THE GRUDGE Review

Andrea Riseborough is the kind of actor who, even in a movie like 2020's re-make/sequel(?) of The Grudge, goes to the extent of having her character sport certain tattoos that are never brought up, but that she probably knows the backstories of which undoubtedly inform some of the character choices she makes even if those tattoos only make it into a handful of shots in the final film. This is kind of the perfect distillation for the ratio of talent involved versus the quality of the final product for this new take on Takashi Shimizu's Ju-On property. Meaning, there is a depth to the writing, directing and acting here (or at least a certain level of credibility) that is lost in the final edit; glimpses of what could have been only showing up in a handful of moments in the final cut. If you've seen writer/director Nicolas Pesce's 2016 feature debut, The Eyes of My Mother then you know the filmmaker is adept at tackling the unsettling and framing it within such an atmosphere that it truly becomes one of those situations where you want desperately to look away, but can't help but to continue to watch for fear of the unknown. Unfortunately, with his latest all one really wants to do is look away and not for fear of missing out on what happens to the film's characters, but because we largely don't care about what's happening to them in the first place. As stated, there are hints at reasons as to why we might be inclined to care about any one of the recognizable faces on screen and the peril they're facing whether it be John Cho and Betty Gilpin's plight as new parents, Frankie Faison and Lin Shaye grappling with mortality or Riseborough and Demián Bichir coming face to face with their fears, but the screenplay spreads these scenarios and characters so thin with such disparate connections to one another that it's difficult to become invested in any of them and easier to simply give up on all of them. Besides the fact no one was necessarily asking for another installment from this franchise there seems to be no particular motivation even from Pesce's script to try and tap into the core idea of what the curse at the heart of The Grudge is really about; a curse that is born when someone dies in the grip of extreme rage. Shimizu's original short films, like this new version, operated as seemingly unconnected vignettes that are pulled together by police investigating the various, strange events, but whatever it was that made those original films launch the franchise The Grudge has become today has been lost in translation in this latest iteration.

First Trailer for INSIDIOUS: THE LAST KEY

While the subtitle of the latest Insidious film may have the word "final" in it there is seemingly no end in sight for this horror franchise as, while it is not a part of James Wan's ever-expanding Conjuring universe, it is part of his brand and therefore a key component in ushering in this new age of horror that has come about in the post-torture porn era. While that genre will attempt to make something of a comeback this fall with the release of Jigsaw other films such as this week's IT re-make (no doubt the reason this trailer is debuting now) and October's Happy Death Day are set to capitalize on pure terror and (hopefully) some intelligently positioned social satire. Though Insidious: The Last Key may not have a primed for quality release date with that first weekend in January this is a release date that has somewhat become synonymous with cheap, but profitable scary movies over the last few years with the likes of The Devil Inside and The Forest. While I'm hoping The Last Key will prove to be of better quality than those films I like having something in January to look forward to and if this first-look trailer is any indication it seems writer/star Leigh Whannell (who directed the third installment) and new director to the franchise Adam Robitel (a writer on Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension) have a real grasp on what they wanted to do with this film in terms of taking the series in a new, bold direction and, if nothing else, that's reason to be excited as I've been a fan of the Insidious series from the beginning despite the last installment feeling like something of a placeholder. While this fourth outing doesn't boast any "names" outside the return of Lin Shaye's Elise Rainer it is Elise that will seemingly take center stage here as she's been the connective tissue throughout much of the previous three films this time taking on her most fearsome and personal haunting yet in her own family home. Insidious: The Last Key also stars Angus Sampson, Josh Stewart, Caitlin Gerard, Kirk Acevedo, Javier Botet, Bruce Davison, Spencer Locke, Tessa Ferrer, Ava Kolker, Marcus Henderson, and opens on January 5th, 2018.

INSIDIOUS: CHAPTER 3 Review

There is something to be said for a scary movie that can make you legitimately feel chills in the dead of summer. Granted, summer doesn't actually begin until June 21st, but as the third chapter in the Insidious saga somewhat oddly comes to us on the first weekend of June rather than in the midst of fall I was rather cautious as to if this release date was more a strategy to cover up the lack of quality with the excitement of summer or if it was simply time for Insidious to play with the boys of summer. Due to the fact director James Wan, who guided the first two films in the series to great success before taking on Furious 7, exited and both the scripting and directing duties were handed over to Wan's longtime collaborator, Leigh Whannell there was reason to be hesitant. It certainly seems Whannell has at least been paying attention and taking notes since the two first collaborated on Saw over a decade ago as Insidious: Chapter 3 is a sufficient if not significant piece of horror that does its job in terms of getting you to jump at the right time while adding depth to some of the more interesting characters in the previous two films. The downfalls aren't so much downfalls in that they make the movie any worse than it might have been, but more in the fact they simply allow the film to be adequate and exactly what one would expect without striving to be anything more. This makes for a rather pleasant viewing experience that fulfills expectations and plays into ones predictions for how things may go, but unlike Chapter 2 it doesn't delve narratively into new territory, but more recreates the first film with a new set of characters that just so happens to take place prior to the events that occurred in the Lambert household. Lin Shaye is your connective strand as psychic Elise Rainer tough she is hardly the central character. What is more disappointing than anything is that this third film doesn't take on the story that was hinted at in the end of Chapter 2 that might again deal with the red-faced demon from the original, but instead seems to be saving that for the fourth film inevitably making Chapter 3 feel like little more than a footnote.

First Trailer for INSIDIOUS: CHAPTER 3

While I always hope for folks to stop while they're ahead, when you're making as much money as the folks behind Insidious are and spending so little to make them, it is hard to argue their point. I enjoyed much of the first Insidious back in 2011 though I thought it fell apart somewhat in the last act while last years sequel was surprisingly coherent throughout and superior in both execution and scares in my opinion. I actually enjoyed Chapter 2 more than I did director James Wan's other horror feature last year, The Conjuring. All of that said, the conclusion of Chapter 2 certainly left the story open for more investigations and so Leigh Whannell, who wrote the screenplay for both the original and its follow-up, has taken the reigns here from Wan who went on to make the seventh Fast & Furious film. Whannell both wrote and makes his directorial debut with this third chapter and has set it around the haunting of a family that predates the events of the first two films surrounding the Lambert family. It will be interesting to see where Whannell takes things as he will no longer have to restrict his narrative to one particular case, but will seemingly branch out and delve into more of Lin Shaye's characters adventures. Along with Shaye and Whannell, Angus Sampson also returns for this third outing while new cast members include Dermot Mulroney and Stefanie Scott. Insidious: Chapter 3 is set to open May 29, 2015.

INSIDIOUS: CHAPTER 2 Review

Would it be farcical to say I found the second chapter of James Wan's Insidious films to be more frightening than his runaway summer hit, The Conjuring? Most people seem to have found that film to be the breakout horror flick they've been waiting for to rejuvenate the genre, but while it was a nice exercise in the standard set-ups of haunted house flicks Wan and his creative team have found a way to make a film that both legitimately continues the story from the first film while providing authentic scares that are hard to come by these days with Insidious: Chapter 2. It is important to know that I very much enjoyed the first film, but was somewhat disappointed in what direction it decided to go. I thought the first half was well staged and set up an interesting dynamic between Patrick Wilson and Rose Byrne's husband and wife that had them going down a path they never saw their lives taking after their oldest son, Dalton (Ty Simpkins), slips into a coma for no apparent reason. That these fears and unexpected turns were amplified by the fact there was clearly something creepy going on with their made for an eloquent yet horrific family haunting. The scares were blunt and startling, but they never took over the sense of care we developed for the family at least until the last half hour of the film when it went into overdrive and just piled on the people in mountains of make-up and gothic costumes to the point it was more humorous than scary. I didn't buy into the strangeness of "the further" as it seemed too great a tonal shift from the quieter, grey-hued family study I thought we were getting that would elicit fear from the presented scenario. With all of that in mind I went into this second chapter with none too high expectations, but a good amount of interest as at least the first film gave us a cliffhanger of an ending that we could hold out hope for something to justify the weirdness that the latter half of the first film introduced. For me, Chapter 2 did more than justify the need for explanation as it delivers both plenty of new elements while cleverly revealing reasoning for some of the questions left over from the first one. Not to mention being one of, if not the scariest theater experiences I've had in a long time.

First Trailer for INSIDIOUS CHAPTER 2

I was, for lack of a better word, pissed when they quickly announced a sequel to the surprise hit Insidious in 2011. It was a great little horror film that didn't necessarily need a sequel and the purpose of making one was clearly only for the reason of making a profit. Since, we haven't heard much about the sequel and I was generally surprised to see that director James Wan was able to return as quick as the studios wanted him to have this one out due to the fact he also made July's much-raved about The Conjuring (though that film was supposed come out in January, but was pushed back to the middle of summer due to great early reception). With the premiere of the first trailer it was also nice to find out that there was a reason for the use of "chapter" in the title as this second film picks up right where the first left off and is an actual continuation of the same story and that the entire cast is back for this sequel. While the trailer seems to bring back all the aspects that made the first film a genuinely frightening theater experience it doesn't give off the creepy vibe that accompanied the first trailer for The Conjuring. Wan seems intent to keep the same atmosphere in place around this film and make it very much a companion piece to the first film which is promising to those of us who have doubts the film should even exist, but it is comforting to know that besides a likely larger budget the production seems to have followed the path of the first film (they shot this film in 26 days and the first in 21) but my concern lies with how quick the script was completed. If the story was as rushed then we may see some issues. Wan has also said though that he always had another storyline for the Lambert family if the first film did well and I just hope he and his team were able to pick up from the already high stakes the end of the first film left us with and run with them. The film stars Ty Simpkins, Patrick Wilson, Rose Byrne, Barbara Hershey, and Lin Shaye. Insidious: Chapter 2 opens on September 13th. Hit the jump to check out the trailer and a few stills.