Where are they now?

As a regular contributor to Yahoo!, I often throw my hat into the ring of their horror blog and produce content that focuses on the best in the genre.

Recently, I took a journey of exploration to find out about five individual figures notable in the world of horror and asked the question; where are they now?

Check out my articles and feel free to share.

Sir Christopher Lee

Robert Englund

Christina Ricci

Jamie Lee Curtis

Heather Langenkamp

You can also check out my Yahoo profile with more of my work here.

Cinema Review - Carrie

Don't get me wrong, I've enjoyed horror remakes/reboots (whatever you want to call them) in the past; Rob Zombie's Halloween even made me sit up and recognise that my favourite horror film could be tinkered with to great effect, but there are some that should have been simply left alone. The latest edition in the 'classics that should be left alone' is Kimberley Peirce's Carrie. 

For those not familiar with Brian De Palma's classic take on the Stephen King novel, Carrie focuses on the shy Carrie White, this time portrayed by the brilliant Chloe Grace Moretz, as she attempts to make her way through school. Unfortunately for her, trouble comes in the form of both her abundantly religious, self-harming and forceful mother (Julianne Moore), as well as the majority of those around her at school.

For Carrie, life is dreadful and day-by-day the events that unfold see her slowly descending into anger, culminating in her uncovering that she has telekinetic powers that are growing stronger. Amazed by her newfound characteristic, Carrie's life seemingly improves further when she is invited to the prom by one of the most popular guys in school. Initially confused, she soon comes around to the idea it is not part of a joke, but unbeknownst to her or her date, something terrible is being planned, and will unleash her inner fury upon them all...

Shot-for-shot remakes simply have no place in the horror genre, let along any

other. They seem like the most pointless addition to the growing list of Hollywood releases, and in Carrie it feels like a lot of the 1976 film is being replicated through lack of originality. That being said, Kimberley Peirce's 'update' is flaccidly scripted, devoid of any scares or real terror, and simply doesn't provide the strong characteristics required to be called a success.

In truth, the only guiding light throughout the whole film is Moretz, gritting her teeth and plunging herself into a role that sees her turn from scared and bullied teenager to livid defier of human nature. She produces another horror remake turn worthy of plaudits, it's just a shame she is let down by her support anchors. The usually reliable Julianne Moore turns pantomime villain as she overplays mother Margaret, while the remainder of the cast may as well have been plucked from a straight-to-DVD film. 

Peirce clearly respects her subject material but all too often, culminating in a wholly forgettable horror entry. Cementing her version with laughable dialogue, changes that provoke head shakes, and a real failure to channel any fear into her audience, this is a piece of work she may want to forget. 

Film rating: 2 out of 5 F's 

Blu-Ray Review - Time Bandits

The ultimate throwback to the adventurous films of the 1980s, Time Bandits makes it bow on blu-ray and I don't mind telling you, it looks breathtaking in its new form and still glimmers with excitement and joy with every scene that passes.

Time Bandits follows eleven-year-old Kevin (Craig Warnock) whose love for everything historical is about to get a whole lot more exciting, as he joins a group of dwarves on an adventure as they use a stolen map to locate treasure. Along the way, they come along such individuals as Robin Hood (John Cleese), Napoleon (Ian Holm) and King Agememnon (Sean Connery). As their quest continues, Evil (David Warner) plots to steal the map and use it for his own devices.

Time Bandits is without a doubt one of those films that will appeal to a certain generation, its low-budget and lack of special effects a far cry from the films of these days. Nevertheless, an adventure that is undoubtedly as fun for the actors themselves as us the audience, it is a breathless delight and proves that adventures don't have to be blockbusting and possess a huge budget to be ultimately immersive.

With the likes of John Cleese, Michael Palin, Sean Connery and many others on hand, the film itself whisks along at a nice pace, allowing for the fun to really be had by viewers, and the story is as simple yet captivating as humanly possible. 

Regarded as a cult classic, Time Bandits is one of those films that will forever remain a stalwart of the film history, involved in its own quest to slay the blockbuster dragons and prove that low budget films have just as much a right as any to wow audiences. A stunning blu-ray conversion and a true family film, this is one you can savour for years to come yet...

Blu-Ray Rating - 4 out of 5 F's

Cinema Review - Elysium

Neill Blomkamp sprung onto the scene just a few years ago as he presented the world with a staggering vision of sci-fi in the supreme District 9. Now, armed with a bigger budget and a larger platform, the director brings to us Elysium, but can he work his magic once again in the genre?

Elysium sees the world in 2154 as it has changed vastly, with Earth a wasteland and only home to the poor, with those who can afford the luxury, living on Elysium, a brand new space station world with no disease and maintaining a fruitful way of living. 

On Earth, Max (Matt Damon) is looking to live as best as he can working an honest job, but when he is exposed to extreme radiation poisoning, he has little choice but to find a way up to Elysium for a cure. His only way of doing so is doing one last illegal job as he dons an electronic suit of armour that gives him super strength and is the key to his survival. Unfortunately, on his trail are Secretary Of Defence Jessica Delacourt (Jodie Foster) and her hired bounty hunter Kruger (Sharlto Copley)...

There's no denying that Blomkamp is certainly at home when it comes to the sci-fi genre. His imagery and focus on an engaging story within a ravaged world is once again at the pinnacle, and with Elysium he is allowed to broaden his horizons in comparison to the slums of South Africa in District 9. That extra allowance is arguably a welcome sight, with the film among one of the most beautiful sights to behold this year, but at times it does feel a little too big.

While the spectacle is for the most part impressive, Blomkamp's casting is a mixed bag. Damon is undeniably brilliant in the leading man mould, as ever, his character evolving from helpless citizen to the one man who can make a difference is definitely what a blockbuster of this magnitude requires. So too is the villain of the piece, Copley, whose rather soft-hearted accent is quickly shunned by a truly intimidating, blood-lusting individual whose dangerous motives and sheer anger easily strikes that level of fear into the audience that we expect. 

On the flip side, both William Fichtner and, more surprisingly, Jodie Foster bring the bad, with wooden performances and, in Foster's case, an awful accent. At times, in fact, it almost appears that Foster's dialogue is being dubbed somehow, slightly perplexing the audience.

Those negatives aside, Elysium is certainly an applaudable second entry from Blomkamp and continues his strength in the genre, especially when it comes to thrilling set pieces. Any film that contains guns that simply evaporate people and a brilliantly poised grenade explosion to the face should be worthy of accolades.

Film rating: 4 out of 5 F's

Cinema Review - Kick-Ass 2

In a world where Marvel have taken comic book movie domination to a whole new level, it was great to see Mark Millar's Kick-Ass spring onto the scene a few years back. Now, with a reputation to withstand as somewhat of an underdog in the comic world, Kick-Ass 2 hits our screens with new director Jeff Wadlow handed the reins from Matthew Vaughn.

Dave Lizewski (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) has fully embraced his alter-ego as crime fighting Kick-Ass, and in representing good in the city, soon finds that more costumed heroes are out there fighting the good fight. But as Dave joins forces with Justice Forever, led by Colonel Stars And Stripes (Jim Carrey), Mindy McCready (Chloe Grace Moretz) looks to hang up her cape as titular hero Hit-Girl.

With Kick-Ass teaming up with his new gang of superhero friends, Mindy experiences the tough reality of high school as she butts heads with the popular girls, an experience she is far from familiar with. Meanwhile, the villain formerly known as Red Mist (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) is determined to kill Kick-Ass once and for all, creating himself a new persona as The Motherfucker. Hankering for a slaughter, the self-proclaimed 'world's first ever villain' creates his own team, The Toxic Mega-C*nts and sets out to wreak havoc.

Kick-Ass 2 is certainly a return to familiar territory for fans of the original, with the stakes and the character numbers heightened. In doing so, director Jeff Wadlow slightly lets the ball slip but it would be very unfair to say this sequel is one that is far from its predecessor in terms of quality and its all-important fun factor.

Filled to the brim with belly laughs, outrageous violence and projectile vomiting, Kick-Ass 2 is a brilliant continuation of the series and produces yet more magic from its leads in Johnson and, without a doubt, Moretz. In fact, this is very much Hit-Girl's show, with Moretz returning to bring yet more obscenities and over-the-top youth violence, with her slashing her way through leagues of villains in some of the best action sequences in the film.

That's not to say Kick-Ass and the rest of the gang don't have their fair share, much to the contrary as a great array of new colourful characters add depth to the proceedings. Carrey may be slightly underused but he utilises his screen time well and the likes of Night Bitch (Lindy Booth) and Doctor Gravity (Donald Faison) offer up new and refreshing servings. On the villainous side, Mintz-Plasse hams it up just as he should do but Mother Russia (Olga Kurkulina) is the beast that towers above all both physically and in her performance. A truly formidable foe if there ever was one.

Kick-Ass 2 may not quite be as good as its predecessor but Wadlow knows how to make his audience tick and manages to forge together elements of the first film along with some new ideas to create a riotous affair. Kick-Ass may be around for one last bow but it's certainly Hit-Girl who we want to see more of.

Film rating: 4 out of 5 F's

Review - The Conjuring

My blog has been out of action for a few months now so I thought it best to revisit this barren wasteground with some new reviews. First up is James Wan's frightfully brilliant, The Conjuring.

The Conjuring continues James Wan's rich vein of form as one of horror's best directors around today. Based on true events, we follow paranormal investigators Lorraine and Ed Warren (Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson) as they enter the home of the Perron family. 

Mother Carolyn (Lili Taylor) and father Roger (Ron Livingston), along with their five young daughters, begin to experience strange goings-on within the house as it becomes apparent that paranormal entities are running rife. As the experiences become worse, the family, along with their aid begin to uncover further secrets within the house.

The Conjuring is quite simply one of the most terrifying horror experiences you will have this year, but not quite as you would expect it to be. While many directors within the genre rely upon cheap jump-scares, James Wan cleverly weaves a web of intrigue as he walks the corridors and rooms of its focus house and ramps up the tension throughout. Never does he indulge in these often overused ploys to get audience reaction, favourably choosing the pulse-pounding terror of silence and visuals to really hit home hard.

It's easy to stick to clichéd realms of paranormal activity in films and, whilst it does feature many of what we've seen before, Wan delivers everything with a great poise and certainly stamps his own unique mark on the genre. Coupled with his fantastic direction, both Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga prove their metal with superb performances, along with the rather larger-than-usual family featured in such films. 

Tense, eerie, heart-pounding terror the way horror should be done, The Conjuring is without a doubt one of the year's best horrors so far and if Wan continues this way then Insidious: Chapter Two will be brilliant. Here's hoping...

Film rating: 4 F's out of 5 

Cinema Review - The Great Gatsby 3D

Based on the literary classic by F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby sees bond salesman Nick Carraway (Tobey Maguire) as he makes his way through an unbelievable story through the roaring twenties where he befriends his mysterious neighbour, Jay Gatsby (Leonardo DiCaprio). As their friendship blooms, Nick uncovers that Gatsby is in love with his cousin, Daisy (Carey Mulligan), and when the pair are finally reunited, lives change forever.

On paper, Gatsby's cast looks as splendid as a Baz Luhrmann-led party but these thoughts are soon quelled with what can only be described as sub-par performances from some of the best in the business. Whilst DiCaprio occasionally offers glimmers of his Hollywood heydays gone by, Carey Mulligan appears as a mere damsel with little depth and Tobey Maguire remains, as ever, a flea in the ear. As is the constant ramblings of DiCaprio's use of the term 'old sport'; I'm sure this is said around 100 times throughout!

At times, the film does indeed captivate, as it should, with the reuniting of Gatsby and Daisy, as one of the pinnacle moments of the source material, executes a feeling within the audience that really warms the heart only to turn it almost into a parody, playing for laughs when completely unnecessary. It's moments like these where Luhrmann doesn't quite seem to garner the full force of his source material and in turn this results in few truly groundbreaking and memorable instances. 

Where Gatsby does however, flourish, is in its set pieces, costume design and, of course, those party scenes. Vibrant, flamboyant and backed by some intriguing soundtracking, the Australian sure knows how to create some truly stunning visually quests and this is by far one of his best. It's just a shame he hasn't quite got the hang of 3D...

The Great Gatsby is an effort from Baz Luhrmann to bring up-to-date one of the greatest pieces of literature there is and frankly it all seems a bit of a mess. With collectively average performances and few scenes that really stick out in the mind, it lacks that killer punch and is dogged by an insistence in making everything look pretty. If the whole film was a party then Luhrmann would be gaining all the plaudits under the sun but this is one love story he hasn't quite nailed down unlike his previous outings. Should've dropped 'The Great' and simply called it Gatsby, Baz...

Film Rating - 2.5 F's out of 5