Weathers will have to say about her books being on the "Bargain Bookshelf".



House from the original Scream is on the left and the house for Scream 4 is on the right. Looks pretty close to the original to me.



Emma Roberts, Hayden Panettiere and Craven on set.



Return to Woodsboro High

Scream 4: Kevin Williamson Out Ehren Kruger In

A major shakeup has taken place behind the scenes of Scream 4. According to Zap2It, screenwriter and creator Kevin Williamson has left the project and has been replaced by Ehren Kruger.

Apparently, Williamson is busy preparing for season 2 of “The Vampire Diaries” and won’t have a lot of free time to work on the film. In his absence Kruger, who wrote Scream 3, has been brought on to “assist.” Rumors have been running wild as to what will be done with the script that Williamson originally turned in.

Some say that there will be a complete overhaul and certain characters will be changed dramatically, like Hayden Panettiere’s. She’s supposed to play the nerdy best friend of Emma Roberts. Sources have claimed that Panettiere is "beyond frustrated with the changes" to the script as her character "used to be really sharp" but has been "dumbed down significantly".

The Deputy Sheriff role of Marley Shelton, recently vacated by Lake Bell, has also been cut down and additional reports have come in that Lauren Graham has quit the project because of losing screen time in her role as Emma Roberts's mother.

Williamson knows these characters better than anyone, if he penned a draft for the new film they should stick to it. I'm not very familiar with Kruger's work but I do know that Scream 3 didn't go over well with the horror community. It'll be interesting to see how well the show goes on with all the changes.

Kruger's other writing credits include Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen and The Ring to name a few.

Source: screencrave.com; zap2it.com

The Crazies - DVD Giveaway

In honor of today's DVD release, we are having a CRAZIES giveaway. We've thrown out trivia questions on both Facebook and Twitter and got winners from each. So, let's see who's paying attention.

There is a quick cameo by one of the cast members from the original film. Who is it and what was his/her part?

Comment below with your answer and a winner will be chosen at random.

GOOD LUCK!!!!!

Lake Bell Drops out of Scream 4

Just four days before Wes Craven's upcoming Scream 4 was going to start shooting in Ann Arbor, Michigan, actress Lake Bell has had to drop out of the movie due to scheduling conflicts. Bell was going to play Deputy Judy Hicks, a police officer who knew Neve Campbell's Sidney from high school, a character described as "decidedly sexy but a bit off." (Shouldn't be hard to find another actress who fits that bill in Hollywood.)

As Bell posted on her Twitter feed last night:

Sucks: Scheduling conflicts with my current gig means I cant do #Scream4! (Hey horror bloggers, I know who the killer is...) #i'llnevertell

With shooting set to begin on Monday, expect another name to be attached to the role very quickly.

Source: comingsoon.net

Spiral 2007 - REVIEW

Nothing impresses me more than someone who proves they're not just a "one hit wonder". I became a fan of Adam Green after seeing his "Old School American Horror" Hatchet. I've also had Joel David Moore on my radar since Dodgeball. He's such a great actor and he has that whole sexy geek thing going for him. I'm thrilled to see the depth of his talent come to the surface.

Spiral centers around Mason (Moore) a reclusive telemarketer with a knack for painting. Every day life for him is depressing. He's an outcast at work who is prone to bursting into panic attacks that end with 4 a.m. phone calls to his only friend Berkeley (Zachary Levi). When he meets Amber (Amber Tamblyn), a cute, quirky coworker, Mason slowly starts to open up about his past. But as Amber digs deeper and deeper into her new friend's history she realizes just how disturbed Mason is.

I will do my best NOT to give away any plot points of this film as discovering them while watching is kind of like a journey you have to make on your own. Kind of like a right of passage. Miss them and you won't know what's going on. Know them ahead of time and it spoils the whole story. What I can tell you is that writers Jeremy Danial Boreing and Moore have created a film that can easily be compared to the likes of Alfred Hitchcock and Roman Polanski. The tension in Spiral starts from the opening scene and continues throughout the entire story. No matter how much you THINK you've seen this story before, think again. No element of this story overstays it's welcome. It is unusual, creative and provocative.

The biggest surprise for me was the performance by Moore. His character is developed with such love and empathy that by the end, you're torn between loving him or being horrified by his actions and Moore pulls it off with perfection. In fact, every one of the main characters does a terrific job. Tamblyn is great as the vivacious, bi-polar love interest. Some viewers may not like that her character wasn't explored deeper but I think in terms of story progression it had to be done that way. Levi portrays Berkeley who in some ways is the big brother type to Mason and in other ways he's more of an enabler. His motives for keeping such a closed off person as a friend are never quite clear. Is he using Mason to keep himself from being alone or does he really care about what happens to him?

The cinematography is great as well with the back drop of rainy Portland, Oregon enhancing the dark mood of the film. While some might find Spiral a little slow going, I personally enjoyed everything about it and would definitely recommend it to others. If you're looking for tons of gore or an in your face horror, I'd suggest a viewing of Hatchet instead. This is more of an 80 minute mind fuck. Is what your seeing real or fake? Did he or didn't he? Spiral is a new spin on an old twist. ENJOY!!

Inside 2007 - REVIEW

As all of you know, I'm a huge horror fan (DUH), probably the biggest in this little town I live in. BUT, I'm a horror fan to a fault. I watch everything, EVERYTHING. From classics like Frankenstein and The Fly to crappy remakes like RZ's Halloween (Hey, it's my blog, don't judge me). I've sat through the best and the worst horror films imaginable and I've watched every single second of them. That's a lot of time invested in horror. I scour Facebook and Twitter and sites like imdb.com to find horrors of all creed and color. Why am I telling you this? Because when I run across films like Inside, I want people to know that I didn't just base my opinion on the first 30-45 minutes. I watched every SECOND of it. And you're probably still saying "And I care why?" Let me run it down for you then I'll get into why.

Four months after losing her husband in a violent car crash, Sarah (Alysson Paradis) is due to give birth on Christmas day. As she settles in for the night, a strange woman (Beatrice Dalle) knocks at her door asking for help. After Sarah refuses to help, the woman continuously bangs on the door and we soon find out that she doesn't want help at all, she wants Sarah's child. Freaked out (rightly so) Sarah calls the police and a search of the grounds and house reveal the woman has gone. Yeah right. They assure her, someone will come around again to check on her during the night then leave.

As Sarah is sleeping, the woman suddenly appears in her bedroom and attacks her with a pair of scissors. Sarah manages to fight her off and locks herself in the bathroom. Our Femme Fatale tries and tries to get in, banging and kicking the door, stabbing it with the scissors. Screaming that she wants Sarah's baby. She torments Sarah through the night and kills anyone who tries to stop her.

I was told by my horror buddy @johnnyhorror30 that this was one of the goriest films he'd watched in a while... He was right! The gore quotient was definitely high and I'll give Alexandre Bustillo and Julien Maury props for making even MY stomach turn a little. BUT, can the film hold up on gore alone? That's the real question and I'm sure most of my "friends" won't too much care for my answer. RUH ROH! Hmm, would they want the good news or the bad news first? Let's go with the good news.

The performances by Alysson Paradis and Beatrice Dalle were superb and convincing. I felt for Sarah and what she was going through. She portrayed desperation to a tee. Beatrice Dalle was frightening (her actions, not her looks) and unrelenting. The world of horror is more than familiar with psychos and creepers but little can rival that of a woman scorned and she totally pulls it off. As far as protagonist and antagonist they were totally on point.

Inside is kind of like taking a trip back into the 70's and 80's being that the simplicity of it all carries the movie so far. It's set in a very confined place which enhances the claustrophobic atmosphere and the plot is fairly simple so it's easy to stay on point with what's happening.

Now the bad news: What irritates me are directors and writers who suck you in with a story that has such great potential and then they throw something in that's so off the beaten path that all you can do is go "What the fuck just happened?!?" Don't get me wrong, a WTF ending can be great... if it's done right. I like unanswered questions and forming my own conclusions but it was just downright depressing what they did to this film. It was like just as you're getting pulled in by the action, you're suddenly ripped out by something that draws attention to the implausibility of it all.

Character after character kept showing up and the audience knew nothing about them. They were pretty much just fodder to connect one gory scene to another. I wanted this movie to be great. And it was, up to a certain point and then came the ending. I didn't get it. If I'm promised an in your face psychological horror, that's what I want. Don't fuck it up by throwing in something so pointless and off story that it ruins the whole film.

What it comes down to is... Would I watch it again? Yes. Would I recommend it to others? Yes. Simply put, it is a good film and worth watching but be warned, this movie will bring you up then tear you down.