1408 (2007)
Synopsis: A man who specializes in debunking paranormal occurrences checks into the fabled room 1408 in the Dolphin Hotel. As he settles in, he confronts genuine terror.
Many, many rewatches of this film over the years and it never gets old. It's easily up there with the best Stephen King adaptations and is in my top favourite horror films. John Cusack puts in an absolutely terrific performance as his character Mike Enslin starts to unravel and lose his sanity. He dominates majority of the screen time and really carries the film to the heights that it manages to achieve. The pacing is perfect, couldn't be better. The scares are really effective. I've never been able to listen to The Carpenter's the same because of this film, their song 'We've Only Just Begun' really sets the tone well. The scenes with the radio switching on by itself are so eerie and so, so good.
House of Wax (2005)
Synopsis: A group of friends stranded on the way to a football match approach an abandoned wax museum for help. But the events that unfold find them running from the murderous brothers who manage the place.
I don't remember this film being kinda... good? Granted it isn't going to win any awards or wow you in any sort of way but it has aged far better than I expected and sets out what it wants to do as a slasher well. The premise is super fun for a horror film and it has some neat kills. Watching this again really made me appreciate the build-up at the start and how they stumble upon the museum. It sets a good, creepy vibe. The cast aren't half-bad either with their performances. With all that being said, I do tend to enjoy 2000's horror more than the average person and all the cheese that comes with that era.
Unbreakable (2000)
Synopsis: David, a security guard, survives a fatal train accident, only to be tracked down by a man named Elijah Price, who claims that David is blessed with superhuman abilities.
This could be arguably considered M. Night Shayamalan's greatest film. I tend to flip-flop between
Unbreakable and
Sixth Sense as my personal favourites. This is around the time in which he really found his groove as a director. It has such an excellent, intriuging story with a nice twist on superheroes. It realy pulls you in as a viewer and keeps you guessing about what happens next.
Bruce Willis and
Samuel L. Jackson are both phenomenal, putting in some of the best performances of their careers. I always loved the way in which this film opens up, it has a great hook and scene that keeps you watching. It has aged extremely well visually and I'd highly recommend it to those who may have never seen it.
