Jennifer's Shadow

Imagine if you will that it's your birthday and you wake up and feeling exuberant thinking of all the wonders that today will offer. Then just as your leaving your house you get a phone call saying that your entire family was just killed by a freak accident. You ask what they were all doing together and the police say that all evidence reveals that they all secretly hated you and were planning a glorious murder to rid you from their life; and in fact that documents had been found in your mother's possession saying and they quote "my offspring is a horrible cancer upon this earth who I regret not drowning at birth." You break down in tears and stumble over to your car and just start to drive to the scene of the accident. While in route your sideswiped by a drunk driver. Waking up in the hospital three years later you discover that your paralyzed from the waist down, and while the doctor had you in the emergency room they happened to discover that you have a brand new type of illness, unique only to you. They don't know how to treat it and your death will be slow and painful, also your insurance has dropped you and their throwing you out. That night as you meekly wallow in terror and your own feces under your new underpass home you try to think of what went wrong, desperately trying to find something to give you hope. Then it comes to you lighting up your brain. At least you've never seen Chronicle of the Raven, realizing this you suddenly have nothing to complain about and drift off to sleep.

That said I watch of lot movies especially horror movies and this is probably the second worst i've ever seen. Don't let the premise trick you like it did me. I'm hear to warn you. Stay away! eating glass would be a better use of your time.

Now, look not at the fact this film has not many ratings, look more towards the film in general. In my opinion, The Chronicle of The Raven is a Gothic masterpiece (as a goth I greatly appreciate this). The story, is indeed originally and quite Poe-esquire. For the plot revolves around a woman, in a grim and beautiful section of Argentina, just moved into her grandmother's mysterious old mansion. Facing surrealistic settings and dreams, each night she is tortured by a ravenous raven that devours parts of her body. Indeed a gruesome and unlikely tale for a film generation perhaps in the dusk. I strongly recommend it, also the originality of the filmmakers with such a plot. The acting is stubble yet in this case, like a play and performed melodramatically. The cinematography and use of lighting is low, a dark stark colour surrounds the film-this is one of the greatest things of the Chronicle of the Raven. Anyway, look for this film wherever you can find it, you'll indeed be impressed.

The only reason I rented this was because of the article in Fangoria Magazine. The article made this film look interesting. Well, it isn't. This was a very boring, amateurishly written and directed movie. All the actors in this movie are awful, except Faye Dunaway, who is always a joy to watch. But too much time was focused on Gina Phillips and her ridiculous encounters with ravens and Duilio Marzio. Marzio has such a thick Argentinean accent, you can only understand every couple of words he says. Also on hand is Nicholas Pauls, who plays the ultra-bland love interest to Gina Phillips. The bottom line: this movie is not scary. There is only one good scene and that is the last five to ten minutes of the movie. I would have given this one star, but I gave it three just because I like Faye Dunaway so much. But even she wasn't that great in this.

What few actors that were in the movie all had a good feel for this deep, psychological horror story. It involves a family curse, that takes members of a wealthy family to a place worse than death. Faye Dunaway sells this perverted material but is at times hilarious, with flashes of campy brilliance, (especially near the end). If you like simple, inspired horror stories, a la Rod Serling, then this is for you. Its too bad our American audiences don't care enough about intelligent, disturbing stories like this one. The bitchiness between sexy Gina Philips and hot older mama Faye Dunaway is wicked and classic.

(2004) Chronicle Of The Raven HORROR

Co-written and directed by Daniel de la Vega and Pablo Parés centers on twin sister, Jennifer Cassi (Gina Philips) inheriting a manor after her twin had currently died. Upon hanging around there, also lives her aunt Emma (Hilda Bernard) who just lies in bed with a paralyzed stance on her face and her suspicious granny, Mary Ellen Cassi (Faye Dunaway). As soon as Jennifer finally decides to sell the manor is when when she begin to receive nighmarish dreams about ravens, making her life rather difficult! Another interesting premised with a twist from an idea thought up by Edgar Allen Poe but with plot holes as the film progresses.