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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