Category Archives: Horror Movies

Binge Season 1 of The Exorcist (2016)

01 Sunday Oct 2017

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Binge Season 1 of The Exorcist (2016)

Season 2 of the critically acclaimed TV series The Exorcist started last week on FOX. Catch up on the first season now streaming on Hulu. Originally slated to be a full-length motion picture reboot of the classic 1973 film, the TV series is a continuation of the storyline.

Alfonso

Starring Alfonso Herrera as Father Tomas, a Chicago-born but Mexican-raised Catholic priest of a declining inner-city parish, and Ben Daniels, as the excommunicated former-Father Marcos who has a long career of exorcising demons, the 10-episode season 1 follows them as they attempt to assist Angela (played by Geena Davis) and Henry (played by Alan Ruck) Rance with their possessed daughter. However, the season is more than one storyline. It interweaves references to the 1973 award winning film, most notably the iconic song, “Tubular Bells,” which has a cameo.

Catch up on season 1 before watching season 2. It’s worth it.

Is That a Banjo I Hear?

24 Sunday Sep 2017

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Is That a Banjo I Hear?

Eli Craig’s 2010 cult classic Tucker and Dale vs. Evil features two hillbillies, played by Tyler Labine and Alan Tudyk, heading out to fix up their waterfront vacation house. The house is an abandoned cabin set deep in the West Virginian woods. While loading up on supplies, “Tucker” and “Dale” encounter a large group of college students heading out on a camping trip. Queue the banjos. Not so fast. As NPR’s film critic Ian Buckwalter asks: … “what if that banjo were just a bango?” This limited-release feature film upends the horror genre by injecting comedy into the plot.

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A group of college students rely on stereotypes and mistake a couple of mountain men as serial killers. Through continuous miscommunication, the college students get picked off much like students in another cult classic The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. Make no mistake, though, this is not a spoof or a reboot. The film stands on its own and deserves the favorable reviews it has garnered. Read some of them here:

NPR: http://www.npr.org/2011/09/29/140854152/tucker-dale-vs-evil-deliver-ance-us-yall;

New York Times Critic’s Pick: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/30/movies/eli-craigs-tucker-and-dale-vs-evil-review.html?ref=movies;

The Hollywood Reporter: http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/tucker-and-dale-vs-evil-29235.

Filmed for $5 million, critics doubted the viability of the production. The movie was a film festival favorite being nominated and winning a few special awards. Its release was limited; however, it really—like really—bombed at the box office. Ultimately, the movie exceeded the budget by earning $15 million with strong screenings abroad. It became an instant classic. With it streaming on Hulu, Netflix, and Amazon, the R-rated comedy/horror movie has become a solid cult classic.

In 2014, the sequel was announced. Asked last month, Tudyk and Labine reaffirmed their interest in a sequel once a suitable script is approved by Craig. Seems they’re up for another adventure. Queue the synthesizer.

Little Evil Delivers Comedy with a Bit of Horror

24 Sunday Sep 2017

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Little Evil

Little Evil Delivers Comedy with a Bit of Horror

For those looking for a Halloween movie long on comedy and short on gore, consider the Netflix original movie Little Evil. Adam Scott plays “Gary,” new stepfather to 5-year-old “Lucas,” played by Owen Atlas. Gary is new to parenting and ponders where Lucas’ behavior is typical or demonic. Gary realizes his stepson may be the Anti-Christ and he’s not sure he’s up to the task of eliminating him. Writer/Director Eli Craig delivers a family-friendly horror movie that will have audiences laughing.

Netflix’s $7.5 million dollar gamble pays off. Released on September 1st, Little Evil marks the return of Eli Craig, whose low-budget film Tucker and Dale vs. Evil (2010) became a cult classic. This new film is 75% comedy with 25% horror/spoof. Know that before viewing. The joy in the film is in finding all of the subtle references to other classic horror movies. Craig pays homage to The Shining (1980), Rosemary’s Baby (1968), and The Omen (1976). But that’s only the beginning. Multiple viewings will yield more connections.

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Bridget Everett steals the show as “Al,” Gary’s co-worker and best bud in the stepfather support group. Her performance is refreshing, not the anticipated stereotypical supporting role.

Craig updates the stale, overused generalizations that weigh down most comedy/horror films. Rated TV-MA for mature humor, Little Evil makes for a good movie night.

It Remains #1

19 Tuesday Sep 2017

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It Remains #1

It (2017) remained in the #1 position this week by taking in an additional $120 million. Since being released 2 weeks ago, the horror movie has reached $371 million in worldwide ticket sales. Although there has not been an official announcement on Chapter Two, bank on it. Chapter One’s production budget was $35 million. Apparently, clowns are popular.

5 Things to Know Before Viewing IT

12 Tuesday Sep 2017

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5 Things to Know Before Viewing IT

  1. The story from the novel is basically the same. None of the main characters were morphed into composite ones. Yes, the screenwriters had to shed quite a bit from the book; however, the characters remain.
  2. The 7 kids in the Loser’s Club are 10 years old in the novel. In the movie, the kids are tweens verging on full teenhood.
  3. The novel is set in 1957-58 with the kids and 1984-85 as the adults. The movie has the kids in 1988-89. Chapter Two will have the adults in 2016-17, respectively.
  4. “Beep, beep, Richie” is used in both the novel and the movie. One of the boys, Richie Tozier, has a warped mind. He says inappropriate things. When he goes too far, the other kids say, “Beep, beep, Richie” for him to shut up.

 

TheLosersClub

Spoiler Ahead…

  1. Just like the novel, all 7 kids survive the initial confrontation with Pennywise.

It (2017) Slashes the Competition

11 Monday Sep 2017

Posted by in Clowns, Horror Movies, Movie Reviews, Movies, stephen king, Uncategorized

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It (2017) Slashes the Competition

Variety.com reports that It has had the 3rd highest domestic opening in 2017. Produced on an estimated budget of $35 million dollars, the movie raked in $117 million in the US, plus another $62 million abroad. It killed the competition.

Stephen King unleashed Pennywise on unsuspecting readers back in 1986 with his mammoth 1,300+ page turner It. The book spawned a mini-series but has been resurrected in a full-length motion picture. This has been one of the most highly anticipated movies that has taken several years to reach fruition. And it was worth the wait!

“Pennywise The Dancing Clown” cavorts deep within the belly of the town of Derry, Maine, feeding off the fears of children and teenagers. He entices kids with buoyant red balloons, promising “You’ll float, too.” Director Andy Muschietti delivers. It is every bit of scary as the novel—just in a different order. It should be screened in the movie theater so viewers may experience crowd reactions.

The film remains true to the basic premise of the story; however, scenes were updated to keep in line with the 80s. (The soundtrack is pretty rad, too.) The 2017 It is actually Chapter One. This R-rated, 135 minute movie introduces viewers to the cursed town of Derry, Maine, and the 7 teenagers who will tame the clown back into his hole. Spoiler: The movie jumps to 1988 as the starting point; whereas, the novel is set in the late 50s. Chapter Two will jump 27 years where these same teens are now successful adults summoned back to Derry for one last battle.

The sequel has been announced with Muschietti returning to direct. Bill Skarsġard’s performance as Pennywise was wickedly hair-raising. Start the petitions for him to reprise the role! Hopefully production begins soon so current audiences don’t have to wait 27 years to finally find out what drives It.

It Debuts Tomorrow

07 Thursday Sep 2017

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It Debuts Tomorrow

Stephen King’s motion picture adaptation of his widely popular novel It arrives in theaters tomorrow, although the official release date is Friday, September 8th. The highly anticipated remake divides the 1300+ page book into two parts. Part one focuses on the seven children as they battle Pennywise. Part two jumps 27 years into the future with the same group going at it again. The production date and potential dates have not been released. New Line Cinema is sitting on this information; however, it is highly unlikely there won’t be a part 2. It’s just a matter of scheduling.

Filmed between $70-80 million dollars, the movie is sure to earn it back. Rated R and running 2 hours and 15 minutes, It has already raked in favorable reviews. In the end: We’ll all float, too.

More Trailers for It Drop

21 Monday Aug 2017

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More Trailers for It Drop

New Line Cinema has dropped more trailers for the highly anticipated reboot of Stephen King’s It. The trailers focus on the 7 tweens who comprise “The Losers Club,” the group of kids destined to rid the town of Derry, Maine of Pennywise.

The trailers can be viewed at the movie’s official website, http://itthemovie.com/.

It debuts September 8th. Remember: You’ll float, too.

Annabelle: Creation Released Last Week

18 Friday Aug 2017

Posted by in Dolls, Horror Movies, Uncategorized

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Annabelle: Creation Released Last Week

The next movie in the Conjuring family was released last week. Annabelle: Creation, the second in the Annabelle storyline, has grossed $72 million since debuting on August 11th. The popularity of the movie may be attributed to the highly successful Conjuring family of films beginning in 2013 by James Wan. Wan’s films are produced on low budgets (hard to believe that $15 million is a low budget film!); however, they are incredibly profitable. For instance, consider these statistics: The Conjuring (2013) cost $20 million dollars and grossed $318 million worldwide; Annabelle I (2014) cost $6.5 million dollars while grossing $252 million dollars worldwide. Next up are The Nun and The Crooked Man. And this isn’t Wan’s only film franchise. He’s got the Saw films and Insidious. Even though Annabelle doesn’t rake in the most money, it makes enough to secure a third installment. Audiences are drawn to these horror films for various reasons. One is pediophobia, the fear of dolls.

Creation2

Museum collections have dolls of all types. The oldest doll is made of stone and dates back 4,000 years. The toy doll industry grew 10% from 2015 to 2016 and comprises $2.88 billion dollars of the $26 billion dollar toy industry. Dolls are popular. They serve various purposes, such as teaching how to tend to babies. They also console children. But somewhere in their evolution, they became creepy.

The horror genre has lots of creepy dolls. Think Child’s Play, Puppet Master, and Poltergeist. In 1970, Masahiro Mori theorized that people didn’t like dolls because their minds could not reconcile the fake doll face with reality. The more realistic looking the doll, the more unsettling people felt about the doll. He called this the “uncanny valley.” See the chart for a better understanding. Basically, the more strange, or creepy, the face, the more uneasy people felt around them. This may explain while Wan changed the original “Annabelle” Raggedy Ann doll and decided to use a porcelain doll. The porcelain doll is creepier on the “uncanny valley” scale.

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Film audiences love creepy dolls. If you’re looking for something to do this weekend, give Annabelle: Creation a try. In the meantime, read this excellent scholarly article about dolls: “The History of Creepy Dolls,” http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/history-creepy-dolls-180955916/.

 

Marthasville–Yeah, I’m a Screenwriter, too

16 Wednesday Aug 2017

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Marthasville

Marthasville—Yeah, I’m a Screenwriter, too

My writing career has taken many paths. In addition to writing blogs and legal motions, I write screenplays. Actually, my undergraduate degree is in Cinematography, back when we hiked across campus with our Super 8 cameras and spent our evenings in the audio booth splicing double tracks hoping to God they aligned with the video, which was shipped to Seattle for development. The days before video cameras and smartphones and computer software editing programs. And way before screenwriting software. (I now see retro typewriters are having a revival) Screenwriting was placed on the back-burner as I focused on other pursuits and mixed media art. Now, it, too, is having a revival. I have partnered with playwright Duane Willoughby to write horror movies.

Our first screenplay is tentatively titled Marthasville. I combines what we know best: comedy (Duane) and the paranormal (me). A family is brutally murdered in the late 60s. The small Georgia town is torn apart. Fifty years later the secret is released onto the town.

That’s all I can divulge at the moment. Watch this space for updates.