Regression, 2015. 6/10

CONTRACTED 2013

So I checked out the first one. I've never heard of these movies and they both turned out to be pretty good. A young woman is raped at a party and infected with a virus that is rapidly decaying her body but she tries to hide the fact from her girlfriend who is dumping her anyway and her mother who thinks she's doing drugs again.

***This review contains spoilers***


The Boy (2016)

Not since last year's generic exorcism flick The Vatican Tapes have I had such low expectations for a movie. Its January release date, unflattering trailer, and awful director (William Brent Bell, director of The Devil Inside and Stay Alive) seemed to be a recipe for disaster. Maybe it's because my expectations were so low, but The Boy is actually a halfway-decent January thriller. The Boy is about an American woman, Greta, who becomes a nanny for a boy named Brahms whose parents will be away for a few months. What Greta comes to find out is that Brahms is actually a life-sized porcelain doll that is used to replace the real Brahms who died in a fire when he was 8. A list of rules is created for Greta to follow, and increasingly disturbing events start happening when she does not follow those rules. The enormous manor that she resides in calls to mind the mansion from The Innocents, creating an interesting setting for the film. As the film progresses, Greta does begin following the rules and treats the doll like a real boy, and it is pretty creepy seeing how the doll can mentally control her in that way. The plot itself is rather thing, specifically during the second act. There is an abusive husband sub-plot thrown into the film like last year's disappointing Sinister 2, but instead of being ridiculously over-the-top like that movie, the side plot actually does serve some relevance in The Boy and is believable enough. It provides a reason for why Greta becomes so attached to Brahms. The big twist at the end will divide viewers, but I thought it served the rest of the movie well. It is revealed that Brahms actually survived the fire and has been living in the walls ever since the incident, and the parents committed suicide and left Greta for Brahms. The fact that he's always in the walls listening and watching everything creates a creepy atmosphere. The Boy certainly won't blow anyone's minds, but it is a decent thriller that should give you an excuse to go out to the cinema in January.

6/10

Intruders starring Clive Owens, which was a lot better than I was expecting. Slow beginning, which pays off at the end; and the monster is genuinely spooky and unsettling.

Genesis, 1998. 10/10

yep, don't waste your time!!

Intruders 2016 8/10

Regression, 2015. 6/10

Saw this in the cinema when it came out, very dissapointing. Very interested in the Satanic Panic era but I felt this very shallow.

The Collector, 2009. 8/10




Inside, 2007. 9/10

"Jeruzalem" 3/10

A good story ruined by horrendous camera work. But that's to be expected from "found footage". The main character was quite terrible as well.