GRAVE ENCOUNTERS 2 (2012) movie review

Grave Encounters 2 (2012) d. John Poliquin (Canada/US) (95 min)

Grave Encounters, written and directed by “The Vicious Brothers,” was a fairly standard found-footage flick about a gang of wannabe reality-TV ghost hunters exploring the “infamous” Collingwood mental institution. It had a few scares and generated a bit of buzz, but was nothing exceptional in the pantheon of POV horror. The sequel (penned by the VB and directed by Poliquin) earns a few more points, adopting a meta approach by having our main character Alex (Richard Harmon), a video blogger and an aspiring horror filmmaker himself, review the 2011 original whilst mocking anyone who believes the onscreen events to be (scoff) real. (Shades of Blair Witch 2: Book of Shadows.) Of course, when he receives an anonymous online comment, insinuating there is more to the GE story than a simple low-budget venture, he rounds up his posse of insufferable film student pals and they head off to Collingwood to shoot their own documentary about the “maybe/maybe not” fictitious documentarians.

THE HOWLING IV: THE ORIGINAL NIGHTMARE (1988) movie review

The Howling IV: The Original Nightmare (1988) d. John Hough (UK) (94 min)

Joe Dante’s original 1981 werewolf smash was a perfect assemblage of sharp direction, Rob Bottin’s superb special effects, marvelously calibrated performances, and a smart, cunning script from John Sayles that improved markedly upon novelist Gary Brandner’s source material. For the fourth entry in the (very) loosely connected franchise, the decision was made to dispense with these winning elements and get back to the basics of shoddy lycanthropic cinema: a muddled yet cliché plot peopled with thunderously dull thesping, occasionally punctuated by a few sequences of fur and fangs and froth, all in the service of providing a more “faithful” adaptation of Brandner’s slick pulp yarn.

SURVIVAL OF THE DEAD (2009) movie review

Survival of the Dead (2009) d. George A. Romero (USA/Canada) (90 min)

Reportedly inspired by the Gregory Peck/Burl Ives western The Big Country (1958) and shot in Canada and Nova Scotia, this is a decided change-up from Diary of the Dead, its immediate predecessor, with POV camcorder shots replaced with gorgeous widescreen vistas. But the clunky social commentary, the ridiculous (and unexplained) Irish accents, the lack of likeable or empathetic or non-cartoon characters (living or undead), etc. reduce it to an entirely forgettable effort, just another low-budget zombie movie in a decaying sea of same.

MOTHER! (2017) movie review

mother! (2017) d. Darren Aronofsky (USA) (122 min.)

Rich with allegory, imagery, and dream logic, Aronofsky’s wildly expressionistic exploration of relationships, boundaries, and grief falls into the same category as his previous efforts Pi, Requiem for a Dream, and Black Swan in terms of not explicitly being yet generating more tension and disturbing imagery than most “legit” horror films.

ERNEST SCARED STUPID (1991) movie review

Ernest Scared Stupid (1991) d. John Cherry (USA) (91 min)

Confession: prior to now, I had never seen an Ernest P. Worrell movie or television skit. I was aware of the character created by Jim Varney and advertising executive-turned-director John Cherry from the various direct-address commercials he appeared in, frequently spouting his signature “KnowwhatImean,Vern?”catchphrase, but I had never had the inclination to actually sit down and experience the phenomenon firsthand. When I stumbled across a three-pack of Ernest films at the local library with the October Challenge in full swing – a time when good judgment often gives way to “why the hell not?” – it seemed like the perfect opportunity. Having ventured to the other side, however, I wish I could say I understood the appeal or, more to the point, that everyone’s standards could have been just that much higher.

RAMPAGE (2018) movie review

Rampage (2018) d. Brad Peyton (USA) (97 min)

It’s not often that I get to say, “It’s exactly what you think it is,” but it’s rarely been as true. Rampage is a big, dumb, fun creature feature starring Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson opposite a giant spiky wolf named Giant Spiky Wolf (not really), a superhuge giant mutated alligator named Chompy the Chomptastic (not really), and a giant albino gorilla named George (really), all of which have been blown up to jumbo size thanks to some nefarious scientists meddling in, um, science and now everyone’s heading for Chicago to stomp the bejeepers out of everything because, um, urban devastation/monster mash porn.

RAW (2016) movie review

Raw (2016) d. Julia Ducournau (Belgium/France) (99 min)

From the land of chocolate, beer, and waffles comes this marvelous urban cannibal feature about an innocent young vegetarian (Garance Marillier) who eats raw meat as part of a college hazing ritual and develops a taste for it—humans in particular. Written and directed by Ducournau, who uses her heroine’s ever-growing hunger as a metaphor for sexual awakening, familial bonding, and a host of other meaty subjects.

Fool’s Views (9/24 -9/30)

Howdy, folks!

No time to waste! The October Challenge and SCARE-A-THON 2018 are underway, so gotta get these in the books and start Sharing the Scare!!!

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

Enjoy!

SCARE-A-THON 2018: DARK TIMES... AND TIME'S UP

Hello, friends and fellow fiends! It’s that time of year again, when shadows grow deeper, sweet tooths grow longer, and autumn leaves rustle just a little louder....

It’s time for SCARE-A-THON 2018.

Fool's Views (9/16 – 9/23)

Wait, what the heck are you doing here, AC?

Yes, I actually watched enough flickers over the course of a single week to justify a post, but more importantly, I’m trying to stay ahead of the madness in order to be ready for the October Horror Movie Challenge looming just over the horizon. Now that the senators are loose in Rome (Julius Caesar at Greenbrier Valley Theatre, running through Oct 6), there was a time to squeeze in a few more flicks, which included a five-film dance with Death (Final Destination) and a three-way boogie with 007 (Daniel Craig style).

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

Enjoy!

THE FINAL DESTINATION SERIES (2000-2011)

Spawned at the turn of the century with little fanfare or major star power, this horror franchise from New Line Cinema cranked out five installments over the course of a dozen years, with Death itself the successor to such classic movie murderers as Freddy, Jason, or Michael. With a fantastic (and repeatable) formula of having individuals escape their pre-destined demise only to be subsequently knocked off on a one-by-one basis, it reinvigorated the body count movie, spinning the rudder away from the relatively bloodless ’90s by re-embracing the gore of yore to the tune of over $700 million worldwide.

Fool's Views (9/1 – 9/15)

Friends, Ro-Mans (of the Robot Monster variety), Countrymen, lend me your steers….

It’s funny what having a little spare time, i.e. only working one job (upending governments in GVT’s production of Julius Caesar) instead of 12, can do for a person’s viewing habits and enthusiasms. Managed to pack in a wealth of Views over the course of the past couple weeks, and we’ve still got the rest of September to go before we dive headlong into this year’s installment of the October Horror Movie Challenge!

Many thanks to the Lewisburg Public Library for providing ample viewing material on DVD, inspiring several unexpected trends (didn’t know it was going to be Western Week until it was) and the opportunity for both revisits and virgin voyages alike. Ditto my castmates with their high-tech streaming capabilities, and similar horror inclinations. Always more fun with a crowd!

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

Enjoy!

Fool's Views (8/1 – 8/31)

Howdy, folks!

Managed a respectable tally for the month of August, and cranked out more full-length reviews than I had all year, so good news there. (I am currently in West Virginia, rehearsing Julius Caesar for the good people at Greenbrier Valley Theatre, so September is already shaping up to be a winner.)

Let’s get on with it! As always, feel free to leave your two cents worth – we’ll make sure you get some change back.

Enjoy!

BLOOD PUNCH (2014) movie review

Blood Punch (2014) d. Madellaine Paxson (USA)

Milo Cawthorne (so great in 2015’s Deathgasm) provides another stellar star turn for horror/comedy fans courtesy of this enjoyably brain-twisting spin on time-loop flicks a la Groundhog Day, Coherence, Timecrimes, etc. Here he plays Milton, a supersmart slacker with a particular bent for chemistry, even more particularly of the crystal meth recipe bent, which is duly noted by criminal opportunist Skyler (Olivia Tennet) during Milton’s incarceration in a rehab facility.

DEEP RED (1975) Blu-ray review

Deep Red (aka Profondo Rosso) (1975) d. Dario Argento (Italy)

David Hemmings plays a English jazz pianist in Italy, who after a late-night set, witnesses a brutal murder and feels compelled to unravel the mystery. Considered by many to be the apex of the giallo subgenre, this is Argento in his ’70s prime, with dazzling, dizzying camerawork capturing beautifully violent - if occasionally nonsensical - set-pieces, all couched within the driving rhythms of prog-rock band Goblin (their first of numerous sonic collaborations).

THE HORROR OF PARTY BEACH (1964) Blu-ray review

The Horror of Party Beach (1964) d. Del Tenney (USA)

Off the shore of an unnamed New England beach, unbeknownst to hordes of hip-swiveling, lip-locking teens sweating and grooving to the rock-and-roll beat, a small vessel dumps a barrel of (clearly labeled) toxic waste overboard. Striking the ocean floor, it springs a link right next to a human skeleton, sparking a highly unscientific (and inordinately lengthy) chemical reaction wherein the bones not only reanimate but regenerate into a bipedal cannibalistic sea creature with a dual penchant for bloodletting and multiplication.

THE TINGLER (1959) Blu-ray review

The Tingler (1959) d. William Castle, (USA)

“Scream! Scream! Scream for your lives!!”

Fresh off the success of House on Haunted Hill, producer-director-huckster extraordinaire Castle, screenwriter Robb White and star Vincent Price re-teamed the same year to serve up this minor horror classic. Price’s pathologist discovers that every living person has a mysterious organism that, sparked by fear, takes possession of our backbones. When he manages to extract the creature from a recent victim, it resembles a centipede-like creature armed with cruel pincers and extraordinary, bone-cracking power.

THE SONG OF SOLOMON (2017) Blu-ray review

The Song of Solomon (2017) d. Stephen Biro (USA)

Mary (Jessica Cameron) witnesses and/or causes the hysterical suicide of her father (writer-director-executive producer Stephen Biro), subsequently falling victim to what appears to be a full-blown demonic possession, complete with babbling voices, bizarre ocular occurrences (courtesy of snazzy sclera lenses), and an imperviousness to pain and good hygiene. This sparks a wave of priests descending upon her, each more determined than the last to rid the world of these dark forces, and the stage is set for the ultimate clash between Good and zzzzzzzzzzzz…

Fool's Views (6/1 – 7/31)

Yep, it’s me again.

June was taken up with Enlightened Warrior Training Camps in Barcelona, self-defense workshops with IMPACT Chicago, and rehearsals for The Hero’s Wife at 16th Street Theater in Berwyn (yes BERWYNNNNN) ; as such, I think I only watched maybe a half dozen movies (and most of those during the flights to and from Europe). Things calmed down slightly in July once the show got on its feet and began its critically acclaimed run, which is why I opted to lump the two summer months together for a respectable 22-View tally.

Reflecting back, it was a pretty good collection of flicks, including a few new releases (which are, of course, not that new anymore but whatever). Looking forward to hearing what people thought.

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

Enjoy!

THE LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT (2009) Blu-ray Review

The Last House on the Left (2009) d. Dennis Iliadis (USA)

When it was first announced, I will openly admit to shuddering at the thought of a big budget remake (even one co-produced by Wes Craven himself) of the notorious 1972 low budget shocker. However, against all odds, while not nearly as discomfiting as the original, the redux manages to carve out its own territory and more than satisfies on its own terms.