BlockBusters

Italian brother and sister Luca (Antonio Cupo) and Martina (Bianca Guaccero) are on vacation in America when they decide to drive cross-country from Las Vegas to Los Angeles. The desert landscapes of Death Valley take on an even more menacing air when the siblings pick up hitchhikers Sean (Vinnie Jones) and Jamie (Brad Renfro), who, unbeknownst to them, have just killed a police officer during a casino robbery. Meanwhile, Las Vegas showgirl Cherie (supermodel Caprice) has hit the road to escape her controlling boyfriend Zach (Casper Van Dien), who immediately sends out his brutal henchman Ray (Conrad Coates) to track her down. The parallel stories soon collide in a roadside motel for a neo-noirish joy ride of double crosses, kidnapping, murder, and mayhem.

Hollywood is littered with stories of aborted attempts at moviemaking, with many directors finding themselves unceremoniously ousted from a project when a studio gets cold feet and rejects their work. Writer-director Paul Schrader (AUTO FOCUS) found himself in this position when he completed filming on a prequel to 1973's THE EXORCIST in 2004. With Renny Harlin replacing Schrader in the director's chair, then re-shooting the movie in its entirety, it seemed Schrader's vision would be forever shelved alongside countless other terminated projects. However, 2005 saw a remarkable turn of events, as Warner Bros allowed Schrader's version of the film to be released under the name DOMINION: PREQUEL TO THE EXORCIST. Like Harlin's film, Stellan Skarsgard plays a young Father Lankester Merrin. Travelling to East Africa, Merrin hopes to forget the horrific events of World War II, and repair his tattered beliefs, which have significantly lapsed following the gruesome battles he unfortunately witnessed. Once there, the dejected priest runs into a team of archaeologists, who are unearthing a buried church which appears to have been concealed under the African landscape for several centuries. As Merrin helps the team with their discoveries, some brutal and bloody events break out, leading to his first encounter with the powerful demon who would return to haunt him in the original EXORCIST movie. While the plot is essentially the same as Harlin's film, Schrader's movie eschews Grand Guignol-esque gore, choosing to build up a dark, creepy atmosphere instead. Fans looking for gross-out delights will find themselves better-served by Harlin's version of events, but for anyone looking for a subtle counterpoint to the brutal butchery and violent profanity of the other films in the series, look no further than DOMINION.

Thai horror maestros Oxide and Danny Pang follow up their hit 2002 film with a sequel that equals the chills and creepy mise-en-scene of the first. Qi Shu (MILLENIUM MAMBO) stars as Joey Cheng, a troubled young woman who is pregnant with the child of the boyfriend who just dumped her. On holiday in Bangkok, she makes a suicide attempt in her hotel room, but is foiled by her wake-up call. Something was altered in her close contact with death, however, and returning home to Hong Kong, the realisation slowly dawns on Joey that the wraith-like people she now sees everywhere are actually deceased. This knowledge does not sit well with Joey, and as she descends further and further into her own torment, she attempts to reconnect with her ex-boyfriend Sam (Jesdaporn Pholdee), who seems to be hiding some kind of secret. The Pang Brothers' characteristically excellent cinematography infuses THE EYE 2 with atmospheric foreboding, and Qi Shu hands in an outstanding performance as the haunted expectant mother.