It has been a long time since I’ve seen a monster movie that was well worth the price of admission. I didn’t even see this movie when it came out in theaters. But after waiting for it to arrive on rentals, I finally decided to bite the bullet. At first glance, this seems like another blow out blockbuster, but there are layers to this movie that make it a lot of fun. Note, I said fun. If you apply logic, even though the movie begs you to do so, you’re going to be soured fast. I was soured by the logical problems associated with this film, but I did like the larger grandiose display. In fact, it’s a fun ride, with a lot of modern elements to cheer, more than the lack of logic, but hey, that’s Hollywood for ya, right? It’s an interesting romp that deals with a few key historical points, and lots of great editing. “Kong: Skull Island” could very well be the best monster, science fiction movie I’ve seen this year. But that’s not saying much, right?
The movie starts off with some killer editing. Richard Pearson’s editing job is great here. Larry Fong’s cinematography is great, and the music works to set up cues that are right for the time frame. There are some great moments here, and a bit of history to boot. The movie starts off in 1944, at the end of the second World War, and you get to see a group of individuals that are going to an uncharted island. They are going for a variety of reasons, but no one mentions Kong, until he shows up and strikes down the United States Military. Samuel L. Jackson, John Goodman, and Tom Hiddleston round out the major actors, and I didn’t even recognize Brie Larson at first glance. John C. Reilly also shows up, but you first get sequencing that sends the military group with scientists to the island to explore, chart, and map the terrain. This prompts Kong to show up and start defending his territory, and a revenge plot begins with Samuel L. Jackson becoming a badass throughout the movie.
The plot is simple, and the movie starts to make little sense as it goes through. I started to question the logic mid-way through the movie, but appreciated the spectacle. You cannot apply logical questions to the movie, because you’ll run yourself ragged. I did appreciate the visual design flow, and the beauty of the shots, as well as the great after effects work, green screen work, and practical effects that were used. A lot of work went into presenting the beauty of the Island, and the insanity that comes with fighting off a monster. I loved it.
The movie is not a bad one. I liked the flow, the action, and the dialogue at times. The editing really got to me. As a History major, I really loved the way the juxtaposition of real military elements were mixed in with the fantasy of Kong, and the ethos that went back to the classic monster movies. You may be a fan of the original King Kong movies, but this is definitely an upgraded, up to date, and inspired movie with a lot to offer. It’s swift, it’s slick, and it certainly has a lot of great action, although, it is missing that “Scary”, “horror” element that sunk into latter Kong movies. It’s a nice science fiction, monster movie, throwback, with a great visual design flow. I liked it, but probably won’t spend too much time watching it again and again like I did the originals.
Japanese monster movies have a life of their own. They are not just one sided, and they are not just based on Godzilla. Some are laughable, some are grand but no matter how you want to label them, you’ll find that the influence they have made on Hollywood is extraordinary. You may find that even today, the thrill of the mega monster movie is alive and well, and that’s not just because Godzilla just pulled $93 million at the box office over the weekend. Compiling this list was not easy, but hey, someone’s got to do it right? It’s with that in mind that I present to you the top 5 Japanese Monster Movies of all time! You can purchase these by visiting Amazon HERE, otherwise miss out on the biggest and the best.
King Kong Escapes (1967)
Dr. Who has created a mechanized monster that looks exactly like King Kong and is looking for Element X. It is found deep in the caverns of the North Pole, and fails due to the cold. At that point the mad scientist goes to Mondo Island to capture the beast known as Kong. The plot thickens and it’s like a poorly constructed version of the 1933 movie, only with robotic Kong as the villain and the Tokyo Tower playing as the backdrop for an epic battle. This one had me laughing, and I love the parody, even if it wasn’t intentional. This was just cool, I don’t know what else to say about it, and even the poster is cool. Watching Kong take on a metal counterfeit is pretty cool, and this one has a lot more appeal than just the poster, so watch out for it. I should've positioned it higher on my list, now that I think about it.
Matango (1963)
I saw this when I was a kid, thanks in large part to VHS and it’s awesome. A shipwreck lands a group of people on a far off island, and there they find wild mushrooms, but that’s not all, they discover Mushroom People! This iconic horror film is more comedic in nature, and on par with “Plan 9 From Outer Space”. There are some bleak tones, and themes that are beyond the imagination of average horror and fantasy movies. The weird science fiction elements play well with the mad scientist idea that comes at the beginning. This may not be the pinnacle of monster movies, nor is it going to sit well with many, but I think it’s a fine monster flick from Japan.
Goke (1968)
Goke is also known as Body Snatcher From Hell and other titles in the United States. The movie features a mix of vampire lore, and monster movie moments. Some people compare the movie to “Lost” but I find it more on par with a vampiristic type of horror movie. The survivors here face a fate worse than death, as they must fight to live amidst what very well maybe the best vampires coming out of Japan. There’s a lot of little things that make this one a classic, more than I can really talk about in a quick blurb here. Over time it has become one of the cult classics that has seen numerous releases, and lots of praise from more fans than just my pesky list.
Gamera 3 (1999)
I was in high school when I got a bootleg copy of this movie and it’s one fine monster movie. Gamera returns from the edges of lackluster film, and brings about one of the best comebacks ever. So much so that the critics and most fan boys agree that the special effects and story found in this one is top notch. Some critics even noted that the movie plays on an “X-Files” note, and it really does do more for the genre than most other movies that mimicked the success of Godzilla and the original Gamera. Some people don’t like this monster, but I’ve always liked the notion, perhaps it’s because I like turtles. Gamera is badass in this movie, just simply badass!
Godzilla (1954)
The mother of them all, right? Godzilla’s initial movie came out in 1954 and sparked incredible interest from all over the world. The movie presents a lot of science fiction tones, and can be seen as funny at times, but it’s quite the accomplishment for movie making. The plot involves a giant monster that ravages Tokyo with heavy devastation not unlike World War II. The special effects were top notch, the critical reception was grand, and it has changed the face of the monster movie in a lot of ways. Sure, King Kong from the 30s was grand, but compared to the rampage that Godzilla brings out, Kong is outmatched. This is the #1 monster movie from Japan, hands down.
There you have it, 5 of the best monster movies that have come out of Japan ever. If you are going to go back and see these iconic pieces of cinema, please purchase the dvd or stream them from Amazon here. It will help me get this site more reviews and possibly get a prize for you 3 or so readers still interested in what I do here.
And now, a guest post, about a movie that I find to be amazing. Enjoy, while I set up more movies and what not to review in the near future.
When it comes to scary movies, there are plenty to choose from given their long history. Going as far back as 1922 with the release of “Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror”, starring Max Schreck as the vampire Count Orlok, this German Expressionist horror film truly gave rise to the scary movie genre through director F.W. Murnau's inventive use of the German Expressionist film ideals and chiaroscuro lighting effects – the former now defunct and the latter used rarely in film.
The film opens with an idyllic scene between Thomas Hutter and his wife, Ellen. Interspersed with narrative cards, it isn't long before Thomas is off to go and seek out his client, the good Count Orlok, whom resides in Transylvania.
Doesn't this sound a tad familiar? It should, as “Nosferatu” is adapted from Bram Stoker's “Dracula”, with Thomas and Ellen Hutter as analogues to Johnathon and Mina Harker, and Orlok to Dracula himself. Now imitation is the surest form of flattery, but as there was no film version of “Dracula” prior to this release, one can hardly accuse the German filmmakers of rehashing something that had already been done. The same cannot be said for Hollywood today, which is filled with remakes of classics such as “The Exorcist”, “The Amityville Horror”, and “Halloween”.
In 1922, when “Nosferatu” was released, supernatural horror, and scary movies in general, were not commonplace. Instead of relying on the tried and true gimmicky tactics of today's films; blood-soaked jaunts consisting of thrilling chases and virginal teens running away from their tormentor, this unauthorized version of Bram Stoker's “Dracula” relied on a live symphony playing the score for this silent film gem.
The original score to the film was composed by Hans Erdmann, but due the majority of it being lost, what is heard during recent runs of the film is only a reconstruction of the score as it was played in 1922. Despite that fact, what begins as a light film in terms of the musical score, quickly descends into the macabre. The music and the visual scenery combine to fill viewers with stomach-dropping dread, putting you into a perpetual state of anxiety, wondering what the next scene will bring.
This is a film that doesn't scare as so much haunts with its atmospheric visuals and music. While by today's standards, “Nosferatu” might not stand out as the forefather of the scary movie due to it's unique and dated style, it is nonetheless a film that has endured the test of time and has been widely praised by film critics far and wide as one of the most influential masterpieces ever made.
“Nosferatu” is an undisputed classic of the scary film catalog that paved the way for other classics like 1932's “Freaks”, 1935's “The Bride of Frankenstein”, and of course 1960's “Psycho”. Without Murnau's vision, or Schrek's gaunt and creepy Orlok, the film landscape would not have been the same.
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It’s very difficult for me to review older movies sometimes. This movie is nearly 50 years old and therefore I have to really consider the time when the movie was made, the studio, the world around it, and who would actually go and see it. There are a lot of factors that I put into my frame of reference before fully exploring the movie for review, and at times get frustrated with the pacing. It’s hard for me to go back so many years to remember what it was like to see these for the first time, but one must do so in order to get the true essence of horror cinema from the era of the 1960s. Today’s review of Black Sabbath takes us back to the year Kennedy died, 1963. Boris Karloff is creepy, that's for sure.
First and foremost, you should know that this movie is an anthology horror type of film. There are 3 separate pieces within a full movie frame, and that’s not always a bad thing. I like when movies do this, because you really don’t need to waste 90 minutes on a story that has a thin plot, but even though it’s unnecessary so many directors do it, that I might as well save my wrists from typing the thought. The movie begins like an episode of Tales from the Crypt, rather than something you’d get from the 60s, and maybe the producers were trying to capitalize on the popularity of things like the Twilight Zone, I don’t know.
The three stories are set up with a cause and effect sort of scenario, each one starting with a hard push then slowing down until you get the twist that is supposed to get you at the end. The first one is entitled “The Telephone” and it’s a short about a woman who is receiving weird phone calls, only to find out that the voice on the other end would be her tormenter unto death! A mild entrance into horror and despite the woman being a call girl, we get no sense of that, so downgrade a good review to a bad review for lack of boobs! I loved the figures of the 60s too.
The second piece is a vampire tale called “The Wurdalak” which takes us back to the 19th century where a beheaded corpse is discovered and a relic becomes a nightmare for one traveler. When someone comes looking for the relic, the lord of a manner brings them inside only to realize that they are of the undead (vampire) and the mayhem begins. This light romp is nothing like the many other horror tales involving vampires, even the shiny ones, so I found it to be a bit dry.
The last segment is called “The Drop of Water” and it did have a better tone than the previous two. Things go awry for a caretaker when a woman dies and comes back…or does she? A frightening tale of nerves is what we get in the final story and something that reminds of an Edgar Allen Poe story rather than anything from the 1960s.
Overall Black Sabbath is worth a watching, but I’m not sure that I can fathom how it felt to watch this at the time of release. At this point I’ve seen so much horror, gore, sex, violence and beyond that this tame movie doesn’t have the impact that I’m sure it had on audiences at the time. I can appreciate the acting, the easy on the eyes women, and the overall attempts at scaring the audience, but it just doesn’t sit the same with me as some more modern fair. That’s not to say it’s bad, it’s just older, and sometimes-older movies just don’t have that gusto they had before. This is one of them, in my opinion.
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There are a lot of genres in horror that have been done to death, and one of those genres is vampirism. There are so many vampire movies, that it’s hard to throw a rock in the horror section of any (if they are still open) video store and not hit a vampire movie. It’s hard to say which of the many films are the best, especially since there are so many good ones out there, but alas, I thought about the granddaddy of them all, Dracula. I wanted to compile a list, and here goes a list that will spark a few arguments here and there. Here are my picks for the top 5 Dracula films of all time.
5. Nosferatu – This film follows the original Bram Stoker novel quite closely. The silent film is a visual feast, and the sound is not bad either. This German expressionist film is still one of the best ever. The shadow, lighting, and overall themes were horrific for the time, but now, they seem very tame. This 1922 film should be an instant classic for anyone that hasn’t seen it this day.
4. Horror of Dracula – This 1958 film from Hammer really took over the genre for many. While the sequels are terrible, with the exception of Dracula 1972 A.D. this genre really took an interest turn. Hammer’s studio lent a good place to recreate the story into a new world. The sets are gothic and cool; the blood is rad, and all natural breasts? Oh yes, you got to give some love to this old school classic. Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee unite to make Dracula and Van Helsing worth checking out for years to come. Hammer might not get as much love from everywhere, but I give it love whenever I can.
3. Blacula – This 1973 Blaxploitation film is one of my favorites. It showcases that Count Dracula is really an asshole, as the whole point of this film revolves around his decision. An African Prince asks Dracula to stop the slave trade, and instead of helping, the Count turns our Black Prince into a vampire and locks him up. Fast forward to the 1970’s and we see an all new world, and our Prince now he’s got to get his love back and feed on blood. While this is not strictly a Dracula film, it is worth noting as my #3 because of his direct involvement in the first plot point of this movie. Plus, I couldn’t resist adding a Blaxploitation film in here.
2. Bram Stoker’s Dracula – Whether you loved it or hated it, this early 90’s film is a complete visual feast. The film might not have the best cast, but you still get some stellar performances, and you get to see a sort of “love” story unfold, where there might not have been one intended by Stoker. The colors are so vivid here, and the book really comes alive in a modern way, even if it takes full notes from the setting of the book. If you haven’t read the book, read it, then watch this film, they are somewhat close, if only by visualization of the images, which are lavishly presented for viewers to see.
1. Dracula – During the 1931 filming of the Universal classic, a Spanish Language version of the film was being made by George Melford, and it was better than the American version. Many people will disagree, but once you sit down and watch it, you’ll understand that this classic is quite good, even though it deviates from the source material a little bit. The difference here is noticeable with better lighting, more movement of the camera, and a richer cast in many ways. This version should be the one shown more often, but alas, Lugosi is a great vampire, so it’s hard to pick this one ahead of the other.
Can Kung fu and horror mix well? The answer is an emphatic YES! This classic take on the mythos of vampirism takes a whole new meaning when in the hands of a kung fu director. Mixing elements of both exploitation and kung fu genres, this film mash up creates quite the compelling entry into the reviews of this site. Robo Vampire might be the best thing I’ve seen in a long time, and that’s saying a lot, because I see so much it’s ridiculous.
Vampires are the focal point of the film, as a heroin trade is relying heavily on the undead zombie like creatures to transport the drugs. But when law enforcement teams up with vigilantes a Robotic Vampire is created and he’s badass. Think of Robocop but Asian and less graphically and mechanically designed.
The film is quite interesting with a wide variety of different themes. The majority of the film is spent going through different spots where drugs are being transported, and then mixed in are fight scenes with either zombie vampires or robots. The martial arts is not great, the editing is poor, and the dubbing? Well the dubbing is not a whole lot better.
The movie is presented in Widescreen and the transfer is not half bad. There are some comical moments, and some random scenes of swimming in a pond or lake for no apparent reason. The movie really has a lackluster sense of plotting, and really gest tiring after a while. Despite the second act being laughable and even close to soft-core, the rest of the film has enough merit to mention.
The vampires, zombies and robotic elements create a unique spin on the classic vampire tale. Voodoo is introduced at one point, which is mixed with a magic set of kung fu weapons. The third act is confusing, and at one point the main characters are flying around, and just starting to throw out all the stops. I didn’t mind it, I liked being mindlessly entertained, and this film has a little bit of everything. It’s two movies with separate plots thrown together to make an interesting title somewhat feasible. I don’t know if I would recommend this film to everyone, but for my money, Robo Vampire is the best of both horror and kung fu…even if it does lack in the pacing, and editing, and well…plot. Who cares, I loved it.
P.S. Yes, I am well aware that this 1980's film is a complete rip off of Robo Cop, but do I care? Nope!
Ah yes, Eurotrash cinema! One of my delights, and today we talk about an out of print work of genius called Rat Man. The film is dark, not in story but in visuals, devoid of anything now known as high definition. This one is going to be hard for most to find and see, but for those willing to venture out of their way to see exploitation film, this will be another instant classic.
Finding this film would have been impossible before, but since moving back to Los Angeles I've managed to find a much better selection of movies they meet the criteria of this blog. This particular film I found at cinefile, as it is the type of film that is not going to be seen by anyone that doesn't want to see it "all".
Much like other monster movies this film follows the work of a mad scientist. He spliced the sperm of a rat into a monkey to create our unholy beast. Fans of Weng Weng will probably think that the rat man is in fact him, but all signs point to someone else.
As the film goes through the simple story of a photographer in location taking pics of women, to subplots involving our man of science and a killing spree the viewer is treated like an idiot, throwing caution to the wind in order to get gag reflexes going with gratuitous gore.
The film seems dubbed, and the acting is sub par. You really feel like you're watching made for cable horror as the shots, acting, and low light make for something straight out of The Hitchhiker or early HBO studio films. Many will find this low quality style boring and crude, while horror buffs will love the constant use of the damsel in distress, mixed with laughable violence.
The actual rat man is not scary, the idea and premise lends itself well to nightmare worlds, but the execution is too clumsy to make it more than a low budget horror piece. The film is so dark that most of the time you won't even see the creature.
All that being said, Rat Man is worth checking out. It's got some sick moments, an while as a whole it fails to scare, there are points in the sound design and visuals that will stimulate the imagination to scare even the most jaded of scary movie fans. I kid you not, however, this film is very hard to find. You won't see this in Blu ray any time soon, and I had to really seek it out. Fans of Argento and Bava will appreciate the tense pieces, as the director here uses the same rubric as the other Italian masters of suspense. I liked it, you might too.
**Note
After writing this review I found several copies on dvd, rather than the VHS rip that I received as a rental. I apologize for over hyping this film as a rare gem, as you can find this one online and through random dvd stores across the nation. However, the vhs rip is the one I saw, and will testify as being awesome. Who needs dvd? VHS FTW!
I got a bombshell last night. A very personal issue, involving my marriage. I do not feel like talking, writing, or breathing. I feel like shit. I am seriously not sure what will happen next, but if what is looming happens, I will be living my biggest nightmare ever, failing at life...which I seem to have been good at lately. Enjoy the repost/rewind for now, maybe I'll have news in the next couple of days.
The movie revolves around a newly crippled man. While jogging one morning, Alan Mann is hit by a truck while jogging, causing him to lose use of his limbs. Meanwhile, his doctor starts dating his girl, and he just dips into a deep depression. After his scientist friend discovers Alan trying to kill himself by putting a bag over his head, things start to change. Alan’s friend gets him a trained monkey, to help him with tasks.
Now, if you remember the Simpsons episode where Homer got a monkey, and used him for cheap labor, you’ll immediately understand the capacity of this movie, because it essentially starts out that way. The helper monkey is completely trained and seems to start working out quite well, but like all horror movies, there’s a catch. This monkey was clinically dead at one point, and no one knows! No one except the mad scientist and Alan, who starts to grow accustom to the Monkey’s autonomy.
Meanwhile, back at the lab, the scientist is getting pushed around by none other than the voice of Bill from King of the Hill. Hilarious! Things start going awry, as with all horror films, and Alan is getting really pushy towards his nurse, and starts to love his monkey way too much. Within 45 minutes of this film, nothing horror related happens, and we just have to settle for a lot of build up, but the build up is great, as things have a tendency to go downhill after that period of time.
There is not a lot of gore in this film. There are not a lot jump scenes, and the pacing seemed a little slow. It really turned into a science fiction, mad scientist story, rather than a straightforward slasher or zombie epic, that we are used to seeing from Romero. However, this one is the epitome of a slow burner, you have to really hang on, and try to keep your wits, or else you’ll miss out on the overall tone of this film. The movie is hard to watch at times, because there are a lot of emotional sequences, which really take some getting used to, considering that horror films have a tendency to hit you in the mouth at times.
The film takes a weird turn towards the fourth act, showing a sex scene with a disabled person. That was definitely awkward, and I don’t know if I enjoyed that very much, but I guess that’s a good thing, considering that disabled people can still use their genitalia. I’ll leave it at that.
The monkey starts to kill people off, that’s the crux of the film, and while there is a revenge plot towards the end, it’s too little too late for a lot of fans. However, just like a lot of other man vs. beast stories, the beast gets too smart and turns on man, and we are treated to a really creepy film, a really creepy and grotesque piece of film making.
Monkey Shines was based on a novel, which is out of print right now, but if you have a chance to score one, get it. The book might dive into a lot more medical detail and story than this film, and like Stephen King adaptations, is most likely lackluster by comparison. The movie is tense, but it’s a slow burning, very slow paced intense film. The horror elements come from your thoughts of “what if” rather than relying on scare tactics or gore, which I appreciate greatly from this film.
The final act of this film is the most tense and really provocative in a lot of ways. The film makers and trainers did a great job of juxtaposing real live Monkey's with fake ones, and it never looks out of place and doesn't look fake at all. I have seen a lot of "animal" movies, and there's always that moment of disbelief, but this film really tries hard to break that, and I am impressed with how well this movie ended up portraying trained animals. This movie's monkey is creepy, scary, and an amazing example of how good animal based villains can be. Too bad Hollywood didn't learn their lesson from this film.
If you haven’t seen Monkey Shines on dvd, you gotta check it out at least once. If you’re a fan of Romero, don’t expect his usual gore fest, but expect a very creepy, and I do mean it, creepy piece of film making. I haven’t seen such a creepy film with little gore, since I was deep into reading those darn Goosebumps books. Monkey Shines is a classic example of science fiction, with a touch of horror, but not in the traditional sense.
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One of the things that I loved about the old video stores (usually owned by a Korean couple) was that I could easily be fooled by the cover art of a vhs tape. If there was gore on the back, or a hot chick on the front, I was in. If the box was over sized and resembled a porno, I also was in. Fast forward to modern times, and I'm not usually fooled simply by box art, because I used to have a job where I made the dvd sleeves for many a movie. Despite all my talent, I never got paid well, and now look at me, I'm broke and have no job! That's all beside the point because here we are, another tale of me, getting screwed over by the modernity of awesome box covers and terrible movies inside, only back in the day, people actually tried to make their movies good, now they just want the box cover and dvd menus to look good, and for this film, it can't be truer> i will try my hardest to write a few things about the film, BEAR.
First and foremost let me say this much, there is no nudity, there is no gore, and the bear rarely interacts with the humans. The film completely relies on the old trick of cutaways and assumed scariness, as well as what I believe is a guy in a bear suit. The plot of the film revolves around a mini van full of idiots trying to go somewhere, but stuck in the woods and guess what? They are attacked by a bear! The bear starts to try and get to them, and well, eventually gets to maul someone and it's not even shown, because it's all fake, which is fine by me, but they edited the movie to cutaway and look so unrealistic, that it was stupid.
Secondly, THIS IS NOT ANYTHING LIKE GRIZZLY! If you're a fan of the classic b-movie or ANY b-movie for that matter this is NOT the movie for you. It really made me punch my skull a few times because I felt stupid for watching this.
Lastly, when this film finally finishes off you feel like you've just wasted your time, and that's the worst part about watching horror movies for me. I'll give credit where credit is due, this movie was made, someone actually spent time working on a film and created one. That's more than I can say about myself, and that's more than most critics can say. That doesn't excuse a bad movie, but I'll say that it is a movie, and well that's gotta be given some credit. So If I was giving star ratings, I'd give 1 star for at least trying to make something. I know, this might not be as bad some British horror films, but seriously, sit down and watch this, just do it, and then tell me it's not the worst you've seen in a long time. I'd figure with the new digital era, we'd get some solid b-movie or indie film for horror...and it just never works. Bear has a cool color, great menu design, and TERRIBLE TERRIBLE TERRIBLE execution, and that's not a pun!
Before I start the review, I'd like to just say that this is post #500! That's right, 500 posts on Scary Film Review. Thank you everyone that reads, comments, and what not. Thank you. Leave comments, keep reading, subscribe via rss feeds and purchase crap from amazon. Thank you.
Steve Miner directed the second film in the series of Friday the 13th franchise and it was only 1 year after the original was a moderate box office hit. This second film lacked a lot of the things that made the first film so interesting, but developed into an unstoppable force and a new amazing slasher villain, his name, Jason.
The plot of the film takes place 2 months after the end of the first film. The only survivor of the Crystal Lake murders decides to go back near the lake to just have a training session with other like minded peers to help other kids at camp in the summer. Some of the camp counselors start talking about what happened, and out of the blue, we see a new killer emerge.
The film follows a lot of things that are now standard for the slasher movies. We understand the characters on a very light level, we get a variety of stereotypes here. You can forecast who is going to die here, and as soon as the clothes come off, you know that no one is going to survive, at least with any sort of ease.
There is minor gore, there isn't a lot of nudity, although there are some sex scenes, and the killings are ramped up to higher levels than the first, while moving the camera away from what might not be allowed to be shown. This film, if it were edited slightly, would actually be a pg-13 film today, rather than a rated R film.
We get to see the killer's face, although we see him with a bag over his head for the most part. He's not the Jason that you probably imagine today, he was just some guy that was killing teens. The movie moves forward quickly, and it's interesting to note how watchable this film is, despite being 30 years old.
There are some downsides, this film is not perfect. There are some minor flaws in the production, and Jason doesn't look nearly as menacing as he does in his latter career. Despite the visual flaws, the film moves into one of the cooler endings in horror from today or yesterday.
The final scene is one of horror history. Jason catches an unsuspecting cast member through glass and kills them, and it's such a cool moment in cinema. If you were watching it during the night, with full surround sound, you probably would jump. The calmness of the situation, the lack of noise really gets you when Jason's arms push through glass and the blood of the victim is spilled. There is an awesome sequence and throwback to the original ending with Jason's mother jumping out of the water...or maybe that was the 3rd one? I forget.
This film isn't that scary. There are some great scenes in this film, I like it well enough, and it's not necessarily one that many horror movie fans are going to remember outside of the other sequels. I know for me, it's not as great as Jason Lives (Friday the 13th VI), but it's still a quality slasher flick.
I find it odd that Jason doesn't seem as super powerful, and he's not zombie like in his movements. He just seems normal, older, and just random.
The movie really reminded me of the NES video game. I loved the video game, even though I could never seem to get to the final stage and fight Jason's Mom. The game featured a linear pacing left to right and you had to go rescue kids around Crystal Lake. If you haven't played it or haven't bought the game, get it here now!
Alright, Friday the 13th Part 2 is recommended. I enjoyed it as a kid, and I think it's still worth its bearings today. It's not the best in the series, but it's a good sequel, not a great one, a good one. If you haven't seen this one in a while, don't expect the fast pacing of the third in the series, and don't expect the buckets of gore that you saw in Jason Goes To Hell, but it's still a positive step in the series and a good overall horror film, and that's my two cents. You can purchase Friday the 13th Part 2 here.
Lastly, one of the coolest things about Jason now, is the fact that there are some sick action figures available directly from the film! This wasn't around when I was a kid, but now? Oh man.
Oh yeah, the movie club’s first post is here and only one lucky participant came through with a review. My fault, since I didn’t really post much about it after the initial posting. It’s ok though, here is the review for Ice Spiders that I promised.
The movie starts off slow but picks up immediately with killer Spiders! This movie has cg spiders and they aren’t very good. These spiders are HUGE but they aren’t that scary. Furthermore the movie makes it seem that the spiders have been there a while and the sizes vary depending on how far away from the camera they are. I know, that seems like a standard thing in regards to optics, however, if you notice the scale of the spiders compared to the trees that are in the background, they are completely disproportionate! But I let it go, since this was made for the Sci-Fi channel and we’re not dealing with a million dollar budget.
The spider effects are horrible, and the initial death sequences are lame. I kept thinking that if I were there I’d sock out a spider since their mouths aren’t located in a position to eat me straight up. I guess I was over thinking this film from the get go, and why not? It’s not like I’m getting paid for this.
The movie’s plot is basic; a group of young skiers are attacked when a group of genetically modified spiders escape from a local laboratory. I don’t know why they don’t just run away, but instead of running the group must defend themselves before the spiders eat everyone!
This movie has ok acting and I don’t really expect a lot out of the Sci-Fi channel. However, this type of film reminds me of something that I’d like to share with you, my loyal 3 readers:
I worked as a Video Store Clerk for many years and the weekend day guy was named Justin Paul Ritter. Justin made a film called “Katie Bird” which was a low budget and well received horror slasher flick. It was awesome! He once told me that these sci-fi channel movies have budgets of $125,000 to $500,000 and they usually spend most of their money on the lead actor or actors. So keep that in mind when you watch these made for tv horror films.
Back to the review, Vanessa A. Williams in this movie alongside Patrick Muldoon and those two would most likely take most of the budget given the name recognition. These two provide the bulk of the acting work, and they actually put on a good, entertaining distraction to the horrible effects and stupid decisions that the characters make.
The gore is fake. Yep, there are parts in this film that use fake cg gore effects instead of real blood or make up effects. So when things are really going bad, you can totally tell that the blood on the floors and on people are not real! I hate when they skimp on this part, and it really shows lack of creativity among the people producing the film. If the blood and gore effects aren’t enough, we get first person view points from the spiders but when you’re supposedly seeing things from their point of view it isn’t always blurred. Sometimes the first person camera is blurred and at other times it’s clear.
Now, all real Spider facts aside, and logic getting thrown right outside of the window, this movie isn’t all that bad. I have seen far worse and have reviewed terrible movies on this site. This film, if I can call it that, would have been a steady renter if it didn’t premiere on cable. Thanks to the ubiquitous nature of basic cable in todays society, films like this are usually horrible and never do quite well on dvd. However, for those small niche markets that have a large population that doesn’t subscribe to cable, this movie is actually not bad and probably gets rented a lot of the time.
If this film does nothing else it makes me question how secure our government labs are. I mean, how can these spiders really escape? They are not that threatening, they do not have super strength, they are just big and well…big. I really have a hard time with the logic of this film, especially since the Spiders want to attack humans at will with no real strategy. It’s like all animals, as soon as they are unleashed into the wild or are smart enough to escape laboratories, are somehow relegated to killing off mankind in some sort of revenge plot that makes the movie’s title make sense. Ice Spiders is not horrible, but it’s definitely not on my top ten list of movies to watch. In fact, Ice Spiders doesn’t make my top 100 list of films to watch.
There are pluses to this film. I think the production value, outside of the cg inserts, isn’t all that bad. There are some scene’s that even look like mainstream Hollywood. Compare the scene’s in Doom or Resident Evil with some of the exploration scenes in this film and you can see seamless transition between photography and direction. I don’t recommend Ice Spiders to anyone that doesn’t already enjoy Sci-Fi channels line up. In fact if you’re comfortable with straight to dvd horror or science fiction in general, you might see past the flaws of logic found in this film. It is after all a movie, and well, it’s science fiction, not well made science fiction, but good enough to scare little naïve kids. Ice Spiders serves up a chilly movie to watch, and I can’t believe I watched it.
Thanks goes out to YUMMY! for posting a review of Ice Spiders! Thank you so much for participating in the comments and reviewing this bad horror movie. We'll have to do it again sometime! Check out Yummydown.com and leave a comment on the review.
Looking for grindhouse, horror, or sci-fi films? Please check out our amazon astore featuring all things horror. Don't trust astore? Check out amazon.com, surprisingly they have more grindhouse,horror,and rare sci-fi than you may not have thought possible.
Well, I did receive a new dvd in the mail, and was all ready to see another bout of horror films, but guess what happened? The wife wanted to watch a whole lot of "Friday Night Lights" so I wasn't seeing anything horror related.
I will have the weekend to watch several movies, because I'm cool, and my wife works instead of me. Ok, I get paid to sit here but come on!
This little rewind is one of my favorite movies to talk about. I also love Ghoulies Go To College, but whatever. Toilet creatures? You gotta love it.
I'm going to go to sleep now, but later, I'll watch more crap and review it for all 3 of you readers.
Today, we get another review, but this review is yet again not so serious. It's not that I'm trying to screw over you, my 2 readers, it's just that I haven't been getting a lot of great "serious" horror lately. Plus, with no requests, no recommendations, and my schedule, I can't really get so serious. So today, I present to you a sequel, Ghoulies II. That's right, the second film in the Ghoulies quadrilogy. A little bit of trivia, did you know that Matthew Lillard's film debut was in Ghoulies 3? Yeah, that's the one where they went to college...sadly this horror comedy wasn't as good as the premise of Ghoulies III.
Ghoulies II has a simple premise. There is a carnival that is being invaded by the Ghoulies! There's no more explanation to this, they are just there. Well, to be fair, a truck driver and his son show up at a gas station and the ghoulies go into the truck on their way to the next stop of the carnival.
The subplot of this film involves the owner of the carnival telling all the carnies that if they don't make money, they are through. So with the pressure on, the horror themed ride that our main characters run gets a special boost; the Ghoulies. The Ghoulies start terrorizing people that are visiting the ride, and things go downhill.
As the film progresses, the Ghoulies start to mop up and the main characters try to fight them off. Eventually they figure it out, and well we get the mother of all Ghoulies to end the film.
This movie is a notch above straight to dvd. The movie really lacks good acting, and to top it all off it's only pg-13. Despite many variations of the F-Word, the movie is not rated R and shows no major gore. The kills are cut out, hard edited, with little to no impact. This movie is terribly filmed, terribly acted, and stupid to most horror movie fans. This horror comedy is worst than the original, and looks like a parody of Gremlins or dare I mention Critters.
Check out Ghoulies II on dvd, if you must, however it's not that great. I don't recommend this film to everyone, but if you're big on the Mystery Science Theater style movie watching, you'll enjoy this one. You'll be making fun of all sorts of things in this film.
I was able to check out Splice this weekend, as it was just released in my city and wanted a fresh horror film to review. This science fiction film was interesting to say the least, but the complexities mired the experience with a lackluster climax, and a predictable final twist and turn.
The movie seems simple enough, it’s about a couple of DNA scientists that are looking to cure diseases by splicing animal genes and trying to see if they can produce cures for cancer and much more. When the two figure out how to clone animals, the people in charge try to put a stop to their experiments, but they move forward instead and create a human and animal clone, which turns out to be quite the shocker.
First and foremost I liked the actors. I liked Sarah Polley, I think she’s cute, and was hoping for a little nudity from her; it didn’t happen. Adrien Brody did quite well in this one as he usually does, and really throws something to the ladies in the audience by having a full-blown sex scene with the new “spliced” creature. It is seriously one of the unsexiest scenes I’ve seen in horror film in a long time.
The cinematographer, Tetsuo Nagata, really puts some great views in this film. The camera angles are quite good at times, but then turn lazy towards the end of the film. Visually this film uses a lot of special effects, but they don’t look completely fabricated, there’s still a sense of belief throughout the film. The technology is used quite well, even if the budget wasn’t as extreme as other science fiction films out there.
The plot thickens towards the late stages of this film, and you really have to commit to the film. It takes a long time to develop the characters, their motives, and the foreshadowing. When the cards are turned over and you get to the third and fourth act you start to see just how predictable this film is. It’s almost as though the writers ran out of ideas and just threw in a rape scene, and murderous rampage, before they have to kill their own creation.
It’s a “sexy” set up towards the Frankenstein vein, but not nearly s effective.
I don’t necessarily recommend Splice, but it had a few good points of interest. It’s a formulaic, predictable movie. I don’t know why it was reviewed so well by critics, as it wasn’t worth the asking price. Despite good acting, some nudity, and cool camera angles at time, this film is just another piece of science fiction horror that you might have seen done better.
Evil Ernie is a comic book character from Chaos Comics. I ran into some cool artwork that was so horror related that I couldn't pass up sharing it with you, my 2 readers left.
First though, I have to apologize at the amount or rather lack of amount of updates and reviews. I've been juggling a LOT of different things. I've been reading more for reviews that I'm now sponsored to right. I've been picked up by Random House publishing to be a reviewer, unpaid for now, but it's nice to get free books. I'm also juggling more freelance work, because I need to pay off my debts which are immense. Plus, amazon affiliate links don't pay me very well at all. In fact, no one buys anything.
So today, I was going to get "Frankenhood" reviewed, but I didn't get it in the mail yet. Sometimes the USPS dictates how far I can review, so for Friday I'm hoping to get that reviewed for you guys.
In the meantime, I got these screens from Evil Ernie, and they are large photos, click on them for detail. Evil Ernie is like Slash from Guns N Roses mixed with Eddie from Iron Maiden, which is rad. Click the images to get bigger versions, and please support me by sticking around.
Today on this very special Rewind Post I went back to my roots and re-watched The Howling. I didn't change my opinion much, and still think that First person Camera view of the Wolf is one of the best parts of this film. I also thought the up-scaled violence was worth while, and it had some good points.
The Howling spawned many sequels, that I haven't really reviewed, but I'll have to do so sooner than later.
The Howling is a werewolf classic . However, it is not without its own flaws and many people disregard the franchise due to the amount of sequels involved in the series, however it is still one cool werewolf movie.
The movie follows a news anchor that nearly escapes the grasp of a serial killer. Along the way she learns of a psycho therapy colony that turns out to be a werewolf breeding ground of sorts, and is attacked. After the attack she starts to warn others of the existence of werewolves and when people don’t believe, she turns into one, causing chaos to break loose.
This movie is a classic in many ways. It is one of the first werewolf movie’s that I saw growing up and revisiting this classic was easy. For me it is just a cool movie at times, but the pacing has not gotten better.
The movie seems to go on a weird tangent involving sex at one point, and the pacing between the story set up and the actual dangerous situations seems a bit extended. I’m not sure at some points where the story is going, even though I know there is going to be a werewolf just around the corner.
Some might find the pacing to be the deal breaker, but if you hang in there, you will see a makeshift transformation scene.
One thing that I always ask when watching these films is, what are people doing during the transformations? I know one thing is for sure, they aren’t running. They wait for the transformation to be complete, then they scream and then they run.
The coolest part of this movie is found in the latter sequences where the main wolf is seen through first person viewing. You see two arms as the camera assumes the head position of the wolf, creating an awesome scene where you are almost in control of the action. Why they haven’t made a howling fps yet is beyond me!
The movie doesn’t take itself too seriously and you can notice this in many different comical reactions and disbelief in the characters as they realize what is going on around them. Unlike many werewolf movies, this one has a sense of its own stupidity, and doesn’t try to make it too serious like many other films. You actually appreciate that because if you’re a horror movie fan, you know how serious some of these werewolf movies try to be (ie; Cursed).
On a gore level, the blood splatter is minimal in comparison to other wolf films, but there is enough sexuality, blood and violence to satisfy most audiences. The Howling seems to want to stick to the original novel it is based on, although I doubt it really makes it to such a literary level.
I liked this one and it is one of my favorite werewolf films of all time. I know that the chimera aspect of werewolves is a bit odd for most, but there are some great sequences and for the time, the effects are awesome. I recommend The Howling as a staple in the werewolf film franchise, but make sure you take this with a grain of salt, because it’s not the end all be all werewolf film.
If you like werewolf movies, check out these other wolf classics:
A while ago I got mailed a double feature dvd and wasn’t able to watch it right away. Liberation Media was kind enough to send me something so cool, that most companies never do for me, and I felt bad for a while. However, after moving from Seattle to Moscow Idaho, I was finally able to review this film. Wait, not just one film, two films! This is a classic drive in style b-movie double feature! That’s right up this blog’s alley too!
Liberation Cult sent me this dvd, and I packed in a box, but no box could contain the horror that was in this double feature. Up first I watched Mutant.
Mutant has a simple premise. Two brothers are on a vacation of sorts and they stumble upon something too scary for words! I like how the film began with a small tribute of sorts to the beginning of Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 with the brothers getting driven off the road by a maniac truck driver. Whether the throwback was intentional or unintentional is really not known to me, but it was definitely reminiscent of that cult classic and favorite of this blog.
The movie moves forward fast, and we don’t see our mutant at first. We just see shadows and aftermath, with plenty of noise and slight gore effects. This kind of film making is always a plus, as you never really want to reveal your villain too early, especially when your villain is a rubber suit monster of maniacal proportions.
There are cliche's in this film initially of course the local law enforcement doesn't seem to buy the brothers story about a dead man at random. Meanwhile, they keep running into trouble with local rednecks. The movie then moves forward with some classic genre horror.
By the time you finally get the full story behind the monster in a rubber suit, you start to realize how cheesy the past generations of horror movies were. I didn’t mind this movie that much, as it had some classic lines and clever editing. The actor’s didn’t seem fake at all either, and there was a real down to earth quality overall. Sure this thing was meant for late night Channel Z type channels, or an Elvira classic movie late night showing, but it still has enough guff to push even the jaded fan to root for our main characters.
While it’s not the most gorey film, and while most people may not have heard of this film, it still packs a good enough punch to get your eyeballs into trouble.
Now, you have to really consider two factors to this film. The first being the presentation of the transformation of the mutations. The small town is being overrun by mutants, but you only see signs of "rubber suit" mayhem with latex effects and more. Things great really interesting when you realize that you're not watching a monster flick, you're watching a zombie film! That's right, a Zombie film!
The second part of our double feature is featuring killer cats…killer mutant cats of sorts. The film should not be confused with the Asian horror film “The Uninvited” even though it shares the name. This thing is the polar opposite in terms of film making, but still is cool enough to be part of this instant cult favorite of tag team horror dvd’s.
The Uninvited that this double feature showcases is a 1987 b-movie that feels a lot more like an episode of Tales From The Crypt rather than a feature length film. A shady business man tries to escape to a remote island, and while things are going smooth with him and his spring breakers on a ship to a remote island, a local mutated cat jumps aboard and mayhem ensues. This film is laughable to say the least, but it shows that the imagination of the past was a bit more fervent than anything we are seeing these days. Sure it’s slapstick at times, but this thing is hilarious and a cool view.
The Uninvited isn’t going to be on anyone’s top 10 list at all, but it packs a comedic horror punch. Of course, I’m not one hundred percent sure that it was totally meant to be comedic, but hey, it happens.
As a whole I would recommend checking out The Liberation Cult Double Feature Dvd as it is a classic look at cult horror films. You’re not going to find this too often these days, as there was just a sense of finesse to these things that just seems better. I liked them, and think it’s a good deal to get this two pack. However, be warned, these movies aren’t exactly home runs, but hey, they are cult classics…well…they are trying to be anyways.
Looking for grindhouse, horror, or sci-fi films? Please check out our amazon astore featuring all things horror. Don't trust astore? Check out amazon.com, surprisingly they have more grindhouse,horror,and rare sci-fi than you may not have thought possible.
Well folks, yes, it is another Friday and considering that the end of the month falls on a Monday, I didn't do a review for today. However, you should really check out my review of The Ruins, or my Rewind of The Ruins, because it will get you ready for this next trailer.
This trailer is for the sequel to The Descent, and while I haven't reviewed the first film from Lionsgate, I still think this looks halfway decent. I think it shows too much of the monster, which is the main draw, but oh well. Check out the trailer below:
If you didn't see The Descent the first time around, then you need to get with the times and order it online. Of course, I'm an idiot and haven't reviewed it, which is lame.
I know, it was probably unnecessary to make a second Descent film, but what are you gonna do? It's the industry.
Looking for grindhouse, horror, or sci-fi films? Please check out our amazon astore featuring all things horror. Don't trust astore? Check out amazon.com, surprisingly they have more grindhouse,horror,and rare sci-fi than you may not have thought possible.
Today, we get another review, but this review is yet again not so serious. It's not that I'm trying to screw over you, my 2 readers, it's just that I haven't been getting a lot of great "serious" horror lately. Plus, with no requests, no recommendations, and my schedule, I can't really get so serious. So today, I present to you a sequel, Ghoulies II. That's right, the second film in the Ghoulies quadrilogy. A little bit of trivia, did you know that Matthew Lillard's film debut was in Ghoulies 3? Yeah, that's the one where they went to college...sadly this horror comedy wasn't as good as the premise of Ghoulies III.
Ghoulies II has a simple premise. There is a carnival that is being invaded by the Ghoulies! There's no more explanation to this, they are just there. Well, to be fair, a truck driver and his son show up at a gas station and the ghoulies go into the truck on their way to the next stop of the carnival.
The subplot of this film involves the owner of the carnival telling all the carnies that if they don't make money, they are through. So with the pressure on, the horror themed ride that our main characters run gets a special boost; the Ghoulies. The Ghoulies start terrorizing people that are visiting the ride, and things go downhill.
As the film progresses, the Ghoulies start to mop up and the main characters try to fight them off. Eventually they figure it out, and well we get the mother of all Ghoulies to end the film.
This movie is a notch above straight to dvd. The movie really lacks good acting, and to top it all off it's only pg-13. Despite many variations of the F-Word, the movie is not rated R and shows no major gore. The kills are cut out, hard edited, with little to no impact. This movie is terribly filmed, terribly acted, and stupid to most horror movie fans. This horror comedy is worst than the original, and looks like a parody of Gremlins or dare I mention Critters.
Check out Ghoulies II on dvd, if you must, however it's not that great. I don't recommend this film to everyone, but if you're big on the Mystery Science Theater style movie watching, you'll enjoy this one. You'll be making fun of all sorts of things in this film.
Looking for grindhouse, horror, or sci-fi films? Please check out our amazon astore featuring all things horror. Don't trust astore? Check out amazon.com, surprisingly they have more grindhouse,horror,and rare sci-fi than you may not have thought possible.
This latest piece of modern day blaxploitation film is interesting to say the least. The preview makes it seem like it's a modern day take on Frankenstein, but it really dumps out more comedy than anything truly scary. Unless your idea of fear is losing a 3 on 3 basketball tournament.
The movie starts really creepy, inside a morgue with lots of test tubes. The colors are reminiscent of ReAnimator, a lot of florescent green and reds. It really is somewhat creepy, and then we meet our two main characters. Two morgue workers fixing a light bulb run into Charlie Murphy who plays Franklin. Franklin is a scientist? It's never really clear what he does there at the morgue, but he is there.
The movie progresses and we get into the Frankenstein storyline, and it's not very good at all. It's worse than Black Frankenstein was in the 70's, it's almost as good/bad as the MADTV sketch Blackenstein and Black Dracula.
Seen here:
The movie never gets creepy. The two friends, in a freak accident, become friends with Frankie, the monster. They then proceed to train and play basketball and enter a 3 on 3 basketball competition. It's hilarious to say the least.
I hate to spoil it for you, but they win.
What? No protagonist?
Well, if you must know, there is a rival basketball team that tries to figure out who in the world Frankie is, and when they figure out he's dead they simply do nothing. Yep, they really don't do much. The crux of the film is lame one liners and simpleton humor mixed with a basketball plot line. Sure it's Blaxploitation but they aren't even trying anymore.
The movie really is terrible, but it looks good. The straight to dvd cinematography isn't really there, and really looks good at times. There is some film grain, and attempts to master the colors which is nice, but the acting is terrible the plot is unbelievable and the story isn't really a Frankenstein story! It just breaks all the rules. Then again, watching Frankenstein play basketball isn't half bad.
Frankenhood looked scary...but ended up being just another bad attempt at comedy. It has a few one liners, but it's no Friday After Next. Watch at your own risk; the scariest part of Frankenhood is that there are people out there green lighting these things.
Looking for grindhouse, horror, or sci-fi films? Please check out our amazon astore featuring all things horror. Don't trust astore? Check out amazon.com, surprisingly they have more grindhouse,horror,and rare sci-fi than you may not have thought possible.
