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Evid Dead was the biggest disappointment I had in a theater this year. It poorly tried to overlay a serious story in the setup, completely failing to elevate the original. Besides the lead actress the rest didn't have the chops to sell the drama before the spooky stuff happened. Once the dramatic shenanigans were dispensed with it was basically tedious. I liked the lead actress' makeup but apart from that it was weak. Its only saving grace was how surprisingly un-flinching it was with the brutality, which had a very non-American feel to it. Final scene with the chainsaw made me laugh it was so unexpectedly fake looking. Basically, it was made by TV people who couldn't seem to not make it feel like a TV show despite having a generous feature budget to play with.
The Conjuring I could at least sorta enjoy for their attempt to recreate the 1970s (though the constantly floating camera took me right out of the period. It did not belong). The script was often complete nonsense and came off campy with the intense seriousness and authority in its delivery (this is mostly having to do with almost anything that came out of Patrick Wilson's mouth). Only once or twice were they able to make me feel dread or get the gooseflesh up. It was otherwise just full of cheap jump scares and vulgar, post-Exorcist telephone-game interpretations of what possession and exorcism is supposed to look like on film. Campy. As soon as I got home from the theater I put on The Entity so that I could see something done really well, even if the effects look totally hoakey today (though the effects in the Conjuring, digital and make-up, were quite unexpectedly visible at the seams).
Maniac, though. That's how it's done. An amazingly retro yet totally modern take on a tired subgenre of horror. Beautiful and engrossing from beginning to end. My favorite horror film in years.
You're Next didn't really cover any new ground but I have to give it mad props for existing as a solid and entertaining entry into yet another tired subgenre of horror. It was good and honest in its approach with a surprising dark comedy edge that I totally didn't get from the trailers. The twist could have been made so much more effective with different choices, and I think they made a serious mistake having the intruders ever take off their masks, but I enjoyed it.
The Lords of Salem. Fuck the haters. I enjoyed the hell out of it.
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Originally Posted by DMHead777
