Day 10 - The Reef - October Horror Movie Challenge

THE REEF (2010)

Don't worry, what do they say? You're more likely to die from a bee sting than get killed by a shark...

(There will be major spoilers so skip if you don't want to be spoiled)

Kate, her brother Matt and his girlfriend Suzie are on vacation and Kate's ex Luke has offered them a boat ride. He delivers boats and yachts for a living and is delivering a boat that they join him on. He's also joined by Warren who will help him deliver the boat and help out with driving and what not.

The first part of the trip goes great except for Luke and Kate who are struggling with their relationship and possibly starting it up again. After stopping on a small island and going snorkeling for awhile they head back to the boat.

The next morning the boat hits something and flips, leaving the group stranded on top of the boat. Luke quickly takes charge and decides that they should swim for land because there is some about 10-12 miles north. Warren decides to stay back because he's terrified of what's in the water. The three of them begin to swim for a shoreline they cannot see and soon find themselves in the middle of open water with nothing in site. Oh, and there's something splashing about in the distance...

Alright...so what did I love about this movie?

• First of all - they don't actually show the shark until about an hour in which really keeps the tension high. And when you do see the shark it looks completely realistic....I'm guessing they used real footage of a shark for most of it until the attacks.
• Everyone stayed so calm which I appreciated. Ya'll know I hate when the movie wastes ten minutes of everyone losing their shit instead of fixing the problem.
• The turtle scene....that had me SHOOK. I rarely jump anymore but that made me freak out.
• It's an intense as hell movie and honestly just leaves you feeling so jumpy and scared. I went outside for a smoke during it and something touched my leg in the dark (most likely ash from my cigarette) and I lost my shit thinking it was a shark. On my balcony. Four stories up.

What didn't I love?

• Warren was the WORST. Like...kay fine...you're gonna stay behind while everyone swims for help but why you gottta be such a dick about it? When Suzie is getting dressed in a wet suit, all he has to say is, "you look like a seal in that. Sharks love seals." LIKE WOW. RUDE.
• Also Luke suggesting they swim 10 miles? Are you joking? Oh, just a casual 10 mile swim through open, shark infested water. No biggie.
• And the boat flipping? What in the hell? It was like smooth sailing and then all of a sudden the boat was upside down. Like....how?

Overall?

There is nothing more terrifying to me than being in open water at night. And this movie scared the shit out of me. I don't know why I thought it would be a good idea to watch all these shark movies before I leave for Hawaii. Good luck family, getting me in the ocean.

This movie is based off of a real event which is so terrifying because it justifies my fears - Ray Boundry and his friends were on a fishing boat in 1983 when it capsized off the coast of Townsville, Australia. They had surfboards and used those to stay afloat and swim to a reef but a tiger shark started hunting them and attacked one of the guys. That guy, the true goddamn hero, swam away from the group to distract the shark and it eventually killed him. But two hours later the shark came back and took the second person, killing her. That left Ray the only survivor who managed to swim ashore but not missing out on also getting attacked. Luckily he survived his injuries. CAN YOU FUCKING IMAGINE?!!?

I liked The Reef quite a bit, but I think out of the water movies I watched, The Shallows was my favorite.

7/10

So that brings us to the end of the water theme and now we're diving head first back in time to the 90's.

Stay spooky!

Day 9 - Frozen - October Horror Movie Challenge

FROZEN (2010)

"Parker, you broke the first rule." "What?" "You can't talk about real life shit while we're up here. The whole point of being here is to forget all about that shit and relax and enjoy ourselves."

(There will be major spoilers so skip if you don't want to be spoiled)

Lynch, Dan and his girlfriend Parker are out at the ski hill for a day riding the slopes. Lynch is kind of pissed that Dan brought Parker because all Dan has been doing lately is hanging out with his girlfriend and Lynch just wants some time alone with his best bud. After Parker manages to bribe the lift attendant to let the three of them on the lift for cheap, they spend their day skiing and snowboarding. At the end of the day they decide they want one more go at the slope but the ski lift is being closed down early because of bad weather setting in.

Once again Parker convinces the lift attendant to let them have one more ride, promising they'll come down quickly. He lets them go but after a mix up at the bottom, the lift attendant leaves and the next one is convinced it's all good to close. They shut down the ski lift with the three college students still half way up the mountain. Stuck up on the ski lift, the three are sure it's just a breakdown and proceed to wait it out.

But once the ski hill lights turn off and the storm comes in, the three realize they're stuck up there. It's Sunday night and the skill hill doesn't open up again until Saturday. With five days of no one around ahead of them, and the sounds of wolves closing in....will they survive the night?

Alright...so what did I love about this movie?

• Oh boy, this was a great film! It was one of the more intense films I've watched so far this month. My heart was pounding while watching.
• The scene when Dan jumps and breaks both his legs, I was gasping for air because I forgot to breathe while it was happening. And when the wolves start to circle I was freaking out. Such a great scene.
• The fact that Dan's death scene wasn't even shown, but we just witness it through the eyes of his two friends was super well done.
• Parker gets hysterical but it's not annoying in any way, it feels natural for the situation and doesn't get over the top.
• OMG THAT HAND SCENE YA'LL....that was disgusting. I was gagging.
• The ending was satisfying without being cheesey.

What I didn't love?

• These motherfuckers were not utilizing their winter clothing at all. I am an individual who feels the cold way deep down in my bones, and after living in Labrador for four years I am quite friendly with -40 weather. In fact I have had frost bite in my toes and now my toes are basically always cold, the blood doesn't run well through them. And let me tell you....I know how to make the most out of your winter clothing. This idiot, Parker, had her jacket open at the top, wide open. Velcro that shit up properly and it will cover your cheeks and nose. She was wearing a scarf...wrap that shit around your face. Make sure those sleeves are tightly velcroed to not let any air in. I mean....come on. When they started getting frost bite I was like...well....you didn't really work hard at staying warm...

Overall?

What a lovely surprise this film was! I was going into it with low expectations because how awesome could a movie be really with three people stuck on a ski lift? Turns out pretty freakin' awesome. It was so much fun to watch and it was so damn intense. Not once was I questioning their decisions (except the ski wear, see above) and I was on the edge of my seat the whole time. Great cast, great story line, and the wolves were not fucking around on that mountain.

The craziest thing about this movie? They actually filmed it on a ski lift 50 feet in the air. Could you imagine showing up on your first day of work like...where's the green screen?

This is just a great little film written and directed by Adam Green and I highly recommend it!

8/10

Stay spooky!