Directed by Eric Valette. Written by Andrew Klaven, based on the 2004 Japanese movie of the same name. Starring Shannyn Sossamon, Edward Burns, Ana Claudia Talancon, Azura Skye, Ray Wise, Johnny Lewis, Meagan Good, Ariel Winter and Margaret Cho.
Plot: people receive calls from their future selves that tell them details of their impending doom.
Well, this movie opens with the drowning of a girl and her cat, so you know I didn’t like that. The movie was never boring though, at least I can say that. However, like the Japanese version, it all came down to the rules sucking so much that we really couldn’t enjoy it.
Everyone dies in the same way. Well, they die in all different ways, but the aftermath is the same. A red hard candy comes spilling out of their dead mouths and their dead hands dial a number on their phone, cursing that person to die, too. In the movie, we find out that it’s the ghost of a little girl that was abused by her own sister. Everytime her sister abused her, she gave her a hard red candy to suck on. Hence the curse.
Now technically, this all makes sense, or at least, you can make sense of it, but the rules don’t get followed. There’s pretty awesome Freddy Claws in the movie, as the detective (Burns) actually believes Beth (Sossamon), but then he ends up dying AFTER they thought they had stopped the curse. Then a candy comes out of his mouth and his dead hand dials another number implying that the curse is NOT over and more people will die. But why?
Some of the ghosts are scary and the “on fire” body was nothing to laugh at, but there really should have been more back story. I did like it a little bit more than the Japanese one, but DJ didn’t.
I suppose I could list my favorite movies here, but instead I'll give you a strange glimpse into what makes me TaraRomero.
1. I met George Romero. He was the kindest and sweetest man. He talked to me for longer than he should have with the line getting longer. He also held my hand. And when he noticed the ladybug I have tattooed on my wrist, he said he liked it and asked me it's name. Till then, it had not had a name. Now, I call him George.
2. I love stickers. All stickers. I just adore them. I even ask for stickers for Christmas! As a matter of fact, the birthday that just past, every member of my immediate family gave me sticker packs as gifts. Affordable and extremely appreciated.
3. I have never put much stock in astrology or horoscopes, but I LOVE the magic of the MBTI. Omg. I am an INFP and it actually sounds just like me. Introverted mostly. Creative always. Heart before head and not the most logical. Totally me! For better or worse.
4. It's no surprise I count horror so high up on the list of things that make me, me. However, it's so within my soul that I was part of the Horror Club in college. Interesting bunch. And even took a Horror Lit class as an elective. I got an A.
5. Coffee always makes me happy. Always. I'm particularly fond of caramel macchiatos. But I'll drink black coffee if it's the only thing available.
6. I hate shock for the sake of shock and endings that depress me. I always mention the movies Within (2016) and the Eli Roth produced, written and starred in, Aftershock (2012), as proof of this distate I have. I abhor the idea that just because I like horror, some people think I'd actually praise a movie that lets you think the "Final Girl" just made it through the night, only to slap her in the face with a tsunami.
7. We are big time animal people. I mean, if I could, I'd have an elephant, a bear, a zebra, a penguin, an otter and a meerkat, living with me. Seriously though. We have 2 dogs right now and 2 cats. Both cats we picked up when they each came to our front door hungry. And both dogs we got from 2 different sets of neighbors. Both who, unfortunately, don't know how to care for pets long-term. But they're happy and healthy now!!
8. Revisiting my love of horror, one of the above cats, my cat, is a little black guy named Church. Because Pet Sematary. His middle name is even Pascow. To give credit where credit's due, the name was DJ's idea. But he loves horror too!
9. I'm big into art. Along with movie posters and an Anne Frank quote, I have some actual paintings on my wall. I really think Dali paints beautifully when he wants to. And if I don't get to see Michaelangelo's Pieta in person some day, I will be very disappointed.
10. Lastly, I find Emily Dickinson's poetry intriguing. I took an elective course about her as well. But do you know I injected horror even there? I was given a poem to dissect and I picked one on death, of course. Then, I researched old "Death Photos" and even printed out copies for everyone in the class. They were so interested in looking at them that it stopped them from all looking at me, and I was able to deal quite well with my stage fright. Haha
View all posts by TaraRomero
BLOOD RED REVIEWS 