When I was very young I always caught this on tv, it showed up on A&E a lot for some reason (I honestly don't know why), but when I saw it for the first few times, it sent chills down my spine. Today, after finally hunting down the long-gone video copy (under its more well-known title, "House of Death") of this eighties slasher thriller, it was fun to look back but this isn't really that great of a movie at all. It's full of lame actors, a bad script, slack pacing, among other things. It's true, the people who created this movie could've made it a whole lot better if they had at least put a little, oh, I don't know, thought, into it. They had potential. First off it had a few good aspects of it that still impress me today, and this includes the way the director captures the eerie atmosphere of a small town with the killer lurking in the shadows. There are effective shots of deep, dark, misty woods and wind-swept cemeteries which create an extremely unique atmosphere, and put together with a very scary, when he is at least hinted at or briefly onscreen, psychopathic killer who prowls around in bloodstained black "psycho gear" complete with his bloody machete at his side. The last half hour or so is alright, with some good aspects, even though the script and acting cannot match the atmosphere created by the director. The plot, as I've mentioned, makes basically no sense and neither does the killer's "motive", which really isn't even explained when he shows his face in the last few minutes. Even so, I still can't get over some of the aspects of this movie which still can send shivers down my spine, like the killer prowling through the cemetery while blonde Playboy Playmate Susan Kiger tells the "drip, drip" story to her wide-eyed friends, or the "double decapitation in the truck" sequence (this does have some pretty graphic deaths) as well as the scene where a girl falls through the stairs and has her belly violently ripped open by the machete-wielding killer who is waiting beneath. It sounds like I love this movie a lot, doesn't it, but actually the finale of the film just holds a special place in my "slasher movie watching" history, it's basically the only good thing to watch in the whole film, which wastes too much time with teenagers at a carnival or at a bonfire. Nothing really starts happening until about an hour into the film, when the always talked about "blonde skinny dipper gets her throat hacked out with a machete" sequence occurs, which is a definite must-see. If you are a hardcore slasher fan and want something really different and have not seen this, have fun hunting it down.
Reviews
12 Reviews
Return of the Living Dead II
(1988)
Not much here, pretty stupid actually...
9 April 2002
...I hate to say it, but this movie is nothing compared to the original, seriously. Thom Mathews and James Karen are back, playing different roles of course, as grave robbers, and there are also a bunch of young middle school kids, a teenage girl and another guy fleeing in terror from more brain-munching zombies, resurrected from their peaceful slumber yet again by the weird chemical from the original. This is missing the great punk/rock/metal soundtrack, humor, punk rock characters, and gore from the original, so basically it falls flat and never goes anywhere. I was getting really bored. If you want a rehash, this is your dish I guess, but otherwise this movie flat out blows. Watch the first one again.
What more could you ask for? This rocks!
9 April 2002
This movie is one of the coolest movies I've ever seen. After a mysterious chemical is released into the atmosphere and falls onto the world below in a stinging acid rain, it causes corpses to rise up from their graves and attack and eat the brains of the living. What follows is a fast-paced, hilarious, campy, yet very fun movie which is one of the best zombie movies out there. I love Linnea Quigley-her part is small but she's really good in it. Thom Mathews (Tommy in F13th Part 6) was pretty good in this although he didn't have much to do, if you want to see him in a good part watch Part 6 of the Friday the 13th series (another favorite of mine). Overall, this movie is a lot of fun, just relax and have a good time with it. I love stuff from the 80s, so all the big hair and clothes were really fun to watch, and the soundtrack is a great one. Don't miss this.
Mixed feelings
9 April 2002
I love these movies of course, but this one I have mixed feelings about. Part of me likes it and part of me hates it, or rather there are some aspects which are good and some that are bad. Let's start with the good: the heroine Trish is pretty cool and she is spunky enough I guess, and Corey Feldman was on hand as her little brother and was pretty enjoyable in the finale, which as a whole was exciting and boasted some great special effects, including the whole machete-in-Jason's-head thing. The deaths looked pretty gory but you have to look fast because you can tell a lot of grue ended up on the cutting room floor. What a waste. On the other hand the bad aspects are the awful teen characters, I couldn't stand them, and the grainy photography. Plus it was getting to the point where they needed to do something with the music, even that was getting annoying after repeating itself over and over. This normally has a good reputation about it but I'm still not buying it completely. There are better ones in the series (ahem...Parts 1, 2, and 6 are the best in my view). So watch those ones instead.
Friday the 13th: Part 3
(1982)
Cheesy, gory fare, not that bad actually
9 April 2002
This movie is incredibly cheesy, from the weird disco music theme to the 3d opening credits and 3d murder sequences (which are basically lost on current video prints), this is real cheese-o-rama here but it was fun, I guess, definitely not of the best of the series but better than parts 4 and 5. A bunch of teens in a van head to a farmhouse with a barn by a lake to do the usual stuff, drugs and sex and whatnot, and of course end up hacked and slashed by the now hockey-masked Jason, who murders with speargun, machete, butcher knife, pitchfork, and a fire poker, not to mention other killing methods such as electrocution and popping an eyeball out of its socket. The teenagers were really stupid, especially the fat kid who kept scaring the girl he was drooling over, as well as the horny couple who seemed to be having sex or talking about having sex in every scene they are in before they're killed. The lead girl, Chris, has an annoying screechy scream and isn't one of the best, although there is a weird subplot about her actually meeting Jason in the woods before the final showdown, which is kind of cool. And the bikers were pretty cool too. This is cheesy and corny, at times seeming so different from the others while still basically the same. Have fun with this one.
Glory Days
(2001–2002)
Great new show...scary and fun
5 April 2002
I was excited to hear that the WB was airing this new, creative series created by Kevin Williamson, and I have seen the majority of the episodes and I am absolutely hooked on this show, it's incredible! The setting is a small island town called Glory and the main character is a writer named Mike who along with the town sheriff, Rudy, and the medical examiner, Ellie, attempts to solve eerie mysteries dealing with murders, kidnappings, supernatural occurrences and other strange events which plague the town. This show is scary, fun and I really like the characters because there is always something interesting going on between them. I am hoping this show gets picked up again because only about 10 episodes have aired, as some sort of mid-season replacement I guess, and I have not heard whether or not it is being picked up again. Hopefully it will be, this is a promising new show that is very enjoyable and fun to watch every week, I know I always look forward to new episodes.
ER
(1994–2009)
One of the best shows out there
5 April 2002
I normally don't like shows like this, but I started watching it at the beginning of the season and haven't missed a single episode yet. It is very easy to get hooked on this show with its ongoing plotlines constantly developing each week, and very likable characters, and I think Sherry Stringfield is absolutely gorgeous. If you like very entertaining, thought-provoking, well-written television, this is definitely for you. An excellent show.
Not as bad as some say...but still nothing special
5 April 2002
I won't totally bash this movie, it was semi-fun, plus I love aspects of every "Friday" film in the series so I can't totally rip on this movie. The heroine, Pam, played by Melanie Kinnamin, was absolutely gorgeous, spunky, and knew how to use a chainsaw, making her one of the more memorable Friday lead girls. The supporting characters on the other hand, were so annoying I couldn't wait until "Jason" knocked them off, especially Junior and his mother, as well as the kids at the halfway house or whatever it was. The chase scene near the climax was effective as was "Jason's" defeat. The whole mystery killer element which is so easy to figure out was kind of silly. This really isn't anything special but if you're a Friday fan you should see it. But Part 6 is so much better.
Saturday Night Live
(1975– )
Hilarious, the best 90 minutes of my weekend
5 April 2002
Every weekend SNL is my absolute favorite show to watch, as a friend got me hooked on the reruns last summer, so now I have tuned in to the new season, which so far has been very good. Weekend Update with Jimmy Fallon and Tina Fey is always funny to watch, and I really like the new cast, especially Amy Poehler who is definitely the hottest female in the cast. The best sketches lately have been Wake up Wakefield, Jarrett's Room, and the Boston Teens/Sully and Denise sketch, but my definite favorite has to be Maya Rudolph's hilarious impression of fashion designer Donatella Versace ("Get out from in front of my face!!!!")---absolutely hilarious, you can catch this sketch in three episodes so far this season, Reese Witherspoon, Hugh Jackman, and Ian McKellen. If you love sketch comedy, you shouldn't miss this.
Queen of the Damned
(2002)
One of the best vampire movies out there
4 April 2002
I loved this movie, it was spectacular, I was going crazy when I saw it in the theater because I enjoyed it so much. I have read the Vampire Chronicles and I realize several key plot elements were left out, but if you look at this movie in its own right, it is very good. I am so sorry that this movie was not a great success like it intended to be. It deserves another chance and I wanted to see it again but it disappeared from theaters so quickly. I am buying the DVD the first day it comes out, no question. Stuart Townsend was a great Lestat, definitely better than Tom Cruise, Jesse was hot and actually had more to do in the movie than she did in the book, and Aaliyah was breathtaking as Queen Akasha. Every scene she was in she just captured the essence of the movie, and was very effective as an evil vampiress. This movie has a great soundtrack, I love the track Cold by Static X, and the photography and the costumes and the scenes at the concert are purely stunning, endless eye candy. I urge any people who love vampire movies and who have not seen this to buy the DVD, its worth it.
Whispers
(1990)
Not nearly as good as the book...still watchable
4 April 2002
The movie version of Whispers just does not do Dean Koontz' excellent novel justice, but it is still enjoyable and stuck fairly close to the original plotline created by Dean Koontz. The story is twisted and gruesome and has to do with a woman being stalked by a serial killer. Sounds simple, right? However the nasty, perverse elements of the story make this unique. This, again, was okay but if Koontz had scripted it would have been a lot better. The actress who played Hilary was about ten years too old for the part, had the wrong hair color (Hilary had long, black hair in the book) and I detected a faint British accent. Chris Sarandon was okay as Tony, nothing special, and the actor who played Bruno was very good, even though it wasn't how I imagined Bruno. I suggest that anyone who may be interested in seeing this, read the book first if you really want to. It's much better than the movie.
My favorite Friday movie
4 April 2002
I love the Friday the 13th series, and after watching them all countless times over the years I have to say that Part 6 is my all time favorite, plain and simple, it is just awesome. Tom McLoughlin (he did another favorite of mine, One Dark Night) does an excellent job directing and really piles on the atmosphere (the opening shot of the misty forest is creepy) and Thom Mathews is the best actor to play Tommy because he is very heroic, attempting to save the lives of those around him and trying to kill Jason once and for all. Jennifer Cooke is appealing as the blonde (aren't they always blonde?) lead girl and CJ Graham's Jason is, plain and simple, awesome. Full of thrills, action, humor, gore murders, and Jason, what more could you ask for? This one is the best, no doubt about it.
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