Village Of The Damned

In terms of horror remakes, I don't think this deserves a lot of hate.

Now I will admit I've only seen the first 20 minutes of Children Of The Damned awhile ago, so I can't properly compare notes so we are discussing the merits of this movie alone. I quite liked it, even though I hear tale John was doing the movie out of obligation to the studio and not because of his own passion and creativity, and even the shooting was a disaster with residents of the town harassing the film crew throughout, so with all that negativity in mind the production is pretty solid. From the brief instances of knowledge considering the original the plot isn't much different, a mass blackout in a small town leads to the birth of several children with mind controlling abilities causing havoc and despair as the parents try to figure out a way to resolve the situation. It's a fascinating plot regardless of decade, and it didn't take long for me to get into it and to know how it was going to end. I will however state a supreme amount of enjoyability in this movie goes to the fact that Christopher Reeve and Mark Hamill are in this movie, though I will not detest anyone's acting in this movie. I know child actors get a lot of flak because they can't emote properly but here, it works entirely to the advantage of these kids and they all do brilliant work even though only two of them get any spotlight. It breaks my heart constantly seeing Christopher in this, being this was the last movie he made before his accident and I simply love that man more than I could say. Coincidentally enough the movie came out one day after I was born, to mixed reviews and a less than average box office. But like I said it genuinely isn't that bad! The cast does good work with passion, the production budget is lower but still does a lot with what it has to do, I really digged the effect on the eyes implementing some basic CGI to good effect, the story moves at a good pace and if anything it makes me want to finish the original to compare notes. Boy howdy though this was some 90s shit man, just little things that I noticed that really screamed the decade at me. Kirstie Alley is a damn chimney stack in this, smoking nonstop even in a hospital, yeah remember when that was okay? Seeing a classroom with a bulky TV in the back, that brought back some memories and a half. I'm not sure what the explanation is for the children in the first film but we flat out get X-Files up in here with an alien in a glass jar, I was almost expecting David Duchovny to make a surprise cameo. It's by no means a great film but you can have a good time with it, and really anybody could have directed it despite Carpenter having his name on it, but it's decent. 2.5 stars, 7/10, time to make the trip back to Haddonfield tomorrow.

Prince Of Darkness

A less talked about but still good Carpenter film.

I think John was starting his kick on commentary on society and in this case religion, this film was made a year before They Live and after the commercial flop of Big Trouble In Little China wanted to go way out there on his next project. Out there he succeeded. The plot follows a group of college students (all in their 30s of course) as they are under mysterious circumstances told to set up a laboratory in an abandoned church where a 7 million year old canister is found. Like I said, the film deals with religion throughout, even throws out some radical ideas on the concept of faith, God, Satan, and all that good jazz which I found really interesting and for some people I know this film can get under their skin. The film again much like The Fog, has that suspense angle going strong where you know something is up from the start, something is about to happen, but you have no idea what and more importabtly when, and it keeps you on the edge of your seat throughout. It's great to see Dennis Dun and Victor Wong in a movie together again, and while Victor is still somewhat the Egg Shen of this film it's interesting to see Dennis go from the believer to the skeptic. Donald is great in this too, even gives a pure evil speech, and maybe they were just having a laugh on the DVD but on the subtitles he's called Father Loomis which I got a kick out of, we love this man unconditionally and always will know him best as Dr. Sam Loomis. Another surprise cameo in the form of Alice Cooper as a posessed hobo and a lot of love goes to him too, he's a great guy and contributed to horror music and cinema extensively. The effects are still done nicely, more minimalistic until the end but still grotesque in it's glory. Like God dang it, another John Carpenter theme to add to the music library, the guy just knows how to make good creepy music and it's subtle which is why it works so well here. I think people should see this movie, I mean you're always going to have Halloween, The Fog, The Thing, They Live to talk about so give this a shot. I personally give it 3 stars, 7.5/10, and we got one more to go before Halloween Kills so see you tomorrow.

The Fog

Only took 26 years, but better late than never.

Yes one of the few directorial John Carpenter movies I haven't gotten to and after hearing a lot of good word of mouth and praise for this movie, I must admit I wasn't disappointed. Even though I knew the basic premise, it's basically a ghost story come true for a sea side town when a mysterious glowing fog envelops the town with vengeance seeking mariners as people try to survive, it still worked incredibly well. Obviously with a title like The Fog there is going to be a lot of emphasis on atmosphere rather than gallons of blood, and the seaside California scenery is incredibly beautiful and now comes the part where I bow down to Dean Cundy who was the cinematographer for this film and also The Thing. Sweet God is this man a master of his craft, there is so much I want to commend him for in this film alone but don't have time for. The lighting, camera placement, and exposure is excellent, able to make a frame completely engulfed in fog not look flat or boring or dull. The pacing couldn't be better, this film flies by at about 90 minutes and some people could complain there isn't too much character dynamic or not enough meat on the bones of the story but I didn't take issue with it. Adrienne Barbeau is our star as a disc jockey in a lighthouse reporting on the fog, as we meet other character who are slowly piecing together this mystery of what the hell is happening. I practically had a grand time just picking out the references here. John Carpenter himself makes a cameo in the beginning of the film, Tom Atkins before Halloween 3 makes an appearance whose character is literally named Nick Castle (ha ha ha), Jamie Lee and her mom Janet both have parts, Nancy Loomis is in the movie, Rob Bottin who made the effects on The Thing come to disgusting reality worked on the effects here and had a small part, Waitely and Arkham which are both Lovecraft locations are names of the surrounding ares, there's a credit to a Dr. Phibes in the credits, and even a nice nod to classic poem turned Iron Maiden epic Rime Of The Ancient Mariner is briefly brought up. It's just this strange microcosm of John Carpenter's work in one film, and I really did love it. It's not at all bloody or grotesque but still got an R rating, much like Halloween did 2 years earlier but it's a visually rich film and lord knows how they got all that fog to work as well as they did outdoors and even on set, try manipulating something that requires nature to make it work. The score is also one of the best horror film soundtracks I have heard since It Follows, like it is that damn good and I do want every track. I give it 3.5 stars, 8/10, very basic in story but has a different kind of power over the horror masses. Next time, a more obscure Carpenter film.

Nightmares In Red White And Blue

What a day. What a lovely day!

YES!!! It's here, the most wonderful time of year! And what better occasion to actually talk about one of my favorite documentaries of all time, no joke I really do sit down and watch this at least once every single year. And I've seen really good documentaries on Friday The 13th, Nightmare On Elm Street, and I can't truly put my finger on why this one is such a instant classic for me. It follows the basic history of the horror genre from 1910 to 2009, seeing how the genre shaped and formed throughout each decade. I think the biggest reason I always come back to this is because of the guests, they really pulled all the stops cause you get John Carpenter, Joe Dante, friggin' Lance Henriksen narrates, Roger Corman the king himself, and good ol' Mr. Romero all are there among other dignified and quite intelligent guests. It's just so interesting to hear their stances on specific films and what horror meant to them as time went on. And in true horror style they don't shy away from anything, oh sure you see the blood and the nipples and the hoopblah, but it brings up real world shit and they show real world shit whereas other documentaries might not even bring it up. The collection of clips did elicit reactions from me whether from film or life, and it's a practical feast to the eyes seeing so many advertisments for horror movies and clips galore. But the film is not terribly in-depth and the production values while still good are on the lower end of the spectrum, and that honestly doesn't hurt it for me personally, credits and all it's about an hour and forty minutes so you certainly get ample time. To be honest the thought never once occured to me until I watched this for the first time, is the fact that horror movies are the most reflective and product of their times pieces of media ever. You get a real strong grasp on that time and place in the world and more importantly what scared it by watching a certain horror movie, Invasion Of The Body Snatchers sums up the 1950s, The Exorcist sums up the 70s, and so on. I was just watching a scary movie before but if you stop and think about it, pieces of the jigsaw start popping into place. It's just a wonderful documentary and you can watch it on Amazon Prime right now, it gets nothing but recommendations from me and I hope you have a real good time with it as well. 4 stars, 8/10! And I might just say screw it and give you a fun and family friendly movie to check out this Saturday, I mean this year is off enough as is so if you can't beat it join it.

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...

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!

The Thing (1982)

Well we already did a funny John Carpenter movie with Kurt Russell so why not a deathly serious one?

You know, rewatching The Thing has really reminded me why it's such a great sci-fi horror movie. The story follows a research team in Antartica who after investigating a Norwegian base close by them discover that an alien organism who can assimilate and copy another organism's likeness may have infiltrated their base. So the chase is on to destroy this creature before it can reach civilization and assimilate the entire base. What I love most about the film and the most prominent factor is the atmosphere. You believe the sense of isolation and deathly freezing weather in this movie, there are many shots of just empty rooms and hallways really showing how little life there is and several stated facts from the characters how dangerous the climate is at their south pole base. I'm serious I was freezing when I was watching this movie and I do not keep it seriously cold in my house. The music by Ennio Morricone is just friggin' creepy as hell, I mean you just have to listen to the main theme and you get freaked out. The characters are pretty good in this movie and the sheer paranoia and fear they have towards this thing is actually quite affecting, like I did not even want to touch my own hands after this movie it got to me that bad, just the thought of a malicious alien being who could take over your body at a mere touch is very unsettling. The acting is damn good in this movie, this is exactly how people would react to a situation like this, and everyone does a good job at keeping you guessing who's human and who's not. The film is very good at hiding who is the thing, because you can't tell at all until the horrifying transformations take place, and yeah the special effects are freaking unnerving and spectacularly shocking. The first transformation scene doesn't even happen until thirty minutes in giving lots of time to build atmosphere and characters, and the first time you see it your jaw will drop. This movie is awesome and a true science fiction classic if I have ever seen one. You have got to see this movie if you are a science fiction or horror movie fan. You will not be disappointed at all, unlike that BS remake/prequel movie they made in 2011! But I digress. Just watch this one.

They Live

Recently I saw a very touching tribute to famous wrestler Roddy Piper and one of the short clips they used was his performance from the cult film They Live, and I wish to dedicate this review to his memory.

They Live is a fantastic science fiction movie directed by John Carpenter and starring Roddy Piper and Keith David. The story follows a drifter played by Piper as he moves to the west coast looking for work, he meets a construction worker played by Keith David who takes him into a shantytown where they both live. While there, several strange things happen that make Piper's character investigate a small church where there are dozens and dozens of cardboard boxes filled with nothing but mysterious sunglasses, he tries them on while walking through the city and soon discovers that an alien race has been slowly pushing the human race into conformity. So Roddy Piper and Keith David join the hunt to liberate humanity from the alien menace. To be honest this is a bit of a satire as well as a science fiction movie, since the film was made in the late 80's it takes a jab at Reagan era economics and how everyone and everything was selling out for a quick buck. But there is a hell of a lot more to the movie then just a punch at commercialism, the characters are normal everyday people who just try to rebel against something they just learned was real two days ago, Roddy Piper is the true star playing a wordly, strong, and a bit of a wise ass guy who is coping with the fact that aliens are treating the human race like cattle and it doesn't take him long to start kicking some ass. Keith David is a damn good actor, and this movie is no exception and the most memorable scene in the movie where he gets in a fistfight with Roddy Piper in an alley for six minutes, and seriously for six minutes the fight is insanely long and really funny at just how long it goes on is only just one highlight of the film. Not many people would fully understand the movie and it has grown a significant cult following in over 20 years, and I quite enjoyed it. It's a really good science fiction movie that has a lot of wit and cynacism to it. I would definitely say you should view it at least once in your life just to experience it. Give it a watch, and see what you think.

Big Trouble In Little China

Well seeing as how I've already done one John Carpenter movie, I decided to review another.

Big Trouble In Little China is one of the greatest cult films of the 80's, with such stars as Kurt Russell and Kim Cattrall and a fantastic crew of supporting characters. The story follows a truck driver named Jack Burton played by the amazingly bad ass Kurt Russell, who believe it or not is actually the comedic sidekick and not the action movie star you would expect, who meets up with an old friend of his and the true hero of the story Wang played splendidly by Dennis Dun, as he is swept away into a world full of sorcery and Chinese legends. Now I'm going to be honest here, the first time I saw Big Trouble In Little China I just thought it was an okay movie, but I watched it again and enjoyed it so much more. This is a very comedic, very funny movie, with lots of action and fighting, mysticism and magic, awesome acting, a fantastic soundtrack composed by John Carpenter, and is really just a fun little movie to watch, and seeing how the film is barely over an hour and a half long it won't take too much of your time if you are interested in watching it. Now this is a very different story and you probably won't understand and enjoy it the first time you view it, but let that in no way deter you from viewing this movie. It's a lot of fun, Kurt Russell steals the show as Jack Burton, the special effects are grand in that 80's sort of way with practical effects and all, and I really just found the movie interesting, it's not everyday that you run across a movie like Big Trouble In Little China and it is worth your time and money if you want to try something new and different. I recommend this movie for Kurt Russell fans, John Carpenter fans, cult film fans, and people who just love original and strange stories. It's a gamble, but it's on Netflix and Amazon Prime so you can watch it without paying money for it. Give it a shot and tell me what you think.