BLUMHOUSE Brings Horror in a Collection

 

Jeri Jacquin

Coming from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment is a gathering of frights and evil with BLUMHOUSE OF HORROR: 10-Movie Collection.

Trying to survive a 12-hour night could only be a 2013 film called THE PURGE where James (Ethan Hawke) and wife Mary (Lena Headey) lock down their home and family. In that time murder is legal and the police will not help, and hospitals are closed if you do get hurt. There is no regulation and no punishment but the Sandin family believe they are safe. That is until one of the mask-wearing purgers manages to get inside their home and now they learn what it takes to survive.

Blumhouse starts their series of scares with the 2014 film OUIJA as the young girl Debbie (Shelley Hennig) suddenly dies and her friend Laine (Olivia Cooke) wants to find out why. When strange things begin to happen, she finds a Ouija board in the attic. Turning to Paulina Zander (Lin Shaye) who is in an asylum, there is more danger waiting for them all.

Also, in 2014 is another unusual twinge of scare with the film UNFRIENDED. Coming through a computer screen there is Skype talk between six friends about the suicide of Laura who had an embarrassing video go viral. As the evening goes on, the conversations between the friends starts to dwindle in number. Someone has access to Laura’s account

Do not think grandparents are left out of the horror genre because the 2015 film THE VISIT takes care of that! Becca (Olivia DeJonge) and little brother Tyler (Ed Oxenbould) are off to meet the grandparents for the first time as Mom takes a vacation with her boyfriend. Becca wants to make a documentary film about them. But these are not just any Nana (Deanna Dunagan) or Pop Pop (Peter McRobbie) – they have rules and not following them could get you, well, in a well deep of trouble. Becca goes looking for answers and what is in the basement is beyond anything they could have imagined.

THE BOY NEXT DOOR gives Jennifer Lopez a little fright on screen as Claire, a woman in the middle of a separation from a cheating husband. Her son Kevin brings around friend Noah but she already knows him. Claire teaches a Literature class that Noah attends. It is clear that the students has eyes for the teacher. After a night together and morning regret, Noah is not happy and in a vengeful mood, uses Kevin to do his dirty work. In more acts of revenge, Claire discovers that he is about to learn what happened to Noah’s family and realize he is never going to stop.

The most remarkable film came out in 2016 with SPLIT and it still freaks me out to this day! Casey is a young girl that does not stand out very much but after a birthday party, she accepts a ride home from Marcia. While waiting, a man takes out Claire’s dad and kidnaps the girls. In an underground place of rooms, Casey soon realizes she is not dealing with just one person but in fact several personalities that live inside one body. Dennis, Barry, Hedwig and more tell her about The Beast (all played by James McAvoy) warning of what it can do. Casey learns that Kevin Wendell Crumb is the person holding the personalities and so does his therapist Dr. Karen Fletcher (Betty Buckley). If Casey wants to survive, she must befriend the personalities to get her freedom.

Another original horror film is the 2017 film GET OUT as Chris (Daniel Kaluuya) is a little out of sorts knowing he is going to meet girlfriend Rose (Allison Williams) parents. All guys are a little nervous to meet the family but a little more so for Chris since he is African American, and Rose is white. He is introduced to dad Dean (Bradley Whitford) who is a neurosurgeon and mom Missy (Catherine Keener) who is a hypnotherapist. Almost immediately he senses something is not quite right, especially coming from housekeeper Georgina and gardener Walter. During a family and friends get together, Chris listens to the way people talk and after taking a picture, hears someone tell him to “get out”. Chris wants to get far away from these people, but it becomes clear that Rose’s family have other plans.

HAPPY DEATH DAY comes in 2017 and Tree wakes up on her birthday after a night of partying and deals with the aftermath of it all. On her way to another party, she goes into a tunnel where she is killed, but is she dead? The next day she wakes up, but everything is repeating itself except this time she does not go into the tunnel! That does not stop her killer from killing. She tries to tell her friend Carter and makes an attempt to consistency change events. It is time for her to take it one event at a time and reconcile it all before she is dead permanently. 

Oliva is talked into going with bff Markie to Mexico for Spring Break in this 2018 film TRUTH OR DARE.  They meet Carter who wants to play a game of truth or dare but it quickly turns mystic when warned they have to do what they are told, or they die. That’s when all hades break loose and the only way to make the madness stop is to return to the church where a demon lets them know there is no way out of the game. There survival depends on finding more people to play the game!

Horror comes home with the 2019 hit film MA! Sue Ann (Octavia Spencer) is asked by teen Maggie (Diana Silvers) to buy alcohol for her friends Haley (McKaley Miller), Darrell (Dante Brown), Andy (Corey Fogelmanis) and Chaz (Gianni Paolo) which she does. The next day she asks the teens if they want to use her basement for their little drinking gatherings. Thinking it is a great idea, they all go, and the only rule is not to go upstairs. But small things begin to happen to each of the teens, like missing items, so they break into her home are surprised to see Sue Ann’s daughter Genie walking around. They all agree not to go back to her house, but Sue Ann isn’t about to accept that. There is history here that starts to tell its own tale but not before there is revenge happening!

Universal Pictures Home Entertainment has just added an amazing film to their library and making it available for us to all experience and re-experience in our own home theaters. There are films of every genre available from scary to drama to family films. For more of what they have to offer please visit www.uphe.com.

MOVIES ANYWHERE gives viewers the ability to download the Movies Anywhere App. With that you can view films by downloading or streaming to your favorite device using a Digital Code. For more information on Movies Anywhere please visit www.MoviesAnywhere.com.

The Bonus Features include Featurettes, Deleted Scenes, Alternative Endings, Filmmaker Commentary and More Behind-the-Scenes!

The Directors of horror include Jordan Peele, James DeMonaco, Stiles White, M. Night Shyamalan, Leo Gabriadze, Jeff Wadlow, Rob Cohen, Christopher Landon and Tate Taylor.

The best part of this collection is that there is something for everyone. Different levels of horror, unexpected stories, originality, warped humor (which is a must for me in horror) and casts that carry films fright from start to finish.

If part of your home entertainment library includes a section of horror, and I have to ask ‘why not?’ if you don’t, this is a must have and will sit nicely on the shelf to come out not just for Halloween but any time of the year. So turn out the lights, curl up and prepare yourself for spine tingling action.

In the end – it is a binge of frights!

 

 

 

 

SPLIT Revisit Stellar Performances and Fright Now on Bluray!

Jenise Jacquin

This week on Bluray from director M. Night Shyamalan and Universal Pictures Home Entertainment is the fantastically creepy SPLIT.

The film star James McAvoy (be still my heart!) as a man who has several serious problems named Dennis, Patricia, Hedwig, Barry, Orwell, Jade, The Beast and Kevin Wendell Crumb. One day he kidnaps Casey (Haley Lu Richardson), Marcia (Jessica Sula) and Claire (Anya Taylor-Joy) taking them to a dark and dismal location. He kidnaps the girls with a plan but Claire is an extra not planned on. It is clear this man has a problem with girls and when they stick together against him; their main goal is to escape.

Claire realizes that this man has the voice of a young boy name Hedwig and tries to be convincing about the need to escape. It also becomes clear that this man is responsible for different personalities who have different agendas. One by one each girl tries to escape and their different tactics keep their captor on edge. What they don't know is that something sinister called The Beast is more terrifying than any of the personalities they have ever seen. 

McAvoy portraying all of these different personalities gives him the opportunity to cement his status as an actor. The most interesting thing about him is that he takes roles that are as equally diverse as the personalities in SPLIT (except perhaps not quite as frightening). I enjoyed the transition between the characters - from the sweet, helpful innocent to the creepy-man-next-door but what I loved most is the spots of 

creepy/mean characters, there are moments of compassion. Especially when he becomes Kevin because there is a moment where you feel for him and what he is going through. In the short time he is Kevin you feel his emotions down to the core and forget everything that came before it. No matter what he does he's a sexy man - call me!

Taylor-Joy as Claire is the character most involved with the splits. She is secluded and misunderstood even before she is kidnapped with the girls and is perfect for this role. It's a good life lesson actually for teens that you never really know what is going on. Claire is actually very smart but has been through a lot and does a great job of hiding it. Taylor-Joy gives the "weird kid" persona something to think about but in a calm, collective, peaceful and beautiful kind of way. You will see exactly what I mean from scene one!

Richardson as Casey was the reason Claire was in the car in the first place so we blame her for everything...period. Sula as Marcia is the follower and she had no guts so there isn't about to be no glory. Even when Claire tells her to stop putting them all in danger, Marcia just does what Marcia does.

Betty Buckley as Dr. Karen Fletcher gets a personal shout out from me. She kept all the characters in line and respectfully sought out to help each one individually. I believe her character is one that sticks out because her presence made me feel like I was in the film not just watching it. Buckley captures different aspects of film because it made me root for her who rooted for Kevin and the other personalities. She had a huge role in a way in how the character behaves because she calls him out when he tries to put something over on everyone. I just plain out enjoyed her performance. 

Other cast includes Sebastian Arcelus as Casey’s Father, Brad William Henke as Uncle John, Neal Huff as Mr. Benoit, Robert Michael Kelly as Joe, and Jon Rainey as Dr. Clerque.

Universal Studios Home Entertainment has just added an amazing film to their library and making it available for us all to experience and re-experience in our own home theatres. There are films of every genre available from scary to drama to family films. For more of what they have to offer please visit www.uphe.com.

I really think the film is as creepy, original, and suspenseful on Bluray as it was the first time I saw it on the screen. It isn't a bloody horror film but a suspenseful and smart telling of a man with a serious problem. The different ideas and characters always kept me aware but still creeped out wondering what was going to happen next and who is going to show up at the door - and when you are going to meet The Beast.

I'm making sure to leave tons of information out of this review because this is the film you want to experience for yourself and personally I hate when people give to much away - its more fun to discover the creepy within us all right? SPLIT will definitely give you just that and don't be in such a hurry to hit the stop button on your player because nothing is ever quite finished the way you might expect. 

The Bluray includes the awesome Bonus Features of Alternate Ending and Deleted Scenes with an introduction by M. Night Shyamalan, The Making of SPLIT, The Many Faces of James McAvoy, and The Filmmaker’s Eyes: M. Night Shyamalan. The Digital HD and Ultraviolet Watch It Anywhere gives instant streaming and download on your television, computer, Tablet and Smartphone.

In the end - Kevin has 23 personalities and the 24th is about to be unleashed!

Edited by Jeri Jacquin 

SPLIT Blurs Fantasy and Reality on DVD

Jeri Jacquin

On DVD from director/writer Deborah Kampmeier and Candy Factory Films is a look at the life of a young woman trying to mend from the SPLIT.

Inanna (Amy Ferguson) is a young girl living the life of a dancer at night and a performance artist in the day. She finds herself infatuated with Derek (Morgan Spector) a man who doesn’t realize she is a dancer in the club he visits.

Seeing Derek at rehearsal for a play by Athena (Joan MacIntosh), she realizes that he is making the masks for the show. Taking the opportunity to get to know him, it is instantaneous that he asks her to marry him.

Aware that Derek is an artist it is also clear he has serious insecurity issues wanting Inanna to stop being in the play. Believing that love should keep them together, Inanna allows herself to be disrespected at every turn. Even her friend Anja knows what is happening and tries to make Inanna aware of it.

But she has come to slowly realize that this play is something that is about to change her life but she must have the courage to embrace it.

Love starts with ones self!

Ferguson as Inanna is certainly a young woman who is trying to grow but her life is running in so many different directions. This actress shows every bit of the confusion on her face and eyes which is spectacular. I so appreciate her performance and as she awakens during the play, it is done elegantly and with heart.

Spector as Derek is an artist who has a clear vision of his work just not a clear vision about life, love and respect. I have to admit that if I knew someone like Derek I’d probably lose my mind. In his own swirl of darkness he seems complacent about what is happening to Inanna because to think he didn’t care would be almost cruel.

MacIntosh as Athena is a woman knowing that Inanna has the ability to bring ever bit of herself to a role that bares everything – literally. Her belief in this young girl grows with every moment of rehearsal until the opening night performance that is just amazing.

Mouglalis as Anja  knows that the life Inanna is a part of is not one she should be. Sharing her fears about Derek is absolutely what a friend would and should do and I applauded her doing just that.

Other cast include Fredric Lehne as Dave, Raina von Waldenburg as Iris, Antonia Hughes as Shelley, Jennifer Onvie as Lil, Sophia Oppenheim as Sonia, Rutanya Alda as Melissa, Samia Akudo as Mariama, Jason Alazraki as John and Richard Aldis as Gerard.

Candy Factory Films is a forward-thinking, filmmaker-friendly company dedicated to producing unique and compelling films. Candy Factory is at the forefront of a new vanguard reaching distinct audiences. With award-winning and acclaimed films across every genre, Candy Factory is committed to creating and fostering communities around independent and progressive cinema. For more of what they have to offer please visit www.candyfactoryfilms.com.

SPLIT is so many things in one film. It is the story of a young woman trying to discover her own potential, self worth and limits. Mixed in between that is that same journey of all the women of the show Inanna is in.

Take that harshness and wrap it up in the raw fear, frustration and longing of a theatre performance that brings all of these women together. With the music that is ethereal and moving, this film brings together every emotion that women try to hide.

Although there is nudity of the women performing, it becomes buried down the line of what the film is trying to convey. It is important to be aware of the nudity but do not let it sway you from experiencing the film. There is intergenerational and multiracial women of all different body types to be sure and that is absolutely worthy of kudos.

SPLIT is part of Kampmeier trilogy including HOUNDDOG in 2007 and VIRGIN in 2003. She is an award winning filmmaker and theatre director and has written/directed short films. For more of the work Kampmeier continues to do please visit www.fullmoonfilmsny.com.

In the end – she must claim herself!