Hellraiser: Inferno (2000) - Coming along not so long after the well-intentioned but studio-butchered "Bloodline", a valiant attempt to come full circle, came this oddity which excels over parts 3 and 4 for by taking a step back from the mythology and doing a stand-alone story, fitting as the legend goes that many Lament Configuration boxes were made over the centuries. In this instalment we meet Detective Joseph Thorn, an exceptionally gifted but deeply flawed homicide cop with a knack for solving the most gruesome of crime but also a penchant for drugs, hookers and infidelity. After his discovery of the infamous box at a murder scene, he finds his life spiralling into dark visions and possibly teetering on insanity. The faithful need not worry, Doug Bradley does pop up as the ever reliable Pinhead, but what takes this a step above is his almost supporting role to the excellent Craig Scheffer as Thorn, in what unfolds as a genuinely unsettling and darkly humorous morality tale. Ignore the straight-to-video repuattion and seek this one out, you won't be disappointed. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=77yCHOd3c60
They (2002) - OK, so no-one is ever going to accuse Laura Regan of giving Meryl Streep sleepless nights, but her rather unsympathetic characterization aside, this little horror gem hits the spot for me every time. At a time when "Sam Raimi Presents" on a cover or poster had me cringing ("Boogeyman" or "30 Days Of Night" anyone?), seeing Wes Craven's name attached as producer here was actually a comfort, as here his influence is very apparent, as this is a pleasingly unironic things-that-go-bump-in-the-night story. Student Julia Lund (Regan) is traumatised after witnessing the suicide of estranged childhood friend Billy, with whom she shared a history of "night terrors" as a youngster. his obtuse warning's about "them" and "staying in the light" seem to her as the rambling of a disturbed mind, until she meets his two friends at the funeral and discover that, like her, that thing from their childhood nightmares seems to be coming back for an unwanted visit. As mentioned, Regan does not make the most likeable lead, but the monsters themselves are treated with respect, suitably shrouded in darkness and with some stunning sound design to them, and the end has a brilliantly sour touch to it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dy1x23yLuSg
Cube 2: Hypercube (2002) - Firstly, just let me state that Vincenzo Natali's stunning original "Cube" is actually one of my favourite films ever, and probably the best low budget sci-fi ever made.With that in mind, and his approval, the producers only really had one option here; bigger, better, faster, more. And so we open again with an unexplained disappearance and the waking of a group of seemingly random people in the cube, only this time, whoever is behind this ingenious deathtrap seems to have raised the stakes: time and space and almost reality itself seem to be conspiring to stop any kind of escape. We have a diverse but realistic and interesting bunch of characters:, the teacher, the PI, the shrink, the geek, the lawyer and, most interestingly, the blind student and bonkers OAP (senior citizen for our American readers, natch). And added to some great character acting considering the restraints of filming, the effects have truly been beefed up, all I will say here is watch out the diamond. And as with the original, the ending will leave you with a wonderful sense of unease, but do yourself a favour and ignore the missing-the-point-prequel Cube Zero. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4N86WL4TvM
Mimic (1997) - How has this film almost been written out of film history? To be fair Mira Sorvino has never really capitalised on her Oscar for "Mighty Aphrodite" and is a strange (but good) choice for a sci-fi heroine, but the rest of the cast, namely Josh Brolin, Charles S. Dutton and Jeremy Northam are much more dependable. But for many it should be heralded as the English language debut of none other than Guillermo Del Toro, so how it remains largely unnoticed is a mystery to me. The story is solid and sometimes ingenious stuff: entomologist Sorvino and her partner (Northam) save the city from a plague of cockroaches which is decimating the child population by genetically engineering a giant bug to attack the roaches, with the bug itself bred to have a limited natural life. Needless to say, all concerned underestimate their new creations ability for adaptation, and when people start to go missing underneath the city, the teams physical and mental prowess is tested to the limit. Stunning visuals, set design, an intriguing creature and, thankfully, a decent script, all add up to make this an unsung hero of the "creature-feature" genre. And for once, the two straight-to-video sequels are actually weel though out and worth your time too. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LL-GB11uyTI
Exorcist II: The Heretic (1977) - And so to what many see as the biggest folly in both horror and sequel history, John Boorman's frankly insane metaphysical follow-up to my favourite film ever. On paper, most of it seems pretty straightforward: three years after the death of Fathers Karras and Merrin at the hands of the possessed Regan McNeil, Father Philip Lamont (Richard Burton) is sent to investigate the real events surrounding the exorcism and subsequent deaths, as Merrin's reputation is under threat from those on the inside trying to discredit the authenticity of the case rather than have the church admit the possibility of any supernatural occurence. To this end Lamont finds the now 16 year old Regan staying in New York with housekeeper/nanny Sharon and in the care of psychiatrist Dr Gene Tuskin (Loiuse Fletcher, the film's saving grace). This is where I will leave the plot details, as anything else could potentially spoil what must rank as one of the most genuine curios in film history. The film was panned for many reasons:, Burton and Fletcher seem to be in two completely different movies, her in the contemporary 70's and him from a Hammer style schlockfest; the bizarre borderline comical dialogue ("I am Pazzuzzu!") to the downright puzzling African-set scenes with James earl Jones in full tribal get-up. But what keeps it watchable is the flashes of genius that pop up; the aerial effects are wonderful, the story, at heart, is an interesting musing on the nature of good and evil and man's possible evolution to overcome this, and it also boasts one of the late Enio Moriconne's most out-there soundtracks. If you only see one, widely-panned movie, make it this one. Oh, and it has officially the most batshit crazy trailer EVER! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFspymGVZLY
So there you have it: I'm not claiming you will like all of (or indeed any) of these, but I do say make up your own mind before you listen to the doubters.
