Three and a half.
During the ad break for the Super Bowl in February this year, a set of horror clips about 10 seconds long caught my attention. The spider legs that emerged from the girl's pustules in several short clips and the cystic woman swaying in the red corridor all caught me off guard and aroused my curiosity as I was enjoying the game at the time.
After investigation on the Internet, I learned that this "Dark Horror Story" (hereinafter referred to as "Horror Story") was written and produced by Guillermo del Toro (Top), one of the three great Mexican directors. In this year when horror films generally have a weak reputation, there are only a handful of horror films that can be opened on Rotten Tomatoes like this film. So, with curiosity, I walked into the cinema.
There were not many people in the theater, most of them were students of my age. As a PG-13 rated horror film based on a series of children's books, "Horror Stories" is naturally aimed at teenagers like us, and its plot also revolves around a group of students.
Horror Stories has a very old-fashioned plot. All the character motives and shaping of the film are basically familiar to horror movie audiences. Except for once again admonishing us that "if you don't die, you won't die", the movie doesn't seem to have reached the height you want. As a film that took place in the 1960s, "Horror Story" seems to want to connect the connotation of the film with the social background of the United States at that time, but it is too obvious and not obscure enough. This approach does not allow people to really understand the connection between these plots, and secondly, it directly dilutes the coherence of the main plot of the film, which is really superfluous. However, the fast pace of the film saved its viewing experience and didn't make me bored. The troubles of the protagonists follow one after another, and the danger is always one step ahead of their solution. This plot setting adds a lot of entertainment to the film.
In terms of characters, "Horror Story" still follows the standard configuration of movies of the same type. The division of labor of the characters is clear, and everyone's ideas and practices serve the plot. This adds to the fluidity of the film, but diminishes the character of each character. The actors' good but unremarkable acting didn't make these characters more three-dimensional. The protagonists' original profound background stories and dark sides were only taken for the purpose of serving the plot, and they failed to leave a deep impression on people.
Without these, although the film will be reduced, the most important thing in a horror film is the word "horror". It's like a hamburger. The quality of the dish may affect the taste of the burger, but the meat and bread are the key factors that determine whether the burger is good or not. As far as the word "horror" is concerned, the film still does a good job.
What the top is best at is to create all kinds of strange creatures and monsters. Although he is not the director of "Horror Story", he must have played a big role in the tone of the whole movie.
The biggest highlight of the film is the design of various monsters in each horror story. The scarecrow in the yellow wheat field was covered with maggots, and the dark and hollow eyes were filled with hatred. It silently peeped at everything around it with a ferocious expression. The woman with the cyst in the red corridor seemed to have disgusting greasy fat slipping off her body every second. She was wearing a dirty silk scarf, with a big belly that could be faintly seen with blue and purple blood, wearing a black hair, and a wretched and weird smile on her face. Crawling in the dark, a mouth full of jagged teeth, the bony jingle Jangly Man can be clearly seen on his twisted body, mumbling a life-threatening word. The ferocious appearance of these monsters is unforgettable. While I admire the imagination of the top and the team, I am also glad that I do not have the habit of eating snacks in the theater, because these monsters are so unappetizing.
In addition to the monsters in the horror section, the control of the camera, the setting of the environment and the soundtrack are also remarkable. Whether it's shooting from a first-person perspective or close-up focusing on important details, the director's shots can give people a powerful sense of substitution, so that the feeling of unease always surrounds the audience. Every horror scene has its own unique setting, whether it is the yellow wheat fields and dark red corridors mentioned earlier, or the small bedroom illuminated by the dim light, or the basement where you can't see your fingers in the dark, each environment has its own Unique shades and styles. They both effectively render the film's eerie atmosphere. The soundtrack basically follows the style of horror film soundtracks, but adding some styles and elements of earlier horror film soundtracks on top of these can be considered conscience. The pauses in the soundtrack and the transitions of the melody are also seamlessly connected with the ups and downs of the plot.
Although "Horror Story" has a dazzling monster design and a good horror atmosphere, it does not break through the stereotype of horror films in recent years in terms of plot. It uses brand-new shooting techniques and ideas to tell an old story that everyone is tired of listening to, and there is a suspicion of "old wine in new bottles". However, the flashy new packaging fills in what Horror Story is essentially empty, making it a fairly entertaining viewing experience. After watching the movie, my mood is at least happy. Horror movies have always pumped our adrenaline with terrifying violence and terrifying monsters, but in my opinion, the innovation in form is better than writing a newer story. After all, horror films with dark intentions and infiltrating plots are the real horrors.
Overall score: 6.5/10
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