Hyped and Not Hyped

28 DAYS LATER-2002-Strange modern zombie tale by Danny Boyle, director of TRAINSPOTTING could never live up to it’s critical hype yet it’s sad to say 28 just isn’t a very good horror film. It borrows from dozens of others (mostly post Romero Euro-cannibal stuff) and there’s too much talk and the herky-jerky digital camera work is a cheat and might give you a headache.

Jim (Irish actor Cillian Murphy) awakens from a coma 28 days after a bunch of stupid animal activists free some rabid “rage” infected monkeys. The results are a ghost town like England now terrorized by rampaging red-eyed zombies (called “The Infected”) who vomit blood while killing. Jim meets Selena (Naomie Harris) who fills him in on what’s happening (after she kills her partner when he becomes infected). They eventually meet up with Frank (Brendan Gleeson who was in A.I. and GANGS OF NEW YORK around the same time) and his young daughter Hannah (Megan Burns). Together they decide to travel in Frank’s cab to find the source of a radio message being broadcast by the army. Christopher Eccleston (also in Boyle’s SHALLOW GRAVE and later was the first "new" Doctor Who) is the army major who wants to keep the population going. Screenwriter Alex Garland wrote the novel “The Beach” which was made into a movie starring Leonardo DiCaprio.



WRONG TURN-Regency-2003-This is probably the best “recycled ‘70’s teenagers being terrorized by psychos” nonsense in a long while. Considering the junk that is passed off as entertainment in theaters these days I’m surprised it didn’t get a better release. It’s not original but it’s well made, bloody and a little suspenseful in spots.

After two cars crash the occupants try to find help and run into a trio of deformed, cackling backwoods killers. They kill in various ways but the remaining two stars (Desmond Harrington who was the mini-series TAKEN and the DRAGNET TV remake around this time) and Eliza Dushku (from TV’s BUFFY and ANGEL) get revenge in a fiery finale. Also with Jeremy Sisto (from TV’s SIX FEET UNDER and ANGEL EYES).

The well-done SFX are by (co-producer) Stan Winston! Alan McElroy’s (HALLOWEEN 4, LEFT BEHIND, BALLISTIC) cliched script throws in a little soemthing from every movie THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE to JEEPERS CREEPERS but it actually works up until the final scene, which is too expected! Director Rob Schmidt made the non-horror SATURN in 1999 and the thriller CRIME AND PUNISHMENT IN SUBURBIA in 2000.

WT seems to have inspired the 9 minute FRESH MEAT: THE WOUNDS OF “WRONG TURN”….

Thanks for reading!