When one takes a moment to ponder upon the horror genre, and all the wonder that it offers, we instantly think of all the elements that helped us to fall in love with the genre. For some of us, it was a powerful scare that sucked us in. For others, disturbing moments or buckets of gore served as the grand draw, but the bottom line is that horror knows how to tug at us on a primal level and I suppose if there is any complaint or criticism that needs to be offered up when it comes to modern horror, is that the genre has shifted away from some of those all-important emotional elements.
 
It’s about style over substance for some horror stories these days, and while it is supremely cool to see the genre everywhere since it dominates television and remains a draw at the box office, sometimes I find myself longing for the days when horror tugged at your mind in disturbing fashion. You know what I’m talking about, those kinds of films that leave you unsettled as you watch them, to the point where you wonder if you should even continue since the story is going to such supremely dark places. However, while those types of stories are a difficult find on T.V. or at the box office, they still exist by way of the independent horror market and recently, I had the opportunity to watch a horror film that is happy to dig into the darker parts of the genre in 3: An Eye for an Eye.
 
Now in this particular tale, we are introduced to a man and woman whose names we never learn, we only know that they are on a mission, to bring peace to the woman’s soul. For the woman, was brutally raped a year ago, and the man believes he has come to learn the identity of her assailant and is going to help her bring her assaulter to justice by torturing a confession out of the man and well, the less I say about the plot the better, because the twists and turns that await you in this film are best experienced rather than dictated to you, dear reader. But that doesn’t mean we are done with this review just yet, because there is a lot of spoiler free stuff to discuss when it comes to this motion picture. 

​Case in point, the fact that this really is a brutal horror film, the kind that holds nothing back, and much of that is driven by the man and the woman and their plan to obtain a sense of justice and their decision to exact revenge leaves the audience conflicted. Because on one hand, revenge against a rapist doesn’t exactly sound like a terrible thing, but since we don’t quite know up front whether or not the captured man in question actually committed this terrible crime, the awful things that happen to him push our sense of justice to the limit and leave you squirming in your seat.
 
Yet, while it seems as though at first, this movie is going to fall into a Hostel-esque trap visually, and provide the audience with an hour and a half of pure ‘torture porn’, the breaks in between the ugly are where this horror film shines because it does take the time to allow for the audience to get to know the man and woman in question and the trauma they’ve both gone through and really, this exploration of their motivations and what makes them tick makes them incredibly tragic characters through and through. Because it truly allows for us to understand just how broken they really are and truly, one would have to be shattered to the point of no return to seek out this particular brand of justice.
 
However, what makes this film so incredibly fascinating and worth your time is the mystery revolving around whether or not their victim is indeed the man who committed this horrendous crime and the unraveling of that particular conundrum, leads to some incredible twists and turns as the story rolls on, which means that in the end, this is a horror film that I absolutely recommend. Because this one, really is a twisted and bleak ride, one that genuinely left me uncomfortable, and if by chance you’re okay with the subject matter and want to learn more about the surprises in question in this film, give it a look, since it offers up some unique ideas and some genuinely unsettling moments.   ​

As a book enthusiast, I am always looking for a great deal for my next read. Not always being able to find the first editions of all of my favorites may leave me longing, but I believe that the true value is found within the pages of these masterpieces, not in the rarity of the book. The power that comes off of the written page could be more than you could ever imagine, as books can take you to places you have never expected to go in your life time. For some of us, this is enough, for others it is all about the money.

For rare book dealer Dean Corso, the latter is the case.  Looking to make the most money for his efforts, Corso is a vulture in his industry, paying the least amount of cash for the most sought-after editions. Knowing this, Corso is hired by Boris Balkan to verify the authenticity of his newly prized possession, The Nine Gates of The Kingdom of Shadows. The history of this book dates back centuries as it was written back in 1666 and the author was accused of collaborating with the devil and burned during the Holy Inquisition, along with all of his works. Only three books were known to have survived. This is where Corso’s job begins, but what stands in store for him may be much more than he bargained for.

Seeing unfamiliar faces and people following him, Corso takes his client's book and stashes it in the safest place he knows, a rare book shop owned by his friend. Finding his apartment all torn up, as if someone was looking for something, Corso is met by a woman who is looking for something much greater than himself. She tries to take the book back by force, but with his suspicions running high, and with it not being in his possession, he is able to escape the attack. Returning to his friend’s book shop to retrieve the rare edition, Corso is shocked to see his friend hanging from the rafters. After getting the book back he starts his trip to Europe, Portugal and France to be precise, and Corso begins to fight his main challenge, belief, along the way.

The Ninth Gate takes you on a spectacular journey as Dean Corso (Johnny Depp) travels through Europe to find what Balkan (Frank Langella) has paid him to do. The Nine Gates is less than a normal book, being written for one purpose and one alone, to raise the Devil. Corso works as hard as possible, researching the demonic text and comparing it against the other two remaining copies, but an onslaught of opposition may keep him from completing his task without some help. A young woman follows him during his travels and always appears to be in the right place at the right time. Not willing to give Corso an honest answer to who she is or why she is following him, she seems to be his angel in disguise. 

Just a great thriller/horror story and one of my personal favorites. Having a book dealer actually open up a book and see what is housed on the pages makes me smile. The power of The Nine Gates is more than any one person should ever acquire but putting in the grunt work to find out the truth is why an individual should be rewarded. With enough twists and turns to keep you interested, and strange deaths surrounding the quest, you are left to wonder who is watching and helping Corso on his adventure. If you find a clue that is meant to be found, is it really a clue or a sign? Keep an eye out for little changes in things, some may be what you are looking for, others may be just a bit more. Stay Scared.

Christine Brown is trying to work her way up to the vacated assistant manager position at her bank. The only problem is that there is a new employee that is fighting for the same job. Trying to gain a leg up on the situation, Christine is met at her desk by an old woman who is looking for another extension on her bank loan. After talking to her manager and knowing that he is looking for someone that can handle the tough situations, Christine informs that old woman that she will receive zero help from the bank and she will be forced to leave her home.

The old woman begs for help, but Christine knocks her to the floor. Being a proud woman and being shamed in front of many, the old gypsy comes after Christine after her shift ends. Not being able to defeat the younger woman, the gypsy places a curse on her, one that will plague the young bank employee and make her life a living hell. Christine takes the threat with a grain of salt, until strange occurrences start to happen around her house.

Not knowing what is really plaguing his girlfriend, Professor Clay Dalton does all he can to figure out a reasonable explanation for what is happening. After taking Christine to a fortune teller, Clay is frustrated with the results as the man sees much evil is about to attack the young woman. The attacks worsen, inside and outside of Christine’s home. Visiting the fortune teller once again, Christine is informed that the Lamia, the black goat, is a common demon used by gypsies to do their dirty work and it is responsible for all of her troubles, and it will not stop until the gypsy that placed the curse upon her, provides her with forgiveness.

Drag Me to Hell follows young Christine Brown (Alison Lohman) as she tries to get promoted at the bank, but she abandons her values, and lies to a gypsy to try to solidify her front running status for the assistant manager position. Her boyfriend, Clay Dalton (Justin Long), is along for the ride, but does not believe enough in what is happening to really help his troubled love. Rham Jas (Dileep Rao), the fortune teller, tries with all of his power to help rid the young woman of the Lamia, but his powers are far from strong enough to keep it from doing its worst to Christine. What will happen to Christine, will she be able to rid herself of the Lamia before being killed, or will she be dragged down to the fiery depths with the powerful specter?

Sam Raimi’s Drag Me to Hell takes you back to an eighties style of scares. Being based more on the scares, camera movements and storyline, Raimi also gets to play a lot more with special effects that were not available or affordable during his Evil Dead days. This is just a great and fun horror flick as you wonder what is really trying to attack young Christine and whether or not she will survive. It is always a good lesson to treat others the way you would like to be treated, especially old gypsy women that could make you regret it for the rest of your days.