After Midnight (1989)

By Jody
Score: 4/10 overall (anthology review)

Wraparound Story: "Allison's Story". A Psychology professor invites his students to his home for an all-in-good-fun extracurricular lesson on fear. The students take turns sharing a story. Meanwhile, a disgruntled ex-student has plans to show them the true meaning of fear.

Overacting, slow pacing, a bad script, and a nonsensical climax makes one anxious for the next story begin. Sadly, they aren't that great either. Score: 0/1

Segment 1: "The Old Dark House". Score: 0.5/3

Stranded by two flat tires, a married couple seek shelter and assistance from the titular abode, but there may be nefarious forces at work. This segment is plagued by bad music, bad pacing, and bad acting by Marc "Jimmy Olson" McClure.

Segment 2: "A Night on the Town". Score: 1/3

A girls' night out goes awry when they are chased by a maniac and his vicious dogs. Very dated (clothes and dialogue are pure 80's) and an improvement over the first segment, but this was mererly worthy of a resounding "meh".

Segment 3: "All Night Operator". Score: 2.5/3

A answering service operator and her actress client are terrorized by a relentless stalker. Fast-paced and suspenseful, this is easily the best segment of the three and the only one worth watching.

Overall, this anthology is boring and skipable.

Starring: Jillian McWhirtir, Pamela Aldon, Ramy Zada, Nadine Van der Velde, Marc McClure,  Penelope Sudrow, Marg Helgenberger, and Alan Rosenberg
Directed by: Jim and Ken Wheat
Budget/Gross: $3 mil / $76K
IMDB Score: 5.4/10
Tomatometer: 33% critics and 38% audiences liked it

Tales from the Crypt (1972)

By Jody
Score: 8/10 overall (anthology review)

Wraparound story: Five people stray from their tour though some catacombs and are greeted by the Cryptkeeper (a monk, rather than the wise-cracking rotted corpse that we know and love) who has a terrifying tale for each of them. Like the television series, the segments are based on the "Tales from the Crypt" and "Vault of Horror" comics. Score: +1/0

Segment #1: "And All Through the House". Score: 2/2

A woman and her daughter are being stalked by a psycho in a Santa suit, but she cannot call the police considering she's just murdered her husband. This was later remade as a Season 1 episode, one of the best of the series and the best segment of this film.

Segment #2: "Reflection of Death". Score: 0.5/2

A man pays a hefty price for having an affair. This segment has some nifty POV camerawork, but not much else to offer. It is the worst of the bunch.

Segment #3: "Poetic Justice". Score: 1.5/2

A cruel businessman gets whats coming to him after he bullies an old widower just because he wants his property. Sad and well, poetic, this is a good (but extremely British) segment that choked me up a little.

Segment #4: "Wish You Were Here". Score: 2/2

A brief but horrific segment about being careful what you wish for. Really careful. Disturbing and well-made.

Segment #5: "Blind Alleys". Score: 1/2

Residents of a home for the blind take revenge on their cruel and cheap headmaster. This one will make you cringe, but with a hint of satisfaction.

Overall, this anthology film combined its effective shorts with smooth transitions and good pacing. One of the best of its kind.

Starring: Joan Collins, Peter Cushing, Roy Dotrice, Nigel Patrick, Robin Phillips, and Ralph Rickardson as "The Crypt Keeper"
Directed by: Freddie Francis
Box Office / Gross: Info Not Available
IMDB Score: 6.9/10
Tomatometer: 86% critics and 69% audiences liked it

Two Evil Eyes (1990)

By Jody
Score: 4/10 overall (anthology review)

Wraparound story: There isn't one. A brief 10-second narration announces that the two stories are based on Edgar Allen Poe's work. Score: 0/0

Segment #1: "The Facts in the Case of Mr. Valdemar". Score: 1.5/5

George A. Romero directs another version of the classic narrative of a wife (Adrienne Barbeau) and her lover who conspire to kill the rich husband for his inheritance (but things go awry). In this case, the lover, a hypnotist, forgets to unhypnotize the old man before they off him, resulting in him staying in his trance state from beyond the grave, which ultimately leads to his zombification.

Silly, boring, and overlong at 53 minutes, this segment added fuel to the long-gestating feeling that Romero may be overrated and a one-trick pony. It felt more like a Lifetime Channel drama than a horror short.

Segment #2: "The Black Cat". Score: 2.5/5

Dario Argento directs this segment about a crime sceme photographer (Harvey Keitel) whose life takes a downward spiral after killing his girlfriends cat. Fantastic to look at visually, but unpleasant to watch. I am thankful for the large disclaimer immediately after the film ends stating that the animal protective services were present at all times and that no cats suffered physical or psychological abuse because it surely looked like they did to me. Like my previous one-trick-pony comment on Romero, all this short did was add fuel to fire of my belief that Argento is a creep.

This segment had some excellent throwbacks to Poe including the name "Usher", and every crime scene was based on his various other works. Otherwise, it too was silly and overlong (about 64 minutes), with plenty of the terrible music one would expect from an Argento film.

Starring: Adrienne Barbeau, Harvey Keitel, and Tom Atkins
Directed by: George A. Romero and Dario Argento
Budget / Gross: $9 mil / $350K
IMDB Score: 5.9/10
Tomatometer: 50% critics and 38% audiences liked it

Audition (1999)

By Jody
Score: 4/10

A widower film producer auditions young women both for a feature film and in hopes to find a new wife. Unfortunately, the perfect candidate may not be who she seems.

I chose to blog an entry for this movie in hopes that one day we will get some readers, and I can have a discussion with somebody about it. I don't get it. At all. I don't fully understand what is happening in the movie, and I don't get why this film is held in such high esteem and garnished so much praise.

During the nearly two-hour run time, NOTHING happens for an hour, then half an hour of the guy playing Columbo, then fifteen minutes of bizarre torture porn.

Actually, that's it! The torture porn aspect. This film came out 5 years before Saw, and hence all the "so unique, so different" buzz about the film I heard when it first came out. So maybe I am late to the party and would have appreciated it had I not waited so lont to watch it, but after 7 Saw films, 2 Hostel flicks and countless others, I am so over that subgenre.

Starring: Ryo Ishibashi and Eihi Shiina
Directed by: Takashi Miike
Budget/Gross: Info Not Available
IMDB Score: 7.3/10
Tomatometer: 78% critics and 80% audiences liked it

The Exorcist (1973)

By Jody
Score: 10/10

This immortal classic is the tale of the demonic possession of a 12 yr-old girl, a mother desperate to save her, a priest struggling with faith, and the triumph of good over evil.

Shockingly obscene and hoffifyingly blasphemous, this is one of the last remaining movies that still scares me. While some feel that the victory of good over evil justifies the realistic depiction of evil incarnate, others say that the power of Satan is in the celluloid itself. You decide for yourself, just be ready to be shocked and appalled at what once made people run screaming from theaters (but earned 10 Oscar nominations and 2 wins).

Starring: Linda Blair, Ellen Burstyn, Jason Miller, and Max Von Sydow

Directed by William Friedkin
Budget/Gross: $10.5 mil/ $337.5 mil
IMDB Score: 8.1/10
Tomatometer: 87% critics and 83% audiences liked it
 

Demons (1985)

By Jody
Score: 6/10

In Berlin, a group of people are offered to come to a free screening of a horror movie at the grand opening of a movie theater. As the movie starts, the patrons start to turn into demons, with the infection spreading by bite or scratch. Inexplicably trapped inside, the number of survivors dwindle as they fight for survival.

Co-written and produced by Dario Argento, this film just may be the best "so-bad-it's good" B-movie ever made. The gore and effects are incredibly over the top but so fantastic that it makes one really, really miss the practical effects that have long since been replaced by CGI.

While entirely fun and entertaining, don't expect any logical exposition or for the story to be all that cohesive. It is style over substance here, but the style is so good, the laugh-out-loud substance is forgivable. In a lot of ways, this movie is very reminiscent of the latter half of "From Dusk Til Dawn" when the characters are trapped in the bar with the demonic vampires.

The sound quality is much improved over your typical Argento production, and while the score is laden with 80's style synthesizer music, there are actually several recognizable tunes by artists such as Billy Idol and Rick Springfield littered throughout the movie.

The only regret about watching this movie was that I watched it alone. I bet it's scream to watch in a group.

Starring: Urbano Barberini, Karl Zinny, Natasha Hovey, and Fiore Argento
Directed by: Lamberto Bava
Budget/Gross: N/A
IMDB Score: 6.5/10
Tomatometer: 56% critics and 65% audiences liked it

Deep Red (1975)

By Jody
Score: 7/10

In one of Italian horror master Dario Argento's earliest films, a jazz pianist and a zealous reporter team up to investigate the brutal murder of a psychic woman. I can't help but snicker as I type that, but it isn't as silly as it sounds.

I could pretty much save an exact template for reviewing all of Argento's films. They are amazing to look at, terrible to hear, overacted, and horribly paced. This film is no exception. The camerawork and angles are masterful, creative, and atmospheric - wonderful for building tension and suspense. The elaborate and overtly gory death scenes are always different and fun. There was a particular death scene that chilled me to the core and gave me goosebumps.

Unfortunately, the terrible, terrible sound in his movies distract from the great visuals. For one, the sound mixing is extremely poor with fluctuating volume levels. The dubbing is never done well (even when the using the same language in post-production), and the screeching music is always hard on the ears. In this film, the two main characters inexplicably and non-contextually switch back and forth between English and Italian mid-scenes.

Lastly, somebody needs to give the man an editor. Sweeping landscape and exterior shots in every scene, added at least 10 minutes to the 2 hour run time. Basic standard trimming of shots could have cut another 10 making a perfect 1:40 run time (for which I would have scored the film higher).

Despite these negatives, this is a very good film. You either are an Argento fan, or you aren't. In the case of this film, the positives outweigh the negatives.

Starring: David Hemmings, Daria Nicolodi, and Gabriele Lavia
Directed by: Dario Argento
Budget/Gross: N/A
IMDB Score: 7.6/10
Tomatometer: 100% critics and 84% audiences liked it

31 Days of Halloween 2012

By Jody.

My annual ritual of watching at least (but not limited to) one horror/holiday-themed movie for every day of the month. The only rules are to watch at least 16 films I have never seen each year and to keep the average score above 6 (forces me to not watch only garbage titles).



1. Deep Red (1976) 7/10
2. Martyrs (2008) - 6/10
3. The Exorcist (1973) - 10/10
4. Demons (1985) - 6/10
5. Silver Bullet (1985) - 7/10
6. The Haunting (2009) - 5/10
7. Detention (2012) - 8/10
8. Cabin in the Woods (2012) - 9/10
9. Silent Hill (2006) - 5/10
10. Frankenweenie (2012) - 9/10
11. Dead Alive (1992) - 7/10
12. Re-Animator (1985) - 8/10
13. Rosemary's Baby (1968) - 9/10
14. Sinister (2012) - 7/10
15. Lady in White (1988) - 7/10
16. Audition (1999) - 4/10
17. Stakeland (2010) - 6/10
18. Hello Mary Lou: Prom Night II (1987) - 6/10
19. Paranormal Activity (2009) - 8/10
20. Paranormal Activity 2 (2010) - 6/10
21. Paranormal Activity 3 (2011) - 8/10
22. Paranormal Activity 4 (2012) - 5/10
23. Two Evil Eyes (1990) - 4/10
24. Tales from the Crypt (1972) - 8/10
25. Troll 2 (1990) - 5/10
26. The Host (2006) - 6/10
27. Train (2009) - 3/10
28. Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978) - 7/10
29. A Tale of Two Sisters (2003) - 7/10
30. Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers (1988) - 6/10
31. Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers (1989) - 4/10
32. Halloween 6: The Curse of Michael Myers (1995) - 4/10
33. The Lost Boys (1987) - 9/10
34. The Lost Boys: The Tribe (2008) - 4/10
35. The Lost Boys: The Thirst (2010) - 3/10
36. I Saw The Devil (2010) - 8/10
37. Rifftrax Live: Birdemic - Shock and Terror (2012) - 7/10
38. [Rec] (2007) - 8/10
39. [Rec]2 (2009) - 5/10
40. [Rec]3: Genesis (2012) - 5/10
41. Fun Size (2012) - 6/10
42. Inside (2007) - 8/10
43. After Midnight (1989) - 4/10
44. ATM (2012) - 6/10
45. Dance of the Dead (2008) - 6/10
46. The Pit (1981) - 5/10
47. Children of the Corn (1984) - 5/10
48. Halloween (1978) - 10/10
49. Silent Hill: Revelation (2012) - 4/10
50. Scarecrows (1988) - 2/10
51. Trick 'R Treat (2009) - 10/10

31 Films in 31 Days by Greg

It is that time of the year again. The air gets crisp, leaves change their color and the movies are Horror and Halloween based, yep its October and 31 Films in 31 Days has begun. Of course last year, I surpassed 31 films with 36, I hope to do the same with even more.

1. Ghostbusters (1984) 8/10
2. Halloween (1978) 10/10
3. Undead (2003) 7/10
4. Of Unknown Origin 5/10
5. Identity (2003) 6/10
6. The Blob (1988) 5/10
7. Aahh!! Zombies!! (2007) 5/10
8. The Exorcism of Emily Rose (2005) 6/10
9. Creepshow (1982) 7/10
10. Monster House (2006) 8/10
11. Night of the Living Dead (1990) 7/10
12. In the Mouth of Madness (1994) 7/10
13. Hotel Transylvania (2012) 6/10
14. Silent Hill (2006) 5/10
15. Sinister (2012) 7/10
16. Rubber (2010) 5/10 
17. Hocus Pocus (1993) 6/10
18. Killer Klowns from Outer Space (1988) 3/10
19. Detention (2012) 8/10
20. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) 10/10
21. Friday the 13th (1980) 9/10
22. Donnie Darko (2001) 7/10
23. Suspiria (1977) 8/10
24. Ed Gein: The Butcher of Plainfield (2007) 2/10
25. Children of the Corn (1984) 7/10
26. Troll 2 (1990) 1/10* for horror, 6/10 for pop culture brillance
27. Best Worst Movie (2009) 7/10 * documentary about Troll 2 popularity
28. The Host (2006) 6/10
29. Troll Hunter (2010) 8/10
30. The Unborn (2003) 5/10
31. Birdemic (2012) with Rifftrax 4/10 - without Rifftrax 0/10
32. Prom Night (2008) 3/10
33. Teeth (2007) 6/10
34. Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon (2007) 8/10
35. Carrie (1976) 9/10
36. Coraline (2009) 7/10

It started off hot and then the last few days of October things just got super busy. But I did match last years 36 different movies. I did achieve a dream of watching the original 1978 Halloween on the BIG screen. Quite the delight. Next year, going bigger and better. Afterall it will the the 13th year in millenium, 2013. Maybe a Friday the 13th MEGA-marathon.