STARRING- Anjelica Huston, Mai Zetterling, and Jasen Fisher
DIRECTOR- Nicolas Roeg
Synopsis taken from IMDb
A young boy stumbles onto a witch convention and must stop them, even after he has been turned into a mouse.
The Witches is one that I watched religiously as a child, I even used to go around quoting Bruno Jenkins' line of "just because you're a...doesn't mean I'm a...good Lord". I just recently acquired it on DVD, and I watched it for the first time in what was honestly the better part of ten years or more, and I actually still think it's great! Usually there's a sense of dread when I watch a movie that I haven't seen in ages, because odds are I'm not going to like it now that I'm older. That's not the case with this one. I still found it to be an amazing film, and I can still understand why some children are terrified of it. The Witches was made when children's viewing material still had balls. Sure, it's for kids, but it didn't hold back on trying to scare the hell out of them. The crazy thing of it is, despite how good the motion picture is, the author of the original 1983 book of the same title, Roald Dahl, actually had it put in his will that none of his other literary works get made into a movie because he hated this adaptation so much. Particularly the ending was what he disapproved of, and how it goes off in a happy fashion. In the book, it's hinted that due to being a mouse, Luke has a short life expectancy, where as in the movie, he becomes a boy again and all is happy-go-lucky.
RATED- Unrated RUN TIME- 90 Mins WRITER(S)- Lucky McKee and Chris Sivertson STARRING- Caitlin Stasey, Sianoa Smit-McPhee and Brooke Butler DIRECTOR(S)- Lucky McKee and Chris Sivertson Synopsis taken from IMDb A rebel girl signs up a group of cheerleaders to help her take down the captain of their high school football team, but a supernatural turn of events thrusts the girls into a different battle.
Finally, I've dug my way out of screeners for filmmakers and studios, and I'm able to review this one. I've been a fan of director Lucky McKee since his 2nd film, May. Most notably, he's the man behind The Woman, which came out in 2011 and made a name both for itself and him due to the graphic violence depicted, and all around being a very good movie. When I found out that Lucky was doing a new film, I instantly tweeted to him asking him three reasons people should watch All Cheerleaders Die, and he replied:
STARRING- Zach Galligan, Deborah Foreman, and Jennifer Bassey
DIRECTOR(S)- Anthony Hickox
Synopsis taken from IMDb
A wax museum owner uses his horror exhibits to unleash evil on the world.
Unlike most of the other films reviewed for Throwback Thursday, Waxwork isn't one that I grew up with. I was about one year old when it was made, and somehow it passed by me growing up. I remember seeing it at a young age and actually not liking it. But, since then my opinions have matured, and I have better taste now. I wish I could have enjoyed this one in its prime at the right time, but it still looks good from my couch on my 54" plasma screen.
WRITER(S)- Stephen Sinclair, Fran Walsh, and Peter Jackson
STARRING- Timothy Balme, Diana Peñalver, and Elizabeth Moody
DIRECTOR- Peter Jackson
Synopsis taken from IMDb
A young man's mother is bitten by a Sumatran rat-monkey. She gets sick and dies, at which time she comes back to life, killing and eating dogs, nurses, friends and neighbors.
Peter Jackson's "Dead Alive" is one of the elite films in a handful that I can watch at anytime, no matter what the circumstances, no matter what my mood. It partially has to do with the fact that it's got a little bit of everything in it. But mostly, it's because it's just a fun and enjoyable movie. This flick has attached to it a rarity, when people watch it, it gets all sorts of reactions. Laughs, gags even, and screams. It's an all around blast of a horror movie.
This is just one of the horror genre pictures Jackson has done. He's also the man behind"Bad Taste" (1987), and"The Frighteners" (1996). That's right, the man now known for the"Lord of the Rings" trilogy once tackled the horror genre. And if we're lucky, he'll make a gory return someday.
The New Zealand gore-fest has countless memorable quotes and scenes, starting with the Sumatran rat-monkey. The stop motion animation isn't something that's forgivable to pull off nowadays, but back then when horror was fun, it did just the trick. The rat-monkey hails from the fictional Skull Island, the same location King Kong originates from. Peter Jackson has openly stated that the original Kong film is his favorite movie, ever since he was a child. And you can see it reflect in his work.
It's funny how despite how gross and bloody this flick is, it's still not as harsh and cruel as films by today's standards. It wasn't about pain and torture, it was about enjoying yourself and having a good time. And the opening says all you need to know about what you're getting into.
Now that's a face only a mother can love...
There's not a lot of character development, and it's not a character driven motion picture. However, the characters are completely likable, and even relatable to a certain extent. It's not so much that you're dreading what happens to the main characters as much as you're looking forward to seeing how they get out of their predicament. When Lionel's(Timothy Balme) mother, Vera (Elizabeth Moody) is savagely attacked by the nasty little rat-monkey, it ceases any progress that Lionel and his new girlfriend, Paquita (Diana Peñalver) are working towards. Though the intrusion was intentional by Vera, the rat-monkey taking a piece out of her arm wasn't. Lionel crawls back inside of his shell and tends to his mother, ignoring the outside world and Paquita.
Things only go from bad to gross as Vera's condition worsens and her skin starts to peel off. Not to mention one of her ears. Her refusal to lay in bed and rest, is responsible for possibly the nastiest scene in the entire motion picture: the 'custard' scene. As her bite wound aches and pusses its way into her and Lionel's guests desert, it invokes all sorts of reactions from the viewer. Most often people turn their heads, or they look in awe with their had over their mouth. Like it or hate it, it's one of the most memorable scenes from a gore-fest film ever. Only to be rivaled by the infamous 'lawnmower' scene towards the end of the picture.
Lionel tries as hard as he can to contain his mothers condition, but that proves to be an impossible feat as he loses control of his mother and the situation. After viciously snapping a nurses head back, and half off, he now has another body to watch after once it too becomes re-animated and blood thirsty. But he still keeps it a secret until a priest and punk rocker get added to the collection of zombies courtesy of Vera. Lionel even uses tranquilizer to keep the undead in his basement safe and sound. Then comes the baby that is procreated by none other than the nurse and the priest. With all of these living corpses stuffed in his dank basement, he soon can't control them anymore and is blackmailed by his uncle Les (Ian Watkin).
And to think, the house was so tidy before all the guests arrived
After agreeing to give up his inheritance from his deceased mother, Les agrees to keep Lionel's secret. But he makes Lionel take care of the zombies in the basement, a task that Lionel screws up terribly. He accidentally gives all of the living dead a poison that is actually an animal stimulant. So seeing as all this started from a monkey bite, the corpses don't die, they have even more energy. Busting down the basement door and crashing uncle Les' housewarming party full of his friends and colleagues, things get really gory. All this leads up to the unforgettable aforementioned 'lawnmower' scene.
As Lionel breaks out of his shell, he fights back in the most unconventional of ways; he attacks the now houseful of living dead by shredding them to pieces with his trusty lawnmower. What goes down is easily to this day, still one of the goriest scenes in motion picture history. The entire house is nothing but crimson, body parts, and wet chunks. But the fight doesn't stop there, because the main villain, Vera, doesn't show up until the final few minutes of the film. Only she's now monstrously tall, and completely mutated. Upon threatening Paquita, Lionel finally takes stand against his mother and kills her.
Lionel and Paquita walk off together leaving the gritty aftermath behind them as we hear the baby conceived by the nurse and priest, screaming in the fire. I find all of the scenes with the baby to be awesome, especially the 'park' scene in which Lionel tries to act as though it's a normal baby, but to no avail.
Did someone say they need a Swiffer?
In the end, "Braindead" is a film that will be talked about for ages to come. It may not hold its appeal to younger fans nowadays as it does to those of us around when it came out, but it's a solid movie never to be forgotten. It's one of those ones that it's as easy to sit through as it is hard to watch at times. And to think I only summed up the film, I could go on and on with this one. The moral of this review is that if you haven't seen this movie yet, you need to fix that asap. And if you have seen this one, then thanks for reading, doing so shows your fandom for this classic.
RATED- R RUN TIME- 84 MINS WRITER(S)- SEAN BYRNE STARRING- XAVIER SAMUEL, ROBIN McLEAVY, AND VICTORIA THAINE DIRECTOR- SEAN BYRNE Synopsis taken from IMDb When Brent turns down his classmate Lola's invitation to the prom, she concocts a wildly violent plan for revenge.
I am actually late to the game and just viewed this flick for the first time last week. This is one that came up during a horror discussion I was in, and I was strongly recommended to give it a watch. So, I did. And now, I can see what all the fuss is about!
First of all, before we get into the more detailed stuff, let me say how writer, Sean Byrnegot something right, he composed a very simple story. So many horror films nowadays try and show off with an overload of special fx, and/or cgi. The majority of film makers fail to see how you don't need a complicated story or plot to make a good horror film. All you need is a basic, primal emotion to feed off of, such as resentment or revenge. And you need the right mind to execute that idea right. All I'm saying is, this movie is a prime example of how you don't need anything out of reach to make a solid genre film. Upon watching, I found the humor injected into the film, and actually laughed a lot. That being said, I also cringed a lot, and found myself not wanting to move from my chair! Once I started watching, I found it hard to pry away. It's not a long film either, so it's all paced very well and keeps you invested.
I can't really think of another motion picture like this, it's in a class on its own, really. It's a new type of revenge story, but keeps true to the gritty nature of what we'd expect to see. It also crosses a few lines that you don't expect, and has some very painful-to-watch torture scenes.
Lola(Robin McLeavy) is played to perfection, and is one twisted chick! I liked the concept of this film, it's something new and different, yet impeccibly simple. It's actually fun to watch even though it can be brutal in nature.
One of the things that I really took to, is how Lola's father is just as screwed up as she is, if not more! The fact that he's in on everything along with her, really sets off how screwed our lead character, Brent(Xavier Samuel)is. Basically, the point to the story is that you need to watch what you say to people and how you say it, just in case they turn out to be a crazy. In this case, being rude to a female who asks you to prom can end up being the worst choice of your life. You just never know when the girl you're making fun of with your friends may turn out to be a psycho, and make you pay for it in ways you don't want to imagine. Looking at the full picture, it's just as much about survival as it is torture. And I'm extremely impressed. This is one that left a good impression on me, to say the least. I actually plan on buying it onBlu-Rayas soon as I catch up on all the other movies I have to buy and catch up on. I'm telling ya, watching and reviewing movies is a work that you can get drowned and overwhelmed with, but movies like this are why I do it. Whenever you find that diamond in the rough, it makes it all worth it.
So, in other words, if you're like me, and late to the game on this one, go find yourself a copy and watch it asap! It's damn good, and I wish I was ahead of the ball on this one. But, one of the best things about watching so many movies is that regardless of how many you've seen, there's always ones you find that you didn't know about before. If you like creepiness, gore, and laughs, then you need to see this. Essentially, it's a horror film that has it all!
RATED- R RUN TIME- 85 MINS WRITER(S)- BENJAMIN HAYES AND JACOB VAUGHAN STARRING- KEN MARINO, GILLIAN JACOBS, AND PATRICK WARBURTON DIRECTOR- JACOB VAUGHAN Synopsis taken from IMDb A horror comedy centered on a guy who learns that his unusual stomach problems are being caused by a demon living in his intestines.
Here is a film that I have seen a lot of publicity for, even though the advertising seems scarce. I guess I was just around the right places at the right time, and I caught word. Luckily I did. I motion picture about a guy who has a demon come out of his ass and kill people? I'm all over it.
I knew I was going to like it from the opening credits. Believe it or not, if you're a cinema junkie like me, you can honestly usually tell if a movie is going to be good based on the first five minutes of it. This flick has absolutely nothing great about it, in terms of acting or story. But, it's completely awesome! The entertainment provided by this horror comedy makes it great in it's own way. This may not be for everyone, especially those who don't like a little comedy in their horror. To me, horror and comedy are like peanut butter and chocolate, both taste delicious on their own, but together they're even better.
It takes almost no time for things to pick up get crazy, packed with laughs all the way. By far the best thing of it's kind since Frank Henenlotter's "Basket Case" from 1982, there's a little bit of everything to go around in this piece of cinema. The most current example I'd say this resembles is 2012's "Ted", starring Mark Wahlberg. It's every bit as immature, and every bit as touching and endearing. There's moments where I was laughing, and moments where I was a bit moved. Ultimately, Ken (Ken Marino) puts up with so much baggage from his everyday life, that his self conscious becomes its own creature! Taking out Ken's aggression's for him by savagely murdering, the little critter is adorable and twisted. Ken names the being as Milo, a name he discussed with his wife for their future son. One of the many things Ken deals with is the pressure to have children, even though he's impotent and gets it thrown in his face almost daily. Looking at things from a different standpoint, Milo is a creature from Ken's ass, we've established that. But, that's just a comic relief for the underlying story of the internal struggle we all have to not just blow up and take someone's head off when we're under severe pressure. Milo represents the demon in us all that we fight to stay at bay, and we're faced with the consequences and aftermath once we let that demon out. And for better or worse, it's always better to never let that hatred out, and instead move past it. Nothing good ever comes of these blow-outs except for a few moments of feeling justified but, then you usually just feel terrible once the self-righteous spaz passes.
Watching this is like a blast from the past, it brings to mind memories of "The Ghoulies", and "Critters". There's as much blood and gore as there is laughs and entertainment. Regardless of any hate this film may catch, and I'm sure it will, (because a lot of horror fans love to think their opinion is law and not just an opinion), this film will be talked about for a long time. It sounds cliche, but it really is an instant classic! We haven't had a horror comedy of this caliber for a long time. On a side note, as good and enjoyable as this film is, it's still a film that doesn't take itself seriously and doesn't expect to be taken seriously. In the end, it's a film about a guy who craps out a demon on a regular basis. As entertaining as it is, I still have to rate it for what it is.
RATED- R RUN TIME- 85 MINS WRITER(S)- FRANK HENENLOTTER AND ROBERT MARTIN STARRING- JAMES LORINZ, JOANNE RITCHIE AND PATTY MULLEN DIRECTOR- FRANK HENENLOTTER
Synopsis taken from IMDb A medical student sets out to recreate his decapitated fiance by building her a new body made of Manhattan street hookers.
I first saw this movie just two nights ago and instantly fell in love with it. I've seen it around before and I've heard of it, but I'd never watched it. Now, I'm very glad I did. "Frankenhooker" had all the ingredients to make me a happy man. I love how although it's very loosely based on Mary Shelly's "Frankenstein" novel, they still throw out little homages. Like the lead character Jeffrey's last name is Franken, and his fiance's last name is Shelly, it's little touches like that that'll make me appreciate this movie. They knew they weren't making an Oscar winning movie, they were making a good, fun horror comedy. When Jeffrey's fiance Elizabeth gets chopped to pieces by Jeffrey's remote controlled lawnmower I couldn't help but laugh. I knew from the beginning this was going to be a fun watch. The effects are so corny and cheesy, yet they're endearing. This falls right into the category of "Re-Animator" and "Elvira, Mistress of the Dark" with it's humor and entertainment quality. It's not as good as either of the films mentioned, but it's in the same class and one I'd definitely watch again, and with friends.
There's so many funny parts that're so memorable. One of the things that really had me going was the super crack that Jeffrey concocts in order to get the hookers high and in a catatonic state so he can take the limbs from each hooker he wants. He first tests it on a gerbil, and the crack is so potent that the little guy explodes. Needless to say when the hookers take it the same thing happens to them, which is hysterical. And Jeffrey doesn't need to surgically cut the hookers' limbs off because their bodies are all over the floor and in pieces. So he can just take what he wants and go. After using all the limbs he's gotten off of the prostitute, Jeffrey gets to work on making his fiance whole again. But it never works out like they plan it to, does it? Elizabeth comes back and is a horny, greedy hooker. All the parts used to create her from prostitutes caused her to become one. Elizabeth storms the city looking for a good pay day.
The whole movie is enjoyable, even Jeffrey hunting her down to bring her back home. And yes, it does have an expected ridiculous and funny ending that perfectly fits this film. Believe it or not, there's not any serious or hardcore sex scenes in this movie. It's actually not that type of movie at all, it's just got some nudity but just about every horror film does.
I really liked Elizabeth's look. It's cheap, but fitting and she looked cool. She'd be a very cool Halloween costume, if you've got the body for it. She was the perfect female version of Frankenstein's monster and Patty Mullen was on point playing her. There's not too much to analyze with this movie. It's pretty straight forward and is what it is. The only thing that there is to say is that this is yet another movie that shows how playing God never works out for anyone. If anything it goes ten times worse than you can even imagine when weighing the consequences out. It's about the abuse of power men would have if we had such an ability to create life and it shows how stupidly we'd waste it. "Frankenhooker" is a black comedy that tells this story in an entertaining and lighthearted way. I'll be buying this one on DVD or Blu-Ray soon. I must own this. I've got a few people I'm going to turn onto this movie as well. I know they'll enjoy it as much as I have.
"Just so you know... they're sorry for anything that's about to happen."
RATED- R
RUN TIME- 99 MINS
WRITER(S)- DON COSCARELLI AND DAVID WONG
STARRING- CHASE WILLIAMSON, ROB MAYES AND PAUL GIAMATTI
DIRECTOR- DON COSCARELLI
Synopsis taken from IMDb
A new street drug that sends its users across time and dimensions has one drawback: some people return as no longer human. Can two college dropouts save humankind from this silent, otherworldly invasion?
STORY: This is one film that I've been looking forward to for a while now, especially after hearing all the positive feedback it's been getting. People have even been getting tattoos! Don Coscarelli's name being on it was enough to make me give it a shot. For those of you who don't know who he is, he's the guy who brought us Phantasm and Bubba Ho-Tep. This tale starts with Dave (Chase Williamson) beheading a skinhead with an axe. Then poses the question of if an axe that's had it's head and handle replaced is still the same axe.
Dave talks with a reporter, Arnie (Paul Giamatti), about weird and bizarre events. Dave tells Arnie that he and John (Rob Mayes) received a call from Shelly Morris asking for their help, she said she was being harassed by her ex and after coming to her aid, Dave and John came to realize that they're seeing two different visions of her. Then we go back to when all the bizarre stuff started to happen two years ago when John's band was playing and Dave ran into a Jamaican guy who not only could do some fancy tricks, but can tell Dave about his past and future. That night John calls David for help and once Dave arrives he finds John to be having a bad trip off of this black liquid known simply as "Soy Sauce". John starts telling Dave that he's losing touch with reality and has been calling Dave all night. But to his disbelief, while John is with Dave, Dave receives a call from John.
Some time after, Dave accidentally takes the drug. After doing so, he sees that the drug itself is a living thing, moving on it's own. That's when he realizes the severity of this situation and is pulled into the craziness that John talked about. Only now he knows that John isn't crazy, and neither is he. Due to taking the drug, Dave can do some extraordinary things like read minds and know things he shouldn't.
Dave and John come face to face with a lot of ground beef...
ACTING/PERFORMANCES: The acting in this movie was awesome, nothing award worthy, but very well done. There's a hint of sarcasm and smart-ass about the whole movie and I loved it. Very entertaining performances. Paul Giamatti said he was in this movie because it was a chance for him to be in the type of movie he'd watch.
SPECIAL FX/CREATURES: The special effects are cheesy but forgivable, when you see the type of movie it is the FX really fit the feel of the film. They help keep that humorous tone and definitely make you laugh. There's a part where Dave is being attacked by a cop's mustache, absolutely ridiculous but hilarious as well.
OVERALL: This film is a blast and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It's a very entertaining movie and is one you'll remember for a long time. Don Coscarelli nailed it again, while not as good as Bubba Ho-Tep, John Dies at the End hits a home run.
RATED- UNRATED RUN TIME- 90 MINS WRITERS- DECLAN O'BRIEN AND ALAN B. McELROY STARRING- DOUG BRADLEY, CAMILLA ARFWEDSON AND SIMON GINTY DIRECTOR- DECLAN O'BRIEN Synopsis taken from IMDb A small West Virginia town is hosting the legendary Mountain Man Festival on Halloween, where throngs of costumed party goers gather for a wild night of music and mischief. But an inbred family of hillbilly cannibals kill the fun when they trick and treat themselves to a group of visiting college students.
I was fortunate enough to get to see this film at an advanced screening, for those of you who are itching to see it you won't have to wait long. It hits Blue-ray and DVD this Tuesday, October 23rd.
Although the Wrong Turn movies have digressed I still haven't been able to pull myself away. I've seen all of these films.
This film starts off bloody and brutal, what we have come to expect for the opening credits of this series. We see an ax used to dismember a passerby. The opening scenes to these movies are for pure shock value, to show you that they don't hold back and that they're gory and over-the-top.
The group of friends this film revolves around are heading to the festival and carrying alot of drugs, planning to party hard. While talking and distracted the driver has to swerve to avoid hitting a pedestrian and wrecks his fathers vehicle. When going to check on the man they may or may not have hit during the chaos the man stabs one of them in the arm. In retaliation the group of boys start kicking the hell out of the man just in time for the sheriff to pull up and see the beating happening. This gets the gang of friends and the weird pedestrian a night in jail.
It was awesome to see Doug Bradley in this film playing the pedestrian, Maynard, and father of the 3 hillbilly's. For those of you less informed, Doug Bradley is most commonly known as Pinhead from the Hellraiser franchise created by the legendary Clive Barker.
While in jail Maynard makes everyone on edge by telling everyone including the sheriff that they've made a mistake and that they're going to pay. He's very arrogant and this scene reminds me very much of the jail scene from 30 Days Of Night (2007). Playing mind games, getting into the heads of everyone and getting off on it. Knowing something sinister is on it's way.
Amidst the jail scenes One Eye, Three Finger and Saw Tooth are wreaking havoc, slaying festival goers in barbarous ways, sparring no gore on their way to get Maynard out of jail.
But the sheriff is left alone to deal with the all the calamity because all of her officers are at the festival making sure things don't get out of hand. Can she hold off the hell that's coming down on her?
I am a fan of the original Wrong Turn (2003), it isn't a staple in the horror genre or anything of the sort, but it's a good, enjoyable horror film full of gore and chills. As this series moves on it strays less and less from the standard set by the first film, becoming tongue-in-cheek and senseless slaughter films.
That used to bother me. I remember when the 2nd Wrong Turn hit video how disappointed I was in it. I couldn't believe how far the ball had dropped. After that I said I'm done with the series and have no interest anymore if that's what they've become. Then some time later, I was over a friends house having a few laughs and he told me he just purchased Wrong Turn 3: Left for Dead (2009) and asked if I wanted to watch it. We talked and chatted about our opinions of the films and decided we had nothing to lose, so we watched it.
Then a few months ago when I was rearranging my Netflix queue I decided to put Wrong Turn 4: Bloody Beginnings (2011) on it. So when it arrived I watched it. That's when I realized that despite my dislike of the sequels, I still keep watching them.
Then I kind of had a revelation and said that regardless of how more superior the original film was, that these sequels are still appealing to me. They're fun movies. They're the type of movies you watch for the gross out factor and to see the hardcore death scenes, as well as laugh at the bad acting and cheese. These films don't hide that though, and that's what piqued my mind and turned my opinion around on them. I'm not saying they're great movies or solid horror films, I'm saying they sure as hell aren't the worst horror films you'll ever see and they're amusing. They're a shell of their predecessor but they're here, like it or not, and they're probably aren't going anywhere for a while.
If you watch them expecting serious horror films or if you're trying to compare them to the original don't hold your breath.
For those of us who've come to understand what to expect of these movies, you'll like this 5th installment. For those of you who don't like these films, you shouldn't bother.
Although these films are low budget and senseless predictable gore fests, the story for this one is still considered weak to me. It's a simple story and it's all about dialog and kills. Not that the other films didn't suffer from the same things, but this film seems to have even less effort put into it. There are some awesome deaths though, and it's got laughs and some turn your head moments. The things these movies are known for.
I guess you could say this is probably the least best film in the series but I still found it amusing.
RATED- PG RUN TIME- 91 MINS WRITERS- LARRY COHEN STARRING- JOHN P. RYAN, SHARON FARRELL AND JAMES DIXON DIRECTOR- LARRY COHEN Synopsis taken from IMDb Heavily pregnant Lenore Davis tells her husband, Frank, that she is in labor. They leave their eleven-year old son Chris with their friend Charley and they head to the Community Hospital. Lenore feels that something is wrong and delivers a monster that kills the team in the delivery room and escapes through a skylight. Lieutenant Perkins comes to the hospital to investigate the murder and the press divulges the identity of the parents. Frank discovers a dark secret about Lenore and the baby.
Larry Cohen comes out swinging with this tongue-in-cheek horror film. Cohen, who'd later make The Stuff (1985), did two sequels to It's Alive. The sequels are titled It Lives Again and It's Alive 3: Island of the Alive. I haven't seen these sequels yet, but you bet your ass I'm getting to them.
One thing you gotta love about Larry Cohen is that he's big on slapstick horror. He throws the cheese one high and runs with it and makes it work. While I don't consider his movies to be masterpieces they're very entertaining. It's Alive has been dubbed the title of classic and until recently I've never seen it.
The hospital scene is one of the best horror scenes from the 70's, totally shocking. It's notorious. The birth of this mutant is grisly. It makes me cringe to think of that actually happening in real life. And it's definitely not something that a pregnant woman should watch. It'll put alot of horrors in your head.
Something that I found amusing and got a few laughs from me were the attack scenes. Where you see the baby's POV and he's crawling through grass and bushes and attacking people. His vision is blurry and cheesy, but it was a good touch. My favorite is when this little ugly thing attacks a milk man.
One thing that I find funny about this movie is that the father, Frank, seems to be the only real character. He's the only one acting as a real person would, feeling emotional pain and mental strain from what's happened with his baby boy. To make it worse he wife starts acting like a lunatic. Frank is the only one with his head screwed on tight, the guy acts on rationality and emotion. Everyone else put on over-the-top performances adding to the goofiness of this movie. Since it's intentional, I accept it.
One thing that upsets me a bit about this movie is that you don't actually see the baby. You hear him growl and attack people, you even hear him cry. But you never see him. There's one shot where you can see him but he's in the shadows, so you can't draw out any real details of him. However, there are plenty of pictures floating around online. Just a shame you have to go online to see what the ugly bastard looks like.
The policemen soon discover that the baby's been using the sewer system to get around (which made me laugh) and go after him. I liked the scene between Frank and his son. Frank has a real reaction and has a heavy decision to make. He's in a tough spot.
Overall I was amused and entertained by this film. I wasn't overly impressed but it was a good movie. It's one you could watch in the dark by yourself or one you could watch with friends and have a few laughs and jumps. I was a bit disappointed by it because I heard so much about it that it didn't meet my hype expectations. I feel like there was more to the story and we were cut short and only got part of it. The finale could have gone out with a louder bang.
RATED-R RUN TIME-83 MINS WRITER-TED NICOLAOU STARRING-DIANE FRANKLIN, MARY WORONOV AND GERRIT GRAHAM DIRECTOR-TED NICOLAOU
Synopsis taken from IMDb A civilization on a distant planet has found a way to solve it's garbage problem: turning it into energy and beaming it into outer space. A flaw in the system is found when the signal is accidentally picked up on Earth by the Putterman family's home satellite dish. While this would ordinarily be just another mess, this particular transmission contains a hungry trash monster who quickly begins snacking on the Putterman's and the their guests. Only young Sherman Putterman has any clue what is going on, but nobody will believe him. Is there any hope for Earth?
This movie is such a classic! I can't believe it took me this long to finally watch it. Actually I owe the credit to Fright-Rags. If they hadn't released their awesome Terrorvison shirt I wouldn't have been reminded to watch it.
This movie is hilarious and is just plain fun! There isn't too much to be taken seriously about this film but it's a good and entertaining watch. Definitely more comedy than horror in this one. It's a fun watch and had me laughing out loud at things before the alien even showed up. The cast was hysterical, such bad acting compact into one group of people. But that was the idea for this film, they weren't going for Oscar winning performances.
Especially Mr. and Mrs. Putterman. They're swingers who pick up a couple to swing with and bring them back to their place, not knowing the alien's already at their house. Boy were their guests in for a surprise.
And let me add that I loved the theme of this movie. From the opening credits I knew what I was in for.
And the alien was hideous but awesome. He was so cheaply designed and looks so crappy but it works perfectly. He eats everything, this dude don't stop he keeps coming. His mouth is like a vacuum. He has a couple of funny moments as well, but it's mostly the people around him and how they're reacting. He reminds me of Chet from 1985's Weird Science when he gets turned into poo.
Another thing that I loved about this film was the hot Medusa, she was the films version of Elvira, a horror movie hostess with huge knockers. She takes late night calls in between commercials and when Sherman Putterman calls and asks her for her advice and help and she just can't wait to see it in person.
This movie was pure fun and laughs! I'm a fan. It's just another really bad but awesome horror film. And it's good for the humor.
This film was made by Empire International pictures, Charles Band's production company owned prior to joining Full Moon Features which has given us classics like Puppet Master and Castle Freak.
This is such a hard movie to find and get ahold of that I'm very pleased I was finally able to see it after all this time. The DVD goes for almost $70 on amazon, and seeing as I've never seen it there was no way I'm spending that kind of money on a movie that I don't know if I like or not.
As I've mentioned I've never seen this film up until now and I'm glad the opportunity finally arose. I have a few friends who have seen it and whenever I asked them how it was I just got the generic "it's okay, not as good as the first" reply. So I didn't have high hopes going in to this because they didn't exactly make it seem appealing.
But as the movie played and I saw not only William Ragsdale reprising his role as Charley Brewster but Roddy McDowall also reprising his role as Peter Vincent. So right from the start my feeling changed and I figured this would be a good movie after all.
This film takes place shortly after the first with Charley no longer believing in vampires due to seeing a shrink. He believes Jerry Dandridge was just a psycho and he imagined the vampire scenario. Peter Vincent however is still hosting Fright Night and believes in vampires. When Jerry's sister comes to town wanting revenge for her dead brother Charley starts to realize he's not crazy and that vampires are real. This leads him and Peter Vincent on another vampire hunt.
There were so many funny moments in this movie as well as jumps. It turned out to be a damn good sequel and did the first justice. The story was strong, the acting was good, the effects were cheesy but awesome. Alot of memorable moments came from this film including the vampire and werewolf bowling scene! Yes, I know it sounds ridiculous but it's a great scene.
Now the big question- is Fright Night Part 2 better than the first?
No it isn't. It's like Halloween H20 to the original 1978 Halloween. It was a good sequel and it kept the feel of the first and stayed true to it but it just didn't have the same amount of lightning in a bottle the first had. Good sequel though and I would proudly own it one day when I don't have to spend $70 on a used copy of it.
I found Jerry's sister, Regina Dandridge, very seductive and beautiful. Good job on the casting as well. But really to experience this movie you have to see it. It's funny and very entertaining. I'm glad to say that after all these years of wondering that Fright Night Part 2 did it's job with flying colors. It puts a smile on my face. And as I said in my review for the remake, I liked the remake alot so that means that all 3 films made in this franchise have my approval.
Seeing Charlie and and Peter Vincent together again was so cool! I didn't even know they were going to be in it!
I got to see this film opening weekend and loved it. Simon Pegg and Nick Frost are back and at 'em again in this feel-good movie about friendship when they drive to Area 51 and find an alien, Paul, and take him in and hide him from the goverment officials after him lead by Jason Bateman. The trio really hit it off and it kind of has an E.T. feel to it, only directed at mature audiences by having drug use and foul language and even some gore.
Very fun and enjoyable movie. Got me wanting to watch Shaun Of The Dead for the ten millionth time.
