Another 31 Days Of Halloween: Top 10 Vampire Movies

Hello, Bloggers, I'm back and with a new Top 10 list in honor of Halloween. This list is what I consider to be the Top 10 Vampire Movies. Just as a heads up, the Twilight films will NOT make this list. Let's take a look:

10. Daybreakers: First up is the rather underrated 2010 gem Daybreakers. The film has a very intriguing premise involving a world where almost everybody is a vampire and it asks the question: What would happen if the blood started to run out? The film is pretty action-packed, features wonderful performances by Ethan Hawke, Willem Dafoe, and Sam Neill, and brings a new twist to the vampire myth. Highly recommend you check it out.

9. 30 Days Of Night: Now, I have a feeling I am in the minority on my opinion of this one since it got a pretty mixed reception, but I loved this film. It makes vampires very terrifying because of how fast and relentless they are. Plus, the film is packed with blood. Seriously, this film has a lot of it and if that is your cup of tea, then definitely check this one out. I also thought the whole idea of vampires being able to walk around for a whole month of darkness is very unique.

8. Underworld: Next is the first in a series of films known as Underworld. Not only does this film makes vampires AND werewolves badass, but it even brings a Shakespearean twist to it because of how a the main heroine, a vampire, and a werewolf fall in love. This is one that, in my opinion, gets better which each viewing.

7. Interview With The Vampire: Next up is the adaptation of the Anne Rice novel Interview With The Vampire. While I haven't read the book, I can say that the film itself is outstanding. What makes this one rather unique is how is has homosexual or bisexual undertones due to the relationship between Lestat and Louis, who are both well-played by Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt. But while they were excellent, I'll admit that Kirsten Dunst was a real scene-stealer as Claudia, an adult vampire trapped in a child's body.

6. Let The Right One In: Next is the only foreign language entry on this list, Let The Right One In. Even though it is another vampire romance, this one deals with the relationship of a human boy and vampire girl. The film even manages to touch on the hardships of adolescence while demonstrating outstanding direction and beautiful cinematography. A true gem that shouldn't be missed. Plus, the film's 2010 American remake ain't too shabby.

5. From Dusk Till Dawn: Now I'm on to slightly more comedic territory. From Dusk Till Dawn is a fun, gore-filled comedic action romp that thrills from beginning to end. I loved how there are different designs to each creature or vampire and I especially loved the lead performance by George Clooney that is a reminder of why he is a star in the first place. I especially loved the whole Night of the Living Dead-vibe the film has with the main characters fighting for their lives inside one place.

4. Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992): Next up is the Francis Ford Coppola flick Bram Stoker's Dracula. Despite this film having the same premise as the original, this one is done with plenty of flare. It really digs deep into the relationship between Dracula and Mina. Plus, the makeup effects on Dracula are amazing. I also liked the performances by Gary Oldman as Dracula and Winona Ryder as Mina, who undergoes a rather intense arc from a proper Englishwoman to a more sensual erotic being. This is How To Do A Vampire Love Story 101, in my opinion.

3. Nosferatu: What is a vampire movie list without the original one, right? I'll admit that I haven't seen this film all the way through just yet, but it just seems fitting to include this film on a Best Vampire Movie list. Once I see it all the way through, I'll probably do a review of it.

2. Dracula (1933): Next is the original 1933 Dracula, starring Bela Lugosi. While Gary Oldman really brought his own fresh take to the titular character, it is Bela Lugosi who defined him and made him the classic monster he is today. Not much more to really say other than if you love vampire movies, put this, along with my number one pick, at the very top of your watch list.

1. The Lost Boys: At number one is the 1987 classic The Lost Boys. This one, to me, is just a perfect mix. It's got horror, comedy, action, and even a bit of romance. The fangs are just lined up perfectly and even the soundtrack, with songs like "People Are Strange" by The Doors and the film's theme "Cry Little Sister" by Gerard McMann is pretty nifty. Plus, the film has wonderful performances, including the ones by Corey Haim and Jason Patric as the two main brothers and Kiefer Sutherland as the chilling main villain David. This one isn't just the best vampire movie, in my opinion, but it is also one of my favorite movies.

So, that was my list of what I consider to be the Top 10 Vampire Movies. Whether you agree or disagree, or would like to add your own honorable mentions, please feel free to write in the comments section. Thanks for reading!

Another 31 Days Of Halloween: Trick 'r Treat (2007)

                                 

                     
                                    A Thrilling 'Treat' With Plenty Of 'Tricks' Up Its Sleeve

            Halloween is one of my top 3 favorite holidays and while I appreciate horror films that are set on Halloween, I feel that it is rare when we see a horror film that goes deep into the holiday itself. Trick 'r Treat does that and it is a film like this that makes me truly appreciate Halloween a little more than I already do.

           Story:
        Trick 'r Treat follows four interwoven stories set on Halloween night: A principal who moonlights as a serial killer (Dylan Baker), a girl (Anna Paquin) who is pursued by a mysterious stranger, an old hermit (Brian Cox) terrorized by a special trick-or-treat, and a bunch of teens who play a mean prank.

           Ups:
       One thing I liked was how the different stories were woven together. There are even a few twists and turns that take place, which I of course don't want to give away because I hate to do that. But I will say that my favorite story of the film is the one involving Anna Paquin as a girl dressed in a Red Riding Hood costume. There is a special twist involving her character but because I think you guys should see the movie, I'll let you figure it out for yourself. The more I go into this film, I worry I might end up spoiling it, so this review will be shorter, I'm afraid.

       Another thing that I thought was very interesting was how this is very much a Halloween movie. While films like Halloween that are set on Halloween are about Halloween, this one digs deeper into the whole idea of Halloween, I think. In the opening sequence, one character even points out the dangers of blowing out a Jack-O-Lantern before midnight. So, while there have been horror films set on Halloween, this is one that is essentially about Halloween and I can't help but commend it for that.

         Downs:
        NIL.

        Consensus:
       Overall, Trick 'r Treat is a highly inventive ode to the celebrated holiday that the film is based on. It manages to stay true to Halloween while offering old-school horror conventions and I can't help but feel saddened by how underrated it is.

        Would I Recommend It?:
       ABSOLUTELY, and watch it on Halloween while grabbing some candy. You will be in for an absolute "treat"!

Grade: A
     

Another 31 Days Of Halloween: Announcement

Hello, Bloggers, I just wanted to make a quick announcement involving my Another 31 Days Of Halloween segment. Originally, I said I would make a blog post every day, but I haven't put that to fruition since I started and I will go into detail about that.

Now, since I am going to college and taking 4 classes, there are days where I get slowly burnt out from doing work and I just don't have the energy to do much writing after a day of it. I am definitely not trying to do a simple cop out. It's just some of my days are long and if I worry that one day, when I am exhausted and writing, I would end up phoning it in which I don't want to do because I want to try to put in 100% to all my reviews for you folks.

Not only that, but before I started this, I actually haven't compiled a full list of films to review each day. I just think of whatever horror film that pops into my head and try to review it but I have had a bit of a rough time thinking of what films to discuss. So, what I'll do is I will continue to call this segment Another 31 Days Of Halloween and review horror films over the course of the remaining 15 days of the month. I won't be able to each day, but I will post more reviews, I know that.

So, that was my quick announcement regarding my Another 31 Days Of Halloween segment. I look forward to doing more reviewing in the near future and I hope you guys will check them out. Thanks for reading!

Another 31 Days Of Halloween: Diabolique (1955)

                                             

                 
                 'Diabolique': A Well-Crafted Thriller Done With Great Hitchcockian Flare

 Hello, Bloggers, I have yet another review of a foreign horror/thriller film, but that is actually the trend I am doing for this year's Halloween segment. I am looking to try and focus on foreign or indie horror films that I feel should be recognized more and here is my next one: The French black-and-white thriller known as Diabolique.

         Story:
         Diabolique, or Les Diaboliques, follows the story of two women: Christina (Vera Clouzot), teacher at a boy's boarding school, and Nicole (Simone Signoret), Christina's husband's mistress. Both Christina and Nicole have made plans to kill Christina's abusive husband. When they go through with it and dump the body, the body becomes missing and things slowly take a turn for the worse.

        Ups:
       First off, I did really like the performances from the two female leads. Although I thought the true star of the film is without a doubt, Vera Clouzot. She is just astounding as the wife who is at first skeptic about the whole scheme yet after she goes through with it, she goes through a struggle to not slip. She didn't even have to utter a peep to demonstrate that. The magic is all in her facial expressions. But Simone Signoret is equally as astounding as the more feisty Nicole.

      Another thing I really liked was how the film manages to gear its focus mainly on the killers. For some reason, I find those types of thrillers interesting and this one was no different. It was interesting how we watch the two women slowly succumb to the madness that affected the big decision they made in the film. Apparently, this film was the inspiration for Psycho, but I see this as more along the lines of Hitchcock's own Rope, which is told from the point of view of the antagonists. Although, I can see where the comparisons between this and Psycho lie.

       Downs:
      I'm not going to lie, I did have one slightly minor complaint. I thought at times, the pacing was a little off and the film was a little longer than it really needed to be. If they had cut out a few bits of Christina acting all skeptic, then it would've been shorter. Plus, even though Christina's husband is abusive, I thought the filmmakers made it a little too "on the nose" in terms of demonstrating that the husband is a creep.

       Consensus:
      Overall, Les Diaboliques is a well-constructed Hitchcockian thriller that features stunning performances from its leading ladies. The film has its fair share of flaws, but it doesn't mean it isn't an inventive masterpiece.

       Would I Recommend It?:
      If you like Hitchcock or foreign films, I would definitely say go for it. But otherwise, maybe not. Although it is considered a film classic, so if you want to see any film placed under that category, then I would say "Yeah, sure".

Grade: B+

Another 31 Days Of Halloween: Sisters (1973)

                                     

         
                                'Sisters': A Psychological Exercise In The Macabre Thriller
       
         Slasher films or violent thrillers that rarely have any violence are almost a rarity, in my opinion. Although films that focus on and show only one murder can be very successful, just like this film. Sisters is that kind of violent thriller yet it adds its own unique twist.


           Story:
       Sisters follows the story of a model named Danielle (Margot Kidder) who has a separated Siamese twin named Dominique that committed a murder witnessed by a reporter named Grace Collier (Jennifer Salt). The police don't believe Grace's story when she tries to tell them, so it is up to her to do some investigating on her own.

           Ups:
       I'll start off by saying I thought the idea was very intriguing. Not only is the premise intriguing, but it was neat that it was a female-centered horror film and those are a rarity these days, in my opinion. I also thought that director Brian DePalma's use of split screen was very nice. My favorite scene that he incorporated the split-screen technique in, and this might be the only time De Palma used it, is the murder sequence. That sequence has the point of view of Grace, who is watching the murder, and the point of view of the people involved in the murder taking place. I remember when I watched the murder sequence while watching this film, I was pretty shaken.

      I also liked how the film isn't a straight-up slasher flick. It relies more on mystery and as we watch Grace try to find the truth and dig deeper, we are slowly shaken to the core once she finds out more about the horrors behind the murder, which is the film's centerpiece. In the midst of sex and gore-driven horror films that came out around the time this one did, this one is more based on plot, atmosphere, and as I just mentioned, mystery. It certainly doesn't surprise me that this film became a part of the Criterion Collection.

          Downs:
        NIL.

         Consensus:
       Overall, Sisters is a mind-numbing mystery that may leave you shaken up until the film's climax. The direction by auteur Brian De Palma is simply spectacular and something to study in film class and is a standout amongst splatter-soaked slasher films.

         Would I Recommend It?:
       Yes. If you are in the mood for an old-fashioned murder mystery, I would definitely recommend it. Plus, if you like mystery or violent thrillers, but don't want a lot of the bloody violence that comes with them, then I would still say give it a watch.

Grade: B+

Another 31 Days Of Halloween: The Hunt (2012)

                                             

             
                      A Cold And Ambiguous Thriller About 'The Hunt' For The Truth
      In most horror or thriller films, there tends to be a more human villain or boogeyman that can literally be a killer. But The Hunt manages to gear its focus towards a different kind of villain that doesn't have face yet figuratively can kill: Rumors. One small rumor can grow to a web of lies and can take a physical or mental toll on the rumor's subject. Yet this film never tells us whether the people behind the rumor are right or not, yet it never aims to give us those answers.


         Story:
         The Hunt follows the story of a schoolteacher named Lucas (Mads Mikkelsen) who is adored by everyone in his community. But that is until a girl named Karla (Annika Wedderkopp) tells a small lie that Lucas assaulted him and mistakenly (or not) makes him a pariah to everybody around him. forcing his community to create a modern-day witch hunt.

         Ups:
       I'll start off with the performances, or in particular, the lead performance. Mads Mikkelsen is just astounding as Lucas. As his character undergoes such turmoil and is cast out by everybody around him, Mikkelsen showcases his inner turmoil with a rather quiet dignity. He does it without going deep into "I'm mad at the world" or "woe-is-me" territory. Another actor, or actress, I'd love to acknowledge is Annika Wedderkopp as Karla. For such a young child actress, she is very complex as the misunderstood child who is yet isn't the film's biggest villain. One of the film's best scenes has to be the scene where she first explains her lie to one of the schoolteachers, who immediately starts to believe it. That actually brings me to my next point.

       Since the film deals with how one small lie can grow into massive hysteria, I loved how director Thomas Vinterberg isn't very judgmental with his vision. This film has no real hero or villain and nothing is black or white. We just watch the characters become consumed by their biased beliefs as they cast out this kind man who may or not be guilty. This film certainly shows how adults can be really biased when it comes to children, especially when it is their own parents. If a child were to say that he or she was hit by their gym teacher, then the adults would rile up against the gym teacher because they believe the child. Like I said, this film has no right or wrong answers, but Vinterberg doesn't aim to find any and I find that incredibly admirable.

     I also liked the way the film was shot. The way we are given sequences in the deserted, cloudy forest or the small secluded town and the shots of the character being hidden in the dark brought a great chill to the film and left me shaken by the end of the film. Even the very last 2 minutes had me on edge.

       Downs:
      NIL.

       Consensus:
      Overall, The Hunt is a very cold and chilling yet masterful execution of a small lie growing from a seed to a poisonous plant. Its lead performance by Mikkelsen is phenomenal, the cinematography is beautiful yet the way it is shot is very tense, and the direction by Thomas Vinterberg is ambiguous yet challenging. The film doesn't give us the right answers. It is up to us to find out or discuss who the real villain is.

       Would I Recommend It?:
      Absolutely. If you love foreign films, I would put this high on your watch list. But if you can't stand reading subtitles, then you'll be tempted to steer clear since this film is in Danish. Although, there is a wee bit of people speaking English.

Grade: A+

     

Another 31 Days Of Halloween: The Devil's Backbone (2001)

                                                           

An Artistic Descent Into The Horrific Effects Of War That Has A Lot Of 'Backbone' When It Comes To Scares

            War is Hell. Not only that, but dealing with the aftermath of war can be like the eighth circle of Hell. They even talk about ghosts of war, which is definitely what The Devil's Backbone is about but it demonstrates the "ghosts of war" trapped in a harsh and frozen memory in such a nuanced and hauntingly beautiful way.

            Story:
        The Devil's Backbone follows the story of a boy named Carlos (Fernando Tielve) who is sent to live in a stranded orphanage after his father died in the Spanish Civil War. While he stays there, he realizes that the orphanage is haunted by the ghost of a boy named Santi (Junio Valverde) and is filled with ominous, dark secrets.

            Ups:
        First off, one thing I thought was interesting was how it isn't really the ghost that is the true villain of the film. It is mainly the humans as well as the effects of the war. Director Guillermo Del Toro once said he wanted the ghost story to be a metaphor for the war and vice versa and it really shows. Since ghosts are essentially a memory trapped in time, Santi is a symbol for the war, which itself is a frozen memory. There is even the use of a bomb buried in the ground as a symbol for the war as well, which almost represents how Santi is trapped in the realm between the living and the dead, like how the bomb is trapped in between the surface and the bottom of the Earth. So, it is very interesting how Del Toro weaves together the war and the ghost story elements in such a unique and rather subtle way.

        Speaking of the ghost, I thought the makeup job they did for the character of Santi was astounding. They didn't make him CG and just had an actor portray him while incorporating CG when necessary, in particular with the blood floating from his head. Santi certainly made for a haunting yet ultimately tragic character. While the film is a demonstration of the horrors of war, make no mistake, this film is terrifying. There were scenes that just had me cringing, thanks to the music and use of simple tactics like water kettles tipping.

       Plus, there are the blue tints on the camera, thanks to the outstanding cinematography work by Guillermo Navarro (Pan's Labyrinth). I also liked the scenes Del Toro and Navarro shot during the day where they use a more yellowish tint to contrast with the blue shot in the night time scenes. I feel that the blue is a representation for Santi and the yellow, and eventually red, during the day represents the hellish war.

          Downs:
         NIL.

          Consensus:
         Overall, The Devil's Backbone is a magnificent and artistic ghost story that deals with the harsh horrors of war. The film is shot beautifully, the metaphors are demonstrated in a not too obvious way, and the cringe-inducing atmosphere is just heart-pounding.

          Would I Recommend It?:
         Absolutely. The film may be in Spanish so those of you who hate to read subtitles may be tempted to steer clear, but if that isn't a problem for you, then I highly recommend you check it out. I don't just recommend it for those that love horror films but those that love to study and analyze films in general.

Grade: A+