Werewolf Of London

Welcome to the world's first werewolf movie.

Not a bad way to kick off the new year at all! Released in 1935 during Universal's first horror cycle Werewolf Of London centers on a botanist professor who uncovers an extremely rare plant in Tibet before being attacked by someone or more something, and upon returning to London he soon finds he has a strange reaction to moonlight. Now obviously the legend of lycanthropy has been around for some time before this movie and indeed it is a more humble telling than the infinitely more popular Wolf Man film from 1941, but it's still pretty good. Henry Hull as Wilfred has a smidge of the tragic curse that later would be given a much wider breadth with Lon Chaney Jr., but the performance is almost more akin to a Jekyll and Hyde situation where he's a very high class well dressed and spoken man, but when the wolf form takes shape and actually looks pretty awesome I'll say he wears more simple shabby clothes wandering the dark streets of London with a desire to kill yet still walks and acts like a human. It's interesting to see how it began before the trope evolved. Another excellent example of the movie is Warner Oland probably best known to film buffs as Charlie Chan in the early 1930s who plays almost a Van Helsing type character who is familiar with the legend of werewolves and seeks to help the afflicted professor rather than destroy him, he has such a great presence and I find it a crying shame he passed away in 1938 because from what I saw he was a very good actor. Valerie Hobson was a pleasant familiar face to see as Wilfred's wife Lisa, and I gotta say for a 1930s movie she is not at all a damsel or weak willed woman she says what she wants, does what she wants, and is taking no nonsense from man or woman which was great! The look of the film is simple but effective, there's no sprawling sets but each is distinctive and fits that grimy seedy London atmosphere which contradicts nicely with the more swanky socialite gathering homes of the high and mighty. Though mind you it does not take a positive light to any single one of the sharp dressed rich, really painting them as vacuous and idiotic for some light humor. In fact the only real criticism I can give the movie is we spend just a little too long focusing on these ancillary characters instead of say Wilfred or Lisa, the film has brief tangents so I think they were still ironing out their scripts. I mean hell at this point the vast majority of Universal Monster movies were based on literary previously established works that they didn't need to tinker with much, so it's a small complaint. Definitely a minor classic in this catalogue but for lovers of monster movies it's another fine addition to the collection. I give it 2.5 stars, 7/10, and we're jumping 75 years in the future tomorrow so stay tuned.

Rosemary's Baby

Yeah I'm not letting go of the season quite just yet.

I knew what I was getting into, in fact I'd be surprised to find anyone who doesn't know the gist or especially the ending of Rosemary's Baby. It doesn't help we've had over 50 years of cultural osmosis to aid in that little factoid, so do I just spoil the damn thing? I'm angry enough to do it, not because the quality of the picture is bad or any technical details or whatever, but because the events, the AUDACITY on display here would make anyone lose it. I won't lie to you for a second the opening titles made me vastly more interested to watch this than any other reason a person could throw at me, and why the hell does nobody talk about horror gimmick maestro William Castle being the producer on this film?? This is the guy who gave us House On Haunted Hill, The Tingler, and The Night Walker but nobody will put respect on his name for helping get this movie made. Unacceptable! Frankly I'd rather bring that up than the director, I don't really torch people to the ground on this show but yeah not so fucking much with this guy and the laundry list of offenses he's garnered. I wash my hands of this madness. But what really gets on my metaphorical tits with this film is just the sheer blatant abuse poor Rosemary goes through after just moving into a new apartment and wanting to start a family in New Yawk Cit-ay. It starts off innocently enough but that spiral hit for me fast after Rosemary and her husband Guy get to know the neighbors, but of course me knowing the scheme I was ready to start swinging on anyone, in particular her husband. Maybe it's telling in a good sort of way that I do not come into contact with gaslighting asshats regularly, so hearing this sack of shit almost non-stop gaslight, gatekeep, girlboss it up was...infuriating to say the least. In fact I kept waiting for something, anything for Rosemary to take some initiative on and do shit for herself. An empowering film this is not, and when she tries to it's too little too late but I was begging her to murder people in this movie before end credits. Hand over my heart they would have had to redefine the word "manslaughter" after I was done with that prick after the impregnation sequence, basically him chalking up drugging and taking advantage of a young woman as "Yeah it was weird with you being unconscious, but hey I at least trimmed my nails LOL" and even, and EVEN STILL when the other shoe drops and huzzah the Antichrist will walk the earth these sum' bitches are still lying straight to her goddamn face!! What the fuck 1960s??? I'm sure it was done that way to enforce the sheer unwinnable feeling, that dread and paranoia, no semblance of safety in sight kind of mood that pervades the film but at a certain point whether you're a mama or a papa if that's your kid coming into question, you're gonna slice a bitch. That is just it. Honestly if at least the husband or that satanist woman who looks like everybody's diabeetus filled aunt got turned into a human pincushion I wouldn't be this upset! But it's only getting louder and I'm tasting iron on my tongue, and you're saying Dude relax it's a movie to which I reply with, I shan't. And you know me, I don't come at this from some uber feminist ragebait horseshit, I'm a reasonable guy but I've experienced a lot of unreasonable things. It really took me by storm, obviously as you can tell but let's at least talk about the good things here cause it really isn't all bad. Mia babe, holy shit you got snubbed at the Oscars cause man oh man did she act it to 11! So sweet, so hopelessly näive, didn't deserve anything that happened to her at all. Which is funny because I hear despite the stalwart dedication of the translation from page to screen, Rosemary has some backbone in the book. John Cassavetes I have no clue how he played this bastard of a husband so well, but it's really a testament to his acting that you just can't stand the guy for a second, so kudos there! The elderly couple down the hall the Castevets again played super well by Ruth Gordon and Sidney Blackmer, doing such a range from charming yet slightly annoying busybodies to devout Satan worshippers, proper good acting in my estimation! All the on location shooting in New York makes it feel that more real and the apartment building itself has a lot of character and quirks, plus you get a little timecapsule edge to just being on the streets of quite possibly the most famous city in the world. I like the pacing as well, it's a bit over 2 hours and amps up just right as we progress, some would call it boring because in truth nothing all that much happens until the end that we can definitively say is real but I would argue otherwise. Because of the tone and mood presented you kinda are not sitting comfortably, you know something's up but not fully what. I was kinda surprised how trippy the movie got with it's dream sequences adding another layer of strangeness to it all, and to be fair it's directed competently. I did notice a strong lack of score or soundtrack, save for the credits I swear it's all diegetic which enhances the overbearing mood of it all. So on a technical level and even a story level it's a mighty good film but my God it irked me something fierce. Do I recommend it? Yeah if for no other reason than to say you saw it, but it's solid regardless! I give it 3 stars, 8/10! And who the hell says Halloween is over? So check in tomorrow for another devil movie.

In Retrospect: Pearl

You absolute madman Ti!

Sweet friggin' lord this has lost none of it's potency in 2 years time, and I haven't seen it since it hit theaters mainly because I knew this day would come when the end would be near for this trilogy though I'll admit it hasn't left my memory that's for damn certain. But on the rewatch and knowing everything that occurs, I did get more out of it. I strongly believe a theater going or really just any first time watch experience is a reactionary experience, and the more you see a film the more you can read into it. The story of Pearl and how it comes to pass by the time end credits roll is simultaneously relatable and also just disturbing, because of how her character is potrayed you want the best for her in life even when you know it's just not. I'm not gonna get all psychoanalyzing on this or anything, but I get it I even sort of get why she pitchforks people, and the performance given is still the high bar if I've ever seen one. Mia my God, the raw emotion we get out of her here is truly striking and I can't wait to see what she brings to the table in Maxxxine! I did get a hell of a lot more out of her parents in this movie, not that they were bad the first time around but getting a chance to dig into just the state of mind showed so much more. The mom is a lot to handle and it does tip toe into slight Carrie territory at times, but the perspective of her and her life with a humanizing moment does make you feel at least a bit sad that she gets torched and kicked down some stairs. Likewise for the dad who big time props need to go to that actor, man didn't have a line and had to just body language that part and was so good at it, you can see the heartbreak and fear in his eyes when things go south and it packs a punch. I also just appreciate the fact it's a horror movie that doesn't really turn into a horror movie until about the halfway point, it's a slow escalation of events but that doesn't mean the suspense isn't present beforehand. You're almost constantly waiting for the other shoe to drop and she takes an axe to someone's face, it's very nicely done on the pacing side of things. Will fully admit though I thought the whole umm...scarecrow scene was later on, naw that weird ass shit was not even at the 20 minute mark. Granted you have my respect and bewildering admiration for not only going that far but finding an actress game enough to do it, so fair play to you ya buncha' weirdos. I've seen stranger, but not much! I am ridiculously curious what people think of this movie if it's the first one they see, most of us had the benefit of seeing X first so I can't imagine what people's impression is just going into this blind. Do they love it or hate it? Might need to research that. Ending shot still fucking floors me, not since Malcolm Mcdowell staring straight through my soul at the end of Caligula have I seen a final shot quite like that, and yeah that was an experience in the theater I can tell you that right now! It is an offbeat film but one I still very much enjoy and am happy to have watched again, the score remains the same with a 9/10, and now we travel onwards to X which again I haven't seen since opening day so this is a whole ass trip so stick around and I'll see you Wednesday!

A Quiet Place Day One

Okay what the fuck, it was actually good??

In fact if I'm being completely honest with you, it's...kinda amazing. I'm almost stunned shitless writing that but it's true! Like every single aspect just about is exponentially improved over the last two films, now the only thing I truthfully want from this series is I wanna know where and how the aliens got here to Earth. Probably the only person who wants that but I'm curious damn it! But the story here and more importantly how that story is told, if you cut out the monsters this could be a hardcore heartfelt drama! I'm so not even kidding, this film sucker punched me right in the feels and I was so on board before even the first 5 minutes. We follow Sam a young woman who unfortunately is in Hospice care when the event occurs as she makes the decision to trek to Harlem for pizza, finally a goal and direction(!), and she eventually meets a young man named Eric who I think is pretty firmly on the spectrum as they sneak and avoid the creatures in the city that never sleeps. It may seem quite humorous that the endgame is New York pizza and it is a little funny but shit, that is something I can 1000% get behind and the character moments we get from point A to B almost at times make you forget you are watching A Quiet Place. I'm so not even kidding, this is an emotionally investing film and I tell you now without witness and without reward that this damn movie made me cry. The tears welled up in my eyes and a few rolled down my cheeks, I won't spoil it but it was ridiculously sweet and endearing. I can't remember the last time I saw horror movie characters I cared about so strongly, just the performances from Lupita (I love that girl to bits!) and Joseph (whoa dude you were good!) my God they were acting their hearts out here. Marvellous news everyone! The cat is fine, in fact this was one of the most intuitive cats I've ever seen in storytelling and knowing cats can't be trained at flippin' all, congrats to the film crew for making it happen! Shock of all shocks though, no stupid nonsense to behold in this movie it's pretty rock solid from start to finish. Either that or I was so emotionally invested and entertained that I didn't notice. Perhaps I've jumped dimensions once more because this is unbelievable. It was so damn good, no scratch that it was great! I'm still reeling from that fact but whoever it was that answered my prayer for a good movie, just know I said thanks and I'll buy you lunch! Pizza on me. No horseshit Jack. See it, just go see it. Maybe bring some earplugs though cause the theater I went to see it at every loud noise was like a fucking landmine going off, shockwave included, and the movie indulges in some jumpscare tactics so brace for impact if you go over the weekend! So yeah all time high for the week, two big thumbs up from me, 4 stars, 9/10! And we get to revisit and experience the end of one of the strangest yet grand horror trilogies next week.

A Quiet Place Part 2

It probably didn't help I was in an angry mood before sitting down to watch this.

But at the exact same time, I have walked into many a film on a wide range of emotions and the movie (depending on the subject matter) can make me glad or sad. I'm still not 100% behind this film series yet it kinda gave me what I wanted in the first movie. So we pick up literally after the end of the first film with our family unit leaving the farm and making tracks to...somewhere. They don't really have a goal or destination until maybe halfway through, and eventually the group splits with the mom Evelyn hunkering down in an underground safe room while Regan treks out into the world to use her feedback weapon to even the playing field. I think my biggest issue with this series thus far besides the family who still makes brain aneurysm type STUPID decisions, is just the simple fact that there's no...there's no plot! There's no goal, there's no beginning/middle/end where you want to see where it goes. This works so much better as an idea than a film, these lanky ass aliens crash on earth and they hunt and kill through sound alone because they are blind. That's like a short story, not one let alone two feature films! Now maybe I just don't get these semi or full on apocalyptic, earth shattering, survival heavy stories, I just don't watch that shit. I don't have a problem with them, but they are far down the list on the types of films and shows I watch. It's really just down to the lack of story and characters why I'm not too keen on this. Direction and cinematography, is good and looks great at instances! Acting wise, pretty friggin' solid and these people are acting their asses off. Effects, pretty much on par with the first film but those were still good effects. Sound design is damn near flawless, how it swaps from chaotic sound to whoomp unearthly silence is spot on. The new bits we get in terms of the aliens and the worldbuilding are fine additions. But my dear sweet baby Moses there is the epitome of contrived shit in this script, I can scarcely believe it. There is no, zero, nada, zilch, objectifiable reason why these things happen! You know why? Because the fucking script said so. Also on that same topic I almost feel they fiddled with how the whole sound thing works, maybe I'm wrong but I swear in the first movie just any modicum of sound, didn't have to even be loud was game over, but here it kinda ping pongs back and forth where it has to be loud loud like a scream or something breaking to attract the creatures and then like a door hinge squeaks a bit than all hell is about to break loose. Now I know sound is unique to the proximity of you and the environment but I just feel they got away with so much more noise in this movie than previously established. This is an aggravating movie series but not in an overt way, it chips away bit by bit, just fucking picking at you to where you start questioning things that shouldn't be a part of the equation and your blood vessels contract in your head and pretty soon you need some acetaminophen. However! The movie gets points for doing what I wanted it to do, Regan out alone trying to survive. A deaf girl surrounded by sound hunting monsters. And even though she is accompanied by someone, Cillian Murphy has a very good yet albeit brief relationship with her, this kind of neurotic guy who doesn't know Sign is helping this girl make it to her next destination. I like that! I was having a good time with that storyline, it wasn't perfect but I'll damn well take it! Didn't like the ending though, same shit as the last movie, whoop-de-doo! We made like two steps of progress in a 1,000 mile marathon. God you have no idea how much I'm holding out for Day One, we're away from the idiots and we got a new cast, new location, it's interesting to see in depth how this cataclysm began, I will fucking torch the goddamn theater and raze this movie to absolute ashes if anything happens to the cat, please please let it be good! 2.5 stars, 6/10, slight improvement and I'll see you Friday.

Evil Dead (2013)

I don't really know what I was expecting but I figured it would be wise to cover my bases before the new movie hit Friday.

Now I'm not what you would call a mega fan of the Evil Dead movies, I like the first one, I love the second one, and I really like Army Of Darkness. I haven't heard much in the decade since this movie's release, maybe seen a trailer, but this was very much a blind first viewing. And how I wish I could say it was a good movie. I can't even say if it's a remake or a semi-sequel, it seems much more like a reimagining. A group of friends or more I should say a support circle arrive at the infamous cabin for a young girl named Mia who's been struggling with drugs, and of course they find the fruit cellar, poke around, and find a book clearly NO ONE WANTS THEM TO READ! I will give you a hint what transpires, blood. It's not a good sign when a group of five characters in search of an exit are presented and only two of them I like. One of them being friggin' Tabitha from Gotham, and Mia herself. The rest, which unfortunately, we center on for the majority of the film I cannot stand in the least. You're probably familiar with a certain trope of horror movies that concerns very dumb people, yeah there's a bit of that here. It...God almighty, I was so over it. I know you gotta speak the words for the spooky shit to occur but this was egregious man, I mean purposefully out of the way for one of these fucks to know the words and then inexplicably say it out loud. At least it kinda worked in previous movies cause it was on a tape recorder and they didn't know necessarily about the Necronomicon, but this shit heel finds it wrapped in plastic and barb wire, sees the skin bound binding, with seven inches of satanic panic thick pages with clear evidence of blood and he just keeps fiddling with it. How about....no. There's so many bad decisions to be found here. So yeahhh, story is okay but the characters butcher it more than any deadite ever was. However, all is not lost cause holy shit balls! The effects, top tier, 10/10, it's gnarly! I mean wowww the gore is insane and I'd say 99% of it is done all in camera for real for real, all practical baby! So color me grossed out and beyond amazed. Not a great reliance on jumpscares too so hey brownie points for that. I like the look of the film, undoubtedly modern but has a crisp clear cinematography where it mixes a tinge of atmosphere, eerie lighting, and rich blood spewing. It's a grotesque film and the demons or deadites or whatever go for straight horror and do a decent job of it. But is it enough of a saving grace for the movie? Well just as a tribute let's do those drive-in totals, we have: 4 undead bodies, 1 dead dog, brain bashing, glass stabbing, possesed foliage, bloody rain, pyromania, arms roll, hands roll, nailgun-fu, needle-fu, chainsaw-fu, 2.5 stars check it out. I'd personally skip it but if you can find a special effects highlight reel online, you will see craftsmanship of a rare breed. 5/10, I'm honestly terrified to see Evil Dead Rise cause boy this week has not been kind in the movie department. I beg to all the forces of the cosmos, both good and ill, let the next movie be decent. It holds promise and looks decent but that has yet to be decided by me.

Halloween Ends

Alright! We made it.

You might be surprised when I say this but I went into this movie with less than zero expectations. Not at all that I thought the movie would suck, but I literally don't think I even saw a trailer or piece of footage for this movie, and with the internet being the internet I heard some super brief non-spoiler reactions and people said it was the most polarizing and divisive entry in the series and it would take multiple viewings to settle on a score, stuff I haven't heard since The Last Jedi. But the film starts innocently enough with glowing blue titles like in Halloween 3 so you bet I was a pretty happy camper, but the film at a certain point did have me extremely worried. No spilled spoilers from this mouth, but the film takes what was more the undercurrent of Halloween Kills and leans in deeeep with a more introspective almost dissection of the impact of the killings and how the characters are processing it all. I know, I know, not exactly what people would want but man I applaud the movie for pushing that envelope and fully embracing it, trying to go below the surface rather than the blade's tip of depth. We see Laurie actually in a positive state of mind, getting a new house and living with Allison, being social, accepting and moving past the tragedies of her life, and I just love seeing Laurie happy. Some people might argue it goes against her character especially with the death of Karen last film, but guys are you really going to tell me you hate seeing Laurie happy and living her life? Allison meets up with a young man who had a pretty horrific accident happen to him and they start building a bit of a relationship but I can't delve deeper into that. And Michael, okay. Everybody, come in, sit down. There isn't a great deal of Michael Myers in this movie, it almost goes into Season Of The Witch territory and I almost want to say this is his lowest kill count of the series but I will leave that to more professional hands. And there is certain things I would like to say but it's treading so close to spoilers it might as well be slipping into the deep end of that pool so I'll give the slightest hint. If you are fairly informed about how the production ideas for Halloween 5 were developed and very quickly dropped....just saying. Hence my immense worry and possible razing of this film to the ground. But it's okay. It did what I hoped and the ending didn't disappoint. I feel the acting from all parties was spot on and fully commited, bless Jamie and long may her scream queen rule reign, newcomer Rohan Campbell (what a brilliant name) has a lot of screentime and attention but he pulls through and does good work, the chemistry between him and Andi did feel a notch rushed but for her final performamce in this trilogy (Quadrilogy perhaps?) she went out on a good note. James Jude Courtney still has that imposing presence and honestly seeing Michael move fast if even just for a few seconds kinda freaked me out, but as I said because he doesn't have much time it does affect the score, though not by his physical acting he stays tried and true to the last two movies easily. Now, can I indeed see where people might disconnect and divide into their respective camps over this movie? A little bit. My wishlist was fulfilled, I respect the hell out of the movie for going into uncharted territory, I did like it. However. The question now comes into my mind, how will the film hold up on repeat viewings in the future? I just don't know. It could drop, it could stay relatively the same in terms of score. So please take it with a grain of salt, just hang tight before commiting to a positive or negative viewpoint of it until all is said and done and you can form everything you want to say. It's not for everyone, but that doesn't discount or discredit it either. I give it 2.5 stars, 7/10, at the bare bones of it all the movie has my respect for commitment to the end. And that good friends is the last Halloween movie, we got them all done. It took 7 years but we got there. Next week will be easier, mostly.

Jaws The Revenge

I'm probably gonna have to fight on trial to retain my critic's licence.

I don't actually hate Jaws The Revenge, I don't think it's that bad a movie, I know this is coming from the guy who said the Star Wars Holiday Special had a few good things going for it and I did enjoy those bits but just bear with me. Now, does that mean everything works and is good? No. We're already off to a great start when the writer of this film didn't watch a single movie past the first one, and I could possibly argue this movie is a sort of Halloween 20 Years Later where the sequels are ignored and it's just the first and last movie that count. I'm not. You wanna define lazy writing? Try being a writer that did not brush up on previous info specifically for a sequel. And yet, while the actual shark aspect of this movie is in severe what the hell territory, the rest is pretty good! So Sean is now a police officer in Amity, so much for hating water one movie ago, and he gets offed by the shark in the first maybe 10 minutes of film. You know, that cute sweet boy from the first movie who mimicked his dad at the dinner table? Horribly eaten alive. Yeah, I didn't like it either. So Ellen Brody is just devastated beyond words, and Lorraine Gary who came out of retirement for this movie f***ing acts her goddamn heart out in this movie! I am real with you man, if this movie cut out the shark and replaced it with just her son being murdered and she's trying to get past it and find some solace in her life I would watch the hell out of that! The gloves are off and she knocks it clean out of the park! So Michael gets Ellen to visit in the Bahamas where he lives and she meets a pilot by the endearing name of Hoagie played by Michael Cane and a romance blossoms in a natural and rather sweet way. But it can't all be romance and beautiful weather, and the shark trails her from Massachusetts to the Bahamas (...okay) to hunt her and the family there. I...I got nothing, I mean it's already beyond ludicrous but then they compound it even further where I swear they give Ellen some mind link/ESP/force connection to this fish, so everytime the shark strikes she stops dead in her tracks like she knows. Now, I am no screenwriter, I don't write stories or movies, but I'm just saying. What the hell. It's not the bestest of things when I say, oh Jaws 4 isn't that bad when the shark isn't on screen. Maybe that's just me enjoying these characters and Jaws 3 just failed to appease me, but it is the best parts of the movie. You got Lorraine Gary, Michael Caine, Halloween 2 and The Last Starfighter lead Lance Guest, even Mario Van Peebles are just solid actors and have fun with the roles but commit to it fully. I think they are just fun to watch and easy to get invested in. For a movie clocking in at 90 minutes, it friggin' flies by which I'm sure for most people is a blessing, but it felt like I put the movie on 15 minutes ago and the movie was halfway over so it obviously keeps the pace just right. The body count is pathetic, they still got blood in there though so small victories where you can get them, the shark is the worst it has looked yet I do appreciate how much you see it from head to tail and they don't hide the animatronic parts though it is still obviously a motorized puppet. The scenic landscapes of the Bahamas played by special guest star Hawaii, are really nice and I find it interesting the movie takes place around Christmas but you'd never know. Christ, maybe I need to get my ass down to the Bahamas come December, not a tree or light in sight. It's better than 3, but that's about it. Hell the fact I didn't end this week sucking down daiquris and mixed drinks, hating Universal for money grabbing tactics, and just being in a foul mood is good enough for me. 2.5 stars, 5.5/10, and next week if all goes well I got a trilogy for you but not at all from where you would expect.

Rope

This was the film I was most excited to see this week.

The minute I heard of this concept, two upper class men murder their friend and place his body in a box and hold a party where all the guests surround this unbeknownst to them makeshift coffin, I couldn't wait to see it. And not only that but the movie is shot as one continuous take, with 5 cuts (yes I counted) much like Birdman which only fascinated me more to see it. And to think this isn't considered one of Hitchcock's masterpieces, or even one of his major films. That is reaching incomprable levels of bullshit. This is easily top 5 quality for his movies in my ranking. Really the only landmark I hear for this film is this is the first movie that Hitchcock made with Jimmy Stewart, which is nice to see how this relationship started, but are you kidding me that's it? The technicals for this movie alone could be a review in and of itself, the camera movements, the backdrops, the technicolor print, just what the hell were people sleeping on this for? Everyone quotes the classic example of suspense with Hitchcock as the bomb under the table. That changes today. The example henceforth is the maid clearing the stuff off the top of the box, bit by bit, with long walks inbetween, ready to put some books inside the box, that is the purest example of suspense I have ever seen. And while Jimmy does a real good job, more subdued until the end where he gives a great monologue, the shining star here is John Dall as one of the killers Brandon. He is devilishly wicked in this role, always so cool and loving every moment, he has such charm and affability that you could almost forgive him being a killer. The script is also really good, it's not full of that morbid comedy you might suspect, but the discussion considering the right of murder by superior individuals while incredibly easy to make fun of because well...all the characters are upper class white people, is still good writing. I dare say this is the high point of the week, I greatly enjoyed it more than Shadow Of A Doubt so I give it 4 stars, 9/10, might be a bit high but I feel it's that good. Check it out and get this movie more attention!

Shadow Of A Doubt

We can get at least one week of classic movies in.

I hadn't heard of Shadow Of A Doubt until not that long ago, I believe it came to my attention through previously reviewed documentary Nightmares In Red, White, And Blue so I knew bare basics of plot but what an interesting thing it must have been to walk into this movie blind with maybe a film trailer back then. The plot follows a young woman named Charlie who is a bit fed up with her mundane life in an idyllic small town before her uncle also named Charlie comes to visit, and right off the bat you know something is up. Her uncle is being followed by two men, he acts suspicious for brief moments of time, but for a good chunk of the movie you don't actually know what the deal is and the twist reveal is handled incredibly well. Then the plot only thickens from there. It's pretty damn good, and a good deal of it can be laid solely on the shoulders of our leads, Joseph Cotten and Teresa Wright, I of course recognize Joseph as the best friend of Orson Welles in Citizen Kane and he does a real effective job playing an antagonist, and Teresa has a lot of optimistic love that wanes as the film goes on. The film has great camera work with the most excellent use of dutch angles I have seen in a long, long time and good lord did this movie remind me why I love black and white pictures so much. It looks so good, give me those shadows, give me those oblique angles, give me those dramatic shots, I absolutely loved it. I will however note two things that were just...what? Okay, I know this was totally not the intention of the film, less than zero percent even, but wow the relationship between Charlie and her uncle is pushing so friggin' close to romance it's not even funny. Like you can just see it in her eyes she is head over heels for this man and I'm sitting there just praying it doesn't take that next step. The other thing was, and this I actually believe was intentional, is that uncle Charlie got in a rough accident as a kid and fractured his skull and after he recovered he started getting into trouble while he was a quiet child before the incident. Because that's how criminals are made! But in all seriousness this is a great film, I really got super into it and had no idea what was going to happen next, and as the film that Hitchcock said was his favorite of all that he made, I can see why. It's for sure a movie deserving to be at least viewed once, even if only because of Joseph's great performance. 4 stars, 8/10, and the party keeps on going with this director so see you tomorrow.

A Quiet Place

You know....you really just have to make up your own mind in life.

I heard nothing but good things about A Quiet Place, it's a modern horror classic, it's so scary, it's one of the most original horror films in years, blah blah blah. Granted I heard some minor complaints but overall I got the impression of nothing but good things in the movie. And on a production scale, it's very well made. In terms of casting, locations, set production, cinematography, friggin' sound design, you can tell there is highly capable and competent people behind the camera and are doing fine work here. The director knows what he is doing when not in front of the camera and knew what shots he wanted to have. The cast easily convey the intense fear and numbing dread of the situations they are in. The creature design is excellent and gnarly, and the concept of an alien menace who hunts on sound alone while not even slightly original in this movie is a cool concept nevertheless. However. This plot and these characters infuriated me to a point where I haven't been in a long time. Movies don't usually make me angry, this one did. The best f***ing character in this entire movie that easily would have made it a fantastic horror movie with her as the lead is the deaf girl Regan, I mean could you imagine a movie where this young girl is travelling in a post apocalyptic world filled with blind sound hunting monsters but she herself is deaf as she tries to survive. That's an entire book series worth of ideas let alone a feature film. Outstanding acting, couldn't ask for better, she rocks. Like there is so much I commend this movie on except for the plot. I think it's safe to say this is a film that has you asking more questions by the end of it than getting answers, in terms of worldbuilding it's a bit shoddy but at the same time I want to know more, how it all started, how it got to the point of this movie, all that. But the stupidity radiates from the screen from these characters, thankfully it's mostly in the third act but yikes I was complaining like an old man today. Okay. Just....who's f***ing braindead, shit sucking, ass backwards, mind shatteringly, stupefyingly stupid idea was it to go, "Hey you know what we should do when the world is infested with ravenous monsters? Let's f*** and have a baby.". Are you, I can't do it. I cannot goddamn do it. You cu-

Okay I'm back. It's really hard for me to feel sympathy and want characters to stay alive when they are idiots. And the worst part is there are faint glimmers, absolutely great scenes of suspense and terror peppered throughout. Not nowhere near as often enough as it should be, but I'll take it. It's like every good step the movie takes, there's something that throws it off the tightrope for me. It works as a silent film, it has subtitles without me even putting them on, if it was shot in pristine black and white daddy would love what he sees. But there's too much that throws me off from being immersed, scared, intrigued, and just connected to these characters. I was in zero mood to rip this film to shreds, but that's just how it goes sometimes. I expected it to be decent but what I got was average. 2 stars, 5/10, maybe the sequel improves but that is a discussion for another year.

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.

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.

Phone Booth

Rest in peace Joel, you gave me some entertainment all through my life.

For a movie damn near 20 years old and in such a severe shifting world, Phone Booth has not lost any of it's suspense or impact. I mean it's such a fascinating concept alone that you could make a short film of it, let alone a feature length movie. And I feel it was made at that right time in the world when cell phones were becoming more common but payphones were still around, although even I must admit I haven't seen a phone booth in person in 25 odd years. The script is excellent, with a PR guy named Stu who takes an anonymous phone call and very quickly finds himself in the center of a hostage situation with a sniper who always is on the line. There's no doubt been many instances in films where elements of this situation takes place, but the way each event flows into the next, mounting the tension and suspense, must be commended. I mean while the film is no doubt very dated in that early 2000s way, with blue tinting to the film because it's digital babyyy, and the weird fast pans and dutch angles, even I can't give shit to Joel because this was how a good portion of films looked until say 2006/2007 when it finally died off. Colin Farrell is a great lead, and you can believe someone as fast talking and bullshit spewing as his character can get in such a situation. This might be sort of strange to say, but I heard more Kevin Spacey over the phone than Keifer Sutherland but really the guy has a great voice, voice acting high quality type of voice that I would be interested to see more of. There were several points I really had to step back and asses the situation which brought moments of laughter from me, though this gets heavy and intense before even the 15 minute mark and the movie is not even 90 minutes but it certainly doesn't waste a second of film. Most of the time I was in suspense because you don't really know when or not the trigger is going to be pulled and I did see the ending coming, but the curve balls it threw at me hit well. This is a great film to while not necessarily think what you would do in that situation, but vicariously try to find a way out of that situation. It's entertaining and gives you a rollercoaster to go on, and I'm truly happy I saw it. 4 stars, 7.5/10, I might even say this is Joel's best directorial efforts more so than The Lost Boys but there's always more to see.

Dawn Of The Dead

I find it pretty surprising this movie came out a full decade after Night Of The Living Dead.

That movie probably was the most succesful independent picture ever at that moment in time, but George really got screwed over with his profits from the movie so maybe he took the time to better his knowledge of the film industry and better himself as a director before returning to make a sequel. I think that's the biggest question of all these Dead movies, is each subsequent movie following the events of the last or is it just a standalone film? And to me personally, I think this is a follow up to Night with the zombie epidemic spreading, nobody knows what in the hell is going on, groups of hunters and soldiers are patrolling the woods, I totally can see this as a continuation. We meet up with some new characters, a TV newsperson, a helicopter pilot, and two SWAT officers who meet up and decide the best place to hide out is a shopping mall. I find it incredibly interesting how much malls have changed in the ensuing 40 odd years, it really was the place to get everything and not just clothes, entertainment, and beauty products. They had food shops, hardware stores, arcades, banks, it truly was the one stop place if you had the scratch, so it's rather an ingenious place to hole up. The pacing of the film I feel was perfect, I'm not sure which cut of the movie I got, it clocked in past 2 hours and had a lot of the soundtrack by Goblin which is a great soundtrack by the way, so was it the theatrical cut or like a director's cut? Well I looked into it. The history of this movie is completely f***ed, there's so many different versions since it premeired depending on where you lived due to censorship, but yes the version I watched was the theatrical cut which apparently Romero preferred the most so I'm happy about that. But anyway, the film takes it's time showing these people survive in the mall, it takes about half an hour for them to get there which helps set up how the public is dealing with the situation and the pandemonium experienced by news crews, and when there's less than 30 minutes before the end is where the climax starts. It's pretty great, with a motorcycle army led by Tom Savini crashing their sanctuary and going wild, there's so much that happens it's difficult to recount everything that occured but instantly memorable at the same time. Good ol' Ken Foree is back and center stage and I flat out stated early in the movie, if he lives I'm gonna love it, and this film got me jumpy to see if he made it. In fact I really liked all our main characters, each having good personality and inner workings with the other characters that made them really click. Christ, they never even argue and start going at each other's throats, isn't that nice? Cooperation, it's grrrreat! I heard Tom Savini wasn't very pleased with how the zombies looked cause they had a slight blue tint to their skin tone, but honestly I never had a problem with it because the blood spurts and gore was divinely disgusting with once again the intestines being the real gross out moment for me, I mean I kinda felt queasy watching that, but I like the way they look once again being very minimal and I find the blue tint logical, if you lose oxygen you start turning blue so it makes sense why they look sort of ashy grey mixed with a smidge of pthalo blue. But before I start telling you what we wash our brushes with, let's continue. I really really liked it, maybe even more than the first. I still loved the cinematography, I really loved the soundtrack, acting was great, effects were great, the story was interesting and had it's suspenseful moments, I can't wait to see Day Of The Day which many now consider to be the best of them all so sign me up. 4 stars, 8.5/10! Hell you think this is how store employees feel on black friday? I'd take a machete to their brains too guys...

Friday The 13th: The Final Chapter

Mmmm, this is where it gets tough.

Which do I like better part 2 or part 4? Even I'm a bit surprised when I say part 4 "The Final Chapter" is the best of the lot. After all my praise for the second movie, this really took those elements and boosted it to 11. I love the cast, the effects are pretty grand, the story works really well, and I was more invested in this than any that have come before it. So once again we pick up after the events of part 3, having an ultimate recap that make the Rocky movies burning with envy, with Jason being taken to the morgue and a group of teenagers are renting out a house next to the Jarvis family. But knowing Jason, all he needs is a power nap to recover from any head wounds and is on the hunt for fresh blood. I was heavily shocked with the characters this time around, it has to be quite possibly the only slasher movie where I wanted no one to bite the dust besides Halloween. I really enjoyed these people, and the cast must be commended for their work bringing personality and charm to them all. I genuinely got pretty good reactions from all of the death scenes due to the masterful work of Tom Savini who came back for the final round, and the cast who made these characters very likeable so it made me pull a gross out or shocked face every single time. Jason is at his best here doling out memorable kills galore and getting a improved facelift from last movie, and while it does suck to hear Ted White really detest the movie due to production troubles I still feel he's the best Jason yet. I had a great time with this movie, so dang memorable, so dang entertaining! From good and even funny bits of dialogue, to the best dance scene ever put to celluloid (don't try to fight me), the great effects, it's a wonderful time at the movies. 4 stars, I kinda want to give it an 8/10 and I think it deserves it so sue me, this is worth every second of your time. I mean you got Crispin Glover and Corey Feldman doing their thing and doing it well, and if that doesn't get that little .5 boost to an 8 then I simply have no clue what will. And to close this week out, I think this fandom is brilliant that no matter how many different video releases there are, no matter if it's on a box set with 11 of the Friday The 13th movies, it's always titled The Final Chapter. They know, I know, I appreciate a sense of humor like that, you're wonderful. Oh yeah go check out Dead Meat on the YouTube's too, it's quite honestly spectacular and their videos on this series are always a favorite of mine.

Next week, a movie series with a bit more spice from an interesting director.

Friday The 13th Part 3

This is very very much more the movie you think of when you think Friday The 13th.

I just don't mean the first appearance of the hockey mask but just in terms of characters, story, and Jason himself. Personally I think this is the most average entry in the series so far, I really only enjoyed our final girl, Jason, and the final confrontation. I think it was a combination of the stock characters, the average bordering on dull plot for a slasher movie, and those little leaps of logic only to be found in a horror movie that really made this a giant ball of ehhhhh. And yeah, it's no secret this was meant to be seen in 3D, I would have to call you a complete waste of brain matter if you didn't know, and the horrible thing is well how shamelessly blatant it is. The object is always smack bang in center frame, looks like it's about to hit the camera from shoving it so close, and a nothing short of awkward lingering runtime on it. It's...yikes. At least I have greatly liked all our main protagonists in this series, including this one but as for the rest of the cast, well let's discuss. This is about as cookie cutter of a horror movie cast you can get, we get the good looking male lead, the sexophile couple, the potheads, the dweeb, and the main girl. Really most of the acting is okay but boy does it have it's moments, and I see so much of what now is considered complete cliche horror fodder in this movie right off the heels of one of the best not just in this series but this genre of horror. Jason has a good update though, going from feral wildman to a more tall and lean appearance, gone is the sack of shame and we get the fancy mask, and a pretty good face to go with it. Hell we even get the machete wielding Jason too in this one, but it's kind of funny to think Jason didn't have the mask from the get go and took almost an hour of this movie to see him in it but well worth the wait. I also find it interesting that this could very well have been a trilogy, there's no loose ends or cliffhanger at the end of this so it could have been possible to lay these movies to rest in 1982. Honest to God, unless you want to see the origin of the hockey mask which in and of itself is quite dumb you could skip this one big time. It's not horrible but it certainly could have been better. 2.5 stars, 5.5/10, thank the heavens part 4 is up next.

Friday The 13th Part 2

I was shocked I won't lie.

Friday The 13th was good do not get me wrong, but part 2 in my opinion is a rare case of the sequel being better. I kinda loved it, and for a movie being released just one year after the original it didn't feel rushed or botched at all. So the story takes place about 5 years after the original with a new set of camp counselors opening not Camp Crystal Lake but a neighboring camp, while Jason takes center stage for the first time in the series to guard his favorite summer getaway. I was really surprised how well this movie works, the pacing could not be better I mean this is a 90 minute movie that flies by, I quite liked all the characters and each was striking and memorable in their own way, it's shot very well and has those bits of atmosphere which I'm very much a fan of, and the effects are real good but not quite the peak which we'll see later. The only real complaint which in and of itself is a nitpick is the ending very much hits the beats of the first movie, but I think from here on it does it's own thing. But it wasn't just the production stuff that surprised me, the kills get more inventive, there's a real spike in nudity with this entry, probably the most explicit of them all I mean you get the buttocks, the breastises, you even get full frontal which just floored me to see in a widely released horror film at that time. You think I would have remembered something like seeing full bush, though I will say I haven't watched this one in about...shit like 10 or 12 years. I didn't really hit the slasher genre till I was 13, so it's pretty cool to watch the Friday's again. I had a great time with this one, so much so that I think it's gonna be real tough to top the quality presented here. I'm actually incredibly curious where this entry ranks among the big fans of this series, cause I for one hold it higher than the first, which may or may not get an arrowhead shoved somewhere unpleasant in me but there you go. 4 stars, 7.5/10! Check it out if you haven't already and we'll catch you next time in the third dimension.

In Retrospect: The Invisible Man

Does it hold up on a second viewing?

Well with most mystery movies and horror movies, your first initial emotional experience will be different from the second and so on number of viewings, thus leading to more critical analysis of the movie. But I still say I love The Invisible Man, even if the scares don't get me it still holds my attention, and regarding the fact the villain cannot be seen it still makes your eyes dart around wondering where he is. Elisabeth Moss is acting her heart out, her character really going through hell and back again before she gets out of it and she potrays it so well. I heard people's voices of confusion regarding the identity of the Invisible Man, but I personally saw it as a duo act to keep up the illusion of Adrian's death. Even if the story doesn't do it for you, the way the movie is shot is excellent, the slow pans are a fascinating but highly effective decision on the director's part. I still gush over the ending, it really was everything I wanted it to be and while this is no doubt a self contained movie, to see Elisabeth Moss back would be a real treat. Apparently they got Ryan Gosling cast as The Wolfman, an interesting choice but one I can see working, Larry Talbot is a very nice, more laid back, everyday kinda dude which is what I get from Ryan outside of his acting roles. I find these movies to be very important to get younger people, at the very least aware and at the very best interested, in the classic Universal Monsters. It's a niche yes, but an important cornerstone of horror movies to this very day and still a pop culture giant. It really is the perfect movies to introduce kids into this genre, because while younger generations see Freddy, Jason, and Michael Myers as classic horror icons they can't really watch them due to the blood and nudity, and the classic monsters could very much be enough to spook them without traumatizing them. That's how I watched them, back when I was 8 years old and obviously it worked considering my stance on horror has done a total 180° since I was that young. And really the fact that people still want to tell these stories with these characters dare I even say icons, to this day is the true victory. I still very much like The Mummy but I can see where Universal stumbled and am so happy they haven't given up on it. But The Invisible Man is still a fine movie, beautifully shot, very well acted, still holds some suspense and more importantly your attention even on multiple watches. Thumbs up from me without a doubt!

Birds Of Prey next, very much enjoyed it while still accepting it's faults, will it continue to do so? Probably yeah, I'm an easily amused and fun loving individual.

The Invisible Man (2020)

This was a goooood movie.

I wasn't disappointed a bit leaving the theater, this is how you modernize a classic horror film. Yeah, it kinda breaks my heart we won't have the Dark Universe crossovers but then again Universal has shifted gears and is still willing to give us modern retellings of the Universal Monsters so I'm still going to be on board. And I feel they executed this premise perfectly, as much as I love the original it feels more like a comedy with the characters themselves experiencing the horror than the audience, but this film does it right. It's pretty much a horror movie already, with a young woman named Cecillia who escapes the clutches of her mentally abusing boyfriend and yet still feels like someone is watching her and starts psychologically and physically attacking her. I mean that's kind of brilliant, having a obsessive control freak stalk you is pretty horrific as is but then we add on the element of him being like a super genius in the fields of optics and constructs a suit which renders him completely unseen and that just makes it more scary. This film does understand the notion of what you don't see is far more scary than what you do see, and doesn't waste opportunities with it. Yeah, the movie still relies on the jumpscares but I chalk that more up to modern horror cinema but it does still get on my nerves. If movies just cut the ear raping racket of indistinguishable noise and simply let the visuals work I feel it can be vastly improved. Regardless the effects are done really well, and the film knows when to build up suspense and when to just let loose and run wild, which I very much appreciate. You can tell Elisabeth Moss is not screwing around, this woman acts like she's going through the 9 circles of hell and back again, she just goes for it and is the reason why the movie works so well. Really every performance is done seriously and feels real, with particular love going to Aldis Hodge I mean that guy is great. I just had such a great time seeing this, and really was impressed with how they handled everything, from the premise, to the mechanics, to the story flow, and even the ending gave me everything I wanted, it works so very well. But it does make me wonder what could be next cause you have to remember, the Universal Monsters are majorly in the gothic horror department, so how could they do modern retellings of classic characters? How could they do Dracula? How could they do The Wolf Man, or The Bride, or The Mummy? I'm not saying every movie has to be set firmly in reality and be very serious, but the question does arise. My bet would be doing Creature From The Black Lagoon next, it's a buyable premise that a creature who has survived millions of years of evolution living in the Amazon without change and is soon discovered by explorers could do so well, and be a very entertaining movie. The main thing they need to do is keep it horror centric, make it scary, make it unsettling, make it horrific. That's what they did here, and if Blumhouse wants to keep making classic monster movies with Universal then have a ball my friends cause I'll be there opening day everytime showing my love for the golden age of horror films. 4 stars, a solid 8/10, and I will be waiting for the next one to premeire.