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Showing posts from November, 2012

Orphan (2009)

One of the surest way to get give people the heebie jeebies is to have a creepy kid in the movie.  " The Grudge " did it, " The Ring " did it... even Stanley Kubrick's " The Shining " did it.  One of the movies I watched during "Terrorpolooza 2012" did it as well... The Colemans have adopted a young girl named Esther, who promises to bring some happiness back into the torn family.  Soon however, that happiness turns to fear as "accidents" begin to happen to those around them... with Esther at the center of the malestrom... The premise reminds me a bit of " The Good Son " (1993), though there is an interesting, if slightly far fetched twist at the climax. Other than the children Maxine and Daniel, there is very little to LIKE about most of the characters.  The husband and the shrink are idiots, and easily manipulated.  While you can understand the trauma and emotional problems the mother has, I found it hard to ro

Mary Shelly's Frankentein (1994)

I enjoy classical horror literature.  I've read Poe, " Dracula ", and even reviewed " Frankenstein; or a Modern Prometheus " here on the blog.  I also enjoy seeing how Hollywood adapts these classics to the big screen.  I watched one such adaptation during " Terrorpolooza 2012 "... Victor Frankenstein becomes obsessed with defeating death after his mother dies during childbirth.  He soon begins to experiment with dead flesh, and discovers the means by which he can create a living, breathing, being.  Soon however, the consequences of his actions return to destroy all that he holds dear... Those that I know said that " Mary Shelly's Frankenstein " was a less than spectacular movie.  I try to remain open minded when I hear comments about movies, since there is always the possibility that I'd enjoy it.  The difference of opinion my friend Jay (from " We Came From the Basement ") and I have over the Kevin Costner movie, &q

Meridian: Kiss of the Beast (1990)

Sometimes, a director/producer will surprise you- such was the case during " Terrorpolooza 2012 " when I watched Charles Band's " Meridian: Kiss of the Beast " Catherine Bomarzini has come home after her father's death.  Needing company, she asks Gina to stay with her.  Soon, the two meet a wondering troupe of performers that Catherine invites to dinner at her castle. Catherine find herself pulled into a love triangle and an ancient curse that only she can break. After watching movies like " Evil Bong ", and " Demonic Toys ", I really wasn't expecting too much from this Charles Band movie- but I was pleasantly surprised by it. The story is actually quite interesting with lots of potential for eerie scenes, and character development.  It's a nice twist on the classic " Beauty and the Beast " story.  It's a bit slower than most of Band's other works, but moves smoothly and draws you with it. I have to ad

A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)

I felt that it wouldn't have been a proper " Terrorpolooza 2012 " if I didn't watch a classic 1980's horror movie- which is why I pulled up " A Nightmare on Elm Street "... Teenagers in a small American town are starting to dream of a disfigured man with a clawed glove.  When her friends start to die from their dreams, Nancy decides it's up to her to confront the supernatural killer and end his nightmarish reign of terror... I'm pretty sure you, the reader, can figure out where I'm going to go with this particular review. Yep- you guessed it.  I really enjoy this movie. The premise is simple, but terrifying, since you're at your most vulnerable when sleeping, and we've all had those dreams that are just "too real" for comfort.  The story is well paced, with a great mixture of suspense, and plain old in your face scares.  No event is trivial, and the flow is smooth.  Just a masterpiece of writing. The characters

It Happened at Nightmare Inn (1973)

" Terrorpolooza 2012 " brought me in contact with a couple of films made across the pond, some a bit better than others... Women have been disappearing at a small Spanish inn, and soon the sister of one of the victims begins to investigate.  Will she uncover the dark secret of their disappearance... or will she join her sister? This is a hard movie to say much about.  It's far from great, but for some reason still worth watching at least once.  The story is fairly simple, but offers enough of a skeleton to hang meat on and flesh out.  Having said that, " It Happened at Nightmare Inn " falls slightly short of a full bodied piece of work. The characters of the two sisters running the inn are interesting, but the remaining cast seems to get introduced in order to simply die.  The heroine plays an unimportant part until near the end. At least the girls looked good, even if their acting wasn't the greatest. There isn't much in the way of blood or

The Oval Portrait (1972)

I'm a fan of Edgar Allan Poe, so it was a pleasant surprise that one of the movies I watched during " Terrorpolooza 2012 " was an adaptation of one of his stories... Genevieve has come home to claim ownership of her deceased uncle's  house.  Soon, however, she discovers the tragic details behind her cousin's death- details that could cost her mind... and her soul ... " The Oval Portrait " isn't a perfect film, but I still found it enjoyable.  The story is simple, but is strengthened by the backstory of the cousin's death.  The pacing isn't too bad, though fans of horror movies that get right into the scares might be put off by the slower pacing and build up.  The story itself isn't so much frightening as macabre and disturbing... which is to be expected of a Poe story, actually. While Genevieve is a little flat, the characters of her cousin and the Confederate soldier she loved help to make up for that.  The uncle was interesting

Guru, the Mad Monk (1970)

Moving forward with my " Terrorpolooza 2012 " reviews, I come to a film that made me cringe... and not in a pleasantly horrified way... Guru, the priest in charge of a prison, needs to do what he can to keep money coming into his pockets... and fresh "prey" for his mistress.  Unfortunately, his plan to use a female prisoner to coerce a simple minded fellow into doing his will backfires ... As I sit here, I'm trying to think of positive things to say about " Guru, the Mad Monk ".  Unfortunately, I can't think of a single thing. Actually, I can think of one thing.  The premise had potential. Too bad the rest of the film reeked of awful poo poo. I didn't care one iota about ANY of the characters.  None.  Complete apathy.  And that goes for the rather attractive female prisoner Najia.  I guess it didn't help that the hunchback's name was Igor.  Yes, one of the most original names for a hunchback in movie history.  Real quality

Nightmare Castle (1965)

One of the movies I watched during " Terrorpolooza 2012 " was an Italian gothic horror.  When it comes to gothic horror, Europeans tend to surpass North American in quality. A scientist catches his wife and her lover together, and shows them the extent of his wrath. Soon, his new wife starts to experience hints to the fate of her sister- the scientist's previous wife . Sometimes, as is the case with " Nightmare Castle ," the simplest of plots is the best.  Murder and revenge are all that were needed to create the circumstances for the events in this story.  It moves along smoothly and fairly quickly, with the creepiness and scares spread throughout evenly.  If this were a book, I would have very little problem with sitting down by flickering candlelight, reading it, and enjoying the chills run up my spine. The characters, while somewhat simplistic in nature are still interesting enough to keep me wondering what was going to happen next.  I really like

The Manster (1959)

Next on my list of " Terrorpolooza 2012 " reviews is an American/Japanese horror movie that I felt combined the best parts of American and Japanese film making into a smooth whole. Larry Stanford befriends a scientist whom he interviews for his newspaper.  As Dr. Suzuki introduces him to the finer parts of Japanese culture, he finds himself falling for the scientist's beautiful assistant.  His personality starts to change... and soon his body follows... If there is ONE thing that Japan is known for, it's great monster ideas.  If there is ONE thing the US is known for- especially back in the 1950's, it was for great camera work.  The two are used to wonderful effect in " The Manster ". The story is a simple Mad Scientist plot, but if fully capable of carrying the weight of the characters, and the things that happen to them.  There is very little in the way of frivolous subplots in this movie, each element of the story helps to move it forward, an

Creature From the Haunted Sea (1961)

I'm back after a small hiatus due to being sick with the third of my " Terrorpolooza 2012 " movie reviews.  One thing I learned is that while horror and comedy often work together, sometimes, it doesn't work as well as it could've. A group of gangsters have helped a South American dictator to escape a revolution with a strong box full of gold.  They hope to gain possession of it by using a legend of a local sea monster to scare off the dictator and his guards.  All goes according to plan until an American spy... and the real sea monster take an interest in the group . " Creature From the Haunted Sea " is a Roger Corman horror comedy that- as was typical of Corman films, shot in about five days.  To be perfectly honest, you can tell that it was a rushed production. The story is certainly enough to provide a decent amount of comedic fodder to go with the horror, though the humour far outweighs the horror.  Unfortunately, due to a few of the charact

The Screaming Skull (1958)

I'm back today with the second of my " Terrorpolooza 2012 " reviews.  This time, it's " The Screaming Skull " . Jenni and Eric are a happy couple who have recently gotten married.  Upon moving into Eric's mansion, Jenni learns of the tragic death of Eric's first wife.  Soon, Jenni will question her own sanity as strange sounds and skulls begin to haunt her.  Is it the ghost of Eric's first wife... or something more sinister ? I quite enjoyed this movie.  The premise is solid, as are the events that occur.  There are one or two small holes in the plot, but they're pretty minor and don't take away from the overall story.  I did feel though that the opening "disclaimer" was unnecessary, though it did make me smile as I remembered some of the William Castle movies I'd seen. The characters, while they could be seen as somewhat stereotypical, are still interesting and engaging- especially the characters Jenni, and Mickey

Grave of the Vampire (1972)

This week, the " What Movie Wednesday " was a close competition between the three choices.  If it hadn't been for one vote near the end, it would've been a TRIPLE feature night.  Luckily, I was able to get some sleep because that one vote made " Grave of the Vampire " the winner. James is hunting down a centuries old vampire who has risen from his slumber to hunt again.  The vampire is also his own father ... The basic premise is interesting and could provide for quite a good story, too bad this movie fails to come anywhere close to fulfilling that potential.  The story starts out interesting enough.  A vampire rises from the grave, rapes and impregnates a woman after killing her boyfriend.  The detective assigned to the case suspects that a vampire is involved, and begins to hunt it.  At that point, the story goes downhill as the detective gets killed, and we jump ahead several years to when the woman's baby is a full grown man hunting down his f

Bluebeard (1944)

Many horror films delve into legends about infamous people for the kernel of an idea for their stories.  Cannibals, monsters, and serial killers are peppered throughout the history of horror cinema... Gaston is a puppeteer in Paris during a rash of murders by a psychotic madman named "Bluebeard".  When Gaston meets Lucille, he believes that he's found happiness... but soon matters take a dark turn, and Gaston's happines could turn to murder ... This 1944 black and white suspense thriller has a lot going for it.  The story, is straightforward, and strong enough to keep you interested- even though you know who the killer is from the start.  It's still engaging to watch the events unfold. The acting isn't bad- not great, but still enjoyable.  John Carradine does a great job in the role of the troubled Gaston, while Jean Parker was great as Lucille.  Carradine brings a nice touch of pathos to the character, while maintaining the feeling that there is some

Halloween Recap

This past Halloween, I held a 24 hour "Terrorpolooza 2012" horror movie tweet along.  From 1:00 am Halloween morning, to 1:00 am the next morning, I did nothing but watch horror movies and tweet along to them.  In total, I watched 13 movies- a number that seems rather fitting for day when superstitions and legends come alive, in my opinion. Anyways, I would've posted my thoughts on the movies I watched on Thursday (or Friday even), but I was pretty much in a coma trying to catch up on my sleep.  The only time I woke up over the past two days was to do the tweeting for my " We Came From the Basement " as their show aired on CFBX 92.5 FM ( www.thex.ca ).  Other than that, I slept.  Just slept. Which is why, today, I'm going to post a quick list of the movies I watched, and my thoughts on them.  Over the next couple of weeks or so, I'll be posting full length reviews of these movies as well. 1.  " Bluebeard " (1944)- A moody, black and wh