Horror Trifecta!

In honor of the Kentucky Derby weekend, I present the horror movie marathon I had on Sunday in order of Show, Place, and Win!

Show:

Dread
Adapted from a Clive Barker short story and part of that whole After Dark Festival (where they release 8 new movies a year, 2 of which are usually pretty good and the rest...well, it depends on your tastes). I read the short story 22 years ago (I believe, and as I type that, I have never felt older) and hardly remember much except I liked it a lot and was looking forward to this movie. And the movie is good, if you're patient. Not a lot, horror-wise, happens the first hour. Stuff does, but it's mostly psychotic flashes and daydreams. But at the hour mark, the film gets very good, indeed. The story centers around 3 college students doing a thesis on Dread by interviewing fellow students and other volunteers about what scares them the most. Along the way, we learn about our 3 main characters and what their greatest fears are. And, of course, one of them is a psycho on the edge, ready to indulge in some real fear studies. If you're patient, you'll probably like this a lot. I just wish all the horror in the last 30 minutes had been expanded upon earlier in the movie. But I liked it, and you probably will, too.

Place:
A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010)
I dunno. I really did like this. It was a cool updating of the whole Freddy mythos that added some modern touches but really stuck with the tried and true. If you've seen the original then you pretty much know what's going to happen in this one. There's no major curve balls thrown at you and I liked that they returned Freddy to his earlier, darker incarnation. This Freddy is mean, for sure, and more than a bit sadistic. There's plenty of gore and some nice jumps so I do recommend seeing it. My only problem was with Jackie Earl Haley, and it wasn't because he wasn't any good (he was; he was great in the role) but because it wasn't Robert Englund in the role. It just didn't feel like Freddy, what with the different actor and different make-up. But that's my trip, not yours. Check it out. I really was pleased with what they did with this film.

Win:
The Human Centipede
Okay, this film has had a lot of buzz for its notoriety. I watched it on VOD last night and I have to say, it mostly lives up to the hype. The very idea at the core of the film is what's so disturbing and the movie does not let us down in showing all the permutations of this act. If you don't know the story, the basic version goes like this: 2 American girls on vacation in Germany have their car break down at the wrong place and time, ending up in the clutches of a mad doctor with a mad desire to create a human centipede by joining three people, ass to mouth. Yes, I mean surgery and sewing and shit eating. I won't tell you anymore except to say it's best not to be eating while watching. The film was really good and it pushed some boundaries of taste, which I always appreciate. The best thing, though, was the fact it was really, at its heart, a Mad Scientist Film. I haven't seen one as good or audacious as this since Re-Animator. Highly recommended, if you can stomach it.