Son Of Frankenstein

Talk about ending on a high note!

Even as a hardcore Universal Monsters fan this movie is a bit too good. I always think of this as the gold standard of the 40s Universal fare but it actually came out in 1939 taking a kinda sorta reboot to the series, with Wolf Frankenstein inheriting his late father's estate in a town that hates and fears him as he quickly discovers the famed monster of his father's creation who's being used as a tool of revenge. Damn near every single aspect of this production is leaps and bounds better than any of the other movies I've reviewed in this series and I don't even know how. The photography alone is so rich and dense, a lot of the German Expressionist style is showcased here, with every set bathed in dark shadows and unique shapes of light with stellar sets that may seem more on the minimalist side but doesn't detract from the production at all. The cast is honestly fantastic with such a well trained classical actor in Basil Rathbone that can take any bit of material and make it so strong with so much sophistication and class. The relationship between Wolf and the inspector Krogh played by Lionel Atwill might just be the most interesting part of the movie with the inspector at first being greeting and pledging service to aid the Frankenstein family yet slowly gets more suspicious and inquisitive as the movie progresses, and they have a wonderful moment of respect that speaks so much and honestly gave me goosebumps. Bela Lugosi as the "dead" fiend Ygor (yes you read it right) to many this is his crowning role even above the Count, and I do have to admit it shows his range of performances between the two but his Dracula is still my favorite, but he's effectively creepy and does indeed steal several scenes! What's funny is Boris Karloff doesn't show up for quite awhile and only is used sparingly yet even then is a worthy final appearance from him in the series as he would be recast and the monster would be played by several actors in the remaining Frankenstein films. What I greatly appreciate is the actors bounce off each other so well and they're always busy, this is not a two characters sit and talk kind of movie, they drink, play darts, roam the room, it's almost blocked like a stage play. In fact this is one of the longest Universal Monster movies pushing close to 2 hours so it never has to rush, and I dare say this would be an amazing stage play. The theatricality is baked thoroughly in every facet of the film and wouldn't seem out of place in the slightest. Like I'm truly astounded just how well crafted this film is made in every aspect, I mean it was a perfect storm of minds and performers that easily outshines the first two installments which are already incredible films and Bride was superior even to Frankenstein, so what a monumental trilogy. Hell the only other series I can say that have done the same is the Planet Of The Apes prequels, and George Romero's Dead trilogy off the top of my head. Biiiiig 4 glowing stars, 9/10 from me, we couldn't have went out on a better note. This, Black Sabbath, and In A Violent Nature were true standouts this season but we had a pretty damn good October all around I really have to say! It's a joy as always to talk horror and give out recommendations, and while it surely breaks my heart that another Halloween season is on the precipice of ending...we still have one more day don't we? I send out all my festive love and best wishes to the monsters, ghouls, trick & treaters as well as pumpkin eaters, and I hope to see you all very very soon on the other side.

The Invisible Man Returns

I actually could have sworn I reviewed this so many years back.

Nine years after Jack Griffin went insane through experiments on the visible spectrum, we follow a man named Geoffrey framed for murder who with the help of Jack's brother becomes invisible to achieve justice or revenge as the doctor desperately seeks a cure before the madness sets in, in this 1940 minor classic. This is a very well done sequel with enough links to the original but ultimately being it's own thing, you don't even have to watch the first film to follow it and enjoy it. Vincent Price before he became synonymous with the horror genre is our unseen lead and at first you might not be able to tell it's him since he went for a more american-lite accent and yet very much like Claude Rains can get so much emotion and fringing insanity through just his voice alone with not an awful lot of physical acting involved, though I will say his striking height helped accentuate his presence. The film's effects are much more complex and sophisticated in the seven year gap between productions to the point where I really was rather impressed and wondering how they achieved certain tricks, they no doubt used the same black velvet technique but the wire work is insane here and some shots go on for quite some time, no editing shortcomings to be had, so it's a strong improvement on a film that already had some groundbreaking effects. I like the relationship betwen Geoffrey and his love interest Helen, she's a real ride or die even when the mania starts to seep in she's stalwart in helping her man and even I couldn't believe the happy ending to this movie so hell yeah Nan. Usually the title monster bites the dust seconds before a The End in these Universal horror pictures so I'm a happy camper. You would think considering we see Jack Griffin's brother named Frank in this he would be the invisible man and would have a much bigger focus, but he's a solid supporting character racing against the clock to cure Geoffrey, and once again a real one willing to help in any way and you can tell he's rather conflicted with the idea of potentially having to kill his friend before he kills others, it's a solid performance. Of course it wouldn't be a 40s Universal Monster movie without Sir Cedric Hardwicke in there somewhere who despite being top billed isn't in it a great deal and I kinda wish he was considering his importance to the plot later. The visuals are decent, obviously they were workshopping more on the effects side but the sets, the woods, the costuming all still look on par with any other movies in this series but I would have loved to see more spooky atmosphere. In many ways I like it better than The Invisible Man and yet in the same vein as Star Trek it won't surpass the original's popularity and iconic presentation. It's a very good movie but undoubtedly a B-tier addition to the hallowed halls of classic movie monsters, so I give it 3 stars, 7.5/10, and I hope I saved the best for last as we conclude the whole Halloween season with the finale to the Frankenstein trilogy tomorrow.

She-Wolf Of London

Did a movie from 1946 just make my jaw drop six times?

I'm kinda speechless here folks! Nearing the end of Universal's second horror cycle She-Wolf Of London though having no relation to Werewolf Of London in my humble opinion thoroughly surpasses it and I still enjoyed that movie! It's one of very very few movies I've seen where we have essentially an all female leads cast, with June Lockhart playing a young bride to be named Phyllis who seems utterly convinced of a family curse of lycanthropy is hanging over her as murders are discovered in a park near her estate. June plays it so convincingly, seeing this distraught woman go through the wringer mentally easily grabs you and you want to see the best for her. Sara Haden as the authoritative aunt Martha is such an interesting character and despite the film's whopping 1 hour runtime is able to fill out the role amazingly. Then we have Jan Wiley as Martha's daughter Carol who seems the most carefree of the household with her own little romance budding mostly off screen but comes into play in such a shocking way that it honestly left me dumbfounded and floundering for answers, big time love for Jan here. Lastly we have Don Porter as Phyllis' fiancee Barry who I really gotta admit for a 1940s film is one of the most considerate, dare I even say sensitive male characters I have ever seen really saying all the right things with no ulterior motives who simply wants his bride to be safe and loved. That's some progressive as shit casting and character writing for the time! And boy howdy did this film utterly throw me for a loop de loop, throwing out three curveballs that literally left my jaw on the floor each time! I wasn't dreaming of such twists and turns and you think with me seeing as many movies as I have it would be fairly easy to pluck them out but NOPE! I hear even the most hardcore Universal Monsters fans fall silent on this movie and I'm simultaneously thankful and kinda upset about it, because I walked in as blind as possible and found a surprisingly good movie but I wish more recognition could be given to it. Even for a lower budget Universal film the production values are high with great sets, period costuming, enough fog filled woods to satisfy the atmospheric lover within me, with effective writing and a very very good cast that got me invested, intrigued, and truly gobsmacked multiple times! Last damn movie that really swept me away like this in this series was Dracula's Daughter and that is a movie begging to be lauded with as much praise as the most famous monsters of filmland. So I really kicked off this final week with a banger, strong recommendation for a hidden classic, I give it 3 stars and I'll go 8/10 just for how shocking the series of events unfolded. Tomorrow we dig into a legacy continuation with a legend of the entire genre.

Mr. Sardonicus

What a cheeky bugger that William Castle is.

Niche though it is his films have a good appeal and this is a most original and interesting story. Concerning a doctor who is tasked with the rehabilitation of a reclusive baron whose face is marred by a gruesomely freakish grin, it's not really your typical horror film. Set at a brisk pace of 90 minutes it's more of a drama as we get situated with this small cast of characters and the circumstances that brought the baron to coin the name Sardonicus for himself, despite some fairly grotesque moments for 1961 and the villainous characteristics of the titular character. Ronald Lewis is a very compassionate and learned lead, not framed as a hero who must end the monster but rather a doctor sent to heal willingly in spite of some rather unscrupulous tactics by the baron, but he does solid work and is fairly believable. Guy Rolfe as Mr. Sardonicus is undoubtedly the highlight with his blank mask, imposing height, and quite a soothing refined voice that hides a cruel and inhuman psyche willing to torture women to find some miracle cure for his disfigurement, and the prosthetic is simple and yet instantly memorable. Audrey Dalton as an old flame of the doctor while not having a lot of stake in the plot unfortunately does fine work regardless and you can imagine her intense need to escape such a ghoulish prison. Oscar Homolka as the scarred manservant fits the archetype well as a loyal subservient to his master and he has such a good physique about him with a missing eye and solid voice. One thing I have taken consistent notice of this week is each film doesn't hold a great mamy sets bit rather fleshes out the few they have to really enhance the production value and this is no exception, the castle and sparse grounds is quintessential spooky scenery that always just looks superior in pristine black & white but the interiors are lavish and classy. The 60s was truly the bridge between classic horror and modern horror, I mean think about it you have stuff like this and the Poe series in the early years and by the end of it we got stuff like Targets and Night Of The Living Dead injecting both modern sensibilities and starting to up the gore factor. It's a prime decade for horror fans of both camps! I gotta admit it was a blast to see William Castle introduce and do his gimmick for the film which consisted of voting cards to show mercy or punish Sardonicus for his actions, in true showmanship style with the right amount of cheese, humor, and tone that sets you up nicely for the film. It's more of a minor example than a must see movie for the season but I enjoyed it enough, and I can recommend it if you need a break from the newer more intense stuff or just enjoy good old fashioned spooky stuff. 2.5 stars, 6.5/10, and like always I got some Universal Monster goodness for you on Halloween week...

Black Sabbath

Not the band, but potentially the movie that inspired the name of the band.

Okay I gotta admit I was thoroughly impressed and entertained by this movie. I'm pretty sure this is my first Mario Bava film, a well known horror director of the 60s and 70s and I gotta say I dig his style. Presented as an anthology of 3 stories hosted by Boris Karloff himself, amd you know me I'm a sucker for a horror anthology the stories presented are quite good. One concerns a medical practicioner who gets the bright idea to steal from a patient's corpse and has an ending you honestly could see one of two ways, the other involving a woman being harassed and stalked over a telephone before Black Christmas and way before Scream, and finally a good old fashioned period piece involving vampires. A mighty fine selection of both tried and true classic material with more contemporary stuff that has become a classic in their own way in the decades since. The first thing I really gotta talk about is the visuals, holy balls this film looks flippin' amazing! Every last penny is presented on screen with unique use of color which reinforces why I love 60s cinema all by itself, some jawdropping sets that are pretty encompassing and no doubt helped the budget considerably while still showing off excellent production design, and the various styles of costuming really just knocked it out of the park for me and made it so so worthwhile to watch! I'm actually kinda pissed the fuck off people don't talk about this movie, yeah the stories are basic but they surprisingly got me startled and freaked out at times, the whole look of the movie is outstanding, the presentation with Boris is a real treat cause the man had a fantastic sense of humor and they played into that well here, and it was just an investing 90 minute film. Granted from the tidbits of research I did I think I cut myself short cause apparently the movie got a good bit edited down before hitting the States and the italian version is the one to see, this was released by American International Pictures who if you remember from reviews past was the company responsible for Roger Corman's early exploits and his renowned Poe series, so maybe if I can somehow someway find a print sourced in Italy I may enjoy it even more than I already did! I love just the flair of Bava's direction, he knows how to make a shot interesting and his love for zooms just put a smile on my face. This was such a hidden gem for me this month and I honestly don't think it'll be topped this week despite the fact we got one more to go from a certain Mr. Castle. If I had to pick my favorite segment I would go for the second one, The Telephone, I mean what a horrible situation to be in. You're being stalked in your own home by someone you can't see and they love to taunt you over a phone line, and the performance by Michèle Mercier was so damn believable and I really don't think she had to act that much to begin with. Women just have to go through so much shit man and that is a nightmare for countless ladies, so it had me on the edge of my seat and the ending just boggled my mind. This...this was so good! I strongly urge people to check this out if you have a chance, it hit so many buttons for me and I will gladly reward it with a full 4 stars, 8.5/10! It kinda breaks my heart we only got one more week of Halloween goodness to experience but it is a joy as always to be here talking my shit and reveling in the terror and beauty of the most wonderful time of the year.

Peeping Tom

Jesus, what a film. 

I know a character like this is more commonplace than ever, but I can't even imagine how shocking and truly disturbing this movie was in 1960. The simple premise of a killer who has a compulsion, a psychological need to film and document his murders on film is truly horrific and the movie can almost be a character study into Mark Lewis' demented psyche, is not only very effective in 2025 but a damn good movie all around. Which unfortunately was not the case when the movie premiered, essentially shattering the director Michael Powell's career, was considered so shocking and foul that the movie got pulled from cinemas within five days of release, and even to this day the unedited film has never been released in the UK. It is a fascinating film to watch since we get very cozy with our voyeuristic killer, spending the majority of the film following him as he works on movie sets, photographs neglige models, and offs several women. The performance by Karlheinz Bohm is truly memorable and easily unsettling, yet the movie also takes a tragic and even slight sympathetic lens to his character which for a proto-slasher film is certainly unique, just every minute he is on screen there's so much tension and unease because you know what he does and his somewhat shy and awkward demeanor makes him feel exceedingly real. In a day and age where everyone has a device in their pocket that can photograph and record with such ease and even isn't looked at twice it's actually a more egregiously creepy thing to even contemplate more than ever. Anna Massey as the love interest Helen is odd, but yet also understandable as she does get a little apprehensive around Mark's demeanor and yet wants to help him break his permanent attachment to his camera, a potential saving grace for him to reform and live a normal life which again is rather original to this genre. It's such a good looking film too, both the director and the director of photography were kinda having a field day, with an abundance of shots framed with certain use of color, playing about with the combination of light and shadow, there is some artsy shots presented here and you just don't see many movies even back then that look like this! The musical score comprising entirely of a piano can be both moody and beautiful as well as ramp up the tension and build toward a kill. You don't even really see any of the murders or a money shot of an effect yet it still works, maybe even better than if you actually did see something. It's a unique beast that I really do not hear many talk about, and it's definitely a more unconventional choice for October yet what I found was a creepy, intriguing, original movie that if you do decide to watch will no doubt present several tropes and familiar elements that have taken on a life of their own in this genre. Horror is one of the most multifaceted genres in history, mainly due to the simple fact of there is something that scares everyone and while I myself have no scopophobia, even this movie got under my skin just a notch. I give it 3 stars, 7.5/10, and tomorrow will be another movie I have heard little about yet feel compelled to see for myself.

Death Proof

Fundamentally different, absolutely. Still pretty good, hell yeah!

If the director himself considers this his worst movie, Quentin I just gotta tell you I don't see it. It's a remarkedly different beast compared to the all guns blazing Planet Terror with a much smaller scale plot involving two seperate groups of girls being stalked by a murderous stuntman appropriately named, Stuntman Mike, and it's funny cause that simple plot alone are two different beasts. The first is film grained up, jump cuts, has a very 70s vibe despite it taking place in modern day and is my favorite of the two segments. Which is no slight against the second with a quartet of ladies with two being everyday gals and the other two being fairly badass thrillseekers who run across Stuntman Mike and outperform him with some impressive stunts, it's shot in both pristine black & white alongside color, with modern filmmaking techniques, and some stellar stunts. Kurt Russell steals the show, being effectively creepy like so under my skin freak me the fuck out kinda creepy, but it's Kurt and he's got so much charisma and likeability it's interesting to watch despite not knowing much about Stuntman Mike. Standouts in our lady groups is Vanessa Ferlito from the firste troupe, I don't know if it was the accent or the no nonsense attitude or just her absurdly pretty face but I gravitated toward her so easily, and while everyone rightly lauds and praises Zoë Bell for her wit and insane physical performance Rosario Dawson was my gal in this and I thought she was groovy and props for her on getting the final blow. The production was spot on, again a very low budget effort but works insanely well on how they used the budget, they saved their big bucks for the big shit with some gross effects, a showstopping crash, and a car chase that will stick in your mind for some time. I will say I do wish we could have focused on one group or even did a mixed bag between the two casts, but it all works out and doesn't really hurt the film provided you don't mind almost a 2 hour runtime with a fair bit of dialogue and slow burns before the lid pops. I was still invested throughout and honestly wouldn't mind owning the whole Grindhouse experience! It's a long forgotten niche of cinema but definitely has it's fans and while I can safely say I'm more of a casual observer I still respect and enjoy the distinct style and filmmaking choices even if they aren't all for me. For one brief moment in 2007 you could go to a theater for a double bill with fake trailers and advertisements for an experience that can't be replicated and that I am strongly jealous of, considering I was 12 at the time and a fledgling movie fan who had no concept of grindhouse cinema. But I'm extremely happy to have finally seen both these movies that I've heard about for more than a decade. I give this 3 stars, 7.5/10, and we're jumping back to the 1960s next week.

Planet Terror

I have rarely seen movies more nuts than this.

A spiritual throwback to 70s grindhouse cinema coupled with modern production, Planet Terror is nothing short of a trip! I don't even rightly know how to describe it, cause it's absolutely hilarious, absurdly ridiculous, so gory and nastay, and surprisingly endearing! It's a zombie movie no doubt but it takes every convention of that genre and just turns it on it's head, with a group of survivors including a stripper named Cherry, a badass named Wray, a sherrif named Hague, and a doctor by the name of Dakota fending off utterly grody and disgusting zombies while also getting roped into some black ops shit, the movie is all over the damn place. But not in a disjointed or bad aspect, it all somehow works perfectly due to the tone and direction by Robert Rodriguez and I am so happy to see another of his movies! We are checking out the second part Death Proof next and I'm dumbstruck how that could potentially usurp this movie. I don't know what it is but this was one of the most entertaining movies I've seen this year and I adore it! The cast alone is reason to watch this movie! We got Rose McGowan who is fucking acting her heart out in this movie and her wit, outspoken demeanor, and frankly awesome finale catapults her to the higher echelons of lady badasses in my book. Michael Biehn, friggin' Josh Brolin, Fergie Ferg how the hell did they get Stacy into this I'll never know, Michael Parks, Tom Savini, Bruce Willis, like this is a fairly insane cast for essentially a low budget exploitation film. Granted you see every penny on screen from the extensive prosthetics, the explosions, the sets, it really does look like a grindhouse movie if it had a couple million to throw at the screen and some extremely talented people. It just hit all the right buttons for me and I know for a bleedin' fact this won't garner the same level of appreciation from everyone, but as a lover and admirer of cinema in all it's variant forms, as someone who respects the shit out of the horror genre, as a big fan of both Rodriguez and Tarantino, this is a standout movie and I'm beyond happy to see it! A sterling 4 stars, 9/10 from me, apologies for being a day late in writing this we got a little work schedule change going on so Death Proof will be up on Friday so stay tuned.

Tron Ares

Personally I don't think you can call it Tron without showing Tron, but hey I'm a mark for this stuff!

Aside from that woeful misstep along with some heinous marketing on the red carpet the sequel I never eveeeerrrrrr thought would come around is finally here, so what does a mega nerd for the Tron series think of it? Well I think honestly this whole series has followed in the same vein as the original Star Wars trilogy, first movie groundbreaking in special effects with a basic story that admittedly took a cult status, second film improved on every single aspect and can easily be considered one of the best sequels ever made and a masterpiece that only ages like the finest venetian wine, and the third retreads some familiar ground while still putting new elements into it. If you saw the trailer it admittedly isn't as epic as a full scale invasion from the Grid into our world, but rather a discovery of personality for the titular program and a battle of attrition between Encom and Dillinger enterprises and while far from great is an overall solid movie! Now am I biased? Well duh, I was going on a tangent in my mind about the continuity of the Grid for Christ's sakes, I think I'm in too deep here! It's not airtight in terms of writing and some of the performances have jank to it, but the cinematography is very solid with still unique visuals that you can tell the director put thought into, coming off the heels of a juggernaut like Daft Punk's score for Legacy you would think Nine Inch Nails just couldn't compete but they do damn good work and I think it stands on par with that phenomenal soundtrack, the fanwank was to the brim and while I strongly appreciate it I can also see the modern trappings of it I mean this is a legacy sequel in every way Tron Legacy wasn't. Is that inherently bad? No, but they do lean hard on it which could be distracting for others. I know a lot of people hopped on the fence when Jared Leto was announced to star and I don't really know jack shit about him personally so all I can do is just give an opinion on the performance alone, it's a notch uneven but I levy that more towards the script than the actor with a more robotic program suddenly switching to a very opinionated and passionate individual, but I kinda love the idea of a program reading the mother of science fiction Mary Shelley's Frankenstein who also is a fan of Depeche Mode so hey take from it what you will. Greta Lee is a decent human lead and her story is anything but paper thin though I felt it just needed either more time to breathe or better instances, however I will give the movie points for showing and not telling much so overall it's a solid performance. Evan Peters doesn't exactly convey the gravitas of his Dillinger grandfather but room is always there for improvement especially with some heavy ass sequel baiting, so I'm willing to bide time and see if it goes anywhere. We get my man back, our Dude and savior Jeff Bridges and even though it's really just a single solitary scene my jaw dropped. I won't lie to you, the man is my idol and I aspire to be like His Dudeness, so to see force ghost Flynn was a high highpoint for me unequivocally! Also shout out to Jodie, you got the moves, you got the energy, and I still got a soft spot for villains. The look of the film is top notch, feeling like a logical evolution from Legacy and as a Dude myself of darker nature, seeing so much predominant red and black was such a fantastic sight with finely crafted costumes, sets, and visual effects. It wouldn't surprise me if it got some big time award nominations! And just as a little bonus let's lightning round some thoughts: Apparently any artificial lifeform gets all existential when in contact with rain so the memory of Roy Batty continues decades after Blade Runner, seeing several Grids and how each command issued by a user is a full blown scene is not only logical but really damn cool pushing the envelope for the Tron series surprisingly, we get some biiiig namedrops for heavy fans such as myself that makes my mind race with the possibilities should Disney be a buddy and continue on, and despite the lack of "Bio-digital jazz man." I'm fairly proud of myself I called a few quotes including the mid-credits teaser by the by! Overall it's a solid movie, to a 15 year fan I'm quite happy with it and I know it ain't gonna hit the same for everybody else but I'll look forward to adding this to the DVD shelf along with the other two movies. 3 stars, 7.5/10! End of line man.

Late Night With The Devil

Hohoholyyy shhhhit!

Boy you ain't gonna believe this! Guess who had a hand in production? IFC and Shudder. I don't plan this man, I don't! I swear! This is as common as dirt when it comes to this show, correlation is off the charts! Moving swiftly on to the actual review, I remember seeing the trailer for this not that long ago and I gotta admit it had my attention and it never left my mind on the list of future reviews and now that I've finally seen it, it was everything I expected it to be and yet so much more I didn't see coming. There's a good sized intro really getting you in the right mindframe for this movie, setting up the decade of the 70s, who Jack Delroy is and what his talk show is like, what he went through before the Halloween taping of a spirit medium, a skeptic, and a literal possessed girl and it's really friggin' good! I'm a sucker for period pieces and that extends to history less than a century ago, the costumes, set design, and overall vibe is perfectly situated in the 70s and couple that with the TV quality of that time and you almost could pass this off to a parent or grandparent as something real. In fact the movie almost does take this urban legend lens, it even plays on the frankly horrifying concept of the Mandela Effect at one point, and while we never leave the studio and see the effects of the broadcast we don't need to. Because we are the audience. Kinda meta man! But what an absolute joy, this treat it is, to see David in a leading man role! To see him from Joker thug in The Dark Knight to this is amazing and I'm quite proud of him, as he does deliver a subdued but nevertheless nuanced performance of a man trying to get on top while dealing with a lot of dark stuff in his past. The minute I laid eyes on Ingrid Torelli as the possessed girl Lilly I knew it was gonna be a cracking good performance and she did deliver, simultaneously being this bright bouncy girl and yet simultaneously unnerving and while we don't really see a lot of the demon itself I think the movie understands the quintessential lesson of less is more. It still leaves an impact, it still works in the atmosphere of the film. Ian Bliss as skeptical Carmichael whether you believe in the supernatural or not is a good character to boo and hiss at, he's such a pompous ass who can't fathom something unnatural happening and it's wild to think we essentially have one set, and five characters to bring this 90 minute movie to life and they do nail it! The production as stated is damn good, with a nice little ode to Brian De Palma when the screen splits, and the combination of on air color footage and black & white off air footage really reminded me of Oppenheimer. This undoubtedly has a cult following and I can strongly see why, the concept alone is worth the price of admission and this whole week was just the right remedy to get me hip deep in the Halloween season. But we got more to come, 4 stars, 8/10, and as always remember the owls are not what they seem.

In A Violent Nature

I have rarely seen a more appropriate title.

It is violent and there is nature, what more could you ask for? Funny to think it took this damn long since the slasher trend began in the late 70s to just have a film all from the perspective of the killer themselves, and I thought it worked beautifully. There's not much plot but that's because you're looking from the other side of the mirror, with this undead brick shithouse of a man rising from his grave to retrieve a stolen locket from your typical group of teenagers. But aside from the base premise itself, there's just no other horror movie even slightly like it. In fact I found it to be extremely calming at times, almost constantly surrounded by the sights and sounds of nature interspersed with some gnarly ass kills, it was surprisingly up my alley. It takes it's sweet time and if you got a short attention span you better lock the hell in or give up now, for a movie just a bit over 90 minutes it ain't rushing! There's a lot of long takes and sitting shots, liberal use of wide shots that stick around for a bit, it just has this laid back feel to it which is an odd ass word to describe a slaher film! Hell there's not even a soundtrack, there's three songs all diegetic to the movie that the characters are listening to, beyond that just take in the sounds of nature. I really digged the shit out of this movie and because of the way it was produced and directed, when it came to the kills I was curious and impressed at how they pulled it off, some are more edited but others I'm just wondering if they hacked one of the actors stone dead forever. That's movie magic right there! Again, very simple premise, not a lot of cast, extensive natural locations, it was even made by the same companies as Good Boy with both IFC and Shudder having a hand in it all. That is a coincidence, but as one trained in the Force I know that true coincidences are rare. It's not a modern masterpiece but a very good film it is and I'm kinda curious to look into the sequel at a later period in time. 4 stars from me, 8/10, we got one more for the week so stay tuned.

Good Boy

I think this is the most riled up I'll be all month.

What an interesting movie man, this is truly independent and yet has caused some waves. I mean the simple premise of a ghost story from an animal's perspective is interesting and honestly got me more on the edge of my seat than the vast majority of horror movies, it's not probably that much of a secret humans vastly favor animals than other humans so it's ridiculously easy to get invested. Even me as a cat person through and through, he a good boi! You a good boi! Can I pet that dawg? Indy is a star and I want you to acknowledge it, look at him with his little bowtie on the red carpet! Who is gonna hate on this movie? Not I. It's shot pretty friggin' good honestly, with plenty of atmosphere and touches of that exquisite fall atmosphere I love, with ample senses of dread and foreboding no doubt bolstered by our lead. Even little touches like we don't really see a lot of the human's faces, it plays a lot with shadow very akin to Hereditary, it even gets artsy for a hot second, it's a well directed film! And considering the cast is like three people and a dog, it doesn't have to go far to be effective. Shit when I looked up the movie and saw a runtime of one hour and twelve minutes I was kinda gobsmacked, last damn movie I reviewed that short was when we did Island Of Lost Souls not that long ago, so it really doesn't lolligag about. Sometimes you just don't need much to be good, short ass runtime, small cast, relatively low amount of locations, make not only an effective horror film but a damn fine example of modern independent filmmaking hitting it pretty big. No definitive word on budget but raking in over 2,000,000 buckaroos and plenty of positive word of mouth ain't too shabby! A succesful experiment and we're just getting started for the month. 3 stars, 7.5/10, and next time we'll follow another interesting perspective film that I can't say I've heard of before.

In Retrospect: Nosferatu (2024)

Happy October!

Shit this movie's still really good! It was high time to see it again less than a year since entering the cinema on a cold Christmas night and I can safely say it has improved on repeat viewing. When a movie can make my jaw utterly drop 2 minutes in there's something special about it. I could get lost in the snowy night of this movie for a long time, my God what a visual masterpiece in my opinion. It really takes what was present with the Herzog version and it's nature filled landscapes and only elevates it, the sets, the costuming, the cinematography, it's all a little too damn good. Still just as friggin' horrifying as the last time, it was easy to get creeped right the frak out and it is effective horror even if being only somewhat visceral. Needless to say the performances even stand on stronger ground the second viewing, if anybody got just flat out snubbed for major awards it's Lily! My God woman you had such a great script to work with and your performance will not he easily forgotten for decades to come. Bill the impact you have left on this world and those freaky romantics even more so cannot be understated, an effectively unsettling and gruesome potrayal of the most famous (and best in my opinion) vampire cinema has ever known. I gotta admit it was fun to see Nicholas so recently after Superman and really does show he can play such a wide arrange of parts pitch perfectly. Willem, my guy, my main man, I'll never tire of seeing you in movies regardless of part and I'm thrilled you were a part of this production! Just...it really hammers the point home how finely crafted and handled this entire project was, there are few movies I laud so highly of being such expertly made and flawlessly interlinked from all aspects, to writing to music to worldbuilding. It shouldn't be this good but it just is! The appeal is still strong, the horror is just as rich, the apparent horniness I still don't greatly see albeit it has it's moments, even the drama felt so much stronger and present, if you haven't watched it since I can safely recommend another viewing. Hell even in broad daylight this movie still got under my skin, that's something I can so rarely say it's like seeing Bigfoot and Nessie on the same day kind of rare. A blood soaked shining example of modern day horror, and that trend will definitely continue next week as I catch up on other modern horror films that have cropped up on my radar. 4 stars, 9/10 still, I can't wait to share this whole month with you.