GL84
Arriving at a strange Turkish town, a group of friends attempt to play a game taught to them by a hitchhiker which soon turns deadly when they begin disappearing one-by-one and must find the reason why they're being targeted and get out alive.This one wasn't all that bad and had some good parts about it. Among the better parts here is the fact that there's some rather enjoyable times to come from it's atmosphere and surroundings that this one really plays with which makes for a wholly enjoyable time here. Playing this inside the kind of decrepit, crumbling open-air castle- grounds that this one does gives it the absolutely perfect old-world air of neglect and disuse which is absolutely amazing at generating the suspense of the situation simply with the kind of foreign atmosphere that's required here. In turn, when this one turns over into a stylish thriller about the group being targeted and then finding out there's a savage killer haunting the area it lets this one get even creepier with the early set-ups here with the video- camera and the pictures showing something happened there makes it seem like an even creepier place here which really gets worked over nicely with the different slasher film sequences that come up. From the discovery of the bodies strewn over the location and the different scenes of them being held captive in the different settings within makes for a great time here that gives this a really enjoyable touch that coincides nicely with their growing hysteria and general confusion over what's happening there which manages to give this a rather fun and enjoyable time. There's some flaws here, mainly in the fact that this one doesn't really get to the slashing until way too late into the film. This one manages to go until nearly an hour mark before it starts in on the different slashing that occurs within here, fixating mostly on the dull interactions of the group with their petty and bland fixations here from the father not trusting the hitchhiker around his daughter, the main couple arguing over their travel plans and how everyone's dealing with the cramped location that all hold the film's killer down from appearing earlier which is quite a struggle to get through. These are more problematic in the sense that they come off rather lethargic and slow-going rather than the film's centerpiece scene where they confront each other over who's the potential killer within them which is filled with utterly unappealing moments that don't mean anything and makes it so hard to care as they all turn on each other over flimsy means. Lastly, once the killer is revealed and the motivation given, it makes no sense as there's no build-up or real rationale throughout here which tends to make it seem all the more troubling than it really is and could've used some fleshing out than what's given here. Otherwise this one here wasn't all that bad.Rated R: Violence, Graphic Language and sexual themes.
InDyingArms
A bunch of friends are heading to a ruin in the country, of which where they'll camp out for their vacation. They're adventure soon, however, turns for the absolute worse as they're friends, one by one get picked off by someone amongst themselves. The one thing they now must do is find out who it can be, and stop them. I personally think the plot was intriguing for what it was. You get the original, classic feelings from past murder mystery film plots, only this time in a more interesting, more unique setting. I found it extremely interesting how the film took a turn toward having the murder mystery horror plot take place in a secluded, abandoned environment. You have all these characters in one desolate environment where nobody really ever goes, around an area where barely anyone even lives. I found the given characters to be a bit stale. At Least how they were executed. Don't get me wrong, they weren't bad, but the film dose little, to no character development, and we don't exactly get to know anything important of these characters. At points they seemed just to be there, to be there. They're acting, actually, was quite good. I felt as if these actors, even with not much depth, played out their characters well, and delivered they're sequences of fright, terror, and suspense in a solid matter. The twist this film delivers was a hard hit. It felt as if we didn't exactly see it coming, at the same time, when it hits, we get that feeling to where we could of told who it was, when the twist finally unleashed, if that makes sense. The cinematography in this movie, I feel as if I should review a bit. It wasn't the best, in all honesty, there were parts the camera zoomed in way too much, other parts where shots seemed blurred, others where you only see half the characters faces, and some where it's being shaken around like some found footage film. I can understand this film wasn't too high of budget, but I felt as if the problem could have easily been avoided. Lastly, the gore in this movie I felt was great for what we got. We get some pretty good gore throughout the film, mostly around the end. In the end, this wasn't the strongest "8 films to die for" installment, but does it make this film bad? Absolutely not. Despite its lack of character depth, slight clichés, and not so great cinematography, this film was enjoyable. The acting was great, and even though the characters aren't expressed with depth, they hold grip, and come out pretty decently. The gore in the film was pretty solid for what it was, giving us some scenes with great gore. The plot was classic - like, delivering a solid, and actually quite suspenseful murder mystery themed horror film; The suspense in the film was solid, white- knuckled tension. In conclusion, the film lacked a bit, but with it's pro's defeating it's cons, it turned itself into a pretty solid little horror flick. I'd honestly recommend it, even though this may not be Afterdarks best installment for 2015.
