Many people are afraid of death and that’s likely the reason so many also like to laugh about it. Laughing at things to which we are afraid is a defense mechanism, and perhaps no movie franchise in the history of film has played up that response more effectively than the… Continue reading
The trailers for When a Stranger Calls have been infuriating me for the past few months, and now I can say that the final product infuriates me even more. Never have I seen a twist so blatantly given away in a trailer. Back in 1979, when the original was released… Continue reading
The PR hype machine loves Eli Roth, and I ’m sure he loves it right back. His big studio directorial debut, 2002’s Cabin Fever, had the likes of Peter Jackson and Sam Raimi spewing praise. The film attempted to cover every genre in the book with extremely mixed results. But… Continue reading
2004’s Saw is one of the most polarizing films of the past few years, and going into Saw II you’ll find yourself in one of three groups: 1) Saw is a well-done, low budget shocker that gets the job done until the ludicrous “twist”; 2) Saw is not any good… Continue reading
Let’s cut to the chase. The video game-film adaptation genre is perhaps the worst in the history of Hollywood. Time after time we are let down by these genre films, so why in the world would Doom, based upon the groundbreaking video game, be any different? We have Andrzej Bartkowiak,… Continue reading
Touted as such by its director, Scott Derrickson, The Exorcism of Emily Rose may in fact be the first courtroom horror film. The TV spots and trailers would not lead you to believe that, however, as all we see is a horrified Emily Rose contorting her body and experiencing visions… Continue reading
Never have I seen New York City look so dank and depressing. The white rain comes down in speckled sheets outdoors, and then leaks in black, sludgy drops indoors. There are times during Walter Salles’ remake of Dark Water (another import from Japan) where we wonder if it will ever… Continue reading
I fully expect that this review will serve as a ringing endorsement for some. Perhaps I am the wrong audience for a film like this, or perhaps I am over-analyzing. One thing is for sure, however. I’ve had more than a few bad nights of sleep because of this film.… Continue reading
Ah yes, another remake. I have to confess to dragging ass into the theater for what I had a strong feeling was going to be another snoozer of a remake. After having been thoroughly dissatisfied with nearly every horror offering so far this year (particularly the recently released Amityville Horror),… Continue reading
I love it when the tagline for a movie doubles as hidden instructions to the unassuming crowd about to view it. It’s almost like a disclaimer that you only understand after, in this case, eighty-seven minutes of life draining stupidity that you can’t get back without a time machine and… Continue reading