REPO: THE GENETIC OPERA

Hands-down the best film of 2008 (and boasting one of the all-time greatest soundtracks), Repo: The Genetic Opera is a relentlessly original “horror” movie with 99% of its dialog delivered in an operatic fashion laced with heavy gothic undertones. Steampunk styles mixed with mind-blowing set designs make for an extremely effective and unforgettable movie watching experience. The thoroughly-engrossing story concerns Shilo (Alexa Vega – Spy Kids), a young girl with a rare blood disease who is secluded from the outside world by her overprotective father (Anthony Stewart Head – Buffy the Vampire Slayer). What Shilo doesn’t know is that her “perfect” dad is actually a contracted killer who repossesses organs from various victims who default on...

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CANDYMAN: FAREWELL TO THE FLESH

1992 saw the release of a brand-new genre classic unlike any horror film before. That movie was Candyman, a classy, effective entry into the overly-saturated market of mediocre and highly-forgettable fright flicks. It was a new era for the horror film – disturbingly realistic violence, original story, solid performances, and a haunting musical score all presented in an operatic manner that could not be easily dismissed by critics as “just another slasher film”. In fact, the reviews were anything but bad. Candyman was here. And it was good. Three years later (which, in “horror sequel” world is an eternity), the hook-handed killer returned for an exceedingly well-made follow-up to the stylized original. Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh continues...

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HOUSE OF 1000 CORPSES

Filmed in 2000 and shelved for three years due to NC-17 rating concerns and being dropped by BOTH Universal and MGM studios after they saw the finished movie (and later picked up by Lionsgate, home of Saw – go figure!), rocker Rob Zombie’s directorial debut, House of 1,000 Corpses, is an all-out assault on the senses and good taste. It’s disjointed. It’s sick. It’s depraved. It’s disturbing. And it’s fantastic. The story concerns a group of four friends who are traveling the country backroads in search of serial killers and other local legends – most notably, the one of a sadistic madman known as “Dr. Satan”. When they stop at an intriguingly weird gas station/circus sideshow hybrid, they unknowingly step into a world of murder, cannibalism,...

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WOLFEN

Veteran director Michael Wadleigh delivers a heavy-handed horror film about the consequences of man’s encroachment on nature and society in probably one of the finest examples of a great “werewolf” movie to ever hit the screen. Released in 1981 (the same year as the wildly-popular werewolf movies An American Werewolf in London and The Howling), Wolfen is one of those rare horror films from the 80’s that showcases great skill – both in front of and behind the camera. Albert Finney, Diane Venora, Edward James Olmos, and Gregory Hines star as members of the NYPD embroiled in a gory murder mystery surrounding the death of a successful architect, his wife, and their chauffeur. At first, the murders appear to be the work of a ritualistic killer,...

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SILENT SCREAM

This odd horror film is neither scary nor bloody but, rather, a fairly entertaining thriller that was released in 1979 (which, by the way, was a GREAT year for horror movies). While Silent Scream is undoubtedly a “bargain-basement” cheapie, the story is actually pretty solid. Four college students rent rooms at an old mansion run by a creepy family with some dark secrets of their own. When the teenagers start showing up dead, two detectives set out to uncover the mystery. Although the ending is a bit of a letdown, the journey getting there is actually pretty entertaining. The film is competently made and its entertainment value has not waned over the years (remarkably, it has aged extremely well). However, it does seem to suffer from an ending...

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CHOPPING MALL

1986 was a great year for cheesy horror films. The “slasher” craze was at the top of its game and new horror movies were being cranked out almost weekly - either as “straight-to-video” releases or to cinemas in a very select amount of theaters. Many of these films got lost in the endless parade of new titles and often served no other purpose than to help fill up shelves at the local mom & pop video store. Some were bad, some were good, but all managed to find some type of an audience. To me, one gem stood out in particular and, while overlooked and forgotten about for many years, is now poised to find a new audience thanks to its recent debut on DVD which can finally replace the long out-of-print VHS copies that are scarcely available....

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INSIDIOUS

Over the years, I’ve seen literally hundreds of “haunted house”-themed horror films. Many were lackluster (Paranormal Activity), many were decent (The Amityville Horror), and many were actually quite good (Burnt Offerings). Regardless of how good and/or original they were, they always managed to pale in comparison to the seminal ghost film, Poltergeist – that is until I saw Insidious. This tense, believable and well-researched horror film may have de-throned the Steven Spielberg-produced/Tobe Hooper-directed fright flick as the “greatest haunted house film”. A very impressive feat considering that its creators James Wan & Leigh Whannell (the talented creators of Saw and the criminally overlooked Dead Silence) managed to outdo one of the...

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TRANCERS

Aside from Full Moon’s most successful and popular catalog title, Puppet Master, the low-budget film production company has another secret weapon in the slightly lesser-known (and better) franchise – Trancers. The plot is highly original: a crass, chain-smoking cop from the future travels back to the year 1985 (not-so-ironically, the year the film was made) in order to apprehend a criminal that is using psychic powers to transform ordinary citizens into zombie-like monsters in order to carry out his devious plans. Unlike the Puppet Master franchise which varies sharply from film to film, the Trancers movies have been Full Moon’s most consistent deliverer in terms of quality. A majority of the cast remains the same throughout the series’ run...

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SORORITY ROW

Despite what many people believe, the art of the remake should be considered just that – an “art. What may seem like a quick “cash grab” to make a few bucks at the cinema is actually no easy task. A properly remade horror movie should do three main things: 1) Expand or improve on the original, 2) add a few new twists and surprises along the way, 3) maintain the integrity of the original film’s vision. Sadly, more often than not, these films fall flat in their attempt. For every excellent remake (like Prom Night, Halloween, or Texas Chainsaw Massacre), there are many substandard efforts (When A Stranger Calls). Such is the case with Sorority Row, a mediocre dumbed-down redo of 1983’s vastly superior The House on Sorority Row. This 2009 retelling...

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VALENTINE

Sometimes it’s bad timing. Sometimes it’s bad marketing. Sometimes it’s bad press. Whatever the reason, this criminally underrated horror gem from 2001 is nearly perfect in all aspects of its execution. Valentine is a wonderful throwback to the glory days of “slasher films” – the early 1980s. This movie tells the story of Jeremy Melton, a nerdy reject in school who, after years of being mercilessly bullied and mocked, grows up to take revenge on his childhood peers – or does he? This simple plot sets the stage for an unexpectedly enjoyable series of ‘stalk and slash’ scenarios, along with a great cast (especially for a horror film), some wonderful set designs, a great killer, and a well-written script with a great ending. Enough said. While...

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FROZEN

Over-hype is never a good thing. People’s expectations are unrealistically heightened due to stellar reviews and positive word-of-mouth and, often times, come away feeling disappointed and cheated. Nothing quite embodies the term “over-hype” better than Adam Green’s Frozen, a painfully dull horror film that quite possibly may be the worst film I’ve seen in a decade (admittedly, I watch some real “gems”, so THAT’S saying something…)! I’m not kidding… A trio of close friends sweet talk their way onto a ski lift, only to be accidentally stranded mid-air for days while the resort is closed – and a pack of vicious, hungry wolves circles below. Think Open Water in the air and you’ve got Frozen. The story premise sounds engaging but, unfortunately,...

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PROM NIGHT (2008)

Ah…the early 80’s. Horror movies were all the rage and the slasher film was in its heyday. Halloween, Friday the 13th and COUNTLESS rip-offs (many of which were actually quite good) flooded the cinemas and home video Beta market. It was hard to distinguish one from another – except the ones which starred Jamie Lee Curtis. Terror Train and Prom Night are probably two of the better known horror/slasher films to emerge from this time. While Terror Train was an entertaining, old school “whodunit” murder mystery, with ample doses of blood and violence thrown in, Prom Night benefitted from the casting of Jamie Lee Curtis and not much else. To be fair, it was pretty standard horror stuff (even back then) – teenagers keep a secret and one-by-one they...

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SCREAM 4

When the original Scream hit theaters in 1996, it was a huge hit – mostly due to its satirical biting nature of the entire horror genre. It was funny. It was scary. It was original and it worked. Two sequels were released in quick succession over the next four years – Scream 2 (which remains the strongest entry of the franchise) and Scream 3 – an enjoyable, yet underwhelming, trilogy-ender. Now, 11 years after the last sequel was released, Scream 4 arrives to reboot the seminal 90s horror series. With so many years having elapsed (in both screen time and “real” time), many people may be wondering – does it succeed? Well, yes and no… Once again, original Scream creators Wes Craven (director) and  Kevin Williamson (writer) are in charge...

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PUPPET MASTER: AXIS OF EVIL

In 1989, a litte low-budget horror film was released direct-to-video, spawning the beginning of what has become the most successful direct-to-dvd series of all time. The Puppet Master series chronicles the story of a puppeteer named Andre Toulon and his living marionettes as they try to protect the secret of their magical reanimation from unscrupulous characters out to exploit the puppets' secret for their own good. Despite how the series' reputation has developed incorrectly over the years, the puppets are "the good guys" and generally only turn violent out of self-defense for themselves or their "puppet master" creator. For a horror series over 20 years old and with 10 installments (and yet ANOTHER one scheduled for  a 2012 release -...

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PARANORMAL ACTIVITY

For several consecutive years, Lionsgate ruled the Halloween box office with a new installment of their biggest "go-to" money maker, Saw. Like clockwork, another sequel was released to bad reviews and eager audiences - easily making the Saw franchise the unchallenged box-office champion of the Halloween season. This got the attention of Paramount Pictures. Wanting their piece of the Halloween pie, they decided to gamble on a small, independent "ghost story" feature they acquired to see if they might strike a chord with audiences by playing on the interest of the public's obsession with anything paranormal. On Halloween 2009, Paranormal Activity opened to strong numbers at #1 over Saw VI, the lowest-grossing installment for the franchise...

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VIDEODROME

Never in the history of filmmaking has a movie so closely predicted the future state of the world, the entertainment industry, or the evolution of society more than David Cronenberg's brilliant study into madness and the darkest recesses of man's psyche, Videodrome. This sci-fi/horror classic's critical praise and cult status are well-deserved, due to a tough,  uncompromising look at the crumbling of the human race and desensitized culture in the not-too-distant future. James Woods (in the best role of his career) stars as Max Renn, a sleazebag TV producer who accidentally intercepts a pirated signal of a mysterious broadcast which specializes in extreme torture and sadomasochism. Looking for the next new thing for his struggling channel,...

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HARDWARE

The overlooked 1990 film, Hardware, is an interesting blend of sci-fi and horror that feels like a hybrid between Blade Runner and The Terminator, with a dash of Demon Seed and even 1984 thrown in for good measure. Dylan McDermott (yes, THAT Dylan McDermott) stars as Moe, a post-apocalyptic scavenger who brings home a twisted mass of scrap metal for his artist girlfriend, Jill (played by the gorgeous Stacey Travis). Little do they know that this heap of metallic waste is actually an abandoned military defense droid who promptly regenerates itself and takes Jill prisoner in her own home. This somber morality tale succeeds more often than not and the visuals are quite impressive to boot. Graphic violence and strong sex scenes are in plentiful...

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SAW: THE FINAL CHAPTER (SAW 3D)

Since 2004, a new Saw film has been released around the Halloween season and has done lucrative business for the people at Lionsgate. However, 2008’s Saw V and 2009’s Saw VI (which many consider to be the series’ best entry) marked severe drop-offs in returns at the box office. Citing that this may have been the first signs of a dying franchise (no pun intended), Lionsgate was rumored to have scrapped its last two planned sequels – Saw VIII and Saw IX in favor of one final, end-all movie to conclude the Saw franchise. To mark the special occasion, they even decided to shoot the film in 3D (hence, the film carried the title Saw 3D in theaters). Being a HUGE fan of the franchise (and one of the few who prefer the last three films over the first...

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Near Dark

One of the greatest horror films ever made, Near Dark follows the story of a loner named Caleb, whose chance encounter with beautiful vampire Mae leaves him with an insatiable craving for human blood. As he tries to fight off the impending transformation inside of him, a harrowing, thought-provoking and eerily effective story unfolds. Thanks to the strength of the writing and the caliber of the actors (including Bill Paxton, Adrian Pasdar, Tim Thomerson , and genre favorite Lance Henricksen), the characters are believable, sympathetic and well-defined. The balance of romance, thriller, horror - and even western, are perfectly blended to make for a fully-immersive (and often times scary), viewing experience. Upon its initial release, it was...

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