Bloody Axe Scale
  5 Buy a copy right now!
  4 Good flick -- worth a look
  3 Don't love it, don't hate it
  2 Hardcore fans only
  1 Demand a refund
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just another interviewthen the crew gets a callthey find some crazy old broad
who happens to like human fleshthe feds lock them in and act like the building is empty...and, she's toast

Quarantine (2008)

 Starring: Jennifer Carpenter
Plot:  Based on the Spanish-made chiller [REC], Quarantine is an effective piece of scare machinery that derives most of its terror by viewing the action from the perspective of a cameraman covering a routine emergency call that blooms into a nightmare. Jennifer Carpenter (Dexter) is a TV host who accompanies a firefighting unit on a disturbance call at a decrepit apartment building. Once inside, the group discovers that the tenants are infected with a disease that has turned them into ravenous cannibals--and that all possible exits have been sealed off by a government-issued quarantine.
My thoughts:  I am so over the nauseous feeling you have to endure to get through this movie.  Blair Witch started it, and should have ended it.   This could have been a great movie if shot differently, or at least as well as Cloverfield.  I love Jennifer Carpenter, but Emily Rose is far and away her best work on the big screen.  I wouldn't bother with this one unless you are reaaaaalllllly bored and have a bottle of Pepto-Bismol near you at all times.
 
 
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title screenthey were happy oncethey are still in love
a strange visitor in the middle of the nighta friend arrives, can he help?can love survive this?

The Strangers (2008)

Plot:  A young couple returns to their family's secluded summer home after attending a wedding.   Emotions run high between the two since he proposed and she didn't accept.   Just as they decide to make up, there's a knock at the door.   A rather confused young girl looking for a friend, or so it would seem.  When James goes out to the store, the girl returns.    Terrorized by the strangers, Kristen frantically tries to convince James of what's happening.   Three strangers have come to visit, and they are here to stay...
My thoughts:  A very intense movie.  The scares are for the most part cerebral, and a bit disturbing.  I like the way the movie is shot from the victim's perspective.   Liv Tyler does an excellent job with this role.  The events in this film are based on a true story, a sad testament to the increasing random violence in this evil world we live in.
 
 
 
 
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Shutter (2008)
 
Starring: Joshua Jackson, Rachael Taylor, Megumi Okina
Plot:  Ben gets a great new job in fashion photography.  He and his new wife, Jane, leave for Japan immediately following their wedding.   On the road to the honeymoon cabin in Japan, Jane swears that she hit a young girl on the road.  Ben was sleeping at the time, and doesn't recall any of it.   They are excited about their new place, a big empty studio redone for them to live in while Ben works.    As Jane looks through some photos taken during their honeymoon, she notices ghostly trails in the pictures.   Ben's studio assistant who has some knowledge of spirit photography urges Jane to see a local man has written a book on the subject.   As the problem escalates, Jane becomes increasingly more curious.
My thoughts:  There are some legitimate scares in this one.   As the cover suggests, this is in the same vein as The Grudge, The Ring, etc.. the Americanization of Japanese (or at least Asian) horror.   Some gags are overdone, but this is a good creepy film.  Nice twist that I'll admit took me a minute.  All in all, not a blockbuster, but certainly worth a look.
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Mind Warp (1992)
aka "Brain Slasher"
 
Plot:  In a post-apocalyptic world, it seems that Judy (Marta Alicia) has become bored with the only reality she knows.  A machine called "Infinisynth" sends images and experiences directly into her brain via serial port at the base of her neck.    Her mother is happily hooked in next to her and tells Judy to relax and enjoy it.   After a discussion and warning from the system operator, she is taken off the system.   She awakens to a nightmare.   Her mother is dead and Judy is blamed.   She is exiled to the outer world, which is now an apocalyptic wasteland.    She is rescued from cannibalistic creatures known as "crawlers" by Stover (Bruce Campbell).   Stover shows Judy just how shitty the outside world is and together they overthrow the evil ruler; Judy's dad.
My thoughts:  As post-apocalyptic worlds go, this isn't horrible, but it isn't great either.   As always, Bruce Campbell carries this movie.  If you are a hardcore fan, this is tolerable, otherwise, save your $2.00 rental fee and get something else.
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