THE TAKING OF DEBORAH LOGAN

Directed by : Adam Robitel

Starring by: Jill Larson, Anne Ramsay, Michelle Ang, Ryan Cutrona

Millenium Entertainment

This movie should be play at Cinema last year but I don’t know what cause the delay so it just screened recently this year. The premise about "groups that examining old lady which had Alzheimer whose behavior was change very fast but it seemed something else is going on with her, something evil" made me thought to myself, woow that's cool stuff and I think the same thing as I felt that on Quiet Ones...some science thing that end up in horror ways...

This kind of movies usually put young girl to posses but I gave credit for this movie because they put old lady to be main character, which something risky for my opinion compared to what Texas Chainsaw did by putting good looking young girl to replace a-mature-woman-should-be to make the movie more interesting, but it did make the difference. Like any other movies that choose possession theme, The Taking used close shoot range style like what was on Paranormal Activity or Rec.

The plot was too pushy as well, as the group insisted Deborah Logan, the nice old lady that suffering early stage of Alzheimer disease, to be exam. First she refused but when Sarah, Deborah’s daughter, urged her mother to accept the money that offered to prevent their house, the story finally begun. 

Deborah was showing some bizarre action that state as normal thing by Dr. Nazir, personal physician, for someone with aggressive form of Alzheimer, but the cameramen Luis was the only one who noticed that Deborah’s act was beyond normal explanation and concern that something natural takes part.

As a movie that showing logic, it’s funny to see how Mia and the other were busy to find Deborah that missing from her room in the dark. And they're doing it couple times, they done it again when they seek for Deborah who disappeared from her room at hospital. 

Normally when people freak out about missing something or somebody they should be put the lights on before started to seek but in order to make the movie more terrified I thought they deliberately let the lights off. The close range shoot was also became the element of surprised because we don’t know what could be appeared close to the characters.  

Things became tense when Luis and Gavin record Deborah speaking in French while sitting on her old switchboard about sacrifice and snake, and the line of 337 that continually rings belongs to local physician named Henry Desjardin, who disappeared after series of cannibal ritualistic murder of four young girls. Deborah’s action that became extreme and violent forced them to put her in hospital.

While Deborah taking care at hospital, Mia and the other discovered Desjardin was doing ancient demonic ritual that took five girls to accomplished to make him immortal. Unfortunately, he just got four before he disappeared mysteriously after that. They suspected Deborah was involved in something that make Desjardin disappeared. 

Sarah could be his fifth victim but before he accomplished his mission Deborah killed Desjardin first and his ghost is been haunting her now. They also found out that Deborah case actually similar to what happened on the possession case at Africa and the witch doctor there ends it by burning the kid’s corpse with fire. So Sarah started to look where her mother burry Desjardin.

In the hospital, Deborah succeed to abduct Cara, a cancer patient young girl, and take her to the location where Desjardin murder all his victims in previous time. It’s cool to see when Mia sees Deborah trying to eat Cara’s head in snake-like manner, showing that the demons inside Deborah is actually what they thought about that African’s ancient demonic ritual that includes snakes. Before they succeed to burn Desjardin corpse to ends the demonic act, Deborah was able to killed Chief Police first. 

In the end it shows a footage of Deborah that couldn't send to trail because she’s not in perfect health and how the cancer patient young girl became heals perfectly, there’s no surprise when Cara ends the scene with weird smile that told us that Desjardin finally able to control her, but how can he do that because he didn’t finished the ritual, wasn’t it? 

And that was when I thought about the Chief Police that got killed because she’s young and she’s must be virgin as required by the ritual...she’s the fifth victims and the mission accomplished...  

7500

Directed by : Takashi Shimizu

Starring by: Leslie Bibb, Ryan Kwanten, Amy Smart, Jamie Chung

CBS Film

Airplane crashed…

The director choose a very hot topic for this year movie according what had happened in a past few months with the missing of Malaysian Airline MH370, the shot down of MH17, the tragic accident of Air Asia QZ 8501, and the newest from German Wings. And we surely want to know really what happened during the accident in some heavy equipment that they always call a safer transportation tools compare to others.

The scene start with a heavy turbulence in the air which shaking everyone inside, then the calling from the tower for the flight 7500, which remains me of what happened with QZ 8501, that had no respond but noisy sound and hissed of a weird noise like ghost. After that it moved backwards from the event that occurred four hours before the shaky turbulence did happened…the gathering of the passengers before the plane take-off.

The flight 7500 was departing from LA to Tokyo and took passengers which had their own secret, never crossed in my mind that something like that could happened but it absolutely right, I never thought of anyone else when I took a flight but I believe they had their own problem or secret life that similar to flight attendant Laura who got secret relationship with the Pilot Captain, Pete who’s married, or couples like Brad and Pia who had secretly broken up their marriage, or like newlyweds Rick and Liz who supposed to have their sweet times of honeymoon but Rick had a little problem with the perfectionism Liz that sometimes snob him, or like Jake who live his nice life as a surfer but had a profession as a thief in order to support his hobby, or a young woman Raquel who looks single but when she entered the plane toilet she had pregnancy test on her, or the gothic girl Jacinta who looks stupid with her looks but on the other hand like books and had super quotes for life and death, or like Lance, the businessman who obviously got he’s own secret with strange wooden box that didn’t let anyone, including the flight attendant, helped him carrying it.      

Well, the four leading actresses had act in a horror film before this, Amy Smart (as Pia) in Mirror (2008), Jamie Chung (flight attendance Suzy) in Sorority Rows (2009), Scout Taylor-Compton (Jacinta) in Halloween (2007), and Leslie Bibb (flight attendance Laura) in Trick or Treat and I said the board scene floats perfectly well because it’s not too fast, as only for the bridge before the plane start to fly but explained the detail character of the passengers with easy-going style.

 The quiet planned disturb by the riot when Lance suddenly had panic attacks and blood come from his nose. The businessman shaking very hard and weirdly so Laura asked for a doctor from passenger on board to help. Brad who had paramedic helped her but Lance can’t manage it and died. The situation on board became gloomy but Captain Pete decided not to land the planned but continued the flight plan to Tokyo. Therefore the flight attendance move Lance body to First Class upstairs, and move all the First Class down to second class downstairs.

In this movie passengers and flight attendance were shown going downstairs and entering flight deck but as you know, actually, flight deck on 747 is on the upper floor, not down floor. I don’t know what the reason of level change here but my best guess is a lot easier for the crews to build first floor as the center of the activity and the upper floor as lower activity, instead of the other way around. Logically, it’s easier to build up rather than down.

The turbulence that make Lance panic came once again, Laura who realized that the cabin pressure had dropped from plastic water bottle that collapsing try to warn passenger to buckle up and seat tight but it happened so fast and not entirely passenger back to their seat at that time. By sudden the turbulence shakes very hard and make oxygen mask dropped. The shake seems almost crashed the plane but finally the pilots could take control of it.

After the heavy shake, the terrors start to occur. Passenger begun to disappeared strangely, Liz saw the Lance appearance on her laptop screen, Jake who saw the dead man alive when he takes Lance’s Rolex watch – when the dead body turned around when Jake took a picture on a selfie cam, I think that’s cool – Raquel who being dragged down into the toilet, Jacinta who had experienced pulled blanket when she got sleep make some of them realize that something going wrong in the plane after Lance death. They decide to investigate who Lance was and take a look what inside the man’s box.  

They found out a shinigami doll inside the luggage. Jacinta inform the group that the doll is a being that collected people’s souls after they die, but only if they let go of whatever is holding them to this world. From the woman’s hair that also found with the doll, they suspect Lance bring his victim on the plane so Laura decide to find the dead body from the luggage compartment in the below section.

The coolest thing about this movie is we never know when the death comes, but when it came on us we suddenly realized that anything we do in earth today is no longer important because the beauty is about to come and if we're not ready to accept the death itself, we could end up like poor Liz at the end of the scene who’s being left behind in empty plane room for she’s not ready to face death and let go whatever holding her in this world, as she said before to Jacinta that she's not expecting death could happened in her life at that time… 

HORROR HOUSE

Directed by : Nayato Fio Nuala

Starring by: Betrand Antolin, Masayu Anastasia, Stuart Collin, Tatiana Sivek, Kimberly Rider

My Dream Picture

 The first thing I’d seen when I watched this movie was who write it, and turned out that Erry Sofid was the one. And I said to myself, Horror House would be a good one because I knew him and had seen several of his work on TransTV programs. Perhaps I didn’t know him closely but we had something in comment because we like horror so dearly and he once writes at the same book title Sell Your Soul, the anthology book that brought my name as writer. I often heard his fans gave a nickname for him….Prince of Darkness…if I’m not mistaken. When I heard that name I thought he was some kind of super hero or something like that that fight criminals in the middle of the night…hahaha…

It started with Samara, a girl who lived in small apartment in the center-town, who often experienced strange things. I thought the changes face of hers becoming skull or screaming ghost on the mirror was cool. But sorry, Mr. Sofid, I already knew Samara is a ghost just in five initial scenes. I don’t know if it because I’m too often seeing horror movie or what…but the way Samara neglected by her waitress-friend or customer on the café was the same moves as Malcolm Crowe had experienced at Sixth Sense. Perhaps, if you’re not describe it to obvious on the elevator scene, when Samara get down with two girls who by suddenly smell something rot near them, I didn’t had something to convinces my guesses even more.

The terrors were not terrorizing Samara but Nadine as well, the girl who planned to be married with Terry. She believes Terry was perfect man to be her husband. That’s why she set the wedding preparation very properly in order to make that day as a moment to remember for the rest of their live.  Again, when Terry brought Nadine to dine at the café…I got hunched that café was the place where Samara works. In the middle of the movie my hunched was right…the café was just not the place where Samara had work but also where she meet Terry because he’s some kind of regular customer there.

A new resident by name Yuda came to that apartment. The photographer had just lost his girlfriend who committing suicide so he’s on a deep grief at that time, and he’s the one who could see Samara. They become friends because she keeps asking help to him, such medicine to cure her bruises…something that definitely funny because girl usually a good medical storage…but that’s probably a key to make them close. And it’s very typical expression looks by the apartment owner when he saw Yuda and Samara talked to each other…it probably something I will made as well if I wrote this story…

It bothers me a bit to find that Samara gets disturb by rot smell that came from her apartment. Maybe it’s trick from the writer to skipped viewer’s attention that Samara was ghost, because it doesn’t make any sense ghost would sense something like that…besides she’s the one who told Yuda that she smell something rot from the shed inside her apartment.

Yuda that being visited by Nadine, who wanted to hire him as photograph on her wedding day, helped to check it out, together with Nadine. Nadine finally found out a photo frames which shown Samara and Terry together, on the other hand Yuda was shocked to see the real Samara lying dead in the fridge. The ghost of Samara who didn’t realize what had happened in her world can’t believe her eyes and get hysterical but she vanished right away.

The apparition was shown very often in this movie, I can’t remember anymore where there lies, but it’s quite like what Erry Sofid did…sit a little and you will haunted till you scream…I can’t catch impression to make me remember what scene is the most powerful beside the rapid shocking, which bores me the later. The story’s simple and cool…the picture also cool…but I don’t know…to be honest I expected more than any of these…nevertheless yeah, it’s a fine movie if you want to watch Indonesian horror movie…it’s a good one compare to Bidadari Pulau Hantu or Taman Mayestik

WOMAN IN BLACK 2

Hammer Film

Directed by: Tom Harper

Starring by: Phoeboe Fox, Jeremy Irvin, Helen McCrory, Adrian Rawlins

This is the first movie I saw in 2015. So I expected to be something tremendous as I had with Paranormal Activity, The Marked One, which became my first at 2014. Something funny realizing that the main roles in this film were also the cast on Harry Potter sequel, as Daniel Radcliffe starred at Woman In Black (2012). Helen McCrory (Jean Hogg), as Narcissa Malfoy, and Adrian Rawlins (Dr. Rhodes), as James Potter.

The rain of bomb in London forcing Eve Parkins gathering her schoolchildren, especially Edward who had lost his parent, with the headmaster evacuate to the countryside town and taken by Dr. Rhodes to Eel Mars House. Turn out that she found many odd things in the house, besides the nightmare she had, Eve also heard some weird noise from the cellar which apparently came from rocking chair, a message that scolding her mistake of letting her baby’s go few years ago, and seeing a woman dressed in black, who vanished in no time.

The strange things keep happening when Edward experienced apparition from the ghost after his friends lock him up in the nursery room. And on the next morning, the boy who bullied Edward was found dead on the swamp. The odd continued when Flora try to kill herself by strangled her own neck and finally died by gas mask. The situation get chaos and the two teachers realized they had to leave the house to the air force bunker with Harry Burnstow, the young pilot who runs air-base decoy.

The black-dress lady ghost kept following them and taken Edward back to the house, Eve who finally realized that the ghost look after for her also returned to the house to set the boy free. Did she manage to do that? I think you should watch the movie…

But I’m afraid you’ll be disappointed if you expecting something special in this movie. I watched the first Woman In Black, and though I don’t had chance to write the review but I still remembered that movie leave me no impression to be reminded. This movie solely relies on jump scares to scare the audience. It works sometimes but it gets a bit repetitive and predictable, such as the scene of a nurse who carried a baby, I knew somehow it would turn change to something horrible and it did…

The message was clear, The Woman In Black wanted Eve to suffering the pain of watching Edward died in the swamp, just like what happened to Alice Drablow who watched her son, Nathaniel died in the swamp as well. Turn out that Jennet Humpfrye, the mother of the child she adopted, killed her because of the hatred she carried. It’s no make senses to me, maybe it’s because I just don’t understand, why the Woman In Black had to be Jennet Humpfyre instead of Alice who made suicide.

There almost no mistake in this movie, except for the black out in the cellar which supposed to be light up the torch instead of the matches, and the stared played efficiently at their part. If you want to watched this movie, I think you better be put low expectation and preparing yourself for the mediocre taste.   

BIDADARI PULAU HANTU

Directed by: Gobind Punjabi

Sutradara : George Hutabarat

Starring by: Mongol, Gian Subianto, Khadijah Syalimar, Vitalia Shesya, Nadia Zuhra, Cariesta Maya, Albern

Alasan saya menonton film ini karena Mongol merupakan Comic favorit saya sewaktu dia masih di SUCI (Stand Up Comedy Indonesia) dan film ini merupakan film horror pertama buat dia. Ingin tahu bagaimana perannya dari comedian ke sebuah film horror yang nampaknya merupakan film horror serius, bila dilihat dari penampilan covernya.

Dan memang film ini film horror serius sementara kehadiran Mongol disitu sekedar untuk memperiang suasana, malah sebenarnya menurut saya banyak dipaksakan sehingga kehadiran Mongol sebagai makluk transgender yang berprofesi sebagai perias make-up disitu sayangnya tidak banyak menolong sebagai bagian dari film horror.

Berkisah tentang sepasang kekasih, Evan dan Gesti, yang pergi ke suatu pulau untuk melakukan foto pre-wedding bersama sahabat mereka Roman (fotografer), Remi (penata rias), Vidi (sepupu Gesti), dan Tilda (sahabat mereka semua). Keberangkatan ke pulau itu menjadi momen sendiri untuk menampilkan pose-pose seksi tiga artis bertubuh bagus itu di atas yacht namun bukan itu yang saya tunggu…

Kemunculan hantu perempuan pembawa clurit banyak diumbar di seperempat bagian awal, mulai dari mimpi Evan, mimpi Vidi, lalu ketika Evan dan Gesti mengambil foto di berbagai lokasi yang ternyata diikuti dengan kemunculan hantu wanita itu di setiap pose. Sesuatu yang menurut saya diluar pakem karena hantu di film ini keluar siang hari. Tapi rasanya terlalu banyak sex talk di film ini. Saya bukan orang yang menghindari sex talk dalam cerita tapi rasanya saya mendengar terlalu banyak dan rasanya hampir membuat perut saya melilit karena bertanya-tanya apakah tidak ada topik lain yang bisa dibahas anak-anak muda keren ini selain sex? It sucks and boring…

Beberapa aktivitas juga tidak pas, misalnya seperti adegan memisahkan diri dalam kelompok untuk mencari teman yang hilang. Itu terjadi dua kali, pertama saat terpisah dengan Roman di sebuah taman mereka mengatakan akan membagi dua kelompok untuk mencari Roman, Vidi dan Evan di satu kelompok sementara Remi, Tilda, dan Gesti di kelompok lain. Vidi dan Evan mencari tapi kelompok yang lain malah duduk-duduk di taman dan bergosip soal Evan dan Vidi, sekedar menjelaskan ke penonton bahwa Evan dan Vidi pernah punya hubungan. Yang kedua, di malam hari saat mencari Roman yang kedua kali karena dia belum kembali ke bungalow. Kali ini yang mencari Evan dan Tilda, sementara Vidi, Remi, dan Gesti di kelompok lain…yang lagi-lagi hanya kelompok Evan dan Tilda yang mencari tahu namun kelompok yang lain malah tinggal di bungalow, tidak ikut mencari, dan hanya bergosip soal Evan dan Tilda bahwa keduanya suka berhubungan seks. What a waste…

Aktivitas yang tidak pas lainnya bisa dilihat saat Vidi dan Remi istirahat di speedboat setelah lari-lari ketakutan meninggalkan Tilda, bermaksud pergi dari pulau dan ternyata malah bertemu dengan sosok hantu wanita berclurit. Mereka yang seharusnya ketakutan setelah kabur dari tempat itu kemudian di adegan berikutnya malah memunculkan adegan berenang di pantai dan keduanya nampak tertawa-tawa senang. Sungguh jeda yang sangat panjang menurut saya…atau justru mereka bisa mengubah ketakutan dengan hebatnya dalam hitungan detik?

Beberapa kebocoran di gambar juga terlihat. Terlihat ada orang lewat ketika adegan Roman menguntit Jessica yang akan mandi di laut padahal digambarkan dalam cerita bahwa mereka hanya sendirian di pulau tersebut. Lalu saat adegan dimana Gesti masuk ke kamar, menangis karena cemburu melihat Tilda dan Evan (yang baru pulang setelah melakukan pencarian) ternyata bergandengan tangan. Saat adegan itu kamera melakukan panning pada Gesti, ingin menggambarkan bahwa ada hantu masuk ke dalam kamar itu dan ternyata memang dugaan saya tepat karena detik berikutnya Gesti berteriak-teriak ketakutan, namun anehnya saya melihat bayangan si cameraman muncul di dinding….   

Kalimat yang tidak pas juga muncul, masih berlanjut di adegan saat Gesti yang ketakutan keluar dari kamar dan menghambur ke pelukan Evan. Bukannya histeris pada hantu, Gesti malah memberi kalimat yang menurut saya absurd, “Kamu nggak ngapa-ngapain kan sama Tilda?” Man, dia baru ketakutan melihat hantu dan yang terlintas di pikirannya apakah calon suaminya ngapa-ngapain sama sahabatnya? Kalimat yang parah ini membuat saya maklum saja mendengar beberapa pemainnya salah menyebut nama, dua kali nama Roman salah sebut menjadi Ramon….pertama kali oleh Albern, pemerannya sendiri saat dia menantang si hantu di pantai, yang kedua oleh Evan di adegan akhir saat meninggalkan pulau dengan speed boat.

Saya mengacungkan jempol pada pembuat efek yang bisa membuat jari Evan dan Gesti benar-benar ‘hilang’ setelah di potong Jessica. Evan di jari kelingking dan jari manis tangan kanan, sementara Gesti ibu jari tangan kiri. Tapi sayangnya kontinity yang bagus itu sedikit ternoda oleh telinga Evan yang masih utuh padahal Jessica jelas-jelas memotongnya sebelum melakukan adegan potong jari sementara darah sudah membanjiri kerah leher Evan di bagian sebelah kanan.

Dan pada akhirnya, rasanya saya sudah terlalu banyak mengkritik film ini, saya bingung kenapa tokoh Jessica harus dimunculkan dalam cerita? Memang tujuan karakter ini mungkin membalaskan dendam kakaknya yang tewas dibunuh saat pre-wedding di pulau dan menjadi hantu gentayangan supaya tiap calon pengantin yang mengambil foto pre-wedding di tempat tersebut mengalami nasib naas yang sama, tapi kenapa tidak menyerahkannya kepada si hantu itu sendiri? Kenapa harus ada Jessica yang membunuhi Evan cs satu persatu?

Tadinya saya berpikir hantu itu muncul hanya sebagai penampakan saja sementara tokoh antagonis yang berperan sebagai pembunuh brutal adalah Jessica, tapi ternyata apa yang saya pikirkan tidak sejalan dengan ceritanya karena ternyata hantu itu membunuh juga…dia membunuh Vidi saat berenang di kolam renang bersama Remi…tapi mirisnya hanya satu korban saja…sementara yang lainnya dibereskan oleh Jessica sehingga kesan brutal dari si hantu berkurang…hanya mampu membunuh satu korban saja…

Pada akhirnya, menonton film ini, bukan cerita seru, efek mencengangkan, atau adegan menyeramkan yang saya dapatkan, memang ada pesan moral yang bagus dimana kalau kita menikah sebaiknya harus jujur pada pasangan sebab pernikahan merupakan sesuatu yang sakral, bila dimulai dengan kebohongan maka akan berakhir tidak baik. Namun sebagai film horor, film ini lebih banyak menawarkan pemandangan indah, baik pemandangan pantainya juga gadis-gadis bertubuh sintalnya…jadi bila ingin mencuci mata saat nonton horror silakan memilih Bidadari Pulau Hantu.  

OUIJA

Blumhouse Production

Directed by: Stiles White

Starring by: Olivia Cooke, Ana Coto, Douglas Smith, Darren Kagasoff

Well, I watched this film at Malang when I had my Book Talk Show, after having the event we goes to the cinema; me, my writer-friend Novan, and my cousins Mia and Tata. Too bad our friend Nadya decided to go back to Jember so she can’t come with us…we don’t understand why she prefers Jember than us…but it’s your lost girl hehehe..

A little bit confuse between Interstellar or this film, but finally we pick this one because the showing time was match for our next schedule to go to Batu, and I shout to myself, Yeeeeeaaahhh, I could make preview for this film at no cost, finally…hehehe…other reason why I want to see this film, tough it only get mediocre rating, it’s because I also make horror comic with the same title this year…    

It opens with two little girl, Laine and Debbie, playing the board. Debbie give three rules for playing it safely, “Always remember the three rules: Don’t play the board on the grave, Don’t play it alone, and always say good bye…”. The frame dissolved to present time when Debbie grown up as teenagers and picked up by Debbie to come to school event. Debbie acting weirdly and make Laine wonders. The opening scene ends with Debbie committing suicide by hanging herself in the house.

Debbie’s death shocking her friends, especially Laine, and curiosity drives them to investigate her death. It leads Laine to invite other to make contact to Ouija board and asked how’s she could died. The contact made them linked to spirit with initial D.Z and Mother that keep following with terror everywhere they go with a message, “Hii Friend…”

I have to raise my thumb because this film give the shock that make audience yell or terrified until nearly half periods of it without performing the ghost appearance at all. The first look of the ghost happened when Laine see through the glass of oujia tools. A ghost with stitched at her mouth and angry old woman that thrown up everything. From the play that they’re doing at Debbie’s house, spirit that haunts possessed and killed them one by one.

To solve the problem, Laine try to find out who D.Z, the girl that named Dorris Zander, is which bring her to mental institution to meet Doris cousin, Paulina Zander. She said that the spirit become stronger if they not release the stitched on Dorris mouth, so they have to open it. It turns out that Paulina and Dorris was the true evil and Mother just try to stop them, stitching Dorris mouth to hold evil comes out from her.

The coolest thing from the open word of little Debbie is it turns out that she’s playing the Ouija on the grave, which is the house that become the grave of Dorris Zander, and playing it alone, perhaps the adult concept that avoiding superstitious childhood that believe Ouija board is a real supranatural board. So, she broke two of the rules that she said herself…

How’s the end? I think it’s better if you watched it on your own, tough I realized some of you who like horror movie probably could guess the ends easily, but I do like the final scene when Laine putting a dental floss to her mouth that make all audience sight, “YYYYAAAAAHHHHH….” Because it remind them at the scene when Isabella get killed. The girl was having her mouth stitched by dental floss also.

It’s good to see Olivia Cook’s act, after she’s having a good one on The Quiet Ones as Jane Harper. My friend, Novan, said Olivia's face was like Indonesian horror actress that often get main character, Julie Estelle and how come he’s hoping Pulina Zander not died because she’s the prettiest one?  

Likewise, I saw some clumsiness on this film, at the opening scene when Debbie was about to get suicide, she drags string of light from her bedroom and how come the light still on after she pulled it and used by her as a hanging tool. The string of light also remains on its original location at every next scene when Laine entering Debbie’s room couple of time. And just take a look after Debbie closed the back door. She jumped out to hear the sound of stove that turning on by itself. The show it’s from above with a kettle next to it, but when the girl turned off the stove, the kettle was on top of the ring.

My cousin, Mia, was a doctor gives a comment about the needle that was used by Dorris spirit to stitch Sarah’s mouth is way to big than normal surgery needle. The shape is just like that, fishing angle similar-like, only smaller. And that leads me to other thought, it's impossible for Laine to open the stitched because Dorris had died many years ago. Human lip was part of the skin that surely rotten and decompose, therefore the thread must be released itself according to time….  

Onward, though we’re having good times and laughing this film together, the rules to playing safe has to be considered, “Always remember the three rules: Don’t play the board on the grave, don’t play it alone, and always say good bye…” So I say it now unto you….Good Bye….

DRACULA UNTOLD

Legendary Picture

Directed by: Gary Shore

Starring by: Luke Evans, Dominic Cooper, Sarah Gadon, Charles Dance

“What do you think if we go out and see the Dracula?"

She smiles and nodded and we go out tonight to see the movie. It’s a date….only two of us…father-daughter date. It’s not common for us to go along just both, usually there are four of us but this moment was special and the moment of our date would be last in my memories.

It’s not pure horror movie, I know, but it’s good for her because I’ve promise not to take her to watch horror movie till she’s twenty years old…ddooogghhh…what an old fashion father…and you may asked, how come you recommended other people to watch horror while your daughter couldn’t. Well, I said it’s my part being a good and descent father but I know my heart was trembling and pounding to ask her out to watch good movies like Conjuring or Insidious…but kids always astonished you, right? And she also done it when she say, I already watched Final Destination, and you know daddy, my friend that can’t stand to watched asked me how the characters got killed.

My ooo my…ok, stop for the moment and I shall write my opinion for Dracula Untold…

As we know the first story of Dracula was spread  by Bram Stoker. And I admire unfinished love tale behind the story between Count Vlad and his wife, which from that he chase Mina who’s engaged with Jonathan Harker, his notary’s fiancé.

Dracula Untold takes same character which is Count Vlad and same location on Transylvania. The kingdom of Translyvania lies between Turkey and Europe so when the Turkish want to spread their empire to the land of Europe they have to pass Vlad’s country. Actually, Vlad is close friend to Mehmet, the Sultan of Turkish, but ambition made Mehmet put away their relationship and pushed Count Vlad to provide him 1.000 boys of Transylvania to be Mehmed’s troops, includes Vlad’s son.

Vlad against Mehmet’s command and murder Mehmet’s man in brutal fight, so he realized that he need more power to battle the Turkish that has large number of troops. During his searched he finds Vampire, the curse human that being manipulated and deceives by Evil which changes him into horrible looks but has tremendous power for the Vampire could defeat one battalion of Turkish soldier alone. The deal with vampire is made and Vlad gets the power he seeks. He crushed thousand men that send by Mehmet to destroy Vlad’s castle and it was then I see visualization of “The Strength of a Thousand Men” from the song I’ve always play when I writes.

The difference from Stoker, Vlad in this film get his power from other Vampire while Stoker clearly said that Count Vlad was the first Vampire on earth when he’s blasphemy God for losing his wife that make suicide because she thought Vlad was killed on battle. So there’s another vampire before him…hmmm…I think it’s ok…so be it…

The scene increase by tension when Transylvanian were mobilize to safer place and Vlad had to battles the Turkish that comes in bigger amount of troops, this time with Mehmet with them. The visualization was awesome. I’d like the scene when Vlad control thousand of bats and make them to fight Turkish in such demonic ways. Though Mehmet told to close the eye of his troops but bat attacks was surely something that couldn’t handle normally. But the best scene for me is when Vlad jump down to chase Mirena that fall from high tower. And dramatically he failed to save his queen though he got inhuman power that makes him capable to do anything most man can’t do.

Full with rage, Vlad raising Vampire troops from Transylvania’s people who were dying and gave them blood of he’s to drink. I’m not quite happy to find how easily Vlad control the sky and nature in order to hold the sun from rising just to make his troops invaded the Turkish. One hundred thousand Turkish troops against ten hungry Vampires, you’d sure know who wins.

And the last scene, again, make me unhappy to find that Transylvanian troops of Vampires disobey Vlad. The Count can’t control his own people from eagerness to dessert his son. Contrary from Stoker, Count Vlad has total dominion over his follower and found out how three vampirellas on Dracula Castle had not killed Jonathan Harker because the Count said them so and it happened when Count Dracula was not around because he’s on his journey to England to find Mina Harker.

Overall I think this film was OK. It’s good to watched if you want to know more about heroic side of a Vampire before he turns into pure evil, and Hollywood was a master to make something grouch turns nice…the evolution of a Vampire from Bram Stoker Dracula to Twilight and now to Dracula Untold has prove it. Cheeks surely couldn’t resist the handsomeness of Luke Evans, are they? But I’d found out single mistake of continuity on the scene when Mehmet falls to the ground after Vlad defeated him and bites him, there’s no blood or puncture wounds on his throat, just take a good look at it…       

ANNABELLE

New Line Cinema

Directed by: John R. Leonetti

Starring by: Ward Horton, Annabelle Walis, Alfre Woodard

I’m doing different ways for this movie because the continuity of Conjuring must be treated in differently, and this time I hold my opinion on my blog till almost everyone in Jakarta watched it then upload it later on the third weeks from premiere. How did I know everyone in town had watched? Well, I dont ! I'm just patronizing but anyway, Annabelle attracts many people to go to the cinema in tremendous way, even for people who hates horror…perhaps it’s the real story behind the doll. Nevertheless many of them criticized this movie as dull, boring one, and it lacks of good effect for it depends on shocking scene or loud noise. Well it’s normal because audience expected something as good as Conjuring, so they make comparison of both unfairly.

Funny to found out that the main star of this movie was also has a name of Annabelle…Annabelle Walis as Mia. The film started with early scene which taken from Conjuring when three friends are being haunted by living doll Annabelle. But I lost the scene where the doll gives the three that word of ‘Miss Me’ thing. From there it goes backward a year later in 1967 when couple of John and Mia encounter terror on their neighborhood, Higgins family was slay and Annabelle, the Higgin’s daughter, and her boyfriend that becomes follower of an occult sect attacks Mia inside her house. Annabelle died by police shoot and her blood cursing one of Mia’s dolls which would be possessed by Devil.

The terror in Mia’s house didn’t stop, it almost kill her with burning house or appearance on basement storage and Mia was aware that it caused by the doll which followed her family anywhere. The terror keeps playing even until the baby’s come. What the ghost of Annabelle had done by look over the baby, playing with the baby, throwing the baby with books from the shelf lead us to think that the baby is being hunted by Annabelle ghost…to be honest I also think that Annabelle make baby Leah as object for she wanted to trade place with human as Chucky did…but I totally wrong for the soul taken desire…

John and Mia asked help from Father Perez to deal with the possessed doll, it was unusual for horror movie for couples easily to believe that their partner got troubles with supernatural thing, usually they think their partner went nuts so they took a shrink to face the problem. Instead, the devout Christian John believe his wife and go to Father Perez which also mention a little about Ed and Loraine Warren as couples who helps church to deal with demons, from there he was attacked by the demon. Father Perez realized that the demons not targeting baby Leah because the soul that sought by the occult sect should be submitted voluntary so he warned John about Mia. Did John succeed to save his wife? I think you should go out to cinema to check it for yourself…

But still there’s some scene that begs question for me, like when Evelyn jumps from the window where John and Mia has live it turns out that it was on top floor meanwhile on the scene where they move to that apartment Mia often heard a noise of people who lived among them. Is it some mistake? Or is it something to scares audience by occupants of the upper floor that are not exist. Pitty, the trick isn’t works because I know most people not thinking about non existence occupants. The scene which might be seeded as a top scene where little Annabelle ghost turns to adult ghost after bumping the door is also not so special for me…if I have to choose I’d rather like lift scene when she couldn’t get away from basement floor even though she had pushed the knob three times.

Still there’s wrong continuity where Mia was handles by the creature on basement after she pulled the blanket inside trolley. It obvious that it was on the back of her hand but how comes the symbol scar marked on front side of her hand?

There’s missed continuity at the scene when the priest take photo of Mia and baby Leah, he hold camera in horizontal but at the last scene where he give Mia the result of photograph he’s been taking earlier it shapes vertically. And how about the boy and the girl that Mia meets on stair? John asked to look after for them because they’re doing creepy picture but they’re not follow it up and we don’t know whether both kids are real kids or just another appearance to scares Mia. The scene was just become some patch of the next scene which didn’t have any correlated at all.

Last scene that bothers me is when John brings Mia food to home. She chooses pickles and French mustard which sealed. She opens the pickle jar but not doing the same thing with the mustard but the next thing you know she picked one pickles and dipping it to the mustard, that supposed to be closed.

Well, though this film has many disturbing scene and rather slow in pace but I think it’s ok to be watched if you want to see how demon experience describes as real as possible. There will not always be floating chair or stabbing knife but you will experience whispering voice or weird appearance of thing that goes for itself. 

So, if you interested to know more it just click @ The real story of Annabelle the doll

Which make me think there would be a sequel for Annabelle because I, and you probably, want to know what happened to the nurse who got the doll as present from her grandmother before it end up in Warren’s drawer, don’t you think so?