Lately I have been watching lots and lots of foreign horror and thriller films. I have to say it was an overall nice trip around the world via movies. I have seen movies from Germany, Italy, Taiwan, Korea, Japan, China, Denmark, and many other places. I have seen many foreign movies before but I kind of over dosed, if you will. Some of them I have to say were really good while others weren’t so good. And one thing I love to do is read the movie reviews about these movies. Sometimes the films can be so confusing to many people. And it is so damn funny to see them try to explain the endings. But what really bothers me are when people give movies a bad review because they didn’t understand the movies. It’s one thing if the movie sucks because of bad acting or because of terrible directing. I don’t think it’s fair to write a bad review for the simple fact that the movie was smarter than you. And what usually happens is the person missed some critical conversation or a key piece of evidence because they were distracted or weren’t paying attention.There are plenty of message boards where you can have your questions answered, but don’t dis the movie. I just have to say that I find that extremely funny.
I also have to thank my friends for all the wonderful suggestions that they have given me. Movies like “Martyrs”. It’s a chilling film where you find yourself watching truly likeable characters and suffering along with them. The movie itself is about a young girl named Lucie who was kidnapped by a cult of some sort as a child. When she escapes she is placed in an Orphanage, where she meets her best friend Anna. Together Lucie and Anna work against the demons that Lucie fought when she was kidnapped. They decide to embark on an adventure for revenge. The torture these young women endure is painful to watch, but not like Hostel painful. It’s not necessarily rough torture porn. The characters are wonderful young women, who have lost their innocence. They are 100% likeable and you want them to survive. This movie stays with you.
I have found that Asian movies tend to be more cerebral while most of the German movies were a tad bit more brutal. If you haven’t watched a foreign film before because you “don’t like to read while watching a movie”, there are plenty of foreign films that are in English or are dubbed. (Plus most DVDs give you the option to switch the audio to English.) I say get over your fear of foreign movies because you are truly missing out on amazing stories, likeable characters, and different points of view. Here are a few movies that I recommend (I’d like to thank Netflix for the movie descriptions) :
Martyrs-Years after she escaped from an icy torture chamber in an abandoned slaughterhouse, Lucie (Mylène Jampanoï) enlists the help of her closest friend, Anna (Morjana Alaoui), to track down the family who tormented her and exact her revenge. But when Lucie and Anna investigate further, they discover that they've only scratched the surface of an unspeakably vile secret organization. Pascal Laugier directs this ultraviolent horror film
Frontiers-As riots break out all over Paris after a right-wing government is elected, reluctant thief Yasmina (Karina Testa) recruits a few friends to exploit the bedlam by looting. With the police on their tail, the gang splits up and regroups at a hostel near the Luxembourg border to divide their haul. But the decision proves fateful when the innkeepers turn out to be neo-Nazi freaks who want to make Yasmina the brood mare for a new Aryan master race.
Irreversible-This French thriller chronicles the unspeakable horror of rape and the aftermath of revenge. When a woman is brutally violated, her angered boyfriend and ex-boyfriend team up to track down the rapist and take justice into their own hands. Albert Dupontel, Vincent Cassel and Monica Bellucci star, and Gaspar Noé (I Stand Alone) directs. Nominated for the Golden Palm Award at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival.
Anatomy-Paula Henning (Franka Potente), a promising young medical student, wins a place at the prestigious Heidelberg Medical School, where she plans to study anatomy. But when an all-too-familiar face shows up on her dissection table, she uncovers a horrifying secret society of surgeons who will do anything to get their hands on interesting specimens. And Paula could be the next one to end up on the slab.
Antibodies-After confessed killer Gabriel Engel (André Hennicke) is captured, small-town cop Michael Martens (Wotan Wilke Möhring) interrogates him, hoping a journey into the madman's twisted mind will give clues to an unsolved murder committed in the same heinous manner as Gabriel's crimes. Gabriel claims to know the killer's identity but turns the investigation into a psychological game, leaving Michael questioning his own sanity in this German thriller.
High Lane-In this French thriller, a mountain climbing trail closed to the rest of civilization becomes a path to adventure and horror for a group of friends who dare to go beyond its barriers. It's not just because they trespassed into forbidden territory or because they're testing the laws of gravity. It's because they're not the only ones willing to push the envelope out there, and their visitor isn't very welcoming at all.
The Orphanage-Fueled by fond memories from her childhood, Laura (Belén Rueda) persuades her husband (Fernando Cayo) to help her revamp a seaside orphanage into a facility for disabled children. But soon after the couple moves in, their son, Simón (Roger Príncep), begins exhibiting disturbing behavior. As Laura tries to understand Simón's increasingly malevolent actions, she becomes drawn into the house's terrifying secrets in this unnerving chiller.
H-Detectives Kim Mi Yun (Jung-ah Yeom) and Kang Tae Hyun (Jin-hee Ji) investigate a copycat serial killer in Jong-hyuk Lee's gruesome thriller. Police think they've got their man when Shin Hyun (Seung-woo Cho) confesses to the mutilation murders of six women. But the case is reopened a year later when more women are brutally killed in the same manner. The investigation stalls, the detectives become suspects, and the body count rises. ...
Unborn But Forgotten-In a series of Jack the Ripper-style murders, innocent twenty-somethings are abducted and brutally murdered, their bodies practically gutted as if a crude abortion had been performed. Yet, despite the presence of umbilical fluids found on their bodies, none of the victims was actually pregnant. Now, it's up to determined television reporter Han Soo Jin to figure out what's been going on -- and who's to blame for these horrific crimes
The Victim-After actress Ting (Pitchanart Sakakorn) reenacts the violent murder of former beauty queen Meen (Apasiri Nitibhon) in a movie, she experiences a mystical connection with the dead woman and begins to have horrific visions in this spine-chiller from Thailand. Driven by the nightmarish pictures in her head, Ting decides to look into the mysterious murder herself. She soon discovers evidence that the killer may still be on the loose.
The Maid-Charged with living on her own for the first time in her life, Rosa Dimaano (Alessandra de Rossi) takes a job as a maid in Singapore, where she works for the family of a mentally challenged boy. But little does she know that her arrival coincides with the eve of the seventh lunar month -- long believed to herald the opening of the fiery gates of hell. Filmmaker Kelvin Tong directs this record-breaking blockbuster Filipino thriller.
A Tale Of Two Sisters-Terrified sisters try to exorcise their home of two dark forces -- their evil stepmother and a vengeful entity -- in this ghostly tale. Hospitalized after their mother's death, young Su-mi (Im Su-jeong) and Su-yeon (Mun Geun-yeong) return home to find a nasty new stepmother (Yeom Jeong-ah). The girls suffer terrifying events, but their father doesn't care, even though evil lurks around every corner. Can the girls free their home from its demons?
Bloody Reunion-A group of former elementary school classmates who decide to visit their ailing teacher at her home in the South Korean countryside watch their plans for an idyllic reunion crumble in this slasher flick from first-time feature director Dae-wung Lim. It's not that they've changed so much since their last meeting 16 years ago. It's just that they've been so good at hiding their pent-up frustrations about the past ... until now.
Carved: The Slit Mouth Woman-Three decades ago, a Japanese suburb was terrorized by the vengeful spirit of a woman in a surgical mask who asked victims, "Am I pretty?" before slaughtering them. Now, children in this community are disappearing again, leaving police and teachers to discover the reason and put an end to the new wave of carnage. Eriko Sato, Haruhiko Katô and Miki Mizuno star in director Kôji Shiraishi's terrifying chiller.
The Ghost-After a traumatic incident, college student Ji-won (Ha-Neul Kim) is struck with amnesia and tries to piece together the events of her life. But when her old friends begin dying off in mysterious water-related episodes, Ji-won begins making the connection between a dark secret from her past and the horrors of the present. Directed by Tae-kyeong Kim, this terrifying spine-chiller from South Korea stars Sang-mi Nam, Bin and Yi Shin.
Face-Forensic sculptor Hyun-min (Shin Hyun-jun) finds himself in a race against time to save his daughter's life as she recuperates from a heart transplant. He agrees to help solve the case of a vicious serial killer by reconstructing a skull from one of the victims. Once the skull is in his house, Hyun-min's daughter experiences strange visions, and the worried father must unravel a conspiracy involving human organs.
The Horde (which strangely enough looks like Left 4 Dead video game)-When four corrupt policemen invade a gangster's hideout near Paris to avenge the death of their colleague, they quickly find themselves outmanned, outgunned and trapped. That is, until a legion of vicious zombies swarms through the building. Now, the cops, the crooks and the undead are swept up in a bloody three-way rampage. Yannick Dahan and Benjamin Rocher direct this gore-filled French thriller that stars Jo Prestia and Eriq Ebouaney.
Alien Vs. Ninja (Terrible movie but great for a laugh)-When a strange fireball crashes near their village, a mighty ninja clan goes to investigate and winds up in serious danger. Flanked by lightning-quick alien creatures, the ninjas struggle to find their enemies' weakness before they're all killed. Full of blood, guts, dismemberment, cool weapons and wicked swordplay, this tongue-in-cheek action flick stars Masanori Mimoto, Mika Hijii and Shuuji Kashiwabara.
Tokyo Gore Police-(Over the top gore fest)-When crazed scientist Key Man develops a virus that causes humans to mutate, samurai-sword-wielding cop Ruka is called in to annihilate the unnatural creatures and stop Key Man before the virus takes over humanity. Little does Ruka know, however, that the slaying of her father years before means she shares a hidden bond with her rival. Yoshihiro Nishimura's fast-paced gorefest stars Eihi Shiina, Itsuji Itao and Shoko Nakahara
Robogeisha-(freaking hilarious)-Director Noboru Iguchi and gore master Yoshihiro Nishimura team up for this hyper-violent and hilariously grotesque depiction of a very angry army of butt sword-wielding geisha robots with enough strength to embed tempura shrimp in villains' eyes. Special effects in Iguchi's (Machine Girl) over-the-top, feminist melodrama include chainsaw lips, blood-spouting buildings, geisha transformers, machine gun bras and some basic decapitations
Dogtooth-In this Oscar-nominated Greek drama, siblings who grow up cut off from the world -- homeschooled and reliant on one another for entertainment -- create their own idyllic alternative universe, which is shattered when their father lets in an outsider. Sex enters the picture when dad begins bringing home a female security officer to satisfy his son's libido ... and suddenly nothing is the same within the highly idiosyncratic family unit.
I may have left a couple out but I truly invite you to do some research and look up some movies. I guarantee you will have some fun traveling around the world without leaving your living room. Plus you may gain some new fears of countries that you have never visited, like I did. LOL
Love always.
