The Not Quite Halloween Horror List of 2022
A new year, a new Halloween. Only, these didn't quite make it yet. To explain their rating a bit, if a movie is so bad that its on the verge of being painful, it would fall somewhere within the 1-3 range. The 4-6 range is for movies that are not good but still watchable to good movies that have left little long lasting impression. 7-10 are movies I enjoyed to love.
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- DirectorJoe TornatoreStarsLinda BlairTab HunterDonna WilkesA gang of crazed punks breaks into a family's vacation home in the mountains and slaughters the entire family, except for one daughter who gets away.Starting off a new year, this was a weird movie. Very conflicting, its kind of like Gremlins 2 in a way, but doesn't quite hit its mark like Gremlins 2 did. The reason is that it isn't committed to the bit from start to finish. It isn't really committed to anything from start to finish. The first act plays like a home invasion gone wrong horror story but then it becomes a lackluster investigative drama before giving a decent enough twist. But it doesn't end there, and that was a mistake. The monster looks fine but doesn't really do much. He kills all the invaders but in ways that are a little mundane, they committed more memorable murders than he did. But the acting is wonderfully campy, so uniquely bad that it does come off as intentional. Very cartoony, all the punks are entertainingly unhinged and the cops are so phony. I actually talked myself up, its by no means a great movie but it is decent enough entertainment.
- DirectorKonstantin ErshovGeorgiy KropachyovAleksandr PtushkoStarsLeonid KuravlyovNatalya VarleyAleksey GlazyrinA young priest is ordered to preside over the wake of witch in a small old wooden church of a remote village. This means spending three nights alone with the corpse with only his faith to protect him.There is something to be said with effective minimalism. The ability to get so much from so little is quite a feat to behold. Its little things like seeing the witch move around and the demons doing scuttling around are where this movie shines. The monsters are fairly simple, with you seeing mostly people in a coat of point, that its the otherworldly movements that deliver more unnerving effect. That isn't to say that they are just grey people, the few that you get a close up have some imaginative features, but its the further shots that really steal the show. But there are still some things that haven't aged well. While the scene of the witch climbing on his back looks good, it strains when he starts flying through the sky while she whips him, and the flying coffin is a bit cheesy. And Viy itself is kind of a goofy prop. The costume is very bulky and unwieldly and the eyelids that serve as its main gimmick are a bit of a let own. You can see the hinge on them. The story is simplistic, but that gives it a folky feel to it. It makes for a really good watch, a gem of the Soviet block.
- DirectorTate SteinsiekStarsClair CatherineJake HorowitzKika MagalhãesAn Albanian castle with bloodthirsty creatures is inherited by a young woman.When you are rebooting a surprisingly great movie, you are going to have to recapture lightning in a bottle. Or you can just use the title and shovel out something that has no relation to the original work. The only thing that made it over is the monster wrapping herself in a sheet, which is then discarded for an unconvincing sex scene involving the loosest blindfold. The Lovecraftian plot is cartoonish, as is common amongst the worst Lovecraft movie, and too loose an interpretation to appease Lovecraft fans. The gore isn't atrocious, but the bodies are inconsistent. A girl gets her head all but torn off but is later seen with a little blood on her chin. The characters are forgettable with no one as memorable as Jeffrey Combs or Barbara Crampton in the original. Really, it was a failure through and through and I am even more turned off by the teaser at the end involving another iconic Combs character, Herbert West.
- DirectorScott CooperStarsKeri RussellJesse PlemonsJeremy T. ThomasIn an isolated Oregon town, a middle-school teacher and her sheriff brother become embroiled with her enigmatic student, whose dark secrets lead to terrifying encounters with an ancestral creature.This movie is broken. There is no semblance of continuity, multiple plots go nowhere, and it explains so little to try and get away with so much. There are things that just don't make coherence sense. The father locks himself away, but knows to hang a magic satchel on the door, but why would he know to do that? The boy recognizes his family are turning into wendigo and has a book on native American folklore, but how would a modern American child recognize something from a completely different culture. The teacher and her brother turn to a native to learn about wendigo, but his explanation is so vague that its pretty much useless to anyone who has never heard of the monster before. And the reason they do that so that they can make it a vampire. One of the questions that nagged me throughout the movie, what ever happened to the first wendigo? Its just gone. And spoiler, I can't even approve of the feel good part of the ending, as its a boy with baggage living with a woman with equal baggage who just murdered his brother he still loved. The monster looks good at least, and the bleakness of the atmosphere is nice, but wow is much of this movie a train wreck.
- DirectorErnest R. DickersonStarsBilly ZaneWilliam SadlerJada Pinkett SmithHigh-level demons collect low-level demons as warriors in attempt to obtain a key containing the blood of Christ. The key is guarded by immortal warriors called Demon Knights.Billy Zane's favorite role and I can't deny its mine as well. Demon Knight expertly tows the line between a comedy and a horror movie. It never goes too deep in one direction that the other seems out of place, but still manages to make it feel natural. Even The Collector spitting out a sponge is pulled off just impishly enough to not undermine his viciousness. Its very Freddie Kreuger like. The other demons do their thing. They look like desiccated bodies, but the fact that you can see them getting clearly shot in the head without so much as a reaction does help them look more imposing. The possessions on the other hand are a little bit of a let down. Two of them look great as their bodies start tearing themselves open and their tongues emerge from their open gashes, it looks like a proper horror show. And two I don't care about too much as they weren't all that important. But why didn't they do more with Dick Miller's possession? This was a very fun outing and well worth watching for fans of Tales From the Crypt, even if it was not one of the original comic's stories.
- DirectorBC FourteenStarsBrian BerryEdson CamachoBC FourteenThe year is 4044. As the battle between the blood-thirsty Illuminati forces and the human resistance rages on, Tickles The Clown - a.k.a. the Mauler Of Innocents - escapes the Gag and Tag prison camp and joins the Illuminati forces. Hold your screams. In space no one can hear you laugh.An animated horror in the most liberal definition of all three of those words. Its not a horror story, barely animated, and I struggle to justify the word 'an.' When I say nothing happens, I mean that literally, the characters don't do anything, even move. They bought models and just have them do their idle animation as they talk forever. Its not even about anything interesting, its generic scifi war schlock that drones on to the point of making you numb. I don't even remember much of what they were talking about and suddenly Tickles is piloting a ship, someone is dead, and I don't give a damn. This isn't a family movie, not even the Manson family would be happy with how this came out. Now its only Feburary, but I feel almost safe to call this the worst thing I'll watch this year. Maybe ever.
- DirectorFrank HenenlotterStarsJames LorinzJoanne RitchiePatty MullenA medical student sets out to recreate his decapitated fiancée by building her a new body made of Manhattan street prostitutes.Its no Brain Damage, but Frankenhooker is not a slouch. Patty Mullen plays work horse in this movie as her role as the monster trolling for Johns in the second half and calls stick with you. Her cadence of "Want a party?" The former half isn't as memorable unfortunately but I can't say its bad. Zachary just fails to measure up. Got any money?" is perfect. The deaths of her johns are a bit cheap by today's standards, or past standards, and I really don't know where I was going with this. They're cheap props but the scene where her head is knocked off is pretty good at least. And the failed experiments were enjoyable though their animation isn't much better than in Basket Case. Among Frank Hennenlotter's original movies, its not the one to hang his hat on but its still an enjoyable watch.
- DirectorKim Sung-hoonStarsHyun BinSeo Ji-hyeJang Dong-gunLee Chung is a Prince of Joseon, but he has been taken hostage to the Qing Dynasty.Another Korean zombie movie. Only this time in ancient Korea. Its pretty good. At one point, I thought this movie was going to be a victim of its budget, namely that they gave it too much money, when I saw a CGI shot of the zombies charging in. It looked very digital like a video game cut scene. Fortunately it wasn't too common and they used the money on plenty of human extras. The zombies are very much like the ones in Train of Busan and are formidable adversaries as they are capable to ambush and overwhelm swordsman. But there are some issues with it as some are capable of higher intelligence while others are purely instinctual, and there is little discernable reason why they are that way. Like many action horror movies, there is more emphasis on the former than the latter but its entertaining at least. This was a worthwhile zombie movie that greatly benefited from a more historical setting to separate it from the pack.
- DirectorDario ArgentoStarsAnthony FranciosaGiuliano GemmaJohn SaxonAn American novelist visiting Rome to promote his latest book is stalked and harassed by an obsessed fan who is committing a string of murders that appear to be tributes to his work.A Giallo movie that's actually coherent? There are no weird mood shifts or convoluted metaphors here, Tenebrae a very straight forward murder mystery with a pretty good twist. All of the staples are here: the gloved hand, the brilliantly red blood, and breaking windows. And the deaths are probably some of the most violent Argento ever put to film. Severed arms and arterial sprays, impalements, and some good old throat slitting make the body count pretty high and quite memorable. And the mystery moves along well with a keen twist leading into the last act. But while I enjoyed it, I can't deny that there is something missing. I think I've gotten accustomed to the quirks of Argento's movies. Its good, but not something I would rate at the top of Argento's library of work.
- DirectorDario ArgentoStarsDavid HemmingsDaria NicolodiGabriele LaviaA jazz pianist and a wisecracking journalist are pulled into a complex web of mystery after the former witnesses the brutal murder of a psychic.This might be my favorite Argento movie. It isn't as nonsensically outlandish as Suspiria or Opera, but still has some more hooks than Tenebrae. The story plays as an interesting mystery, one that gives you cryptic clues but never gives itself away. You learn little by little the motive and the reveal still comes as a welcome surprise, until you start to think more about it. But that's okay, Argento thought of that as well. The deaths aren't as gory as Tenebrae, but they more than do their part. The dragging by the truck one in particular is brutal and well needed. This is a strong, near perfect recommendation.
- DirectorFred Olen RayStarsDavid CarradineArte JohnsonDick MillerBurt has a cleaning company and hires four women to clean an isolated house. They find an old book, a dagger and a soul shred and when one of them, Megan, reads an incantation, she unleashes an evil beast in our world.Its Fred Olen Ray, you should know what he is offering. And by in large, they're not that bad this time around. One of the premiers in sleaze presents an underwhelming horror comedy with above par T&A. The girls are attractive on the eyes but not very good actors, there aren't any future Emmy winners here, and the men are David Caradine and Dick Miller, who carry the film for what little screen time they may have. A problem is the killer toon isn't in the movie much. After killing one of the co-eds, he takes her place to worse acting than she shown before. the kills are underwhelming as they are all identical to each other. She bites them on the neck and any gore is covered up by her head until its all over. Its not a particularly good horror movie but it knows its audience to middling reception.
Thought I will relay this out about the radio. "I am going to go specific on this one. That is a Philco 41-290x oversized console radio released in 1941. Those buttons are the on and off function as well as seven pre set stations while the volume, bass, treble, and tuning was done by the four nobs underneath. It was capable of picking up standard broadcast between 540-1720kcs, police/amateur from 2.3-7.0mcs, and overseas short-wave from 9.0-12.0mcs. There were models that doubled as a record player but this was not one, instead dedicating itself to superior sound over its predecessors. Made for $89.95, I'd say the going price would be somewhere around 350 dollars." This was deemed too hot a take for Youtube. - DirectorDavid Blue GarciaStarsSarah YarkinElsie FisherMark BurnhamAfter 48 years of hiding, Leatherface returns to terrorize a group of idealistic young friends who accidentally disrupt his carefully shielded world in a remote Texas town.Texas Chainsaw Massacre was a series that didn't need to be franchised and has strayed far from how it was originally imagined. This does nothing to correct that. It has some positives. The camera work is great, there are some really nicely crafted scenes, and the carnage is great. But it doesn't feel like Texas Chainsaw Massacre. The scene where Leatherface pops out of the sunflowers looks nice, but it lacks the grittiness of the movie they refer back to. Bringing back the narrator from the first movie was a nice touch, but Sally fell flat as the original actress has been dead for some time now and the new actress doesn't really remind you of her.; They tried to Laurie Stode her but while Lauri had the benefit of gradually developing into Michael Myers competent adversary, Sally is just thrown in as the antithesis of what she was. The rest of the cast isn't that great either. In fact, the characters and plot are where the movie fails the hardest. The characters are obnoxious and just come off as unlikeable and the plot is really shortsighted. The lack of the entire Sawyer family is also something I can't ignore as this is a sequel to the first film. But still, its no the worst Texas Chainsaw movie. Leatherface isn't made a hero and its light years better than New Generation. The work they put in balances out the rest of the movie at least, to give it a middling score.
- DirectorIsaac EzbanStarsGustavo Sánchez ParraCassandra CiangherottiFernando BecerrilOn the rainy night of October 2, 1968, eight characters waiting on a remote bus station for a bus heading to Mexico City start experiencing a strange phenomenon.This movie hit all the right places. Its like a mix of the Twilight Zone format and the Philip K Dick storytelling, telling a wonderfully unpredictable story that still feels like it was going somewhere. The movie tells you at the beginning that this character is not who the story is about and that is the clue to the movie's hook. Not only is it about what is going on but who the story is about which together helps build greater tension. You don't know who is going to live or die, who is the hero or villain, or even if everyone is being truthful. As everything starts to unfold, I want to be as vague as possible as summarizing the story will hurt it, you feel as nervous as they all are. Cosmetically, the movie looks very much like a stage play. Everyone is trapped within the confines of a bus terminal by a torrential storm and there is sparse furniture. But its the use of color that really is commendable, starting in black and white and faintly gaining color as the movie progresses. It helps build the scene by gradually shaking you up, noticing that something else is different as things go wrong. I really had a blast with this one and it gets my full recommendation.
- DirectorTed NicolaouStarsRobert FactorMartha QuinnAaron LustigAn alien determined to capture human females takes over a radio station to do it.I can't say its one of their better movies but its an alright entry in the Full Moon library. The alien design is a bit muddled, the main one looks like something from an Ed Wood movie but the little robot looks great and the puppet was pretty nice. But none of them are that scary. In fact, scares aren't that emphasized as the abductions are done with rock and roll interludes. And while I like movies like this, unfortunately the musical segments aren't all that memorable. The metal song was pretty forgettable, the grunge song was cheesy and lame, and Sykotic Sinfoney has to carry both of them. That isn't to say the soundtrack isn't great, just not when the movie needs it to be. There was some humor when you see the women dancing in real life, with muted music and everyone watching them with no idea what was going on, but its kind of the only joke they have. But it wasn't an unwatchable mess like some reviews for it claim, its just not that great.
- DirectorJeff BurrStarsTerry O'QuinnMeg FosterCaroline WilliamsAfter escaping the insane asylum in which he was incarcerated, Jerry Blake (Terry O'Quinn) impersonates a marriage counselor and manages to win over a patient (Meg Foster) and her young son (Jonathan Brandis).A big step back from a really good movie. Another movie that isn't bad, but was such a massive step down from the original. They don't have the benefit of shock value like the first movie had with the opening scene nor do they show the amazing transformation scenes either. Instead they try to look more into his psychology but even that doesn't provide much more new material. But the acting is still pretty good, even if he isn't transforming himself Terry O'Quinn still makes for a good unassuming monster. Honestly, I can't really say that the original needed to be a series but they tried anyway.
- DirectorMax KalmanowiczStarsMartin ShakarGil RogersGale GarnettA nuclear-plant leak turns a bus-load of children into murderous atomic zombies with black fingernails.As far as Troma goes, this is almost unbearably tame. Its completely dry, there is none of the crass humor and gore one would almost consider a prerequisite for them and its a very straight forward horror movie. Perhaps a bit too straight forward. It feels almost clinical in its approach, and the shot composition is very flat causing a lot of the horror to lose much of its effect. The scene where the kid is playing with the mutant kid is suspenseful, but not as impactful as it could have been. There are some dismemberments but most are blocked or unseen and there is never any blood. And the mutant children's power is used at a minimum, most of the time the victims walk off camera to die shortly after. This movie is strange in that it is the transition between the 70s and 80s, still maintaining the grit of the prior decade and not yet discovering the shine of the next.
- DirectorDario ArgentoGeorge A. RomeroStarsAdrienne BarbeauHarvey KeitelRamy ZadaA duo of Edgar Allan Poe adaptations about a greedy wife's attempt to embezzle her dying husband's fortune, and a sleazy reporter's adoption of a strange black cat.This could have been better, but still manages to be very good. The problem is that its an anthology of two movie, but it was supposed to be four. Wes Craven and John Carpenter dropped out early, leaving Romero and Argento to carry the whole thing. And they do pretty well, Romero's story in particular translates Poe's short story very well. Its well paced and suspenseful, with only an underwhelming ghost effect to hurt it. But Argento's isn't so fortunate. Its not a problem of the acting or his vision, his story actually has more interesting visuals, but a problem of carrying the extra work load. Its not as well paced and coming second, makes the movie feel even longer. This is an excellent movie and I would recommend it, it makes you wonder just what could have been.
- DirectorAbel FerraraStarsAbel FerraraCarolyn MarzBaybi DayAn artist slowly goes insane while struggling to pay his bills, work on his paintings, and care for his two female roommates, which leads him taking to the streets of New York after dark and randomly killing derelicts with a power drill.With a name like Driller Killer, you'd expect this movie to be far more violent. And in all honesty, I hate the main character more for not going on a rampage sooner. Video and sound quality aren't great, being even grainier than most 70s movie. And the sound is made more pressing as people just talk forever. A big issue I found was that the rampages are so far removed from the source of the leads agitation. He kills a few homeless people, but when he finally targets the source of his consternation, the movie has 10 minutes left. The open fates of some of the characters actually plays pretty well and the deaths aren't bad even for the unintimidating drill he uses. This isn't the killer in Slumber Party Massacre. I can't say I was particularly fond of this movie. It would probably be preferred to those of a more artistic temperament, but not me.
- DirectorGary ShermanStarsJames FarentinoMelody AndersonJack AlbertsonSheriff Dan Gillis investigates eerie deaths in a sleepy coastal town.For most movies, the revelation that the town was behind all the murders is the big surprise. Here, its the first five minutes. This turned out to be a swell horror movie. While it may not look like much at first, by the end it comes together quite nicely. The deaths don't start off all that impressive. The fire effect on the first guy is dated and a lot of the heads look fake, but they get the job done. The acid burning the fake head at least gets the point across. But they aren't all bad, some of the more implied ones are done well enough. There are some pretty good shots as well. I particularly liked the undead funeral scene where all the dead give their condolences. Its just such a strangely off putting scene that it works. But the story is where the movie really shines. Its a movie that knows not to tell you everything and what you don't know keeps you invested. And the final twist makes for an exciting cliffhanger. This isn't a movie that is going to set the world ablaze, but it knows what it needs to do and does it well.
- DirectorBeverly SebastianStarsTray LorenDonna ScogginsCana CockrellA crazed rock singer returns from the dead to murder members of his former band.Of all the movies I've seen, this was one of them. By no means is it good. Or coherent. Or even competent. I don't where I was going with this, but there is some charm buried in here. The songs, I wasn't too keen on them either, but the instrumentals were good. Killer on the Loose was good. And they had an idea for some of the kills, its just not like Mutilator where they actually pull them off. Like burning someone with a hot iron on their throat, that could be good but when its a bad actress giving a poor performance and some comical "steam" coming out the wrong end while it fails to burn her skin, it doesn't pan out. The dialogue is the pits and seems to go out of its way to make the lead look stupid. She asks questions like who killed her immediately after the killer revealed himself and calls him by the wrong name after he reveals his true identity later. Its like Zoolander wanting to know why male models. None of the characters matter and are often unrecognizable in later scenes, making you really stop caring about anything and say sure, whatever. But maybe that gives it some value in itself as you never feel like the movie is dragging. It isn't in line with the most terrible, painful to watch movies, but it makes for a good best of the worst watch at least.
- DirectorJackie KongStarsRick BurksCarl CrewRoger DauerTwo brothers are entrusted by their uncle to uphold the ritualistic cannibalism of the ancient cult of Sheetar. In order to do so, they have to prepare a feast of sacrifice for the resurrection of their goddess.Marrying horror and comedy is a delicate balance rarely seen. And this is not a rare instance. Its not that this movie never made me chuckle, it has a character named Little Jimmy Hitler, but the humor is very low hanging fruit. Compared to something like Dead Alive, which had some creative writing, this movie is almost entirely low brow. A character projectile vomits on people, the idiot brother plays with a head, the victim suddenly fights back with kung fu and momentarily overpowers her attacker, nothing is particularly clever or groundbreaking. In fact, I would direct anyone towards Troma to see it handled better than this. The dubbing joke actually turns out worse as it gets old quick and never goes away. There are some shockingly brutal scenes like the girl being dipped headfirst in the hot oil, but they aren't always used to their full effect. It is a shame the movie turned out like this as it is a spiritual successor to the unintentionally funny Herschell Gordon Lewis film, Blood Feast. And much like the true sequel to Blood Feast, it falls into the same problem of trying too hard to be funny.
- DirectorJustin BensonAaron MoorheadStarsPeter CilellaVinny CurranEmily MontagueA man imprisons his estranged junkie friend in an isolated cabin in the boonies of San Diego to force him through a week of sobriety, but the events of that week are being mysteriously manipulated.I forgot why I wanted to see this movie. Whatever trailer or review I saw completely slipped my mind and I came in expecting nothing. I had an absolute blast. The idea behind it is fascinating, I hated having to interrupt it with IMDBs ads and couldn't wait to jump back in. The beauty of it is in its progression, with things starting to build up to the strange events. It builds nicely with little things that are pretty innocuous. Stuff that you wouldn't think twice about, like the meth addict friend in the start of the movie. But they start to add up and you start to question yourself. And that makes you more invested in the mystery surrounding this area that is causing all these "stories" to happen. The ending may frustrate some as its a bit ambiguous, but I was more than fine with it I felt it told me enough that saying any more will just ruin what the movie has going for it.
- DirectorLucky McKeeStarsAngela BettisJeremy SistoAnna FarisA socially awkward veterinary assistant with a lazy eye and obsession with perfection descends into depravity after developing a crush on a boy with perfect hands.And my mood sours. I'm not a fan of the Napoleon Dynamite kind of comedy, and May tries to apply it to a horror movie. So its a quirky girl with a troubled past interacting with a quirky bunch of people culminating in her having a breakdown and turning out to be a serial killer to create the perfect partner. It sounds like it has potential, but the quirkiness is turned up far too high so I can't relate to anyone before the incident nor care for them after. The rampage at the end is also very short, and lacking in much struggle. She goes through her victims quick and assembles her human doll, and it kind of looks like a guy with a bunch of fake stitches and a towel wrapped around his head. It wasn't all that impressive. There is a market where this movie would probably do well with, but it certainly does not include me.
- DirectorJoe NardelliStarsDiana PrinceMark TorglLloyd KaufmanAn Almost True Story: TOXIC TUTU is an homage to the original cult-classic horror-comedy, THE TOXIC AVENGER and explains what became of the "Toxic Avenger's" Melvin the "Mop Boy", Mark Torgl.I'm confused. I'm sure there is some sort of narrative going but the gonzo documentary is really muddling it up. Johnny Fairplay kills a woman, steals the toxic waste. and then we jump to con footage, some of which is staged. Its very Troma in a way. Which really makes it hard to tell if I love or hate it but I did pop at Jake The Snake hitting his DDT though. What I can say though, this isn't what I really wanted. When I heard a Toxic Avenger movie was in the works, I was really excited for the remake. This is very much not that, more of a fan letter than anything else. I cannot say I'm not disappointed.
- DirectorBrandon SlagleStarsRichard GriecoJolene AndersenDouglas TaitA SWAT team transporting a vicious crime syndicate boss must fight their way out of a county detention center during a catastrophic alien invasion.Resolution paid off so I figured I would take another chance on the why did I put this here list. The results this time were not so good. I think the thing that is most damning is that this movie is so forgettable. The characters are boring, the aliens are boring, the action is boring, there is nothing in here of any interest. Even the actors seem bored watching one of their own die slowly from an alien poking. And while we're on the subject of death, the plot armor on the aliens is so transparent. They are immune to bullets until they aren't often when someone gets the idea to shoot the one part of their body not covered in armor. The blood plot that was mentioned in trivia doesn't matter, they could have said they were alien proctologists who's learning materials consisted of Two Girls One Cup and it would be equally important. But the worst was the ending, which threatened sequels. Needless to say, this was a bad movie.
- DirectorDavid SchmoellerStarsMichael BendettiDenise GentileAnjanette ComerA young man arrives at his father's mansion in Louisiana to discover that a secretive cult is using winged creatures to raise the dead to do their bidding.So when does our main character show up? I think that is the main problem with this movie, he has the boyish good looks but our lead is as interesting as traffic court. He leaves so little impression, I thought they killed him off at one point only to realize it was another character they had just introduced. The movie in itself has an overexposed haze to it that gives it a dream like feel, which does well with the story that is being told. It elevates the scene in the brothel where he is accosted by the masked woman. But it also proves a double edge sword as it makes the movie look every bit its budget. The film quality is made to look even blurrier by the excessive amount of light. Throughout the movie, they drink a green "tafia," an unaged rum that I would suspect taste of jet fuel from the higher concentration of fusel, which is not a bad tie in for the movie's location of New Orleans though the color is off putting. I can't say its a bad movie but you can see a lot better in his other stuff like Tourist Trap, Crawlspace, and Puppetmaster.
- DirectorRob JabbazStarsBerant ZhuRegina LeiYing-Ru ChenA young couple trying to reunite amid a city ravaged by a plague that turns its victims into deranged, bloodthirsty sadists.How can a movie financed by crypto and E-thots be this good? This movie takes the zombie story in a different direction, more The Crazies than Night of the Living Dead, only this isn't a boring slog. The real world parallels are staggering, a virus is causing people to go crazy, only you actually have to catch the virus to go mad, and a distrusting populace proceeds to make everything worse. That being said, it isn't heavy handed and doesn't lay blame like one would expect, only lamenting politics and politicians making things worse, and even the scientist that will save us proves to be a sick bastard himself. But its the businessman, played by Tzu-Chiang Wang, who really steals the show. He plays his role as the "villain zombie' so well, it actually made me regret that this was even a zombie movie to begin with. He has that look that sends chills down your spine just standing there that is only diminished by him being just one of many. This was a real blast of a movie for someone that wants to see a gloves off horror show.
- DirectorFionn WattsToby WattsStarsRebecca CaliendaGrace CourtneyMathilde DarmadyIn a remote Scottish castle, an irreverent writer faces terrifying consequences when his daughter falls prey to an evil curse lurking within the walls.Back in 2020, this was going to be the first horror movie I watched of the new decade. Then I forgot about it and watched Underwater instead. This kind of movie really needs a set with a story, like Hill House in The Haunting, it needs to be a character, to be fascinating in itself. There is nothing here. A lot of big open rooms without furniture, areas where nondescript furniture is piled up, box walls, it can pretty much be anywhere. So the actors bust their ass to try and make up for it, but even this is misplaced. Their overacting in turn ruins your immersion, making this feel like its a promotional reel to sell their acting chops rather than to tell the story. It all culminates into a poor take on a movie that might have been done better.
- DirectorGuy MagarStarsRobert WightmanPriscilla BarnesSeason HubleyThat psycho stepfather has escaped from the insane asylum and had his face surgically altered. Now he's married again, this time to a woman with a child in a wheelchair. He goes on a killing spree once again.This franchise keeps getting worse with each new entry. The last of the original Stepfather movies loses the last good thing it has going for it, Terry O'Quinn. Wightman fails to live up to the more psychological portrayal of his predecessor and instead plays it as a more volatile, less composed maniac. He doesn't even hide his violent outbursts in the basement anymore and simply does them out in the open in the backyard. But this movie has a bigger problem, it forgot the character. As a family annihilator, the fact that he would have two families at once runs contradictory to his desire to the ideal family life. The whole reason he kills his previous family is because they have failed his expectations, he wouldn't just abandon such an extreme philosophy. This series went downhill rapidly.
- DirectorLarry BuchananStarsSandy KenyonMiki McKenzieBarry BuchananAn increasing number of people are dying mysterious deaths in the dark waters of Loch Ness, victims of the famous monster. But what other mysteries does the Loch hold? What about the monster's egg, and the insane scientist who'll do anything to exploit it? What secrets does the sunken Nazi plane near the monster's layer hold, and why will the military do anything to cover it up?When I was a little brat, I have this memory of a supposed movie, involving sea monsters but more specifically a scene where no more than three sea serpents confront the cast on a pier. This isn't that movie but has one similarity, that their existence as a film is entirely theoretical. Even after watching this, I struggle to believe it exists. It has the foundation of the movie expertly hidden under nothing. Either its long periods of silence or dialogue that would have been serviceable with silence. Though this does give it some memorable moments. When asked if Americans see movies more than twice a month and read nudie mags, he must contemplate his answer carefully. "Yes." Well done, Spencer. The actors are of the best one can expect of Larry Buchannan. Awful. When in doubt how to do a Scottish accent, roll your r's like nobodies business. And the monster, It works. Its a piece of crap but it works. It can successfully lift a dingy a foot out of the water, which is good as that's the most expensive boat they can afford, and it can open and shut its mouth gently. It just looks like a pool to made around a stick. And it kills with a gentle boop. This was a laughably bad movie. Boring for long stretches, embarrassingly hackneyed in others.
- DirectorJoe D'AmatoStarsTisa FarrowSaverio ValloneSerena GrandiA group of friends and a hitchhiker become stranded on a tourist island where they are stalked by a disfigured cannibalistic killer who is prowling the island after killing its residents.In spite of its notoriety, this movie is absolutely manic in terms of its quality. It has many of the attributes of a terrible movie. The characters are so boring, its hard to tell them apart at times. The writing is lazy, most of it is told through contrived exposition dumps. And much of it is backloaded, making the first parts extra slow. But then it has moments of brilliance. The monster's reveal is brilliant, giving the audience a clear view at the perfect poetic time while not being ridiculous before hand. His design to, he is massive at 6'9 and they use his size to tremendous advantage when the would be hero is towered over. And then there is the gore scenes. Some of it like the head in the bucket look cheap but the rest is top notch, especially the two infamous scenes that are most talked about. If you het through the first acts, this movie is a great watch for fans of Italian horror.
- DirectorPeter SasdyStarsMichael BryantJane AsherIain CuthbertsonA research team from an electronics company moves into an old Victorian house to start work on finding a new recording medium. When team member Jill Greeley witnesses a ghost, team director Peter Brock decides not only to analyse the apparition, which he believes is a psychic impression trapped in a stone wall (dubbed a "stone tape"), but also to exorcise it--with terrifying results.A missed opportunity. Dry English television takes on TV movie horror and boy is it as dry as ever. The effects are a bit of a point against it, its an example of them trying to do more than they have the capacity to do. They try to do a full body apparition, but the effect looks truly awful. The acting does a lot to make up for it however. Their interactions are compelling enough to make up for the bad green screen ghost and there is plenty of fire in their voice. Their conviction is self evident as is their defeat and make for interesting drama. Its also interesting in how they explain the haunting, not as ghosts reenacting their deaths but a recording made from the natural stone around them. Kind of like how a record player records sounds into the grooves of vinyl, these final moments are engrained into the walls and floor themselves for those susceptible enough to experience them when the environment is right. But unfortunately, we aren't given enough to explain what the recording is. This makes the finale feel like it came out of left field. If there was something a bit more substantial than the ghost mentioning the others one time that you probably missed, you would have more ground to understand what is happening. But this may be a timing issue as this story did apparently run too long for the time spot. And again, it is a TV movie, you are going to have to give the set some slack as they couldn't afford a real castle. In total, its a great concept well acted that unfortunately suffers from the limitations of its medium.
- DirectorPanos CosmatosStarsNicolas CageAndrea RiseboroughLinus RoacheThe enchanted lives of a couple in a secluded forest are brutally shattered by a nightmarish hippie cult and their demon-biker henchmen, propelling a man into a spiraling, surreal rampage of vengeance.I thought Nicholas Cage was relegated to being that actor that fell from grace like a rock until I heard of this movie and the resurgence that followed. And I have to say, its really good. I prefer The Color Out of Space, but this definitely has its charm. Visually, the movie is stunning. The use of color is wonderful, everything starts so vibrant that the transition to red is jarring but acceptable. Its a good indicator of the mad fury that has overtaken Cage as he seeks revenge. It also helps accentuate the violence. The feel of the movie is interesting as well, kind of like a heavy metal album cover, which makes the lack of focus on music kind of surprising. Other than Jeremiah's song, which is by no means metal, it is firmly in the background. I did have problems with the dialogue though, namely that its meandering at the start of the film. There were times I sat through an entire scene before realizing I wasn't retaining anything they said. It gets better later on, but still there are stretches where I feel none of it really mattered. But its nice to see the return of the "crazed" Nick Cage of Raising Arizona and Vampire's Kiss and ushered in a boom period in his career.
- DirectorLucio FulciStarsTisa FarrowIan McCullochRichard JohnsonStrangers searching for a young woman's missing father arrive at a tropical island where a doctor desperately seeks the cause and cure of a recent epidemic of the undead.A classic work of Italian horror and knockoffs, it was tamer than I expected it to be. Of course, there is the shark/zombie fight, and the infamous eye poke of doom, but the first act is pretty slow by comparison. After the initial zombie escapes into New York, there is a great deal of time dedicated to defining the two leads, and it carries on for a surprising length of time. In a way, the wife's death scene felt like Fulci was demanding "you called this boring, mother...?" As such, its a movie who's reputation precedes it and shouldn't be approached with the idea of it being a bloodbath. The dubbing is certainly Italian horror, and the VAs were certainly breathing when they were recorded in a blackout. And Benjamin Moore made a good profit on red paint that day. The props look pretty good, the skin tears beautifully, especially the guy getting his arm bit in the onset of the siege who gets a big chunk taken out of him. At times they look a bit waxy but its Italian and the 70s so that is to be expected. This is deserving its position as an Italian gore classic but is still surprisingly accessible to a wider audience if sold to them correctly.
- DirectorKevin GreutertStarsSarah SnookMark WebberJoelle CarterReturning to her childhood home in Louisiana to recuperate from a horrific car accident, Jessabelle comes face to face with a long-tormented spirit that has been seeking her return -- and has no intention of letting her escape.I'm told Sarah Snook is a really good actress but I am not seeing it here. For the first act, I thought she was Scottish, not from the Louisiana bayou. In general, I thought this was subpar, not awful but annoying enough to grit my teeth. The scares are a grind, when one starts, they just keep going off long after the teat has run dry. Its never one and done, they feel a need to keep chaining them together thinking it makes the tension multiply. In reality, its diminishing returns as you quickly become accustomed to them. The plot isn't a bad idea but the execution leaves much to be desired. A lot of it is that the father is bumped off too early and the rest of the movie doesn't have an antagonist to bump off of. This makes the ending even more unjust as the answer to the mystery is dumped into her lap. Which is another issue in itself, all you get are clues but never any context to put them together. I was not a fan of this to say the least.
- DirectorKen WiederhornStarsClarence ThomasBrooke AdamsLuke HalpinVisitors to a remote island discover that a reclusive Nazi commandant has been breeding a group of Zombie soldiers.There is nothing more detestable than NAZI zombies. But you would think they could come up with more to do with them than just drowning people. This movie isn't a massive budget blockbuster, but it isn't hard to see where it went. A substantial amount went to the two stars, Cushing in particular, and both of them checked out pretty quickly. Fortunately, the rest of the cast manage to hold their own well enough. The zombies are pretty simple but look effective because of the goggles. Without them, they look pretty drab but that small addition does help tremendously in making them look more imposing. Unfortunately, they quickly fall into the same routine of stalking their victims in waist deep water and after a while it gets a bit old. The underwater scenes are nice though. Especially when its them just staring up beneath the water's surface. I can't really say this is a great movie, its interesting but not in a way that makes it truly compelling.
- DirectorFredric HobbsStarsChristopher BrooksPeggy BrowneE. Kerrigan PrescottNightclub janitor discovers a secret room, finds old magician's belongings, tries on the costumes and becomes "Alabama, King of the Cosmos."I don't know what the hell I just watched. I wasn't bored, it has everything. Voodoo, NAZIs, vampires, NAZI vampires, and a woodsman's pal during the black magic scene. And Alabama utters the line line, "He's a racist, make him go away," at a ghost warning him of said NAZI vampires. But as to what happened, I have no damn clue.
- DirectorMiguel M. DelgadoStarsSantoGina RomandAnelA mad female scientist needs Santo's blood for a youth serum; and she has Frankenstein's reliable old monster to help her get it.Lucha libre movies are a guilty pleasure of mine, particularly the Santo and Blue Demon movies. So seeing Santo out on his own, I feel like something is missing. Without Blue Demon around, Santo is forced to put over the villains, and I can't say I like it. vs Dracula and The Wolfman had a charm to it when you finally see the two titular monsters finally take on the man in the silver mask. And get bodied immediately. Now, Santo is getting swarmed by evil red shirts and that's the only way they can get him down. The old age make up runs the gamut. At its worse is when its just wrinkled skin it isn't great, but when they are made up to look like old men they're a lot better. The monsters are alright, about what you'd expect from Mexican monsters of the era. But what is most disappointing, its a better written movie than most lucha movies and as such it isn't as campy fun. Its an alright lucha movie for lucha fans.
- DirectorJohn HoughStarsJohn CassavetesJohn IrelandKerrie KeaneA small town's doctor takes matters into his own hands after a series of gruesome and bizarre rape crimes perplex the clueless authorities.This movie is a massive punch in the gut. Tackling a very touchy subject, its going to drive off many but those who stick around will have something to remember. The monster isn't seen often in the movie, which is for the better as its kind of goofy and would take away from the experience. Instead the attacks are done in the first person and really make your skin crawl. The camera effects are pretty good as well, especially the wheel chair scene where we see a girl is dead while hiding it from the character's perspective. It builds tension very well for what is to happen next. I also liked the other horror going on other than the attacks, that of the tormented young man who witnesses the attacks in his dreams. It is effective at making you suspect him while also sympathetic to see him struggling through his own suspicions as well. Its the end that really sticks with you, and is capped off by nothing. Just silence as the credits role. This was a good movie that is hard to walk away from without feeling something.
- DirectorRafael PortilloStarsRamón GayRosita ArenasCrox AlvaradoThe evil Dr. Krupp, once again trying to get possession of the Aztec princess Xochitl's jewels, hypnotizes her current reincarnation, Flor, to get her to reveal the jewels' location - Xochitl's tomb. Confusion reigns as Krupp and his thugs are opposed by Flor's lover, Dr. Almada, his assistant, and wrestling superhero, El Angel. Krupp finally meets his match, however, when he comes up against Popoca, the warrior mummy who guards Xochitl's tomb.Apparently, I had started this trilogy backwards, seeing The Robot Vs The Aztec Mummy long ago. An interesting fact, this movie featured a masked wrestler/superhero long before the lucha libre boom. It even went so far as to inspire many of them. The rest of the movie is ass. The dubbing is uninspired, no one either had the chops to give a good read or gave a damn. And its not like there was much for them to care about, for a horror movie, it takes a long time for them to get to the horror. A long time in this one hour movie. The rest is a crime flick, and not a particularly well written one. Watching Angel run in, get beaten and tied up, and then get away with the help of a small child gets old quick. I liked the cartoon villain despite the bad VAs, as he was a literal beard stroking villain. His plan makes no damn sense, probably could have been resolved through legal means, and most importantly, his motivations are comically nebulous. I may not have yet seen the first movie yet, and it would have filled in some of the gaps, but would not have made this a good movie.
- DirectorCarlos AuredStarsPaul NaschyEmma CohenVíctor BarreraIn Medieval France a warlock is be-headed and his wife tortured and executed. Hundreds of years later an isolated group of people discover his head buried on their property. Soon it comes back to life, possessing people and using them to commit sacrifices and to search for the rest of his bodyAn ambitious movie with a low budget, this looks like a recipe for disaster. But in defiance of that, this movie proves to be not that bad. Not great, but still pretty good. While the creativity of the kills is mundane, there is a degree of brutality to them. The first girl's death in particular, when he slams the scythe around her head and drags it, it is legitimately shocking. Then with some creative photography, it looks like he damn near ripped her head off. The villain looks like an evil Jack Black of an alternative reality. It actually plays pretty well, he is in much better shape and has a rather intimidating glare. And the "zombie" siege was very ahead of its time. Unfortunately, the end leaves much to be desired. Everything just seems to happen at once and its easy to forget who was who and what is going on. For a throw away, european trash movie, this is a pretty good entry.
- DirectorHarold HolscherStarsTshamano SebeInge BeckmannKeita LunaAn old man, fated to collect souls for eternity, seeks atonement after trading his daughter's soul.Horror villains are often the highlight of the movie. Lazarus is a pretty complex character. As punishment for his past, he must forever wander the earth collecting the souls of the dead with the demon in his sack. But then he meets the little girl, and immediately we see another side o0f him and your left wondering if its an act. Well, I think you're supposed to. The one big complaint I have with this movie is that it pushes a little too far in one direction depicting him as a good guy and you never really feel he is villainous. Even when he is doing something evil, it seems doubtful he will go through with it. Some of this could be context of what he is doing, particularly when he is collecting souls as I wasn't sure which way they wanted me to feel because of the language barrier and no translations. Its these limitations I fear hold it back from being better.
- DirectorFrank SudolStarsFrank SudolDesperately losing his mind while searching for a new pair of shoes, an old man and his trusty Walker wander the City of Rott, saturated with thousands of rotting zombies, driven to feed the blood-hungry worms residing in their skulls.I'm impressed that this was all done by one person. Sure, the animation is very simple and I'm not too sure about the style, but it still manages to be an impressive feat. The art is very reminiscent of something like South Park, which the creator had worked on, in that it requires very simplistic motions, but the characters are far more detailed. And the gore is much much more graphic. Which is the big draw to this movie as the zombies and people die brutal deaths in very high paced fights. But in spite of that, its very slow. Unless someone is dying, characters move at a snail's pace and there are plenty of long establishing scenes. It also doesn't help the story meanders along with very low stakes. This is something that can be done entertainingly, but there is a lot of stuff that feels like filler and exposition dumps. The story takes its time but still doesn't actually inform you of what you need to know for later. In the end, this is a commendable but lackluster movie that is good for a watch through but maybe not a second one. I'm still curious to see the sequel though.
- DirectorGordon HesslerStarsPeter CrissAce FrehleyGene SimmonsKISS, a rock band made up of superheroes, battles an evil inventor who has plans for destruction at a California amusement park.This may not be a congenitally good movie, but it is undeniably fun. This was a perfect storm of bad ideas, getting the hottest band in the world at the peak of their popularity, and expecting them to be able to put their egos aside and put in the work necessary to make a movie. And outside their music, there isn't much any of them can do. Gene Simmons can barely walk without breaking both his ankles in those boots, watching him fight in them is like watching a paraplegic rising from his chair in an evangelical church. Peter Chris needed to be redubbed because of his thick Brooklyn accent, which is amazing as none of them are that good at reading their lines. And these lines were written for toddlers. The effects make them look like clowns, shooting "lasers" and breathing "fire" as well as whatever Paul Stanley's star power is. And the threat, well, the fight scene in the end is so poorly lit you can barely tell the doppelganger of Ace Frehley is a black man. And this all adds up to a beautiful mess sure to entertain anyone but the people that were involved in making it. This is a must watch for anyone regardless of your opinions of the band.
- DirectorWerner HerzogStarsKlaus KinskiIsabelle AdjaniBruno GanzCount Dracula moves from Transylvania to Wismar, spreading the Black Plague across the land. Only a woman pure of heart can bring an end to his reign of horror.This may be my favorite Dracula movie. Serving as a remake of Nosferatu with Werner Herzog behind the camera and Klaus Kinski under the make up, there is no denying that there is talent on display. Kinski is one of the greatest, his version of Count Dracula/Orlock I feel surpasses Schreck and Lugosi. Its his expressions and postures, even when he isn't saying anything there is a lot going on. Even the way he holds a locket, his twisted fingers and bizarre grip give an otherworldly, uncanny valley air to him that keeps you on edge. His facials, his posture, mannerisms, he is so alien and chilling as a result. And the direction is just as good. The scenes that were taken from the original are still stunning, especially when Kinski is walking across the courtyard with his coffin, the casting of his towering shadow on the fascade is beautiful. And the festival being held amongst the corpse, rats and plague is hauntingly shot and particularly sobering. This is a must for fans of old fashioned vampire fans.
- DirectorBill LeslieTerry LoftonStarsRocky PattersonRon QueenBeau LelandAfter a young girl is gang raped by a crew of construction workers, someone starts killing off members of the group with a nail gun.I want to get this out of the way, nail guns don't work like this. Unlike bullets which spin through the air like a football to provide stability, nails guns are used by pressing them against the surface and firing. They aren't meant for range, and shooting them like a gun will only cause them to tumble and drop early. Otherwise this movie is not good. Laughably not good, with some of the worst line reading and incomprehensible accents. They even flub their lines but there isn't time or money for second takes. The kills aren't great either, most of them dying from injuries that are not fatal in the slightest. But there are some interesting ideas. A girl gets her hand nailed over her mouth so she can't scream and I was kind of impressed with the guy that fell onto the grill. He took it too hard and had to break character to prop himself before knocking the whole thing over, but for the quality up to this point, it was a surprise to see him land on a smoking grill. Its just a shame that the actual ambush is so goofy but there isn't much they can do otherwise. There is just no talent in this movie for them to make it a legit horror flick and they know it. The killer has a ton on one liners that are comically bad, and stands out ridiculously that you wonder how anyone can miss him until its too late. There are no characters to speak of either, just people who show up to be killed. Even the construction workers that cause the killing spree are only in the movie for a couple minutes and there is so little of the sheriff and doctor compared to the number of no name victims. Burt there is plenty of nudity. Awkward sex scenes focused painfully long on his ass rather than hers. His grandmother was right to be embarrassed by this. This movie is bad, but with enough awkward goofiness to make it just bearable enough to watch.
- DirectorJeremy KaganStarsKhigh DhieghMakoSoon-Tek OhChina, 7th century. On their way to a provincial centre Judge Dee and his three wives spend the night at a taoist monastery. Soon the judge discovers that the secluded place holds a secret - the former abbot died of unnatural causes. After a number of mysterious events and more cases of murder Dee tracks down the true villain.I became aware of this movie by accident but had been acquainted with the character from the fantastic Detective Dee blockbusters. So its an American TV movie based on a Dutch novelist's stories about a Chinese folk hero. And its very good. The version I watched had aged poorly, physically as it appears to have been a copy of a well loved video tape, but I could make out much of it. And Dee was a very likeable character. A bit more Western than the Chinese movies, the supernatural elements are greatly reduced to a simple mystery. There is a rational answer, not a lot of magical elements, but it translates well to the less spectacle format of television. Instead of grandiose battles and special effects, Judge Dee relies more on his wits and charm which he has plenty of. This makes me feel like this was meant to be the start of an American TV series but alas it was not meant to be. The mystery itself is interesting, the ghost in the window makes for an interesting hook and the red herrings do the job well. As far as TV movies go, this was a pretty good outing. Not all that scary but profoundly entertaining.
- DirectorCharles B. GriffithStarsSam BottomsSusanne ReedVirgil FryeA giant shark-like creature preys on a Hawaiian tourist community.When this movie started, I thought they made have had something. Then it went off the rails and I'm not even sure when. To begin with, the monster is an interesting deep sea shark and doesn't look wonderful, but you at least don't see much of it. Mostly you just see the two fins coming out of the water like Jaws, but when you do see it, it looks especially bad. Like a grouper. There is a lot of brevity, too much than you want really. But when you cast such a wide net, you have to get a couple chuckles but even more groans. The acting isn't all that egregious considering the material. Its simply an under par movie, neither good or bad but mediocre.
- DirectorMark RobsonStarsBoris KarloffEllen DrewMarc CramerOn a Greek island during the 1912 war, several people are trapped by quarantine for the plague. If that isn't enough worry, one of the people, a superstitious old peasant woman, suspects one young girl of being a vampiric kind of demon called a vorvolaka.I was tricked by Val Lewton again, the magnificent... What I expected was a monster rises from its grave to feast on the living type movie. What I got was a psychological thriller as paranoia sets in as a small island suffers from the plague. Even the killer is made to be a victim as the ever present specter of death looms over everyone and drives them to desperation. The monster is but only an excuse, a speculation of an unbalanced mind. The cast is top notch, Boris Karloff especially playing the hardened soldier whose drive is his only fault. But there are some faults. The beginning part of the movie seem unnecessary. The fact that Karloff's wife's crypt was ransacked serves little to the rest of the story and could have been omitted entirely. I thought there was going to be some callback later on but there is none. And Karloff's turn towards superstition is jarringly fast as well, it felt like they could have done a little more to build to it. But otherwise, this was a great movie with all the quality you can expect from a Lewton produced film.
- DirectorRonald V. AshcroftStarsRobert ClarkeKenne DuncanMarilyn HarveyA gang of crooks has kidnapped a rich heiress come up against a beautiful, but lethal alien who has crash-landed her spaceship on Earth.A bad movie that is at least on the lighter end of the bad spectrum. Its not as brilliantly terrible as something like Billy the Kid vs Dracula, but in premise its a little entertaining. I mean, what better emissary could aliens send than a woman that can kill with her touch and what better place to drop her than the middle of the woods so remote that coincidentally is the hideout for gangsters? Seeing her do everything she can to not show her back, you'd think that it would indicate a weak spot, but she is just trying to hide she split her pants and nothing comes of it. The deaths are embarrassing, they just fall over dead after she touches them. The acting is low tier B movie, some schlocky fun but nothing to really stand it out from other low budget scifi of the time. Its not really a movie that I would go out of my way to track down.
- DirectorYôhei FukudaStarsEri OtoguroTomohiro WakiTarô SuwaIn the year 20XX a mysterious scientist discovers a way to bring back the dead . . . only it turns one town into a zombie-infested hellhole. But when the world falls into ruin, only one woman, her trusty katana and sexy bikini can save them. And as she takes down one zombie after another, she also pursues the younger sister she wants to take to task for killing her father.This movie has a very particular audience in mind. One that is likely not that big and really doesn't warrant the time and money of dubbing. Which they did anyway and its terrible. The worst VAs Fiver could provide. This genre of Japanese action movies aren't meant to be that deep, just a video game smorgasbord of cheap violence and special effects. And there is plenty of that, but its just not that spectacular. Unlike something like Wild Zero which is outlandish in presentation and personality, this movie is disappointingly subdued. The characters try to maintain a level of melodrama that renders a movie about a bikini clad zombie killing cowgirl, a little boring. Bayonetta she is not. And the comic relief character is a sour note. I can't even find much to say about the zombies, they're all over the place in demeanor. They span from standing around in Jojo's Bizarre Adventure poses to running around like normal people and there is no coherent vision of them. I was hoping this to be a wackier adrenaline pumping horror action movie, but this was a cheap video game movie whose localization team didn't care about.
- DirectorAlberto CavalcantiCharles CrichtonBasil DeardenStarsMervyn JohnsMichael RedgraveRoland CulverGuests invited to a weekend in the country share their supernatural stories, beginning with Walter Craig, who senses impending doom as his half-remembered recurring dream turns into reality.A pleasant old horror anthology with some tame, perhaps too tame, stories. The package is pretty well done, with strong performances and an interesting concept. Rather than a typical here is the guy to set up the next story, they are instead well written into the script so they never feel out of place. While holding a conversation, someone goes into a story to illustrate their point and it all feels very natural and never forced. The stories are alright, the race car driver that sees death's carriage and the husband seeing an evil room in the mirror are highlights, but then there is the more comical golf story that feels a bit too goofy for the rest of the stories. And then there is the ventriloquist which you've seen before but is at least done well. The wraparound conclusion was also pretty well done, again seeing itself through naturally and without force. There is no stinger like a lot of these stories end with but its still satisfying in how it handles it. Its pretty good, a little old but still a decent watch.
- DirectorPiers HaggardTobe HooperStarsKlaus KinskiOliver ReedNicol WilliamsonTerrorists in the process of kidnapping a child get trapped in a house with an extremely deadly snake.It must have been hell for Piers Haggard. Nichol Williamson, Bob Reed AND Klaus Kinski? This must have been the most brutal cast of characters to try and wrangle into a single city let alone set. And the result is a good, but not stellar, movie. In spite of all that ego, all three of these actors are good at what they do and their skill commands the screen. A black mamba makes for a good killer animal as it kills quickly and stealthily. But sometimes they get a little carried away, especially the initial attack scene where the camera treats it like a bird when it goes to the snakes perspective. While its not a movie breaking moment, it does break the tension of the scene. A single hit, just a snap from out of the box, would have given it more of a shock factor and really leave you breathless. Another quibble is that its a very by the book hostage narrative. It doesn't really do much with the threat within posed by the snake, perhaps because the cast in the house is very small. The number of people trapped with the snake is very small and 4 of the characters are going to be in it for the long hall. This means that only two are susceptible to be killed off, and one never gets attacked by the snake. Still, its a very good watch for what it is even if Kinski would have been better used in Raiders of the Lost Ark.
- DirectorWilliam AsherStarsJimmy McNicholSusan TyrrellBo SvensonAn orphaned teenager finds himself being dominated by his aunt who's hell-bent on keeping him with her...at all costs.It is really astounding when you see the background of William Asher to find that the creator of Bewitched (the show not the abysmal movie) made a hell of a good horror movie. There is a lot going on here, a bigoted detective, an incestuous psychopath, and a innocent gay man suffering from the false accusation of murder. And its all juggled somewhat well together. Sure they drop a couple balls on the floor, but its handled mostly well into a disturbing tale of manipulation and dependency. Susan Tyrell is especially deserving of credit, she straddles a fine line between campy and terrifying. Her facials look goofy in stills, but in action she is down right evil with a machete. But the bigger drag on the movie is the ending. While I have no qualm with how they handle the bigoted detective, the wrap up is a massive disappointment. If you want a movie that will make your skin crawl, this is a great movie for that, but it still has its own flaws.
- DirectorRoger CormanStarsVincent PriceDebra PagetLon Chaney Jr.Charles Dexter Ward arrives at a small village to visit the house he inherited from his ancestor who died there 100 years ago.From the Poe period of American International comes a Lovecraft story. A very dangerous source to say the least, but one that still pulls some great returns. Its hard to go wrong with Vincent Price and Lon Cheney Jr is often a plus, and their single movie together is an enjoyable interpretation of The Case of Charles Dexter Ward, a detail I was not aware of until Price introduced himself as such. And it has all the things that make AIP's Poe movies so great. Wonderful sets, costumes and an impeccable cast, and keen financing to make it all come together. It isn't perfect though. The end has a great stinger, but when you see the Old One that Ward's ancestor tried to revive, it no longer holds up. Its bigger strength was the more subtle monsters, like the "zombie" attack where it doesn't require a lot of special effects. The Old One on the other hand looks like the stole a Jason and the Argonaut model and put a filter over it not bothering to animate it. This was a great entry of the highest period of Roger Coreman's long career
- DirectorJack CardiffStarsDonald PleasenceTom BakerBrad HarrisA scientist experiments with crossing humans and plants, for which he uses his students.Todd Browning's Freaks is a classic movie that used real life sideshow performers and killed his career. This movie came dangerously close to doing that again. The performers' disfigurements give the movie a shocking quality that unfortunately is harmed when compared to Tom Baker's make up job. He doesn't look bad on his own but when compared to the real thing looks very fake. Donald Pleasance does a fairly good job as the mad scientist, flippantly feeding rabbits to his experiments and digging into them with a scalpel even as they bleed from his prodding. And the sped up footage of plant growth helps set a mysterious tone. But the movie is not very fast. The slow paces causes it to drag a bit and really does start to hurt it, especially as the big monster comes fairly late in the movie.
- DirectorMatt Bettinelli-OlpinTyler GillettStarsNeve CampbellCourteney CoxDavid Arquette25 years after a streak of brutal murders shocked the quiet town of Woodsboro, Calif., a new killer dons the Ghostface mask and begins targeting a group of teenagers to resurrect secrets from the town's deadly past.This was a massive let down. The big reveal was ruined by media outlets but I am of two minds of it. The idea of a fan taking the Ghostface moniker is not bad on paper and can be done well. Misery is a fantastic example of this. But the writing here does it no justice. Instead of sounding like a deranged fan, the soliloquy of the killers sounds more like a mouth piece for the writers, and comes off as petty sounding more than anything. Like a petulant child trying to whine their way into besting their parent in an argument, so to does it sound like Hollywood complaining about fan dissatisfaction for how they handle old properties. The rest of the movie, the kills are a bit of a let down. Some were shocking because of the victim, but for the most part they were not all that suspenseful. They were shot in such bright light, it seems ridiculous that no one would have seen Ghostface in his black costume. The new characters are a let down, particularly the sister who is treated as a red herring in spite of never really having an reason for you to suspect her. And the father sub plot was just a waste as it didn't really play a role in anything. The Scream franchise should have died with Wes Craven.
- DirectorIris K. ShimStarsSandra OhFivel StewartDermot MulroneyAmanda and her daughter live a quiet life on an American farm, but when the remains of her estranged mother arrive from Korea, Amanda becomes haunted by the fear of turning into her own mother.I moved up from a terrible big budget movie to a bad indie movie. A problem is that there isn't much character in anyone but the mother in this story. The daughter is very much a prop without much use but to show the mother's similarities to her own mother who abused her. This is also a bit of a blessing as the daughter's portrayal is very wooden. But this is a very female centric movie, so much so that its a bit lacking. There is no father in this equation but his absence is very noticeable. Its never even shown he ever existed at all, she suddenly had a daughter of her own and that was the end of it. The haunti9ng scenes are very on the nose without any subtlety. You never catch something is off when the ghost is around, even when its supposed to be something in the background the movie feels the need to slap you with it. This doesn't translate to much in the way of atmosphere and is kind of like a poorly done jump scare. I can't say this is a movie worthy of any recommendation.
- DirectorCarl Theodor DreyerStarsJulian WestMaurice SchutzRena MandelA drifter obsessed with the supernatural stumbles upon an inn where a severely ill adolescent girl is slowly becoming a vampire.This is a very strange movie. Being made during the transition period between silent and talkies, there are things that make this film feel very off. Actors ham up their death scenes with elaborate pantomime, the likes of which used in silent films, making them look like they are underwater. There are few actors in the movie, making what little dialogue they say very unnatural and stilted. But they aren't giving long soliloquies, it is kind of like the red room in Twin Peaks where the dialogue was said backwards and then played in reverse. And there is a lot of title card reading rather than letting the actors convey the plot's progression. And it all somehow works. The strange alien-ness of it all gives a sense of foreboding. It isn't perfect, if you aren't in the mood for reading this is certainly not something to watch, but it works well enough. It has an artistry relying on some clever camera tricks to create supernatural elements. Its an interesting film to say the least.
- DirectorAdam MacDonaldStarsJeff RoopMissy PeregrymNicholas CampbellAn urban couple goes camping in the woods and find themselves lost in the territory of a predatory black bear.I really liked the first hour, the last, not so much. Based on a true story, there was some really good tension early on. Getting lost in the woods proves very distressing, but the slow build of an approaching bear really makes it a nail biter. And there are some pretty good survivalist lessons. Not perfect, but acceptable for narrative reasons. Bear attacks are rare, but you really don't want to cross one later in the season. But then the movie picks up, and I start to waiver in my praise. The survivor is not as adept at camping, yet knows how to make a splint and perform other survivalist techniques without instruction, giving them a degree of obvious plot armor. It really drives home that the other was useless as they can't even instruct the other on how to do anything. Still, its not a bad movie, well worth a recommendation.
- DirectorMichael DeGrazierStarsDavid PaulidesBeverly MessickRob MessickHunters have disappeared from wildlands without a trace for hundreds of years. David Paulides presents the haunting true stories of hunters experiencing the unexplainable in the woods of North America.A series of strange occurrences that suddenly turn supernatural. This proves a step up from David Paulides Missing 411 movies. The stories are just as strange, but there was more put into the reenactments that dresses them up a little more and some more interesting cinematography. The story of Aaron Hedges in particular is improved by a helicopter tour of the path he took before his death, helping you really understand the mystery of a man who was walking through the snow and rocks after taking his boots off. And then there is the mysterious blur at the end, the perhaps explanation but I'm of two minds about that. The mystery of what she saw and took a picture of is intriguing, but also not really well tied in and equally likely to be irrelevant. In all, this is a good watch for someone looking for a mystery with few easy answers.
- DirectorDavid Gordon GreenStarsJamie Lee CurtisJudy GreerAndi MatichakSurviving victims of Michael Myers form a vigilante mob and vow to end his reign of terror.I waited until after the big hubub surrounding this movie to subside and now that I have finally watched it, I'm not a fan. Its not the worst Halloween movie as LL Cool J is nowhere to be found, but after a strong restart with the last movie, this one drops the ball. While I'm not critical of more comedic villains, this movie does have a problem with really making their deaths a farce. Michael running the gauntlet with fire fighters is more goofy than imposing and the car kill just devolves into a comedy of errors. The cast of characters is lacking with Laurie Strode sidelined, relying on call back characters from a movie almost 50 years ago and some retconned characters that don't matter. The only ones to have any presence at all is the gay couple, and they are not around for long. There are some brutal kills to try and make up for it, but they are mostly nobodies that never stood a chance. And the ending is bad. Even for a second movie in a trilogy, it doesn't build up to anything and the only positive is the worst actress in the series is killed off. This was a massive set back for the Blumhouse Halloween franchise.
- DirectorJoseph ZitoStarsVicky DawsonChristopher GoutmanLawrence TierneyAn unknown killer, clad in World War II U.S. Army fatigues, stalks a small California town, bent on reliving a 35 year-old double murder by focusing on a group of college kids holding an annual graduation dance.Now this is a slasher villain. The Prowler has some weaknesses that really work against it. The acting is so so. No one big came out of it. And to be frank, the villain is as memorable as your last fart. The military uniform and sock is not going to be remembered as Myer's Shatner mask or Jason's hockey mask. But what he lacks in presence he makes up for in sadism. The death scenes in this are top notch, some brutal stabbing and slitting scenes that make your skin crawl. There is nothing clean about it, every death looks like a Darby Allen dive. What he does may not be pretty, but it looks like he is out to kill someone. It is a shame he lacks much in the way of charisma, as when the movie isn't killing someone, its just waiting for the next person to die. Still, its still a young slasher and the formula still needs some ironing out, but for its time period this is a pretty good movie.
- DirectorJames GlickenhausStarsBob ByrdMonica TidwellMark BuntzmanA scientist who works for a secret government agency that studies zodiac signs finds himself against a dangerous Indian cult lead by a powerful enigmatic man.This was different. Not good, but different. This movie is very strange as while it is about astrology, its almost procedural in tone. Characters are introduced analytically by government agents filing a report to their superiors. But the report is complete and total nonsense that you would think anyone of sound mind and body would immediately shut down as the ravings of an elderly cat lady. And they are taking it dead seriously! There is a lot going on involving things you would not find unusual on the History channel, like the astrological second coming of the Virgin Mary and Jesus Christ, a evil Indian guru and his cult of worshippers he violates and disfigures, and yet in spite of all of it, they keep everything so deadpan its boring. A talky movie where no one has charisma or presence with spurts of mild action that are welcome to break up the monotone ennui. Its a hard sell of a movie, maybe a curiosity that gives little reward.
- DirectorGiulio ParadisiStarsMel FerrerGlenn FordLance HenriksenThe soul of a young girl with telekinetic powers and her mother become the prize in a battle between good ETs and evil ETs.I don't know how I feel about this one. Its not particularly good. It is a bit like The Omen but nowhere near as good a movie. But its so strange that it demands it will be remembered. It has a distinctive 70s sci fi flair to it, so much so that I was almost anticipating them of accusing the government somehow, that is a bit of a cop out and a hook at the same time. It separates it from the other devil children stories of the period but also makes the story very disjointed and unsatisfying. But the acting isn't too bad even if they signed up for a free trip to Italy and the little girl can pull off being vicious fairly well. I really can't decide if I hate this movie or enjoyed it.
- DirectorGlenn CampbellTammy KleinStarsMark Anthony SernaMaxi WitrakEgo MikitasDecades ago, the USSR developed unkillable sharks and launched them to the moon. Today, a team of American astronauts will endure the fight of their lives.This movie has a stupid premise, Asylum grade acting, and the titular sharks are cheap as hell CGI. I loved every minute of it. When they aren't making terrible mockbusters, Asylum puts out some... creative... movies that are hindered only by a lack of money, talent, and competent leadership. It is an atmosphere that produces a lot of cheap garbage, but also one that produces absolute gold. When you first see the actors pretending to run on the moon, you know you're in for something special. The sharks look like cheap CGI, but at least there is variety. There are a few generic models that they use, but the special sharks are all wonderfully stylized. And a couple have breasts which I found hilarious. The acting is subpar with the commander being a standout for how comically terrible she is. All the props and backgrounds look cheap, with gaming chairs passing as space ship chairs, and it helps make things like the sharks swimming on the moon's surface look ridiculous. This is B schlock at its best.
- DirectorTed NicolaouStarsAngus ScrimmAnders HoveIrina MovilaThree students get caught in the struggle between a good vampire and his evil brother in the Transylvanian mountains.I was excited to see Angus Scrimm as the lead of a vampire movie. And then he was gone. Subspecies is most definitely a vampire movie. Its the most vampirest movie that has ever vampired. And this is a double edged sword. It borrows a lot of the lore to tell a unique story but doesn't do much to add to it. Yes the subspecies themselves are new, they don't really do much. Instead, it focuses on the drama between two brothers fighting over a McGuffin, and to that end it is adequate though one certainly does more heavy lifting than the other. Stefan serves more of a pretty boy role, going farther on his looks than his talent, but Radu is something special. Made to look like a Nosferatu vampire, he is striking with his ashen painted hollow face, raspy wretched voice, and massive long claws. He certainly steals the show between the two and it was the right decision to carry the series with him. But the rest is a bit blah. The subspecies could have done more and the rest of the cast aren't all that compelling. Its the kind of movie where you really need that one person on screen to hold your attention for long. Its a slightly above par movie and the McGuffin story is intriguing enough to build a franchise off of, which Full Moon did with 3 sequels, a spin off, and a 4th down the pipe.
- DirectorPaul SchraderStarsNastassja KinskiMalcolm McDowellJohn HeardA woman who was orphaned from a young age finally reunites with her older brother. Matters start to go awry when she slowly discovers the true nature of her family.The Kinski family's strange relationship continues on. The original Cat People is a Lewton classic of misdirection and subversion, showcasing his ability to create tension. The 82 version embraces the tawdry nature one would expect from a movie called 'Cat People.' And it has its ups and downs. The advancements in special effects and make up do provide some better visuals, but at the expense of the mystery that permeated the original. There is also a lot more nudity. An almost uncomfortable amount of nudity. But they also have a bit of a crutch, silence. There are a lot of scenes where there is just complete silence which can be suspenseful when used sparingly. When done for so long however, it becomes distracting as you get more focused on that. I can't recommend this over the original classic, and its not a movie I became particularly fond of, but its alright.
- DirectorGiulio BerrutiStarsAnita EkbergAlida ValliMassimo SeratoLegendary Swedish sex bomb Anita Ekberg stars as Sister Gertrude, a cruel nun who discovers depraved pleasure in a frenzy of drug addiction, sexual degradation and sadistic murder.High ideas but less than stellar execution, this movie at least delivers what it promises. Its just not really resolved well when you put any thought into it. Like, it explains one murder, but then kind of leaves the others vague and unanswered. I know that the director wants you to think one way, but it doesn't feel deserved in the long run. There are some interesting ideas for how scenes are shot that later come together, but at the time they are a bit confusing as you try to figure out just what it is you are looking at. But the acting is very Italian. A lot of dubbing and most of it is questionable at best. Its not a terrible movie but not what I would really call that good.
- DirectorJacob GentryStarsHarry Shum Jr.Kelley MackChris SullivanIn the late 90s, a video archivist unearths a series of sinister pirate broadcasts and becomes obsessed with uncovering the dark conspiracy behind them.Videos like I Feel Fantastic and events like the Max Headroom incident are truly disturbing. The fact that they exist and were witnessed by people completely unaware leaves a very eerie feeling in the unsuspecting viewer. But the secret to their creepiness is they are real. This movie tries to piggyback off them but completely fails to capture their essence with a mystery that is quite frankly, boring as hell. The mystery, borrowing heavily off the theories behind I Feel Fantastic's inexplicable shot at the woods, is underwhelming. There is no twists, its just he gets the next clue and they move on to next clue, culminating into a resolution that is a massive let down. And its a shame as there are some interesting moments, particularly the dream sequences and the final scene in the movie. They should have focused on this aspect even more. What is left is a promising premise pulled off poorly.
- DirectorWilliam HaleStarsCharles FieldsLiane LanglandJoyce Van PattenA young boy is taken over by demons who force him to commit murder.There is certainly a reason this story was barely used in the third Conjuring movie, its boring as hell. I'm pretty lenient with TV movies. I'll pass movies that are much better in concept than execution. But there is just nothing here. The court drama is stupid, overly melodramatic for what was really nothing in the story, and the backstory was fairly unappealing. The only supernatural stuff you see is the kid's possession, which at least sounded good for Fierstan's first role, and everything else is just told to you by the characters. Bacon describes the devil, but hell if you are going to be able to see it. And that would have gone a good way in building some much needed suspense. This was a real let down.
- DirectorKiyoshi KurosawaStarsHaruhiko KatôKumiko AsôKoyukiTwo groups of people discover evidence that suggests spirits may be trying to invade the human world through the Internet.Pulse is a movie of a time. A time where the internet was new and multibillion dollar corporations weren't the harbingers of appropriate opinion endorsed by people who talk about eating the rich. A time before clown world. And its a great movie, too. Its a little hokey looking back now that the internet is so common place, but this was an interesting time when you could stumble into the Pain Olympics at any time. And its excellently scary. Whether it be the eerie streams of the forbidden room or the actual ghosts awkwardly approaching in their not quite human manner, it really does a great job at scaring you when it tries. Its just does it a little too long. And if given the opportunity, Japanese stories will take it to go overboard. The story becomes very confusing as they don't really explain anything until the final act, all while escalating the problem to global pandemic levels at speeds China would be flabbergasted by. If you are looking for a good scary story and are old enough to remember before the atomic bomb known as Facebook was dropped on the world, this is an excellent choice.
- DirectorJim CummingsStarsJim CummingsRiki LindhomeRobert ForsterTerror grips a small mountain town as bodies are discovered after each full moon. Losing sleep, raising a teenage daughter, and caring for his ailing father, officer Marshall struggles to remind himself there's no such thing as werewolves.A bit of a disappointment, kind of like knockoff LEGO. The pieces look like they should fit, but they don't quite click together. Some of it is that the movie doesn't respect the audience that much. At one point, it drops all pretenses and just states the theme of the dangers faced by women as though you couldn't piece it together by all the victims being women and the way they reveal the culprit in the end. But it still has some interesting tricks up its sleeve. When the killings occur, they skip between later events and the killing. It is confusing in the first instance of it, but is later used to much better results. The lead can be funny at times, though sometimes he falls flat, and has an interesting story but the villain not so much. They keep cutting to a man that I assumed was a red herring but then he burns a body and this never gets addressed again. I am pretty ambivalent overall about this movie, with no strong feelings for or against it.
- DirectorJoe D'AmatoStarsGeorge EastmanAnnie BelleCharles BorromelA priest-doctor chasing a man with supernatural regenerative abilities, who has recently escaped from a medical lab, reaches a small town where the mutant goes on a killing spree.A last minute entry to get me in the mood for Halloween, this was not as memorable as Anthropophagus but in a ways a better movie. It is more structurally sound with a more flowing narrative that doesn't require exposition dumps as it is a simpler story. There is a mad man with Wolverine healing powers killing people and a doctor priest has to stop him. George Eastman still looks great as the villain as he is still so massive, its kind of a shame that his wardrobe doesn't do him any justice. His jeans and dress shirt really don't make him as memorable as he was in his prior role, and he really should have stood out more like Michael Myers did in Halloween which this movie takes inspiration from. And the kills are a wonderful display of special effects and make up. I am pretty positive on this movie, its not a classic but still pretty good.
- DirectorLucio FulciStarsJack HedleyAlmanta SuskaHoward RossA burned-out New York police detective teams up with a college psychoanalyst to track down a vicious serial killer randomly stalking and killing various young women around the city.A movie with a goofy gimmicked villain, horrendous violence, and a real sucker punch of an ending. Its pretty manic but its also very good. This isn't a movie for the faint of heart, it may be one the most brutal work of Lucio Fulci, and that is a hell of a claim to make. The kills are vicious and hard to watch, and not because they are simply gory. The sexual nature of everything makes it very uncomfortable, but then it hits you with that ending. And its just, God damn. It doesn't erase all the evil things the killer has done, but it leaves you with some thoughts. A must see Giallo movie.
- DirectorKenneth G. CraneStarsJim DavisRobert GriffinJoel FluellenA scientific expedition in Africa investigates wasps that have been exposed to radiation and mutated into giant, killing monsters.This is one of those movies that some would call lazy while putting an odd amount of effort in doing so. 40% of the movie is stock footage and its sold on a gimmick that most modern copies omit entirely. And that would be pretty damning had they not built the model wasps and giant bleeding snake. And they look pretty alright, memorable enough with some good detail work. Wings are a little short but whatever. The acting isn't great but pretty standard fair for these movies of the era so it seems unfair to fault it for that as well. Its a pretty average movie for the time and something that you can watch or skip without much trouble. Would make a decent Rifftrax.
- DirectorLucio FulciStarsChristopher GeorgeCatriona MacCollCarlo De MejoA reporter and a psychic race to close the Gates of Hell after the suicide of a clergyman caused them to open, allowing the dead to rise from their graves.I'm on an Italian kick as of late, and while I wouldn't call this his best work, Fulci still proves to be a maestro of gore. But then, it feels like he ran into a snag. He couldn't really come up with all that many quick ways to bump someone off, and resorted to the scalp rip three times. Which looks great as chunks of skull and brain come out with it, but you kind of expect more variety. There are some really good big event kills however, namely the intestine vomit and the drill deaths. But what I was really impressed with was the tension of the first act. The whole burial scene is excellent in that when you think the tension will break as he discovers that she is alive, but then he gets the pickaxe and it becomes a real nail biter. Unfortunately, the movie doesn't keep that pace and it becomes more for die hard gore hounds. Still, the second installment of the gates of hell trilogy is pretty good overall, even if the ending makes no sense.
- DirectorGreg McLeanStarsMichael VartanRadha MitchellSam WorthingtonAn American journalist on assignment in the Australian outback encounters a man-eating crocodile while trapped on a rapidly flooding mud island.I don't really understand the fixation movie makers have with cold blooded animals having secret underground bases where they hang out and not bask in the sun to maintain their metabolic rate. But then, I've never been to Earth. This was an alright creature feature, not too smart for its own good but not too dumb to eat soup without water wings and a lifeguard. A lot of stock characters that don't have much dimension but to be crocodile bait but are also not all that offensive enough but for the few who do get picked off. Which is another thing, for such a large cast, there are comparably fewer deaths. And that still manages to be a plus as they hit you as a bigger surprise when they happen. Like they feint a left then catch you with a right cross. While I wouldn't call it the second coming of Jaws, it is better than Crawl and world's better than The Pool.
- DirectorKen RussellStarsVanessa RedgraveOliver ReedDudley SuttonIn 17th-century France, Father Urbain Grandier's protection of the city of Loudun from the corrupt Cardinal Richelieu is undermined by a sexually repressed nun's accusation of witchcraft.As the year draws to a close, I thought I'd wrap it up on a high note. The Devils is a classic, a great telling of corruption and erosion of freedoms. When the people who hold power have no checks or restraint, how they can break anyone in their way. And while the hero is not exactly a good man, he is the right man for the people. Its a bit of a downer. The way that he is tried in the end is a real soul killer amongst the revelry. Everyone does their role's good but Michael Gothard is the one I found to steal the show. As the witch hunter, the fervor of his deranged condemnations really drives the madness that makes up the story. This is a very good watch, but its a movie where you will not go home happy from. Maybe not one to follow up with a beer.