DarylJGittings Reviews

Saw X (2023)

John and Amanda are back!

[5/10 · 15 May 2024]

Saw X marks the return of Amanda (Shawnee Smith) and John Kramer (Tobin Bell). This is more a prequel than a sequel, being set between Saw I and Saw II.

John learns of a possible experimental procedure from a member of his cancer support group. John makes the trip to Mexico for the procedure, but discovers it's a scam set to defraud people at their most vulnerable moment. John does what John does best and enlists the help of Amanda to teach the value of life to these scammers.

I thought Saw X was an interesting take on the Saw franchise, but I found the first half of the movie to be rather slow. The poor audio mix of the DVD didn't help with my enjoyment either. I had to have the television volume almost all the way at some points in the movie.

Pee-wee's Big Adventure (1985)

This movie cracks me up!

[9/10 · 13 May 2024]

Man child, Pee Wee Herman's beloved bicycle is stolen when he goes into town to run some errands. Pee Wee's first thought is Francis Buckley, who has tried to buy Pee Wee's bike earlier that morning.

Pee Wee goes to a fortune teller who tells him that his bike is in the basement of the Alamo, so Pee Wee sets off to Texas to recover his bike. He encounters many new and interesting people along his journey; a felon Mickey, Simone, Large Marge, a hobo on the train, and a biker gang.

All through his journey Pee Wee ends up in humorous situations. Pee Wee finally sees his bike on television at the Warner Brothers lot and sets out to get it back. He causes a lot of chaos at the Warner lot, but gets offered a deal to make a movie of his story.

Being born in the early '80s, Pee Wee Herman was a character that I grew up with. This movie cracks me up, and I think Tim Burton was the right director to bring this movie to life.

If you're looking for a good, family friendly movie Pee Wee's Big Adventure is a good choice.

Repo Man (1984)

A unique film!

[7/10 · 13 May 2024]

Young punk Otto gets roped into a job as a repo man. He's reluctant at first, but eventually settles into the job.

The repo profession can get pretty wild. Sometimes the repossessions go fairly easy, other times are bit tricky. There ends up being a 1964 Chevy Malibu that has landed on multiple people's radar. This particular car comes with a $20,000 reward. It's believed that there might be an alien lifeform hidden in the trunk of the car.

Repo Man mixes science fiction, dark comedy, and punk rock culture all in one movie. It's a good movie, but it may not be for all tastes.

Besides Emilio Estevez, popular character actor Harry Dean Stanton, and Tracey Wilson (Batman, I Spit on Your Grave (2010)) star in Repo Man. Be sure and check it out!

Tales from the Darkside: The Movie (1990)

A good horror anthology.

[8/10 · 12 May 2024]

Tales from the Darkside: the Movie gathers three terrifying tales. There's a wraparound story featuring the lead singer of Blondie, Deborah Harry (Videodrome) as a witch who is planning on making a feast out of a young boy Timmy (Matthew Lawrence). Timmy presents each of the three tales.

Lot 249 is the first tale. It's about a college student who purchases a mummy. He's able to use the mummy to do his bidding against those who have done him wrong. Christian Slater (True Romance, Pump Up the Volume), Steve Buscemi (Airheads, Grownups) and Julianne Moore (Short Cuts, Boogie Nights) are featured in this tale.

Next is the Cat from Hell. An old man is convinced the car in his house is deadly. He hires a hitman to kill the cat. William Hickey (Puppet Master, National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation) and the lead singer of the New York Dolls, David Johansen (Scrooged, Car 54 Where Are You?) star.

Lover's Vow is the third and final story of the anthology. An artist encounters are gargoyle late at night, but it spares his life as long as he promises to never tell a soul. That same night, he meets his dream girl and his luck turns for the best. 10 years go by and he breaks his promise. James Remar (The Warriors) and Raw Dawn Chong (Commando) star in this bizarre tale.

Overall Tales from the Darkside the Movie is a solid horror anthology.

Beverly Hills Cop (1984)

My favorite Eddie Murphy flick!

[10/10 · 12 May 2024]

Detroit Detective Axel Foley heads to Beverly Hills, California on "vacation" to investigate the death of his friend Mikey. His boss, Inspector Todd warns him to stay away from the case or he may not have job when he returns home.

Jenny, Axel and Mikey's childhood friend, had gotten Mikey a security job at the art gallery where she works. So, when Axel arrives in Beverly Hills and speaks to Jenny, he asks about her boss Victor Maitland. Axel pays a visit to Mr. Maitland and gets thrown through a window for his trouble and arrested for disturbing the peace. Maitlands actions make him a high interest suspect to Axel.

The local police put officers Taggart and Rosewood on the assignment of tailing Axel. He finds his own way to lose the officers and continue his investigation.

In the end, Axel is able to get enough proof on Maitland for the local police to believe him.

Beverly Hills Cop is a funny action comedy, a solid vehicle for Eddie Murphy. The cast also includes; Judge Reinhold (Gremlins, Fast Times at Ridgemont High), Ronny Cox (Deliverance, Robocop), and John Ashton.

V/H/S/85 (2023)

Decent sequel

[6/10 · 11 May 2024]

V/H/S/85 is one of the better sequels to V/H/S. The first story about the young adults boating on the lake is brutal! I really liked it, and it was plenty gory. The second story with the news team stuck in a building was decent too and it has a nice twist to it as well. There's also a segment about a virtual reality presentation, one about a kid whose dreams appear on video, and more.

I found V/H/S/85 to be a fairly strong and enjoyable anthology. It could still use a bit of trimming though. Running 110 minutes, I found the movie to be a bit long and a tad slow at times. I would say overall that VHS 85 is one of the stronger entries in the series.

10/31: Part 3 (2022)

Third go around of this horror anthology.

[7/10 · 7 May 2024]

Our hostess, Malvolia: The Queen of Screams (Jennifer Nangle) is back to introduce us to four new bone chilling stories. There's even a series of mock trailers before the film, just like in the second film. The Slaughter, Night of the Halloweenies, Radio Tower Road, Candy Killer and A Strangers Treat are the faux trailers.

House of Horrors kicks of the actual film. Newly divorced Wes is trying to make some money since his miserable ex cost him his job. His big idea is to put together a spookhouse for Halloween. Wes goes into a thrift store that is having a going out of business sale and spots a mummy. The shopkeeper sells Wes the mummy, with the warning "Be Careful with him around midnight". Wes takes the mummy and sets him up in his house of horrors. Wes soon discovers what the shopkeeper was talking about and soon the mummy will help Wes out with his problems. I found this to be a pretty good story.

Next up is the Locksmith. The Lockhart house has just sold and a new couple is moving in. However there's a legend about the house and the son that was locked in the attic. Is it just a legend?

Old Man Gross is our third tale. Old man Gross is the mean old shop teacher that doesn't seem to celebrate Halloween. A group of four college age friends decide to try and humiliate Mr. Gross. When they break into his home, they discover much more than they bargained for. This is my least favorite story.

Last, but not least we have Hack in the Box. Four women have plans to stop an evil entity, and apparently coaxing the Jack in the Box out is part of the plan. Will things go as planned for the friends?

Overall, I enjoyed 10/31 Part III.

10/31 Part 2 (2019)

Fun anthology

[7/10 · 3 May 2024]

10/31 Part II is a Halloween themed horror anthology consisting of five terrifying tales hosted by Malvolia: the Queen of Screams.

The film kicks off with about ten minutes or so of mock trailers. Then our hostess gets the five tales going. Tale number one is: A Samhain Liturgy. In this tale, Holly is dropped off to babysit Tommy while his parents away. Tommy likes to sit in his room and make masks. Holly sneaks her boyfriend Cam over to the house. Holly and Cam discover a secret of the family that she is babysitting for.

Dead Lift is our second tale. Jeremy is working on Halloween, while his girlfriend Whitney wants him to come over and party. Jeremy picks up Howard. Howard turns out to be an interesting passenger who will change Jeremy's life.

Apache Hatchet Massacre II is tale number three. It's one of the better ones, but also the shortest. A Halloween party is held at a cabin that is on an ancient Indian Burial Ground.

The best tale is tale number four, Overkill. Overkill is directed by Drew Marvick (Murdercise, XXX-Mas). This is the best and most fun story of the anthology. It literally has everything in it that I love about horror films. There's some eye candy, gore, and good dose of humor in this story.

Sister Mary is the final tale of this anthology. Basically a nun is haunted by her past sins.

10/31 Part II is a decent horror anthology. I really enjoyed a couple of the stories, but there were also a couple that ran on too long. I went ahead and gave it a 7 based on stories number 3 and 4.

Clown Motel: Spirits Arise (2019)

An interesting concept!

[6/10 · 26 April 2024]

Three buddies, who are paranormal investigators, are on a road trip filming for their video blog, "Haunted Earth". While driving down an empty Nevada highway, they pass by another car, that almost runs them off of the road. Both cars encounter a mysterious fog. After drive through the fog a strange motel appears out in the middle of nowhere. The Clown Motel, as odd as it is, appeals to the three buddies as a possible piece for their blog.

The four women, who were passengers in the other car, see the Clown Motel and find it rather creepy. They keep driving, but something brings them back to the motel. They gals come across the three guys, and as it seems nobody is around, they all hangout together for the night.

In the morning, everyone awakens to see "Enjoy the Show" written in the window in the blood. At first everyone thinks that it's one of the guys playing a joke. What they don't know is that there is a sinister group of clowns who want their souls!

Clown Motel is an alright film, with some good gory scenes and a few good laughs. Horror buffs will recognize Ari Lehman, the original Jason Vorhees from Friday the 13th.

After School Lunch Special 2: Sloppy Seconds (2022)

More fun than the original!

[8/10 · 24 April 2024]

After School Lunch Special 2: Sloppy Seconds was a nice surprise. I thought it was even better than the first movie.

This one continues where the first film leaves off. The "fatman" is rescued, and loses some weight and now works at the Tromaville Health Club. Lloyd Kaufman is back as the voice of the tapeworm and has an additional role in one of the other stories as well. Mark Torgel, the original "Melvin" from the Toxic Avenger makes an appearance too! We also get to see Stephanie Love from the Babezilla movies.

Anyway the stories are just as gruesome as before, but I think the humor has been turned up a notch or two as well. I found the stories to be more interesting and funnier than they were in the first film. "Booty Trap" is a favorite!

If you enjoy Troma films or Troma type films you'll enjoy this too! Be sure to checkout Mr. Chambers other films. So far, I've enjoyed them all.

Very Frightening Tales (2023– )

A decent horror anthology.

[6/10 · 24 April 2024]

Very Frightening Tales is a short horror anthology film. The film contains eight stories and runs slightly under one hour. The quality and the scariness of the stories vary from one story to the next. It also looks like many of the stories were filmed around 2020-2021, with one going as far back as 2017.

Some of the highlights of this anthology include a girl who tracked down who she believes to be her birth mother, and is met by her servant, played by Michael Pare (Eddie and the Cruisers). Things don't appear to go the way that the young woman hopes that they will.

Another story that I enjoyed was about a young country boy going out to the city to chase his dreams of becoming an actor. His Uber driver tries to convince the young man against it. The driver has been where the other man is before, so he's wise to what is really going on. This story features Joe Estevez.

The last story that I really enjoyed involves two young women receiving a tarot reading. Sally Strothers plays the seer, not sure if that's the correct term. There's a secret among the two friends and if the secret is not brought to light the consequences could be deadly for the one of them that does not confess.

Most of the other stories were fairly average, hence the 6/10 rating.

Invasion of the Pod People (2007 Video)

Another version of "Body Snatchers".

[5/10 · 23 April 2024]

Invasion of the Pod People is indie company Asylum's take on the "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" story. Now, there's been multiple films released based on this same idea. My favorites being the 1978 version of Invasion of the Body Snatchers and the 1994 version simply titled Body Snatchers.

In Invasion of the Pod People a gal from a modeling agency is giving out these unusual plants as gifts to all of the employees. Once an employee receives this gift it starts to do it's thing and takeover the hosts life. One of the women at the modeling agency, Melissa, becomes suspicious of these odd plants, even warning another employee not to accept the gift.

Invasion of the Pod People doesn't make any new ground from any of the previous "body snatchers" films other than adding a bunch of random sex scenes. Lol! These version plays like something you would see on HBO or Cinemax in the wee hours of the night. I give this a 5/10. It's not terrible, but it does lose steam over it's 80 minute run time. I bought my DVD at a consignment shop for $1.00, so it's no big deal.

Pink Flamingos (1972)

The Marbles challenge Divine's title.

[8/10 · 23 April 2024]

Pink Flamingos was a popular film on New York's midnight movie scene for years. In this cult favorite, Divine is considered to be the filthiest person alive. She is now hiding out with her mother, son, and traveling companion using the alias Babes Johnson. The Marbles, Connie and Raymond, are onto Divine and wish to challenge her title of the filthiest person alive.

They send in Cookie to get Intel on Divine. Cookie has an interesting date with Divine's son that results in a rather unique love scene involving a chicken!

Pink Flamingos is one of John Waters earlier films. Much of the cast is also featured in Multiple Maniacs, Female Trouble, and Desperate Living, with a couple cast members appearing in all of Waters films.

A bit of trivia for ya. Edith Massey, the egg lady, appears on the cover of John Cougar's 1981 album "Nothin' Matters and What if it Did".

Back to the Future Part II (1989)

Doc and Marty head to 2015.

[8/10 · 22 April 2024]

The day after Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) returns from 1955, Dr. Emmett Brown (Christopher Lloyd) shows up at the McFly house to pick up Marty and intervene with an event that may destroy Marty's future family. Along with Marty's girlfriend Jennifer (Elizabeth Shue), Doc and Marty head thirty years into the future. Doc has Marty take his future sons place and turn down an offer from Biff's grandson, Griff (Thomas F. Wilson) that could lead to potential trouble. Once Marty is finished with business, he picks up a "souvenir" that could give him an advantage back in his own time period. Doc finds the item and throws it out, but unfortunately Biff finds the discarded item and takes the Delorian back to 1955 to give the item to his younger self. Marty and Doc don't realize that this has happened until they return to 1985 and see that it is nothing like when they left.

So, Doc and Marty must go back to 1955 and retrieve the item that old Biff gave to his younger self. If they are unsuccessful they will be stuck in the "new" 1985. Now back in 1955 there are two Doc Browns and two Marty McFlys. Both men need to try and avoid the other versions of themselves while trying to repair the damage caused and make sure their futures get back on track to what they are supposed to be.

ThanksKilling (2008)

A good, bad movie!

[6/10 · 21 April 2024]

Thankskilling is one of those movies that's so bad it's good! A group of five college students are on their way home for Thanksgiving break. You've got the jock, the nerd, the slob, the good girl and the promiscuous girl. Their vehicle overheats and they have to camp out for the night in the woods of a necromanced turkey, that awakens every 505 years. For some reason the turkey follows the college students home. The young adults must find out how to stop the evil killer turkey. They set out to find the turkey before all of their friends are killed off.

This isn't too bad for what it is. There's a lot of corny one liners and some pretty good gore too.

Cheech and Chong's Next Movie (1980)

The spaced out duo's second film.

[7/10 · 17 April 2024]

Cheech and Chong's Next Movie is the popular comedy duo's second movie. While it's not as funny as "Up in Smoke", Cheech and Chong's Next Movie is still a fun and funny movie.

Cheech has a date with Donna, so he sends Chong to go meet up with his cousin Red who has just come to town. Chong and Red get into all kinds of fun mischief! They meet up the an angry hotel clerk, Paul Reubens aka Pee-Wee Herman, cause havoc at a massage parlor. Go home with a gal they meet in a music store and cause chaos at a comedy club.

Cheech and Chong's Next Movie has more plot than it's predecessor, and it features a lot of familiar faces. Keep an eye out for Cassandra Peterson, best known as the horror hostess Elvira, Rita Wilson (Volunteers), Michael Winslow (Police Academy, Nice Dreams), and Paul Reubens (Pee-Wee's Big Adventure, Buffy the Vampire Slayer). While it's a notch down from Up in Smoke, Next Movie is still a lot of fun.

After School Lunch Special (2019)

A strange horror comedy anthology.

[7/10 · 16 April 2024]

I've just recently discovered the films of A. J. Chambers with Babezilla vs the Zombie Whorde. I decided to checkout some of his other work and I was able to watch this online.

The stories are a strange mix of horror and humor. Mist of them are quite out there! The first story starts off with a killer tapeworm. That should give you an idea for what you're in for. Lol! So, we've got an anthology with killer tapeworms, a strange experience with one man's first time smoking weed, the pizza customer who won't tip the delivery boy, two buddies who've locked themselves in a bunker, who give new meaning to "rump roast", a group of zombie rights activists, and more!

Many of these stories are over the top and funny. A couple of them were slightly close to reaching the to limit on how much gore that I can handle, but if you're a fan of indie films and you want to see something a bit different be sure to check this out. If you enjoy Troma films, you'll enjoy this. Uncle Lloyd himself is an executive producer on this.

The Toxic Avenger Part III: The Last Temptation of Toxie (1989)

The least of the series!

[4/10 · 16 April 2024]

The best thing about Toxic Avenger Part III is the poster art. The film starts off pretty good with a fight at Tromaville Video. This is probably the highlight of the movie. Make sure you watch the Unrated version as the R Rated version removes almost all of the gore.

Once again Toxie has rid Tromaville of all evil, or so he thinks. What is an out of work superhero to do? Toxie signs a contract with Apocalypse Inc. To make enough money to buy his girlfriend an operation that will restore her eye sight. Corporate Toxie becomes blind to what is going on right under his nose in Tromaville. He's letting the bad guys takeover his town. His girlfriend convinces him to finally open his eyes, and he realizes that he's sold his soul to the Devil. To break the contract Toxie must play the Seven Levels of Doom and win or the Devil himself will rule over Tromaville and Toxie's friends.

This entry is the most disappointing of the series, and much like Part II, I really enjoyed this film when I was younger. Toxic Avenger Part III hasn't held up very well, and will probably have the greatest appeal to those who are viewing it for the first time.

The Toxic Avenger Part II (1989)

Disappointed sequel, but has it's moments.

[6/10 · 16 April 2024]

The Toxic Avenger is back. This time Melvin aka Toxie heads to Japan in search of his father. The evil Apocalypse Inc. Takes over Tromaville in his absence. Toxie gets into all kinds of unusual situations in Tokyo while seeking out his father, Big Mac Junko.

Apocalypse Inc. Has bribed Toxie's psychiatrist to send him to Japan, as they have a plan to destroy the Toxic Avenger with an anti tromaton. This will supposedly breakdown the chemicals in Toxie's body reducing him to a big pile of goo and give Apocalypse Inc. The perfect opportunity to takeover Tromaville.

Now I've seen all four of the Toxic Avenger films numerous times over the years. I was honestly more impressed with this movie as a twelve year old than I am as an adult. It's a major letdown from the original film. There are some good fight scenes and a few good jokes, but much of the humor falls flat and Toxic Avenger Part II tends to drag on and on. This one will probably be most enjoyable to those who are watching this for the first time.

Armed and Dangerous (1986)

One of John Candy's most underrated films.

[8/10 · 15 April 2024]

I've always enjoyed "Armed and Dangerous", it's one of my favorite John Candy films.

Dooley (John Candy) looses his job on the police force. He ends up getting a job with Guard Dog security. He's teamed up with a former lawyer Norman Kane (Eugene Levy). During their first night on the job, the warehouse that they are guarding gets robbed and both men get fined for the robbery happening on their watch. Dooley convinces Kane to work with him to investigate what is actually going on at Guard Dog security.

There's all kinds of interesting characters in this Police Academy style action comedy. Character actor Larry Hankin provides a lot of laughs. James Tolkien (Masters of the Universe, Back to the Future 1-3), Robert Loggia (Innocent Blood), Biron James, and Meg Ryan (Sleepless in Seattle, When Harry Met Sally) fill out the cast.

Armed and Dangerous is a good combination of silly comedy and action. The adult bookstore scene is a hoot! Fans of John Candy and Eugene Levy will find much to like about this film.

Fright Night (1985)

Fun '80s vampire flick!

[8/10 · 15 April 2024]

Charlie Brewster (William Ragsdale) suspects his new nextdoor neighbor is a vampire. His girlfriend, Amy (Amanda Bearse), and friend "Evil" Ed (Stephen Geoffreys) think that Charlie has watched one to many episodes of his favorite television show, Fright Night.

Charlie goes to great lengths to prove to everyone that his new neighbor, Jerry Danderidge (Chris Sarandon), is a vampire. He even goes as far as to call the police and have an officer come out to the house. Poor Charlie, nobody will believe him. He even asks "Evil" Ed for advice on how to protect himself from a vampire. When Any and Ed can't convince Charlie to let go of the vampire idea, they enlist Charlie's favorite horror host, Peter Vincent (Roddy McDowell) to go over to the Danderidge house with them so that Charlie can finally lay the idea of his neighbor being a vampire to rest.

When proof shows that Mr. Danderidge is indeed a vampire, it's up to Charlie and Peter to save the day! Fright Night is a fun little vampire movie with a solid cast. William Ragsdale, Roddy McDowell (Lassie Come Home), Amanda Bearse (Fraternity Vacation, Married with Children), Stephen Geoffreys (976-Evil, Fraternity Vacation), and Chris Sarandon (Child's Play, Dog Day Afternoon) make up the main cast.

A Knife in the Dark (2024)

Not what I expected from Joe Sherlock!

[4/10 · 11 April 2024]

I typically enjoy the films of Joe Sherlock. A Knife in the Dark is a bit different from the typical Joe Sherlock films. Many familiar faces such as; Connor Sherlock, Richard Johnson, John Bowker, Jackey Neyman Jones, Bob Olin, and Donna Rooney are here.

A Knife in the Dark concerns the rich, Thornton family. The family consists of half blooded and full blooded vampires. Someone in the household wants to get ahold of the family fortune, going to such great lengths as to murder whomever stands in the way. It's discovered that the family fortune has been converted to Bitcoin and someone in the family is looking to get their hands on it and the code to unlock it too.

I found this film to be rather different than Joe Sherlock's usual offerings. Usually they're campy fun with loads of gratuitous nudity and witty humor. I just couldn't really get into this. I did enjoy the actress who played Lindsey, but otherwise there isn't much that I enjoyed about this. I found it to be slow and boring.

Secret Life of a Sorority Girl (2024 TV Movie)

Decent for a "Lifetime" movie.

[7/10 · 9 April 2024]

The Secret Life of a Sorority Girl is Lifetime's most recent movie. It just premiered this last weekend.

Sorority Girl, Ashley dances at a gentleman's club multiple evenings a week to pay for her college tuition when she loses her scholarship. For the most part, Ashley has been able to hide what she's been doing from her boyfriend Beckett and her mother Cheryl.

After a fight with her boyfriend and her mother, Ashley goes missing. At first her mother suspects her boyfriend Beckett of doing something to her. Once Cheryl learns that her daughter has been working at club, she decides to investigate. Cheryl goes undercover at the club to try and find out what happened to her daughter.

As someone who doesn't typically watch Lifetime movies, I enjoyed this. Indie "Scream Queen" Jessa Flux makes an uncredited appearance about half way through the film in one of the club scenes. This was the reason that I watched this. Before to look her up and checkout some of her films!

Terror in the Aisles (1984)

A bunch of clips from various thrillers.

[6/10 · 8 April 2024]

Donald Pleasance (Halloween, Escape from New York) and Nancy Allen (Carrie, RoboCop) host this collection of various clips and scenes from well known suspense, thrillers, and horror movies.

We see clips from a variety of films from all eras. There's Hitchcock classics like The Birds and Psycho to more modern, at the time of filming, like An American Werewolf in London and The Thing. I'm not sure that there's much of a point to this film other than seeing scenes from these movies, possibly making us interested in seeing the ones that we haven't already.

Most of the films featured in this are horror, but there some films like Marathon Man and Nighthawks featured that aren't horror films.

Terror in the Aisles is a neat film, but it's probably not one that you're going to revisit over and over.

Frankenhooker (1990)

A fun horror comedy!

[7/10 · 7 April 2024]

Frank Henenlotter (Basket Case) brings us a strange mix of horror and humor with Frankenhooker.

Jeffrey Franken's (James Lorinz) fiancee, Elizabeth Shelley (Patty Mullen) suffers an accidental death at a birthday party. Jeffrey is determined to find a way to bring back his beloved Elizabeth. Now Jeffrey's not the kind of guy to go out a kill for a body, so he develops "Super Crack" and his victims ultimately kill themselves by taking the drug.

Jeffrey goes into the city to meet some ladies of the night hoping to find the perfect specimen for his experiment. However the ladies find his "drug" and help themselves to it. The result is a humorous series of mishaps.

If you're familiar with the Basket Case films you already know that some of Frank Henenlotter's films are off the wall.

This one's definitely worth checking out!