The Exorcist

I am doing my film critique on “The Exorcist” which was directed by: William Friedkin. This movie is about a 12-year old girl Ragen, who all of a sudden starts acting really weird. Not only did she start changing they way she acts, but she even started changing the way she looked. It was just like evil things were happening to her. Over time she starts losing control and becoming violent against other people, its like she loses her temper. Ragen’s mother start worrying, and contacts a priest to help her. The main characters are Ragen, Father Dyer, Father Merrin, Sharon, and the Psychiatrist. In this movie the director evokes horror in many ways, first of all the theme is terrifing, I think everyone can feel fear from the thought of the devil possesing your body. Second the effect and acting were super well done, and the way the people act after gettign possesed was extremely terrifing. He also uses creepy music and scary shots. Like open space, slow pans, and shots from behind the person making you believe something else is in the shot. I think its scary that its based on true story, and that exorcism are real. Not only that but I think any religious person could have a problem with this movie, and get really creeped out. I think personally the scaries part to watch was the part with the spinal tap in the hospital. This movie is not only scary becasue of the severe and scary scenes and acting, but the whole part that it exorcisms exist. I think that is what really scares people. Its a disturbing thought and if you believe in the devil this movie could really freak you out. I honestly dont think I would change this anything, this movie was so well made and acted it made it seem almost plausible. I was definalty horrifed and had nightmares for a long time so the director did a fantaztic job at making his audience feel scared.

The Exorcist

I am doing my film critique on “The Exorcist” which was directed by: William Friedkin. This movie is about a 12-year old girl Ragen, who all of a sudden starts acting really weird. Not only did she start changing they way she acts, but she even started changing the way she looked. It was just like evil things were happening to her. Over time she starts losing control and becoming violent against other people, its like she loses her temper. Ragen’s mother start worrying, and contacts a priest to help her. The main characters are Ragen, Father Dyer, Father Merrin, Sharon, and the Psychiatrist. In this movie the director evokes horror in many ways, first of all the theme is terrifing, I think everyone can feel fear from the thought of the devil possesing your body. Second the effect and acting were super well done, and the way the people act after gettign possesed was extremely terrifing. He also uses creepy music and scary shots. Like open space, slow pans, and shots from behind the person making you believe something else is in the shot. I think its scary that its based on true story, and that exorcism are real. Not only that but I think any religious person could have a problem with this movie, and get really creeped out. I think personally the scaries part to watch was the part with the spinal tap in the hospital. This movie is not only scary becasue of the severe and scary scenes and acting, but the whole part that it exorcisms exist. I think that is what really scares people. Its a disturbing thought and if you believe in the devil this movie could really freak you out. I honestly dont think I would change this anything, this movie was so well made and acted it made it seem almost plausible. I was definalty horrifed and had nightmares for a long time so the director did a fantaztic job at making his audience feel scared.

Fear Dot Com

1. Fear Dot Com is about an ex-doctor, who creates website/web cast of him torturing his victims. A detective has been working on the case for quite some time. Another twist falls into play, whoever goes onto the website dies two days later. Director: William Malone

Act 1: The detective works on the "ex-doctor" case. A German guy gets a arrested and has a nose bleed. Later that day he is found dead in a puddle of blood. Blood came from his eyes, nose, and mouth. The detective went to crime scene and found a dead German girl in a tub. Her eyes, nose, and mouth also bled. He met an anthropologist at the crime scene. The anthropologist looks under the tub and finds a camera that reveals some useful information of what had happen.

Act 2: The detective and the anthropologist discover the website/web cast "Feardotcom.com". They also realized whoever views it dies two days later from their fear. The detective and anthropologist start a fling between them. The detective views the website and realizes where the "ex-doctor" is. Later on the anthropologist views the website and then goes to catch the "ex-doctor".

Act 3: They find the "ex-doctor" and stop him from murdering his victim. The detective killed the "ex-doctor" by showing him his website.

2. Main Characters: Detective and Anthropologist , Detective: (male) tall, brown hair, muscular, flirtatious with the anthropologist, daring, curious, determined , Anthropologist:(female), very long dirty blonde hair, very curious, flirtatious with the detective, tall, intelligent

3. lighting- use of shadows, dark room with only a few things lighted.. Angles/Shots: zoom in on the character's reactions, quick shots of two different actions but somehow connnected Ex: Detective at the station, girl freaking out in her house, house looks like a hurricane went through, she's writing numbers on the floors and walls, detective on his way to her house. (back n' forth shots)

4. Serial Killer is an ex-doctor who now tortures women. Concept/Storyline: anyone who views the website dies two days later from their greatest fear. Symptoms: bleeding from the eyes, nose, and mouth. Ex: a businessman is afraid of car crashed, his views the website, later on he starts to see a a little girl with a white ball and his nose starts to bleed. After the two days, the businessman dies in a car accident.

5. I would probably clarify teh two conflicts, it seemed almost like it was one movie but with two plots/conflicts, it kinda showed they were connected but you don't realize it until near the end of the movie. I would just simplify the connections a little bit.

Shaun of the Dead

CHARLIE BROWN

1. Describe the general plot of the film—a breakdown of what happens in Act One, Two, Three. Don’t forget to include the title and director!!

In the film “Shaun of the Dead” (Directed by Edgar Wright), a British man working a mediocre job is forced to save his loved ones during a zombie crisis. It’s a parody on all zombie films preceding it, namely “Dawn of the Dead”.

In act one, we meet Shaun and his two roommates. His best friend is a slacker who can’t pick up after himself and their other roommate wants to evict him. At the end of a day, it is revealed that the stern roommate (Pete) has been bitten by a mugger.

Act two begins the next day when Shaun and his best friend (Ed) are confronted by zombies, including Pete. They decide to go to the local bar, but must first pick up Shaun’s mother and girlfriend. The rest of the act details the group trying to survive. The climax occurs when Shaun and his girlfriend are just about to escape the scene for good, but must leave Ed behind, who has been bitten.

In the final act, Shaun and his girlfriend stay together, and the outbreak becomes successfully contained. Ed, who is a zombie, lives in Shaun’s shed secretly and they play video games together daily.

2. Describe the main characters.

Shaun is a lazy, but nice, middle class Englishman working a lousy job and not really enjoying life.

Ed is a slacker/marijuana dealer for a living who plays video games all day and contributes little to no money monthly for the rent.

Liz (Shaun’s girlfriend) is also relatively poor and is growing tired of Shaun’s lazy antics.

2. Describe how the director evokes horror-visually (camera moves/angles, lighting, etc) Give a specific example from the film.

More thought was put into the comedy aspect of this film rather than horror, but the director used some classic horror techniques to sharpen the horror edge of the film. Like in the scene where we find out Pete is a zombie. Shaun is going through the medicine cabinet, and when he closes it, we can see zombified Pete in the mirror. Classic.

3. Describe how the director evokes horror-conceptually (storyline, characters, conflict, etc) Give a specific example from the film.

Conceptually, the film is as expected. A zombie movie. Nothing really stood out in the story of the film that relates to horror. Zombies are taking over suburban England. That’s the extent of the conceptual horror aspect.

5. If you were directing this movie, what would you have done differently? Why?

The only thing that irked me was the direction given to Simon Pegg (Shaun) in the scene where his mother is turning into a zombie. It’s too long and dramatic for a comedy, and I could only think “Get on with it” while it was happening.

Nightmare on Guillermo's Street

Nightmare on Elm's Street Directed by Wes Carven

1.- Nightmare of Elm's Street is about a child molester who was killed by a mob of parents who lit the house where he was hiding in fire, and now he is back to take revenge on the parents by killing their kids in their dreams.

Act one is mainly the development of the characters and Freddy Krueger's entrance to the plot.

Act two consists on Freddy Krueger haunting the kids on their dreams and preforming his revenge, this also involves the kids telling the parents what they've been seeing but no one believes them.

Act three is when most of the kids have died and this is when finally the parents begin to tell the kids the truth and the origin of Freddy Krueger's powers.

2.- Nancy Thompson: is Freddy's last person who he needs to kill to complete his revenge, therefore she became the last person who knew Freddy's Secret.

Freddy Krueger: is a child molester disfigured by a fire, he stalks his victims on their dreams and he uses a glove armed with blades on the finger tips.

3.- The way the director evokes horror is through visual effects of the difference between the dreams and reality in contrast with what the victim is seeing and the people out side the dream are watching, For example when a girl gets attacked by Freddy, the director shows Freddy attacking her and on the other side he boyfriend watching her getting killed and thrown around the room by nothing.

4.- Conceptually, the director evokes fear on the viewers because the way Freddy's victims die, it's on their dreams, when they are the most vulnerable, and throughout the movie the characters become unable to tell when they are awake to when they are asleep.

5.- If I had changed anything from this movie, I would've made Freddy Krueger victorious, that would make him the ultimate horror villain.

Why? Because there are very little horror films that the evil triumphs, and with invincible I mean that I would've made the kids unable to defeat him in the end.

Resident Evil

1) Resident Evil, Directed by Paul Anderson.

Act 1: A women named Alice, wakes up in a mansion with total amnesia. No sooner than she wakes up, the the house is stormed by troopers who force her down a secret elevator into a facility known as The Hive, which is owned by the Umbrella Corp., along with another one of her Co-workers, named Matt, that she remembers, and who also has amnesia. The Troopers' job is to disable the facility and report back what happened to HQ. They reach the mother computer and turn it back on.

Act 2: The group comes across a survivor but she attacks them… After firing several rounds the "survivor" is not dead and more start pouring into the room. They group attempts to escape the zombies and make it back to the surface. Along the way Alice and Matt begin remembering what happened at the facility. It is also revealed that the zombies were created by a virus known as the T-Virus, which was somehow released into the vents of the facility before lock down.

Act 3: Matt remembers that he is the one who tried to steal the virus and also who released it in the facility. After remembering that, Matt abandons the group heading for the train, which is the only way out. However he is ambushed by a mutated creatures and is killed. Meanwhile Alice struggles with the remaining survivors to escape the facility. After a narrow escape of the facility, Alice is then captured by more Umbrella officials. She then wakes up on an operating table with no one around. As she wakes out of the building a newspaper flies by with the headlines "The Dead Walk", she then grabs a shotgun and the movie ends.

2) Alice, until she remembers whats going on, is sort of a damsel in distress… It is up to the marines to do all the fighting. Matt, is self-centered and greedy. He cares nothing for the other group members and only looks out for himself.

3) The main thing that is scary about this film is the feeling of hopelessness… Such as numerous occasions when the team is surrounding by the hungry walking dead.

4) It seemed to me that the Zombies always knew where the team was… For example the teams goes through the sewers to avoid the zombies crawling in the hallways… But what'a ya know… As soon as they are in a one way hallway… zombies start pouring in from all directions. If I were directing this… I would have changed that.

The Exorcist

Although the Exorcist is a very old movie so its special effects aren't the best it still portrays a very scary concept. For example the make up that they used for Emily Rose was extremely corny, but it shows just how scar the whole idea is.

The plot of this is film, is that a normal family goes through the worst experience ever. The little girl get more and more sick with her possession. Finally they get a priest that does exorcism to exorcize the little girl, which concludes in the exorcists death.

The main character is Emily Rose, who is a typical girl that just moved in to her new home, gets possessed by the devil. The second main character would be the priest who does the exorcism. He puts in as much as he can to exorcise her, while dealing with his own at home problems with his mom, which the devil who exorcised Emily mocks. He ends up getting possessed himself and jumping out of a window to kill himself.

The director does a really good job with this movie, in the possession aspect. Especially the shots where her bed is thumping up and down really hard, and where she can not control her body violently going up and down on her bed.

If I were to have directed this movie I would not have done much different, except for the special effects seeing that it was made a few generations ago.

nowhere

Greg Araki's teenage apocalypse movies are a horrifying trilogy of youthful abandon and the end of days. 1997s Nowhere is a stylistic and sexy look at the terror of existence. The third and last entry into the apocalypse series is it the most bizarre. The two before, Totally Fucked Up and The Doom Generation gradually decline into the weirdness of Nowhere.

The horror of Nowhere is derived from the style. The film opens with Dark, our protaganist (among a cast of dozens) in the shower. It is only recognizable as a shower from the noise of the water running. Dark is surrounded by a world of white. He fantasizes about his lover, his crush and his fetishes. It has something in common with the most important shower scene on film, Psycho. Only when his green-faced mother burst in she degrades him for masturbating instead of stabbing him to death. Dying of embarrassment rather than blood loss.

Now we see the real world of the movie. Dark stands in his blue room, wearing an American flag towel a mural of a man with a revolver to his temple covers one entire wall. This movie is a bit exaggerated. The acting is over the top. The doom is ever present. He gets a call from his promiscuous bi-sexual lover Mel. She and her silver-tounged, blue-haired bitch girlfriend Lucifer pick him up and take him further into the world of the movie. They drive past a bloody car wreck, an unrecognizable human form reaches at them, they're unfazed. Now we happen upon Dark's crush, a shy green and blue eyed gay classmate named Montgomery. He waits by a bus stop the reads "GOD SAVE ME". The only innocent character in the film.

They arrive at their breakfast nook, a punk peach pit. Then we are bombarded with nearly every character in the film. An endless line of gay hardcore musicians, bubble gum wrapper bimbos, braceface geeks, surfer dudes, teen idols. By the time we make it to the twin brother and his lover we can't even remember who his sister was. they stand on a boardwalk having their fortunes told. "Death" the gypsy tells them, "Cool!" he ecstatically replies before sucking his girlfriend's face. A pair that only appears in the movie to have sex and cut each other.

Then we are taken back to Dark. Our anchor in this madhouse. He waits at a bus stop, three metal-mouthed, loud-mouthed valley girls chat incessantly next to him. "Who's sleeping with Tomás?" Across the street an anthropomorphic lizard aims a ray gun at them. Dark struggles to turn on his camera but by the time he gets it, ZAP. Their retainers lie melting to the bench.

I could go on describing the film as it goes. The horror of the film is its environment. The world is falling apart and these teenagers don't notice, too wrapped up in their own personal lives. This movie is a horror movie about our futures, the world is going to end but will we even take notice?

28 Days Later Critique

1. 28 Days Later was released in 2002 and directed by Danny Boyle. A man wakes up in a hospital after being in a coma for 28 days. He walks around London which seems to have been deserted for quite some time now. Then encounters a crazy person covered in blood with fire red eyes. The chase begins and the man runs threw an abandoned gas station until he meets up with two other survivors named Selena and Mark who save him. The man with no name then explains who is and it is reveled that his name is Jim. The three of them go to Jim's house to see if his parents are still alive. They aren't. Then they get attacked by zombies and Mark gets infected. So they have to kill him and move on until they meet up with a man named Frank and his daughter Anna who have fortified themselves in threw apartment complex. They decide that they must travel together to find food and water and a new shelter. Eventually Frank gets infected by one of the zombies and he is shot by marines who have come to rescue them. They are then taken to a mansion in the country side. Anna becomes depressed and Selena and Jim try to comfort her and they end up becoming a family. Then the marines try to kill Jim and rape the girls. Jim ends up killing all of them with the help of the zombies and saves Selena and Anna. Then they escape and get to a cottage in the country side and wait for the zombies to starve to death.

2. Jim starts not knowing what is going on but by the end becomes a leader for the other survivors.

Selena at first is only concerned about herself and doesn't care about the other survivors because she thinks there going to die. But by the end she loves Anna and Jim.

Anna starts off as more of a childish character but after her father dies she grows up more.

Frank is a father figure to the entire group and its heart breaking when he dies because he is keeping everyone together.

3. The director evokes horror into the film by making it seem like no one is going to survive because the zombies are crazy and they run really fast and vomit blood every where. The film is more disturbing than it is scary.

4. I wouldn't change any thing because this movie is fantastic.

Changeling.

1.The film Changeling, directed by Clint Eastwood, is an eerily haunting story about Christine Collins battle with the LAPD to recover her kidnapped son. The police returned a boy that is not her own, and the movie delves into a gruesome story of what really happened to unfortunate Walter Collins

2. Christine Collins : The protagonist. She is a single mother living in Los Angeles. Her son Walter is kidnapped and the plot of the movie is her frantically searching for him. She is persistent, held together, and very strong. In many cases she is horribly brutalized by the police and these experiences only make her grow as a character.

Captain JJ Jones: He is the police man who oversees the Collins case. He is shady, and self centered, and also is very dangerous if one goes against him. In the beginning of the film he is a protagonist, but as it progresses his role very clearly morphs into an antagonist force working against Christine Collins.

Gordon Northcott: He is the antagonist in this film. This man is sadistic and twisted. He kidnaps children, keeps then in a chicken coop and then brutally murders them. This character is terryifying and completely evil.

3. Clint Eastwood used camera angles very affectively in this film. In the horror scenes he shot from the perspective of the trapped children, stuck in a chicken coupe. He also used a shot of the bloody axe swinging down into the camera, but made it not stereotypically horror, instead it is just sickening.

4. The storyline itself is rather horrific, honestly it is a worst nightmare situation. A kidnapped child is taken and brutally murdered, while the police all along are insisting that another random child is in fact that missing boy.

5. If I were directing this then I think I would have spent more time on Walter himself, so that the viewer feels more of an emotional connection to him when he disappears.

Oh, The Horror!

For your first film critique of the year, you will choose a horror film and dissect it for it's horror-evoking qualities--both visually and conceptually. Please find the critique template by clicking onto our class website and downloading the file, "filmcritique1". You will be posting your critique on this blog! Feel free to attach a screenshot from the film or a link to the trailer!
Enjoy....Wa ha ha ha ha!!!