It rips off Halloween in just about every way and can steer towards the bland at times, but it's got a likable cast, cold upstate New York atmosphere, and more suspense than expected.
Reviews
31 Reviews
Messiah of Evil
(1974)
A Dreamy Experience
15 May 2022
A stylish and dreamlike zombie film about an artist's daughter who discovers the town where her father has disappeared in is overrun by zombies. The cinematography and production design are all well above average for a film of this type and budget and help out a lot when the film's pacing dips or plot lines don't quite add up.
The Slayer
(1982)
A Different Kind of Slasher
15 May 2022
A bit slower than it needs to be, The Slayer does captivate whenever it consumes a little coffee like its sleep-deprived heroine and gets to the good stuff. The dreamy atmosphere is much appreciated, the gore effects impress, and it's not without its haunting imagery, but it needs a little pep in its step at times.
Visiting Hours
(1982)
Pretty Scary Stuff
15 May 2022
A surprisingly intense and frightening film is derailed midway through by some unfortunate padding and a lack of danger, but kicks it back into high gear in time for a scare-filled finale. It's always interesting to see Lee Grant in a film like this, but Michael Ironside steals the the show as the terrifying mad slasher.
Scream
(I) (2022)
Unnecessary
15 May 2022
This isn't a sequel that needs to exist even if it's nice to see some familiar faces and the filmmakers do a better job aping that Craven/Williamson style than expected. It never rises to the occasion, but does offer a few moments of unexpected tension and humor.
Alice, Sweet Alice
(1976)
A Classic
15 May 2022
A brave and unrelenting thriller stained with religious repression and Catholic pomp and circumstance involving a young girl murdered before her first communion and her family that's torn apart when they start to suspect their eldest daughter might be the culprit. Lots of twists, turns, and scary surprises.
Blood and Lace
(1971)
Sick, Twisted, and Fun
15 May 2022
Gloria Grahame plays the operator of an orphanage for teenagers where the price to pay for escaping is steep. Melody Patterson plays a young girl sent there after her prostitute mother is murdered and she gets on Grahame's bad side almost immediately. Just the right mix of fun camp and sick nihilism.
Fade to Black
(1980)
Movie Buff Goes Psycho
15 May 2022
This is an average suspenser with a fascinating performance by Dennis Christopher as an obsessive movie fan who loses his grip on reality and begins committing crimes while dressed as some of his favorite cinematic idols. It's never very scary or suspenseful, but Christopher sells every moment he's on screen.
Fresh
(2022)
Grade A Horror
15 May 2022
The modern dating world gets a little scarier in Fresh, a delicious and savory horror comedy. Everything starts out charmingly enough with our hapless heroine falling for a guy she meets in a supermarket who turns out to have quite a few secrets. Mimi Cave's direction is clever and she keeps balancing the contrasting tones beautifully.
Hellbound: Hellraiser II
(1988)
Incredibly Creative Sequel
15 May 2022
Hellbound: Hellraiser II disposes of a lot of the sexual undercurrents from the first film and seems happy to supply some gory fantasy-adventure for its audience as Kirsty, the previous film's heroine, tries to rescue her father's soul from hell. The effects are spellbinding.
Lights Out
(II) (2016)
Engaging Enough Horror Flick
25 October 2020
Lights Out is a short film premise stretched to nearly the breaking point, but a fine performance by Maria Bello helps things moving along at a decent clip and some of the scares are very effective. Like most horror films, the film gets a little more dull and less frightening once they reveal the reasons as to why this spirit is haunting them, but it's not enough to cancel out all the good that came before it. It's not one you have to run and see, but it's also not something you'd change the channel on if it popped up on TV.
Dead Silence
(2007)
Moody Horror
25 October 2020
The creators of the Saw franchise clearly made a choice to distance themselves from that film's gritty, grimy aesthetic and made their next big horror film, Dead Silence, a much classier and more atmospheric ghost story. It pays off very well and there are quite a few moments that will get under your skin if you let them. It also boasts one of the more interesting horror film villains with Mary Shaw - a ventriloquist who was murdered by an angry mob of townspeople and now delivers her revenge in the form of her creepy animated puppets. The film sometimes wavers uncomfortably between classic slow burn horror and modern jump cut cinema, but the slower, more classical moments land really well.
Carrie
(2013)
Useless Remake
25 October 2020
CGI replaces more interesting practical effects in this lukewarm adaptation of Stephen King's first novel which had already been adapted for the screen twice and once for the musical stage. This one is easily the worst of the bunch with two miscast leads in Chloe Moretz and Julianne Moore. These are two excellent actresses who simply aren't right for their roles. Moretz has none of the vulnerability required for the title characters and seems too strong from the get go and Moore has the exact opposite problem where she's far too vulnerable as Carrie's abusive religious zealot mother, possessing none of the required threat. Some other supporting roles fare much better, but the film eventually turns into a computer effects heavy finale with some inventive moments of gore during the prom massacre, but also several laughable moments like when Carrie levitates out of the burning prom.
Poltergeist
(2015)
Terrible Remake
25 October 2020
If you like your horror films predictable and bland with zero heart whatsoever, Poltergeist might just tickle your fancy. They've cast wonderful actors Sam Rockwell and Rosemarie DeWitt to play the parents in this reboot of the classic franchise and it gives them next to nothing to do. There's none of the warmth that was so winning with the Freeling family in the original and that sinks the movie more than the lousy CGI and other modern enhancements. The Tangina character is now an Irish paranormal TV host. Why? I'm not sure, but he's not as interesting as Tangina either. Nothing in this is an improvement or even offers an interesting angle into the story, so why bother?
Cherry Falls
(1999)
Good Post-Scream Slasher
24 October 2020
The tone of Cherry Falls is strange. At times, it seems to be going for that ironic, post-Scream thing with the humor, but it also wants to be taken seriously as a vicious, mean spirited slasher movie and the whole film has these two tones duking it out to see who'll end up on top. It leaves the film feeling very confused, but it's still entertaining enough and well-cast for a film of this type. Watching this really made me miss Brittany Murphy - a talented actress we lost too soon. She carries the film.
Lovers Lane
(2000)
Terrible
24 October 2020
Slashers aren't usually considered high art, but at least a few of them can be entertaining. Lovers Lane isn't one of those movies. It does seem to have some sort of budget and it's competently made, but the story is super boring and none of the kills are memorable. It's nice to see Anna Faris in an early role before Scary Movie, but even she's wasted in this.
Identity
(2003)
Great Thriller!
24 October 2020
An unusually smart studio-produced thriller with an excellent cast and a classic Agatha Christie vibe. A bunch of travelers are stranded at a seedy motel during a thunderstorm and they start to believe they were all brought here for a reason as a killer picks them off one by one. There are a few twists that might make one cringe, but they don't bring the film down too much.
The Wicker Man
(2006)
Really Awful
24 October 2020
I'd been told to stay away from this film for my own sanity, but morbid curiosity got the better of me and I had to watch it. I really wish I hadn't. The story, as told in the previous film, is interesting and there's enough her to warrant a worthwhile retelling, but I'm not sure if it was the script or Nicholas Cage's horrifying overacting that ruins everything. At a certain point, you stop even trying to relate to Cage as a human being and start seeing him as a cartoon in a Looney Tunes sketch where you're free to laugh and cackle at the mess he's gotten himself into. The slow burn terror of the original is nowhere to be found.
Cinderella
(1997 TV Movie)
Charming Adaptation
24 October 2020
With material as lovely as Rogers and Hammerstein's Cinderella, it's an obvious choice for a revamp and, with a cast this great, it earns its place next to the Julie Andrews and Lesley Ann Warren versions rather easily. I suppose a few of the computer effects are silly, but the effects in both previous versions have a similar lo-fi, cheesy charm. It's the story, performances, and music that really bring the magic in this musical and this version has more than enough of that. Brandy doesn't have the soprano voice one usually identifies with this character, but they change some keys and she more than makes it her own and Whitney Houston appears to be having a ball as the fairy godmother.
Bridesmaids
(I) (2011)
Hilarious!
27 August 2020
Bridesmaids might be one of the few films to live up to the hype. I put it off for years, but watching it last night, I couldn't stop smiling. I've heard some people say it's too long, but it never felt like the pacing dragged to me. All the actresses are fantastic and perfect for their roles, but I'm surprised the gross out scene at the bridal shop seems to be the most famous and well loved scene from this. Where's the love for Wiig's mile high freakout? That's the scene that had me literally holding my sides because I was laughing so much.
Portrait of a Lady on Fire
(2019)
Moving and Well Crafted Love Story
31 March 2020
It's hard to find a good romantic movie in this day and age, but here comes Portrait of A Lady on Fire, ready and willing to take on the challenge.
The film involves two women - one, a painter hired to paint a new bride's portrait and, the other, the bride herself. The bride is filled with anger over her sister's recent suicide and the fact that she's been promised to a man she's never met. Over the course of the artist's stay, the two become close - first, as friends and then, as something more.
The entire film is shot like a painting itself and the sound design is simply stunning with no music whatsoever until a final, breathtaking moment which makes it all the more powerful. Besides that, the acting is wonderful and subtle and this all adds up to being one of the most interesting films of the year.
The film involves two women - one, a painter hired to paint a new bride's portrait and, the other, the bride herself. The bride is filled with anger over her sister's recent suicide and the fact that she's been promised to a man she's never met. Over the course of the artist's stay, the two become close - first, as friends and then, as something more.
The entire film is shot like a painting itself and the sound design is simply stunning with no music whatsoever until a final, breathtaking moment which makes it all the more powerful. Besides that, the acting is wonderful and subtle and this all adds up to being one of the most interesting films of the year.
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