servoskull
Joined Jul 2005
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Reviews8
servoskull's rating
Ever since Scream became a surprise box office hit in 1996, Hollywood has literally saturated itself with unimaginative, predictable teen horror flicks so when a film like The Blair Witch Project or Frailty comes along its like a breath of fresh air.
Frailty's story centres around Fenton Meeks (Matthew McConaughey), a man who approaches the FBI with concern that his brother Adam might just be "God's Hands", a serial killer the bureau has been hunting. Using flashbacks to show Meeks' childhood, its revealed his father (Bill Paxton) believes he was chosen by God one day to destroy demons that inhabit human bodies. Because of this and the events that follow, Fenton believed his dad evil, while Adam regarded him a hero.
The plot is somewhat convoluted as the father claims to receive instruction from the divine to seek out and terminate 'demons'. Are they actual supernatural demons or real people who thought they'd got away with a heinous crime in the past? Or maybe the father is just deranged with murderous intentions? Intriguing twists and intense build-ups tantalise viewers into staying with this film to the end.
The standard of acting is surprisingly high throughout. Matt O'Leary and Jeremy Sumpter convincingly play the brothers in their youth alongside an excellent performance from Paxton. Frailty provides Paxton with his directorial debut too and his talent shows. There's very little gore in this film but it is very creepy nonetheless.
So, while I can appreciate the film won't appeal to everyone's taste, I would recommend you at least give Frailty a try. It's certainly a refreshing break from the usual no-brainer horror thriller and may just surprise you. I'd be very surprised if you weren't talking about it afterwards.
Frailty's story centres around Fenton Meeks (Matthew McConaughey), a man who approaches the FBI with concern that his brother Adam might just be "God's Hands", a serial killer the bureau has been hunting. Using flashbacks to show Meeks' childhood, its revealed his father (Bill Paxton) believes he was chosen by God one day to destroy demons that inhabit human bodies. Because of this and the events that follow, Fenton believed his dad evil, while Adam regarded him a hero.
The plot is somewhat convoluted as the father claims to receive instruction from the divine to seek out and terminate 'demons'. Are they actual supernatural demons or real people who thought they'd got away with a heinous crime in the past? Or maybe the father is just deranged with murderous intentions? Intriguing twists and intense build-ups tantalise viewers into staying with this film to the end.
The standard of acting is surprisingly high throughout. Matt O'Leary and Jeremy Sumpter convincingly play the brothers in their youth alongside an excellent performance from Paxton. Frailty provides Paxton with his directorial debut too and his talent shows. There's very little gore in this film but it is very creepy nonetheless.
So, while I can appreciate the film won't appeal to everyone's taste, I would recommend you at least give Frailty a try. It's certainly a refreshing break from the usual no-brainer horror thriller and may just surprise you. I'd be very surprised if you weren't talking about it afterwards.
The Ruins is one of those instantly forgettable horror films that Hollywood has literally saturated the genre with in recent years. You know the drill; a group of young adults played by sexy catalogue model types are picked off one by one at regular intervals thanks largely to some incredibly stupid decisions. You've no doubt seen it all before.
Tourists trapped on a remote Mayan temple ruin overrun with flesh eating foliage is a premise that could have been something good but instead the film is predictable, very silly and definitely not something that will give you sleepless nights. I'd like to say there's one or two exceptional moments worthy of mention but there really are none. There's a couple of good gore moments but that's about it.
If you're looking for some organic horror, check out Invasion of the Body Snatchers, The Day of the Triffids and, to a lesser extent, Poltergeist and The Evil Dead instead.
Tourists trapped on a remote Mayan temple ruin overrun with flesh eating foliage is a premise that could have been something good but instead the film is predictable, very silly and definitely not something that will give you sleepless nights. I'd like to say there's one or two exceptional moments worthy of mention but there really are none. There's a couple of good gore moments but that's about it.
If you're looking for some organic horror, check out Invasion of the Body Snatchers, The Day of the Triffids and, to a lesser extent, Poltergeist and The Evil Dead instead.