The Wraith (1986) - Mike Marvin

The Wraith could only exist in the nineteen eighties. This is that special kind of idea that pops up when you're at least four to five rails of coke into the evening. Seriously. This is insanity. It mixes sci-fi, horror and action in no way that any other movie could do. It has car chases and aliens. It's equally as good as it is terrible. And it features some really great actors. It's a huge cult classic from the era when PG-13 movies actually had some balls. This movie is really bizarre and I couldn't wait to see it.

A stranger with an incredible car is challenging the members of a local gang to race for something much more valuable than pinks. This pisses off the local authorities and the hot-headed leader of the gang. What they don't know is that this isn't just any stranger. This is an alien with a intergalactic Turbo Interceptor and he is out for vengeance.

Firstly, I love the soundtrack. It has a great lineup of awesome songs from the time. Artists like Mötley Crüe, Ozzy Osbourne, Billy Idol, Robert Palmer and a lot more. If you are a fan of eighties rock then I suggest at least giving the soundtrack a listen. It may not have been the best selection for a horror movie. But for an era with movies like Maximum Overdrive blazing AC/DC every five minutes, this is bliss. Plus the tunes are appropriate for the fast paced racing scenes.

This movie hits a lot of highs for me. The mysterious driver has a really creepy vibe to him. At least the Dodge M4S Turbo Interceptor that he was driving did. It was sleek, featureless and beautiful. The other cars in the movie were awesome too. Really tricked out ugly cars that tore up the television screen. Sorry, I just really like seeing these old school REAL car chases. Kudos to Buddy Joe Hooker for the amazing action sequences.

These eighties punks were the best. The clothes were outrageous. Hollywood always knew just how to stylize these characters. The casting was actually pretty spot on. Clint Howard is really good in this feature. It's no wonder why Joe Bob Briggs claimed that The Wraith was his best picture. Also, Nick Cassavetes is a good gang leader. The acting isn't good. But it doesn't need to be. This movie exists on pure badassery alone. However, Sherilyn Fenn does have a long way to go.

I really liked The Wraith but it isn't very scary. It's more so just strange and kind of weird. But that doesn't mean that I wouldn't suggest watching it. In fact this movie would go great in a marathon with Return of the Living Dead and Jason Lives. It has a great deal of nostalgic value. For some reason it just clicks with me.

Director: Mike Marvin

Producer: John Kemeny

Writer: Mike Marvin

Starring: Charlie Sheen, Nick Cassavetes. Sherilyn Fenn and Randy Quaid

Studio: New Century Entertainment Corporation and Alliance Entertainment

Release Date: November 21, 1986

Country: United States

Did ya know: Johnny Depp, who was then dating Sherilyn Fenn, was present during filming and was living in the film crew's hotel with Fenn.

The Human Monster (1939) - Walter Summers

Bela Lugosi turns in a fantastic performance. It is right on par with the exact same films that had made him famous like Dracula . My personal favorite being The Black Cat . Like the latter, this film suffered from poor circulation and lack of advertisement. Either that or the public wasn't interested in seeing Lugosi in anything else other than his famous bloodsucker. This film has a broad and well acted plot that was rich with detail. Lugosi has two sides in this picture. His well loved and compassionate side. The other is a strict, brutal lone shark that acts as a sinister villain to blind and handicapped people. He really brutalizes his victims. It's a macabre message to pay your bills. The film is slow moving and plagued by the usual setbacks from its time. Most of the nation wasn't really that concerned with horror at the time. But studios knew that they would always have an audience. This film is a prime example of that. It's sad because it's

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Ju-On (2000) - Takashi Shimizu

Watching Japanese horror is similar to watching British comedy. If you enjoy dry whit then you probably enjoy the boys of Monty Python in drag. That's the joke, they're dressed like women. Get it? Well, that's British humor. But if you're like most Americans you probably prefer Adam Sandler farting his way across a football field and hooking up with chicks that are way out of his league. Americans usually prefer this more in your face, crass brand of humor. My point is funny in England is different from funny in the US. The same goes for J-Horror. What the Japanese consider scary is very different from what Americans consider scary and it shows in this horror film. Japanese horror is generally slow (a little too slow sometimes), suspenseful and creepy. Ju-On is a creepy effing film. The movie has almost no soundtrack. It is incredibly suspenseful and the pay-offs are pretty awesome, but I think that it was done better in the American version (cultural t

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Inseminoid (1981) - Norman J. Warren

What can be said for mindless schlock pictures like this one. They were pumped out in droves during the eighties. Inseminoid !? give me a break! It sounds like some pre-pubescent teenage boys came up with the title. On the plus side the movie isn't horrible to look at and it has a decent amount of gore. If you can separate yourself from the political incorrectness, then you might have a perfectly decent Sci-Fi Monster Feature. A research team exploring caves on Jupiter accidentally awakens an ancient alien that rapes and impregnates one of the team members. She suffers from terrible shock and trauma, leading to a complete mental breakdown as her pregnancy accelerates faster and faster. Feeling threatened she decides to kill anyone she deems a threat. Can the rest of the research team survive or will they all become victims of INSEMINOID! Apparently this movie had a million dollar budget. That's really shocking considering the outcome of the picture. The acting

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