January 6th

The first week of January boasts the best title of the month, EDEN LAKE.  Finally had a chance to see it thanks to this DVD and I loved it.  Expect a review in a bit.  Not for the faint of heart.

Don’t know much about the other three, except that Eliza Dushku drops her top in THE ALPHABET KILLER for WRONG TURN director Rob Schmidt.

January 13th

The Man Eater series breaks into 2009 with YETI.  I’ve seen almost all of this series and none are good, but a few watchable in the best drunken way.  Cough, CROC, cough.  I love me some cryptozoology, though, so I’m bound to be an eventual victim of YETI.

In anticipation of the remake, which I think looks like a blast and I’m bummed I’ll likely miss in theaters, the original MY BLOODY VALENTINE gets a special edition DVD that seems not to skimp on the materials.  Haven’t heard of HIT AND RUN.

MIRRORS (review) may prove to be the make or break point of Alexandre Aja’s career.  I’m a fan of HIGH TENSION and in love with THE HILLS HAVE EYES, but his remake of INTO THE MIRRORS is as much a mess as the Korean original.  Not worth picking up.

January 20th

No one asked for BOOGEYMAN 2, so the Universe delivers a BOOGEYMAN 3.  SAW V (review) is the new low-point for the once pioneering franchise.  I haven’t seen REPO! THE GENETIC OPERA, Darren Lynn Bousman’s ‘rock opera’ musical, nor have I heard too high praise for it, but I will eventually get to it.  I’m a big fan of Anthony Stewart Head, so I’ll stomach Bousman’s grungy style to see Giles once again.

Perhaps, though likely not, better known by its native Norwegian title FRITT VILT, COLD PREY is a slasher title I’ve heard good things about for a while now.

I liked the first VACANCY.  Don’t think its great by any account, but I like it just fine.  VACANCY 2, of course, was not necessary, but I’ll give it a shot because I have a crush on THE WOODS’ Agnes Bruckner.

January 27th

If I recall correctly, reader Sean almost a year ago mentioned how awful GUTTERBALLS was and I’ve yet to see or hear anything that contradicts his assessment.

SHARKS IN VENICE (review) is one of the most disappointing, misleading Sci-Fi channel movies ever made.

Die hards can grab their collector’s edition of REDNECK ZOMBIES.

Closing out the month is the oh-so-cleverly titled SINGLE BLACK FEMALE.

Netflix’ing the Month:

1. EDEN LAKE
2. COLD PREY
3. MY BLOODY VALENTINE
4. REPO! THE GENETIC OPERA
5. VACANCY 2
6. THE ALPHABET KILLER

July to September, always anemic pre-Halloween hump for horror to get over.  Two thousand and eight twas no different.

Part 1: January to March.
Part 2: April to June.
Part 3: July to September.
Part 4: October to December.
Part 5: Events.
Part 6: Awards. (coming)

Last Week in Horror was predisposed to minor updates of news already established.  Survival horror game CLOCK TOWER is still looking to roll, this time with a PROM NIGHTer climbing the stairs.  Danny Boyle mentions a 28 X LATER again.  Minds behind the remake of MY BLOODY VALENTINE have already begun the mulling of a sequel.  Give them some credit, normally in these situations the party line is a transparent, “No, of course we haven’t given any thought to a sequel, let’s see how the first one does.” At least they’re being honest.

I hadn’t heard of THE INTERVENTION, but its sharp looking poster led me through a few links, now logging the demonic possession story high on my list of films to pay attention to.

Oh, and in case you missed it, Ooohveh Bowl is still crazy.

Directed by Alexandre Aja, 2008
Written by Alexandre Aja & Grégory Levasseur, based on INTO THE MIRROR

Looking into mirrors we tend to only see our flaws reflected back.  Not me of course.  I am a fucking Adonis, but I understand the effect self inspection has on normal people.  How appropriate, then, that when we all look into MIRRORS we see nothing but flaws.  Except this time they aren’t (y)our flaws, they’re Alexandre Aja’s.  And I must confess, it is quite annoying to do nothing but stare at other people’s flaws for near two hours.  At least the audience can walk outside and go jogging or drop and do a few push ups.  No director’s cut is going to salvage this junior slump.

Which is a shame.  Not just because I once called Aja the future of horror (yeah, yeah, we all say silly stuff when we’re young) and I need an out to cover that mistake.  Despite all its misgivings, an easy 25+ minutes of bloated length, stale performances, despite all that, there are times one must remind themselves they are watching a movie about mirrors that kill people.  I have a ton of suggestions for how such a premise could be improved, however, I posit this: Was anyone ever going to take a movie about killer mirrors seriously?

Even with any hypothetical improvements a goofy ass premise remains.  It doesn’t help that Keifer Sutherland plays the lead with same frenetic fervor as his intrinsically tied USA saving, terrorist decimating alter personality.  Hard enough as it is to take a movie about homicidal two dimensional planar objects earnestly.  MIRRORS is done no favors by Jack Bauer running around with a gun screaming punchlines along the vein of, “Don’t look at the water!  Water can form a reflective surface just like a mirror and that’s how they get you!”

Last Week in Horror, The items of most interest to me belong to genre brother Sci-Fi.  Alex Proyas’ latest film, KNOWING, finally got a trailer, albeit a derivative, uninvolved one.  But I love DARK CITY so much, even Nicholas Cage’s forehead couldn’t keep me away.  Same goes for Keanu Reeves’, well, entire self in THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL remake.

Also, I was sent a press release regarding a contest for Electronic Arts’ forthcoming survival horror game DEAD SPACE.  Normally I’d not pass along such a thing, but DEAD SPACE happens to be a title I’ve been anticipating.  Not to mention the 100 film prize pack at the end of the rainbow is a bounty worth coveting.