Dracula 3D di Dario Argento (2013)

When Jonathan arrives to a village near the border of Transylvania,  in order to work for Count Dracula in his castle, mysterious deaths and disappearings start to happen. They all seem to lead to the powerful Count and his blood thirst. Going after her husband, Mina is yet to discover where Jonathan is and the dark story Abraham Van Helsing knows.

I wouldn't call myself a real fan of Argento, but I do fandom his movies. Although I'm not properly instructed of filming technics, I was always able to identify a Dario movie through some characteristics I like, such as the slow pace and the tense mood, the photography and the similarity in profile between his characters. However, I was not able to distinguish much of these elements in Dracula. It is slow paced, and of course there is Asia Argento (who plays Lucy), but it stops there. 

It is not so bad as everybody is saying, in fact, I already expected this level of production after having seen the trailer, a year ago. Also, it being in 3D contributes to the use of poor CGI, which some people strongly criticized, but wasn't it the same in "Final Destination IV"? After all, the lame effects didn't bother me as the lack of Dario-identity did. Guess I could use that therm... 

Whether you are a fan or not, it is worth checking this out, as a good and traditional vampire story is never too cliché. 

IMDB





Tension level: 3

My Score: 6



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Watch online (Video: 8,5 / Audio: 8)

Exam

Eight candidates for an unrefusable job vacancy get to the last part of the process and now have to take an exam. Closed in a room with a security guard, eight tables, eight pencils and eight sheets of paper, the instructions are clear: they must answer the question in front of them in eighty minutes. They turn the papers and find that they are blank. How far are they willing to go to discover the question and be the first to answer it?

Anyone looking for a good thriller with touches of mystery and action a la Nine Dead will enjoy this movie. There's nothing too spectacular or out of this world, but the plot is very interesting and though a little predictable at times, it keeps you focused until the end. The actors are good and the script evolves in a good way. Oh, and take a note: the best scene is when someone has the idea of using a paper as a weapon... Veeeery tense.

IMDB

Tension level: 8

My score: 8

Watch online (Video: 7,5 / Audio: 8)

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Evil Dead (2013)

Four friends go to an isolated cabin in the woods to spend the holiday with the sister of one of them, in support for her recovery in an anti-drugs treatment. Amidst the process, she starts to suffer from severe abstinence effects and while they all struggle with the decision of seeing Mia desperate and not letting her go and have another relapse, they find an old and mysterious book hidden in the basement. Despite the warnings, one of the guys reads a passage and unwillingly summons the demons of the woods, who go after Mia's tormented soul. Soon they all realize that the girl isn't only hallucinating, but her nightmares are real and eager to kill.

Chosen by the classic's director (Sam Raimi) himself, Fede Alvarez brings the demons to life on a contemporary take of the story. No, it isn't really a remake. A lot of the elements from the first and second Evil Dead movies are present in this one, but it's definitely a new story. Exploring the character's feelings and relationships is something that made this 2013 sequel very interesting, apart from being extremely dark and gory. Unless you chuckle and giggle by seeing people have their eyes pierced with needles or their tongues split in half by a razor, there's really no humorous element as there was in Raimi's 1981's original. It all contributed for a dense, violent and rich script, passed to the screen with talented actors and an excellent soundtrack.

I am an assumed fan of remakes and reboots or, as it is the case, simply a sequel - because I love to see how different people envision and develop creepy old premises - and so I am in position to state that this is one of the best works done with adapting and recreating a classic.

IMDB

Tension level: 10

My score: 10

Watch Online (Video: 7 / Audio: 8)

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Unaware (2010)

A couple goes on a trip to the country house of the man's grandfather. Despite the warning, they break into the locked barn to discover that there some scary military secrets were being kept.

"Unaware" is not the most suitable title for this movie, if you ask me, but that doesn't make it less interesting or worth to watch. It has some really good moments when nothing really happens, but you still get nervous and uneasy. The actors are good, but the script will make you hate their faces because of their characters' decisions. Still about the script, the transition of the days could have been better, in order to justify the couple's choices, or at least make them more reasonable. If it all had developed in one night, the rythm would have been even better. Either way, it is realistic and scary, specially the last 10 minutes.

IMDB





Tension level: 8

My score: 8

Watch Online (Video: 7 / Audio: 7)

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The School in the Woods (2010)

Six friends go to an abandoned school in the middle of the woods hoping to have a ghost encounter. 

I would like to understand why it is that some "producers" think that rock or country songs fit every horror movie. And I also wonder if the people behind this movie know that cast and crew opening credits don't work with found footage films. That being said, what is left is a sequence of bad acting and ridiculous make-up and effects that give the impression that this is a high school movie project. Well, maybe it is. Not even the script is good, and I actually doubt there ever was one. Whoever wants to make a good found footage film should keep in mind what The Blair Witch Project taught us so well: it is not necessary to show blood splashing on the screen every five minutes, ugly faces and scary effects to build a terrifying scenario and obtain a great result. Anyway, the locations they had here were so good that it is frustrating that someone could get it wrong with those.

IMDB

Tension level: 1

My score: 1

Watch Online (Video: 7 / Audio: 8)

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Reel Evil (2012)

Three independent filmmakers are seeking funding for their documentary and end up accepting to take part in a project financed by a greedy producer, hoping to have a breakthrough in their careers. They go filming in an abandoned mental institution and decide to leave the production crew and the set for a moment to investigate the place on their own. They were never seen again. Their footage was. 

Although the movie structure is not 100% original, the fact that they are struggling filmmakers and the beggining part when they have to cope with the production company crew - who are totally dumbasses - actually adds a bit of originality to it. The acting is not all bad either (honorous mention to the "diva" Trisha; even though her role is supposed to suck, she sucks too much) and the special effects are satisfying (except for one around minute 42 and another at 49). After trying to see such a shitty movie like The School in the Woods, this one looks class-A.

There are lots of fails, of course, besides the clichés. The effects are not always good, and by that I mean that they are generally OK but sometimes ridiculous. The acting doesn't convince when it most needs to do it. The back and forth with cast and crew breaks the tension by putting the main characters in and out of the danger zone. Similarities with Grave Encounters are everywhere, but from where this one stands in, it is nothing but a wannabee.

IMDB

Tension level: 8 (starts at minute 58)

My score: 6,5




Watch Online (Video: 7 / Audio: 8)

Torrent