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Showing posts from September, 2011

The Monster of Phantom Lake (2007)

When I'm feeling down, I enjoy popping either an animated film, or a B-movie into the machine and watch it while nibbling on popcorn or cheesy poofs.  I was in that sort of mood when I sat down to watch, " The Monster of Phantom Lake "... Professor Jackson, and his assistant Stephanie are studying the local ecosystem of Phantom Lake, when they come across a new species of algae- algae that seems to have somehow combined with human DNA.  While they struggle to find the cause, a group of teens are having a campout nearby... only to be attacked by a plant-like humanoid figure.  Is THIS the source of the strange algae... and who will it kill next? " The Monster of Phantom Lake " is not intended to be a scary movie.  It is a humourous tribute to the classic, cheesy B-movies of the 1950's- and does it quite well. Like most of the B-movies of the 1950's, the camera work isn't complex- though there are some decent shots.  The editing was good at cre

Scare It Forward! (Tale Two) Chapters 11 & 12

Well, the final two chapters of William Castle's second 2011 "Scare It Forward!" tale have been posted... and I'm here with the final summary of this tale! The story so far: Rod "Hot Rod" McIntosh, is a guitarist with a taste for cocaine, liquor, and fast bikes.  During his band's performance one night, a mysterious woman gives him a note and a kiss.  Soon, Rod is faced with a growing horror as the woman stakes a claim on his soul.  Is this hellish nightmare a bad trip... or a fast trip to Hell? A night of passion turns into a nightmarish vision of shadowy death and and an creepy mystery for Rod after he meets, "Mindy".  Kisses land like feathers, and blood flows like wine in the fog of his memories from that night.  Who  IS  this mysterious woman... and what does she want with him?   Seeking answers to the fragmented questions about the strange night with "Mindy," Rod is on a journey to find

Bloodsucking Babes From Burbank (2006)

I am a fan of low budget horror movies.  I'm also af an of B-movies.  I also really enjoy some humour mixed with my horror.  When a movie combines these three things, I can be often found to sit, contented like a kitty cat with some catnip.  Unfortunately, not all of the horror movies that try to fit these three categories manages to do it effectively... Gary is helping his girlfriend Samantha with an archeology excursion to find a jewel box that was supposed to have been the property of a real life witch.  He finds the jewel box, and offers it to one of Samantha's rivals when Samantha refuses to show him the "proper appreciation" for it. Soon, however, Gary is on the run as women throughout Burbank start turning on men and eating them.  It's up to Gary, Samantha, a drifter and his girlfriend to retrieve the box and stop the carnage from spreading. This is actually going to be a pretty short review, since there isn't much to say about " Bloodsucking

Shadows of the Dead (2004)

Over the past decade, Vampires and Werewolves have been given a "humanized" treatment in movies and TV.  Rather than being the cold, sinister blood thirsty creatures of the night they used to be, they are now more human.  They have feelings, and a culture now- so much so that they're almost soap operatic in nature... and not as scary as they used to be when Mom would warn us about the vampire in the attic... One creature of the night that has pretty much stayed the same has been the zombie... except for one film that I found that looks at the zombie in a whole different light... John and Jennifer are a young couple hoping to enjoy a weekend away at their cabin.  After getting lost in the woods, they are attacked by a stranger who bites John.  Managing to escape, they reach their cabin and safety.  Unfortunately, they soon realize that some changes are taking place in their lives ... This movie presents us with an intellegent, and even thought provoking look at the

"Scare It Forward!" (Tale Two) Chapter 10

Well, gang- Monday has rolled around... another long start to a long week.  Fortunately, we have my weekly summary of William Castle's second " Scare It Forward! " tale to make the day go a little bit easier! The story so far: Rod "Hot Rod" McIntosh, is a guitarist with a taste for cocaine, liquor, and fast bikes.  During his band's performance one night, a mysterious woman gives him a note and a kiss.  Soon, Rod is faced with a growing horror as the woman stakes a claim on his soul.  Is this hellish nightmare a bad trip... or a fast trip to Hell? A night of passion turns into a nightmarish vision of shadowy death and and an creepy mystery for Rod after he meets, "Mindy".  Kisses land like feathers, and blood flows like wine in the fog of his memories from that night.  Who  IS  this mysterious woman... and what does she want with him?   Seeking answers to the fragmented questions about the strange night with

Red Riding Hood (2003)

Fairy tales have often provided inspiration for horror movies- being rather horrific when you read the original, un-Disneyfied versions (I can't forgive Disney for butchering the classic " Hunchback of Notre Dame ").  Sometimes, the influence is very direct, and other times a little more obsure. Jenny is a young girl left to her own devices in Rome after her father is killed, and step-mother leaves for whatever reason meets her fancy at the time.  She sees this as the perfect opportunity to bring Rome a bit of street level justice with the help of her canine friend, "George".  Unfortunately, a crush on her tutor, and her meddling grandmother are in the way of her dispensing her special kinda of justice... At first glance, you would expect the title to refer to a more direct adaptation of the story of Little Red Riding Hood... but you'd be wrong.  There are references to the story, but they aren't a major part of the story.  There is a grandmother, an

Identity (2003)

  Every now and then, I find a suspenseful thriller that keeps you interested and leaves you blinking with surprise at the end. Eleven travellors become trapped at a lonely roadside motel during stormy night.  Soon, one by one, they are murdered by an unknown person.  Is the killer one of them... or something much darker than they'd ever suspect? " Identity " is one of those films that not only kept me interested throughout the entire thing- but actually made me raise my eyebrows in surprise at the twist.  The story is well written, and paced beautifully.  The characters were unique and interesting- and likeable. The acting, as far as I'm concerned, as great.  I've always enjoyed John Cusack's performances, and he didn't disappoint as Ed Dakota.  The character had depth- I wanted to learn more about him as a person.  Another great performance was given by Ray Liotta- who's work I also enjoy greatly.  He gives a good, strong performance in the role

"Scare It Forward! (Tale Two) Chapters 8 & 9

For those of you wondering where my weekly update of William Castle's second 2011 "Scare It Forward!" tale was yesterday, I'm sorry.  Sometimes life gets in the way of things.  Having said that, allow me to present my sumary of Chapters Eight and Nine! The story so far: Rod "Hot Rod" McIntosh, is a guitarist with a taste for cocaine, liquor, and fast bikes.  During his band's performance one night, a mysterious woman gives him a note and a kiss.  Soon, Rod is faced with a growing horror as the woman stakes a claim on his soul.  Is this hellish nightmare a bad trip... or a fast trip to Hell? A night of passion turns into a nightmarish vision of shadowy death and and an creepy mystery for Rod after he meets, "Mindy".  Kisses land like feathers, and blood flows like wine in the fog of his memories from that night.  Who  IS  this mysterious woman... and what does she want with him?   Seeking answers to the fragmented q

Strange Things Happen at Sundown (2003)

Vampire movies have gotten a bit boring over the past few years, relying on either the vampire being either moody and angsty or in a rivalry with a werewolf.  But rest assured that there ARE some that step out of the usual vampire mold and are quite entertaining. Marcel and Amy, two vampires have stolen $100,000.00 from vampire mobster Jimmy "Fangs" Petrucci, and are on the run.  A mysterious vampire hitman has been hired to hunt them down to get the money back.  While waiting for his money to be returned, "Fangs" has to deal with a strange female vampire who is killing his gang on her path to the vampire that created her. " Strange Things Happen at Sundown " is a fun little vampire film that is witty and intellegent.  In 2003, it won the Audience Choice Award at the New York City Horror Film Festival. The story is well crafted and smart.  It uses much of the vampire mythology with minor changes to bring a fresh feeling to the vampire genre.  Unused

Sleepy Hollow (1999)

I think I'm safe in saying that pretty much EVERYONE, at one point or another has seen Disney's animated version of " The Legend of Sleepy Hollow ".  Well, if you're looking for a review of it today, you'd be wrong.  Today, I'm going to cover Tim Burton's reimagining of the classic tale... New York City police constable, Ichabod Crane is assigned a mysterious murder case in the small hamlet of Sleepy Hollow.  Upon arrival, he is informed by the local dignitaries that the deaths are the work of the Headless Horseman... who is possibly taking the heads to replace his missing head.  While investigating, Ichabod becomes involved in the intrigue and mystery surrounding the Headless Horseman... a mystery that may just involve the woman he's attracted to... Going into this review, I'm going to be very honest and plain about a few facts: I've always enjoyed Tim Burton's films; I've always enjoyed Johnny Depp's work; I've alw

The Last Broadcast (1998)

  In 1999, the world was presente with with one of the first "found footage" style films, " The Blair Witch Project ".  The year before, however, there was a lesser known one released... " The Last Broadcast ". While filming a documentary about the "Fact or Fiction" murders, David Leigh receives a box with the mangled remains of a video cassette.  Believing that this tape holds the evidence needed to solve the grisly murders of the TV show hosts- Steven Avkast, Locus Wheeler and Rein Clackin, he enlists the aid of data retrieval expert, Michelle.  Was it the Jersey Devil- the creature the "Fact or Fiction" crew was hoping to catch on video... or something far darker than any of them would believe? For a low budget film, this one was done quite well.  I liked the documentary style of storytelling they used.  Even though the characters aren't developed much, you do come to like the hosts of "Fact or Fiction".  The acting w

"Scare It Forward!" (Tale Two) Chapter 7

I enjoy starting my week by catching up on the lastest chapters of William Castle's 2011 "Scare It Forward!"   This week, I help you by giving you a summary of the story up to Chapter Seven... The story so far: Rod "Hot Rod" McIntosh, is a guitarist with a taste for cocaine, liquor, and fast bikes.  During his band's performance one night, a mysterious woman gives him a note and a kiss.  Soon, Rod is faced with a growing horror as the woman stakes a claim on his soul.  Is this hellish nightmare a bad trip... or a fast trip to Hell? A night of passion turns into a nightmarish vision of shadowy death and and an creepy mystery for Rod after he meets, "Mindy".  Kisses land like feathers, and blood flows like wine in the fog of his memories from that night.  Who  IS  this mysterious woman... and what does she want with him?   Seeking answers to the fragmented questions about the strange night with "Mindy," Rod is on a journey to f

William Castle Wants YOU to Scream For Your Life!

William Castle has teamed up with Fangoria Magazine to bring the world another dose of his famous showmanship.  This time, YOU'RE the star of this wonderful piece of entertainment. The two have joined forces to bring us the "Scream For Your Life" contest !  It's simple, really.  Just grab your camcorder, cell phone, or web cam, and  film yourself screaming your best Hollywood horror movie scream!  Once you've filmed it, send you MPEG to chris@fangoria.com .  Once you've done that, the great, late William Castle and his daughter, Terry will have a look at them.  Near the end of September, the two will choose the best three to receive a signed copy of William Castle's book, " From the Grave: The Prayer "- which I've read, reviewed, and loved.  In addition, the lucky winners will get another piece of William Castle memorabilia from his secret stash. So, get your scream on and enter now! I took the liberty of making my own entry to the cont