Shiloh Fernandez | Scott's Film Reviews-1,550 Reviews posted!!! Check out my TOP 250 Favorite Films and TOP 40 Horror Films!!!

Red Riding Hood-2011

Director Catherine Hardwicke

Starring Amanda Seyfried

Scott’s Review #477

Reviewed September 10, 2016

Grade: B-

I was hesitant to see Red Riding Hood (2011) in the theater because it felt more like a rental.

While it is far from high art, it is an above-mediocre thriller riding the current popularity of the vampire-lite genre.

It tells the story of a teenage girl living in a medieval village being attacked by a mysterious wolf. The wolf, however, is sometimes human.

The fact that it stars young actors known in current American cinema makes it unsurprising that it’s a love story.

I thought the movie was decent, but not great. The whodunit is good as we wonder who the wolf in disguise is, and the cinematography is excellent.

I bought the period’s authenticity.

Seeing Julie Christie in a current film is always a treat, but at times the movie is quite sappy and Twilight-ish. The same director, Catherine Hardwicke, directed it, so that’s not surprising.

Overall, Red Riding Hood (2011) is not a bad watch.

Evil Dead-2013

Director Fede Álvarez

Starring Jane Levy, Shiloh Fernandez

Scott’s Review #425

Reviewed June 21, 2016

Grade: B

Having recently seen the original Evil Dead, directed by horror master Sam Raimi, from the early 1980s, I found the remake fine but not as compelling as the original.

It’s hardly the most terrifying film you will ever experience either.

While the original was quite a low-budget film, the remake is modern and glossy-looking, though with only a tiny cast.

The film is set almost entirely inside a cabin in the middle of nowhere at night, has a wonderful mood, and includes all the necessary horror elements.

A Book of the Dead is unearthed, and evil spirits possess the youngsters one by one.

The film is entertaining, has lots of well-done gore (loved the bathroom face-cutting scene), and, while over-the-top, doesn’t feel overly cartoonish.

It has fresh energy.

It takes some liberties (in reality, someone with a torn-off limb wouldn’t keep walking around as if nothing happened).

A silly drug-addiction subplot feels unnecessary.

There are some genuine scares, and all in all, Evil Dead (2013) is an enjoyable horror movie-going experience.