It's a well documented fact that yours ghouly worships the goings on at THE HAUNTED CLOSET. In case you need a new reason for me to be so smitten, check out the a recent post that has vintage Halloween costumes pouring out of that very closet. As per usual, my big dilemma is choosing between sirs Grizzly Adams and Chewwy. Check out lots more groovy threads HERE.
Put on your shoes now and go see ZOMBIELAND. I'm not kidding, just stop reading this and go… leave! I'm not kidding Elizabeth…Shoo! ZOMBIELAND is ten tons of awesome, laugh out loud funny and the best road movie of the ….well since GEENA DAVIS humped BRAD PITT! You can probably tell from the film's trailer that there is plenty of splatterific yumminess to be enjoyed, but even though it delivers on that level ZOMBIELAND delivers so much more. In fact, if you must know the whole zombie thing, as well done and gratifying as it is, has little to do with why my heart is all a tingle for this movie; the characters and their interactions are gold. Even if the world had not gone to hell in an undead hand basket, I would love to watch a movie about these folks just hanging out and shooting the breeze.
WOODY HARRELSON has finally justified my love. I always dug his, "Do I have a harelip?" mug but this is easily his best performance since (another great road movie) NATURAL BORN KILLERS. JESSE EISENBERG, who just finished getting on my nerves in ADVENTURELAND, has now actually found a role that suits his persnickety jitter-boy persona to a tea and makes ya' seriously route for the guy. EMMA STONE, the smokey voiced hottie from SUPERBAD, makes me wish I was young and straight again and ABIGAIL BRESLIN, who I'm still a bit dubious of, at least cracked me the hell up with a throw away line where she tries to explain what the deal is with HANNAH MONTANA.
Go for the action, the gore and the laughs, but stay to bask in the love. This movie has such a Zen handle on what's important in life, our relationships to one another and the smaller things like Twinkies, rollercoasters and all things GHOSTBUSTERS (Oh man, I wanna tell ya about something SO GREAT in this movie, but I'd rather die then ruin the surprise) that to see it in a crowded theater may just renew your faith in humanity. My experience was so damn rejuvenating that I wanted to just hand out my email to everyone else in the theater that saw it with me and promise to keep in touch.
Ya know what? We already live in ZOMBIELAND folks and hopefully we all know two or three people that we can count on in a crisis and share some good times with. This movie is so much more than splat-falls; it understands the joyride aspect of the zombie film, the fact that part of the appeal is dancing on our culture's grave. Call me a romantic, but if every other guy on the planet has to drop dead for the nerd to get the cool chick, I can only say "Awwww!"
Most of all though, ZOMBIELAND is fun with a capital "Z", so why are you still reading this? Go'on and get!
Below are ten images, one from each of the ten HALLOWEEN films. Can you figure out which image is from which film? Leave your guesses in the comments section. If you don't know guess because today ANYBODY can win! To help out our readers in different time zones, we're going to wait until 6pm tonight (E.S.T.) to award a prize to a randomly chosen commenter! So guess, don't guess, leave your name, whatever… just make sure you leave a comment! The prize today is a doozey. One of you shall be the proud owner of the comic adaption of my favorite new flick TRICK 'R TREAT! Good luck to all!!
I admit to being completely turned off by the derivative box art for THE HILLS RUN RED, but from what I had gleaned from various sources the movie was not your typical Johnny-stab-lately. Indeed, although HILLS RUN RED could never be mistaken for top tier horror it has much to distinguish itself from the ranks of your typical straight to DVD muck. Don't get me wrong, this jam is straight from the taco truck, the ingredients are cheapo and it's not very pleasing to the eye, but for those with a hankering for something quick and filling with a bit of a spicy kick, it hits the spot.
Do you know what doesn't cost anything? Having an interesting plot. THE HILLS RUN RED gets an instant leg up on its peers with its intriguing premise concerning a long lost eighties slasher flick and the lengths one cinemaphile will go to in order to track it down. Any horror movie fan who remembers the days before the Internet will recall just how elusive some of the lesser known jewels used to be. I couldn't help feeling an instant sense of recognition with our main leads quest and got a nerd-on every time a faux poster or trailer for the fictional Holy Grail horror flick was shown.
Not that anybody needs to be getting their STREEP on in a film like this but the acting, borderline horrible in the first half of the film, becomes surprisingly good when situations require it. Perhaps the late in the game appearance of Mr. Awesome WILLIAM SADLER inspired the green pups. (Careful Mr. SADLER, you are approaching DOURIF/HENRICKSON territory in my heart.) By film's end I was satisfied having gotten the "lost in the woods with a maniac" scenario I had ordered and then thankfully so much more. (Not to ruin anything, but I am a sucker for flicks that are kind enough to include an audience of corpses in the climax.)
Perhaps most importantly in a film of this kind is the fact that the killer "Baby face" works as a formidable threat and kudos to director DAVE PARKER for not being all stingy with his boogeyman. Gore hounds have a rare reason to rejoice as well, the murders depicted are for the most part gloriously old school and put many a recent slasher remake to shame. The over-the-top cartoon violence fun only wanes when the slasher tributes end and the more modern torture procedural is momentarily adopted.
For the most part, THE HILLS RUN RED's weakest aspects tend to work in its favor. I'm sure if you are of the mind to enjoy the gore, the nudity and the monstrous hulk known as "Baby face" that you have shuffled your way through much more inept excursions than this. I wouldn't be dusting off the mantel for too many awards if I was DAVE PARKER, but I would be patting myself on the back for delivering a fitting and surprisingly substantial addition the backwoods slasher sub genre.
Believe the hype, ignore the backlash, the long awaited TRICK ‘R TREAT is definitely more treat than trick. Not only standing tall as an unabashed love letter to everybody's favorite holiday, this movie succeeds as an ode to anthology films, horror comics and a twisted yet less cynical sensibility all but forgotten. If you're a fan of eighties horror and have been missing the goofy dark fun of films like FRIGHT NIGHT, NIGHT OF THE CREEPS or especially CREEPSHOW, I guarantee you are going to gobble this up. It's scary without being nauseating, funny without being brain dead and overall works like an injection of candy corn right into your veins. Sometime between now and the 31st of October do yourself a solid and rent or buy this film. If TRICK ‘R TREAT doesn't get you in the Halloween spirit then frankly, you are a lost cause and deserve whatever egging, T.P.ing or flaming crap filled paper bag you find on your doorstep.
I won't go into the whys and why nots of this films history. Most of you are probably aware that it missed a chance at a theatrical run and has wound up as a direct to DVD offering instead. Truth is, I'm not sure that modern audiences even deserve this kind of movie anyway. It's beautifully shot, having no interest in looking sewer doused, characters are not required to be humiliated before death and at no point did I feel like somebody was trying to sell me a cell phone, a pair of jeans or a can of soda. If you've been waiting for the scariest movie ever made, keep waiting, this is more about that crisp creepy breeze that blows into town in autumn and the anticipation and excitement that occurs when darkness falls. It's not a nail-biting ordeal; it's a joyful, yet sometimes potently subversive salute to the convivial side of the macabre.
Remarkably director/writer MICHAEL DOUGHERTY has captured the spirit of All Hallow's Eve like a bat in a fishing net, a feat made more impressive when you consider how many have failed at that task before him. Rather than compartmentalize his tales, he allows them to weave and interact and the result is rather innovative in the realm of anthology horror. This is obviously a work of love and it shows and although its final moments could have used a little extra punch, there are few things to complain about here. Maybe I'm suddenly old fashioned or maybe this film just falls right in line with my own tastes, but one thing is for sure, there's no doubt I'll to be watching TRICK ‘R TREAT every October (along with my other holiday standbys) till that old grim reaper comes and tears me away.
UNK SEZ: They had me at JACKIE EARL HALEY.
AUNT JOHN SEZ: They had me at KATIE CASSIDY! (I'm going through HARPER'S ISLAND withdrawal y'all!)
Like most rational people, I own the box set of the first eight FRIDAY THE 13TH films. When they started releasing "Deluxe Editions" of each of those same films I wished them all the luck in the world and held on tight to my wallet. I'm not so FRIDAY-fanatical that I'd shell out more green during a recession just for a couple dopey extra special features and some fancy schmancy 3-D packaging. I was steadfastly committed to my refusenik position, but then along came FRIDAY THE 13TH PART VII: THE NEW BLOOD's deluxe edition; temptation got the better of me and I cracked. Cue THE HUMAN LEAGUE's "Human."
This new edition has an entertaining commentary by director JOHN CARL BUECHLER and actors LAR PARK LINCOLN (Tina) and KANE HODDER (Jason) that while not remarkable in the new info department, at least showcases the enthusiasm for horror of all involved. There is some never seen slashed footage too and two new featurettes; one involving "The Truth About Telekinesis" and the other an impossible to resist, fittingly short, but sweet salute to one of my favorite F13 characters of all time "Maddy."
What is it about THE NEW BLOOD that I adore so much? It's not my favorite in the series by a long shot, but it just might be my favorite one to watch. (Don't hold me to that though; I am an extraordinarily complicated man of ever changing and mysterious whims [AUNT JOHN SEZ: True dat!]) As this is Part VII in the series some familiar ground is stalked (and I say thankfully so), but let us take a moment to reflect on the aspects of this movie that are uniquely its own.
Here is a loose, in no particular order, list of the things that I dig about this quirky addition to the Jason Voorhees saga…
OH, THE DRAMA:
Much as in PART 4: THE FINAL CHAPTER, in Part 7 we are privy to the goings on in two dwellings inconveniently located adjacent to that magnet for mayhem, Crystal Lake. In both films one house roofs a group of teens preparing to party and die, but where Part 4's second residence was occupied by the charming Jarvis clan, here we are introduced to a highly melodramatic, stressed out trio on some kind of yell-therapy retreat. There's pouty Tina (LINCOLN), ungrateful for the telekinetic powers that rightfully should be my own, her hysteric hovering mother Amanda (SUSAN BLU), who has the non-soothing disposition of an amalgamation of DONNA PESCOW and SCRAPPY DOO, and lastly, their evil psychiatrist in tow, the cacophonous Dr. Crews (TERRY KISER) whose prescription for everything seems to be, "Chew two scenes and call me in the morning." In other words, the FRIDAY series may have dropped the counselors and the cabins, but it now has a vice like grip on a different kind of "camp." This is THE NEW BLOOD's deal breaker, you either find these three annoying as hell or a hilarious riot. You can tell where I stand by the giant SUSAN BLU portrait hanging over my bed.
JASON IS PISSED!
If you find the above three characters shrill shenanigans exasperating then get in line behind Jason Voorhees. I used to be one of those who thought it hardly mattered who wore the hockey mask, but this film proves my stupid theory wrong. KANE HODDER as Jason really does bring something anomalous to the character. Sure the MPAA neutered much of the gory aftermath of his kills, but Jason has a frustrated, "Somebody has got to do this job" swagger throughout which nearly makes up for the loss. Look no further than the infamous sleeping bag smack down for verification of this fact. Aesthetically, this is also my favorite looking incarnation of Jason; he's full-blown zombie now and just check out that fashionably exposed spinal column!
THE YUMMY TASTE OF SCHADENFREUDE!
So the deaths are not as drippy as one would like, but the good news is that at least two gigantic assholes get theirs in very satisfying ways. Dr. Crews' douchebag nature is made even more apparent when he throws Tina's mommy under the bus by using her as a human shield. Luckily at this point Jason has developed a BUGS BUNNY like talent for pulling whatever tool is needed from some hidden pocket in his fur, in this case a weed whacker is suddenly on hand and it soon finds its way into Crews' abdomen. Super-bitch Melissa also gets it good and director BUECHLER does a fine job milking her death for all it's worth. After she tells those who have tried to warn her to, "Fuck off" we cut to an axe being dislodged from a tree stump. As Melissa prepares to leave in a huff we see Jason's shadow appear behind her. When she opens the door she is greeted by our boy, the axe is slammed into her face and she is thrown across the room like a sack of laundry…go ahead, don't feel bad about rewinding that one.
MADDY!
Maddy's transformation from ALVIN THE CHIPMUNK to BRITTANY THE CHIPETTE is a thing of rare beauty and is why I sometimes don't mind living on this planet. When I originally saw THE NEW BLOOD in the theater, her "A little touch up work, my ass!" was greeted by hoots, hollers catcalls and guffaws, the memory of which curls my toes to this day. Eventually Maddy bites it of course, but not before effortlessly upstaging the entire cast with but a few scenes.
CARRIE VS. JASON
What a cool idea! Who does not love telekinetic horror and when can I have more? Some might pin point this installment as a shark jumper, but really after Jason's lightening bolt resurrection in PART 6 the series had ventured into the realm of dark fantasy anyway, why not have a little fun? Tina and Jason's showdown is actually exceptionally well staged and certainly paved the way to Jason's eventual audience pleasing run in with that molester in the striped sweater.
MORE, MORE, MORE!
A floating decapitated head in a flowerpot, a party favor horn shoved in an eye, the traditional jumping cat scare, the wondrous "Date with a soap on a rope," I could go on and on. Director BUECHLER says he would have loved to have had the next sequel follow survivors Tina and the Daisy Dukes wearin' studmobile Nick (KEVIN SPIRTAS), but alas it was not to be. Ridiculous as it might sound I think it would have beat that trip to New York.
As notorious as 1984's CHILDREN OF THE CORN may be, one could hardly call it a cinematic masterpiece. Whatever its shortcomings, and there are many, it remains memorable almost solely due to the genuine, can't be faked creepiness of its two main stars and no, I'm not referring to LINDA HAMILTON and PETER HORTON. As Isaac, the preternatural preacher, JOHN FRANKLIN (25 at the time) gave off a disturbingly uncanny vibe the likes of which audiences would not witness again (until perhaps just recently with ISABELLE FUHRMAN's remarkable turn in THE ORPHAN). Isaac's right hand ginger general Malachi (COURTNEY GAINES) provided an almost equal amount of consternation with a mere glare that could stop a clock.
The Syfy Channel's 2009 interpretation may have had the intention of adding a darker more hopeless vibe with an assist from original author STEPHEN KING, but the results, thanks to erroneous casting, are an unpopped kernel. It may not seem fair to place all of the blame for this movie's failure on the lap of child actor PRESTON BAILEY, but without a believable or at least remotely menacing Isaac (BAILEY should be shilling Welch's grape juice rather than shepherding a cult), the entire effort is pointless. Don't expect the new-fangled Malachi (DANIEL NEWMAN) to pick up the slack either; the only type of fear he instilled in me was the type that had me scrambling to IMDb to check out his date of birth (thankfully dude is 28). For further evidence, check out the photo below. Now, which Malachi do you want to run away from and which do you want to go paddle boating with in Central Park?
Epic casting fails aside, there's more wrong here than the Smurf-ification of the children. BATTLESTAR GALACTICA's KANDYSE McCLURE (who did KING a disservice once before as Sue Snell in the CARRIE re-blotch) is borderline intolerable as one-note harpy Vicki. Although Vicki's in-car gang assault does manage to muster up some steam, it's not nearly strong enough to make up for the fact that most of the kiddie mob scenes resemble poorly staged grade school war reenactments. Worse of all, unless I had a blackout that I'm not aware of, the film just stops with what has to be one of the most anticlimactic closings I have ever witnessed. CORN fans disappointed with the original film's reveal of "He who walks behind the rows" will find that issue solved by credits rolling speedily past instead.
As a fan of STEPHEN KING's short story I really wanted to like and was excited for a more a faithful adaptation of his tale. There are some interesting tweaks like having main guy Burton (relatively faultless DAVID ANDERS) suffer from ‘Nam flashbacks, but for the most part I was left mostly depressed about just how weak the pen is when up against lackluster filmmaking. An uncut DVD is just around the corner, but unless it includes an entirely different production amongst its features, I say chase it out of town like an outlander.
PANDORUM or as I like to call it DESCENT HORIZON, may follow the adage, "Good artists borrow, great artists steal" but as helmed by German director CHRISTIAN ALVART (ANTIBODIES) it is wise enough to know exactly who from and how much to pilfer while still retaining its own identity. In some instances it even outclasses much of the genre pool it scrounges from. I know that the trailer and T.V. spots probably have you thinking that you've seen this all before, and to be honest that assumption is half right, but the end result here is a solid piece of horror sci-fi whose puzzle pieces actually fit together reasonably well by film's end. Yes, I actually understood what was happening in this one!
To be honest I wasn't too crazy about the RUN SPORTY SPICE RUN chick or the "I'm going to edit this with a Cuisinart!" approach to the fight sequences, but those bitty matters of personal taste were not enough to spoil the film for me. I understand that a few bones must be thrown to the video gamers in the audience. The opening and closing of the film, which deals with the tried and true metallic haunted house "Space makes you go bonkers" approach really worked for me and didn't come off as vague and allusive as it usually does. Again, it all somehow made sense to me, which I'm very happy about because honestly parts of EVENT HORIZON just fly right over my head!
Now that we know how slow I am let's hear it for BEN FOSTER! Are you telling me this guy was really my pal Claire's B.F. in SIX FEET UNDER? BEN FOSTER is great in this movie! What a refreshing change from the usual stack of newspapers I'm asked to follow around in a movie. So this year we had SAM ROCKWELL in MOON, that SHARLTO COPELY guy in DISTRICT 9 and now BEN FOSTER in this. It's kind of ironic that as horror casts become more and more glammy the sci-fi club is casting actual human looking types. Good on you PANDORUM, and an extra tip of the hat for not inviting any robots to the party.
There may be some draggy parts in the middle, but overall I really enjoyed the consistent claustrophobic mood and the way information was dispensed via flashback and an excellent sequence surrounding some primitive wall drawings. Plus, there was a kid cannibal monster creature that really was genuinely freaky and disturbing. This time of year is usually time to dump the garbage out but PANDORUM, like recent box office disappointments SORORITY ROW and JENNIFER'S BODY, is better than you probably think. I actually left the theater with my mind going all over the place envisioning what might happen next; now isn't that the mark of good sci-fi?
