THE BOOGENS was another horror film that somehow escaped my youth. I distinctly remember hearing about it, but never seemed to catch up with it. Usually, when you finally get your hands on a lost horror movie that somehow escaped your grubby little hands, you're somewhat disappointed when you finally get to see it. However, I can honestly say I enjoyed every single minute of THE BOOGENS! Starring Rebecca Balding (SILENT SCREAM), Anne-Marie Martin (PROM NIGHT), and Fred McCarren (NATIONAL LAMPOONS CLASS REUNION), "The Boogens" is a wonderfully old-fashioned monster movie that looks sensational on blu-ray.
The story goes something like this-the Silver City mine in Colorado is reopening after some 70 years of being closed down. Turns out, the "Boogens" are monsters who dwell in the closed-up mine and are awakened by the miners descending down to see if it's unusable or not. Some college kids have rented a house in the woods nearby, and these "Boogens" seem to have taken over the basement of the house. It's an interesting premise, and it plays well off the dark, abandoned mine shafts and creepy old buildings. THE BOOGENS has some great atmosphere, a pretty good script, competent acting, good production values, and a surprising amount of suspense to boot. Probably because of budget restraints, lots of POV shots of the monsters were used, and it's extremely effective. Director James L. Conway wisely keeps the monsters unseen throughout the entire film, until the ending. Some may laugh at the monsters when you actually get to see them, but I was having so much fun with THE BOOGENS up until then that it made no difference to me whatsoever.
It's a great forgotten little monster movie of the 80'S. It's actually pretty good for a movie of this type. I think it works so well because it lays on the suspense so think in the first half of the movie, so that when all hell breaks loose in the climax, we are thoroughly into what's going down onscreen. The characters are actually likable, for once- which certainly doesn't hurt matters. Hell, even the dog, Tiger, is actually quite talented and becomes a very likable character in his own right. Rebecca Balding was set to take over the title of Scream Queen from Jamie Lee Curtis in 1981- with her back to back roles in SILENT SCREAM (a great and underrated little slasher...) and THE BOOGENS, but seemed to just up and disappear without a trace.
THE BOOGENS is a movie that by all rights should have been terrible... but I honestly enjoyed it very much. It's far better than its reputation, I think. It's a rare, almost forgotten monster movie that was all but swallowed in the glut of slashers that dominated the horror genre in the early 80's, although was briefly popular on HBO for a bit. It's a funky little fan favorite that I think is slowly gaining a respectable cult reputation, and because of the recent blu-ray release, looks sensational. Watch it!
I love a good ole' woodsy slasher, guys. And THE FINAL TERROR is a perfect example of one. This little seen 80's slasher deals with a group of forest rangers on a job, despite local warnings from their driver to stay away. Once they enter the woods, someone or something doesn't like it, and starts picking them off one by one... Sound familiar? It should, because this is basically the same plot as JUST BEFORE DAWN, with traces of DELIVERANCE, THE BURNING, FRIDAY THE 13TH, and HUMONGOUS all thrown in a blender, and you act like that's a bad thing? Give me a group of people out in some dark woods being menaced by an unseen killer any day. Like I said, I love a good ole' woodsy slasher.
I liked alot about THE FINAL TERROR. Great cinematography, for one. Interesting, likeable characters with 80's staples Rachel Ward, Daryl Hannah, Adrian Zmed, Mark Metcalf, and Joe Pantoliano appearing doesn't hurt either. It's got a good story and a bitchin' 80's opening score. I love that it offers the time-honored scene that every woodsy slasher must have, and you know what I'm talking about-it's the cast huddled around a campfire at night in the woods, all breathlessly listening to a male character telling the story of the local spooky legend that conveniently lets the audience in on the plot and which usually ends up in another character jumping out at the right moment and scaring the shit out of everyone scene we all know and love. I also dig the fact that once the killing starts, the rangers don't cower in fear and act stupid- instead, they gear up, camouflage themselves, band together, and go into total survival mode against their unseen enemy. All set against some gorgeously filmed forests and rivers.
This movie is far better than its reputation. Trust me, I've seen far worse in the world of slasher films. There's some decent scares and suspense in the film and I don't really understand the criticism it gets sometimes. THE FINAL TERROR makes a great double feature with JUST BEFORE DAWN, if you're into double features, that is. It's definitely an interesting slasher that's generally known to be released anywhere from 1981 to 1984 (I believe it was actually released in 1983, to be exact...) and also known as CARNIVORE or CAMPSITE MASSACRE. Good stuff indeed.
Upon first hearing about "Insidious", I became obsessed with seeing this movie. We missed it at the theater, so had to wait for DVD. Of course, Netflix had a long wait, so I ended up going the Redbox route just to see this damn movie. Anyway, after it was all said and done, and I had the movie in my hands, we popped it in and prepared to be scared shitless. At least, that's what we were told. And I figured from the makers of "Saw" and "Paranormal Activity", it had to be pretty scary.
Wrong. Although hardly original (think of it as a modern-day "Poltergeist"...), it is a very well-made movie. "Insidious" offers some very creepy scenes, especially in the first half. It's also a very interesting premise- a young family's oldest son suddenly and without warning lapses into a coma, and they soon learn that evil spirits are intent of trapping the boy to take over his body. Sounds great... but this movie just didn't do it for me. Like I said, it's very well done. The acting is pretty decent, the direction is solid, and the cinematography is quite good. But... I never once felt truly "in" the movie, nor was I once ever truly scared. Honestly, I think the "Paranormal Activity" movies blow this one away. This one just felt too designed for the teenage audience. I found this movie to be extremely over-hyped. The filmmakers had a great idea, and there are some truly spooky scenes here and there. But overall, the film just doesn't add up. The first half of the film is pretty good, building up dread and suspense. We found ourselves rather bored in the last half though, especially once they brought in the psychic ghost-hunter, wonderfully played by Lin Shaye, by the way. But with the arrival of her and her ghost-hunting team, the filmmakers inexplicably starts inserting humor that honestly just doesn't work. I think if they were going to go down that road, they should have started the humor way earlier in the film. But injecting it at the climax just seems odd. And having Darth Maul pop up honestly made us laugh, not scream.
Overall, "Insidious" is average entertainment, but nothing to write home about. I live and breath horror movies, and was just not impressed with this film at all. Lin Shaye is honestly the only memorable performance, and the first half of the film is far more entertaining than the last half. A truly scary movie doesn't just make you jump here and there- it stays with you. You find yourself thinking about it later that night, as you're locking your door and shutting off the lights. The only thing I found myself thinking about "Insidious" was how silly the Darth Maul demon-thing looked, and that I could probably watch "Poltergeist" again. The ONLY truly chilling scene in the whole movie is the "Tiptoe Through the Tulips" scene with the record-player. That was creepy. But overall, the "Paranormal Activity" films are MUCH scarier- and much more simple. "Insidious" starts off very promising, but unfortunately gets bogged down in a bunch of astral hocus-pocus in the climax, and it ultimately saps the film of its strength. I may be in the minority here, but I was just not impressed with "Insidious". But you know what's truly terrifying about the whole thing? There will most likely be a sequel.
Fred Walton (who also helmed the original) returned to direct this sequel to the terror classic that scared millions of babysitters around the world with WHEN A STRANGER CALLS. Titled WHEN A STRANGER CALLS BACK, this made-for-tv sequel that originally aired on Showtime back in 1993 is in my opinion, extremely underrated and scary, as many die-hard fans proclaiming it's far more frightening than the original. This film has one goal- to scare the hell out of the audience, and with relentlessly mounting tension and harrowing suspense, for the most part it succeeds. It opens with another babysitter, Julie, played by 80's icon Jill Schoelen. (What the hell ever happened to her, anyway?) This time, a man knocks on the door claiming car trouble and asks to use the phone to call the auto club. Things get scary pretty quickly as Julie soons realizes that he's got more on his mind than just the auto club.
Just like the original, the sequel boasts an extremely terrifying opening. Every bit as nerve-wrenching as the original, the film starts off strong and unlike the first, actually stays a bit more interesting in the rest of the movie. And there are quite a few chilling moments sprinkled throughout the film. Carol Kane returns (in a bit of a stretch) as a counselor who just happens to work at the same college where Julie attends. Charles Durning also returns as the retired detective who reluctantly goes back to work at the insistence of Kane to find the killer. It's fun to see the two gang up to help Julie and track down the elusive killer. Plus, it's got Jill Schoelen, kids.
WHEN A STRANGER CALLS BACK has many things going for it. First, the aforementioned return of Kane and Durning, who actually work well as a cinematic pairing. They click, they have a vibe, and one can almost see the two characters in their own series, tracking down mysterious psychopaths. The movie also uses a great building of suspense- many close-ups of doorknobs and doorlocks for one, and slow, deliberate camera work that achieve an almost excruciating exercise in suspense. I saw this on Showtime when it first aired, and the three of us watching it late one night were paralyzed with fear. Fred Walton manages to squeeze every drop of tension out of the material, and it's almost hard to believe that this is just a made-for-tv production. The great thing about the STRANGER CALLS movies are that unlike other splatter and special effects productions, these movies use the opposite approach. The terror here builds inside your head, where it lingers... Your imagination kicks into overdrive... and suddenly every little noise, every little movement, become much more scary. That's the beauty of tension and suspense. So much more rewarding than intestines. These are sadly underrated films, and both are very much worth watching. "Have you checked the children?"
Now I have sat through scary movies in theaters before where you almost can't even tell if the audience is awake. No screaming, no nervous giggling, nothing. For "Paranormal Activity 2", the audience was completely immersed in this movie- jumping, hiding eyes, screaming, and laughing the entire time. It was awesome. I almost expected applause when the lights came up at the end. People left breathless, excited, and laughing. "Paranormal Acticity 2" did exactly what a scary movie is supposed to. I personally found the sequel to be even more scary and disturbing than the original. And I find it frustrating that so many people out there rip these movies to shreds, yet go on and on about the wonders of the latest "SAW" or Michael Bay remake.
I am pleased to say that I found "Paranormal Activity 2" to be the scariest, most disturbing horror film I have seen in years since, well, "The Descent". I was truly on the edge of my seat, and found myself 100% creeped out by this movie. It brilliantly knows how to induce real tension and dread. No, it's not "The Amityville Horror" or "Poltergeist" with over-the-top effects. It's not supposed to be. That's the whole point. It's not often that I'm truly frightened by a movie, especially these days. Long gone are the day of "Halloween", "Friday the 13th", and "The Exorcist". Most movies today are just over-the-top gore and effects, because that's all that most filmmakers today know how to create. Rob Zombie or Eli Roth, anybody? But once in a while, certain little movies with absolutely no budget but tons of imagination come along and frighten us. "Paranormal Activity" and its sequel certainly fall into that group.
Go and read all the reviews of "Paranormal Activity" on IMDB or Netflix and you'll see that they all pretty much say the same things- terrible special effects, terrible acting, and cheaply made. Like I said before, if it doesn't have Jessica Biel running around screaming or in-your-face gore, then apparently it doesn't qualify as a horror movie. All kinds of things can scare us. Some prefer a more subdued, quiet scare. Others like to be hit over the head. I'm not saying that everybody should like "The Blair Witch Project" or "Paranormal Activity". But I am saying that there are many movie-watchers out there that cry foul anytime something dares to stray away from "formula". I honestly didn't think I would like this movie near as much as I do, and I'm so glad I saw the first one. And you'd better believe I'll be there opening night for "Paranormal Activity 3"...
I can't believe for one minute that this movie has somehow escaped me all my life. I honestly have no recollection of even hearing about this movie, until a few years ago. Then, suddenly I was hearing about it everywhere. So I finally stumbled across a copy of CURTAINS and finally got to experience what all the fuss was about. Wow...
Full of twists and turns and shocks, it managed to be terribly entertaining and scary. Finally, a mask that rivals the sheer terror of the original Michael in HALLOWEEN! This killer is absolutely terrifying, and I see now why the infamous "ice skating" scene is so talked about.
CURTAINS follows the standard slasher handbook- a secluded location with a bunch of victims just waiting to be knocked off by a masked killer, but there's an actual reason for these ladies to be there in the first place. It's not just a bunch of horny teens placed in the woods to be slaughtered.
Six actresses are vying for the role of Audra, a play that filmmaker Jonathan Stryker has bought the rights to and is determined to bring to life. It seems that his regular female lead actress, Samantha Sherwood, (wonderfully played by Samantha Eggar, by the way...) has just assumed the role was hers. However, Jonathan has another vision for the role, and unbeknownst to Samantha, is plotting against her. She checks herself into a mental institution to prepare for the role, and while she's getting her method on Jonathan has secretly invited 6 actresses to his remote estate in the country to audition for the sacred role of Audra. A severe snowstorm leaves the party stranded at the estate, and Samantha, finding out about Jonathan's shenanigans, proceeds to crash the proceedings uninvited. On top of all this, a killer in a very scary hag mask starts killing off the actresses one by one in classic slasher fashion. Who is the killer? Is it Samantha's rage and anger at being rejected as an actress, or is something even more sinister going on here?
CURTAINS contains some of the creepiest doll scenes of any movie I've seen. Although the spooky doll is used to great advantage for some truly nightmarish scenes, I must admit I'm not really sure how the doll is related to the plot. Nor does my not understanding the purpose detract whatsoever from the terror of the scenes. That damn doll is just as scary as the hag mask on the killer.
Shot on location in Toronto, CURTAINS has a great, moody atmosphere that makes one think of that creepy, desolate feeling of the snow covered grounds and dark nights in Bob Clark's masterpiece BLACK CHRISTMAS. Some of the acting is actually quite good, and the whole production seems very well put together. It's a classy slasher, if there is such a thing. Besides the delicious Samantha Eggar and John Vernon of NATIONAL LAMPOON'S ANIMAL HOUSE, Lynne Griffin of BLACK CHRISTMAS and the fantastic Lesleh Donaldson of HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME both make appearances as well. I would most definitely put this one in the Top Ten Slashers of the 80's- I really liked it that much. It was a spooky good time and iI overall loved it!
Wes Craven's "The Hills Have Eyes" already had a reputation back in the day as being quite the infamous shocker. Yet I had never experienced it until recently. The mood just struck me, and I went with it. I figured why not, right? Now, I went in expecting absolutely nothing. The sorry state of horror has made me somewhat bitter and jaded these days, and I've been burned one too many times with false promises and over-hype. But I'd heard so many good things about the film over the years that I figured the odds were with me. So, I popped it in and settled down with "The Hills Have Eyes".
Even though the plot is nothing new- family gets lost on vacation in the desert and become stalked by a violent clan of inbred and mountain-dwelling cannibals- the raw and intense atmosphere is what easily sells the movie. The empty and creepy desert is terrifying, and becomes a perfect setting for a horror film.
Craven winningly directs the movie- he really conveys a sense of hopelessness and isolation here, and this film is a huge step up from the dreadful (in my opinion) "Last House On The Left". And much like "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre", the grainy, low-budget look of the film stock only adds to the movie. It just makes it scarier to me. All that, combined with excellent cinematography and rather impressive special effects for such a low budget, make a gripping and ruthless shocker that undoubtedly made a mark on horror and pop culture. It's a highly influential and cheap 70's exploitation horror film that, unlike "The Last House On The Left", actually lives up to its hype.
Brutal and harrowing, "THHE" manages to be one of the most disturbing and frightening genre flicks of the 1970's. On top of being classic Craven and one of his more creative, in my opinion. Possibly Wes Craven's greatest B-movie, "The Hills Have Eyes" certainly lives up to its reputation as a violent and shocking cult classic. This is a perfect drive-in movie here- an unassuming little shocker that doesn't try to be anything more than what it is. A simple and scary movie. And for the most part, it succeeds. Scream Queen Dee Wallace-Stone makes an appearance in this Craven classic that all fans of horror should experience!
I was ten years old when I first experienced "Poltergeist". I went to a friend's house to watch it because it had just hit HBO. I was told that I must see this movie immediately. I was dying to see it anyway. Needless to say, I was completely blown away by what I was seeing on the screen in front of me. "Poltergeist", directed by Tobe Hooper (although let's be fair here- this movie has Steven Spielberg's stamp all over it...), literally scared the hell out of me. But it was so much fun- a non-stop roller-coaster ride that never lets up for one second. It's completely entertaining on all levels. Besides being a top-notch thrill ride, it has the added bonus of some great writing and even greater acting.
Craig T. Nelson, JoBeth Williams, and the kids are sensational in their roles- they're 100% believable and even though the film boasts some astonishing special effects, the acting is what makes "Poltergeist" work. On top of the great family, we're treated to the wonderful Beatrice Straight and Zelda Rubinstein. This was every family I knew in the 80's. I lived this. I completely identified with every single frame of that movie. I was Robbie- terrified of the shadow on my closet door by the tree outside my window at night. I also had a super scary clown, I just chose not to keep it. "Poltergeist" was the second, big haunted house movie I had seen- the first being "The Amityville Horror". As much as I enjoyed "Amityville", "Poltergeist" seemed real to me at the time. It really made you think that it could happen to anybody, at anytime.
"Poltergeist" is hands down one of the greatest haunted house movies ever made. Besides having the talents of Tobe Hooper and Spielberg involved, we get the delicious and chilling score by Jerry Goldsmith and one of the most well-known and parodied lines from any movie... "They're heeere.....". "Poltergeist" is Steven Spielberg's vision of a haunted house/ghost story, and a great one at that. For some reason taking the haunted house out of the gloomy, cobwebbed mansion and bringing it into contemporary suburbia only made it all the more scary. It became the standard for haunted house movies to come. The film is making a comeback of sorts, it seems. I see it talked about more and more on horror blogs in the past couple of years, and next year (2012) will be the films 30th anniversary.
"Poltergeist" was one of the biggest and most influential movies of my youth, and it's impossible not to think of this movie when you talk of the 1980's. I know I had never seen anything like this before. It quite literally blew my mind. Sadly I did not get to witness this on the big screen, so I can only imagine the effect this had in that environment. Just watching it on a dark, rainy afternoon on a reasonably large tv as I did was extremely powerful. It was like "E.T." sort of... only scary. And as unbelievable as it all is- Craig T. Nelson, JoBeth Williams, Oliver Robins, Dominique Dunne, and Heather O'Rourke firmly make you believe every second of it. They're very believable, and my mother actually resembled JoBeth back then. This movie, like so many from the 80's, never fails to entertain me. It's just such a huge part of my childhood. Luckily, I've never outgrown it, because it's still a hell of good movie. Maybe slightly dated because of the whole channels signing off at midnight thing, but overall it's still as sharp and witty as always, with the banter between Nelson and Williams priceless.
"Poltergeist" was so successful and popular it would start not only a franchise, but an undying urban legend about the so-called "Poltergeist" curse that is slowly and methodically killing off all involved with the films. The film would garner 3 Academy Awards, and ranked # 80 on Bravo's 100 Scariest Movie Moments and #69 on AFI's 100 Years... 100 Movie Quotes for "They're Heeere...". "Poltergeist" would gross over $78 million dollars and become the highest-grossing horror film of 1982. It has become a bona fide horror classic, and well deserved at that. This was some serious nightmares for many kids my age, and I know of a few who are deathly afraid of clowns because of it. But overall, it's still such a fun movie to watch. I love this movie. Dearly.
So I finally got around to seeing "Let Me In". And can I just say FINALLY a vampire that is NOTHING like "Twilight". This was a spectacularly creepy vampire movie in my eyes, and I found it more violent and suspenseful than the original Swedish version. I can't even remember the last time a vampire movie has impressed me so much. What's great about "Let Me In" is it's kind of hard to pinpoint exactly which genre this movie is. It's mostly a horror movie, but also touches on bullying, loneliness, love, trust, and family drama. And calling it just a vampire movie is rather disrespectful, because there's far more going on here than just vampires sucking blood.
I honestly couldn't find anything to complain about after watching "Let Me In". I know that many fans of the original blogged themselves into a frenzy about this Americanized version, but just like the complaints for "Quarantine" as opposed to "REC"- I found it all silly. This is an extremely well-done movie and it's extremely watchable. It doesn't rely on a lot of special effects or over-the-top gore like a lot of horror movies out there today, and transcends the horror genre, instead offering depth, emotion, and a great story. And the acting! The two child leads are nothing short of sensational and most definitely help sell the film. With lesser talents, the movie would not have worked. But the children make it work.
I really enjoyed watching "Let Me In", and it gave me hope that the "Twilight" fever is almost over. I think the last, good vampire movie I've seen was "Interview With the Vampire"... and how long ago was that? Normally I don't like modern vampires- give me Bela Lugosi, Christopher Lee, or some "Salem's Lot" anyday. THOSE are vampires- not Robert Pattinson or Wesley Snipes. Movies like this don't come often in horror, and they are a welcome retreat from the mindless Zombie films or pallid re-makes of classic movies. I give this one a thumbs up.
