Film Review "Inoperable"

Every time I hear one of my scream queens has a new film coming out, it’s almost a given that I want to check it out unless it looks very bad. When I first heard about Inoperable, I was interested in film immediately when I heard Danielle Harris was going to be involved because she is my top 3 scream queens of all time.

The film is about a woman (Danielle Harris) who wakes up to find out that she’s in an empty hospital as a hurricane approaches. She manages to find out that she stuck in a time loop as a strange force is trapping her in the same moment. Can she find a way out of the hospital before she is tapped there forever? The film also stars Jeff Denton and Katie Keene.

Going into “Inoperable”, I was hoping that this would be decent because Danielle Harris usually is one of those actresses that keeps you invested in whatever she’s in. Never did it would be as good as it was.

One of the things that this film does right is the direction. Director Christopher Lawrence Chapman does a very good job making sure that this had an intense feel. From the way that he approaches this film to how he approaches the action scenes, everything’s done in a way that it keeps the film moving along. If the action didn’t feel intense, then this would’ve felt flat and redundant. Thankfully, it was not the case as the scenes came off as intense and it kept me interested in the story. The other thing that Chapman does very well is to make sure the performances match the intense pace. He makes sure the performances work with the film’s tone. He does a great job making sure that his cast matches the intensity in their performances as in the screenplay. It helped enhance the film’s story as the scenes on screen come off as suspenseful.

The screenplay written by Chapman and Jeff Miller does a very good job making sure that the screenplay has an intense feel. Whether it’s the way they go for a “Groundhog Day” approach with the film’s story to how they set up the main character every time she wakes up in the hospital, everything is done to give you a frightening “Memento” type of feel. That’s the charm of this film as it kept me interested with the main character. The other thing the screenplay does well is some action scenes that have a punch to it. This is the type of film where you need scenes that keep you frightened and on edge. This screenplay has that. By having that, you get hooked into the film’s story as hoping for a good payoff. It does that very well as it had that expected result which fits the film’s story very well.

This was an entertaining film, as I was into the film’s “Groundhog Day” and the scenes had an edge that makes this worth watching especially if you’re a fan of Danielle Harris. With its intense pace and its good performances, “Inoperable” is one film that makes you afraid to go to the hospital.

Review Rating: Four Stars

Be Afraid of Hospitals with the Upcoming Release of "Inoperable"

Zroya Films and ITN Distribution recently send the horror chamber information for their upcoming release of "Inoperable". The film stars Danielle Harris, Jeff Denton and Katie Keene.

Special features on the DVD includes a feature-length commentary with writer/producer/director Christopher Lawrence Chapman, writer/producer Jeff Miller, actors Jeff Denton and Katie Keene as well as trailers.

"Inoperable" hits retail on February 6th.

Press Release:

Zorya Films, Millman Productions and ITN Distribution are putting scream queen Danielle Harris under the knife with the February 6th DVD and VOD release of Christopher Lawrence Chapman's Inoperable. Harris (Halloween 4 & 5, Rob Zombie's Halloween, the Hatchet franchise) stars as Amy, a hospital patient who must battle nature and the supernatural before she ends up trapped for eternity. Chapman directed from a script he co-wrote with producer Jeff Miller following their collaboration on Clowntown. Inoperable will be available nationwide on DVD, Cable VOD and Digital HD on February 6th.

A young woman wakes up in a seemingly evacuated hospital with a hurricane approaching. She realizes the storm has awakened malevolent forces, trapping her in a time loop. She must escape the hospital before the storm passes or she will be trapped in its halls forever.

The DVD (SRP $14.93) release of Inoperable will exclusively include a feature-length commentary with writer/producer/director Christopher Lawrence Chapman, writer/producer Jeff Miller, actors Jeff Denton and Katie Keene as well as trailers.

"Havenhurst" Set to Frighten Theatergoers and In Your Home

Brainstorm Media and Twisted Pictures recently send the horror chamber information for their new "Havenhurst". The film stars Julie Benz ("Defiance", "Dexter", "Buffy the Vampire Slayer"),Danielle Harris (Halloween 4 & 5, Rob Zombie's Halloween, the Hatchet franchise), Fionnula Flannagan (Little Secret, "Defiance", "Lost"), Belle Shouse ("Secrets and Lies", A Million Ways to Die in the West), Josh Stamberg ("The Affair", "Parenthood"), Toby Huss (Big Bear, "Halt and Catch Fire"), Jennifer Blanc (Among Friends, Good Family Times), Matt Lasky (The Purge: Anarchy) and Douglas Tait ("Jack The Reaper", "The Quest").

"Havenhurst hit theaters in limited release and VOD on Feburary 10th.

Press Release:

Brainstorm Media and Twisted Pictures have announced the February 10th limited theatrical and nationwide Cable VOD and Digital HD release of Andrew C. Erin's Havenhurst. Co-written by Erin (Sam's Lake, Simple Things) and Daniel Farrands (Amityville: The Awakening, Haunting in Connecticut, The Id), the film stars genre vet (Julie Benz, "Defiance", "Dexter", "Buffy the Vampire Slayer") as a woman battling her own demons while trying to uncover what happened to her apartment's previous tenant (Danielle Harris, Halloween 4 & 5, Rob Zombie's Halloween, the Hatchet franchise). Havenhurst will debut in Los Angeles at the Laemmle Music Hall.

Havenhurst will also begin weeklong theatrical runs in San Francisco, Denver, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Houston, Kansas City and Phoenix. Nationwide, Havenhurst will be available on Cable VOD and Digital HD platforms, including Charter Spectrum, Comcast, DirecTV Cinema, Dish, iTunes, Amazon Instant Video, Google Play, Vudu and more.

Benz and Harris are joined onscreen by Fionnula Flannagan (Little Secret, "Defiance", "Lost"), Belle Shouse ("Secrets and Lies", A Million Ways to Die in the West), Josh Stamberg ("The Affair", "Parenthood"), Toby Huss (Big Bear, "Halt and Catch Fire"), Jennifer Blanc (Among Friends, Good Family Times), Matt Lasky (The Purge: Anarchy) and Douglas Tait ("Jack The Reaper", "The Quest").

Welcome to Havenhurst, a gothic apartment complex in the heart of New York City. A beautifully maintained, turn-of-the-century building that houses over 3,000 residents and countless dark secrets. The rent is what you can afford and the rules are simple: live a decent life and you can stay forever. Break the rules and there are consequences.

Jackie (Benz), a troubled young woman struggling with addiction, is released from rehab and given a second chance with a new job and a furnished apartment at Havenhurst. Guilt-ridden over the loss of her 8-year-old daughter, Jackie is quickly drawn into the mysteries of Havenhurst, in particular the disappearance of apartment 1006's previous lost soul, a young woman (Harris) she befriended in rehab who vanished without a trace.

Aided by a hardened New York police detective (Stamberg) and a lonely foster child (Shouse) who lives under the sadistic shadow of her caretakers, Jackie must not only battle her inner demons... but the very real ones that live within the walls of Havenhurst.

Retro Review: "See No Evil 2"

When I first heard about “See No Evil 2”, I thought it was dumbest idea in the world. But when WWE Studios tapped Jen and Sylvia Soska as the directors for this film, I was on board with it after liking their previous films “Dead Hooker in a Trunk” and “American Mary”. Also the casting announce announcements added to my interest in this film.

The film takes place just right after the events of “See No Evil”, where the body of Jacob Goodnight (Glen “Kane” Jacobs) has arrived at the city morgue. A group of friends surprises their friend Amy (Danielle Harris) with a party at the morgue after Amy decides to work late and help out. But their night of fun turns into a night of terror, when Jacob Goodnight reawakens and starts terrorizing everyone. Now they must find a way to survive and leave Jacob Goodnight goes on another sadistic rampage. The film also stars Katharine Isabelle (American Mary) and Michael Eklund (The Call).

One of the reasons that “See No Evil 2” is far better than the first one was the direction from Jen and Sylvia Soska. The twisted twins did a very good job making sure the film had an intense feel to it. From the film’s death scenes to how it was shot, everything felt creative and had a very dark feel to it. This helped me feel like I was watching a serious slasher film than a guilty pleasure film like the first one was. It made the film more enjoyable for me. The other thing that both Jen and Sylvia do very well was to makes the performance very good. I liked, the fact that both of them made that aspect didn’t feel cheesy or try and copy the first film. The direction helped made the scenes work well and it made the characters more interesting on screen.

Speaking of the performances, the lead performances were very good. Glen “Kane” Jacobs performance was much improved from the first film. He does a good job making sure that his character has a serious and menacing feel. It helped with some with some of the action as it comes off as horrifying. The film also has some good performances from Danielle Harris, Kaj-Erik Eriksen, and Katharine Isabelle, as the performances really added to this film.

The main thing that I was afraid of going into this film was the screenplay. The first film didn’t do much to win me over in this department, but it still worked in guilty pleasure way for me. Thankfully, it doesn’t go that route here as I liked it. The screenplay written by Bobby Lee Darby and Nathan Brookes did their job in providing something different from the first film. One of the things that I liked about it was that it had interesting characters and an intense feel to some of the scenes. From the way they develop their subplots to how they approach the action in the story, they did a good job making the story and tone of their screenplay different. It helped keep my interest in the story throughout. The other thing that I liked was the fact that they tried to take this screenplay seriously unlike the writers of the first film. In the first film, the screenplay was lacking a lot as it mostly felt like a collection of kill scenes with good direction. This film didn’t have that same feel as they made sure that the characters were developed enough to make them interesting. It helped the film be a little more serious than “See No Evil”.

This is a big improvement from the first “See No Evil” film. With its good direction from Jen and Sylvia Soska and a screenplay that is intense, “See No Evil 2” is one horrifying good time.

Review Rating: Four Stars