The Visit
Becca and her younger brother Tyler go to visit their Grandparents for a week. Upon arrival, everything is great and Becca eagerly records everything on her camera (Oh, yeah, this is the "found footage" type of movie. Something I usually hate.. But we'll get onto that in a bit,), as the young teen is filming a documentary on their visit to Nana and Pop Pop's. Her main goal actually being to unravel the mystery of why her mum left home and no longer has contact with the Grandparents. But things go haywire real fast. The kids are given two rules: Don't go in the basement as there is mold. And don't come out of your bedroom after 9:30pm. Simple, right? Nope, cue Grandma acting a little loony. And a cookie craving.
As I previously mentioned, this is filmed entirely through a handheld camera which I do usually hate and to be perfectly honest, I wasn't overly fond of it in this movie either. Especially for the last few scenes. It made it hard to see what the hell was going on and that took away the scare factor. But then the first half might of not been as creepy if it weren't for the style of filming. Eh. I'm in two minds about it. Tell me your opinion if you've watched it.
There isn't much else I can say about this movie without giving away the plot or the few scenes that are actually creepy. It's most definitely one you have to experience for yourself. Throughout the 90ish minutes of The Visit you will be wondering what the hell is going on, and the reason for it all was actually a pleasant surprise to me which is usually not the case. If I choose to re-watch this any time soon (which I'm unsure whether I would, to be honest), it will be creeper now I know why the Grandparents are acting odd.
Oh, I almost forgot - the acting. It was actually good. It's always a worry when children/teens are the main character(s) in a thriller type horror as the acting can be questionable, but Olivia DeJonge and Ed Oxenbould did a decent job. As did the Grandparents. Nothing extraordinary, but believable.
On a whole, I liked it more than I thought I would but I wouldn't jump at the chance to watch it again. If you enjoy the atmosphere that such films as Annabelle, Orphan, or The Possession give, then maybe give it a go.
You can watch the Trailer for The Visit HERE.
The Green Inferno
Cannibals? A group of students that will likely get slaughtered? Sounds like a good time. You may think I'm being sarcastic, but no, that was my reaction when I read the back of this case in the supermarket. The Green Inferno can only be described as Ghost On Mars meets Hostel (which makes sense as it has the same creator as Hostel. Duh, Anne.). To be entirely honest, I'm not usually a fan of Eli Roth, his movies seem one dimensional to me and I'm not a huge fan of the torture porn aspect that he seems to enjoy so much. Knock, Knock was hands down the worst movie I watched last year, and despite my usual love for horror movies, the Hostel's don't do anything for me though I can appreciate them for what they are intended to be. My point being.. I was a tiny bit apprehensive watching The Green Inferno due to my usual dislike of his movies and I'll admit to going in with my judgemental hat on, but alas, it was for not. I really, really, really liked it.
The protagonist of the movie is Justine, a student and daughter of someone important. She gets roped into going along with a group of student activists to "save the Amazon rain forest" from desecration. but of course, it doesn't exactly go to plan once they discover they aren't alone. Standard. It is incredibly gory, but I'm assuming you knew that once I wrote the word "cannibals".
The cast in the movie is definitely the strong point, I very much doubt it would be as good if the actors were shoddy. There is somewhat of a cliché when it comes to the student group - we have the douchebag leader guy, the bitchy girlfriend who you want to punch in the nose, the tattooed "no messing" girl, the friendly guy who people keep putting down for his looks even though his isn't overweight or bad looking, the hysterical blonde girl who looks like she should work on a farm, the smart guy who looks like he's in his thirties, and the stoner dude - but I'm willing to look past all of this. Really, I am.
I think what made this movie a sitting at the edge of your seat, sweaty palms, stress-mess is the story itself. It's realistic and things similar do happen, unlike say, a burnt guy visiting your dreams. There is one scene that had me squirming enough to sympathize with any guy who watches Bone Dry. Two words for any fellas out there: cactus and penis. Yeah. I won't ruin the scene in The Green Inferno for anyone who enjoys horrendous pulse-quickening scenes, but you'll likely guess what the scene will be within the first 5 minutes of the movie thanks to a lecturer educating us on the lives of those living in the rain forest. Eek.
If you enjoy gritty horrors that are less about the scares and more about the gore and chase, then I recommend you give this a go. I'm looking forward to watching it for the second time.
You can watch the trailer for The Green Inferno HERE.
The Culling
The movie follows five decently acted friends (one being Jeremy Sumpter who starred as "Peter Pan") as they travel to a music festival, when much to the drivers dismay, they take a detour to stop at a roadside diner for food and happen to stumble across the little girl, Lucy. Stranded and alone due to her Grandpa supposedly laving her there, the gang are left with no other choice other to drive the lost girl home. The series of events that follow are a little long-winded and questionable, but result in them having to spend the night and eventually, face shadows and things that go bump in the night.
If it weren't for the mystery element of this movie, it may of not been as enjoyable and perhaps that is why I have no interest in re-watching it. But my mother, someone who loves paranormally type movies, really enjoyed it. So, it depends on what style you enjoy. If you can find a way to watch it for free and have a few hours to kill, then have at it.
You can watch the trailer for The Culling HERE.
So there you have it. This is a new style of post and I'd appreciate your thoughts on it. Also, if you have any horror recommendations, that'd be much appreciated. Shoot me a tweet at RootingBranches, or you know, comment.
Have a lovely day!
- Anne x
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