Saturday, October 31, 2015

Halloween III Season Of The Witch

Final treat for today before we go off to celebrate Halloween.

I don't care if there is no Michael Myers in this movie, this is a friggin' awesome movie! That's right there is no Michael Myers, no Dr. Loomis, no Laurie Strode. All original story. The movie involves witchcraft, amazing special effects, creepy music, a foreboding atmosphere, and a truly sinister villain. The story follows a doctor investigating into the death of a factory member which soon leads to the uncovering of a cult hellbent on returning Halloween back to it's dark and bloody roots. Tom Atkins is our hero in this movie, and I really enjoyed watching him but Dan O'Herlihy steals the entire movie as the gentle owner of the factory who is the mastermind behind the whole witchcraft scheme. He is just one malicious bastard. And the best scene in the entire movie is when he explains the history of Halloween and it is genuinely creepy and chilling to hear. And the ending....my God you won't expect it. Truly memorable and haunting. Well I am probably never going to surpass this many reviews in a single day and on that bombshell it is time to end. Thank you so much for reading and as always, have a very happy Halloween.

Halloween II (1981)

Can you guess where this is going now?


Halloween II picks up exactly where the first movie left off, with Michael still on the hunt and Laurie being brought to the hospital. And for a sequel, it's not as great as the first movie but still a good movie with possibly even better music than the first, a truly creepy setting in a strangely abandoned hospital, still really good acting from both Jamie Lee Curtis and Donald Pleasence, and even tapped in more with the slasher genre. Now John Carpenter did not direct the sequel but he did help write it, so the writing is good and the direction isn't half bad. If you want to know more about that, do what I did, look up Monstervision on YouTube where they look at Halloween II you will learn a lot about this movie. And I have to applaud the ending which is definite and final. All in all it is not really necessary to watch Halloween II unless you want a ending to the first movie's cliffhanger or if you like when Halloween gets more in the slasher genre. The first movie is an absolute must so check it out. We got one more treat to give before the Halloween night begins so stay tuned.

Halloween (1978)

Yeah! What else would we review on our first Halloween?


This movie is still great after 40 years. Who hasn't seen this movie? Do I even have to relay the plot? Okay, Michael Myers killed his sister on Halloween night and has spent 15 years in an asylum and breaks out and starts murdering babysitters on Halloween. Simple plot, but garnered so much praise and no matter where you are they still show it in theatres on Halloween. John Carpenter did an amazing job with this movie, and got the slasher genre going because of it. Even though the movie is set in the 70's it doesn't seem outdated at all, except for an over use of 'Totally' and I know they said it back then but good lord. Maybe that's the joke. Anyway, the cast is grand too. Jamie Lee Curtis became the scream queen because of this movie and she is really dang good, Donald Pleasence I think is perfect casting for Dr. Loomis and I think it would be hard to replace him with anyone else. The music by John Carpenter is chilling and it gives the holiday Halloween almost a theme song. Oh, and you better believe that I watch this every October 31st. But we have more treats to give out today before nightfall...

Tuesday, October 27, 2015

Nightmare On Elm Street (1984)

Second feature film tonight, the movie that made kids afraid to go to sleep in the 1980's, Nightmare On Elm Street.


This is a true classic horror movie. And what a legacy it still has over 30 years later. The story follows a group of four friends who discover that they are being stalked and killed in their very own dreams. That is a terrifying idea to begin with, because when are you more vulnerable than when you are asleep? But the best part of the movie is Robert Englund playing Freddy Krueger. He is so damn good in this movie and absolutely scares the hell out of you. In fact all the cast is great, Heather Langenkamp is just perfect casting for Nancy, John Saxon who is a great actor to begin with brings belivability to being a father to Nancy, and even Johnny Depp before he got super famous is in this movie who is really funny and brings levity to a disturbingly scary movie. I love this movie. And you know....I still can't get over that Wes Craven died, I really can't. He was superb with directing this movie and I really wish he wasn't gone. I hope you enjoy this movie, and I would like to wish you all goodnight.

Friday The 13th

Okay we got a true double feature today. I don't know why I said double feature before and it didn't take place on the same day, so we are fixing that now. So double feature today of two of the greatest horror movies ever made, starting the careers of two titans of horror.

Friday The 13th is the movie that started it all, started the slasher genre in the form that we know and love today. Now I know some of you might be saying, well Halloween really started it all off in 1978 but Friday The 13th got the formula down on how slasher movies are made and we still use that formula to this very day. And I think it's time you see this movie again because there is some interesting things in the first movie that you may have forgot. Even if you never saw the first movie you know the plot, teenagers go to Camp Crystal Lake, into the woods and they don't come out. The special effects done by Tom Savini are outstanding and look realistic, I don't know how he did it all but the man deserves awards. Also I'm trying to remember if he did all the special effects for the future movies, at least until part 9. Honestly what can I say about this movie that hasn't already been said? Just go and watch it. It's a great horror movie.

Friday, October 23, 2015

It Follows

Holy hell this movie is so damn good!


All the praise you have heard about this movie is true. This is a fantastic horror movie! I love it to death. The story is creepy and well done, the acting is excellent, the music is absolutely perfect, and it made me afraid to look. The story follows a teenage girl who after having sex with someone soon finds herself plagued by a mysterious and ominous thing following her. Now I know, the whole being killed thing after sex is rule #4 in a horror movie, but they treat it differently and originally. The film is very retro in it's look. You see cars from the 70's, televisions with dials on them, the whole film is bleeding with old fashioned...everything but still has modern technology in use. The best part of the movie is the soundtrack, it is straight up synthesizer music almost as if John Carpenter himself made the score. It's eerie, it's unforgettable, it sounds like music straight from an NES. I am head over heels for this music! Also speaking of John Carpenter, this film took a lot of influence from Halloween and even The Thing. You see many similar scenes to the original Halloween, and the fact that this supernatural being can change it's appearance to look like any kind of person is too similar to The Thing itself. Now this movie scared me. When a horror movie gets so into your head that you don't even want to look at the screen, it's doing it's job. The entire movie is looking at things, and not in a bad way. The camera is constantly moving around corners and hanging on many quiet, and creepy settings. It got me shaking for God's sake! Why are you still sitting here? Get out there and watch this movie now!

Thursday, October 22, 2015

The Cabin In The Woods

This movie was pretty damn good.

The Cabin In The Woods is one of the best horror movies that have come out of the 2000's. The real shame is I seriously cannot go into the movie too much because there is a big twist in the movie and buried beneath that twist is another twist, so I have to be brief. The plot is an homage to slasher horror films with kids going into the woods and them not coming back out. This movie takes Evil Dead, Friday The 13th, among many others plus an original story, puts it all in a blender and mixes it up. The cabin itself is ripped straight out of Evil Dead, the kids being killed in the woods is Friday The 13th spelled all over it, and it has a lot more than what you expect or could possibly ever anticipate. It even really got me laughing, and how many horror movies are there that genuinely make you laugh because of the dialogue? Yeah, I couldn't think of one either. Bottom line, watch this movie. It's almost necessary.

Tomorrow we review one of the newest horror movies to come out. And no, it's not the unnecessary remake of Poltergeist.

Tuesday, October 20, 2015

From Dusk Till Dawn

This is just what I needed after Fright Night. A true badass vampire movie.


From Dusk Till Dawn is one of the best movies Quentin Tarantino has ever made with his friend Robert Rodriguez, with a pretty famous cast including George Clooney, Harvey Keitel, Tom Savini, and so many others. George Clooney and Quentin Tarantino himself play bank robbing brothers who have to flee to Mexico from the law. The brothers soon meet up with a family led by a priest played by Harvey Keitel and they all soon make it to Mexico at a bar open from dusk until dawn. Now the film plays out more like a crime movie until about halfway through the movie when all hell breaks loose and it turns into a very, very different film. Keep an eye out for Salma Hayek and that's when the movie gets turned on it's side. This is a pretty damn great movie with a very realistic script as is standard with Tarantino movies where the talking feels real and not just script reading, the special effects done by Tom Savini are a feast to the eyes and he even plays a role in the movie, and it's just a great movie. A classic to be remembered, truly. I love this movie, especially George Clooney but I have always loved George Clooney but he gives one of his best performances in this movie. What can I say? This is a horror classic and I am so happy to finally have it in my movie collection, I'm going to watch the hell out of this every October. I highly, highly recommend you see this movie. You'll love it.

Alrighty, in a day or two I am going to be reviewing two new horror movies. One that came out not that long ago and another that is brand new. And neither of which I have seen before. So that will be fun.

Friday, October 16, 2015

Fright Night (1985)

I know it's a cult movie, and I love many cult movies but this movie kinda fell flat on me.

Fright Night is by no means a bad film but it is not the grand cult classic I have heard about. It's just okay. How's the acting? It's okay, doesn't really star anybody. How's the music? It's okay. How are the special effects? Practical but well done. How's the story? It's okay. The movie to me is just one big giant ball of adequateness. But then again, Big Trouble In Little China another cult movie, when I first saw it I thought it was just okay. But then I watched it again a few years later and now I'm a friggin' geek for it! So maybe I just have to watch it again over time, but this film did nothing for me. It's a slow paced movie clocking in at almost two hours, and the big final battle takes 30 minutes of the film. Okay, so what's the story? A guy believes his next door neighbor is in fact a bloodsucking beast of the night, so he employs the help of a actor who plays a vampire killer on television to help destroy the monster. Not a bad premise, and now I am really damn curious as to what the remake is like. Now again, Fright Night is not a bad movie, I thought it was okay. I'm not going to watch it every Halloween and I'm not not ever going to watch it again. I will watch it again but all in due time. God this was a bit of a downer and as Fate would have it long before I watched the movie, I set up another vampire movie to review the very next week. And it is an awesome vampire movie! One of the best ever! So I cannot express my joy as to watching and reviewing that classic horror movie. So join me next week, and see if Fright Night is up your alley sometime. I hope you like it.

Thursday, October 15, 2015

The Monster Squad

Alright kids, we got a double feature of 80's cult monster movies. We got The Monster Squad today and the original Fright Night tomorrow.



This movie is rad man, I love it! It's very 80's and very funny, I love seeing all the old monsters given a new makeover, I love the story, I love the kids, this is just a fun movie. The story follows a group of kids who run a monster clubhouse and soon learn that Dracula, Frankenstein, The Wolf Man and more have invaded their town, and it's up to the Monster Squad to fight them off. The movie pays tribute to the classic monster movies, but still retains it's own identity. The little girl in this movie is the cutest thing you have ever seen in your life, and it has one of the most unexpected twists of a movie character ever. I won't dare spoil it. This is a original movie, with good acting, really damn good practical effects, hilarious dialogue, and is a perfect movie to watch around Halloween. If you love 80's movies, if you love monster movies, you have got to watch The Monster Squad. You will not be disappointed, it's cheesy but awesome nonetheless. Be part of The Monster Squad.

Monday, October 12, 2015

Evil Dead 2

This movie is bat squeak insane.


I love Evil Dead 2 way more than the original Evil Dead for three reasons. One Bruce Campbell has gotten down his acting method which is made of pure awesome you just have to look at the scene in the work shed, it is surprisingly less scary and is way more comical, and last but not least the camera is still alive. Nearly every part of the original has been outdone, seeing as how this movie had a much better budget than the first one. The film is almost a parody of the first movie with outrageous amounts of blood and even a bit of slapstick but still treats itself seriously and still keeps the movie humorous. It also delves into a little of the psychological horror which I greatly appreciate and enjoy, like all this crazy stuff is happening in the cabin but all of a sudden shows Bruce Campbell just sitting in a chair screaming. My God this movie is bonkers and that is the best part. Also for some strange reason people have been considering this movie as a remake of the original. I kinda get why, but it has been explained that the first few opening minutes is a recap of the last movie but with different aspects to it so this film picks right up after the last one. This is a much more enjoyable horror movie than you would think, making it even more worth watching than the first. And the cliffhanger is great, but unfortunately I will not be reviewing Army Of Darkness just yet and it is due to my reasoning that Army Of Darkness is more of an action comedy not horror. So that is why I am excluding it from this month's reviews. So yeah definitely watch Evil Dead 2 even if you didn't like the first one that much.

Later this week, we shall continue to review some of the greatest cult monster movies of the 80's.

Sunday, October 11, 2015

The Evil Dead

Jesus H. Christ, this movie is freaky scary.


Evil Dead is one of the creepiest, most well made horror movies ever, directed by Sam Raimi and starring Bruce Campbell. The film follows a group of young adults that go to a remote abandon cabin and soon discover that evil forces are brewing and it's up to them to survive. This movie scared me good, to the point where I didn't even want to look at it. I needed a strong drink to get through it. The acting is great, the atmosphere is fear inducing like no other, the music is eerie, and the best aspect that is the greatest part of the movie is the camera. The camera is alive. This is one of the most innovative and unconventional filming you will ever see in any movie except for the Evil Dead movies. Literally the first minute, the camera starts moving and unearthly so. I have no doubts in my mind that the camera in this movie is an entity. There is no way in hell that there is someone behind that camera, it moves too fast, too smooth over water, through the woods, glass and everything else. It creeps me out big time. The film is bloody as all get out to an almost comical degree, but the film is too scary to even notice how outrageous it all is. Bruce Campbell is really damn good in this movie, but he didn't discover his method of acting yet which I will talk about in the next review. And the ending....it goes exactly the way you think and then drops the hammer and ends. So bottom line, it's time to see The Evil Dead.

Be sure to tune in tomorrow where we look at the sequel.

Saturday, October 10, 2015

Creature From The Black Lagoon (1954)

Our Universal Monsters week ends with the Creature From The Black Lagoon.


Now you could say this a bit more like science fiction, but I think of it as a horror movie and a damn good one at that. The plot revolves around a group of scientists that discover an ancient amphibian fossil in the Amazon. The team soon discovers of a ghastly amphibian monster, and they decide to either fight or flee. First off, major praise to the director of the underwater sequences. It looks absolutely amazing, and the entire movie is shot well. Believe it or not, this film actually premiered in 3-D. Another huge plus is The Creature itself. Dear lord, the attention to detail on the suit is staggering and it is a genuinely creepy monster. Before the days of Jaws, The Creature made audiences afraid to go into the water. But unlike the shark, the monster has a love interest played by the stunningly gorgeous Julia Adams and quite frankly I can't blame him. And dare I say, the film should be remade in color. All in all, a great horror movie and one of the last classic Universal Monsters.

So next week, I think it's time we go back to the 80's and review a few cult movies.

Friday, October 9, 2015

The Invisible Man (1933)

This is easily one of my top 3 favorite Universal Monsters.

The Invisible Man, a very well adapted version of the H.G. Well's novel starring Claude Rains. The story follows a scientist Jack Griffin, who has discovered a formula to make himself invisible. He soon tries to find an antidote but before he can, he goes mad and runs amok. Now I love this movie, the special effects are amazing not just for the 1930's but for today as well since it was all done practically and I still have no idea how they did most of them, this definitely has a perfect blend of both comedy and horror, and the greatest aspect of the movie is Claude Rains himself. He has an absolutely fantastic voice for the role, showing sympathy and also ruthlessness in one of his most famous roles. What can I say? This a great movie, well worth your time and money and this is a film I will revisit for the rest of my life.

Well guys and gals, we only have one Universal Monster movie left tomorrow. And just for fun, I want you to take a guess as to which Universal Monster I will be for Halloween. The options are in the movies I have reviewed this week. See you tomorrow.

Thursday, October 8, 2015

The Mummy (1932)

Yeah, this is not only a horror story but also a love story.

Now frankly, I love this movie because of it's love story elements in it. Now there is a bit of confusion to clear up before we continue with the review. This Mummy is not the same you probably think of. You probably think of a Mummy always in it's bandages, strangling people, and is more action orientated than horror. And you are correct that is the Universal Mummy, but not the same one in this movie. There were several Mummy sequels that followed a different Mummy named Karras where this one follows the Imhotep Mummy. Now that we got that out of the way, let's continue. The story follows a group of archeaologists who unearth an ancient Mummy that after being awakened is trying to reunite with his Mummy princess. Boris Karloff plays the Mummy to perfection, and he is such a better actor than what you see in Frankenstein. He has such a hypnotic voice and his appearance is fantastic. He towers over every other actor, speaks slow and low, has a groovy fez, and only kills when necessary. This is a perfect monster, and you will greatly enjoy this film. It's one of the prime examples of a horror classic.

Tomorrow we look at one of the funnest monster movies and most interesting special effects ever to come out of the 1930's.

Wednesday, October 7, 2015

The Wolf Man (1941)

You know how I've been saying that it really doesn't take long to show the monster? Quite the opposite here.


So The Wolf Man is one of the better well known Universal Monsters, and the film itself is damn good. The story follows an everyday man Larry Talbot played by the great Lon Chaney Jr., who after a run in with a wolf soon learns that he will become a werewolf himself. So Larry must try and find a cure for his werewolfism before he causes harm to his family and the girl he loves. What I really like besides the very good cast, including Claude Rains and Evelyn Ankers is the excellent musical score, and how eerie they made the forrest. Oh, and I swear I am not making this up, you hear part of the Batman theme by Danny Elfman more than 45 years before the original 1989 Batman movie. So bizarre but really interesting. And yes, you don't actually see the title monster until well past the halfway point of the film, but I actually find that helps build the myth of the werewolves and build our characters in the story. So I very much enjoy this movie, and enjoy the next one I am going to review even more.


Tune in tomorrow where we look at a love story that lasted generations.

Tuesday, October 6, 2015

Bride Of Frankenstein (1935)

I'm really not kidding, this film is so superior to the original.

Every single element of the original Frankenstein has been improved in the sequel. The cast has even more power behind them, mainly Boris Karloff and Ernest Thesiger. The sets show off so much more especially the laboratory at the end. The film gets very cinematic after the laboratory is seen, the musical score is fantastic, and you just get the sense that they really improved everything and made it even more grand. The story picks right up after the original, with Frankenstein surviving the angry mob, and a new mad scientist played by Ernest Thesiger proposing to Dr. Frankenstein to create a mate for the monster. The titular Bride surprisingly is only in the movie for about 5 minutes, but it still leaves a huge impact. But the person who steals the entire movie is Ernest Thesiger playing the devilish, mad scientist Dr. Pretorius who in my opinion is the greatest mad scientist ever put to film. Boris Karloff has a lot more to work with, showing incredible emotion and even dialogue. And that is an important element in this story where the monster meets an old blind man in the woods, and he teaches the monster to speak, and is quite heart wrenching in one scene. You have a heart of stone if you don't get misty eyed or choked up a bit during that scene. So the entire film is a massive step above the original and is well worth viewing. You have got to check this movie out. I adore the Bride Of Frankenstein.


Tune in tomorrow when we look at the movie that is perfect when viewed under a full moon.

Monday, October 5, 2015

Frankenstein (1931)

One of the best horror movies ever starring the most famous monster of all time.

Frankenstein is a fantastic monster movie with lavish sets, a great cast, a spectacular story and a climax that is unforgettable. Even if you haven't seen the movie, you will recognize so many scenes from the film. The movie Frankenstein follows the Mary Shelley novel very well although not perfectly. Colin Clive plays the doctor who dared to be God and create a man. His performance is not the usual mad scientist who dreams of creating a monster, he is just a scientist who wants to push the boundaries of human knowledge and we can sympathize with him and even sort of understand why he is doing this. Dwight Frye is in this movie as yet another odd and memorable character, the doctor's hunchback assistant but his name is not Igor like you would expect, but Fritz. But the real star is Boris Karloff as the monster, and for good reason too. He is just perfect casting for the role and brings gruesome and yet empathetic qualities to the famous monster. What I have noticed about both of these Universal Monster movies is how short it takes the film to show the monster, in Dracula it took about 5 minutes to see Bela Lugosi and in this movie it takes about 15 minutes just to see the monster on the slab. And surprisingly this movie is even shorter than Dracula, just clocking in at an hour and ten minutes. Also what I noticed is, although the labaratory is just what you imagine it to be, it actually isn't that big, incorporating fascinating gizmos and electronics without taking too much space. So I love this monster movie, and to be honest I'm going to go on a little rant here but it is important. People have always called the monster Frankenstein even though that is the name of the doctor, and for almost 100 damn years there has been this confusion as to who Frankenstein really is. Well...Dr. Frankenstein actually calls his creation Frankenstein. So yes, the monster is indeed Frankenstein and the movie is named after him.

So tomorrow we look at the superb sequel that is 1000 times better than the original. Now how many times can you say that about a horror sequel?

Sunday, October 4, 2015

Dracula (1931)

The very first week of horror reviews, we look at the Universal Monsters collection.

Dracula has all the elements of a proper chiller. Fog, castles, bats, bonechilling atmosphere and acting from the great Bela Lugosi, and one of the best adaptations of the Bram Stoker novel. The film is one of the earliest and one of the greatest horror films, and one of the big advantages it has is being one of the first sound horror films. True, there is a lack of music but it only enhances the fear and the atmosphere in the film. Need I even say anything about Bela Lugosi's immortal performance? The first line he ever says is unforgettable, "I am...Dracula." and his performance is all in his presence. It's how he walks, and speaks, it's all in the eyes and the voice and the hands! Dwight Frye is perfect as the insane Renfield, with a amusingly creepy laugh and a manic personality that leaps from the screen. In fact, all the cast is very good but it's Lugosi that of course steals the show. One of my favorite things about not only this movie but all the Universal Monsters movies is both the impact they still have on today's culture and strangely, how very short the movies are. The films are barely an hour and a half long but still can pack so much grand things in them that really you don't mind that they are that short. If you aren't even a horror fan you should really watch the most iconic of the Universal Monsters movies, you will enjoy them and would most likely view them again around Halloween time.

Well, that's it for today. Tune in tomorrow where we look at the most famous monster of all time.

Thursday, October 1, 2015

Miss Me?

Guess who's finally back? Dear God, I've missed all this! I'm so happy to be back, and I get to review nothing but horror movies this month. Now I'm going to be honest here, I never really got into horror until just a few years ago. I was a wimp as a kid, but strangely I was watching the Universal Monster movies when I was around 9 or 10. I started with the older horror classics, and by the time I was in my early teens I started getting into the horror movies from the 70's and the 80's, and I have rarely seen any horror movies made after the year I was born. In my opinion, it's been going downhill since then with very rare exceptions. And I have a theory here, the first big horror boom started in the 1930's with the Universal Monster movies which are amazing, and then the next horror boom came in the 1980's and then we got a lot of those cult horror movies. So I am going to look at a lot of horror movies both very old and some a bit newer, and you better believe we are going to do this every October. And I have a big treat for you come this Halloween. I'm probably never gonna be able to top it, but screw it I think it's going to be awesome. So tune in next week when we start the real reviews.