OCTOBER HORROR MOVIE CHALLENGE (10/7 - 10/10)

Challenge Totals to Date:

Movies Watched: 4
Total Movies Watched: 10
Total First Time Views: 5
Scare-A-Thon Pledges: $304.80

Remember, if you would like to make a pledge toward Scare-A-Thon 2016 (benefiting THE GREATER CHICAGO FOOD DEPOSITORY) at any time, drop me an email at drach101@gmail.com to say how much you would like to pledge. Your donation is tax deductible and, seriously, even a penny per film helps.

CARRIE (2002) Blu-ray Review

Carrie (2002) d. David Carson (USA)

This made-for-TV effort manages to surprise and occasionally surpass viewer expectations, especially for Stephen King fans who wanted to see more of the slim source material's events onscreen. With an expanded time frame to work in, screenwriter Bryan Fuller revives the author’s flashback framing, with David Keith’s doughnut-loving detective questioning survivors and suspected perpetrators of the now-infamous prom night inferno. Through their memories and testimony, a portrait is drawn of shy social outcast Carrie White (Angela Bettis), her sexual (and telekinetic) awakening, and the havoc wrought in its wake.

CARRIE (2013) movie review

Carrie (2013) d. Peirce, Kimberly (USA)

The tagline, “You will know her name” speaks to the very problem inherent to revisiting such iconic material: We already do know Stephen King’s seminal telekinetic protagonist’s name, and she has already been immortalized in an Oscar-nominated turn by Sissy Spacek as directed by a near-the-top-of-his-game Brian De Palma. Even if viewers have never seen the full feature, they’ve seen the highlight reel. But the post-millennial remake trend continues, and despite director Peirce and screenwriters Lawrence D. Cohen and Roberto Aguirre’s best efforts to the contrary, the results are redundant at best and tiresome at their worst.

Fool's Views (3/15 – 3/21)

Greetings, troops!

See, this is what happens when I go without watching movies for weeks on end: the BINGE. Took in 19 movies in one week (plus 17 episodes of the Twilight Zone) and still felt like I could have done more. Anyone else out there relate to this condition?

You may also notice that the horror titles range entirely from the letters A to F. The reason for this is simple: Months ago, I had gone through my DVD collection, pulled titles to put on the “to-watch” shelf and have now committed myself to slashing my way through them. Happily, most of them were well worth the wait.

By the way, the "anthology horror double feature" was my assignment for the Kitley’s Krypt Army which, if you haven’t joined up for, you are definitely missing out. Go to http://www.kitleyskrypt.com/army.htm and get in on the fun. NOW.

As always, feel free to leave your two cents worth – we’ll make sure you get some change back.

Enjoy!