This movie is by far one of my top 5 favorite movies. In the film, Sam Neill plays John Trent, a freelance insurance investigator hired to find out if the disappearance of horror writer Sutter Cane (Jürgen Prochnow) is part of a complicated marketing plan, as he is the most popular writer at the moment. However, it seems that Cane has really disappeared, as not even his publishers know where he is. Together with Cane's editor, Linda Styles (Julie Carmen), Trent will attempt to find out where Cane is, but will discover that the famed horror writer has a deep dark secret hidden in the apparently not so fictional town of "Hobb's End".
Starting with The Thing in 1982, Prince of Darkness in 1987, and this film in 1994, this competes Carpenter's Apocalypse Trilogy. I could watch this movie everyday.
Onto the characters. Before I say anything, I have to say the Sam Neill is one of my favorite actors. He can truly act, expressing a full range of emotions: angry, annoyed, happy, cocky, flabbergasted, etc. You name it, he can pull it off. Anyway, Sam Neill plays John Trent perfectly. This is a guy who's good at his job and he likes it. He can see right through you; see what you're capable of. It's fun to watch him try to make sense out of all the madness around him, especially once he arrives in Hobb's End. Julie Carmen, unfortunately, looks as if she's about to fall asleep or that she's stoned (I don't know which, probably both) throughout the whole movie. She serves her purpose though. Let's talk about the real star of this movie. As with Sam Neill, Jurgen Prochnow is perfect as Sutter Cane. I can't think of anyone who could have played the part better. This man's got the look, the voice, and the attitude to make Cane extremely believable. If anyone can play the bringer of the apocalypse, it's this guy. Charleton Heston looks like he's got something stuck up his butt, but plays Harglow just fine (I think this actually helps his character!). I personally think he could beat the crap out of Sutter Cane if it really came down to it. The other characters are all minor, but one deserves an honorable mention. David Warner as Dr. Wrenn is great. This man can handle himself and can give Sam Neill a run for his money (even though he doesn't try to here).
The gore and special effects are fantastic. It's nice to see a movie in the 90's where CGI is non-existent. (The only two movies where CGI has tricked me into thinking what I was watching was real (or at least animatronic) are Jurassic Park and Starship Troopers. Most of the time, I (or anyone else for that matter) can spot CGI easily. Not so in those two movies.) Anyway, (I go off on tangents a lot, so get used to it) everything from the dead/undead cop, the axe-maniac's eyes, the creature that's part of Cane's back, and the vile abominations, was superb. Nice work guys at KNB! No complaints here.
I will admit that Carpenter got me with almost every "boo" scare in the movie, particularly the one at the end. But those scares are only temporary. When someone says a movie was "really scary", I want to see something that will stick with me and always be in the back of my mind. These are the best kind of scares which define "true" horror. We don't get very many of these types of scares anymore, which really makes me mad. But just as I had hoped, Carpenter pulls it off here (and in a few of his other movies, too) perfectly.
The gore and special effects are fantastic. It's nice to see a movie in the 90's where CGI is non-existent. (The only two movies where CGI has tricked me into thinking what I was watching was real (or at least animatronic) are Jurassic Park and Starship Troopers. Most of the time, I (or anyone else for that matter) can spot CGI easily. Not so in those two movies.) Anyway, (I go off on tangents a lot, so get used to it) everything from the dead/undead cop, the axe-maniac's eyes, the creature that's part of Cane's back, and the vile abominations, was superb. Nice work guys at KNB! No complaints here.
I will admit that Carpenter got me with almost every "boo" scare in the movie, particularly the one at the end. But those scares are only temporary. When someone says a movie was "really scary", I want to see something that will stick with me and always be in the back of my mind. These are the best kind of scares which define "true" horror. We don't get very many of these types of scares anymore, which really makes me mad. But just as I had hoped, Carpenter pulls it off here (and in a few of his other movies, too) perfectly.
Finally, I loved the ending! Apocalyptic endings always so much more satisfying than happy endings. Carpenter is always known for his "hook" endings and this was one of his best. As i said before, this is in my top 5 list (probably not going anywhere either). You can watch this by itself of go for the trilogy, either way you will enjoy this movie. I highly recommend it.
9.5/10
Imdb 7.2
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