Surely no one sets out to make a bad movie. But in the case of the Black Christmas remake, it's hard to imagine writer/director Glen Morgan honestly thinking that this was the best he could do. The original Black Christmas is a classic, a forerunner to the modern slasher movie - stylish and eery and unsettling. But most importantly, simple and straight forward. A slasher and a murder mystery, deftly directed by Bob Clark. The remake (WHY!?) is, to be blunt, absolutely dreadful. From the first frame to the pitiful end, Black Christmas (2006) puts its viewer through the ringer, from the absurd and outlandish to the just plain dull and stupid. Giving the killer an elaborate (and ridiculous) backstory is beside the point, meaningless, mere filler. We get lame attempts at humor and gross out moments that are bad camp. The inclusion of Billy's sister, Agnes, is so out-of-left-field that it feels like Morgan was simply trying to throw in a few extra kills and pad out the movie's already spare running time. The movie isn't even 90 minutes, but you feel every second, particularly with the completely unnecessary hospital finale dragging things out to an asinine, but blessed close. Fans of the original Black Christmas should feel insulted. Horror fans should feel taken advantage of. The human race as a whole should shudder knowing this slag of trash came from one of its own. We can only hope this movie will end the careers of all involved.
Reviews
110 Reviews
Wolf Creek
(2005)
THIS is a knife!
4 June 2006
The classic road trip gone horribly awry motif is used once more, only this time with results that...somewhat...live up to the king of road trips gone horribly awry horror flicks: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. What a lovely and bloody and gutsy and raw morsel from the blokes down-under. Wolf Creek eschews the awful horror formulas - an opening murder, a maddeningly PG-13 rating - rife in the slew of tepid genre offerings these days and for the first forty minutes of its running time allows us to get to know the three leads and I liked that. I actually felt...sorrow for these poor blokes. Then writer/producer/director Greg McLean throws them to the...wolves, in the guise of a helpful stranger, whom we soon discover is a maniac who's roved the vast outback for many years, running across those stranded, offering to lend them a hand and then, once at his little shop of horrors, tortures, rapes, belittles and eventually murders them. This is honestly one of the better genre films I've seen in quite some time and it will undoubtedly draw many a coupling with Eli Roth's Hostel, although Wolf Creek is the better, far more disturbing film. Because it feels...real. Kudos, mate! A thoroughly ghastly, slippery, and very well done horror movie - reportedly based on true events, but, hey, why not throw another shrimp on the barbie? You already had me at hello. A must for serious horror fans.
Hostel
(2005)
Girls Gone Wild Meets Texas Chainsaw
26 April 2006
Eli Roth is obviously a huge fan of the genre. This was made clearly evident with his first feature - the fun, ghoulish, but ultimately flawed Cabin Fever. Hostel is likewise a fun, ghoulish, but lacking movie that is better than Cabin Fever, but missing something. If this movie proves anything is that in time Roth has the potential to make a film on the same level as the ones that obviously influenced him - Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Evil Dead, Japanese horror films like Audition - but he's not quite there yet.
The first half of Hostel is Girls Gone Wild as a trio of friends beggar through Europe. The movie begins by finding the trio in Amsterdam. Need I say more? Soon, however, the movie thrusts its viewer into a nihilistic world where wealthy people pay good money to indulge their need for torture. And our three drug-addled, sex-crazed heroes are the main course.
Hostel has a lot going for it. It's fast paced. The characters are likable. The women are beautiful and barely wearing a stitch. And that's just the first half hour. The rest of the film takes place in a kind of hell of earth where limbs are amputated, fingers are chainsawed to the floor and the human body is reduced to the properties of a pin cushion. People are flayed and dissected with glee. Eyes dangle from their sockets. Ankle tendons are severed. Although the DVD boasts that its unrated, the gore level was not as stomach-churningly prodigious as I had anticipated. But still. Pretty much all bodily fluids are on display herein. The movie, despite all its bloodshed, seems to not take itself seriously. And neither did I. I'm not sure if the desired effect was to make the viewer squirm and dry heave or at times to laugh out loud at some of the more over-the-top effects. I did mostly the latter. For any horror fan, this is a must see, considering how stale the genre is it at the moment. More importantly, Hostel shows a horror filmmaker (and above all, a horror fan) improving his craft while delivering the visceral goods to those of us who eat that sticky stuff up.
Of the special features on the DVD, the only ones of note are the three behind the scenes features and the four separate commentaries featuring Roth and others, including one with exec. producers Quentin Tarantino and Scott Spiegel.
The first half of Hostel is Girls Gone Wild as a trio of friends beggar through Europe. The movie begins by finding the trio in Amsterdam. Need I say more? Soon, however, the movie thrusts its viewer into a nihilistic world where wealthy people pay good money to indulge their need for torture. And our three drug-addled, sex-crazed heroes are the main course.
Hostel has a lot going for it. It's fast paced. The characters are likable. The women are beautiful and barely wearing a stitch. And that's just the first half hour. The rest of the film takes place in a kind of hell of earth where limbs are amputated, fingers are chainsawed to the floor and the human body is reduced to the properties of a pin cushion. People are flayed and dissected with glee. Eyes dangle from their sockets. Ankle tendons are severed. Although the DVD boasts that its unrated, the gore level was not as stomach-churningly prodigious as I had anticipated. But still. Pretty much all bodily fluids are on display herein. The movie, despite all its bloodshed, seems to not take itself seriously. And neither did I. I'm not sure if the desired effect was to make the viewer squirm and dry heave or at times to laugh out loud at some of the more over-the-top effects. I did mostly the latter. For any horror fan, this is a must see, considering how stale the genre is it at the moment. More importantly, Hostel shows a horror filmmaker (and above all, a horror fan) improving his craft while delivering the visceral goods to those of us who eat that sticky stuff up.
Of the special features on the DVD, the only ones of note are the three behind the scenes features and the four separate commentaries featuring Roth and others, including one with exec. producers Quentin Tarantino and Scott Spiegel.
White Noise
(I) (2005)
Easily, the worst movie of '05
4 April 2006
The idea of communicating with the dead through the white noise emitted from radios and televisions placed on derelict stations sounds like a nice idea for a movie. If done properly, of course. White Noise went the other way. What might have been an interesting study of loss and our inability to let the ones we lose go, is in this movie reduced to a bewildering 98 minutes of inane, asinine, insipid murder mystery that in way even begins to add up. There are so many lapses of logic and plot holes in this stink that its hard to find any real story here whatsoever. There's no meat to the story. No bread. No condiments. The movie is starving to death, and as it plods along on increasingly tired legs, it simply withers away and dies, having to resort to some slasher movie-esquire reveal. The finale of the is a complete head-scratcher. WTF? And then you have poor Michael Keaton giving the most stalwart performance of his career. I felt like telling him: Lighten up, Mike. But the movie takes itself so seriously, seemingly unaware of its own deep festering flaws and overall brainlessness that you can't even laugh at it. It simply washes over, a stagnant wave, devoid of atmosphere, chills and/or thrills. And in the end you feel as empty and worthless as the movie itself for having wasted your time.
Cursed
(2005)
What happened?
3 April 2006
Okay, I understand that there were production problems and script issues and the movie needed to be re-shot and re-cast and its release date was pushed back for over a year. Still, I rented this movie with fairly low expectations thinking: Hey, it could at least be goofy. I might be able to laugh at the movie. And besides its Kevin Williamson and Wes Craven and Christina Ricci and doesn't she have indie cred? But alas even with lowered expectations - and I'm talking the cellar here, subterranean, tomb-like expectations - Cursed is a debacle. The original script, as I have read, centered on three strangers coming together via a car accident and are subsequently attacked by a werewolf. Sounds cool. I'll bite. How the story of Cursed evolved from that premise to this one is the real question. Forget the lightening Williamson and Craven caught with their first collaboration, I'm going to go out on a limb and say that that original script was probably pretty good. Now, how does a good script get turned into this sludge factory of a boring, repetitive, contrived, laughable, plodding, dim-witted piece of schlock? Dimension Films is infamous for doing just this, taking a descent original idea and pissing all over it. So, if blame must be ascribed, blame Dimension Films. Craig Kilborn and Scott Baio, both playing themselves, and a fine job of doing so on, are the only rays of light in this bleak soulless abyss of a film. Half way through, you can actually feel Wes Craven's spirits broken and hear him saying: To hell with it. Just shoot the thing. Finish it. Put me out of my misery. I couldn't agree more. Rubbish.
The American Nightmare
(2000)
Truly outstanding documentary about the golden age of horror
13 February 2006
This documentary is an absolute treasure for any true horror film buff. Containing insightful interviews from film philosophers and sociologists analyzing films and the circumstances and reflections of the times in which they were made along with detailed and compelling interviews with such pioneering genre filmmakers as Tobe Hooper, Wes Craven, David Cronenberg, George A. Romero, John Carpenter and others. The interview with Tom Savini in which he recalls gruesome instances from his tour in Vietnam is riveting, adding to the overall bleakness of the piece. Fascinating, thoughtful, chilling and ultimately unforgettable. I applaud director Adam Simon for assembling the components to pull off this highly analytical serenade to the most profound and influential horror films and filmmakers and his ability to do so with integrity and intelligence and an obvious love for the genre. Extra kudos for the Godspeed You Black Emperor soundtrack. Brilliant.
House of 1000 Corpses
(2003)
Was worth the wait!
1 April 2003
Two misguided couples stop at Captain Spaulding's, a serial killer museum, chicken hut, and gas station in search of odd roadside attractions for a book. There they hear about the legend of Dr. Satan, a psychotic murderer who enjoyed torturing patients at the local nut house. Intrigued by the story, the kids venture into the night looking for the place he was hanged, instead they run into a family of psychos living in a nearby farmhouse. I think you can see where it's going from here.
"...where pain is God."
House Of 1000 Corpses as you should know, is the long (and I mean LONG) awaited debut from rocker/artist/sicko/genius Rob Zombie. Since it was first announced horror fans lined up by the throngs to check the movie out. After several false starts and one gutless studio that shall remain nameless (Universal), House was picked up by Lions Gate and will be hitting a limited number of theatres on April 11th. So, was it worth the wait. One word: Oh-Hell-Yes!
House Of 1000 Corpses starts strong and doesn't let go until the hard cut to black at the end. Reminiscent of Texas Chainsaw Massacre in quite a few respects House Of 1000 Corpses should gain it's own following and hopefully the respect it deserves not only from horror fans, but from the general population. House is simply an unrelenting exercise in style, gore, insanity, and fun. A spit in the face to the trendy Hollywood horror of recent years, House is a throwback to it's main inspiration Texas Chainsaw Massacre. A remarkable homage to that masterpiece is this masterpiece of the macabre.
The family unit is one of the most entertaining and fun to watch psycho families since the first TCM. First off, there's Captain Spaulding played side-splittingly by Sid Haig. My hats off to ya brother, great job! Among the extended family are Mother Firefly (Karen Black), her daughter, `Baby' (played very well by the extremely hot Sheri Moon), and the de facto leader of the house, Otis played diabolically well by Bill "Chop Top" Moseley. Great work Bill! Loved the hair! Writer/director Zombie injects loads of humor in the screenplay with witty/silly/fun dialogue and as a director he has a visual style all his own and I freakin' loved it! Zombie adds footage from classic black and white flicks, a kick ass opening title sequence, and some fancy editing to the fold. Add a grim, dread filled atmosphere to that and you have one impressively bleak looking and feeling flick.
From what I heard about the movie early on, I expected it to be a mindless bloodbath with buckets of gore and little sense. In reality, it's not all that gory or at least I've seen gorier. There's ample blood with stabbings, skinnings, tortures, mad scientist slashings, and shootings. It's not for the faint of heart that for sure. Loved the long drawn out cop execution and once Dr. Satan himself gets thrown into the mix, the movie takes on a whole new aura of madness. The story and plotting get thin toward the end, but by then I was so absorbed into the movie as a whole I hardly cared. As the film progresses it repeatedly one ups itself with grisly images and some truly crazy shiznit!
The protagonists in the film take a backseat to the villains. The only other movie I can remember that happening in was, well...Texas Chainsaw Massacre. The villains here are the movie and like in TCM I routed for them instead of the dumbass kids. House Of 1000 Corpses is one of the most impressive horror movies I've seen in recent years and proved to be worth the wait for any serious horror fan sick of the repetitive mainstream horror flicks that have been force fed to us recently. House is a horror movie by a horror fan for the horror fan and is definitely worth multiple viewings. It's funny (sometimes quite hysterical), it's gruesome, it's bleak, it's stylish as hell, it's well acted, it's well written, and damned if it didn't kick my ass. An instant classic! Burnout Central awards to Sid Haig, Bill Moseley, Sherry Moon (Rob's fiancée), Karen Black, and of course Rob Zombie!
"...where pain is God."
House Of 1000 Corpses as you should know, is the long (and I mean LONG) awaited debut from rocker/artist/sicko/genius Rob Zombie. Since it was first announced horror fans lined up by the throngs to check the movie out. After several false starts and one gutless studio that shall remain nameless (Universal), House was picked up by Lions Gate and will be hitting a limited number of theatres on April 11th. So, was it worth the wait. One word: Oh-Hell-Yes!
House Of 1000 Corpses starts strong and doesn't let go until the hard cut to black at the end. Reminiscent of Texas Chainsaw Massacre in quite a few respects House Of 1000 Corpses should gain it's own following and hopefully the respect it deserves not only from horror fans, but from the general population. House is simply an unrelenting exercise in style, gore, insanity, and fun. A spit in the face to the trendy Hollywood horror of recent years, House is a throwback to it's main inspiration Texas Chainsaw Massacre. A remarkable homage to that masterpiece is this masterpiece of the macabre.
The family unit is one of the most entertaining and fun to watch psycho families since the first TCM. First off, there's Captain Spaulding played side-splittingly by Sid Haig. My hats off to ya brother, great job! Among the extended family are Mother Firefly (Karen Black), her daughter, `Baby' (played very well by the extremely hot Sheri Moon), and the de facto leader of the house, Otis played diabolically well by Bill "Chop Top" Moseley. Great work Bill! Loved the hair! Writer/director Zombie injects loads of humor in the screenplay with witty/silly/fun dialogue and as a director he has a visual style all his own and I freakin' loved it! Zombie adds footage from classic black and white flicks, a kick ass opening title sequence, and some fancy editing to the fold. Add a grim, dread filled atmosphere to that and you have one impressively bleak looking and feeling flick.
From what I heard about the movie early on, I expected it to be a mindless bloodbath with buckets of gore and little sense. In reality, it's not all that gory or at least I've seen gorier. There's ample blood with stabbings, skinnings, tortures, mad scientist slashings, and shootings. It's not for the faint of heart that for sure. Loved the long drawn out cop execution and once Dr. Satan himself gets thrown into the mix, the movie takes on a whole new aura of madness. The story and plotting get thin toward the end, but by then I was so absorbed into the movie as a whole I hardly cared. As the film progresses it repeatedly one ups itself with grisly images and some truly crazy shiznit!
The protagonists in the film take a backseat to the villains. The only other movie I can remember that happening in was, well...Texas Chainsaw Massacre. The villains here are the movie and like in TCM I routed for them instead of the dumbass kids. House Of 1000 Corpses is one of the most impressive horror movies I've seen in recent years and proved to be worth the wait for any serious horror fan sick of the repetitive mainstream horror flicks that have been force fed to us recently. House is a horror movie by a horror fan for the horror fan and is definitely worth multiple viewings. It's funny (sometimes quite hysterical), it's gruesome, it's bleak, it's stylish as hell, it's well acted, it's well written, and damned if it didn't kick my ass. An instant classic! Burnout Central awards to Sid Haig, Bill Moseley, Sherry Moon (Rob's fiancée), Karen Black, and of course Rob Zombie!
Head Hunter
(2002 Video)
A CUT above the rest!
14 February 2003
A warehouse night watchman finds himself in the middle of a cat and mouse game with an escaped murderer known as...you guessed it: The Head Hunter!
No budget shot on video horror movies are an iffy way to spend your night, but every now and again I come across one that manages to impress and prove that you don't need a load of dough to make a good movie. Competence goes a long way, forget the cheap gore special effects, and write something with substance that is actually fun to watch. Troy McGatlin took that advice to heart when he penned, directed, and even decided to act in Head Hunter. A competently made little horror offering that is not only fun as hell to watch, but dare I say...kinda mysterious and suspenseful.
The entire movie takes place in and around a large warehouse where twenty-something slacker T.J. (Derek Hoffman) has duties as night watchman. Soon he learns of the escape of a psycho that terrorized the area in the 80's and after he's left alone, the threatening phone calls begin to come in from someone claiming to be the Head Hunter who has some rather shocking information. As the story unfolds we're held to examine what's just transpired in order to figure out what's going on. Is this a game? Has T.J simply smoked too much weed? Whose to be trusted? What's going on?
Needless to say I fell into the story, appreciated the good acting, and the directing from McGatlin. Loved that long shot following T.J into the warehouse at the beginning of the film, good stuff duder.
If I sound impressed with Head Hunter, it's because I am. The movie came along, flew under my radar for a while, and when I decided to give it a shot was a pleasant surprise. Despite it's video box and the fact that's it's released through Dead Alive, Head Hunter is a well made horror flick obviously done by people who love and respect the genre. Two things that seem non-existent in recent horror offerings. And it's on this level that you actually find those films that play for the horror fan and not just for the simple purpose of making a PG-13 rated buck. Check this baby out if you get a chance.
No budget shot on video horror movies are an iffy way to spend your night, but every now and again I come across one that manages to impress and prove that you don't need a load of dough to make a good movie. Competence goes a long way, forget the cheap gore special effects, and write something with substance that is actually fun to watch. Troy McGatlin took that advice to heart when he penned, directed, and even decided to act in Head Hunter. A competently made little horror offering that is not only fun as hell to watch, but dare I say...kinda mysterious and suspenseful.
The entire movie takes place in and around a large warehouse where twenty-something slacker T.J. (Derek Hoffman) has duties as night watchman. Soon he learns of the escape of a psycho that terrorized the area in the 80's and after he's left alone, the threatening phone calls begin to come in from someone claiming to be the Head Hunter who has some rather shocking information. As the story unfolds we're held to examine what's just transpired in order to figure out what's going on. Is this a game? Has T.J simply smoked too much weed? Whose to be trusted? What's going on?
Needless to say I fell into the story, appreciated the good acting, and the directing from McGatlin. Loved that long shot following T.J into the warehouse at the beginning of the film, good stuff duder.
If I sound impressed with Head Hunter, it's because I am. The movie came along, flew under my radar for a while, and when I decided to give it a shot was a pleasant surprise. Despite it's video box and the fact that's it's released through Dead Alive, Head Hunter is a well made horror flick obviously done by people who love and respect the genre. Two things that seem non-existent in recent horror offerings. And it's on this level that you actually find those films that play for the horror fan and not just for the simple purpose of making a PG-13 rated buck. Check this baby out if you get a chance.
Paperhouse
(1988)
A brilliant art/thriller/fantasy film
11 February 2003
Anna (Charlotte Burke) develops a strange fever that causes her to pass out and drift off into a world of her own creation. A bleak world she drew with a sad little boy as the inhabitant of an old dumpy house in the middle of a lonely field. Lacking in detail, much like any child drawing the house and it's inhabitant Marc (who can't walk because Anna didn't draw him any legs) are inhabitants of this purgatory/limbo world. Anna begins visiting the boy and the house more frequently trying to figure what's what and in the process tries to help save the boy, but her fever is making it harder for her to wake up each time and may not only kill her, but trap her and Marc there forever.
Wow! Is a good word to sum up Bernard Rose's brilliantly haunting and poetic Paperhouse. A film that is so simple that it's damn near impossible to explain and impossible to forget. While you may find this puppy in your horror section it's anything but. It's more of a serious fantasy, expertly directed, and exceptionally well acted by it's cast, in particular Charlotte Burke and Elliot Speirs (Marc). And yet, it's not a children's movie either, but meant to make us remember those carefree days of old that are now just dark memories. Rose creates a rich tapestry of moody ambiance that creates a thrilling backdrop for the brilliant story and great actors to play with. Paperhouse stays away from trying to explain it's more dreamy qualities and leaves most things to the viewers imagination. There's much symbolism and ambiguity here to sink your teeth into. Paperhouse enjoys playing games with the viewers mind, engrossing you with it's very own sense of reasoning. As the story unfolded I was again and again impressed at just how powerful the film managed to be up to the finale which left me with a smile on my face and a tear in my eye.
Bernard Rose's visuals are brilliant here. He's able to create an unnervingly bleak atmosphere that appears simple on the surface, but as a whole is much greater than the sum of it's parts. The acting is of young Charlotte Burke in this, her feature debut, is a truly impressing as well. Unfortunately she's not graced the screen since. A much deserved Burnout Central award only seems proper for that performance. Toward the end the movie lags a bit here and there, but I was easily able to overlook it. I wished they had took a darker turn creating a far more powerful finale that would have proved to be all the more unnerving and truly riveting in retrospect. The movie as is, is still one for the books and deserves to be seen by any serious film lover. It's a poetic ride told through the innocent eyes of a child, a powerful film in which much is left to be pondered and far more to be praised.
Wow! Is a good word to sum up Bernard Rose's brilliantly haunting and poetic Paperhouse. A film that is so simple that it's damn near impossible to explain and impossible to forget. While you may find this puppy in your horror section it's anything but. It's more of a serious fantasy, expertly directed, and exceptionally well acted by it's cast, in particular Charlotte Burke and Elliot Speirs (Marc). And yet, it's not a children's movie either, but meant to make us remember those carefree days of old that are now just dark memories. Rose creates a rich tapestry of moody ambiance that creates a thrilling backdrop for the brilliant story and great actors to play with. Paperhouse stays away from trying to explain it's more dreamy qualities and leaves most things to the viewers imagination. There's much symbolism and ambiguity here to sink your teeth into. Paperhouse enjoys playing games with the viewers mind, engrossing you with it's very own sense of reasoning. As the story unfolded I was again and again impressed at just how powerful the film managed to be up to the finale which left me with a smile on my face and a tear in my eye.
Bernard Rose's visuals are brilliant here. He's able to create an unnervingly bleak atmosphere that appears simple on the surface, but as a whole is much greater than the sum of it's parts. The acting is of young Charlotte Burke in this, her feature debut, is a truly impressing as well. Unfortunately she's not graced the screen since. A much deserved Burnout Central award only seems proper for that performance. Toward the end the movie lags a bit here and there, but I was easily able to overlook it. I wished they had took a darker turn creating a far more powerful finale that would have proved to be all the more unnerving and truly riveting in retrospect. The movie as is, is still one for the books and deserves to be seen by any serious film lover. It's a poetic ride told through the innocent eyes of a child, a powerful film in which much is left to be pondered and far more to be praised.
Darkness Falls
(2003)
God's Mercy On You Swine
24 January 2003
In the town of "Darkness Falls" when a child loses their last baby tooth, the tooth fairy pays them a visit. But this isn't the sweet tooth fairy we envision, instead it's a vengeful super bitch who will stop at nothing to kill you if you lay eyes on her. When Kyle (Kley) was a youngster he barely escaped a close encounter with the tooth fairy herself and has lived his life in fear (and the light) since. 12 years later Kyle is contacted by an old squeeze, Caitlin (Caulfeild) whose little brother is being terrorized by the old hag and thinks he can save the day or instruct them on how to deal with the bitch or something. Loaded with a bag of flashlights and prescription medication, Kyle sets out to stop her once and for all or something like that. It's all kinda vague.
Darkness Falls can be broken down into 3 parts.
Part 1: The first 20 minutes - Darkness Falls gets started well with a cool montage of burning images that tells the story of a sweet old lady who gave kids a shiny gold coin for their baby teeth. She was dubbed "The Tooth Fairy." After an accident leaves her horribly burned and regulated to stay in the dark (because the sun burns her flesh), two little kids disappear. She is blamed for their disappearance and hung for it, BUT with her dying breathe she vows vengeance on the children of Darkness Falls. The kids show up later and are just fine, D'OH!
After that sweet montage we meet the young Kyle who has just lost his last baby tooth, had his first kiss with a young Caitlin, and has plans to "kick it" with her at the school dance on Friday. Caitlin puts his little baby tooth under his pillow and tells him not to peak when the tooth fairy comes. Of course he doesn't, peeks at the Tooth Fairy, and will never be the same. Those scenes in the young Kyle's house were pretty cool and had me pumped, thinking that Darkness Falls was gonna be a moody, shadowy, and possibly frightening little flick. The first 20 minutes, give or take was pretty sweet. The young love thing was nice (the ghostly little girl from Ghost Ship plays the young Caitlin), the scenes are very well directed by Jonathan Liebesman with cool use of shadow and light, and was actually creepy. I love the way it ended with little Kyle in the bathroom. At that point Darkness Falls had endless possibilities in my book.
Part 2: The ho-hum middle - I learned rather fast that the possibilities of goodness that Darkness Falls created in it's opening got sucked out of the movie rather quickly. The substance here is totally non-existent, the character development is no where to be found, and why were they shooting for cheap laughs instead of cheap scares. The movie turns to the old bag of tricks by throwing plenty of "jump" scares at us that are very stupid. Where'd that cat come from and why the goofy dialogue? Disposable characters show up and get picked off one by one. I thought the tooth fairy just dined on kiddies not burnouts and defense attorneys. Yeesh! What happened? We get some fairly descent action sequences where the Tooth Fairy flies around and chases the protagonists. All mindless, CGI, well photographed fluff, but entertaining none the less. Then we get to the police station siege by the Tooth Fairy that made for a few ok moments and was kinda fun. At this point I was still fine with the film, although the substance was gone, the entertainment value was still high. It was mindless style over substance, then it got worse...
Part 3: The last act, extreme goof, the rolling of eyes, the echo of groans - As Darkness Falls nears it's end, it sinks deeper and deeper into the abyss of stupidity. Good god, this movie just got dumber and dumber 'til the very stupid finale. The horror aspect is totally thrown by the weigh side and they go for more laughs and plenty moments of failed suspense. Then one of the disposable characters mutters the line: "All this for a f--king tooth." That level of self awareness in a bad horror movie can either be seen as witty or a nod to the audience to let them know, if they haven't already figured out, that this movie is NOT GOOD. Yes, all this for a f**king tooth. What was the real message here, surely to God the writers of this movie didn't set out to write a movie like this. I can hear it now, a bunch of morons sitting around a table. "Yes, lets make a horror movie that is totally devoid of all substance. We'll fill it with cheap BOO scares, cheap laughs, and in the end we'll get all ignorant in a lighthouse. Brilliant! But wait, we'll play a cruel joke on the audience and start the movie with high hopes only to laugh in their faces with pure gonzo idiocy."
Darkness Falls is the poster child for how a movie can fall apart before the viewer's very eyes. A movie that had possibilities, only to p*** them away and ultimately be a simple, sometimes entertaining goof fest that is easily forgettable stuff. Not much makes sense, but then again it's probably not suppose to and if it did make any sense in the original screenplay, it was left on the cutting room floor. This a movie devoid of all substance, all character development, and all sense. It's basically a good looking piece of garbage, nothing more nothing (well maybe a little) less. Could this be another case of the studio destroying a horror movie? Possibly. Director Jonathan Liebesman has potential and deserves far better than this. If the movie is a hit, he may get a chance, but if this proves to be a money maker, then the studio has won and will unload more bad horror movies at us as long as throngs of misguided slackers will vacate their trailers for 75 minutes (a long 75 minutes at that) to spend their hard earned SSI money. If Kangaroo Jack can top the box office then anything can happen and we, the human race, is truly in peril. God's mercy on you swine.
Darkness Falls can be broken down into 3 parts.
Part 1: The first 20 minutes - Darkness Falls gets started well with a cool montage of burning images that tells the story of a sweet old lady who gave kids a shiny gold coin for their baby teeth. She was dubbed "The Tooth Fairy." After an accident leaves her horribly burned and regulated to stay in the dark (because the sun burns her flesh), two little kids disappear. She is blamed for their disappearance and hung for it, BUT with her dying breathe she vows vengeance on the children of Darkness Falls. The kids show up later and are just fine, D'OH!
After that sweet montage we meet the young Kyle who has just lost his last baby tooth, had his first kiss with a young Caitlin, and has plans to "kick it" with her at the school dance on Friday. Caitlin puts his little baby tooth under his pillow and tells him not to peak when the tooth fairy comes. Of course he doesn't, peeks at the Tooth Fairy, and will never be the same. Those scenes in the young Kyle's house were pretty cool and had me pumped, thinking that Darkness Falls was gonna be a moody, shadowy, and possibly frightening little flick. The first 20 minutes, give or take was pretty sweet. The young love thing was nice (the ghostly little girl from Ghost Ship plays the young Caitlin), the scenes are very well directed by Jonathan Liebesman with cool use of shadow and light, and was actually creepy. I love the way it ended with little Kyle in the bathroom. At that point Darkness Falls had endless possibilities in my book.
Part 2: The ho-hum middle - I learned rather fast that the possibilities of goodness that Darkness Falls created in it's opening got sucked out of the movie rather quickly. The substance here is totally non-existent, the character development is no where to be found, and why were they shooting for cheap laughs instead of cheap scares. The movie turns to the old bag of tricks by throwing plenty of "jump" scares at us that are very stupid. Where'd that cat come from and why the goofy dialogue? Disposable characters show up and get picked off one by one. I thought the tooth fairy just dined on kiddies not burnouts and defense attorneys. Yeesh! What happened? We get some fairly descent action sequences where the Tooth Fairy flies around and chases the protagonists. All mindless, CGI, well photographed fluff, but entertaining none the less. Then we get to the police station siege by the Tooth Fairy that made for a few ok moments and was kinda fun. At this point I was still fine with the film, although the substance was gone, the entertainment value was still high. It was mindless style over substance, then it got worse...
Part 3: The last act, extreme goof, the rolling of eyes, the echo of groans - As Darkness Falls nears it's end, it sinks deeper and deeper into the abyss of stupidity. Good god, this movie just got dumber and dumber 'til the very stupid finale. The horror aspect is totally thrown by the weigh side and they go for more laughs and plenty moments of failed suspense. Then one of the disposable characters mutters the line: "All this for a f--king tooth." That level of self awareness in a bad horror movie can either be seen as witty or a nod to the audience to let them know, if they haven't already figured out, that this movie is NOT GOOD. Yes, all this for a f**king tooth. What was the real message here, surely to God the writers of this movie didn't set out to write a movie like this. I can hear it now, a bunch of morons sitting around a table. "Yes, lets make a horror movie that is totally devoid of all substance. We'll fill it with cheap BOO scares, cheap laughs, and in the end we'll get all ignorant in a lighthouse. Brilliant! But wait, we'll play a cruel joke on the audience and start the movie with high hopes only to laugh in their faces with pure gonzo idiocy."
Darkness Falls is the poster child for how a movie can fall apart before the viewer's very eyes. A movie that had possibilities, only to p*** them away and ultimately be a simple, sometimes entertaining goof fest that is easily forgettable stuff. Not much makes sense, but then again it's probably not suppose to and if it did make any sense in the original screenplay, it was left on the cutting room floor. This a movie devoid of all substance, all character development, and all sense. It's basically a good looking piece of garbage, nothing more nothing (well maybe a little) less. Could this be another case of the studio destroying a horror movie? Possibly. Director Jonathan Liebesman has potential and deserves far better than this. If the movie is a hit, he may get a chance, but if this proves to be a money maker, then the studio has won and will unload more bad horror movies at us as long as throngs of misguided slackers will vacate their trailers for 75 minutes (a long 75 minutes at that) to spend their hard earned SSI money. If Kangaroo Jack can top the box office then anything can happen and we, the human race, is truly in peril. God's mercy on you swine.
The Stick Up
(2002)
Herrington's done it again!
18 January 2003
A burned out cop (Spader) from the big city travels to small town America after the death of his partner where he meets a lovely nurse. From there he sleeps with her, does her dishes, and then dresses up as Bozo and robs a bank. Simple, eh? Well, this is a Rowdy Herrington film and Rowdy Herrington films aren't to be taken at face value. The plot runs deeper than you think baby...
On the surface The Stickup looks like your typical crime drama, but never judge a book by it's cover. The Stickup is an all around well written, acted, and directed thriller that has many levels. Much like Herrington's brilliant Jack's Back, The Stickup is layered and then some. Without getting in too much detail and spoiling some of the surprises, The Stickup is a smart, witty, and damn enjoyable little movie.
Herrington has always had an ear for great dialogue and an eye for quick well choreographed action sequences. Herrington shows off both attributes here, but it's his great story that makes this baby so fun. Loaded with great witty dialogue and characters, this is Herrington in good form. The movie is also well directed by Rowdy with lots of cool flashbacks that add to the mystery of the movie. Herrington also keeps the movie moving at a brisk pace that never lagged. Good work Rowdy! Herrington and Jack's Back star James Spader reunite and damned if it didn't feel good. Spader is, as always, great in the lead. I love the guy, he's made a name for himself playing intense layered characters that either good or bad, you can't help but like. If Spader's on screen you can't take your eyes off him. Did that sound gay?
Unfortunately Herrington will always be known as the guy behind Road House and the very cliché Striking Distance. His best work lies in the films that have flew under the radar. The Stickup and Jack's Back being two shining examples of just that. Now I could go on raving about The Stickup and Jack's Back all day, but I won't. Just rent them! Herrington has an ability to take a tired concept and add life to it (except in the case of Striking Distance). You can say you've "seen it before," but not quite like this.
On the surface The Stickup looks like your typical crime drama, but never judge a book by it's cover. The Stickup is an all around well written, acted, and directed thriller that has many levels. Much like Herrington's brilliant Jack's Back, The Stickup is layered and then some. Without getting in too much detail and spoiling some of the surprises, The Stickup is a smart, witty, and damn enjoyable little movie.
Herrington has always had an ear for great dialogue and an eye for quick well choreographed action sequences. Herrington shows off both attributes here, but it's his great story that makes this baby so fun. Loaded with great witty dialogue and characters, this is Herrington in good form. The movie is also well directed by Rowdy with lots of cool flashbacks that add to the mystery of the movie. Herrington also keeps the movie moving at a brisk pace that never lagged. Good work Rowdy! Herrington and Jack's Back star James Spader reunite and damned if it didn't feel good. Spader is, as always, great in the lead. I love the guy, he's made a name for himself playing intense layered characters that either good or bad, you can't help but like. If Spader's on screen you can't take your eyes off him. Did that sound gay?
Unfortunately Herrington will always be known as the guy behind Road House and the very cliché Striking Distance. His best work lies in the films that have flew under the radar. The Stickup and Jack's Back being two shining examples of just that. Now I could go on raving about The Stickup and Jack's Back all day, but I won't. Just rent them! Herrington has an ability to take a tired concept and add life to it (except in the case of Striking Distance). You can say you've "seen it before," but not quite like this.
Jack's Back
(1988)
One of the most under-appreciated films of the 80's
1 January 2003
Someone is killing prostitutes in a very Jack The Ripper-esque fashion on the 100 year anniversaries of The Ripper's original murders. A med student (Spader) gets caught up in the last murder and winds up meeting a tragic fate. Now his twin brother (also played by Spader) is out to find the man responsible for his death and gets caught up in the middle of the copycat murder case in the process. Oh, and he has to clear his own name because he is a suspect in the above mentioned case AND also a suspect in his brothers murder...Whooo. Now that's a s*** load of plot!
Jack's Back is an odd movie and kind of deceiving. You see, no one in their right mind is gonna market a movie this complicated. So what the box tells ya is that Jack's Back is about a murderer mimicking the Jack The Ripper slayings of a century ago. Well, that's only half the movie. Jack's Back is a murder mystery turned revenge noir turned suspense thriller that manages to avoid drowning itself in murky plot, pointless subplot, or endless dialogue in an attempt to competently tell the story and wrap everything up in the end. From the title and basic premise of the film one may think it's just your basic slasher type/murder mystery exploitation stuff that was recycled over and over again when this movie was released. If so, you're wrong...
Jack's Back starts as a murder mystery about a nutball killing prostitutes, when we meet a med student with a heart of gold, John played by James Spader. He soon finds himself at the scene of one of the Ripper murders and is eventually killed. His shady twin brother Rick who sees the murder in a dream soon pops up. The police are quick to write off John's death as a suicide, but Rick knows better. He soon sets out to find the guy responsible with the help of Chris (Gibb) who had a thing for John and is developing a thing for Rick when he finds that things aren't as they seemed and the Ripper copycat is out for more blood. Writer/director Rowdy Herrington gives us a strong, well developed script with great characters and memorable situations. His ability to shift from a murder mystery to revenge flick to thriller deserves major props. Props to Herrington for creating such likeable and complex characters too. Great job! From a directing standpoint, Herrington gives the movie a moody and uneasy atmosphere blanketed in thick fog. Burnout Central award to Herrington.
James Spader delivers a layered and very strong double performance that engaged me and kept my eyes glued on him. Cynthia Gibb gives a strong performance as well. I dug how the script didn't go into familiar romantic territory even though Spader and Gibb had great chemistry. Burnout Central awards to both!
It was great to watch a movie with such a dense storyline that never forget what it was supposed to do-entertain. I was intrigued and fascinated with the story, performances and Herrington's ability to construct such a multi-layered plot and still find a way to pull it all together. Jack's Back isn't conventional in the least, it marches to its own drum, has class, and is well written, acted and directed. Check it out!
Jack's Back is an odd movie and kind of deceiving. You see, no one in their right mind is gonna market a movie this complicated. So what the box tells ya is that Jack's Back is about a murderer mimicking the Jack The Ripper slayings of a century ago. Well, that's only half the movie. Jack's Back is a murder mystery turned revenge noir turned suspense thriller that manages to avoid drowning itself in murky plot, pointless subplot, or endless dialogue in an attempt to competently tell the story and wrap everything up in the end. From the title and basic premise of the film one may think it's just your basic slasher type/murder mystery exploitation stuff that was recycled over and over again when this movie was released. If so, you're wrong...
Jack's Back starts as a murder mystery about a nutball killing prostitutes, when we meet a med student with a heart of gold, John played by James Spader. He soon finds himself at the scene of one of the Ripper murders and is eventually killed. His shady twin brother Rick who sees the murder in a dream soon pops up. The police are quick to write off John's death as a suicide, but Rick knows better. He soon sets out to find the guy responsible with the help of Chris (Gibb) who had a thing for John and is developing a thing for Rick when he finds that things aren't as they seemed and the Ripper copycat is out for more blood. Writer/director Rowdy Herrington gives us a strong, well developed script with great characters and memorable situations. His ability to shift from a murder mystery to revenge flick to thriller deserves major props. Props to Herrington for creating such likeable and complex characters too. Great job! From a directing standpoint, Herrington gives the movie a moody and uneasy atmosphere blanketed in thick fog. Burnout Central award to Herrington.
James Spader delivers a layered and very strong double performance that engaged me and kept my eyes glued on him. Cynthia Gibb gives a strong performance as well. I dug how the script didn't go into familiar romantic territory even though Spader and Gibb had great chemistry. Burnout Central awards to both!
It was great to watch a movie with such a dense storyline that never forget what it was supposed to do-entertain. I was intrigued and fascinated with the story, performances and Herrington's ability to construct such a multi-layered plot and still find a way to pull it all together. Jack's Back isn't conventional in the least, it marches to its own drum, has class, and is well written, acted and directed. Check it out!
The Invisible Maniac
(1990)
A triumphant film!
30 September 2002
An insane high school science teacher (Noel Peters) solves a problem that has plagued mankind for decades. How can we spy on chicks in the shower without detection, become INVISIBLE!
What a premise, what a payoff, what a flick! The Invisible Maniac is schlock at it's best, a movie about a guy who becomes invisible to get revenge on the students who enjoy making his life hell. Of course he finds time to sneak into the women's showering facilities more than once to catch a peak and I don't blame him. While made in 1990, Invisible Maniac has all the pure and unpretentious qualities that made the 80's so special. Everyone is sex crazed, the girls take lots of showers, and and invisible science teacher is trying to kill 'em all. What more could you ask for?
The movie keeps its tongue firmly in cheek, but does so in a smart way. Deliberately being cheesy, over the top, and exploitative The Invisible Maniac follows the formula but manages to be a bit different here and there. I won't get into too many specifics, but the virginal heroine doesn't save the day. The dialogue is hilarious, the characters cliche (but fun), and they never miss a chance for some good old fashion female nudity. Savor each and ever scene featuring the lovely Melissa Moore and Shannon Wilsey and their "friends". Never has comedy, horror, and soft core porn came together to give us such a landmark film!
Call it misogynistic if you want, I just call it fun. If you're into this kind of flick (you know who you are) then your life won't be complete until you see The Invisible Maniac. R.I.P Shannon Wilsey.
What a premise, what a payoff, what a flick! The Invisible Maniac is schlock at it's best, a movie about a guy who becomes invisible to get revenge on the students who enjoy making his life hell. Of course he finds time to sneak into the women's showering facilities more than once to catch a peak and I don't blame him. While made in 1990, Invisible Maniac has all the pure and unpretentious qualities that made the 80's so special. Everyone is sex crazed, the girls take lots of showers, and and invisible science teacher is trying to kill 'em all. What more could you ask for?
The movie keeps its tongue firmly in cheek, but does so in a smart way. Deliberately being cheesy, over the top, and exploitative The Invisible Maniac follows the formula but manages to be a bit different here and there. I won't get into too many specifics, but the virginal heroine doesn't save the day. The dialogue is hilarious, the characters cliche (but fun), and they never miss a chance for some good old fashion female nudity. Savor each and ever scene featuring the lovely Melissa Moore and Shannon Wilsey and their "friends". Never has comedy, horror, and soft core porn came together to give us such a landmark film!
Call it misogynistic if you want, I just call it fun. If you're into this kind of flick (you know who you are) then your life won't be complete until you see The Invisible Maniac. R.I.P Shannon Wilsey.
Austin Powers in Goldmember
(2002)
Very old and oh so tired.
23 July 2002
Were the first two Austin Powers movies funny or GOOD enough to merit a second sequel? NO, and this installment proves it with some of the most tired jokes and bad acting seen in recent history. You'd think that since this is the 3rd movie, they'd try to create some original laughs. While they do introduce two new characters (that aren't funny in the least) the jokes have been recycled from the first two Austin Powers "films" and quite a few other comedies from the past. Basically what we get is a much worse Austin Powers. Yes, I said worse if you can imagine that.
Mike Myers shtick as Powers is simply old and no longer (if it were ever) funny. "Goldmember" one of the new characters, is so unfunny its pathetic. His whole punch line is that 1.) he skates 2.) he can contort his body in all sorts of odd positions and 3.) he's evil. Beyonce Knowles is even unfunnier. She needs acting lessons, bottom line. Her comic timing is so off that it's pathetic, I even felt embarrassed for her. Stick with what you can do half way good, sing. Notice I said "half way" (I'm trying to be nice).
Everything here is old. That oh so witty father/son banter between Dr. Evil and Scott is so tired and lame, it just got on my nerves after a while. This movie shows without a doubt how tired Austin Powers is. I just hope the public notices and there isn't yet another sequel then God help us all...
Austin Powers 3 is simply 90 minutes of complete and utter stupidity that isn't funny for 1 micro second. Skip it! If you want REAL comedy rent The Jerk.
Mike Myers shtick as Powers is simply old and no longer (if it were ever) funny. "Goldmember" one of the new characters, is so unfunny its pathetic. His whole punch line is that 1.) he skates 2.) he can contort his body in all sorts of odd positions and 3.) he's evil. Beyonce Knowles is even unfunnier. She needs acting lessons, bottom line. Her comic timing is so off that it's pathetic, I even felt embarrassed for her. Stick with what you can do half way good, sing. Notice I said "half way" (I'm trying to be nice).
Everything here is old. That oh so witty father/son banter between Dr. Evil and Scott is so tired and lame, it just got on my nerves after a while. This movie shows without a doubt how tired Austin Powers is. I just hope the public notices and there isn't yet another sequel then God help us all...
Austin Powers 3 is simply 90 minutes of complete and utter stupidity that isn't funny for 1 micro second. Skip it! If you want REAL comedy rent The Jerk.
Vengeance of the Dead
(2001 Video)
Not bad...
4 January 2002
A young man travels to his grandfathers house, finds an old spoon and soon starts to have visions of a brutal murder. Before you know it Eric (Galvin) is guided by a ghostly force to kill a bunch of old men.
I didn't expect much from VOTD when I popped in the DVD player, but by the end I was pleasantly surprised. VOTD turns out to a be a competently made and interesting low budget flick that I got into. Writer/director Don Adams and Harry Picardi show alot of potential here and could have done much better with more money and a cast of professional actors. They give us some cool moments and use the DV camera in some pretty interesting ways. The acting isn't great and the sound and picture quality is pretty bad. It runs a little too long for its own good and drags along the way. By the middle of the flick I figured out what the twist was, but in the end it still disturbed me and I felt fulfilled. VOTD is an original little flick with alot of good qualities in its favor.
Vengeance Of The Dead has its problems, but is a solid flick with alot of potential. Its a valiant effort all around, but would have benefited from a tighter script, a bigger budget, and professional actors. I still recommend you check it out. I've seen much bigger flicks that have been much worse.
DVD Details: Trailers, director commentary, teaser and making of War Wolf (Adam and Picardi's next flick). The picture is very grainy and the sound quality is pretty bad. Not a good DVD transfer.
I didn't expect much from VOTD when I popped in the DVD player, but by the end I was pleasantly surprised. VOTD turns out to a be a competently made and interesting low budget flick that I got into. Writer/director Don Adams and Harry Picardi show alot of potential here and could have done much better with more money and a cast of professional actors. They give us some cool moments and use the DV camera in some pretty interesting ways. The acting isn't great and the sound and picture quality is pretty bad. It runs a little too long for its own good and drags along the way. By the middle of the flick I figured out what the twist was, but in the end it still disturbed me and I felt fulfilled. VOTD is an original little flick with alot of good qualities in its favor.
Vengeance Of The Dead has its problems, but is a solid flick with alot of potential. Its a valiant effort all around, but would have benefited from a tighter script, a bigger budget, and professional actors. I still recommend you check it out. I've seen much bigger flicks that have been much worse.
DVD Details: Trailers, director commentary, teaser and making of War Wolf (Adam and Picardi's next flick). The picture is very grainy and the sound quality is pretty bad. Not a good DVD transfer.
Pure ignorance
27 August 2001
I Know What You Did Last Summer is the story of a group kids who run over a man and decide to get rid of the body and pretend it never happend. One year later they start to get threatening messages entitled: I Know What You Did Last Summer. Did someone see what they did? Is the person they hit still alive? Whats going on? Who cares! This flick is purely ignorant and totally inplausable. Kevin Williamson brings us those great self aware characters again and I'm so sick of it. The characters aren't likable in the least and I routed for the fisherman. Jennifer Love Hewitt and Sarah Michelle Gellar are nice to look at, but the flick is just so dumb all is for not. Followed by an even worse sequel. 3/10.
Hide and Go Shriek
(1988)
Not a bad slash.
25 August 2001
Hide and Go Shriek is your routine slasher, but better than you might expect. A group of kids decide to sneak into a giant furniture store to have a little party, drink some beer, and have some sex. Well they're not alone and one by one they start to disappear. This flick is above average for its genre and has a pretty weird slasher, his motive is at least one of a kind. I'd say check it out.
Final Exam
(1981)
An alright slasher
25 August 2001
Final Exam is your average 80's slasher. It has some cool college pranks and all that tomfoolery that takes place at college campuses around the world(except Union). But this movie drowns in its own character development. It takes WAY too much time with its characters and totally forgets its a slasher flick. And the slashings aren't very good. I want gore with my slash! 6/10.
Suspiria
(1977)
Argento's Masterpiece
25 August 2001
Suspiria is by far Dario Argento's masterwork. A brilliantly photographed and stylish slasher flick with cool and brutal murders. An American girl travels to a European ballet school only to find that it is a witches coven where girls are brutally murdered every once in a while. The atmosphere and awesome camera work make this one of the most beautiful, yet savage slashers ever. A must for horror/slasher fans!
Black Christmas
(1974)
A slasher great!!
25 August 2001
Black Christmas is the story of a group of girls in a sorority house being stalked and picked off by a psycho. Sounds familiar. Well Black Christmas came out long before all the those others and laid the foundation for them. This is the first flick to offer those cool killer POV shots. This slasher also likes to use the phone, his phone calls give me chills just thinking about them. This guy is insane! The slashings are cool and it has a great twist. Oh yea and this flick is actually creepy. Bob Clark does a great job creating a bleak atmosphere just right for some slashings. Bleak, creepy, and really cool. What more do you want from a slasher? A must for all genre fans. Go find it! An underground masterpiece!
Clownhouse
(1989)
Boring crap.
24 August 2001
Well it sucks bad. Its about these 3 brothers trapped in their home with escaped mental patients dressed as clowns. The movie has absolutely no balls, no pun intended. But it should have at least knocked off one character to even make it a slasher flick. Its about 90 minutes, but it feels like 90 hours. Salva does nothing with something that alot of people are afraid of. Clowns. In fact the only people this flick would appeal to are those frightened of clowns and still its a long shot. Don't believe the hype and avoid Clownhouse. 1/10.
A Nightmare on Elm Street
(1984)
A Horror Classic
24 August 2001
Wes Craven's Nightmare on Elm Street is a classic of the horror genre. A tale of a demon who haunts the teens of Elm Street, stalking and slaughtering them in their dreams. If you die in the dream you die for real. Imaginative and creepy psychological slasher flick with great performances from the leads. Before Freddy became a standup comedian he lurked in the shadows and was actually scary. Very cool slashings(very inventive on the part of Craven) and an atmospheric and surreal setting make you overlook the bad ending in this horror classic. A must for all genre fans. Check it out!!!
Dawn of the Dead
(1978)
An epic zombie classic.
24 August 2001
George Romero's Dawn of the Dead is an epic and apocalyptic horror flick that is loaded with social commentary. Its the tale of a group of people trying to escape from a zombie infested city. They hold up in a shopping mall and soon make it their home away from zombie hell on Earth. Well one day this biker gang shows up and turns the place up side down leading to a zombie invasion that leads to an explosion of blood and guts. Romero's zombie flicks offer us no hope, no salvation for its characters. They don't know what tomorrow will hold for them and neither does the audience. We feel hopeless, but at the same time relieved, relieved that we don't have to go through the same ordeals as the characters. Or do we? Are we the living dead? We're alive, but we know we're going to die. Pardon the pretentiousness. Dawn of the Dead is a horror classic that is a must for all genre fans. Check it out!
Cherry Falls
(1999)
Not a bad slasher
20 August 2001
You might think that Cherry Falls is just another teen slasher released in the wake of the Scream and I know/I still know series. And it probably doesn't help that it premiered on the USA Network and went straight to video, but Cherry Falls is actually a pretty good slash flick. Cherry Falls hits and misses most of the traps set by the before mentioned films, but it also makes its own rules and doesn't skip on the slash, the opening slash in particular is pretty cool. Cherry Falls is basically the story of a killer stalking and slaughtering the virgin teens of the town of Cherry Falls. How can the teens make sure they aren't knocked off...have sex, fast! Cherry Falls is a better than average teen slash flick that should entertain and amuse horror fans. Check it out!
Tommy Boy
(1995)
A great little comedy!
20 August 2001
Tommy Boy is the tale of an idiot(Farley) who is forced to go on the road to save his family's business after the death of his father. Aided in his journey is an old friend and employee of his father (David Spade). The film follows the shananigans the duo get themselves into. Oh and there's this whole thing about con artists and stuff, but that's secondary to the comic genius of the late great Chris Farley. Forget the critics who hated this gem and check out Tommy Boy!!!
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