Cleaning out the DVR part 1

So many cable channels, so many crap horror movies I never would have discovered otherwise. Shockingly, I actually found a couple of goodies in this trio as I was making room on my DVR for 2016!

AFTER (2012)

If you can’t enough of that Silent Hill vibe, definitely check out After.

A guy and girl meet on a bus and realize they’re from the same town…right before the bus gets into a horrible accident. When the two regain consciousness, they’re back in their hometown, which seems to be deserted. As they explore the town and encounter strange occurrences, they actually begin wondering if they haven’t stepped into an alternate dimension, or perhaps even died—very cool to have characters actually go there in their minds.

The pair discovers they can’t even leave the town. There’s a black fog hampering them from finding an escape route, the roads drop off into nothingness, and worst of all, they are soon being pursued by a snarling creature on a long chain!

This really is like a single monster Silent Hill, with an unfolding backstory that reveals why the two have been brought together in this supernatural situation. And I have to admit, it sort of tugs on your heartstrings. Shockingly, that emotional manipulation worked for me instead of turning me off. I’d highly recommend checking this one out if you want a little more depth to your horror.

THE LAST LIGHT (2014)

Imagine a movie about a bunch of people unsure of how they became trapped inside an abandoned hospital after an apocalyptic event, afraid for their lives because some sort of creatures are outside, trying to get in. Now imagine that this is actually not a creature feature, but one of those “smart people” psychological thrillers. Voila. You’ve got The Last Light. Hey, I can be smart, but my horror intelligence can also be insulted by a “smart” movie that is painfully transparent as it attempts to deceive viewers into watching a different movie than expected.

So cutie Ed Quinn is the leader of the group.

Suffering from trippy dreams, he goes off on his own to patrol forbidden parts of the building for monsters, where he also has deep conversations with Ed Furlong, who Quinn keeps completely separated from the others—compartmentalized, if you will. As the movie progresses, the others begin distrusting Quinn—the only one with a gun. He becomes paranoid about losing his leadership role, so Furlong provokes him to do whatever it takes to stay in power. If you don’t see the basic premise here, then definitely watch this movie to be awed.

JESSABELLE (2014)

This is a pretty engrossing take on the scary ghost girl theme with perhaps one downside—not enough of the ghost girl!

After a horrible car accident, Jessabelle is wheelchair bound, so she goes home to live with her dad. But when she discovers eerie videotapes of her deceased mother warning her to beware an evil “inner demon” version of herself roaming around the house, her father begins to turn on her. Soon, Jessabelle is indeed being haunted by a violent ghost chick who comes complete with black oozy stuff. When an old friend comes back into Jessabelle’s life, he helps her dig into the mystery of what exactly is after her, making this one feel a bit like The Ring. Although it’s not as terrifying as it could be simply because it goes off on some tangents rather than sticking with Jessabelle being terrorized by the freaky girl ghost in the house, it’s definitely worth checking out once,