I Saw The Devil

I heard about Korea's I Saw The Devil sometime last month, and I've been dying to see it ever since. It's not being released on dvd to the US until later this spring, so I was heartbroken thinking I would have to wait so long to see it. However, thanks to Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo, and a good friend, I was able to get my hands on the South Korean released dvd.

It was worth the wait.

This was a beautifully horrifying film. It exposes you to the darkest depths of humanity and holds nothing back.

The plot is rather simple. A serial killer takes the pregnant fiancee of a secret agent as his victim. He finds out and takes his time exacting his promised revenge. It's brutal and fun to watch this demented game of cat and mouse.

This was wonderfully directed and filmed. Aside from being a fantastic horror movie, it's also a very well made and legitimate film. It seems like the plot is will be more straight-forward than it actually is, and keeps you guessing until the end.

It had me reacting verbally many times, yelling out "Oh man!" as you straight up watch some one's head get caved in with a metal pipe. Like I said, it holds nothing back. Like some of my other reviews, I'm not going to give away any major plot details, as this is an amazing film you should see. If you can take it.

I'll leave you with this... The taxi cab scene is pure brilliance. One of the best shot and overall made horror film sequences I've ever scene. You'll know what I'm talking about when it happens. If you can take shocking films, get your hands on this one as soon as it comes to your country.

Shock or not? Shock

Film: 5/5
Shock: 4/5

I Spit On Your Grave (2010)

Growing up as a young boy in New York, I never thought the day would come where I would find myself laughing heartily while I watch a man be fed his own penis. However, thanks to the remake of I Spit On Your Grave, that day has come. This was one of the most outrageous films I've ever seen. The writer and directer got decidedly creative with how our lead character would exact revenge on these bumbling hicks.

It's a pretty simple story, a female author takes a trip to the country to spend some alone time writing, and also apparently drinking, and smoking weed. Apparently she is the only woman to travel to this part of America in the past 20 years and the local hicks decide they need to take full advantage of this. Putting it as kindly as I can...they raped her. After an agonizingly long sequence of this, she jumps into a river just as they are about to kill her. She can apparently hold her breath for hours because they wait for her to pop up down stream, but she never does. So these hicks, the town sheriff included, go back to their regular lives of watching tv and whittling pointy sticks.

Turns out she survived and has been in the forest for a month surviving on God knows what and somehow got herself a new pair of clean jeans and a shirt. Anyways, she comes back and starts messing with the hicks, and then captures them one by one and tortures and kills them in ways similar, but far worse, than how they tortured her. This is where the film just got hilarious. The most outrageous acts I've ever seen on screen happened here. Including what I mentioned in the first sentence. I had also never seen a man be raped with a shotgun until I saw this movie. That was a new one.

Don't ever see this, unless you're like me and can handle it. Even then, it's not really worth it unless you've had a few drinks.

Shock or not? Shock

Film: 2/5
Shock: 4/5

We Are What We Are (Somos Lo Que Hay)

To be honest, I'm not sure if I've really been introduced to the Mexican horror cinema. Well, it was worth the wait. We Are What We Are was a wonderful way to begin our relationship.

This is a beautiful and dark film about a family of cannibals. Yea, I know what you may be thinking, "flashes of Texas Chainsaw Massacre." and you can go right to hell. Just kidding, but really, We Are What We Are rewrites the entire playbook on the cannibal genre and I couldn't be happier about it.

I'm going to do as best I can to not give away too many details as this is another great film I want people to see.

This film accomplishes the often difficult task of making the viewer cheer for the bad guy. As this family hunts for food of the human variety, I found myself feeling bad when they failed.

This film is gruesome, gritty and all around dark on all levels. It has a wonderful and steady build that leads to a fast-paced and intense climax. I'm not going to tell you what happens because it is all too fun to watch it unfold. Just get your hands on it as soon as you can. You won't be disappointed.

Shock or not? Shock

Film: 4/5
Shock: 4/5

Rubber

Where do I even begin with a film like Rubber? A tire named Robert who possesses the ability to blow things up with telekinetic powers.

Just let that marinate in your brain for a bit.

You may be thinking, "Why?". I have a simple answer for you: No reason.

This entire film is a self-proclaimed "homage to no reason". It has the feel and style of the French art house cinema from the past, but mixed with a modern day look and dozens of exploding heads. It's as funny as it is bizarre and it's bizarreness is what lands it here today. It's not shocking the same way all the other films I've reviewed are. By now, we've all seen heads explode. That's no big deal. What is a big deal is that fact the what's making those heads explode is the telekinetic powers of a sentient tire. A tire that will kill anything or anyone to get to the girl he's fallen for. That's right, he knows how to love, too. He takes showers, he watches tv, and he explodes the heads of an entire family to do so. Robert the tire doesn't give a damn. Just get out of his way.

Then there's also the other story line that is a commentary on modern cinema audiences. There's a group of people with binoculars watching all of it with us. I'll leave what happens with them a mystery for you to enjoy. However, with one hint. It's the writer/director, Quentin Dupieux's version of "if a tree falls in the woods and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?". At least that's how I took it.

It's a very interesting film, full of laughs, confusion, blood and brains. Why did I like this film? No reason.

Shock or not? Shock

Film: 4/5
Shock: 4/5