Silent Night (2012)

"He Knows Who's Been Naughty"

RATED- R
RUN TIME- 94 MINS
WRITER(S)- JAYSON ROTHWELL
STARRING- MALCOLM McDOWELL, JAIMIE KING AND DONAL LOGUE
DIRECTOR- STEVEN C. MILLER

Synopsis taken from IMDb

The police force of a remote Midwestern town search for a killer Santa Claus who is picking off citizens on Christmas eve.




STORY: If you've followed my blog over the last year you've seen that I've watched and reviewed all of the "Silent Night, Deadly Night" films. While I'll never watch any of the sequels again, the first became one of my favorite slasher films ever. I loved it. When I heard of the remake I was indecisive on how I felt, I wanted to know if this film would do the original justice.

The story of this film is fresh and not copycatting the original, I liked that. This story centers around a guy who goes around wearing a Santa suit and is murdering townsfolk who've been naughty. In the original they spend a lot of time on the killer and on this one they just throw you right into it. Not to be discouraged, they do show you back story and the murderers past. In this one instead of knowing who the killer is the whole time, you gotta wait until the end to find out and that was something I liked as well. He leaves a track of bloody footprints after every scene, showing he's a massive guy.

Aubrey Bradimore (Jaimie King) is local law enforcement trying to take down the mad Santa and get a lead on who he is, how to stop him. Her superior, Sheriff Cooper (Malcolm McDowell) has the same intent on catching the Santa, but he has his own way of running things that cause tension between him and Aubrey.

He knows if you've been bad or good so be good for goodness sake.

ACTING: The acting in this film was fairly decent, the leads (King and McDowell) do a good job in their roles. The acting suffers a bit with some of the minor cast, but the movie has a bit of dark humor to it so it makes even the weaker acting go over just fine. The actors this film has works with the type of movie this is and the environment created for it.



KILLS/GORE: This film didn't hold back on the violence, brutality or bloodshed.  It's a real treat for you gore-hounds out there. This film is easily the bloodiest Christmas movie you'll ever see. Blood flows throughout the entire film practically and this Santa doesn't care how old you are, he targets little children as much as adults. There's flamethrowers, axes, scythes, knives and even fire pokers and a wood chipper (which is probably my favorite).



OVERALL: The story isn't as strong and important in this film as it was in the original, but this film is definitely scarier and more suspenseful. It doesn't surpass the original to me, due to the charm 80's horror films have on me, but this film here delivers. I was very pleased with "Silent Night", it will make even adults scared of Santa.

THIS FILM GETS 3 REAPER SKULLS OUT OF 5

MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM GRIMM REVIEWZ/BLOG UPDATE

I wanted to take the time to check-in and say happy holidays to all the bloggers out there and horror fiends. I hope your Christmas was as kick-ass as mine. 

I haven't been around lately due to lack of horror watching during the Christmas season. I take this time of year off from horror films and spend it watching Christmas classics. I'm still around and this site is still kicking and I will begin the reviewz again starting with Silent Night (2012).

During my short break I've gone over some things that I need to correct in order to continue successfully reviewing movies and I've decided that from here on out I'm going to review movies in a different format. I always run into problems where sometimes I feel I say too much, giving away spoilers and other times I feel I'm too subtle. 

So from here on out I'll be breaking the movies I review down into categories in order to sum up what I want to say, I know a lot of people don't like to read really long reviews so I'm condensing it and making it more efficient.

So while I'm updating things I would like to ask any and all of you to give me feedback if you have anything you think I should do differently or things you'd like to see me review. I look forward to hearing from you all in the future.

The Apparition (2012)

"ONCE YOU BELIEVE, YOU DIE."

RATED- PG-13

RUN TIME- 82 MINS

WRITERS- TODD LINCOLN

STARRING- ASHLEY GREENE, SEBASTIAN STAN AND TOM FELTON

DIRECTOR- TODD LINCOLN

Synopsis taken from IMDb

A couple is haunted by a supernatural presence that is unleashed during a college experiment.

The Apparition went into production back in 2009 and was released August 24th, 2012 to 810 theaters. This film was Director Todd Lincoln's debut. Despite having a decent poster and well edited trailer, the film was panned by the majority of people who have seen it. Brian Orndof from Blu-Ray.com said "The trailer for 'The Apparition' contained more story than the picture it was promoting. In fact, I think the trailer for 'The Apparition' is actually more of a movie than 'The Apparition'".

The film bombed at the box office, placing #12  it's opening weekend and making $2.84 million. Some are saying that Warner Bros tried to bury this picture and succeeded by not marketing it and giving it such a low theater count.

My first impression of 'The Apparition' was that it was going to be pretty good, based on the trailer. But I couldn't find this movie anywhere and I had to practically hunt it down. There's this thing with me that always seems to happen: I see a movie that interests me and want to watch it. I search it out 'til I can find it, regardless of the source, and then I sit down and watch it and wonder why I wasted my time. It happens quite often actually but it's a trap that I keep falling into. This film was cut from the same cloth.

The opening seance is very cheap and cheesy, it is suspenseful for a brief moment but never scary. I already had my guard up for a bad movie and I kept it on. The story isn't original, it's hacks and pieces of other films put into one film. It doesn't have an original thought and it clearly rips The Grudge off with 2 big scenes in the movie. 

How can you make a horror movie comprised of nothing more than things you've already seen done better in other movies? It's an invalid attempt, an obsolete film that's already fell through the cracks and forgotten. 

Kelly (Ashley Greene) and Ben (Sebastian Stan) see weird burn marks on their counters and can't explain it. In the middle of the night they wake up and all of the doors in their house are open, these scenes, if done right, can be particularly scary. But in this film they were built up with suspense and never the payoff.

Kelly then notices the laundry room floor has begun peeling, she investigate and peels back some of the floor and sees nasty looking mold and spores. Ben goes into the crawlspace and finds even more upon investigation.

Ben then finds e-mails that are urgent and that he hasn't gotten to yet and they're from Patrick, one of Ben's friends who were involved in the seance at the beginning of the film. The e-mails are warnings, trying to get Ben out of the house. Ben holds onto the information and doesn't inform Kelly, so when she finds out it's hell to pay. The haunting's become more severe and dramatic as they come closer to answering what it is.

As the movie unwinds it becomes more predictable and the ending is lackluster. The bad and over dramatic acting did nothing more than help kill this movie and it's attempt at being a horror film fails badly. This comes off like the dreadful straight to video horror movies you'd get at blockbuster.

THIS FILM GETS 1 1/2 REAPER SKULLS OUT OF 5

The Collection (2012)

"Every great collector has a vision"

RATED- R
RUN TIME- 82 MINS
WRITERS- MARCUS DUNSTAN AND PATRICK MELTON
STARRING- JOSH STEWART, EMMA FITZPATRICK AND CHRISTOPHER McDONALD
DIRECTOR- MARCUS DUNSTAN




Synopsis taken from IMDb
A man who escapes from the vicious grips of the serial killer known as "The Collector" is blackmailed to rescue an innocent girl from the killer's booby-trapped warehouse. 

Regardless of the bad reviews I heard and read about 2009's The Collector, I really liked it. I found it fun, exciting, somewhat original and suspenseful. So yeah, I was pretty pumped for the sequel to come out. I wasn't disappointed.

The movie starts off with a television broadcasts that speak of the Collector and his recent crimes, there's a manhunt out for him. Arkin (Josh Stewart) is the Collector's most recent victim from the ending of the previous film.

Elena Peters (Emma Fitzpatrick) goes to a secluded party that her friends drag her to. The party takes place in a dingy  alley that looks suspicious. There they're greeted by a man with piercings all over his face and dreadlocks, they have to give him the password "nevermore" to enter the party. Upon entering, all of their fears and suspicions  disappear when they see the party is all they had been hoping it would be.

The fun doesn't last too long as the Collector has made this party his latest death maze, full of sick, sadistic torture and slaughtering devices that turn the entire club into a crimson mass. The traps, the deaths and the gore are really upped in this film and I was pleased, bring it on.

Arkin makes a lucky escape during the party after seeing Elena being taken by the Collector. Arkin gets treatment at a hospital. Where even there he isn't safe, he gets a card from the Collector threatening his family. Soon after, Arking is approached by Lucello and his team of hired mercenaries. Lucello is Elena's father's right hand man, and he' watched after Elena since she was a child. He's leading his team to find and kill the Collector, and find Elena.

Arkin gets strong-armed into leading Lucello and his hired team to the Collector, but he warns them of what they're getting into. Once they enter the Collector's lair, a run down hotel, it becomes a bloodbath. People being picked off one by one in pure brutality. I like how calm the Collector is, he has the odds stacked against him but he's always two steps ahead of everyone, he's meticulous.

As Arkin and Lucello dig further into the Collector's residence we see some of what makes the Collector tick, seeing how sick he is and learning what he does with his victims. I especially like this because there was no development with his character in the first film. This was definitely the right way to go for a sequel.

The film is incredibly violent, it pulls no punches. It comes packing a big punch. If you're not one for gore or torture you should probably turn this movie down, unless you want to lose your lunch. The acting wasn't anything fancy, but it worked. There's a lot of chaos going on in this film and it's a bloody good time.

I'm looking forward to where they go with the future of this series, if they're is one. I'd be interested to see where they go with a sequel, which will hopefully happen. The ending of The Collection is spot on and a good, refreshing change in cliche endings.

THIS FILM GETS 3 1/2 REAPER SKULLS OUT OF 5

The Pact (2012)

RATED- R
RUN TIME- 89 MINS
WRITERS- NICHOLAS McCARTHY
STARRING- CAITY LOTZ, CASPER VAN DIEN AND MARK STEGAR
DIRECTOR- NICHOLAS McCARTHY




Synopsis taken from IMDb
As a woman struggles to come to grips with her past in the wake of her mother's death, an unsettling presence emerges in her childhood home.




This is one of those films that slowly crept its way up my list, after finally watching it I'm wishing I hadn't waited so long. This film was scary pretty much from the start, I really enjoyed this one.

The film starts with Nicole Barlow (Agnes Bruckner) taking to her sister Annie (Caity Lotz) on the phone, making preparations for their mothers funeral. From what Nicole says, it appears Annie didn't like their mom and doesn't seem too enthusiastic about helping with the arrangements. Next Nicole is on her laptop talking to her daughter via video chat and this is when the film really kicks it up. The suspense hits you quick like an uppercut. Nicole enters a dark room in the house.

When Annie arrives Nicole is nowhere to be found, making Annie suspicious. She makes some calls to see if anyone's heard from her but gets nowhere. Later that night Annie has a weird dream about her mother and someone else she doesn't know. She also dreams of a shirtless man crying. Annie sees a figure in the house and follows it into her cousin Liz's (Kathleen Rose Perkins) bedroom. She then is attacked by an unseen force, but before it gets too severe she's able to escape.

Annie tells her story at the police station but is overlooked, officer Bill Creek (Casper Van Dien) is suspicious of Annie taking part in her mother sister and cousin's disappearances. Later that night, Annie dreams of the shirtless man crying again. Soon after, she contacts Stevie Hudson (Haley Hudson), someone who's said to be a psychic. Stevie agrees to come along and check out Annie's house, it doesn't go well. Stevie becomes hysterical and screams the name "Judas" as shes moved around on the floor by an unseen force.

From there on the movie just becomes more and more suspenseful and doesn't ration the scares and jumps. There's plenty of all. There's a good handful of nail biting moments, the really turn the pressure up. It was an entertaining ride.

The acting was impressive, the movie appears low budget but they rock it. A movie of this caliber often isn't supported by the casts ability, but this cast did a convincing job. It definitely helped the movie and made the story more intriguing as it went on.

The twist was brilliant, I couldn't have called that one. When I realized what was going on I was surprised and uneasy. This film definitely heaps on the creepiness.

The ending was strong and no doubt helps add to the overall solidity of the film. Very solid horror film, it gave me just about everything I look for in a horror movie. It wasn't perfect, the acting suffered at parts and I didn't like the music choice for some scenes, it became annoying to me. Other than that, this film was really good.

THIS FILM GETS 3 1/2 REAPERS SKULLS OUT OF 5

247⁰F (2011)

RATED- R
RUN TIME- 88 MINS
WRITTEN BY- LLOYD S. WAGNER, LEVAN BAKHIA AND BEQA ONIANI
STARRING- SCOUT TAYLOR-COMPTON, CHRISTINA ULLOA AND TRAVIS VAN WINKLE.
DIRECTOR- LEVAN BAKHIA AND BEQA JGUBURIA




Synopsis taken from IMDb
Jenna, Renee, Ian and Michael arrive at a lakeside cabin owned by Ian's uncle, Wade. Intending to enjoy a carefree weekend, instead, three of them become locked in the hot sauna. First they think it's Michael playing jokes on them, but soon realize that help is not coming and they must find a way out before the heat kills them. As the heat rises they are pushed to their physical psychological limits- staying alive is not easy any more. Breaking a small window- may be the worst thing they can do, because cool air will trick the thermostat to run the heater full blast. They need to get out, but all they can do is wait! Wait for what, wait for who?! How long could you wait in the heat up to 250 degrees Fahrenheit. 




In a world where survival horror is hitting a peak, they throw another log on the fire (no pun intended). This is pretty much the exact opposite of Adam Green's Frozen (2010), in this film these teen suffer from extreme heat instead of freezing. However, what surprised me was that it actually not bad.

The cast has it's strong points, but it's overacted at other parts. Still, all in all, you see that this cast is somewhat strong. Travis Van Winkle and Scout Taylor-Compton stand out amongst the rest of the cast. Although Scout does do some of that overacting I mentioned, Travis does a really good job in this film. He was a very likable character.

Ian (Travis Van Winkle) and his friends go to his uncle Wade's (Tyler Mane) lakeside house. His uncle Wade does the fire works at a local town celebration. Ian and his friends do some drinking and he looks to hook up with Jenna (Scout Taylor-Compton). However, she's still on over the death of her boyfriend from a nasty car wreck, and she doesn't know if she can move on. As the film progresses we learn the extent of her condition. 

While uncle Wade's away the party begins. Ian and Mike do some heavy drinking and decide to go into Wade's sauna for some relaxation. Mike and his girlfriend Renee (Christina Ulloa) hope for Ian and Jenna to hook up. Renee wants Jenna to move on and stop living in the past, letting it drag her down.

Michael leaves the sauna in a drunken stupor, leaving his friends and girlfriend to laugh at his expense. After a few moments pass we hear Mike walking into some things and something heavy his the door. Ian, Jenna and Renee try to get out of the sauna, but their laughs and joking become screams for help very quickly.

I like the realness this movie portrays. I think that it's done very accurately and I don't know if there's anything I can pick out about it that wasn't accurate. This is a atmospheric horror film, it centers on the claustrophobia of the situation. Ian of course, is the smart one of the group, keeping them all alive with his knowledge of the downside of their situation.

There isn't hardly any character development due to their situation. There isn't much time to focus on anything but them in current time. The cast does a good job at keeping us entertained though and the movie doesn't have any boring parts. Seeing how calm Ian remains is incomprehensible to me, considering how Renee is constantly being rude and making things worse with her attitude and mouth, I did not like that character. She was that whiny character you wait to get killed off.

All the while, Michael is no where to be seen and uncle Wade is off doing the fireworks downtown.

The movie gets pretty intense with some parts that are tough to watch. I was impressed as the story unwound, and if this story teaches you anything, it's that it isn't always cool to get drunk and act like an idiot. Sometimes there's consequences to pay.

Ultimately this film is entertaining and good at making you feel the severity of their situation. The acting was good enough and pulled the story through. It's a crazy situation their in and it makes you realize how easy it is to be in a life or death situation from things you commonly use and wouldn't ever consider harmful.

Now this film isn't perfect, it has its many flaws. It's better than a lot of other survival horror films, though.

THIS FILM GETS 3 REAPER SKULLS OUT OF 5

Let The Right One In (Book Review)

(aka Let Me In)

Published by St. Martin's Griffin

Written by John Ajvide Lindqvist

Synopsis taken from book cover
Oskar and Eli. In very different ways, they were both victims. Which is why, against the odds, they become friends. 

And how they came to depend on one another, for life itself. 

Oskay is a 12 year old boy living with his mother on a dreary housing estate at the city's edge. He dreams about his absentee father, gets bullied at school, and wets himself when he's frightened.

Eli is the young girl who moves in next door. She doesn't go to school and never leaves the flat by day. She is a 200 year old vampire, frozen in childhood, and condemned to live on a diet of fresh blood.

I've seen both film adaptations to this novel and I liked them both, I do favor the American version over the original Swedish version though. After having questions about the films with no presumable answers, I did some reading online and found out that the big picture was in reading the book. So I was sold, I bought a copy and flew through it. I was very impressed and think the book is better than both films.

I love how dark this book is, there's nothing glorified or pretty about it. It's dark and mean, even depressing. John Lindqvist has a great vision for vampires and nails it in this book, giving us a fresh story with lots of layers. It's grotesque at parts, but it's exquisitely written and detailed. This book is a drama one second and scaring you the next, I love how it switches up on you.

This is one of those books that pushes boundaries, I loved it for that because I didn't expect it to go to the places it goes. It's relentless. Some of the things that happen in this book kept it glued to my hand, I couldn't stop reading. You don't think it's going to go as far as it does. 

The fact that this is an original, dark story automatically intrigued me, because here is a book that finally gets it right. Lindqvist makes the reader know and understand how being a vampire isn't about getting laid and being a ladies man. It isn't about living the life of a rock star, recklessly. It's about survival. It's about staying low key and just getting by. It is a curse and it's a curse you don't want, which is how it should be. 

Today's society thinks it's cool to be a vampire due to all the fangirls and boys of pop culture cinema. Let The Right One In is a real vampire book.

It can be downright chilling and shocking, not what I was expecting. I was enthralled in it. It has it's scary parts and overall it's just a damn solid story. Everything about this story works. I'm sure that while reading this my eyes were bulging out at points and I probably had some laughable facial expressions.

By far my favorite part of the book was the explanation of the disease. Lindqvist really paints a picture for you, explaining how it takes part in the circulatory system and centers in the heart. If you don't feed you look like hell and stink like a corpse, but when you feed you look rejuvenated and don't stink. This may be my favorite telling of vampirism.  

There are some characters in the book that are not in the movies, so this was fresh for me. Added to the all around good storytelling. The book really gets you inside of Oskar's head and you understand him on a new level. In the book he keeps a piece of mattress foam in his pants to catch the urine he dispels, which is something new that I wasn't expecting from this story. I also liked how you get to see Oskar's relationship with his father, you really see why this kid is screwed up.

Eli is one of the best vampire characters I've ever encountered in a book or on screen. Her back story is twisted and dark, she's cursed with being a vampire and is incredibly lonely. She has a big secret that I'm not going to ruin if you haven't read this book or seen the film versions, but her character is well done and you really sympathize with her. 

Hakan, Eli's watcher is a middle aged man who's a pedophile. He hates what he is and is disgusted with himself. He even wishes for death. His character was the biggest improvement in the book over the movies, I can see why they'd have to cut out a lot of what his character does and goes through for the films though.

Tommy, Oskar's neighbor is a big part of the book as well. His part is really interesting and you can see that his part is building up to something big, and it's a good payoff.

Let The Right One In is one of those books that will be remembered for a long time. It's a staple in vampire literature. It's a good read for fans of vampires, especially those looking for a true, traditional type of vampire book.

THIS BOOK GETS 4 REAPER SKULLS OUT OF 5

The Haunting of Whaley House (2012)

RATED- R
RUN TIME- 89 MINS
WRITERS- JOSE PRENDES
STARRING- ALEX ARLEO, ARIELLE BRACHFELD AND GRAHAM DENMAN
DIRECTOR- JOSE PRENDES




Synopsis taken from IMDb
Just because you don't believe in ghosts, doesn't mean they don't believe in you!




Here we go again with another story about "the most haunted house in the world" or "the most haunted house in America". How can their be so many haunted houses that are the most haunted? I hate when movies use this as a promotional tactic to get people to watch their film. However, the Whaley House is supposedly the real deal.

I'm not exactly an expert on the Whaley House. I don't know the story behind it, so I have no clue how accurate or inaccurate this film is, so I'm not judging it on that.

Ghost stories are just as bad as zombie movies nowadays. Everyone and their mother thinks they can do a haunted house story, the same way people do with zombies. They're the most overused topics in horror films. I can't stress how badly they're overused and how bad most of them are. It's to the point where whenever I come across a haunting or zombie movie I get real iffy. I'm tired of wasting my time.

The film is about a group of teens who visit the Whaley House, despite being warned not to. Of course some of them don't believe in ghosts and only want to come along for laughs. Others are into the paranormal and really believe in ghosts.

This movie had very little character development, they gave you some bits and pieces of a back story between characters but nothing that holds water, or that we care about. Their acting and character development fits the standard of almost all low budget horror films, it's nothing to get you behind the characters. Characters are the most important part of the story, whenever you have a kick-ass horror film you usually have a great lead character. This film lacks that.

 The effects in this movie were disappointing. They fit a movie of this stature, but that's what hurts this film. When you do this you fit in with other films who took the cheap route due to budget. This film lacks motivation and gives you cheap parlor makeup that look like they were done at home. If you want to stand out and make a good movie that leaves an imprint and doesn't get lost in all the other deplorable ghost stories, you need something that stands out, that makes an impression. Putting more money into the makeup department on this film would have helped alot.

There's a scene in this film that stands out to me where one of the teens becomes possessed, and it was a damn near direct ripoff of The Evil Dead when Cheryl gets possessed. I appreciate the homage to a horror classic, but don't be so obvious and don't waste it on a cheap generic plot.

The acting was horrendous. I appreciate these actors and actresses playing in this movie, but they didn't put any effort into making their characters likable or believable.

Although the house in this film isn't the actual Whaley House, I liked the house. It was a nice touch. It looked like it had history and could be haunted. It looks like one of the houses you see on Ghost Hunters or Ghost Adventures.

I really liked the ending to this film. It was quite a shocker. The last 10-15 minutes of the movie actually got interesting and I thought the twist was obviously common, but it was done in a manor that made it not matter. The final scene of this film is powerful, sad and tragic.

In the end, The Haunting of Whaley House has it's perks and redeemable parts, but not enough to overlap the generic story and really bad acting.

THIS FILM GETS 2 REAPER SKULLS OUT OF 5

Citadel (2012)

RATED- R

RUN TIME- 84 MINS

WRITERS- CIARAN  FOY

STARRING- ANEURIN BARNARD, JAMES COSMO AND WUNMI MOSAKU

DIRECTOR- CIARAN FOY

Synopsis taken from IMDb

Tommy Cowley is a young father inflicted with chronic agoraphobia since his wife was brutally attacked by a gang of a twisted feral children. Trapped in the dilapidated suburbia of Edenstown, he finds himself terrorized by the same gang, who now seem intent on taking his baby daughter. Torn between the help of an understanding nurse and a vigilante priest, Tommy sets out to learn the nightmarish truth surrounding these hooded children. He also discovers that to be free of his fears, he must finally face the demons of his past and enter the one place that he fears the most- the abandoned tower block known as the Citadel. 

This movie caught my attention because it's an Irish horror film, and I can't think of too many Irish horror films I've seen. So instantly I was intrigued to watch Citadel. The trailer was well put together, it didn't show you enough to know exactly what the film's about, but it showed you enough and made you want to see it.

It was a major letdown to find this movie to be somewhat of a dud. It didn't deliver like I was hoping and the ending was anticlimatic. The film is largely based around Tommy's agoraphobia, and this is what I found to be disappointing to an extent. I like that they did this, but they should have focused more on making this film and the little children scarier.

 This film had a few good jump scenes in it and the suspense is strong, it's the lack of it that makes this movie drag on and become boring.

I thought the acting was good, but overall this movie didn't meet it's expectations, despite the critical appraise it's getting. It didn't live up to the backing it had and failed to meet it's potential.

The film centers around Tommy how much of a victim he is after seeing his wife murdered. The scene where she's murdered is one of the best parts of the film for me. Tommy is stuck in the elevator and the doors won't open, so he's stuck hopelessly watching her demise. This made me think of how frustrating and horrifying it would be to be in Tommy's shoes in this situation.

After that he becomes the definition of a victim, he even takes classes to help make himself stop looking so pathetic.He walks in short, quick steps and hunches. This makes the tense scenes even more suspenseful and chilling. It's truly a shame they left so much of the movie bleak and didn't build more suspense and jump scenes.

The children wearing white hoodies reminded me of David Cronenberg's The Brood. They were mysterious children who wreaked havoc. I did like the look of the kids faces. I liked the makeup used and the design. I don't want to give too much away so I'll leave it at that.

There are some good chase scenes in this film that I liked. They were filled with high tension and dread. Tommy being stranded at night time (the worst time to be out) in an area he isn't familiar with.

He is pursued by the children and we get some shots of their faces and begin to think something is definitely wrong with this picture and that Tommy may be in over his head. Once his child is kidnapped by the children, Tommy finds the priest and joins forces.

The priest is deranged and seems psychotic. Tommy needs him though, because only the priest can help him get his kid back. The priest's plan is to blow up the Citadel, where all the children live. Tommy is terrified of this idea but will do whatever it takes to get his daughter back.

Ultimately, this film has the setup to be a great horror film but it drops the ball. They did a great job of making us know how terrified Tommy always was, but there was nothing there to terrify us, the viewer.

THIS FILM GETS 2 REAPER SKULLS OUT OF 5

Blue-ray Review- American Horror Story: Season 1

Ryan Murphy is the creator of the retired FX original series Nip/Tuck. The show went downhill for it's remaining seasons and had a disappointing finale.  This left us wondering what was next for Ryan Murphy. As it turns out, he's behind creating another FX show, American Horror Story. A supernatural horror drama that's completely opposite of his previous work with Nip/Tuck. I'm not jumping the gun when I say that AHS has already outdone Nip/Tuck.

AHS centers around the Harmon family, Ben (Dylan McDermott) and Vivian (Connie Britton) and their teenage daughter, Violet (Taissa Farminga). Ben and Vivian's marriage is on the rocks due to Vivian being pregnant with a stillborn and walking in on Ben having an affair with one of his students. Ben and Vivian has no trust in their relationship. In an attempt at a fresh start, Ben and Vivian move into a beautiful home dubbed "The Murder House" unbeknownst to them. The house has a dark past full of blood and is extremely sinister. As the show goes on you uncover al the grisly details that give the house it's dreadful history.

Violet is the weird kid at school, instantly making enemies at school. We uncover something shocking at the end of the season about Violet and it's a brilliant twist. She becomes enchanted with Tate (Evan Peters), one of her father's patients.

Tate is dark and somber like Violet, so they instantly attract. He even helps her get rid of some bullies. We see Tate has a dark side and as the show goes on we learn his demented history and origins.

One of the shows most famous characters, and definitely the most iconic character of the show, The Rubber Man. No one knows who he is, other than he prowls the house in a kinky sex suit. In the later episodes of the season we learn the sex suit's history. I love who The Rubber Man turns out to be.

The Harmon's maid, Moira (Alexandra Breckenridge) is a truly good character. Learning her dark, sexy path is one of the best elements of the show. Ben sees her as young, sexy and seductive because the house allows him to see what he wants to see. Her real appearance is of an old woman with a blind eye. Vivian sees Moira for who and what she really is.

There's a severely burned man named Larry (Denis O'hare) and he begins to harass Ben and wants to be paid a thousand dollars. His history is deep and tragic. I really liked this character. He becomes a key player in the cast.

Chad (Zachary Quinto) and Patrick (Teddy Sears) are a gay couple who have a history with the house and are haunting it. Their story plays out well and answers alot of questions.

Hayden (Kate Mara), Ben Harmon's student that Vivian walked in on him having an affair with, shows up with some harrowing news. Her story and what happens with her is very clever. I liked her story as well.

Dr. Charles Montgomery (Matt Ross) and his wife, Nora Montgomery (Lily Rabe) are the first owners of the house and give the house it's bloody beginnings. Their story is a twisted Frankenstein, it's evil and twisting, but enchanting. Their past is one of the top best things of this show.

And of course, there's Constance (Jessica Lang), played to perfection. This character is elegant and twisted. She steals the show and ties in with all the other cast members. She has a dark, morbid past and connects everyone together. Lang won a well deserved Emmy Award for this role.

American Horror Story is storytelling done to perfection. It's as elegant and charming as it is frightening. It's full of rich character development for characters you care about. The story unfolds wonderfully, there's some loose ends but everything doesn't have to be explained. Some things are better left unsaid. I'm a big fan of this show, it's entertaining as hell. Season 2 has already aired and is off to a not unexpected great start.

SPECIAL FEATURES: 

- The Murder House presented by Eternal Darkness Tours of Hollywood: this the tour you see on the show, only you get the whole tour and go inside the house and see its interior. 

-Behind The Fright: The making of American Horror Story, it takes you deeper into the mind of the show and it's creators. I like going into the belly of a show and seeing what makes it tick. This was cool to watch.

-Overture to Horror: This was my favorite feature on the special features, it's about creating the title sequence of the show and the creepy theme. Once I found out Nine Inch Nails was behind the theme I realized how obvious it is.

-Out of the Shadows: This feature is all about meeting the house guests and going in depth with their characters. I liked viewing this one as well.

American Horror Story is a show you should own without needing special features. It's a really good show and deserves the credit it's given. 

The Blu-ray or DVD is worth a purchase if you like owning good television shows. It's in my collection.