Loosely based on a (supposedly) true story, When The Lights Went Out is a British horror written and directed by Pat Holden. It tells the story of the Maynards, a young family who move into their dream house in West Yorkshire, only to find themselves terrorised by a poltergeist. With the ghost taking particular interest in 14-year-old Sally, parents Len and Jenny soon find … [Read more...]
ParaNorman (2012) review by That Film Guy
Following on from the success of Coraline, Laika Studios have released an original film directed by Chris Butler and Sam Fell entitled ParaNorman. Using the same stop-motion methods of its predecessor, ParaNorman is a pastiche, satire and homage to 1960s horror films and the John Hughes films of the 1980s. Originally pitched to Disney as an idea, it was eventually created by … [Read more...]
The Evil Dead (1981) review by That Film Guy
In 1979 fledgling film-maker Sam Raimi and his long-time friend Bruce Campbell set about making a low budget horror film. Visiting drive-In cinemas across America, the two began looking into the audiences for horror films to see exactly what they wanted. With this knowledge they began work on a film entitled Within the Woods. A a short film that followed a group of four friends … [Read more...]
Red Lights (2012) review by That Film Guy
Following on from his praised work on claustrophobic thriller Buried, director Rodrigo Cortes helms Red Lights, a supernatural thriller. Paranormal activity debunkers Dr. Margaret Matheson (Sigourney Weaver) and Dr. Tom Buckley (Cillian Murphy) travel the US investigating fraudsters who take peoples money by pretending to be in touch with spirits. Having never found any proof … [Read more...]
Poltergeist (1982) review by That Film Guy
Toward the tail-end of the horror genres heyday in the late late 1970s and early 1980s came a film with quite the production dream team. Poltergeist, directed by The Texas Chainsaw Massacre supremo Tobe Hooper and produced by Jaws' mastermind Steven Spielberg attempted to give the haunted house sub-genre a new tentpole. In many ways they suceeeded, as Poltergeist took over … [Read more...]
Review: Paranormal Activity 3 (2011)
[pullquote cite="" type="left, right"][amazon text=Amazon&template=carousel&chan=that film guy&asin=B005A5YYUM][/pullquote] In March 2005, Katie (Katie Featherston) discovers a box of videotapes belonging to her grandmother that she leaves in her sister Kristi (Sprague Grayden) basement. The next year, after a burglary the tapes are stolen. The audience is then … [Read more...]
Review: Paranormal Activity 2 (2010)
[pullquote cite="" type="left, right"][amazon text=Amazon&template=carousel&chan=that film guy&asin=B004EMS0XO][/pullquote] Paranormal Activity was a sensation upon release in 2009. Off a shoe-string budget of $15,000, Oren Peli was able to create a terrifying ˜found footage' film that drew on the mega-success of The Blair Witch Project and move the horror zeitgeist … [Read more...]
Review: Paranormal Activity (2009)
[pullquote cite="" type="left, right"][amazon text=Amazon&template=carousel&chan=that film guy&asin=B0030IMZ3O][/pullquote] In 2007, director Oren Peli, on a shoe-string budget of $15,000, created a found footage horror film called Paranormal Activity. He, like so many film-makers had struggled to find someone to take a chance on him and distribute the film. … [Read more...]
Review: Field of Dreams (1989)
[pullquote cite="" type="left, right"][amazon text=Amazon&template=carousel&chan=that film guy&asin=B00E20372C][/pullquote] Films, as a medium, often invite you to suspend your disbelief about events, characters and stories that are sometimes beyond the realms of understanding or possibility. These can be fantasy, science fiction or comic-book in nature, and … [Read more...]