The Addams Family is coming back to the big screen. However, this time they are more animated than they have ever been in the past. The dark comedy is now a kids movie where they move to New Jersey and prove there are worse things that can come to the state than the cast of Jersey Shore.
While I will not enjoy the kooky kids’ film, kids will. Therefore, if you have those things in your life, then you can take them to see the feature 20 days before Halloween.
I love disaster films and creature features, and it is rare that the two are combined. It is even rarer that that combination creates a movie which is so good you immediately want to watch it again. D-Railed is that rare pearl in a clam.
D-Railed starts off with several passengers boarding a train to take part in a roaring ’20s murder mystery game. Evelyn (Carter Scott) is the first passenger we meet and she is there to support her friend who is part of the cast. She is greeted by young Abigail (Shae Smolik), who is there with family friend Antonia (Leticia LaBelle). They are joined at their table by Marcus (Daniel O’Reilly). This is his 15th time doing one. Unlike Everette Thomas (Wallin) who is making the trip for the first time.
Things start off simply enough. The Host (Frank Lammers) does his schpeal and everyone feels like they are part of the show. Then the lights go out and he literally has been stabbed in the back. At first, they think is part of the game until they realize he is really dead.
GiGi (Tonya Kay) and Clyde (Ben Hopkins) have decided to hijack the train. They ask all of the passengers to give them their jewelry. As everything is being collected, Clyde goes to the conductor and tells him to stop the train so that they could get off. The two of them get into a fight and both wind up dead. Now the train is speeding up as they near a deadly curve. When Gigi won’t let them try to stop the train before it is too late, they run to the back of the train for safety.
Good thing they did because the train derails and goes into the water. Since they were in the last car, they survived. However, they are still stuck and the water is starting to fill their car. They try to escape, but the nearest land is a few hundred yards away. As one of them attempts to swim to land, something attacks and kills him. One by one they are killed off by this mysterious creature.
Will any of them survive? I cannot tell you. What I can tell is there is a surprise twist ending that I did not see coming. And I am pretty good at seeing the shocking ending.
D-Railed has three different themes going on in the movie, and yet they blend them all together brilliantly. The first part surviving the bad guy is just long enough that you don’t get bored. Then it is time to survive the crash which is suspenseful enough. However, it becomes even more of a nail biter as the creature devours them one at a time.
The movie did not depend heavily on CGI. They let the story be told as though it were real life and not a computerized version of it. It is the back to basics approach that makes this thrill ride even more thrilling.
The movie goes by faster than a train that is late for its next stop. At no point does it drag on. It is all perfectly timed out to give it the right amount of excitement.
Talking about excitement, legendary Lance Henriksen had a nice cameo in the film. But I have said too much.
I also cannot say enough good things about D-Railed that is out on home video now.
The horror movie genre seems to be going from strength-to-strength with some great movies released in 2018. Movies which included the remake of the iconic Halloween. So, with a lot to live up to, what does 2019 have in store?
Well the good news is there’s lots to look forward to for the horror movie buffs amongst us. We’ve already had some great movies and there’s lots more on the way. And, as a genre that thrives on sequels, there are some much anticipated stories to be continued.
Annabelle 3
A sequel to Annabelle and Anabelle:Creation, and all spin-offs from The Conjuring this could be the scariest premise of the franchise so far. Anabelle is a possessed doll who, in this movie, now sets her sights on Ed and Lorraine Warren’s young daughter. But not content to haunt alone, the doll brings all the other haunted items in the Warren’s artefact room to life.
IT: Chapter 2
This could be the most anticipated sequel of this year. Based on the 1,100 page Stephen King novel, it’s the second part of the book adaptation. The first movie, released in 2017 grossed over $700 million worldwide, focused on the children. The sequel, set to be released in September 2019, focuses on the same characters but as adults. With some big names including Jessica Chastain as the grown-up Beverly, James McAvoy as Bill, James Ransone as Eddie, and Bill Hader as Richie. Bill Skarsgard returns in his star-making role as Pennywise, the evil clown.
The Prodigy
Nicholas McCarthy directs this paranormal chiller starring Taylor Schilling from Orange is the New Black.Schilling plays a mother of a young boy with behavioural issues who comes to believe they may have a supernatural cause.
The dead don’t die
So, this is more comedy horror than terrifying but judging by the trailer, it looks like one to watch. Staring Tilda Swinton, Bill Murray, Adam Driver, Chloe Sevigny, Steve Buscemi, it’s got some big names battling the undead in the small peaceful town of Centreville.
Child’s Play
A new and completely modern version of Chucky is about to hit our screens and it looks terrifying. It’s based on the original movie but has been brought into the modern-day times and now features a modern-day toy with no limitations. Written and directed by Lars Klevberg, the original Child’s Play writer and director of the recent Cult of Chucky and Curse of Chucky movies, Don Mancini has had nothing to do with it. However, the main characters remain the same.
The New Mutants
This is a horror-themed X-Men spinoff which has been recalled and rescheduled several times in order for them to avoid clashes with other superhero movies and make it scarier– let’s hope they’ve been successful. The film is about a group of young mutants held in a secret facility who are fighting to save themselves whilst coming to grips with their new powers.
Ever since I was a kid, I have loved disaster movies and creature features, but rarely, if ever, have the two genres collided. That is until now.
D-Railed is described as “A woman boards a train that derails into a lake in the middle of the night. She, along with other surviving passengers find themselves trapped within the sinking wreckage. They discover what lies beneath the surface is far more terrifying as they fight to stay alive against a deadly predator determined to kill them one by one!”
What they failed to mention, is there is also a heist in it too for people who like that sort of thing. It has something for everyone. Well, not kids. Unless you do not want them to sleep at night.
Did I mention it also has Lance Henriksen, who is creepy every time he is on the screen? He never does a bad movie and I do not expect this to be his first.
Even more enticing is the story concept was created by a woman (Suzanne DeLaurentiis) and the executive producers are women. Which, as you know, is rare for Hollywood and even rarer for horror. Just another reason to support this flick that is available August 6th on home video.
I just cancelled my planned train trip after watching this trailer, so I have plenty of time to watch it. I didn’t. If I did not do things because of disaster flicks, I would not be living in LA thanks to Earthquake, Towering Inferno, Two-Minute Warning, Night of the Comet and Volcano to name a just a few. Don’t get me started on disaster films and creature features that have been based in NYC and Miami. Surprisingly, no one has wanted to destroy Atlanta on film.
This weekend, it was Toy Story 4 versus Child’s Play at the box office. Before they went head-to-head in the theater, Chucky was off with their heads. You know, because that is what he does.
Well, they had the last laugh. Not because the sequel made a killing with $121 million as compared to the remake’s mere $14 million. It is because the surviving toys actually did a Chucky and killed him! No offense Mark Hamill, but he totally deserved it. He is not Don Mancini’s Chucky. That is the only killer redhead doll creator’s creation I care about.
To see how Chucky killed Slinky Dog and Hamm, then click here!
