Absintian's Horror Reviews and Thoughts

Ann is a social worker newly assigned to a family who has been on benefits for a long while. The adult son of the family is debilitated mentally, stuck in his infant stages. His Mother and sisters take care of him as any child would need to be. Ann’s goal is to assess Baby and find whether he would benefit from programs that could potentially assist him into society. When she arrives she is greeted calmly and well by the family. As she interacts further with Baby, she starts to fear that his mental disability may have outside sources.  Ann’s and Mrs Wadsworth’s relationship is the highlight of the film. With two great actresses together you can feel the tension between them. When Ann is attempting to show Mrs Wadsworth that Baby is capable of handling instructions to get a ball and toss it back to her. Now that Wadsworth is standing right there, the shifting camera from Baby to Mrs Wadsworth’s scornful gaze highlights what happens. Baby becomes reclusive again, ignoring Ann.  Baby is t...

The Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark books are the primary reason I like reading today. I would always check these books out any chance I could especially when I would be going to camp. The trilogy of books are collections of folklore, myths, urban legends and rhymes that were reimagined for easier reading without lessening the macabre themes. Add in a very talented artist to generate haunting ink drawings to accompany each story, a few of them even now I get chills looking at, and you have a classic anthology series.  When I heard that Guillermo Del Toro was going to produce a movie I was ecstatic. Guillermo has a talent for paying proper attention to what his source material is made of aesthetically and to use that for his films. Look at Crimson Peak for an example trying to bring out the classic Ghost story mixed with Italian giallo film. So if anyone could make a good rendition of the Scary Stories series it would be him. I’m happy to say that the crew hit that mark. With some sma...

Once upon a time in a Haunted house presents the story of an illegal immigrant taking a job at an unassuming home. She very quickly finds out that her job there is not a standard maid job and with her son in need of medical attention she will have to give the house what it wants.   The story plays out in a non-linear fashion, with the opening and closing sequences being a month after her arrival while the middle sections show us the day of her arrival at the house. The dark humor of the title cards adds a fun contrast to the film’s tension and oppressive themes. A moment of levity that doesn’t interfere with the overall tone.    The characters are all solidly fleshed out with only some small dialogue issues with a secondary character. The lead displays a good range from naive and fearful to seductive and predatory. We are given ample time within the short film to get to know her so her story is properly told. The clothing she wears and lighting on her to bring out her status within the...

After a zombie virus outbreak London is considered a no-man's land. The potential cure or way to stop the spread of the virus is found by a scientist who has holed himself up within London. A team of international special forces is sent in to locate and bring the scientist out so research can continue. They soon find the zombies are more than just learning, they have progressed to organizing into armies of their own and using weapons. The premise is good for a blood soaked action film with the use of both guns and martial arts. What we get is a wandering plot with action scenes that barely spark even a little adrenaline.    The characters are given such a small introduction it felt like the movie wanted us to sit back and not care about the character’s emotional well being. The creators had other plans. This movie wants you to care for the characters but without a lead in and time for us to bond with these soldiers this information came spoon fed in tangent scenes that only served ...

Larissa and Matt move into a new home to prepare for the arrival of their baby. The next door neighbors, a mother and her disabled daughter, are very reclusive but the couple do their best to greet them. Larissa begins noticing the neighbors acting very strange, especially Isabelle. The film focuses on Larissa’s growing paranoia as Isabelle always can be seen staring at her through her bedroom window, rightfully unnerving. When Isabelle begins appearing inside the house with increasing malice Larissa’s mental state starts faltering. The couple attempt to find out what is going on and whether Larissa’s fears are truly just her nerves or something supernatural. In most films involving paranormal events only one character ever experiences the lead is never believed or thought to be going mad. This film walks this line without fully diving into the trope. Matt thinks at first it is stress induced but realistically attempts to assist Larissa. He first asks the doctor for antidepressants, bu...

A group of investigators stake out a night within the Potter Street Station in Saginaw, Michigan. This is a documentary in the vein of Ghost hunters and similar shows but a full movie. The investigators split up to go into different locations of the station. This movie is a catalogue of their findings including some full visible apparitions and movements along with a decent amount of EVP. The editing is workable for a show like this but there are moments where an event would occur and the replays would be inconsistent. EVPs you may get a couple replays while a quick movement or apparition may get more to the point of redundancy. One sequence had something cross a doorway, there were 4 full replays with one of those zoomed in and slow motion. This was overly excessive and felt very much like a slog. Other sequences had an event occurring right during the cut, which supposedly if everyone had separate cameras and recordings we should have seen the lead up to the event which is important ...

IMDB Link Summer of ‘84 follows 4 friends; Davey, Tommy, Dale and Curtis whom are enjoying their summer. The highlight of their street is the nightime game of Manhunt. One team being hunters the others being the fugitives in a neighborhood wide game of hide and seek. During this game Davey notices a kid being assisted by his neighbor, Wayne. With Wayne’s good reputation as one of the town’s police officers Davey doesn’t think much of it. When a few days later the kid is not seen again and his picture shows up on a milk carton Davey suspects Wayne is the serial killer that was featured on the TV recently. While Davey’s obsession with conspiracy theories has made most adults not believe anything he says his friends believe just enough to help him spy on Wayne to find out evidence that Davey’s theory is correct. The characters work very well with each other, the group feels like a real group of friends with no artificial drama between them. Davey’s obsession is well built as a good reason...