Ok. A classic in the wake of the Jaw's phenomenon. I like the leads in the movie. They are both pretty funny characters. The female lead is a tough and sassy, but maybe a little oblivious. The male lead is a dunken mountain hermit, with a heart of gold. They play like this dude is completely isolated, but he has a daughter that he has enrolled in summer camp. Well, at least she is isolationist like her daddy. She is a total outsider at the camp, who hates murky water. This will come in handy when the man-eating fish come her way.
The movie starts out in the only way it could. A couple of horny hikers come upon an abandoned government outpost in the woods. They decide to go for a dip and become quick fish food. The two leads end up looking for the lost kids, and unknowingly flush a bunch of genetically altered piranhas into the local river. They then eat their way down stream.
One great part about this, is that the two leads, along with the mad scientist go down river Huckleberry Finn style.
- A brand new river fun park knows the piranhas are coming, but decides to roll the die with if their guests will be attacked (spoiler: they do) - the main way to kill these things are to poison the water, undoubtedly killing everything else in the water with them.
The effects are iffy, but this film has heart, so it is definitely recommended! Also, directed by Joe Dante of Gremlins and The Howling fame.
Resolution
This was a great little Indie film distributed by Tribeca Films. Stumbled upon it on Amazon Instant Video so you can check it out there. The premise seems simple, but this one is far from straight forward. A low life junkie sends a video to one of his only friends as a cry for help. The friend decides he is going to make his buddy quit cold turkey, so he heads into the boonies to hand cuff him to the wall and force sobriety.
While there, weird stuff starts happening, as the line between reality and hallucinations becomes blurred. Something keeps leaving clues and "stories" on outdated media such as records, slides, old reel film, and even cds! This movie is really great and a definite head trip. If you are looking for blood and boobs, skip this one. But if you want a little intellect with your horror, give it a watch. The other thing I really like about it is that the characters are very critical of what is going on. They ask all the questions you would be asking at home.
Tucker and Dale vs. Evil
You can watch this one on Netflix or Amazon Instant. I have heard about this one for a long time and finally decided to watch it. Tucker and Dale are two lovable hillbillies who are mistaken for killer rednecks by a bunch of obnoxious college kids. As the misunderstandings keep happening, the body count increases just as fast.
This is a horror comedy that really hits on all levels. Really smart writing combines with gore to make this a really fun ride. Alan Tudyk, Tucker, and Tyler Labine, Dale, each feel really at home in their character's shoes. The kills are great, and most of the jokes work. The ending gets a little long in the tooth, but other than that, this is a recommend for sure!
The Horror Show
I watched this because The Displaced Kentuckian said it was sweet. Well, it is in its own way, but I won't be rewatching it anytime soon. I actually find this movie's background more interesting than its plot. It is brought to us by the producer/director of Friday the 13th. Also scored by the same composer as Friday the 13th. It came out the same year as Wes Craven's Shocker. Both of these movies have the same basic plot: murderer gets the electric chair, but instead of dying, he turns into metaphysical/electrical energy. Then, outside of the states, this was marketed as the 3rd sequel in the House series of movies.
This came out about 6 months BEFORE Wes Craven's Shocker, but that doesn't matter, as it is very derivative of Wes Craven's masterpiece, Nightmare on Elm Street. The bad guy, last name Jenke, which makes for an odd name to be repeated so often, has really crazy eyes and a very annoying laugh. But he kills by getting into your head and spouting off quips. Sound like Freddy? Yes it does. Lance Henrikson is just over the top as the hard boiled cop who is being tormented by his enemy.
This just feels like a way to make money more than anything, as it has almost every annoying horror trope. Overall, skip it and watch something better. Caught this one on Netflix.
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