 So, of course we know that this series has gone on for a while. Likely, it's finally over, since '5' was released back in 2011. It, much like 'Saw' or 'Paranormal Activity', became something audiences kinda got tired of. There's only so many ways you can do it. That said, I highly recommend the bookends of the series, 'Final Destination' and 'Final Destination 5'.
The first movie features a group of high school students, getting ready to go on a trip overseas to Paris, France. Before the plane takes off, Alex Browning (Devon Sawa) has a precognitive dream, showing the plane that they're on exploding, killing everyone on board. He causes a scene, is dragged off the plane with a select few others, and sure enough, they witness the plane explode from the ground. As the movie goes on, we basically discover that death isn't something that can be cheated, and one by one, in order, these guys get theirs in different and creative ways. All the while, Alex and his new friend Clear Rivers (Ali Larter) seem to be the only ones who fully understand that they all need to be on their toes in order to dodge death - thus making it pretty thrilling and suspenseful. This whole idea was great at the time (I'm going against most critics on this one), but it was soon followed by the exact same deal with a massive traffic collision in 2, a broken down rollercoaster in 3, a race car crash in 4 (entitled 'The Final Destination') and a suspension bridge in 5. As mentioned before, it pretty much just got old and stale, at least until 5. What sets 5 apart from the others is that it's generally self-aware, and gets very creative with its kills. For example, a gymnast who you're 100% convinced is gonna get horribly electrocuted just straight up lands stupidly and breaks her neck. By far, it's the best of the series. However, I had the need to start with the first one 'cause, well, it's just the first one. I'd almost go so far as to say you could watch 1 and 5, not be terribly lost on anything, and get the most from the experience. I'm not sure this one quite plays on fears of death as much as something like 'Arachnophobia' plays on fears of spiders. But I will say that it keeps you on the edge of your seat, especially fully knowing that no one is safe at all. Hell, it even ends on that not so friendly reminder. So, if you're looking for a fun classic thriller, definitely check it out. I find it doesn't quite get the credit it deserves, and I mostly blame the sequels for wearing it thin. But again, 5 is pretty much just awesome. So check those out (along with the in-betweens if you feel so inclined) and see for yourself where you stand on these films. Opinions are generally split down the middle on these, but for myself, I'd say they're kinda the 'Saw' or 'Paranormal Activity' of the early 2000s - some good titles, some terrible titles.
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 So here's the thing about 'Buried'. One has to be willing to accept, before going into this movie, that visually, you're gonna be looking at Ryan Reynolds in a box for an hour and a half. That's quite literally the movie, in a nutshell, made to feast on the fears of the worst claustrophobes.
Paul (Reynolds) is an American truck driver, working in Iraq, who gets attacked by Iraquis. He wakes up inside a wooden box with nothing but a cell phone and a lighter, and the premise of the movie is essentially him trying to get the hell out of this predicament. This film serves as a primary example of a great movie with a great story, using very little for a budget. In fact, I'm willing to bet that most of it's budget went towards getting Ryan Reynolds to play the lead role. So, if it's just Ryan Reynolds in a box of an hour and a half, how can this possibly be good in any way? Well, as the story unfolds, the tension builds, and we really start to feel the panic in Paul's mind. The movie sort of tosses things back and forth, giving us relief one minute, followed by hopelessness the next. It does a fantastic job at playing with our fears. I don't particularly consider myself to be claustrophobic, but the way this movie is filmed did cause a certain sense of dread in me. I can honestly say that it came damn close to making it so - in which case I should probably say that if you ARE claustrophobic, proceed with caution if you wanna check this one out. If nothing else though, as mentioned before, it's a testament to unique film making, using very little budget. It's basically, in my eyes, living proof that story over substance is far more important. There's a great amount if intensity throughout the film, and it really shows off Reynold's acting skills, for which he was nominated a Saturn that year. So, if for some reason you're looking for a unique film that inspires dread and disturbance in your core, 'Buried' is a title I'd highly recommend. I know it makes me feel very uneasy, yet positively engaged all at the same time. It's almost the perfect thriller. That is, of course, if you can handle the thriller being Ryan Reynolds in a box for an hour and a half.  Imagine giving the "puppet supervisor" from 'Team America' / "creature fabricator" from 'Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie' / "stop motion animation supervisor" from 'Elf' and give that guy and his brothers some creative control with their own product. This here, is the end result - however, predating all said movies.
This one comes from the Chiodo brothers, Edward, Stephen and Charles, and boasts one of the most fun oldschool horror titles in existence. One could think of it as a sort of fully self-aware "good/bad" movie. I mean, shit, look at the title! The basic story involves a circus tent from outer space landing on Earth. Of course, this is the vessel these Killer Klowns take to invade our home planet. The plan pretty much involves going around, zapping human beings with a gun that wraps them in a cotton candy cocoon, and taking them on board their ship for, well, reasons. This is one I would probably classify as more of a comedy than a horror movie, and even the worst coulrophobes might not have that bad a time with it. It's pretty damned silly altogether. But that said, it's not like aspects of strange and unusual horror aren't still there to give you a few shivers. In a movie so seemingly silly, that must sound odd, but there are things like what the victim inside the cotton candy cocoons looks like, and even the way the Klowns communicate and laugh has an odd sort of creepiness to it. And lets not forget one scene where some creepy clown is trying to lure a child outside while holding a mallet behind his back. It's not the mallet that's creepy though, it just the imagery of something so reminiscent of every child's worst stranger fears. By no means is any of this stuff truly horrific and terrifying or anything, and your dreams will likely be safe when all said and done. However, I can't deny that the creepiness is there, despite the fact that this movie plays out as such a self-aware comedy over horror. It's kinda what makes it so enjoyable. This movie may not be everyone's cup of tea though, and reviews are seemingly split down the middle. So it's kind of a hard one to sell people on, but I'd just ask that you bear this in mind. If nothing else, this makes for some great fun around Halloween to get you into the holiday spirit. That's when I introduced myself to these Klowns.  We're all afraid of something. I mean, you can sit there and tell me how much you're afraid of nothing, but I feel if one digs deep enough, some kind of fear will be brought up, from the big one of death, to the little ones like spiders. And that brings me to my first suggestion for what I am dubbing "Fear Month", with what is arguably the best spider-related movie ever (and no, none of the 'Spider-Man' movies count). This is generally followed by 'Eight-Legged Freaks', and whatever other movies feature spiders as something to be afraid of.
Arachnophobia, the fear of spiders, is a very common one among people, and this film does a great job of exploiting that fear by keeping things relatively realistic. It's even mentioned throughout the film that, despite these fears, spiders are pretty much completely non-fatal when it comes to human beings, with the exception of maybe the black widow on a small child, or elderly and ill. This movie, smartly, makes it so all our worst fears about spiders become a reality. It all starts when a deadly spider finds its way to the small town of Canaima, California after an expedition to South America. It breeds with a common domestic spider, creating something tiny, but monstrous, in a whole new breed of arachnid that starts taking out not just insects and small animals, but people, in a gruesome fashion. I've always considered this one to be a great film for horror beginners. Not quite as traumatizing as something that's full tilt horror, but creepy enough to sort of leave you on edge after you're done watching it. That is, of course, unless you're already very arachnophobic and just know it's a movie you can't sit through anyway (I actually know a few people who refuse to watch this movie because of their fears). This would also be a bit of an example of horror comedy, but leaning more towards the horror. It does a great job at exploiting these fears, but at the same time adds some light humor with some of the dialogue, and the presence of John Goodman playing a sort of dopey but lovable exterminator. Speaking for myself, I can tolerate the presence of spiders quite well, so this movie doesn't particularly get to me in a big way. But if you are afraid of spiders and want a good adrenaline rush based on your fears (some choose roller coasters, I choose horror movies), it's definitely worth checking out. Whether you suffer from arachnophobia or not though, after a viewing of this one, You might just be hard-pressed going to bed after watching it without thinking of something 8-legged and fuzzy crawling up your leg. |
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