The Grudge / Gothika / Boogeyman (DVD)

The box set itself:

Three fantastic scary films in one! And for a pretty decent price too! If you're a fan of scary movies then this is the set for you. Containing three scary movies from the years 2003 - 2004.

The DVD's come in a cardbard box, enclosed inside is a cardborad case, silver, looks pretty nice actually. The case unfolds into 3, each 3rd holding one DVD. Unfortunately the only information you receive about ...
...back of the box.

I am now going to look at each of the DVD's seperately, I have given each a "scare factor" and a "jump factor". The difference? As most horror movie fans will know there's a difference between being made to jump and being scared, "jump factor" is how much the film makes you jump, scare factor is how scared you'll be after watching it.

The Grudge:
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... more

The box set itself:

Three fantastic scary films in one! And for a pretty decent price too! If you're a fan of scary movies then this is the set for you. Containing three scary movies from the years 2003 - 2004.

The DVD's come in a cardbard box, enclosed inside is a cardborad case, silver, looks pretty nice actually. The case unfolds into 3, each 3rd holding one DVD. Unfortunately the only information you receive about the films themselves is on the small blurb at the back of the box.

I am now going to look at each of the DVD's seperately, I have given each a "scare factor" and a "jump factor". The difference? As most horror movie fans will know there's a difference between being made to jump and being scared, "jump factor" is how much the film makes you jump, scare factor is how scared you'll be after watching it.

The Grudge:
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Outline of the film:
It's a twisted, jumpy, thriller starring Sarah Michelle Gellar who plays a nurse who moves away to Tokyo, provides plenty of opportunities to jump out of your seat. It's about a curse that passes from person to person. Karen (Sarah Michelle Gellar) goes to tend to a patient at home and finds she's petrified of her room, while in the house Karen discovers some pretty odd things about the house.

Plot/storyline strngth:
The story isn't difficult to follow, although the film has got a clever plot like a lot of thrillers/horror films it hasn't got a strong plot, which lets it down slightly.

Ending:
Another thing that I felt was a let down about this film was the ending, it's such an anti climax and one of those endings where you visit the toilet mid-plot and come back to see the credits going and everyone else in the audience has just as much of an idea why it ended as you.

Starring: Sarah Michelle Gellar (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)
and Jason Behr (from Roswell High)

Bonus Material:
- Cast and Crew Commentry,
- "Under the skin" Featurette - A medical explanation of Fear Response In Film,
- The Birth of The Grudge.
There are some original ideas here, I like the featurette "Under the skin" it's really interesting and I'd recommend watching it.

Running Time: 1 Hr 28 Mins

Scare factot: 7/10
Jump Factor: 8/10

Gothika:
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Outline of the film:
Gothika is a puzzling story about a criminal psychologist called Miranda (Halle Berry). When Miranda wakes up in the hospital as a patient rather than a doctor her world is changed. She finally learns what it's like when everyone thinks you're crazy and gets a taste of how she had previously treated her patients. But what has she done to deserve to be put in here, she can't remember anything and when the story is revealed to her Miranda is petrified, she insists that this is not her fault but there's too much evidence. What happened that night on her last drive home from work?

Plot/storyline strength:
The story has many unusual twists and turns and provides questions for the viewer to consider while watching the film. It's quite a strong plot, especially for a horror film, there are bits stuck in there just to make you jump but all in all it's got a good storyline and a strong plot.

Ending:
A good ending, it's one of those that really makes you think and is very cleverly done. Though I'm not sure that it's particularly realistic in terms of the law but all the same it's a good ending.

Starring: A fantastic performance by Penelope Cruz, who plays a suprisingly convincing mental patient (Chloe)! And an exceptional performance from Halle Berry who plays the main character Miranda. As well as performances from:
- Robert Downey Jr.
- Charles S. Dutton
- John Carroll Lynch
- Bernard Hill

Bonus Material:
- Director and Crew Commentary,
- "Patient Hall" - 3 Inmate Interviews,
- "Mirandas Office" - Patient Notes and Drawings,
- "Interview Room" - Painting with Fire featurette,
- On the set of Gothika Featurette,
- Music Video - "Behind Blue Eyes" - Limp Bizkit.

An impressive amount of Bonus Material and some really interesting things to have a good look at, as well as of course Limp Bizkit's music video "Behind Blue Eyes" When I got this film I had a quick look at the bonus material before I even watched th film, it's all pretty good.

Running Time: 1 Hr 34 Mins

Scare Factor: 6/10
Jump Factor: 7/10

Boogeyman:

Brief overview of film:
Scared of the Boogeyman? - Neither was I, until I saw Boogeyman. I never thought I'd be the type to be avoiding the closet under the stairs, but it's something that I've found myself subconciously doing. So why's it so scary? It's seen from a childs point of view to start with, it brings back all them childhood fears about the thing under the bed and the thing in the cupboard. It guides you through the story of Tim, a young boy who's father scared him as a child and convinced him that the Boogeyman was real. But when his father leaves, no one believes Tim that he saw the Boodeyman take him, as an adult, Tim is haunted by a memory that he's not even sure is real, so when his nurse from the psychiatric hospital suggests that he confronts his fears and spend one night in his house to sort through his late mothers belongings, what's the worst that can happen?

Storyline/Plot strength:
As far as horror story plots go it isn't too bad, I like the way it brings back all them childhood fears, that the Boogeyman might exist and the way you're not really sure that what Tim suffers isn't just his way of dealing with his father leaving. Some of the storyline is a little unconvincing and one of those films where you're forced to say outloud "But...why would you do that?!" But it's got a storyline to it, which is a bonus for most horror films these days.

Ending:
It's not a bad ending, a little cheesy I think, but it rounds the film off nicely.

Cast:
- Barry Watson,
- Emily Deschanel
- Skye McCole Bartusiak
- Tory Mussett
- Andrew Glover

Neither of which I've heard of but both play a pretty good roll.

Bonus Material:
- Cast and Crew Interviews,
- Deleted Scenes,
- Storyborads,
- Visual Effects Progression
One thing worth watching I found is the Visual Effects Progression, if that sort of thing interests you.

Running Time: 1 Hr 25 Mins

Jump Factor: 8/10
Scare Factor: 8/10 - I'm still scared of our pantry in the dark

Conclusion:
3 pretty good horror films in one. With some well heard of actors/actresses, and it's good value for money, I picked the box set up for around £14 at christmas, I'm pretty sure you can't buy all of these films for that price, but then you've got to remember you don't get the boxes with them, that counts for something with some people. It's not a bad little collection though and I'd recommend you watch all of these films....just don't do it alone. 

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