Creep (2004) - A woman finds out why you should never fall asleep in the London Underground after hours. Suspenseful and disturbing, with a great performance by Franka Potente.
The Orphanage (2007) A well-made, creepy, slow burn horror film. Very effective, and surprisingly moving at the end. This got our annual MonsterFest off to a great start! Village Of The Damned (1960) Hadn't seen this in a few years. I forgot how very well-made and effective it is. Terrific movie, and a great looking new blu-ray from Warner Archive. *The Devil's Daughter (1973) 1/2 (YouTube) My wife and I are old enough to have seen a lot of silly 70's TV movies as kids and we have a soft-spot for them. This is a completely predictable "Rosemary's Baby" rip-off -- campy, and a LOT of nostalgic fun. Decent cast too, with Shelly Winters, Joseph Cotton and a post "Dark Shadows" Jonathon Frid. We liked it ... but if you grew up after the '70's, you'll want to knock a couple of skulls off. The Dead Zone (1983) Easily my favorite SK adaptation -- great story, great cast. Brooke Adams is beautiful! A favorite. Imported the Australian blu-ray. A little disappointing. Sound is definitely an upgrade, picture is too, but it's subtle. Ghost Story (1981) 1/2 Another old favorite. I'm a sucker for slow-burn, well-crafted ghost stories ... and this one has those qualities in spades. Cool to see these old-time actors -- the cast is excellent -- along side Alice Krige, who is perfection as Eva/Anna. Loses half a star for over-reliance on shock cuts to gooey dead faces. They get a bit repetitive after a while, and they're not necessary in this movie -- it's strength is "eerie", not shock. *The Little Stranger (2018) theatrical Gee, I wanted to love this. It looked like the kind of subtle ghost story that's right up my alley, but I guess even subtle can be overdone. EVERYTHING is laid between the lines, to the point that I really didn't understand what happened in the film. Had to read about it afterwards to figure out what I missed. Good premise, well made and well acted ... but it needs at least a LITTLE more overt storytelling. A big disappointment. *Cronos (1993) :1/2 This didn't do much for me either. Some nice moments early on, but mostly gooey and pointless. *sigh* *Cat Creature (1973) youtube 1/2 OK, I knew this wasn't going to be good, but I thought it would be entertaining. As I said (see: The Devil's Daughter) I have a fondness for campy 70's TV movie horror. I don't mind if they're silly, over-acted, unbelievable ... but this one was dull. How do you take a plot about a 2,000 year old cat creature stalking Los Angeles and make it boring? Simple: all "cop investigation" and very little cat. Interesting cast though -- Peter Lorre Jr? Who knew? (NOTE: OK, this is weird! Peter Lorre Jr wasn't related to Peter Lorre! Check this out: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0521137/bio) The Grudge (2004) 1/2 The best of the weekend ... and the only one I had seen before. Not a great movie by any means, but fun and entertaining. (Are you listening, Cat Creature?) The Fog (1980) A favorite, and IMO, one of JC's best films. However, I might skip this one for the next few years. No fault of the movie, but I've seen it many times and it's become so familiar that it didn't do as much for me this year. Still, it earns it's 4 skulls. Asylum (1972) Boy, did I enjoy this! Never had the DVD, so I hadn't seen it since the VHS days. I love all the old Amicus anthologies, and although I had forgotten some of it, this is one of the best. The wrap around story is much better than most, and each tale worked quite well. Decent blu-ray too -- some nice extras. Silence Of The Lambs (1991) What a powerful movie this is. Jody Foster and, especially, Anthony Hopkins are so perfect in their roles. Controlled, understated, underplayed and completely chilling. Also, for a film with such gruesome subject matter, it's surprisingly restrained -- it's dark and oppressive, but most of the violence is off-screen. A smart, well-made, grim thriller. My wife and I tend to stick to lighter, "fun" horror movies, but this one is too good to miss. *Ghost Stories (2018) 1/2 I can't stop thinking about this movie! Too many jump scares perhaps, but there is a lot more here than shock. This film demands to be watched closely with no distractions, and the closer you watch, the more you'll get out of it. Plus, it's a lot of fun! I hate it when people say "You didn't get it" if you don't like a certain movie. However, in this case, if all you see is what's in plain sight ... you didn't get it. Or at least you missed the best part. A new classic. Trick Or Treat (2007) 1/2 I love the way this movie looks, and the way the stories intertwine. I like the Sam character, and all the Halloween iconography too. It's a fun film, that loses half a skull for me for being a bit too sleazy in spots. (Really don't enjoy hearing a 10 year old say "butt-f***.") Still, very enjoyable. The Funhouse (1981) 1/2 This gets off to a really lunk-headed start -- dumb characters, cheesy dialogue -- but once they get inside the funhouse and the main story starts, it really goes! We see the "monster" close enough and long enough to realize that it's an immobile mask, but this works as a fun, simple horror movie. Captures the whole garish carnival atmosphere nicely too. Turn off your brain and go for a ride. *Unsane (2018) (Amazon streaming) 1/2 This has ... *ahem* ... a few problems. It's impossible to like the main character -- she's obnoxious -- and it's really, really far-fetched. Unless, of course, she imagined the whole thing (which I tend to believe. She's obviously nuts.) I like the ambiguity of the ending, but this was pretty "meh.". The most impressive thing was that the whole movie was shot on an iPhone! Looked pretty good too. Near Dark (1987) I've always liked this one -- it's a really cool reworking of the whole vampire mythology. Great cast -- Lance Henriksen is amazing. So is Bill Paxton -- first time I've seen it since he died. Funny that neither of the leads, Adrian Pasdar (Caleb) or Jenny Wright (Mae), went on to much movie success. They're both quite good -- and she was gorgeous! A favorite ... even if the whole
[Show spoiler]"vampires are cured by a transfusion" idea
is a little unconvincing! Repulsion (1965) 1/2 This movie takes its time -- there's a lot of mundane details of our main character's life. But there's also a growing sense of unease, the sense that things are not right. By the final third of the movie, she has left all reality behind and what happens is all the more shocking because the first half of the film is so restrained. Maybe not a "fun" movie -- but a disturbing and effective portrait of mental illness. Very chilling. Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992) I've seen this many times, but I still have such mixed emotions about it! It's fun to watch, and as eye-candy it's an easy 5 skulls, but as an adaptation of Dracula ... well, it's far more concerned with over-the-top style than substance. It's fun (and occasionally very good, when it calms down a bit) but I wish more of the talent and money had been aimed at the story instead of the flash. (Although it's fun to watch Keanu's hair constantly change color!) The Fly (1986) 1/2 Watching this last night, I was really admiring it -- it has a literate, witty script, great performances and incredible make-up. I always forget how good it really is. Then the final act hits and pulls me out of the movie. All the sympathy the film has built for the characters is forgotten under a ton of (incredibly well-done) gore. It's still fun in a "Ewww! Look at that!" way, but it's so much more than that before the ick hits the fan. A 5 skull movie that loses 1 and 1/2 under the glop. (Fun fact: I never noticed before that Jeff G says "Help Me, please help me" to Geena D -- that must be a nod to the original film.)
A Quiet Place (2018) 1/2 Who would have thought that a PG-13 film with no profanity, no gore, and no nudity would become such a big hit -- and be so intense? When this came out last spring it was a real breath of fresh air, and it plays just as well at home. Incredibly fun old-school monster movie with an amazing sound design. Yeah, it's got a few plot holes ... but who cares? The most fun I've had at a monster movie in ages.
The Last Drive In with Joe Bob Briggs: Tourist Trap 1/2
Joe Bob was great to watch, the movie was ok. The reason for the good score was Chuck Connors' great performance. He took an ok movie with a good premise and made a far more watchable movie.
The Last Drive In with Joe Bob Briggs: Tourist Trap 1/2
Joe Bob was great to watch, the movie was ok. The reason for the good score was Chuck Connors' great performance. He took an ok movie with a good premise and made a far more watchable movie.
If you get the chance, I recommend watching Tourist Trap with Rifftrax commentary. Honestly, it's the only way I will watch this movie again.
This looked and sounded great in IMAX 3D for it's 35th Anniversary.
The House with a Clock in It's Walls - IMAX (2018)
A good "spooky" family film. There's plenty of humor and Jack Black is nice in the lead as are the child actors. It's set in the 1950s and has good production design, clothes, etc. I thought the first half was better than the second. It paired nicely with Thriller as there are some slight similarities with the two films.
September
[Show spoiler] Fade to Black*
Slaughter High*
Truth or Dare*
The Howling*
Cult of Chucky*
Maximim Overdrive*
Predator 2
My Boyfriend's Back*
The Predator*
The Nun*
He's Out There*
Jurassic Park: 25th Anniversary
Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom 3D
Michael Jackson's Thriller - IMAX 3D
The House with a Clock in It's Walls* - IMAX
Mike Flanagan is an exceptional horror filmmaker. Check out Hush and Gerald's Game on Netflix.
Yeah I'm a big Mike Flanagan fan and I've seen both of those as well and really enjoyed them. I'm really looking forward to his Doctor Sleep Stephen King film adaption.
Yeah I'm a big Mike Flanagan fan and I've seen both of those as well and really enjoyed them. I'm really looking forward to his Doctor Sleep Stephen King film adaption.
He also has that Haunting Of Hill House miniseries coming to Netflix in mid-October (although I don't know if he's directing every episode).
I watched this for the first time this week. I had heard about how underrated this chapter was and I was skeptical but it ended up being a very pleasant surprise. Despite the fact that I own it, I had not bothered to watch it until I saw Alamo Drafthouse was playing it once as part of their Terror Tuesday screenings. I immediately bought my ticket since this might be a once in a lifetime opportunity, not only to watch it on the big screen but in 35mm as well. The person in charge of Terror Tuesdays brought a friend who was very knowledgeable about the production of the film. They both briefly discussed all the rapid reshoots and fixes during the editing phase, and it is impressive to see how well the film turned out. Had I not heard about this from them, I would not have noticed them.
Lt. Kinderman is investigating a string of murders which all seem connected but for which the evidence cannot point them to a single killer. His best friend, Father Dyer, has recently fallen ill and is taken to the hospital. While in recovery, he is attacked seemingly by the serial killer. Kinderman puts pressure on the investigation. While inspecting the hospital he notices a mental patient who is locked up... someone who seems to know the identity of the killer.
While it does not match or outdo The Exorcist, it is a very worthy sequel to it. And instead of rehashing that story, they instead use the murder mystery to directly tie it with the ending of the original without diminishing its impact or contradicting anything in it. Director/writer William Peter Blatty builds up the tension very methodically, inducing fear in the audience with various elements which all work together effectively. These range from metaphorical dreams to monologues, camerawork, the cinematography, and as the film progresses, more and more unnerving imagery which is not downright disturbing but it is not exactly normal either, putting viewers on edge. A couple of sequences are especially noteworthy because of their creepiness and how they play with audience's expectations (I still remember jumping during one of them). The banter between Kinderman and Dyer provides some nice humor without diminishing the tension, with George C. Scott (Kinderman) capably playing a cop that seems half-bitter, half too-strict on the outside but is actually endearing and sympathetic to everyone including the victims of the case.
Review for the 35mm presentation:
PQ: 4 / 5
Except for some scratches and specks, the 35mm presentation was a joy to watch. It really makes the case of why 99% of the time it's better to shoot on film instead of digital, as not only does it give the image a very organic look and feel, but also maintains a lot of natural depth, especially in darker areas with lots of deep gradational blacks and shadow detail. Colors impressed as well, with the roses (an important plot point) and blood looking very naturally deep and vivid. Detail was not exactly astounding (the print they used was definitely some generations away from the negative) but it held its own. If this ever gets a 4K/HDR/WCG release from the original negative with same treatment that Sony gave Christine, it'll be quite impressive.
AQ: 4 / 5
This was presented with its original stereo mix and it sounded pretty solid. It had very nice directionality across the front stage and dynamic range was plentiful. Dialogue stayed loud enough and clear throughout. It obviously can't compete with a recent mix but if it ever gets a proper remix it should end up sounding impressive as well.
Hell House LLC 2 - I enjoyed the first one, despite its flaws. Fun low budget found footage with a Halloween setting. This sequel could not have been worse. I don't think I liked anything about this aside form one 30 second scene.
Wish Upon - Red Letter Media talked this up for being so bad it's good, and having a great deal of unintentional humor. It was definitely terrible, though I didn't find myself laughing as much as I'd hoped. Still had a few really good laughs at this movie's expense, particularly the ending.
All countries
Argentina
Austria
Belgium
Brazil
Bulgaria
Chile
China
Colombia
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Estonia
Denmark
Finland
Greece
Hong Kong
Hungary
Iceland
Indonesia
Ireland
Israel
India
Latvia
Lithuania
Malaysia
New Zealand
Norway
Philippines
Poland
Portugal
Romania
Russia
Singapore
South Africa
South Korea
Sweden
Switzerland
Taiwan
Thailand
Turkey
Ukraine
United Arab Emirates
Still, it earns it's 4 skulls.
It's impossible to like the main character -- she's obnoxious -- and it's really, really far-fetched. Unless, of course, she imagined the whole thing (which I tend to believe. She's obviously nuts.) I like the ambiguity of the ending, but this was pretty "meh.". The most impressive thing was that the whole movie was shot on an iPhone! Looked pretty good too.
Linear Mode
