zardoz-13 Writer & director Makinov's homicidal horror chiller "Come Out and Play" poses a provocative premise: who would willingly harm a child? Makinov has fashioned a taut tale that leaves most of its chilling narrative about murderous children who wipe out all the adults of village on a remote island to your imagination. The eerie action is presented from the perspective of two carefree tourists on the island--pregnant Beth (Vinessa Shaw of "3:10 to Yuma") and Francis (Ebon Moss-Bachrach of "Stealth"), who comes to have a good time. Little do they expect the nightmare that awaits them. Based on Juan José Plans' novel, "Come Out and Play" qualifies as a well-made, calculated, melodramatic exercise in suspense comparable to the cinematic "Children of the Corn" franchise. Makinov brings the tension gradually to a boil as the film unfolds, and we see nothing alarming during the first 30 minutes as our hero and heroine become accustomed to their new surroundings. Afterward, they learn to their horror that the apparently harmless children are hopelessly homicidal, and these urchins have taken control over the village. Although "Come Out and Play" contains its share of devastating moments with children slaughtering adults, Makinov skillfully lensed those scenes so the children appear in cutaways rather than in the thick of the action. The final showdown on the pier as Francis repels their overwhelming numbers is truly good. He fights back unlike all the other doomed residents, and Francis doesn't pull punches as he disposes these kids with brutal passion. The highly ironic ending is something to be seen and savored. Indeed, "Come Out and Play" resembles the ending to the original "Night of the Living Dead" when the last survivor died at the hands of hunters shooting zombies on sight and mistaking the hero as a zombie. The people who gun down Francis are vaguely the equivalent of the Coast Guard, but they aren't prepared for what happens to them once that they have come to the rescue of the kids. Ultimately, "Come Out and Play" is one of those horror movies where evil is not thwarted.

Aristides-2 I knew I was in deep, deep trouble when the director's surname-only name was emblazoned in huge lettering in the credits; he dared go where the great director's of cinema history never went. As many of you know horror films are a beginning step for many a wanna-be filmmaker. Usually lower budget and of course given the whorish ego's of some of these people, a lowering of movie-making standards takes place by making their products more violent and gross than last year's group. So what finally does Mackintosh present for the audience? An unoriginal, highly derivative re-branding of elements that go back decades. Overwrought music that 'tells' you when to be frightened, two main characters that repeatedly follow the script but do not follow the script of what two frightened people would do in real life. Example: A killer kid has the wife and husband in view behind the grate, pointing a cocked pistol at them. But bloodthirsty as these children are supposed to be he never pulls the trigger and is shot to death for his imbecilic hesitation. And does the couple rush forward and pick up another weapon? No they don't. Another example has the husband leaving his 7 month pregnant wife alone in the courtyard, where the walls could be easily scaled and goes for a second, unnecessary tour of the hotel, the whole purpose being to set up his running back to her when she screams. Finally, though there are numerous other examples of bad writing, I would ask the folks who liked this movie, which of the giggling, cannibalistic kid-murderers kept the generator running for this good sized town?

kamikaze-4 I really wanted to like this remake of Spanish cult classic, Who Could Kill a Child (1975) AKA Island of the Damned. However the movie is so flat it becomes hard to sit thru since I knew the outcome from the very beginning. As for the acting? There was a reason the female lead of the original, Prunella Ransome, won the Best Actress award from the Sitges International Horror Film festival. Oh well, if you never saw the original, you might like this thriller. Keep in mind, it's not as fast paced as most recent horror thrillers. You might enjoy the build-up. Better yet, look for the original on The Dark Sky DVD label. Then you will see true fear.

ihearthorrorfilm We're all familiar with the pack of demon children terrorizing the town stories. If you've been watching horror from any of the last few decades, you've probably come across this story before in a film. In this version, we have an American couple that go to a Spanish speaking island to be terrorized by a bunch of kids. Here are the facts of the movie: It takes a good 35 minutes before something finally happens. The subtitles are in white and the film takes place in the daytime… good luck with that. Kids are creepy! Seriously, when they're in packs, dirty and they think they're tough, it can be pretty intimidating. Especially cause your natural response is that you think you can't knock a kid out, it makes the whole premise pretty terrifying. The last 20 minutes of this film is bananas! Because this film ends in such a way I wasn't expecting, it makes it worth checking out. I found myself laughing, not because it is funny, but because it totally caught me off guard and it ended in a very "non conventional" way. If you're in the mood to see some dirty demon children ruin your idea of Mexican paradise, then check this one out.Please like me on Facebook! We love getting suggestions and warnings on everything horror: http://www.facebook.com/pages/I-Heart-Horror/338327476286206