So, 1999 was not the best year for horror movies, but there were one of two standout films. Let me start with the best of the horror movies from this year- The Blair Witch Project . Now, you can either love or hate this movie and I am certainly in the love camp here. I saw this in the cinema at the time and I remember all of the hype around it. I didn't know what to expect and it surprised and spooked me at the same time. I loved it. It was unlike the usual horror movies that I watched and I wanted to see it again and again which doesn't happen very often. Of course now, it has been ripped off by so many 'found footage' movies which are inferior and not scary at all. The Blair Witch Project was written and directed by Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sanchez and starred unknowns. The story seemed plausible and the way that it was shot in documentary style made you believe that this could happen. The ending stayed with me for many years and it is one of the creepiest endings to a horror movie, in my opinion. Your imagination makes this creepier than any special effects or CGI could and this movie started off a new genre of horror movies.
Anyway, another movie that is worth a mention is Lake Placid which is a fun monster movie with a great cast. I enjoyed it and I have watched it a few times. The Mummy is another big budget 'horror' movie. There isn't much in this to scare me and I would consider this more action/adventure than horror but it is worth a mention. Sleepy Hollow was more like it and this had a dark, gothic feel to it. I liked Johnny Depp in this and Christopher Walken was great as the Headless Horseman. This was a very well made movie with a great cast. Stir Of Echoes was released this year and I have reviewed that here. Kevin Bacon stars in the lead role as a guy who is hynpotised but brings back something sinister with him when he comes to. He sees visions of a murder and he has to solve it. It is an entertaining movie and Bacon is good as always. The Haunting is a remake of the 1963 movie and even though I don't normally enjoy remakes, this one was okay and that was just because of Liam Neeson being in it. If compared to the original, then this isn't great.
On to the not so great movies. House on Haunted Hill was a mess.I have reviewed that here. End of Days was a weird one. It is horror but action too. I liked it and it has a great cast. It's gotten negative reviews but it isn't that bad at all. Stigmata was another religious themed horror movie but it wasn't that good. Deep Blue Sea was released this year and it wasn't great, but wasn't crap either. Camp Blood is a slasher from this year and one that I have yet to watch. Bats was another creature feature and it starred Lou Diamond Phillips. I saw this on TV a few years ago and it was pretty bad but I might give it another try sometime. Lycanthrope was released this year and it was a pretty low budget affair which could be sci-fi or horror. It isn't really great, so maybe avoid this one.
Lastly, the sequels, which are always inevitable.Candyman 3 was the final installment in the series.
Sometimes, these sequels are unnecessary and this one wasn't great. The Rage:Carrie 2 was a silly pointless remake and I don't think that it had much to offer. Children of the Corn 666 was just a sequel too far. It was pointless as well. Warlock 3 was released and Julian Sands did not return to the role which put me off a bit. It wasn't great, but it is worth a look if you enjoyed the first two movies. From Dusk Till Dawn 2 was released and it starred Robert Patrick. I haven't seen it and I don't really want to even though I like Robert Patrick. I enjoyed the first one and I will leave it at that. Retro Puppet Master was released and was the SEVENTH movie in the franchise. Seventh!!!! Lastly, Wishmaster 2 rounds off the sequels for this year. The less said about that, the better.
So, that was 1999. Some good, some bad and some awful entries here. This year wasn't the best for horror and I couldn't really say that I would add any of those films to my DVD collection except for The Blair Witch Project which I do own. If I have left anything out, don't hesitate to let me know!
The Blair Witch was a good movie and the ending disturbing. I'm not usually impressed with the found footage movies either, but this one launched a new beginning for them and was done well.
ReplyDeleteI also enjoyed Sleepy Hollow, Lake Placid, The Haunting, and Stir of Echos.
I thought Stigmata was pretty good, but it never could quite "get there", and reach the potential I thought it had.
Bats was terrible, and like most Lou Diamond Phillips movies they are usually really good or so terrible they make my spine ache. I actually know him from the old days so I'll give him a break on Bats.
Well I do like Phillips and have enjoyed him in the Young Guns movies and The First Power so Bats is worth a second look maybe.I didn't enjoy Stigmata despite a good cast.Blair Witch was my favourite from this year but there wasn't anything else that stood out to me.As always, thanks for reading!
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