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Showing posts from February, 2016

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning (2006) - Jonathan Liebesman

The prequel that no one was asking for. This movie explains the backstory to revisionist remake of Texas Chainsaw Massacre  from 2003. Of course if you are a fan of splatter flicks this is right up your alley. I usually don't mind the quality as long as the story is being developed. This works. The film hits the ground running. We get to see the birth of Leatherface and are introduced to the unlucky group of young people that will undoubtedly fall victim to the murderous Hewitt Family.  The Hewitt family is just getting their footing and setting themselves up to be the most vicious and blood-thirsty family of killers in America. Thomas Hewitt has murdered his boss at the local meat packing plant and Charlie has executed and assumed the identity of the Sheriff. This doesn't bode well for the unlucky group of young adults riding through town. Not only are the adults being harassed by a gang of bikers, but they are also being hunted by the twisted cannibalistic family.

The Green Inferno (2013) - Eli Roth

Obviously, this is a film truly inspired by the brief cannibal craze of the late 70's and early 80's. The film calls back to classics like Cannibal Ferox and Cannibal Holocaust . However, this film has the technology to fully flush out the genre. This gross-out horror film, from the master of sleaze, is a perfect fit for the overly-saturated PG-13 era of horror that we live in. The film is as beautiful as it is revolting. It's definitely worth a watch. If you're brave enough. A group of young college kids go on a protest trip to South America. Their goal is to protest the destruction of the rain forest in Peru and stop a demolition company from its work. Nothing goes right from the start. Justine, the main character, is set-up and used by their guide and leader, Alejandro. They manage to accomplish their goal but end up being stranded after a plane crash on their return trip. The survivors of the trip are found by a cannibalistic tribe that seems more than exci

Shocker (1989) - Wes Craven

This movie is terrible but polished. I can recall Shocker trailer spots on television from my childhood. It looked frightening. I was wrong. Shocker was campy, laughable, and above all confusing. It is great for parties and marathons, but shouldn't be considered for serious film study. Absolutely nothing seems fresh or new. Almost everything feels half-assed and uninspired. But hey, this is horror. I guess I can lighten up. A bit.  For some reason a teenager has a telekinetic link with a notorious serial killer named Horace Pinker. This guy has apparently murdered over thirty families in twenty years. He is brutal and loves killing. The psychic link allows the teenager to view the killings and witness these brutal murders. He can even project himself to appear physically in the presence of Pinker. It's weird and confusing. Eventually, the teen helps the police capture Pinker, who vows to get his revenge. While on Death Row, Pinker makes a deal with the Devil or some d

Goosebumps (2015) - Rob Letterman

R.L. Stein had penned the first chapter books I had ever read. Goosebumps was a fantastic series that terrified me as a young man in short pants. Tales of ventriloquist dummies coming to life, evil possessive masks, and monster blood were all that I needed to breed a lifetime of insomnia fueled nights watching horror movies and writing about them. Stein himself is an awesome writer and great guy. I couldn't be happier about his media hitting the silver screen, and it's about time.  Firstly, Jack Black is not the first person I would have chosen to fill any role in a Goosebumps inspired movie. However, his presence is not met with resistance. In fact he does a fantastic job of not being his usual self. I think that as his career matures, Black is starting to become less slap-sticky and more serious. Almost like an Orson Wells type actor. Surprisingly, he shows his chops here as R.L. Stein. That's right, this film is based in a reality that has Goosebumps novels a

The Wolf Man (1941) - George Waggner

Another Universal Monsters movie classic. The Wolf Man is a fantastic story that introduces the newly developed modern horror community to werewolves. At least in the form that we all know and take as scripture. Lon Chaney Jr. turns in his most infamous performance in the lead. It was definitely the peak of his career, but it serves him very well. I am very hard on Werewolf movies and this one gets no mercy. I went into this watching it with a pretty great distaste, but I was softened. It was good.  Lon Chaney Jr. plays an American, Larry Talbot, that has come to his ancestral homeland of Whales. He falls in with the locals and enjoys the scenery. Everyone seems really outspoken about werewolves. They chant and tell tales that eventually intrigue Talbot into a trip to a Gypsy Camp. They are attacked by a werewolf but Talbot ends up killing it. However, in the struggle the werewolf bit him. He is told of his fate to become a werewolf during every full moon. Larry distances him