Trollhunter is a Norwegian found footage film about a group of students who begin following a man who claims to hunt trolls for the government, in order to chronicle his activities. Filled with a lot of black humor, Trollhunter is one of the better found footage films I've seen though it still falls into many of the same pitfalls other movies in this genre tend to succumb to (namely a lack of a clear internal logic when it comes to the way the film is shot and edited). The special effects are pretty impressive, especially considering the films relatively modest budget and the film does many to have some genuinely tense moments, despite its absurd nature.
Score: 8/10
Day 9: The Blob (1958)
This now iconic independent horror film has holds up pretty well 60 years later. Steve McQueen oozes charisma, the special effects (mostly) impress, and the cheesy tone and breezy pacing serve to make The Blob a really enjoyable and unique B-monster movie. Not bad coming from a guy who was mostly experienced in building theme parks, directing motivational short films, and being an impresario.
Score: 8/10
Day 10: Jeepers Creepers (2001)
The first half hour of Jeepers Creepers contain some of the most well done, Lovecraftian horror I've ever seen, even if its mixed in with some fairly typical (though pretty affective) human drama. Unfortunately, the more the monster is revealed, the less frightening it becomes, and the movie turns into a pretty pedestrian monster flick about half way through. With that said, though it was a little cynical for my tastes, I was pleased that the film's ending genuinely shocked me. It's a mixed bag but when it works, it works really well.
Score: 8/10
Day 11: Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954)
The last of the classic Universal monster movies, Creature from the Black Lagoon is oozing with atmosphere. Director Jack Arnold and cinematographer William E. Snyder really capture the lush beauty of the Florida everglades (doubling for the Amazon rainforest) while also evoking a sense of menace. The amount of movement they were able to get out of the creature's costume is truly impressive. It's not quite on par with the earlier classics (Frankenstien, Dracula, The Wolfman) but it's definitely worth checking out.
Score: 8/10
Tommy Wirkola's splatter flick cuts right to the jugular, with some truly gut wrenching blood and gore (the Wirkola seems to have a thing for intestines). The film never takes itself too seriously, which is a good thing as it would be a slog otherwise. It does start to get tedious in the last 20 minutes and at times comes across a little too mean spirited but it's mostly fun. Wirkola's director is highly energetic and the actors are all clearly having a blast. If nothing else, it makes me want to check out more of the director's work.
Score: 8/10
Day 13: Godzilla (1954)
The quintessential Japanese monster film Godzilla is surprisingly tasteful and restrained. The film almost plays like a documentary at times and the parallels with the guilt and fear felt by the people of postwar Japan are palpable. I won't pretend the special effects always look convincing but they are impressive considering the the era it was made in. The human drama, involving a love triangle between the daughter of scientist Kyohei Yamane, his colleague Dr. Daisuke Serizawa, and ship captain Hideto Ogata, is easily the weakest aspect of the film but everything around works really well.
Score: 9/10
Like the 1954 original, the 2014 reboot of Godzilla is surprisingly restrained. But, while that worked in the earlier film's favor, resulting a a more sobering, socially conscious disaster film, here it just makes for a dull viewing. It wouldn't be fair to expect this film to somehow recapture the cultural significance of its predecessor, but it has nothing else to really offer. The characters are too dull to really hook me in. Once the action gets going it's every bit as cool and exciting as you'd expect, but by then its too little too late. It works better then any other attempt to recreate Marvel's cinematic universe success, but as a film in its own right it falls short.
Score: 6/10
Next week, slasher films!
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