The Green Inferno
Justine (Lorenzo Izzo) has the best of intentions when she joins with a group of fellow do-gooders to travel to the Amazon to stop the damage being down to the ecology by a major company. But she learns to her dismay that she was recruited for a reason, and her life was put on the line. The students' protest ends with them being put on a plane to return home.
But things go wrong when their plane crash lands in the jungle, and the young people find themselves lost
in a hostile environment. They were previously told that the natives are less than friendly. They are about to find out how true that is, and that female genital mutilation is not a myth! And neither is cannibalism!
Eli Roth's film is notorious for the cannibalism, headhunting, and brutality depicted, and that is true. This film is raw and gory, make no mistake about that. But it also isn't a particularly good film, either. I don't think it was well done, too focused on grossing people out to worry about anything else. The opening is slow and clunky, and the acting is nothing to write home about. I had to google the ending to understand it, and I realized that that point didn't really come across very well when I was viewing it. I found Cannibal Holocaust more shocking than The Green Inferno (although not very good either). I hear there may be a sequel, and the ending is open to that interpretation. I'll give this film 1.5 Stars.
Willow Creek
Jim (Bryce Johnson) is a Bigfoot enthusiast, his dream being to sight the elusive cryptid. His girlfriend Kelly (Alexie Gilmore) is not quite so interested, but she likes him enough to agree to visit Willow Creek, alleged home of Bigfoot. Willow Creek is the place where the infamous film footage of an alleged sighting was taken in 1967. Jim's dream is to find that site and locate Bigfoot himself.
Jim and Kelly visit all the Bigfoot related businesses in town and interview various town folk before
heading into the wild. They find themselves in the middle of the deep forest, where they pitch their tent and begin their search. It seems like they are destined to be unsuccessful in their endeavors, until things begin to happen, and they end up huddled together in their tent, terrified... but of what?
It's worth noting here that this film was written and directed by Bobcat Goldthwait. This isn't a horror film in the gory, bloody sense, but I have to tell you, there is quite a bit of nail-biting suspense when Jim and Kelly are in their tent, and you can only hear but not see what is outside the tent. I really liked this film, and I would watch it again. Although the ending was unclear and I had to look up what happened, giving another layer to the film. I give this film 4 Stars.
Silent Night, Deadly Night 4: Initiation
Kim (Neith Hunter) is a would-be reporter who can't stop thinking about the mysterious death of a woman who inexplicably threw herself off the top of a building. Her boss Eli (Reggie Bannister) doesn't believe in her enough to give her the assignment, so she takes it upon herself to investigate and finds herself involved with a group of witches led by Fima (Maud Adams).
This fourth installment in the series really has no relation to the others, at least in terms of plot. One
might make an argument for the brief scene in which a character is watching Silent Night Deadly Night and intones "Santa Claus killer!" But that's a weak argument at best, despite the fact that Clint Howard plays a character named Ricky, who beings the movie as a silent sidekick but becomes suddenly quite loquacious and thoroughly creepy.
Despite this film having a few somewhat recognizable - Maud Adams was once a Bond Girl, Clint Howard is Ron Howard's brother and has done some really creepy films of his own, Allyce Beasley was in Moonlighting and Reggie Bannister was my favorite character in the Phantasm series - this movie is beyond horrible. Terrible acting, writing, directing, and the story.... think Rosemary's Baby, but with insects. I would avoid this one unless, like me, you are a glutton for punishment. I'll give this film 0 Stars.
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