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Reviews
Fangoria's Weekend of Horrors (1986)
A Real Time Capsule
It's really cool to see so many genre icons mingle with fans at this convention and even see some of the underground short films that were screened there. The hair and fashions are a great time capsule of the era and it's sad that so many people featured in this are no longer with us. It's also hard to imagine a time when there were only two Nightmare on Elm Street movies. It's well put together and moves along at a nice pace, too. It's over before you know it.
House of 1000 Corpses (2003)
Colorful and Odd
Rob Zombie essentially apes Texas Chainsaw Massacre here but adds his own unique style to it. It features wild performances from genre veterans like Karen Black, Bill Moseley, and Sid Haig. At times, it's so colorful and over the top that it feels like a comic book come to life and the performances and strange tonal shifts reflect that. It won't be enjoyed by everyone, but it has a lot of great moments.
The Toxic Avenger (1984)
Unique
A punching bag of a janitor falls into some toxic waste and reemerges as a super strong superhero out to rid his town of bad people.
In classic Troma style, it's wildly politically incorrect, cheap, and tasteless, but that's what makes so much of it fun. The filmmakers are smart enough to keep the runtime short so the joke doesn't wear thin.
Night of the Living Dead (1990)
Lots of Good Stuff
Tom Savini's update on George Romero's classic about a woman hiding in a farmhouse with several other people during a zombie invasion has gotten a facelift. For one, it's in color now and all the gore pops in a more lively fashion. Second, the way it handles the lead character of Barbara is vastly different from the way she was handled in the original film and Patricia Tallman is allowed room for a bit of character growth. Most of the big changes take place in the last half hour of the film where it really goes in its own direction.
Tales from the Hood (1995)
Exciting Horror Anthology
Three young gang members go to a funeral home to score drugs and are told four tales of terror by an eccentric mortician involving the horrors of black life.
The script has a sense of humor while still treating its subject matter seriously and isn't afraid to tackle some really tough subject matter. Each story is different and gripping in its own way. There's a great performance by David Allen Grier playing against type as a monstrous stepfather.
From Beyond (1986)
Eeeeewy and Oh-So-Gooey
Scientists discover a new machine that can alter our reality and end up releasing strange creatures into the world.
Stuart Gordon enjoys playing with the psychosexual nature of this sci-fi/horror tale and does so with his trademark humor from Re-Animator. He brings back several alums from that film and gives them roles that are just as solid and, in Barbara Crampton's case, a role that's even better than the one she played in the last film. Fans of gooey, slithery monsters and excellent special makeup effects will have a great time!
The Blob (1988)
Great Remake
The Blob takes a corny 1950's premise and updates it with lots of squirm-inducing gore effects as we watch an entire town get terrorized by a purple mound of goo.
It never plays it safe, allowing the title creature to devour men, women, children, and pets with no remorse. No one is safe in this one and the effects still impress to this day.
Amityville Horror: The Evil Escapes (1989)
Ridiculous Fun
Patty Duke plays a woman who must protect her family from the evils of Amityville after a lamp from an estate sale transfers the evil to her home.
Duke carries the film beautifully, giving it her all and treating the material seriously without any winking at the audience and she's the highlight of the film. The haunted house sequences are par for the course for a film like this, but there is one nasty bit involving a garbage disposal that's unexpected for a film that, mostly, plays it too safe.
Christine (1983)
Not A Scare Fest, but Interesting
John Carpenter adds his own unique spin on Stephen King's novel about a high school nerd who becomes the pawn of a possessed used car who tries to control him and kill anyone standing in their way.
It's an inherently silly concept, but King and Carpenter wisely focus more on the character driven aspects of the story, making it seem more plausible. Gordon, in particular, is excellent as nerd Arnie who begins to alienate everyone around him once Christine comes into his life. Carpenter and Howarth's synth score is also another big highlight.
Poltergeist II: The Other Side (1986)
Not Needed
The Freeling family have tried to move on from the traumatic haunting that left them without a place to call home, but they're soon visited by even more spirits trying to steal their little girl, Carol Ann.
Poltergeist II has a few nifty effects, but they mostly border on silly rather than scary and the most frightening part of the film is the performance of Julian Beck as the creepy preacher Kane who steals the show every time he's on screen. The cast still has excellent chemistry and it's always nice to see them together again, but the script needs work.
Pet Sematary (1989)
The Darkest King Story
The Creed family moves into a new home on a country road and are plagued by tragedy after tragedy from dead pets to dead family members and, when they get the idea to bury them in the ancient burial ground behind their house, they pay a steep price.
Pet Sematary is easily Stephen King's most emotionally harrowing story and director Mary Lambert does her best to keep the film as fun as she can. Some performances are better than others, but it's obvious that Lambert has conjured up several unforgettable images of horror.
The Amityville Horror (1979)
Decent Haunted House Film
This apparent true story involves a family who put their entire life savings into buying a home only to discover it was the scene of a brutal murder and the spirits are restless and want to drive them out of the house if they don't drive them out of their minds first.
It's astounding that a film like this spawned so many silly sequels. It's not much to write home about, but Brolin and Kidder do their best to help sell some of the hokey effects and situations. A demonic pig with glowing eyes is the most unnerving image of the film and is well handled.
Tales from the Crypt (1972)
A Perfect Anthology
Five complete strangers tour a catacomb and get lost. They meet the Cryptkeeper who begins to tell each one of them of their various sins and why they were brought here in the first place. These sins are reenacted via short films involving a murderous Saint Nick, a man who doesn't know he's dead, and a vengeful zombie among others.
Each story is fun and none of them are too long as to outstay their welcome. The one with Joan Collins up against a killer Santa Claus is perhaps the most iconic and well-known, but the rest are just as strong and memorable.
Kolobos (1999)
Unique For Its Time
Reality show contestants are brought to a non-descript suburban house and end up being killed by various odd booby traps throughout the course of their stay as the whole thing is behind recorded.
The ideas and themes Kolobos brings to the table were very unique for the time it was made and released and, looking back on it now, it doesn't get as much credit as it should. It's inventively filmed with lots of surprises and good gore effects. A wraparound story involving a final twist doesn't really work, but the rest is very good.
Basket Case (1982)
Creative Low Budget Filmmaking
Writer/director Frank Henenlotter hits the jackpot with his bizarre story of a young man and his brother who he keeps inside a basket to keep him from leaping out and devouring anyone he sees.
It's offbeat with a wicked sense of humor and enthusiastic performances by quirky actors. The early 80's NYC locations add a nice layer of grit and sleaze to everything. What it doesn't have in budget, it makes up for in cleverness and inventive storytelling.
Body Bags (1993)
Campy Anthology
Horror master John Carpenter dips his foot into the acting world by playing a demented undertaker who introduces a handful of horror stories featuring deranged slashers and two of the scariest eye/hair transplants ever seen.
You'll be surprised by how many recognizable actors appear in this and while only the first story approaches anything remotely frightening, it's an evenly paced and enjoyable camp fest.
Tales from the Darkside: The Movie (1990)
Liked it
Debbie Harry plays a witch who allows the young boy she's capturing with the purpose of devouring kill some time with three tales of the macabre involving mummies, evil cats, and gargoyles come to life.
The effects are stellar and the all-star cast appears to be having a ball camping it up to the back row. The middle story has lots of interesting and theatrical lighting and scene transitions that makes it the most stylish of the three tales, but all have something to offer.
The Howling (1981)
Mix of Slasher and Werewolf Tropes
Dee Wallace plays a reporter who barely survives an attack by a serial killer and who goes off to a secluded retreat with her husband and discovers that this retreat might be a meeting ground for blood-thirsty werewolves.
The Howling is directed with style by Joe Dante and the script by John Sayles is funny and smart. The makeup effects are beautiful and Wallace is an excellent heroine to root for.
The Stepfather (1987)
Fantastic Thriller
Terry O'Quinn stars as Jerry Blake, a serial family slayer who moves on to Susan who's only recently lost her husband and her daughter, Stephanie, is immediately nervous around him. Being that this is a thriller, she has good reason to be, because Jerry has a habit of murdering any family that doesn't live up to his perfect Leave It To Beaver morals.
The writing is clever, characters are better drawn than expected, and it all builds to a suspenseful and satisfying conclusion.
Friday the 13th (2009)
Doesn't Get It Right
This remake of Friday the 13th has all the surface level ingredients that you need for a Friday the 13th film. You have teens in the woods, masked madman Jason terrorizing them, and a variety of semi-creative death scenes. What it forgets are the relatable characters from some of the original and best-loved entries in the franchise. Because of this, we're stuck rooting for Jason to kill everyone in sight because we're sick of hearing them talk and that makes for a dismal viewing experience.
House of Wax (2005)
An Unexpected Good Time
House of Wax, surprisingly, ends up being one of the better and scarier Dark Castle remakes. There's a vicious mean streak running through the film, telling us that no character is safe from a hot wax bath, a decapitation, or a nasty finger snip. The young cast is competent and a few of them do rise to the occasion to deliver better than average performances for a slasher film of this type. Even socialite Paris Hilton doesn't make a fool of herself in her tiny supporting role.
Ghost Ship (2002)
Barely Worth a Watch
After an excellent opening where a wire cuts through an entire ballroom of dancing cruise ship patrons, Ghost Ship never delivers anything quite as interesting or striking for the rest of its runtime and, instead, offers another batch of haunted house cliches that they think the audience won't notice if they ditch the house for an abandoned cruise liner. Besides some great production design and a handful of atmospheric moments, Ghost Ship inspires the wrong kind of boos.
Thir13en Ghosts (2001)
Okay Enough
The 2nd Dark Castle remake of a famous William Castle property isn't quite as good as House on Haunted Hill, but has enough inspired and memorable moments to make it worthy of watch. In terms of set design, the film is spectacular with an all-glass mansion in the middle of nowhere that is run by a magical clock-like contraption that can trap its residents and a varied collection of angry lost souls inside to duke it out. The makeup effects for the ghosts are also really impressive and the cast does its best with some of the silly dialogue and situations they've been handed.
House on Haunted Hill (1999)
Very Different from the Original
Anyone that goes into this movie expecting something like the original with Vincent Price will be disappointed. This one obviously has a larger budget and more studio backing behind it with many (at the time) state of the art computer effects and a lot more explicit violence and gore. As its own thing, it works pretty well as a diverting and occasionally creepy haunted house movie. Geoffrey Rush and Famke Jansen appear to be having a good time.
House on Haunted Hill (1959)
Entertaining and Cozy
House on Haunted Hill is far from a scare-a-minute thrill fest that'll leave you clutching your heart, but it's a ton of fun and a great movie for a Halloween party or for kids just getting into the horror. There's enough creepy mood to remind you that it's a horror movie, but the arch dialogue between Frederick and Annabelle as the feuding husband and wife is hilarious camp. It's also a very short film with a great pacing which helps a lot.