Friday, October 28, 2016

A Cinematic History of Horror for Hallowe'en On Roku - DAY 28: Monsters, Sisters & Sadistic Killers (2003-2006)





Welcome back, Boils & Ghouls...



... to 'Day Twenty-Eight' of "A Cinematic History of Horror for Hallowe'en On Roku" in which I'll bring you my next batch of fright flicks from the enormous back-catalogue of macabre movies that have been thrilling cinema-goers for more than a century and can now be streamed to your television sets via the magic of Roku player - so, let's dim down the lights... and enjoy some more frights! :-O


If you read my special hallowe'en blogathon preview - FOUND HERE - which I published at the end of September, then you'll know that I plan to post one Hallowe'en / Horror related article each day, throughout the month of October, and to feature one horror movie per year from cinematic history, starting in 1895 and ending in 2016. This should average out at about four films per day, so you'll have plenty of choice for your macabre movie viewing as we count down the days to Hallowe'en! ;-)


To get things started, in the first week of this blogathon, we went all the way back to the end of the 19th century for some of the earliest horror cinema ever recorded. The movies on day one were from 1895 - 1898 (inclusive) and featured beheadings, vampires, skeletons and nightmarish dreams. For my second article on day two of this series, I shared four films (one for each year) from 1899 - 1902 (inclusive) and those featured ghostly apparitions, aliens and selenites, plus a visit from the devil to a convent. In my next post on day three, I shared four films (again, one for each year) from 1903 - 1906 (inclusive) and those featured impish devils, demons and ghost brides, plus a man who practices entomology being pinned to a cork like an insect. For my fourth article on day four in this series of posts, I shared four more films (one for each year) from 1907 - 1910 (inclusive) which featured evil spectres, haunted houses, plus the first filmed version of the story of Frankenstein's monster. Following that post, on day five, I shared four films (again, one per year) from 1911 - 1914 (inclusive) and those were all based on works of literature by either Dante Alighieri, Robert Louis Stevenson or Edgar Allan Poe. Next up, on day six, four more films were shared (one for each year) from 1915 - 1918 (inclusive) and those included one about a spooky portrait, another about the victim of a kidnapping, plus a Faustian tale told from a female perspective and another about an artificial creature produced by a mad scientist. For my next post, on day seven, I (again) shared four more films (one for each year) from 1919 - 1922 (inclusive) and those featured an epic account of the horrors of war, plus tales of vampires and phantom carriages, as well as a hypnotist who used a somnambulist to commit acts of murder!


To kick-off the second week of my month-long blogathon, on day eight of this series, I shared another four films (again, one per year) from 1923 - 1926 (inclusive) and those included tales of hunchbacks, phantoms, and a pact with the devil plus a pianist whose hands were replaced by those of a murderer (following a train accident) after which he discovered they had a will of their own! Then for my next post, on day nine, I shared four films (one for each year) from 1927 - 1930 (inclusive) and those included a truly stunning "mood piece" based on the work of Edgar Allen Poe, along with the story of a master criminal who terrorized the occupants of an isolated country mansion, plus the creepiest, spookiest, mystery melodrama ever produced, with an early animated horror short thrown in for good measure. After that, on day ten, I shared four more films (again, one for each year) from 1931 - 1934 (inclusive) and those told various tales of terror, including: two American honeymooners trapped in the home of a Satan-worshipping priest, a colossal gorilla hitting the heights in New York with a movie starlet, a tale of love between a siren, a giant and a dwarf from a circus sideshow, plus the story of the strangest passion the world has ever known! Following on from there, on day eleven, I shared four more films (one per year, as before) from 1935 - 1938 (inclusive) and those featured the story of an escaped convict who used miniaturized humans to wreak vengeance on those that framed him, more tales of the horrors of war, and a Chinese ghost story (of sorts) plus the film which, when first released, was billed as the super shocker of the twentieth century! In the subsequent post, which I made on day twelve, four more films were shared (one per year) from 1939 - 1942 (inclusive) featuring strange creatures such as Werewolves, Cat People and The Hound of the Baskervilles, as well as some light-hearted comic relief (of the horror variety) courtesy of Bob Hope! Yesterday... the four films that I shared, on day thirteen, were from 1943 - 1946 (inclusive) and there was (again) one film per year - as there has been for each of my previous posts from this series. That batch of macabre movies included films about ghosts, zombies, and severed hands, plus what is widely believed to be the forerunner of all the horror anthology films that would follow it - a British film, from Ealing Studios! Yesterday, on day fourteen, I shared four more films spanning the years from 1947 to 1950 (inclusive) with one movie per year (as previously) Those included faceless killers, hidden secrets and a tale of human avarice, plus further light-hearted comedy (of the 'tongue-in-cheek' horror variety) courtesy of Bud Abbott and Lou Costello!


Then, as we entered week three of this month-long blogathon... on day fifteen, I shared another four films (again, one for each year) from 1951 - 1954 (inclusive) and those featured a dinosaur-like beast out to destroy the world, an artist (out for revenge) who created wax sculptures from human cadavers, a woman who visited her local shaman and was turned into a white reindeer vampire, plus... the tale of the thing that turns your blood ice-cold, as it creeps and crawls, then strikes without warning! For my next post, on day sixteen, I shared four more (one film per year) from 1955 - 1958 (inclusive) and those included the tale of of a sadistic boarding school headmaster whose wife & mistress plotted to kill him, another about a doctor with a demonic curse put upon him by a devil cult leader, and one from Hammer Films involving Count Dracula, plus the extraordinary tale of the most awesome fate that ever happened to earth people... with the invasion of the body snatchers from another world! For the next post, on day seventeen, I shared another four films (one for each year) from 1959 - 1962 (inclusive) and those featured a "Haunted House" party where the guests had to spend their night with ghosts, murderers, and other terrors, and; the tale of a woman, caught in a storm while driving, who got off the highway and pulled into a remote motel managed by a quiet young man who seemed to be dominated by his mother, and; another based on a ghost story written by Henry James, wherein a woman experiencing apparitions had to confront the evil spirits & exorcise the demons head onplus one more story... "so unusual, it will burn itself into your mind"! After that, on day eighteen, I shared four more films (again, one per year) from 1963 - 1966 (inclusive) and those included tales of ravens, repulsion, The Red Death and a Gothic horror from Mario Bava! Following on from there... for my next post, on day nineteen, I shared four films (one for each year) from 1967 - 1970 (inclusive) which featured a tale about a group of people beset by flesh-eating zombies, as well as the second part of the "Coffin Joe" trilogy - featuring more possessed corpses and sadistic practices, and another about a demented cremator who enjoys reading the Tibetan book of the dead, plus a surreal tale in which love, fear, sex and religion merge into one fantastic world! The next post in this series, on day twenty, featured four more films (one per year) from 1971 - 1974 (inclusive) and those included a film which is widely considered to be the "grandfather" of the modern slasher, as well as a mystery surrounding a series of child killings in a remote southern Italian town, and the story of a teenage girl possessed by a mysterious entity, whose mother sought the help of two priests in order to save her, plus the tale of some youngsters who had the misfortune to meet a family of cannibalistic psychopaths! After that... on day twenty-one, came four more films (again, one for each year) from 1975 - 1978 (inclusive) and those included the tale of a high school senior who unleashed the full extent of her telekinetic powers on the classmates that humiliated her, as well as an account of a series of grisly murders at a ballet academy involving a coven of witches, and the tale of a psycho-killer who, having been in a mental hospital for 15 years (after stabbing his sister to death), broke-out and returned to his home town, just in time for Halloween... plus a story about a Great White shark, menacing the small community of Amity Island, which attacked people as they enjoyed the water at the beach!


As we began week four of this month-long blogathon, on day twenty-two, I shared four more films (one for each year) from 1979 - 1982 (inclusive) and those included stories of mysterious alien life-forms, and evil spirits causing mid-winter havoc for the caretaker-manager & his family in an isolated hotel, as well as five friends who must fight for their lives when flesh-possessing demons are unleashed upon them, as they vacation in a remote cabin, plus the crew of an isolated U.S. research station in Antarctica, who must endure the ultimate in alien terror! After that, on day twenty-three, I shared another four films with you (again, one per year) from 1983-1986 (inclusive). Those included tales of a sleazy cable-TV programmer who began to see his life spin out of control in a very unusual fashion when he acquired a new kind of programming for his station, as well as a group of friends being hunted by a serial killer murdering victims in their dreams, and a dedicated student at a medical college who became involved in bizarre experiments to re-animate dead tissue when an odd new student arrived on campus, plus the story of a brilliant but eccentric scientist who began to transform into a man / fly hybrid after one of his experiments took an unexpected turn! Following on from there, on day twenty-four, I shared four more films with you (one for each year) from 1987-1990 (inclusive). Those featured a strange puzzle box that (once unlocked) let loose some sadomasochistic creatures which took great pleasure in ensnaring human victims to toy with, as well as some special sunglasses which enabled the wearer to see the world as it really was (including how some people were, in fact, aliens) and that there was a grand scheme to keep humans subdued, and another story about a bizarre character with an insane compulsion to stick pieces of scrap metal into his body and the bodies of those who had wronged him, plus the tale of a best-selling novelist who was rescued from a car crash only to be held captive and abused by his "number one fan" who became even more unhinged on discovering the heroine in those novels had been killed-off by the author! The next batch of four films, on day twenty-five, included one film per year from 1991 - 1994 (inclusive) and those featured stories of a young F.B.I. cadet who confided in an incarcerated and manipulative killer to receive his help in catching another serial killer, a vampire from eastern Europe who came to England and began a reign of seduction and terror, as well as a mysterious device (designed to provide its owner with eternal life) which resurfaced after four hundred years... leaving a trail of destruction in its path, plus a "Cemetery Man" who had to kill the dead for a second time, when his graveyard was overrun by zombies! For my next post in this month-long series, on day twenty-six, I shared four more films (again, one for each year) from 1995 - 1998 (inclusive). These included the story of two detectives, one a rookie and the other a veteran, who were hunting a serial killer that used the seven deadly sins as his modus operandi, and a teenage girl who, one year after the murder of her mother, was then terrorised (along with her friends) by a new killer, using horror films as part of his deadly game, as well as six strangers who were involuntarily placed in an endless Kafka-esque maze of deadly traps, plus a tale involving the ghost of a seer's daughter, herself ruthlessly murdered by her psychic father, who inexplicably killed all those that watch a mysterious video tape, unless they broke the curse before seven days had passed! After that, on day twenty-seven, came another batch of four films (one per year, as before) from 1999 - 2002 (inclusive) and those featured a psychological thriller about some film students who visited the Black Hills in Maryland (USA) to make a documentary about a local legend, and a film which focused on the difficult relationship between the director and lead actor in a well-known silent era vampire film, as well as the tale of a woman and two children living in a haunted mansion in the Channel Islands, plus the story of how some scientific research led to a viral outbreak, which left the surrounding area inhabited by a horde of zombie-like humans who caused mass carnage & horror everywhere! All of which brings us rather nicely to this post... wherein I plan to share four more films with you (again, one per year) from 2003 - 2006 (inclusive). These are set to include a tale of two sisters (and I mean that quite literally) who are haunted by the tragedies of multiple deaths within the family, as well as a mystery thriller about the sadistic "Jigsaw Killer" who plays a game of death with his victims in which every piece has a puzzle, and the story of a caving expedition that goes horribly wrong, when the explorers become trapped and, ultimately, pursued by a strange breed of predator, plus a monster that emerges from Seoul's Han River and kills people! ;-)




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Our first movie today is a feature-length film from South Korea, directed by Jee-woon Kim, and first released in 2003 under the original title of "Janghwa, Hongryeon"... although (perhaps) better known to British and American audiences by the alternative title, "A Tale of Two Sisters", which was also the world-wide English title for this movie. Based on a screenplay written by the director of this film (as Kim Jee-woon), it tells the story of two sisters - Soo-mi Bae [aka Janghwa] (Su-jeong Lim) and Soo-yeon Bae [aka Hongryeon] (Geun-young Moon) - who, after some time in a mental institution, return to the home of their father, Moo-hyeon Bae (Kap-su Kim), and their overly cruel stepmother, Eun-joo Heo (Jung-ah Yum). Once there, in addition to dealing with their stepmother's obsessive and unbalanced ways, they find themselves being haunted by the tragedies of deaths within the family!






Su-jeong Lim in A Tale of Two Sisters (2003)
PHOTO CREDIT: imdb.com






Janghwa, Hongryeon [aka A Tale of Two Sisters] (2003) [Korean Poster]
PHOTO CREDIT: pinterest.com






Janghwa, Hongryeon [aka A Tale of Two Sisters] (2003) [Turkish Poster]
PHOTO CREDIT: dramastyle.com






Janghwa, Hongryeon [aka A Tale of Two Sisters] (2003) [French Poster]
PHOTO CREDIT: impawards.com






Janghwa, Hongryeon [aka A Tale of Two Sisters] (2003) [Movie Poster]
PHOTO CREDIT: buquad.com




Unfortunately, I was unable to find any decent quality FREE-TO-STREAM sources (compatible with Roku devices) when performing an online search for this film. As far as I know, the only place you can watch this film for free (albeit via subscription) on UK Roku devices is via the 'Shudder' channel. Those in other regions may have different sources available to them but, at the time of writing, this was the only free option for UK users of Roku streaming media players. So, for those with a current monthly or annual subscription to 'Shudder', you will find Jee-woon Kim's "Janghwa, Hongryeon" is available via the 'Shudder' channel for Roku devices. On the plus side... if you have not previously subscribed to the 'Shudder' horror streaming service, you could (effectively) watch this movie without incurring any charges, thanks to the FREE TRIAL they're offering to new subscribers. That being the case, look out for this 'Shudder' channel icon in the "Official" Roku UK Channel Store via the "Film & TV" genres (i.e. categories) and add it to your device:-







As mentioned previously, you can also take advantage of the Roku "Search" function to find and then install the 'Shudder' channel on your Roku streaming media player. It is FREE-TO-ADD to all UK Roku devices, and their all horror, all the time, approach to streaming means that you will always find something suitably scary to watch on long dark winter nights - and throughout the coming year! ;-)


Speaking of which... if you'd like more info for "Janghwa, Hongryeon" [aka A Tale of Two Sisters], you'll find all the details (plus the option to watch via web browser) on the 'Shudder' website at:-



SHUDDER LINK:- Janghwa, Hongryeon [aka A Tale of Two Sisters] (2003) [IMDB Rating: 7.3]



If, for whatever reason, you'd rather not get a subscription to 'Shudder' (or else, a free trial, where applicable) the next cheapest option is to rent the film via 'Amazon Video' from Amazon UK - in this case, for £2.49 (SD) - or buy it for £6.99 (SD) - again, via 'Amazon Video UK' from Amazon UK - which (at least) means you can watch it whenever you like and as often as time permits! Confirmation of these purchasing options is provided in the screenshot (below), from the Amazon UK website, and (as in previous posts from this series) there is a link beneath the screenshot image which will take you directly to the webpage where you can either rent or buy the film from 'Amazon Video UK' online:-




HINT: Please CLICK on the above image TO ENLARGE IT for easier viewing !!



AMAZON UK LINK:- A Tale of Two Sisters (2003) [via Amazon Video UK]




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Our next movie today is an international collaboration between the USA and Australia... which resulted in a feature-length film, directed by James Wan. Released in 2004, under the original title "Saw", this horror, mystery, thriller begins with two men waking-up at opposite sides of a dirty, disused bathroom, chained to pipes by their ankles. Between them lies a dead man, loosely clutching a hand-held tape player and a handgun. Each finds a tape for the player in their back pocket. They play the tapes. One is threatened, the other isn't. But they have a task: One must kill the other by 6:00, or his wife and daughter will die. They find hacksaws in a toilet, and try to cut the chains, but it doesn't work. They are the two latest victims of the Jigsaw Killer. In a flashback, we learn of Amanda (Shawnee Smith), another victim of the Jigsaw Killer. On her head is a reverse bear trap style mask, which is hooked into her lower jaw. There is a timer on it. Only one key will unlock it, and that key is in the digestive tract of her cell mate who lies paralyzed on the opposite side of the room. If she doesn't unlock the mask in time, her lower jaw will be ripped wide open... and so the horror goes on!





Shawnee Smith in Saw (2004) [Movie Still]
PHOTO CREDIT: imdb.com






Saw (2004) [Movie Poster]
PHOTO CREDIT: joblo.com






Saw (2004) [Britash Quad Poster]




Unfortunately, like "Janghwa, Hongryeon" [aka A Tale of Two Sisters], I was unable to find any decent quality FREE-TO-STREAM sources (compatible with Roku devices) when performing an online search for this film. As far as I know, the only place you will be able to watch this film for free (albeit via subscription) on UK Roku devices is via the 'NowTV' channel. Again, those of you who are in other regions may have different sources available to you but, at the time of writing, this was the only option for UK users of Roku streaming media players. So for anyone out there with a current 'Sky Cinema' pass from NowTV (formerly, NowTV Movies Month Pass), you'll be pleased to know that James Wan's "Saw" is available via the "Movies" section of the 'NowTV' channel for UK Roku devices. The good news for the rest of you is that... if you have not previously subscribed to the NowTV movies pass (in either of it's guises), you could (effectively) watch this movie without incurring any charges, thanks to the FREE 14-DAY TRIAL from NowTV for new subscribers. That being the case, look out for this 'NowTV' channel icon in the "Official" Roku UK Channel Store via the "Featured", "Most Popular" or "Film & TV" genres (i.e. categories) and add it to your device:-








As mentioned previously, you can also take advantage of the Roku "Search" function to find and then install the 'NowTV' channel on your Roku streaming media player. It is FREE-TO-ADD to all UK Roku devices, and the range of no-contract monthly passes for movies, entertainment, sports and kids' programming means there's plenty of flexibility over what you pay for as well as lots of great content to be had whenever you find the free content on other channels is not quite cutting the mustard, so-to-speak, when it comes to newer releases and such like. Not forgetting, of course, there's plenty of good horror films to be streamed, like this classic debut from James Wan, over the Halloween weekend! ;-)


Speaking of which... if you'd like additional information on "Saw", you'll find more details - as well as the option to watch it via web browser, by visiting the 'NowTV' website via this link:-


NOWTV LINK:- Saw (2004) [IMDB Rating: 7.7]




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Our third film today is a feature-length movie from the UK, directed by Neil Marshall, and first released in 2005 under the title of "The Descent"... although, prior to that, the original script title was "The Dark" - it then switched to the working title of "Crawlspace" - before settling on "The Descent" as the final release title. Special props go to the "Dead By Dawn Horror Film Festival" for giving it a UK premiere on 6th July 2005... but, in  actual fact, it had already been screened in Belgium earlier that year - as part of the "Brussels International Festival of Fantasy Films" on 11th March 2005. For those who may not know the film, it tells the story of Sarah (Shauna Macdonald) who goes hiking with her friends and they finish-up by going caving. However, their expedition goes horribly wrong and the group of explorers end-up getting trapped inside the cave. With their lack of supplies they struggle to survive and, to make matters worse, they are then pursued by a strange breed of predator!





Shauna Macdonald in The Descent (2005)
PHOTO CREDIT: imdb.com






The Descent (2005) [Movie Poster]
PHOTO CREDIT: halloweenlove.com






The Descent (2005) [Contemporary Poster by C. Weston]
PHOTO CREDIT: pinterest.com






The Descent (2005) [USA Teaser Poster]
PHOTO CREDIT: femalefirst.co.uk




Fortunately for us, unlike the other films shared thus far in today's post, this time I did find a fairly decent FREE-TO-STREAM copy of this movie online, which will (hopefully) work for Roku users in all "regions". While I've not had as much success finding some of the recent films via my usual video streaming resources (YouTube, Vimeo, Dailymotion, etc.) I'm (once again) pleased to say that, much to my surprise, this adventure horror thriller from the UK was available on 'YouTube' and so I'm able to share it with you for free today. Anyway, you can either choose to watch this movie online, or else use the link provided below to cast it from the 'YouTube' app (via your Roku) and then watch it on the big screen for maximum enjoyment! Whichever way you choose to view it, here is the link...



YOUTUBE LINK:- The Descent (2005) [IMDB Rating: 7.2]



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Anyway, our last film for today is another feature-length film from South Korea... but, this time, it was directed by Joon-ho Bong. First released in 2006 under the original title of "Gwoemul", it is (perhaps) better known to British and American audiences - and, dare I say it, the rest of the world - by the alternative title of "The Host"... which was the world-wide English title preferred over the more literal translation for "Gwoemul", which would have been 'Monster' - although, that's not a bad way to describe the mammoth creature in this feature! Still, for those of you who may not be familiar with this film, it revolves around Park Hie-bong (Hie-bong Byeon) [credited as Byun Hee-bong], a man in his late sixties. He runs a small snack bar on the banks of the Han River and lives with his two sons, one daughter, and one granddaughter. The Park family seem to lead a quite ordinary and peaceful life, but maybe they are a bit poorer than the average Seoul-ite. Park Hie-bong's elder son, Gang-Doo (Kang-ho Song) is an immature and incompetent man in his forties, whose wife left home long ago. Nam-il (Hae-il Park) is the youngest son, and an unemployed grumbler, while his daughter Nam-joo (Doona Bae) [credited as Bae Doo-na] is an archery medalist and member of the national team. One day, a "monster" emerges from the Han River and begins to attack the people of Seoul, which causes widespread panic and leads to death for many. Park Gang-Doo's daughter, Hyun-seo (Ah-sung Ko) [credited as Ko A-sung], is carried off by the monster who promptly disappears. All of the family members are in agony, because they lost someone very dear to them, but when her loving family find out that she is still alive... they resolve to rescue her from its clutches!






Gwoemul [aka The Host] (2006) [Korean Poster]
PHOTO CREDIT: Film Thoughts






Gwoemul [aka The Host] (2006) [Brazilian Poster]
PHOTO CREDIT: tmdb.org






Gwoemul [aka The Host] (2006) [French Poster]
PHOTO CREDIT: horrorpedia.com






Gwoemul [aka The Host] (2006) [British Quad Poster]
PHOTO CREDIT: horrorpedia.com



Luckily, as with "The Descent" above, I again found a fairly decent FREE-TO-STREAM copy of this movie online, that will (hopefully) work for Roku users in all "regions" - let me know, if that's not the case. Anyway, once again you can choose to either watch this movie online, or else just use the link provided below to cast it from the 'YouTube' app (via your Roku device) and then view it on the big screen for maximum enjoyment! Whichever way you choose to watch it, here is the link...



YOUTUBE LINK:- Gwoemul [aka The Host] (2006) [IMDB Rating: 7.0]




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Anyhow, that's all I've got time for today... but do remember to come back again tomorrow, for more macabre movies from the history of horror cinema, when I serve-up another batch of four films on 'Day Twenty-Nine' of "A Cinematic History of Horror for Hallowe'en On Roku" right here on this blog. Meanwhile... please be sure to visit the Countdown To Hallowe'en website and show your support for this annual online Hallowe'en extravaganza... PLUS don't forget to use the links you find there and check out all the other 'Cryptkeepers' taking part this year. I know they'll appreciate it if you visit their blogs & share your thoughts on the contribution(s) they've made.




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BEFORE I GO: Don't forget that, aside from all the Hallowe'en / Horror-themed ghastliness going on around these parts for the next month, you can always keep up with all the UK Roku action (as it happens) by following the companion Twitter Feed: @ukrokuchannels where you will find up-to-the-minute info on all things Roku is posted on a daily basis (well, almost).



Until the next time, then...



That's all folks !!





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