A Frightday Night Film Recommendation: Girl House (2014)

Masked Slasher Flicks…

You know I dig ’em…

And…

If you dig ’em too…

Man…

You’re definitely gonna dig this one. 

This one comes from Jon Knautz, and Trevor Matthews, the creators of one of my favorite 21st Century Cult Classics, Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer…

What this multi-talented creative duo did with their cheesy 80’s throwback, Jack Brooks…

And then again with their sophomore effort about demonic possession, The Shrine…

Is…Put a whole new spin on a relatively tired genre…This time around they took a crack at the masked slasher genre…

Traditionally, sex has always been a part of the masked slasher film…But sort of in the background though…As the masked madman preys upon horny young people…Usually while they’re getting it on…

But in Girl House…

Sex is in the forefront of the story…

And is, in many ways, the driving force of the fast moving narrative…

In the opening scene…We get a kick-ass back story for our antagonist…One that shows the origins of both his vulnerable, sexually insecure side…As well as his violent and viciously malevolent side…

Then we meet our protagonist…College student, Kylie, as she moves into a place called Girl House…An online experience where users get to watch the women that live there 24/7…With 50 different camera feeds…Millions of internet users log in and watch something that resembles the TV show, Big Brother…

You know…

If it were X-Rated…

This film is slick, fast-paced, and yet somehow, it doesn’t rush the necessary exposition required to make us feel for the characters…

And that’s when these slasher films really work…

When they make you like some of the characters…

For me…

The fear that comes from watching a character that you like being stalked by a killer is way more visceral than one that you feel nothing for…

And this film…

In all its gory glory…

Hit all the marks needed…

To make it a masked slasher flick…

That I highly recommend…

And…

That I look forward to watching again.

Girl House is currently airing on the Showtime network…

Next airdate: SHO BEYOND
Thursday, Feb 2 at 2:30 AM ET/PT

Or it can be rented for $3.99 on Amazon

 

A Frightday Night Film Recommendation: The Expelled (2010) – A Masked Slasher.

Nuthin’ like a masked slasher flick…

 

They’re guaranteed to liven up your Frightday Night…

 

Especially one this good…

 

This British slasher film also known as F…Was written and directed by Johannes Roberts (Storage 24, The Other Side of the Door)…And he tells us a twisted tale of political correctness and excessively empowered youth gone wild…

When English teacher Mr. Anderson gives a student an F, and shines a bit of a spotlight on his lack of intelligence…That student retaliates with a head-butt to the teacher’s face…

How the school administration handles the situation has a more devastating effect on the teacher rather than the extremely violent student…

The roles of victim and attacker are transposed in this politically correct landscape…

And their decision seems to shape the events of the film which primarily take place eleven months after the initial incident…

The teacher has become a beaten-down, pathetic drunkard of a man…

Who in the aftermath…

Has lost everything worthwhile in his life…

Wife…

Daughter…

Self respect…

And now, he is completely obsessed with student on teacher violence…

Trying relentlessly to convince the entire staff of the school to be prepared for the onslaught that he is predicting…

They collectively write off Mr. Anderson as a drunken crack-pot…

But as a gang of masked murderous miscreants descend upon their school like armed ninjas in hoodies…

It looks like Mr. Anderson was right all along.

 

The kills in this high-intensity slasher film are brutal, but often not shown…

 

But when the results of these attacks are revealed, it showcases some kick-ass practical effects…

 

If you’re in the mood for a slasher film tonight, I highly recommend you watch The Expelled…

 

Available for rent ($1.99) at Amazon.

A Frightday Night Film Recommendation: Tiger House (2015) – A Home Invasion.

If you’re a fan of home invasion films…

 

Like I’m a fan of home invasion films…

 

Then you will enjoy this home invasion film.

 

This film was a joint venture between the UK and South Africa…Not only was it co-produced, but while the film takes place in Surrey, England…It was actually filmed in Cape Town, South Africa…

Director Thomas Daley makes his feature film debut with this tale of home invasion gone wrong…Kaya Scodelario (Skins, The Maze Runner series) plays Kelly, a girl who sneaks into her boyfriend’s window to secretly spend the night…Unfortunately, of all the things that this young girl was expecting to happen…She wasn’t expecting four masked gunmen to take her boyfriend’s entire family hostage…

Now, this set-up is a bit played out, and I won’t deny that it is by no means a perfect film…

But is that really what you’re looking for on a Frightday Night?

A perfect film?

What are you a member of the Academy of Motion Pictures?

No…

You’re a horror fan…

And horror fans want to be entertained…

We want the intensity ratcheted up to a point where we can barely handle it…

Can we handle plot holes?

Sure thing…

As long as while we’re navigating around them…

We pee our pants…

Just a little.

This film was overlooked by critics…And sometimes that’s better than being trashed by them…It allows the audience to decide for themselves…

Let me get one thing straight…

This film kept me entertained…

From start to finish…

The performances were spot on, and believable…Especially Dougray Scott (Mission Impossible 2) and Ed Skrein (Deadpool) who portray brothers who have both lived a life of crime, but live on different ends of the morals and ethics spectrum…And of course, Kaya Scodelario did an outstanding job filling the heroic role of being the sole opposition to this gang of violent criminals…

 

So if you’re in the mood for a kick-ass home invasion flick…

 

I recommend that you check out Tiger House…

It is currently available on Netflix.

A Frightday Night Film Recommendation: The Invitation (2015) – A Slow Burn.

I know what you’re thinking…

 

Slow Burn = Boring…

 

Well let me tell ya, folks…

 

Not this time.

 

This film was directed by Karyn Kusama, who was heralded for her debut film, Girlfight…But maligned for her next two films…Rightfully so, for the 2005 shit-show that was Aeon Flux…But in my humble opinion, not so rightfully so for her next film, Jennifer’s Body…But the naysayers ain’t saying shit after seeing her most recent film…

So here’s the spoiler-free deal…Will, played to perfection by Logan Marshall-Green (Quarry), or as I like to call him…The American Tom Hardy…Takes his new girlfriend, Kira to a very special dinner party…His ex-wife and her new husband, played by Michiel Huisman (Daario Neharis from Game of Thrones) have invited all of the former couple’s old friends back together for a reunion…Of sorts…

There is little more about the plot, or story that needs to be said…The tension that gets ignited rather quickly…Keeps the suspenseful home fires burning all the way through, to the thrilling, and frightening climax…

And that’s truly what a slow burn horror/thriller should be…And that’s truly the type of slow burn that you’ll get with The Invitation…A tense, pulse-racing, heart-pounding, emotionally-fueled, film that keeps you intrigued while you sit on the edge of your seat…

I credit this experience to two major forces at work in this incredible film…

#1: The mood-setting, intensely personal film-making of Karyn Kusama…

And…

#2: Logan Marshall-Green’s performance…A performance that carries the audience on it’s shoulders, and keeps us questioning right along with him…

See what I mean about the American Tom Hardy thing?

 

The Invitation is one of the best films that I have seen recently…

 

I highly recommend it…

 

And it is currently available on Netflix.