The Telling (2009)

one of my absolute favorites!

Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

This film is so real. It treats its characters with so much care and sensitivity.

Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.

Gathered together for Sorority Rush, potential pledges are brought together for the final initiation rites, their telling of a scary story.The Good Stor(ies): Doll Fear-Living together in New England, a woman isn't particularly pleased with her boyfriend inviting ex-girlfriend to live with them, until he gives her an antique doll as a peace offering. Growing impatient over the situation every day, she gradually comes to think that the doll is alive and after her, which no one in the house believes. As a series of weird incidents around her force her to believe that the doll is alive, she eventually discovers the truth and tries to stop its murderous antics. This was an incredibly enjoyable and entertaining entry, with a lot of really great stuff about it. One of the best things it does is the build-up with the doll being alive. From the different sayings in different situations, him waking up with the doll despite being placed in another location beforehand, as well as the best set-up, watching them have sex and giggling while doing so, followed up by the encounter on the stove afterward which really works well. All of these make the jealousy angle all the more fun and creepy, and once it moves into the final stalking, there's even more fun. The off-screen clattering and giggling set-up the slashing perfectly, the trail of bloody footprints is chilling, and the final resolution is really good. There's only one flaw in this, the fact that it's a pretty clichéd story and pretty much goes right where it's expected to without really offering anything surprising, but it's not a detrimental flaw at all.Prank Call-As their plans are canceled, friends stay home and decide to play a couple of prank phone calls, only for them to accidentally hear a murder over the phone during one of their calls. Understandably freaked out when they start receiving numerous threatening phone calls tormenting them about what they did, and their suspicions eventually get the better of them, they find that the killer may have found them. This is the most middle-ground of the stories. This here gets the tension of the situation really nicely, with the prank phone calls as well as the act heard over the phone which is quite creepy, followed up by the killer's call knowing of them with no knowledge beforehand. The police investigation segments are perfectly in keeping with that approach, and the first murder is really surprising. The stalking throughout the house is also pretty thrilling, especially the second one with the shadowy figure on the wall. These are all melded together nicely to make for a great premise, despite the execution somewhat lacking as the fact remains, however, that this is incredibly short and really could've done more to expand its stalking parts. There isn't enough to really play with all its' capable of and really should've used a few extra minutes into its stalking moments to actually get going nicely, as well as actually showcase its murders on-screen with some gore, which would've been helpful. However, it's still really good.The Bad Stor(ies): Crimson Echo-Fallen on hard times, an actress agrees to meet with an eclectic director on a new movie and goes to his house for preparation of the film. As he begins to explain the concept of the film, she grows incredibly uncomfortable with what's asked of her, until she learns the truth about the movie and what they demand of her. This one is really problematic, as it's such a potentially-entertaining segment. Easily the most chilling part of this, and the film as a whole, is the dinner party, from the silence from the guests as they sit around the table to the intense lecture given that goes well with the upcoming tension and growing concern over where it's heading, which works nicely. There's also the rather creepy masks worn as well as the abduction part at the end, along with the rather disorienting dream sequence that is highly erotic and trippy. There's some work to be done, though, in that the most disturbing segment, the showing of the war footage to really throw her off, is marred by the lame song played over the scene, not even showing it but just her reaction which really ruins the impact it's supposed to have as well as being utterly inappropriate for the situation. There's also the fact that, almost immediately afterward, one of the listeners aptly describes the entire segment as being weird over scary, since it's low on scares and tends to get by on its rather hypnotic look and feel to generate scares, and as well as ruining the dinner party scene, the abduction at the end and eventual torture is seen in such mild flashbacks and cuts that it's impossible to determine what happened to her or why it should be something to fear, and instead the end is just her acting like one of them without any explanation why, greatly ruining the power it should've had and altogether ruining the entire segment.Rated R: Graphic Language, Violence and Nudity.

Here it goes, after I heard about our local movie store was closing I decided to go and buy movies because they were 50% - 70% off the original price. This movie was one of the many movies I bought, I really didn't have much to do today so I watched it.....it sucked! I feel really bad to say that because I really like Bridget and Holly. I'm also a huge fan of "The Girls Next Door"and that's another reason why I picked this movie up. The acting was cheesy, the production was lame and the film quality was crappy! This is a movie that is going to never be played again and just sit in my movie cabinet. Save your money and brain cells.

Three college girls must endure the insults and heresy of the sisters of Omega Kappa Kappa if they wish to become members, and are ordered to tell scary stories as a means of possibly being accepted. The first tale concerns Lily(Rebekah Kochan), who is being driven crazy by a creepy doll her lover found in the trash. The doll wants Lily's man all too itself, and his ex-girlfriend, Sarah(Kimshellet Garner), who is currently living with them until she can find a place to stay, is also in danger of falling prey to the doll. The second tale concerns a down-on-her-luck thirty-something actress, Eva DeMarco(Bridget Marquardt), who accepts a part in a European horror film, "The Crimson Echo", and learns that taking a part for the paycheck isn't always a good idea. The third tale concerns three girls who are besieged in their apartment by a killer they hear murder a guy over the phone while prank calling the victim. The wraparound story has a twist which concerns the suicide of a college girl named Briana who took her life after the sorority sisters rejected her desire to become a member of the Omega Kappa Kappa. This snoozefest has nothing to offer except pretty girls swearing and a climax where we see the bitchy sorority sisters get their comeuppance. The violence is tame; the film offers some minor titillation. None of the tales are exactly earth-shattering(..rather clichéd and uninspired), except maybe for the second story with a quote from a director with a Bela Lugosi accent, "The undead need their entertainment, too." Hugh Hefner's former squeeze, Holly Madison, is given star treatment, that in itself spells doom for this horror yawner. Each and every tale is predictable and by-the-numbers, even the twist which is satisfying because of those getting their just desserts(..pun intended).

I did not have very high hopes for this film. A horror movie from the Playboy mansion? I think most people probably suspect that Playboy bunnies do not make great actresses, and indeed they do not. They are great at posing and pouting, but pretending to laugh, is sadly beyond their reach (though this might be due to having been pawed at by a 127 year old Hugh Hefner, as that would stop most people from even cracking a smile). So if you disregard the acting, which ranges from poor to abysmal, you will have heard the stories again and again since childhood. In fact, most Halloween specials have told these stories, and often told them better. So here goes: To gain membership in a Sorority populated by plastic women in their late 20ies and early (?) 30ies (who, at least at one point, are amusingly Borg-like), three pledges must tell a scary story each. Seem familiar yet? The first story involves an evil doll, the second a creepy castle in Transsylvania and in the third, three babysitters (ok, they're not actually babysitters, but they might as well be to make the cliché complete) get creepy phone calls.This is far from the worst film I've seen (that honour still belongs to Unearthed), and sadly, it is not so-bad-it's-good either. Overall, I think it deserves a 3/10, because it did manage to hold my attention till the end and because it did give me a chuckle or two. However, it must be said, it is not even remotely scary. Nor is it sexy. Apparently, there is 1 blink-and-you'll-miss-it topless scene, but I blinked, so I missed it.