THROWBACK THURSDAY REVIEW: Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist (2005)

As I mentioned in my review of the original Exorcist, HERE, I had never gotten around to seeing the second prequel that was made and went straight to video. That's all changed now, because I found a dirt cheap copy of it on DVD, and have already watched it a good three times, maybe four. Though it didn't see a release until 2005, the director, Paul Schrader, was approached to tackle the project in 2001. From the jump, I respected this picture more than the dreadful Renny Harlin movie, Exorcist: The Beginning, because unlike Harlin, Schrader didn't try and mock or imitate the original Friedkin movie in any way. In fact, Schrader said, "the feeling was [that] you had to get away from the Friedkin Exorcist, because it was such a classic. And one of the ways to do that was to switch the possessed person from a girl to a boy, but even more importantly, to switch the very nature of a possession". It's no secret that a pet peeve of mine is when directors try to make prequels to outdo an original, rather than just let it flow naturally and be its own movie. So, my hat's off to Paul Schrader for both being respectful of the 1973 Exorcist, and for making a stand alone effort. The story is more about Father Merrin's journey than trying to be a horror flick.

HORROR TOY TUESDAY: Chucky Stylized 6-inch Action Figure

Now hitting stores and online retailers is Mezco's 6-inch Rotocast Action Figure of everyone's favorite serial killing doll, Chucky. This isn't exactly the type of toy that I prefer to collect, but I know there's a lot of people out there who are in love with this stuff. So, if you're one of those people, this is for you!

THROWBACK THURSDAY REVIEW: Dance of the Dead (2005)

 Director Tobe Hooper (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre) and the Masters of Horror series are both hit or miss with me. I've personally, never been a big fan of Hooper's work except for Poltergeist and Salem's Lot (TV movie). And, there are more episodes of Masters of Horror that I dislike than like. I've viewed "Dance of the Dead" (season 1, episode 3) before, but it's been so long since I've seen it that I couldn't remember my opinion of that particular episode. I mean, the combo of Robert Englund and Tobe Hooper sounds appealing, especially when it's based on a short story by Richard Matheson! So, when I found it on DVD (for only $3.50!) I couldn't pass up the opportunity to purchase it and give it another watch. I was hoping for the best, but expecting the worst so as to not be letdown. That all changed about 20 minutes in, when I realized that I did remember it, I just tried to erase it from my brain...

HORROR TOY TUESDAY: Hannibal Pop! Vinyl figures

For the third time now, collectible manufacturers, Funko, has made my "Horror Toy Tuesday" cut. This week, I have to show off the line of Pop! Vinyl figures being done in honor of NBC's new and amazing show Hannibal, based off of the best selling Thomas Harris books. There's not one or two, but FIVE of these little guys being made, and all of them are instant purchases for me!

FILM REVIEW: The Expendables 3 (2014)

I'm pretty sure everyone my age is still caught up in the new TMNT flick and Guardians of the Galaxy, because my fiance and I sat in the back row of an empty theater Saturday, the only other people in the whole showing were five or six people who were all geriatric. I would be lying if I said that I expected much from this installment in the Expendables series, but I'm at the very least pleased that it's better then the dreadful 2012 sequel. You have to understand who these films are aimed at in order to truly appreciate them. If you still have a knack for 80's cheesy action motion pictures (the way that I do with 80's horror) with a cliche plot full of no story and tends to be overly loud, then the good news is that you'll more than likely "dig" this. So when watching, try to put on your 'I have to remember to forgive all these flaws I'm about to see because it's a senseless action flick' glasses (that they don't give you with your ticket purchase), so you can take it in properly. Unfortunately, I left my glasses at home...

THROWBACK THURSDAY REVIEW: Demon Seed (1977)

I first stumbled upon Demon Seed about two weeks ago at the local flea market, where it was sitting in the "rare finds" section. I was drawn to the cover instantly because it looked sexy, and because I had never heard of it before. I read the (ridiculous) synopsis on the back cover, and even though I wasn't totally sold on it, I decided to give it a chance anyway. I mean, a woman getting impregnated by a machine? Really? I've seen movies where women have been raped by rednecks, Satan, demons, and monsters. But I've never seen a woman victimized by a machine, so I was eager to add that to my 'all the crazy crap I've seen' list. And, when I found out that it was based on a Dean Koontz novel of the same name, I was a little more interested and more willing to give it a shot.

FILM REVIEW: Big Trouble in Little China (1986)

Director John Carpenter has done five films with actor Kurt Russel; Elvis (TV Movie), Escape from New York, The Thing, Escape From L.A., and Big Trouble in Little China. The thing is, I never got around to seeing Big Trouble in Little China until just a few days ago, and I'm an instant fan. This movie and I have crossed paths several times, it was one of those movies that just kept slipping by. I mean, I love John Carpenter, he'll probably always be my favorite director in the Horror genre. And, I've got no beef with Kurt Russell either, he's in some good movies with and without Carpenter behind the camera. But as far as I know, the work Carpenter and Russell do together is without qualms. The itch to finally watch Big Trouble in Little China came from a friend of mine who was posting pictures of his Blu-ray on Facebook. That, (coupled along with the memories that came back to me of several friends telling me I need to see it) really put a boot in my ass. When I sat down to watch it, it was about 9 pm and I was all alone, so I gave it my undivided attention. Right away I could see that it wasn't at all what I was expecting. No one ever told me what the hell the movie was about, so I was going off of the small synopsis on the back cover. But, I had a gut feeling that I was going to see the appeal in it. John Carpenter, Russell, the crew and studio all caught hell for this movie, slurs of stereotyping and racism from the Chinese began to make their rounds, but as Carpenter and Russell pointed out in the DVD commentary, the Caucasian guy (and star) in the film is the jackass who's clumsy and always messing up. So there's no truth behind the rumored racism behind this flick. Some truth though, is it only had $3 Million for advertising, and on top of that, the studio didn't know how to market it because Carpenter didn't make the movie the studio expected. So, Big Trouble in Little China has been somewhat of a sleeper, gaining its crowd and popularity after the point of its release. So, I guess better late than never for me, right?

Horror Toy Tuesday: 'PENNY DREADFUL' 8-Inch Retro Action Figures

Showtime's Penny Dreadful is one of 2014's most talked about TV Shows, and it's already gained a massive following of fans. Toy company Bif Bang Pow! who are mostly known for their Twilight Zone and Dexter action figures (as well as a wide variety of bobble heads) have taken it upon themselves to release the first collectibles from Penny Dreadful. It was very risky in my opinion to get the license to do merchandise from the show when it's only in its first season. If the show bombed and no one liked it, Bif Bang Pow! would have suffered the loss of obtaining a dead and/or useless license. Luckily for them, the show is a hit.

SCREENER REVIEW: Coldwater (2013)

It'd be a cliche to say that this thriller/drama that's borderline revenge horror is "gripping" and "emotional", but it's absolutely true. I was gripped and pulled in almost from the very start, because it's intense and tragic. It's basically a grown up version of Holes (2003), and reminded me of Sleepers (1996) due to the realism and it's ability to make me feel sick from watching it. Director Vincent Grashaw, hasn't done a full-length feature before, but it's a damn good effort. The cast include P.J. Boudousqué (who's mostly known for this movie), James C. Burns (All Together Now), Chris Petrovski (All Cheerleaders Die), Octavius J. Johnson (Ray Donovan TV show), and Zach Selwyn (Dead and Breakfast). When I saw Zach Selwyn  was in this I almost stood up and cheered, because I loved his character in Dead and Breakfast, Randall Keith Randall. So it was good to see a familiar face going into this screener.

Change is inevitable...

Dear Grimm Army,

Over the past few weeks I've been brainstorming, and I came to the conclusion that there's things about my blog that I've never finished, announced, and/or put the finishing touches on. I honestly didn't expect to be so fond of this whole blogging thing, so I never really took the time to smooth out the rough patches. So from now on, things are going to be happening a little differently...

First of all, I've changed the tabs at the top of this blog to more suitable ones. For example, I took down the "gore" and "foreign horror" tabs and replaced them with "book reviews" and "screener reviews". See, much more suitable. However, due to me being a pretty busy guy, I haven't had the time to go back and label everything to make sure they fall into the right tabs. Fore example, my Prom Night 2 review is the only film under the "film reviews" tab right now. So, throughout this weekend and all next week, or until everything is properly labeled, I'll be going back and fixing the labels so that everything is conveniently where it should be.

Secondly, I've added an official about me to this blog also and ditched the side column one. This was so I can say more without having that little side gadget grow too extensive, and so I can explain my "blogging mission" and why I ever even started doing "film reviews" in the first place. Be sure to check it out in the very first tab. Hopefully this will clear some things up for some people. Since I plan on sticking around a while, I know I should make myself comfortable and make these adjustments.To read my "About me", click HERE.

Lastly, you're going to hear more from me but see less of me. I know, you're probably thinking "huh?", right? Well let me explain to you what I mean. I set a schedule for myself of doing 5 posts a week, including "Horror Toy Tuesday" and "Throwback Thursday". However, I've come to realize that that particular schedule no longer works for me, because I've got longer and more detailed reviews that I'd love to write and get off of my chest. And, I simply can't do that if I'm putting the pressure on myself to do several posts per week. So, for the sake of myself and those who read my little blog, I will still be doing "Horror Toy Tuesday" and "Throwback Thursday" every week, but outside of that I may only get to do one or two other reviews for the week. See, I'm focusing on quality and not quantity anymore. I apply that to all things in my life, so it's time to apply that to my dear blog, here. So, although you may only get one or two reviews out of me a week, they'll be beefy and very informative reviews that will hopefully educate the reader on things they had no previous knowledge of. Expect bigger and longer reviews. Though I've already switched my review length to the five paragraph method, I assure you that they'll be some long paragraphs. So it's simple, rather than get three reviews from me a week (excluding "Horror Toy Tuesday" and "Throwback Thursday") of decent or short length, you'll start to see less reviews and more well written and informative reviews. That's why I started blogging in the first place. It's about time I got my ass into shape and do what I set out to do here, and deliver reviews that aren't what you see when you go to any random review blog. But, on the plus side, if I have a bunch of screeners or other small and non-elaborate posts to do in a week, you'll see more of me. It all just comes down to the amount of time put into each post on how many I can produce each week.

As always, I'm grateful for my readers and fans out there and I'm thankful for your undying support. Hopefully, seeing less of me will be for the better of your reading appetite. This blog is just an extension of me, and in a life where I'm expanding everything and always looking for the utmost improvement, I must include my blog in that.

Have a kick-ass weekend,

Grimm

About me

If you're looking to contact me for a screener or book review, click HERE. Otherwise, please check out the FAQ HERE and read the post below  before reading any of my "reviews" or articles.

Hi, my name is Drew, but my friends call me Grimm. I was given that nickname after friends and family saw Cabin Fever (2002) and said that I was identical to the part Eli Roth plays, named Grim. The nickname stuck with me ever since.

I've been watching horror movies for over 20 years, and while I've seen so many that it's impossible to count, I'm always finding new ones I haven't seen before and watching them. In fact, I almost always  have a few page list of movies that I need to watch. Those are what I primarily review. I hardly ever tap into reviewing a movie I've seen dozens of times unless it's for Throwback Thursday, in which I do a weekly review of an old favorite of mine. Aside from that, I basically review whatever I want or feel like talking about. The only exceptions are screeners and book reviews. I've been told that my reviews are "too critical", and on the other foot, I've been told that I "overpraise" movies. Really, it just comes down to my passion towards film and how serious I take it. I am one of the many out there who believe cinema to be art, so I look for all types of qualities when watching and reviewing a movie. After watching a movie, if I strongly dislike it, it'll come out in my review. If I really enjoy it, that will come out in my review. All reviews are subjective, so I'm not worried about having people agree or disagree with me. The thing that separates me from other common movie and book reviewers is that I am unbiased, and judge things fair and down the middle. For example, just because I like Christian Bale as an actor doesn't mean that when he has a bad movie or does terrible in a role, that I won't say so. And the same goes for just about anything and everything. I'm not a brown noser, I'm just honest and speak from the heart regardless of if that's the popular thing to do all the time.

I know a lot about all genres, honestly. I can have a good chat with anyone on almost any movie. For example, I could talk people under the table about Raging Bull. See, I don't just like watching movies, I love educating myself on them. If I am pleased after watching a movie for the first time, I'm likely to go on to learn a ton of info from the movie. I'm the guy who will watch a movie with four commentaries and eight hours of bonus material, and absorb everything I can on the topic. Not to mention that I do a very fair share of reading too. I do this for every film I like from all genres. However, horror has been my favorite genre since childhood, so that's what I like to talk about the most, and this blog is my outlet. I don't always tend to fill my reviews with all the knowledge I've taken in, but I'm constantly working on making my reviews better all the time. I do include major spoilers in my reviews unless it's a brand new movie, in that case I dull the spoilers down to mild for the sake of those who want to read my thoughts without having the whole movie spoiled for them. If you see some of my older posts you'll notice that I used to go by a rating system of stars, but I've decided to do away with rating movies. Reason being, I don't want to influence someone too much to see or not see a film based on a low or high grade. I believe everyone should check things out for themselves, and not just go off of the word of others such as myself. Also, I do not and have not ever done a paid post. But, I do have links to Amazon in my reviews that I do get commission on if someone(s) click and buy from the link provided. All other sources of revenue come solely from other affiliates, which are on the top right hand side of my blog.  For any other info on how I rate movies, please check the FAQ link at the top of this post.

Lastly, I'm going to bring up my comments policy. Please feel free to leave a comment! I love interacting with other horror fans. I don't mind my opinion being challenged, and a good healthy debate is always in the cards for me. However, if you are only commenting to insult me and/or troll, you're comment will not be published or replied to. If your comment is relevant, it will be posted and I'll gladly engage you in conversation.

Thank you for stopping by, I hope you like what you see with this blog of mine.

Throwback Thursday Review: 'HELLO MARY LOU: PROM NIGHT II' (1987)

In a genre where follow-up movies are especially known for "milking the cow", Hello Mary Lou: Prom Night II is one of the greatest horror sequels ever made. I've said that since I saw it, and I still stand by that. Though it's not as dark or tragic, this always has and will give Carrie a run for it's money. Someone from the Village Voice once said that "it's like a Brian DePalma movie for slasher fans", furthering my point that it stands toe to toe with Carrie, and in my opinion is superior. For those of you who don't know, Brian DePalma is the director of the original Carrie, but is most known for his masterpiece starring Al Pacino, Scarface. This stand alone sequel in the Prom Night series is directed by Bruce Pittman who's been around the game for a while. His last directorial effort was in 2012 called The Last Movie, and while I've never seen any of Pittman's other works, this is enough for me to respect the mans talent. Even if all of his other work is throwaway stuff (which I'm not saying it is, I'm just saying...), he knocked this one motion picture out of the park. The cast offers Lisa Schrage (Food of the Gods II), Michael Ironside (Scanners), and Wendy Lyon (Warehouse 13 TV Series) in this supernatural tale of a prom night from hell as Mary Lou, a victim who died in 1957 at her school prom, returns 30 years later to wreck havoc and get revenge.

Don't feed the 'ANIMAL'

THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS

The Monkey's Paw (2013) director, Brett Simmons directs this survival story about a group of close-knit friends on the run for their lives from a beast within the woods. Starring Joey Lauren Adams (Chasing Amy), Elizabeth Gillies (Killing Daddy TV movie), and Paul Iacono (G.B.F.), Animal is an entertaining and relentless creature feature.

Horror Toy Tuesday: 'CHRISTINE' 1958 Plymouth Belvedere 1:25 Model Kit

John Carpenter's adaptation of Stephen King's novel, Christine, is one of my favorite horror films, and easily in my top 5 books King has written. There's not much that has been made from the movie, and there's not really anything that can be made toy or model-wise that would be profitable aside from making Christine herself. Although there are flesh and blood characters, the star is Christine, and she's the one everyone wants (no pun intended).

'BUNNYMAN MASSACRE' (Screener Review)

This sequel to Bunnyman (2011) is directed by Carl Lindbergh, and stars David Scott, Julianne Dowler, and Jennifer June Ross. "Inspired by true events" my ass. The only truth behind the Bunnyman Massacre idea is that in real life, some people sighted a suspicious guy wearing a bunny costume and it creeped them out. Said Bunnyman was seen only a few times (if my information is correct) and nothing ever came of it other than his loitering and having the police called for "suspicious activity". No one was ever caught or brought up on charges, yet this movie uses that concept and turns it into a wannabe The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. The film depicts a murderer in a filthy rabbit costume who kills random innocents in what are attempted to be gruesome ways. Really, this picture is just a boring schlockfest that has no original inspiration, like it's predecessor.

'JOYRIDE 3: ROADKILL' is relentlessly brutal

THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS

In the third installment in the Joy Ride series, we get a bloody (no pun intended) good sequel. This time around, a group of street racers who take a short cut to a race rally antagonize the vicious truck driver, Rusty Nail, and he won't stop hunting them until they all die gruesome deaths. Directed by Declan O' Brien (Shartopus) and starring Ken Kirzinger (Freddy Vs. Jason), Jesse Hutch (Smallville), and Ben Hollingsworth (Coming Home for Christmas).