Ju-on (2002)

Rika Nashina, a volunteer social assistant, arrives at a home where she is assigned to visit an elderly woman. But she soon discovers that this is no ordinary house call. The home is haunted by the ghost of a woman called Kayako, and her young son Toshio, who were brutally murdered by Kayako's husband. Now it seems that nobody who comes in contact with the house is safe.

Ju-on is better known to North American audiences as The Grudge, which is the title of the 2004 American remake of the film. It serves up a good number of jumps and a seriously creepy over-all atmosphere. It is not a surprise that this film was amongst the many from Asia that have been snatched up and remade over the past ten years.

Despite being subtitled you can tell that not all of the acting is particularly stellar. Nor is there anything necessarily amazing about any of the make up or effects. It's the story itself, and the way it is played out, that makes the film successful. If you've seen The Grudge and liked it, it's well worth checking out the original likewise if you are a fan of ghost movies in general.

3.5 black cats out of 5
Contains frightening scenes, violence.

The Woman in Black (1989)

A spine-chilling ghost story

A young solicitor is sent to a creepy old mansion in a seaside town to settle the estate of a recluse old widow who has recently passed away. The local people are clearly reluctant to have anything to do with the menacing old home which lies on a plot of land accessible only when the tide is out because otherwise the road is submerged.

But the solicitor ignores their words of warning and proceeds to the house, driven by fear for his job. Once there he is haunted by mysterious sounds and events and by a ghostly woman in black.

Of course this title will be recognized by many due to the movie by the same name which was recently released by Hammer Films. In fact this adaptation was originally a TV film and both films are adaptations of the book by the same name which was written by Susan Hill in 1983. Horror fans who recently saw the new release might be interested to check out this earlier effort.

While short on special effects in comparison to the more recent adaptation, this version of The Woman in Black does manage to pull off creating a creepy atmosphere and enough suspense to keep the viewer interested. Acting, costume, and setting also help to make this an OK little film, especially as a made for TV production.

3.5 toy soldiers out of 5
Contains frightening scenes.

Stake Land (2010)

The Most Dangerous Thing Is To Be Alive.

A vampire epidemic has swept the United States, and much of the planet. A young man by the name of Martin loses his family in a vampire attack, but soon runs in to a vampire slayer and self taught survivalist known only as "Mister".

Mister and Martin head north to a land known as "New Eden". It's really just Canada, the only big surprise being that it took a vampire apocalypse for more American's to figure that one out.

There's only one problem, other than the blood thirsty vampires. A neo-nazi cult calling itself the "Brotherhood" is determined to restart human society on their own maniacal terms, and to "cleanse" all those who oppose them or don't fit into their ideal. It doesn't help much that Mister quite righteously killed two members of the Brotherhood who were attempting to rape a nun.

In the process they make some friends and allies including a former soldier, a pregnant woman, and a young woman who is handy with a crossbow. But can they make it to New Eden alive and in one piece?

This film is dark and gritty, but it is also a story of hope and overcoming adversity. It also has a strong anti-racist undercurrent. It could be seen as a commentary on the state of political life in the United States today.

Stakeland is a refreshing film which, like 30 Days of Night before it, puts vampires back where they should be; in the role of blood thirsty and vicious monsters. This isn't Twilight, but I'd pay good money to see Mister deal definitively with the douche bags from those films so that they could stop making a mockery of the horror genre. An excellent and well made film all around.

4.5 stakes out of 5
Contains violence, gore, language, frightening scenes.

The Fly (1958)

Once it was human... even as you and I!

Dr. Andre Delambre is a scientist who is working on a revolutionary new technology; the ability to transport physical objects from one space to another by atomising and reassembling them.

The experiments seem to be going exceptionally, until he tries it on the family cat, who disappears mysteriously during the attempted transportation. But after a few tweaks, everything seems to be in order and working correctly.

Volunteering himself as the first human test subject, Dr. Delambre hits the switch and climbs in to the transportation chamber. But what he hasn't noticed is that a fly has also entered the chamber, and soon the experiment goes horribly wrong.

The Fly is of course a classic of horror and sci-fi cinema. One has to wonder to what extent Gene Roddenberry, creator of Star Trek, drew inspiration for his transporters from this film. Regardless, The Fly has lived in infamy and has become one of the most famous movie monsters.

This cautionary tale takes the viewer through the development of a technological wonder, a mysterious accident, and finally the moment of horror when The Fly is revealed to his terrified wife, forcing her to take drastic measure.

The film was well received, and led to the release of two sequels The Return of the Fly (1959) and Curse of the Fly (1965). It was remade by director David Cronenberg in 1986.

4 white headed flies out of 5
Contains mild violence and frightening scenes.