Stomping Ground (2014)

Running Time: 1hr 20min

Release Date: March 8, 2016 (DVD & VOD)

Review by: Adam

 

Most of us have been there.  You’re meeting your partners’ family and friends for the first time; you’re nervous, skeptical, even worried.  Now toss in Bigfoot and you’ve got Dan Riesser and Andrew Genser’s “Stomping Ground.”  Ben (John Bobeck) and Annie (Tarah DeSpain) leave Chicago to spend Thanksgiving in Annie’s old hometown, bringing their relationship up the next level.  Quick to find out that his girlfriend might not be the person he thought he knew, “Big City” Ben learns of Annie’s drinking and partying ways and her love of Bigfoot hunting with Paul (Jeramy Blackford) and Jed (Justin Giddings).  Immediate tension grows between Paul and Ben over Annie, and drunken plans turn into reality as the group loads up the next morning to take “Big City” onto his first Bigfoot hunt.

You can learn a lot about a person by talking to the people they grew up with, and even more about yourself with how you handle it.  “Stomping Ground” takes you on that awkward journey of insecurity when dealing with your partner’s past, your future, and, oh, did I mention a SASQUATCH?!?  Co-writer and director Riesser takes a thriller and a rom-com and adds a splash of creature feature to make one of the more enjoyable Bigfoot stories I’ve seen in a while (“Harry and the Hendersons” and the “Jack Link’s” commercials are the only other ones on that list).  The players and the pacing all play their parts fantastically against the gorgeous backdrop of the woods of North Carolina, and I love being so invested into the characters that I almost forget where the story is heading.

“Stomping Ground” is a love story built on the back of a smelly, furry, Bigfoot.  Maybe it’s time to go on our own Sasquatch Safari.   

4/5

Check out the trailer below!

Out on DVD and VOD on March 8th!

Horror Huddle with Stacey-Beth & Ash: From Hell (2001)

On this episode of Horror Huddle, SB and Ash talk about The Hughes Brothers 2001 horror/mystery flick "From Hell".  Loosely based on the graphic novel of the same name that follows infamous serial killer, Jack the Ripper.
Starring Johnny Depp and Heather Graham.

Enjoy and leave some feedback!

Find us on Instagram: staceybethh || e.txcountryboy 

Southbound (2015)

Running Time: 1hr 29min

Release Date: February 5, 2016

Review by: Stacey

Anthology films have been a thing in horror for many years now (Creepshow (1982), Black Sabbath (1963), Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983)) and seem to have had a bit of a popular resurgence in the last decade with films like Trick 'r Treat (2007), VHS (2012) (review here), and The ABCs of Death (2012).  The most recent to be added to the list is 2015's Southbound, which has made a lot of us genre fans feel like we were treated to a modern Twilight Zone.

Horror Huddle with Stacey-Beth & Ash: Intruders (2016)

On this episode of Horror Huddle, S-B and Ash talk about 2016's thriller, "Intruders" (aka "Shut In") starring Rory Culkin and Beth Riesgraf.

Enjoy and leave some feedback!

Find us on Instagram: staceybethh || e.txcountryboy

Regression (2015)

Running Time: 1 hr 46 min

Release Date: February 5, 2016 (US)

Review by: Stacey

Regression is actually less of a horror movie and more on the crime/mystery/drama side but here at To Avoid Fainting, we do whateva we want; and because it was directed by Alejandro Amenabar (if you haven't seen his Spanish thriller Tesis, drop what you're doing and go watch it now).  Coming from the same guy behind The Others and Open Your Eyes (which ultimately became Vanilla Sky) and with a cast that included Emma Watson and Ethan Hawke, I was sure this flick wouldn't let me down.  Well, readers, I'm here to tell you that, unfortunately, it did.

Howl (2015)

Running Time: 89 minutes

Release Date: October 16, 2015 (UK)

Review by: Stacey

 

 Ever since I saw that iconic transformation scene in American Werewolf in London and that frightful ass scene on the bridge in Silver Bullet, werewolves have scared the everliving crap out of me.  No really, like, I have an irrational fear of the "mythical" (in quotations because those assholes are real) creatures.  So for me to willingly watch 2015's Howl, you gotta know I love doing what I do for this blog.

Horror Huddle: "Silent Retreat" (2013)

On this episode we talk about indie flick Silent Retreat.

Enjoy and leave some feedback!

Find us on Instagram: staceybethh || e.txcountryboy

Ash Tackles: Remakes

One topic that always seems to divide horror fans is the idea of remakes. It usually sparks a debate (that doesn't always end pretty).  Fans will go into their respective camps: one with those who think they are bastardizing franchises they hold dear and the other with those who think they are necessary to bring the films to a new generation of viewers.  Then you have those who just see the movies as innocuous.

Personally, I have a bag of mixed feelings when it comes to remakes.

 

 
When well done, I am all for them.  If they can take the original and are able to do something unique with it for a remake, it gets a pass from me.  John Carpenter's The Thing (1982), David Cronenberg's The Fly (1986), and Tom Savini's Night of the Living Dead (1990) are all perfect examples of remakes done properly.  Each movie felt like a love letter to its counterpart and were artistic and technical leaps beyond the originals they were based on.  While I can watch and admire the originals, I can also watch their remakes and be amazed by them too.

Where I start to worry is when a remake comes out and it feels like a blatant cash grab. When you take a franchise that is well established and has big name value and then you make a remake simply to cash in on that, the quality of the film, as a whole, suffers.  Friday the 13th (2009), Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003), A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010), and most recently, Poltergeist (2015), were all glaring in their attempt to make a quick buck.  To me all these movies did little to bring anything new to the story and barely even tried to put themselves on par with the movies that they are based on. They were less of a love letter and more of the studios taking a formula that worked before and trying to cash in on people's nostalgia without requiring much creative effort on the filmmakers part.

 

Now I've heard arguments from all sides: "Remakes do nothing to erase your movies, just be happy with the movies you have" and "these remakes will help the younger generation get into our beloved classics".

Okay let me put these two arguments together:

Yes, I still have the movies I love but what I am concerned with is the future generation of potential horror fans getting substandard movies.  Also, these remakes might be the first movie they see, and if they don't like the movie it can, in a sense, poison the proverbial well; tarnishing their viewpoint on the franchise from there on out.  Their initial experience can be lackluster enough that they won't even bother to watch the older film or films, thus cheating them out of what might be an experience that we consider totally worthwhile.  I don't think kids need films of their generation in order for them to enjoy them. Growing up in the '80s, I watched tons of classic monster movies and creature features from the '30s - '70s.  Just because they were made "before my time" didn't mean I enjoyed them any less.  I never once thought "Psh, Vincent Price isn't taking a selfie in this scene, this movie sucks!"

One final thought: no American remakes of foreign horror films.  I don't think I've seen one yet that outshines the original (Lookin' at you, Quarantine).  American remakes of foreign horror films are made because the studio assumes horror fans are too stupid or lazy to sit through a movie full of subtitles or foreign cultural customs.  By changing those things they ruin a winning combination that made the movie popular enough to want to remake in the first place.

Just to point it out, I am not trying to trash remakes in general. I think if they are done right they can definitely enhance a franchise and add another layer to the story.  Unfortunately, more often than not, most remakes are made with dollar signs in their eyes.

Who else is pumped about this new "Green Room" trailer?!

Studio: A24

Genre: Thriller

Directed by: Jeremy Saulnier

Written by: Jeremy Saulnier

Starring: Patrick Stewart, Anton Yelchin, Imogen Poots, Alia Shawkat, Joe Cole, Callum Turner, Mark Webber, Eric Edelstein, Macon Blair, Kai Lennox

Runtime: 94 Minutes

Rating: R

Release Date: April 15 (NY/LA), April 29 (WIDE)

 

Official Channels

Website URL: greenroom-movie.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GreenRoomMovie

Twitter: https://twitter.com/GreenRoomMovie

#GreenRoomMovie

Synopsis: GREEN ROOM is a brilliantly crafted and wickedly fun horror-thriller starring Patrick Stewart as a diabolical club owner who squares off against an unsuspecting but resilient young punk band. Down on their luck punk rockers The Ain't Rights are finishing up a long and unsuccessful tour, and are about to call it quits when they get an unexpected booking at an isolated, run-down club deep in the backwoods of Oregon.  What seems merely to be a third-rate gig escalates into something much more sinister when they witness an act of violence backstage that they weren't meant to see.  Now trapped backstage, they must face off against the club's depraved owner, Darcy Banker (Stewart), a man who will do anything to protect the secrets of his nefarious enterprise.  But while Darcy and his henchmen think the band will be easy to get rid of, The Ain't Rights prove themselves much more cunning and capable than anyone expected, turning the tables on their unsuspecting captors and setting the stage for the ultimate life-or-death showdown. Intense, emotional, and ingeniously twisted, Green Room is genre filmmaking at its best and most original. Saulnier continues to build his reputation as one of the most exciting and distinctive directors working today, with a movie that's completely different from his previous, highly acclaimed Blue Ruin, but which is just as risk-taking and even more full of twists. The entire cast deliver first-rate performances, but Patrick Stewart gives a transformative and brilliantly  devious turn as Darcy-elegant yet lethal, droll yet terrifying, Stewart makes the film simply unforgettable.