So in the confides of the vault rules films up to 2015 so this one just falls into the realm of The Vault. Slowly, if you listen to the podcast, you will notice i’m getting soft on the old found footage sub genre. We have covered for interesting titles over the last year and Digging up the Marrow is definitely one of the more….interesting of films we are covering. 


Directed by Hatchet director Adam Green Digging up the Marrow follows Adam on a new project. The project involves a man, William Decker (played by the Amazing Ray Wise), who believes there is an underground world called The Marrow where the worlds oddities reside. The L.A entrance is of course in the middle of the woods where Decker takes Adam and his cameraman Will to discover them for themselves leading to a very well shot finale.


One thing I can say about the film is that is shoot very well, something you come to expect from Adam’s films. He knows horror so you know he has seen a few mockumentaries in his time. But can a well shoot film really fix he fact that for the first 70% of the film is just a little dull? Yes unfortunately I found the film a little dull at points, something which is a bit of shame due to my love of Greens previous work. Saying that however the last portion of the film was pretty good. The monster design is brilliant, something you don’t see so much in found footage films. The creature with the bag over it’s head reveal was shocking and for once you get to see action instead of running away being the main focus.
I love the art work the film is based on, it is artist I would go to for commissioned pieces and Ray wise plays crazy guy quite well so overall the film itself isn’t awful, I just felt it lacked a certain something I just couldn’t put my finger on.


It is definitely worth the watch especially for a found footage fan.


For our spoiler filled thoughts on the film listen to our upcoming episode of the podcast.

​RATED: 

It is time to crack out that WD40 and grease those hinges as it has been a while since we have opened the doors to The Snakebite Vault, but this one is a strange one as this is also a new release Blu-ray edition that has hit stores this week. Why place it in The Vault you ask? well it is because I have not seen this yet and this is meant to be a classic horror film for the ages.

But has this 1989 adaptation of the classic Stephen King Novel Pet Sematary aged well? or is this yet another victim of the era. Lets take a look at Pet Sematary.

In 1983 King released his darkest tale of his career, a book his wife even admitted was to dark and un-enjoyable. King said himself this was the novel that scared him the most and I can see why storywise why this is the case. This is a story of loss and death that sees one man's need to bring his loved ones back from the dead that he will do anything to make it so, something that is played out very well in this film.

A brief breakdown of the plot: Chicago doctor Louis Creed (Played by Dale Midkiff - Time Trax, The Crow: Salvation) moves out to Maine to become the doctor at the local university hospital along with his wife Rachel (Denise Crosby - Ray Donovan, Deep Impact), his extremely irritating daughter Ellie (Blaxe Berdahl - DC Super Friends, Ghost Writer) and their little boy Gage (Miko Hughes - Kindergarden Cop, Wes Craven's New Nightmare) in to a sweet little house that is unluckily next to a very busy road regularly occupied by trucks. This we find out pretty damn quickly as Gage almost becomes road kill in the first few minutes of the film. Gage is saved by their neighbor Jud (Played by legendary Munsters star Fred Gwynne), a kindly old timer who lives on his own across the road, he is also the stupid fool who introduces the Creed family to the titular Pet Sematary and who shows Louis how to use its back from the dead powers. What follows is Louis' obsession and grief that leads to him being used by the ancient power that is trying to make him bring his loved ones back from the dead.

The story of Pet Sematary is indeed on of the darker of the Stephen King stories out there, less regarding gory and more because of the grief aspects. The death of Gage is heartbreaking and the funeral scene is a hard one to watch, tragic accidents unfortunately happen and the way Rachel's father treats Louis at the funeral is horrendous but also makes you understand why Louis does what he does more. You feel for Louis and lets be honest if we knew of a way to bring our child back from the dead you bloody well would, no matter what the consequences.

Cast wise Jud is really the only character who stands out acting wise to me, which is a credit to Gwynne however the rest of the cast are unfortunately very dire. The character of Ellie was insufferable, the type of little shite who need a solid kick in the face (not saying you should but it is bloody tempting in this film) and when it comes to Midkiff and Crosby's performances as Louis and Rachel they both seem flat and disinterested at most moments. Out of the two at least Midkiff picks up nearer the films end. The effects on the film have not aged well either, the final scenes are a very grand example of this. When you get to the moments when Gage is going after Jud and his mother you are treated to some laughable close up fake hands and the boy is obviously a dummy in the Louis and Gage final scenes, so bad it would make Chucky blush. It looks like they dressed up a shit Good Guy doll and thinking back at how well other films around the same time did this it takes you out of the final moment which is a shame. 

But as a whole this can be forgiven, as the direction and overall production is done perfectly, with that 80's Stephen King vibe you got from film like Christine (The best King adaptation of all time in my opinion) and the epic IT television movie . 

This film truly is more Classic than watchable so The Vault classes this as a  CLASSIC

​

It is one of the big action films of the early 80's and spawned a famous trilogy which has been spoofed in TV and film like Gremlins, Simpsons and Hot Shots 2. First Blood stars Sylvester Stallone and is the tale of a broken man being hunted for just walking through a town. Yes that is right I have never seen First Blood so it is time yet again to jump into The Vault to ask that important question.....Is First Blood really a classic?

The film begins with John Rambo, a war vet who was part of a specialist unit in Vietnam, visiting the home of an old friend who he finds has died. As he makes his journey home by foot Rambo walks into a small town called hope where he is approached by corrupt town sheriff Teasle who calmly but forcefully removes Rambo from the town. Not a man to be pushed around Rambo re-enters the town only to be arrested.

What follows is a sickening display of police brutality towards a man who did nothing wrong. The forcefully behavior of the officers leads to flashbacks of the torture Rambo suffered in Vietnam which leads to Rambo attacking the officers and escaping the precinct, with officers in pursuit, and escaping into the surrounding woods, somewhere that our hero is very at home at.

The officers try hunting Rambo through the cold woods but as one officer, who is trying to shoot him, falls to his death from a police helicopter he becomes victim to police vengeance as Teasle becomes obsessed with getting Rambo no matter what. As you can imagine Rambo gets the better of the officers, he sets up traps, uses his surroundings as cover against them. There is a brutal looking trap involving sharpened wood which looks bloody painful as it swings into the legs on one of the officers which even made me say 'oh shit'. Rambo finally pins down Teasle and warns him to stay away, the forget about him, but Teasle isn't a man to give up easily, and as his officers are taking to hospital for multiple wounds he heads back in, with Rambo's former general (who is only there to protect the police from Rambo) with bloodlust and vengeance on his mind. This becomes a game of cat and mouse, and the mouse has several years of special forces training. The manhunt finally ends up back in the town in a tense showdown between Rambo and Teasle, and you can tell who comes out on top.

First Blood is the perfect example of 80's action films but this goes much further than that. This film has a deeper setting and that is the effects of war and the brutality of the Vietnam war in general. With soldiers coming home and being spat on. Rambo is a very emotionally scarred man, a man who knows war and is struggling to get back into normal life, something many people who came back from Vietnam felt. The finale of the film was heart wrenching to watch as Rambo breaks down in front of Trutman, speaking of struggling to find work back in the US, being the only one still alive in his squad. The other point to make out here is that Rambo did nothing wrong in the town. He just wanted to grab a bit of food and be on his way, but the corrupt behavior of Teasle brought the trouble to his own door. As Rambo himself says...he did draw FIRST BLOOD.

First Blood was a pleasant surprise. It was a film I have always wanted to watch but never got round to catching it in my younger days. Films like this can be products of the time, something horror and comedies can be guilty of alot of the time, but this is a great example of brilliant film making and story telling which still holds up today. Stallone in the 80's is a major cinema draw and watching First Blood makes me excited to see the next two parts of this original trilogy (at some point I will catch the reboot from a few years back) and catch more 80's action flicks. 

 It's December! and you know what that means....Time to put on those Christmas jumpers, open that pack of mince pies and get yourself a luxury hot chocolate as it is time for Christmas movies.

This month in The Vault we are looking at some of the best, and I am sure WORST Christmas movies around and we start with a real cracker. Jingle All The Way is the story of one man trying to buy his sons love by getting him an action figure which, like the revival of Furby a few years back, is in no way going to be available on Christmas Eve.  NOW there are spoilers in this review of the film as I will be giving you more or less the whole plot, so BEWARE as you read.

Lead by muscle enthusiast Arnold Schwarzenegger as workaholic father Howard Langston the film starts off with Howard missing his son Jamie's (played by Jake Lloyd of Star Wars Episode One fame) Karate lesson where the boy got his Purple belt. With his son disappointed with him Howard promises to get him the one thing the boy wants for Christmas, a Turboman doll. This films focus is on the doll which is based of a Power Rangers style hero named Turboman, and the problem which will become VERY clear to Howard which is that Popular toys around Christmas sell out. A toy he was meant to pick up weeks before.

Howard rushes to the toy store the next day where he meets down on his luck crazy postman Myron, Played by Sinbad who you will probably not remember from the 90's movie scene. Myron becomes the villain of the piece as he himself wants a Turboman as well. Obviously getting the doll isn't going to be easy, HA you fool how could you think that, of course it is out of stock which leads to a wild chase to various places around the town, including a dodgy warehouse of Santas lead by Jim Belushi, a shady fellow who promises Howard a doll only for it to be a spanish rip off. A fight begins, Howard has to fight a giant, The Giant Paul 'WWE Superstar Big Show' White but then the police arrive and Howard tricks the police with a fake police badge....as you do.

While this is going on Howard's wife Liz, played by Rita Wilson Star of Girls and the actress wife of hollywood legend Tom Hanks, is being pursued by apparent eligible  bachelor Lionel Hutz....i'm sorry I mean Ted, played by Phil Hartman the voice of Simpsons characters Lionel Hutz and Troy McClure, who tries to get into Liz's pants thoughout the whole film with his poison dripping in the earness. Ted is a creep, a HUGE creep and he plays the secondary problem to Howard's already screwy day really well. my only problem is that I can only hear Lionel Hutz and that just makes me laugh.

After fighting Santas  and chasing a bouncing ball around a mall Howard thinks that his chances of getting a Turboman doll have failed. He meets up with Sinbad in a little cafe and they ponder the sadness like the end of an episode of The Apprentice. WAIT! on the radio they have a competition to win a doll! and they the race starts again leading to an awkward breaking into a mans radio office, a postal bomb and a gift certificate. After reaching a new low, and punching an animal in the face, Howard realizes he may have just ruined Christmas for his family as they head to the Christmas Parade with Ted and not him, which leads to some uncomfortable advances from Ted. So Howard has a drink with his Antlered chum and realizes that family is more important than just a silly old doll and rushes to the parade where he unwittingly ends up in a Turboman costume with the chance to give a lucky member of the crowd one of the dolls! finally he gets to give his son a Turboman, but alas Myron appears dressed as Turboman's nemesis which leads to a dangerous near death chase between Myron and Jamie with Howard using the costumes jet pack.....just go with it......saving his son and stopping Myron who is carted away by the cops. In a final act of Christmas spirit Jamie actually gives Myron the doll, as e has the real Turboman right there.

Arnie does what alot of the big action stars just couldn't pull of and that is the family comedy film. Jingle All The Way is a proper christmas classic, it has the slapstick for the kids, the arnie for the dads....and the mums and the all important thing CHRISTMAS. It fits in well today with how big superhero films are and has aged surprisingly well considering.

If you want a funny, action packed film the whole family can sit down to this holiday season then this should be on your christmas list.

This film is a Classic!

My journey into the vault has this time led me to an era very close to my heart, The 90's. I do love the 90's, it was an era of some amazing films and this time in The Vault I have a classic in the form of the Whitney Huston concert that is The Bodyguard. This is one of those films me and my wife never managed to catch in our younger years so it is a perfect choice to see if the hype is all that or if this is another dud that falls to its own hype.

**THERE WILL BE SPOILERS**

Directed by Mick Jackson, the man behind other 90's hits Volcano and L.A Story, The Bodyguard follows Frank Farmer (Played by Kevin Costner) a private hire bodyguard hired to protect music superstar Rachel Marron (R&B Legend Whitney Houston) from a unknown stalker who has broken into her home and is sending threatening letters to her. As the two grow closer Frank is torn between his duty as protector and his new fond love for Rachel while all the while her stalker is getting more and more violent. Is this just a crazy super fan? or is there something more sinister going on? 

The Bodyguard has got its far share of twists, turns and red herrings throughout its run time. It get the viewer thinking if maybe someone is working in cahoots with Rachel's, while also making it obvious that it is probably going to be something to do with the sister. When you finally get the reveal it isn't who you may think may have been behind the more violent attacks on the superstar, well for me anyway. It wasn't until Frank started to realise who it may be that I found myself thinking 'oh shit maybe it is such and such'. Is this because i'm being particularly slow to pick these things up? maybe but is that is the case then i'm happy because i found myself fully immersed in this story.

The soundtrack for the film is of course very Whitney Houston heavy, which as a  Huston fan I am personally okay with. What I found odd is that the most famous song that the film is known for, I Will Always Love You, is only seen at the end of the film, and a brief moment half way when the country version was being played. The films big hit really should have been either I Have Nothing or Run To You, two of my favorite Whitney songs if i'm honest and two much stronger songs in my opinion.

Acting wise Houston did a great job more or less just playing herself, this was obviously her film and if the fact the whole film is pretty much a music video selection of her recent songs then nothing else will, but the stand out actor is obviously Kevin Costner. Costner was one of the go to actor of the 90's and The Bodyguard will go down as one of his biggest hits along side Robin Hood and Dances With Wolves. If you were to put any other duo in these roles I don't think it would have worked. I couldn't see a Toni Braxton or Mary J Blige being any bigger draws than Houston and like wise I couldn't see any other 90's actor being a better choice than Costner.

The Bodyguard is truly worthy of being classed a classic of the 90's. It is a perfect love story but an even better thriller which still holds up just as well now as it was in 1992.

This film is gets 4 stars and a C for Classic from me.

Welcome back Classic hunters to the second edition of our new feature Classic or Bust! where I take a look back at the films of yesteryear and ask the question: Is this a Classic or a total Bust. In this edition it is finally time to watch the film that everyone is shocked I have not seen, Steven Spielberg's Jaws. Yes that is correct, a man in his 30's has NOT seen this so called classic horror film. I have been shunned, kicked and spat on in the streets, okay nothing that extreme but a fair few of my fellow horror lovers have given me a few harsh words over the year. So with my wife yet again in the viewers seat with me is this film truly a classic?

For those of your reading that have also not seen Jaws, it is a tale of a small town plagued by a series of shark attacks leading up the the town's 4th of July celebrations. With the Mayor ( Murray Hamilton - The Hustler) wanting to cover the attacks up a group of fishermen and townsfolk head out on the ocean to catch the beast. The men catch a tiger shark, leading to the mayor deeming the beach safe, but this is against the advisement of shark expert Matt Hooper (Richard Dreyfuss - Close Encounters of the Third Kind) who is adamant that this was not a tiger shark attack but a great white. Sheriff Brody (Roy Scheider - Seaquest 2032, The French Connection) is also unsure but has no choice but to open the beach on the request of the mayor. As the holiday makers make their way to the Amity beach all seems fine, families are frolicking in the water, everyone is having a great time....until the shark attacks again, taking out a child and almost killing Brody's son. Brody forces the mayor to hire Quit (Robert Shaw - The Sting, From Russia With Love), a ragged fisherman who promised to kill the beast, and together with Brody and Matt the three men head out to the waters for the final showdown.

On rapping the film up me and my wife were a little torn on which part of the film was better, the first half or the last half. I personally really enjoyed the initial first half of the film, I loved the dread you feel as John Williams' epic score kicks in as the shark gets read to attack, while my wife really enjoy the final half, which sees the three men battle the shark and begin to bond. My overall feeling to this is I wasn't a fan of Quint as a whole. I'm not sure if it is just the audio being crappy on my Blu-Ray but the only character I couldn't understand was Quint. There was a hell of a lot of mumbling, especially during the scene where he is telling the men his story. I found myself getting a little bored, well that is until the final shark battle and then the film began to pick up steam again. Other than that I really enjoyed Jaws, I love the classic score from the master of music John Williams, who can't love that score. The acting is very good for the time, there is some shoddy work from some people but that is forgiven due to the amazing work done by Scheider and Shaw. I love how the shark itself still hold up today, it looks terrifying and it goes to show you don't need to SEE the beast to get that overall feeling of dread, and when you finally get the see the shark the animatronics are unrecognizable.

So is Jaws a classic? Of course it bloody well is! this shows just how great Spielberg was even in his early film career, a career we all know is near perfection. High drama, gripping suspense and a film that still holds up today. I give this film the CLASSIC stamp of approval!  

I’m man enough to admit I have not seen a lot of classic films. I have not seen Jaws (as of the time I am writing this) and I have not seen the 90’s classic Ghost, among many many others. It was only 6 years ago that I watched Goonies for crying out loud, so I thought it best time to start reviewing the films I have not yet caught, and some I would like to re watch to answer the question….are these films really that good? Or are they a product of the times they were released. The rules are simple, I have a new marking system for these (as described in the box to the right, I will be watching and re-watching film classed as classics and some that are classed as awful, to see if these are worth the love or the hate.


The first film on this list was actually the 80’s film Wargames, however I am yet to finish my review on this, so I am kicking things off with my second watch, Ghost.


Ghost stars a very young Patrick Swayze and Demi Moore as a young couple (Sam and Molly) in the throws of life, happy in their love, but on one fateful night Sam and Molly are confronted by a mugger who kills Sam after a scuffle. This leaves Sam in the space between realities with Sam watching Molly crying over his dead body. Trying to get a mental grip on all that is going on Sam tries everything he can to contact his love through any means. This leads him to fake-real psychic Oda Mae, played by Whoopi Goldberg, who is able to talk to Sam through the other side. Freaked out she is, in some ways bullied into helping Sam contact Molly, but they also uncover a more shaddy side to the events of his death in a tale of betrayal and greed. I love Whoopi in this film, it reminds me a lot of her character in Sister Act a little bit,


Ghost in general is a pretty good little film. A late product of the 80’s that landed in the 90’s the film brings the cheese while being an integrating crime comedy, with obviously added 80’s spookiness. The effects maybe be a little dated but the acting is really good and the story was well paced. If this is one you have missed (as I did) then make sure you put this on your watch list. This is worthy of being called a Classic.