STACK #124 Feb 2016

DVD&BD

REVIEWS

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Hello dolly. ANNABELLE

I am the walrus. TUSK

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Release Date: 11/02/15

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Release Date: 12/02/15

HORROR

The creepy titular doll that had a supporting role in James Wan’s 2013 hit The Conjuring gets its own spin- off-cum-prequel in this moderately scary spookfest. The setting this time is LA in the late ‘60s, where newlyweds Ward Horton and Annabelle Wallis are expecting their first child. Wallis is a doll collector and is delighted when her husband buys her the rare Annabelle doll she has been searching for. However, after a violent home invasion by two members of a Manson-like cult, she begins to wonder if the doll has

There's a hint of The Human Centipede in Kevin Smith's new film, a horror-comedy-cum-monster- movie about a podcaster (Justin Long) who gets turned into a walrus by an insane old geezer (Michael Parks). Having recently left Jay and Silent Bob behind for edgier fare like Red State , Tusk finds Smith back in a playful mood – what transpires is ridiculous, disturbing, grotesque and hilarious (often all at the same time) – and easily ranks amongst his best work outside the View Askewniverse. Parks and

become possessed by an evil spirit. Director John Leonetti, who worked on both The Conjuring and Wan's other horror franchise Insidious , serves up plenty of jumps and frights, although it must be said these now ubiquitous haunted house flicks are becoming a little too predictable.

(an uncredited) Johnny Depp, the latter as a Quebec detective, are fantastic in their loopy roles, revelling in dialogue Tarantino might wish he'd written. And yes, the titular Fleetwood Mac song is put to truly bizarre use. Completely insane and highly recommended.

Left behind. THE REMAINING

Unleash the beast. WOLVES

Release Date: 12/02/15

Release Date: 04/02/15

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The run of faith-based films continues. Noah and Exodus: Gods and Kings were both Old Testament tales, but The Remaining has been ripped from the Book of Revelation in the New. Moreover, it's been designed as a horror flick with a teen audience in mind, while still maintaining an appeal for the converted. Following the Rapture – the moment prior to Judgement Day in which Christian souls are taken up to Heaven – those left behind find themselves under siege from demons lurking in the streets. The generic characters fail to register but there are some effective scares to be found, and the chaos that ensues in the aftermath of the Rapture sustains the tension. Biblical apocalypses are a rarity these days (anyone remember The Seventh Sign ?) and that alone makes The Remaining worth a look.

Teen Wolf meets True Blood when high school football star Cayden (Lucas Till, X-Men: First Class ) develops super strength and animal aggression that leaves his adoptive parents dead and him on the run in search of answers. He finds them in the mountain town of Lupine Ridge (whose name is a dead giveaway), home to a werewolf pack ruled by alpha wolf Connor Slaughter (Jason Momoa, Game of Thrones ), whose leadership is threatened by Cayden's arrival. Written and directed by Watchmen / X-Men screenwriter

David Hayter, Wolves is a teen movie in horror clothing, but has little in common with The Twilight Saga (that's either a plus or a minus). Momoa's ample screen presence is put to good use, and genre veteran Stephen McHattie also makes a welcome appearance.

FEBRUARY 2015 JB Hi-Fi www.jbhifi.com.au

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