DAY SEVEN - We Are Still Here (horror movie challenge - 31 days of horror)

We made it a whole week!!! Now three more to go....

DAY SEVEN - WE ARE STILL HERE (2015)

We Are Still Here is written and directed by Ted Geoghegan and stars scream queen Barbara Crampton and Andrew Sensenig. It tells the story of an older couple who have recently lost their son in a car accident. They decide to move to a new home, create new memories, and begin to move on with their lives. Unfortunately, the house they’ve chosen plays a part of a disturbing ritual of a small town, and the couple are at the center of it.

Man, I wanted to love this movie, but I really didn’t. I could barely get through it. And it’s not even something specific – it’s just….everything. The acting felt jumpy and awkward, even Barbara Crampton who I had high hopes for let me down. I mean, she was the best part of this film, but even she felt dragged down by the dialogue.

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Let’s break it down:

I loved the scenery – nothing better than a good New England ghost story. The house was gorgeous, the scenery was stunning, but did we need really long shots of bird houses swinging in trees to show it off? No.

The setting of the 70’s was great. I love horror movies when they’re set in the 60’s-70’s. The fashion is great, the old cars, the furniture. Everything was on point. But comments about women driving cars? Felt so forced. “We’re just reminding you this is the 70’s because we’re assuming you’re too dumb to figure it out”.

The ghosties themselves were okay. I preferred it when you could barely see them, just things moving in the darkness which they stuck to in the beginning. Much more creepy. The only part of the film I felt genuine fear was when the camera zoomed in on a family photo in a frame and then the ghosts face appears. That was beautifully done.

I enjoyed the gore. It was shockingly violent at the end and completely unexpected. There’s just blood exploding everywhere. I loved the stark contrast of this cold, wintery scenery and old, creepy house and then just dripping bright red blood everywhere.

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Everything else? I hated. The townsfolk were ridiculous. There were so many plot holes. Like, why did Dave shoot that young waitress? What on earth was the point of that? It felt like the story was trying very hard to come off like The Wickerman but failed. And in someone else’s hands with different actors, perhaps it could work well. But it just didn’t.

4/10

SOFIA'S REVIEW:

Well hello there! Quick intro, my name is Sofia, and I am a 16-year-old budding horror enthusiast. My lovely friend Charlotte asked me to join her on her 31 day challenge, and I undoubtedly agreed, despite the fact that I am a total wimp. Since I am an aspiring writer, you could imagine my excitement when she asked me to co-write on her blog for this wonderful spooky month. You can find me on my personal blog, www.memoirsofanerdgirl.wordpress.com , and join me on my adventure of my life! Now, onto the review!

I accidentally clicked a wrong link in finding this one and got 10 minutes into a movie about a rapper before realizing my fatal mistake. Damn you similar titles.

Our movie starts with an older couple moving into a new home. The wife, Anne, seems upset, eyes red rimmed like she's been crying. The husband, Paul, is the optimist of the two. The first scene of them in the new home is just creepy shots accompanied by creepy music, which really sets the mood.

We figure out they had a son, Bobby, who has passed away in a car accident, which triggered their move to the new house. Anne believes she feels Bobby's spirit in the house which upsets her even more.

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After two weeks of living in the house, they get a visit from their elderly neighbors, and talk about the house and its previous owners, as it used to be a funeral home. The old man at one point comments that "they were selling the bodies to the Orientals to turn them into chop suet", at which point both the husband and I snort and choke on our food. Him in shock and I in laughter. Nothing more pathetic than laughing your ass off at a horror movie and mumbling "oh shit" while alone in your house.

A handy man is hired to figure out the cause of smoke smell in the basement, and once left alone, is attacked by a monster and a screaming zombie looking lady, leaving with him bad burns. That's actually new to me, I find when monsters attack in horror movies they claw/gouge etc, not burn.

This movie was definitely rich on the jump scares, which I love. The demons were very unique, which is another rarity. Most of the time it’s just your same run of the mill beings. This movie also really brought on the blood and gore.

A couple of cheesy scenes, but I really enjoyed this move. 8/10

See you back here tomorrow for day eight!
Stay spooky!