This documentary melds the urban legend of the boogeyman with a hooked hand with the true story of a convicted kidnapper in New York state who is named Cropsey. Beginning with an insane asylum expose from Geraldo Rivera when he was very young this documentary is starting off on a believable foot. I liked this documentary until they started "uncovering" ties to satanic cults. Although these cults exist I have to point out that real Satanists do not hurt children and they don't even believe in God or Satan for that matter. Some of the testimonies seem to have some holes in their stories as well but overall this is a documentary worth watching. Entertaining, fun and a little scary.
I knew I was about to watch something super scary when I sat down to watch this as I had watched video casts of just how scary this movie is. So needless to say I was hyped up for it and ready for the challenge. It starts out creepy as Hell with old photos and suspenseful music and from the get go I'm getting really excited about this movie. The characters get built up really fast and seem so real and authentic. The music is very much like Ghostbusters with tinkling piano and atmospheric chords. This is a fun ghost story and basically it's the last night at a historic hotel and the resident ghost decides to make one last appearance. This movie doesn't have to rely on CGI or shock to scare me as the story and story telling is enough to get the watcher worked up. The Innkeepers is so old school in the way it builds the story and creates suspense by using slow moving sequences. There is a comedic break that any one who has ever worked fast food will be able to relate to. The end leaves a little something to be desired but overall this is a fantastic film for real horror fans or fans that have been watching horror since the early 80's. Great characters and great build up but not for the weekender. New Classic, Essential Kvlt!
Available streaming on Netflix but watch the trailer here!
This is a fantastic psychological thriller yet I get the same vibes as IT and Apocalypse Now from it. It moves nice and steady, not too slow and not too fast and has lots of cool ambient lighting and gritty settings. This movie has some pretty damn creepy moments but really gets serious at about an hour and ten minutes in. If you not only like horror but also eerie movies and conspiracy theory movies with an old style than this is the movie for you. There is a moral to this story that's possibly based on a theory about chemicals used in Vietnam but I'll let you figure all that out on your own. Classic
Shot and produced in Spain by a Spanish director but set in Boston, Mass. Lot's of these 70's and 80's splatter and gore movies have something about them that just makes them seem so real to me and the blood spatter and scene selection combined give this movie a realistic edge that modern polish and CGI just doesn't do for me. The intro credits are simple but build suspense and the pool scene is a little unrealistic but it wouldn't be as entertaining with out it that's for sure! There is a very tense sound track and the lighting is dark and shadowy. Something I've always noticed is that the foreign movies of the 80's always seemed about 10 years behind the U.S., making them seem more like 70's movies, which I don't mind. It gives them a certain quality that's very distinct and gets you in the mood for nostalgia right from the start. Essential for splatter fans and is available as a Netflix rental but I watched on DVD.
In the first collaboration between George Romero and Tom Savini this is an artful mastery of horror that is unique by even today's standards. At first you may think that Martin is a rapist or murderer but in fact he is out for the blood of his victims while making his murders look like a suicide. This film switches back and forth from color to black and white which is fun and Savini's early work is nice with bright, thick and viscous blood. The music by the great band Goblin is in a very aggressive 70's jazz style. Martin's caretaker looks strikingly similar to Colonial Sanders which gave me a brief laugh and he seems to be the only one privy to Martin's secret. The story really starts to come together at around the 30 minute mark and although it's slow to take off your patience will be rewarded with such an interesting twist on the vampire mythos. Part vampire, part home invasion, part serial killer this movie was way before it's time and is masterful in it's story telling. I've been fortunate to sell two VHS copies of this movie from my store but since I don't have any right now you can rent it on Netflix! Kvlt
Here in the first The Least Worst segment I will share with you 3 movies that were good but didn't quite effect me enough for a review. Movies where I was only able to muster a few lines of text. Those films that aren't quite good and aren't quite bad enough to warrant more than a few words. Here's the first of the least worst...
Don't Go In The Woods (2010)
A unique musical and splatter fest with a great soundtrack this is a genius movie idea.
Watch the full movie now!
Devils Pass (2013)
This indie movie is much like the Blair Witch Project, set in a great snowy location with a good story and pretty good CGI. For fans of found footage and conspiracy theory movies.
Streaming on Netflix but watch the trailer here!
The Boys Next Door (1985)
More of a thriller than anything else, this is a very metal movie with a heavy 80's metal soundtrack that I loved! Starring Charlie Sheen it's a movie about two outcast kids who snap in the 80's.
I never really understood the concept of a spooky looking house but this movie made me see the fear in looking upon a creepy house and combined with the fantastic intro music that reminds me a lot of Goblin you start this movie with a real feel of dread.
This is an Italian film that is overdubbed in English and the overdubbing is spot on but the delivery is horrible. But, the dubbing is so perfect that I think this is the movie I read that was filmed in English but then overdubbed because all the actors English was so bad. This film has some crazy drawn out scenes that leave you with your jaw on the floor and the twist with the babysitter is just awesome! The kills and blood and gore effects are almost artistic in color and delivery which is very typically Italian. The effects used on the monster are very gross and stunning and the eyes in the cellar are pretty damn creepy. This movie is pretty out there and at times hard to understand what is going on but still worth it. For fans of psychedelia and foreign cinema. Netflix rental. Kvlt
Here's the trailer!
A WWII vet stalks and kills college kids at their graduation dance. Sounds like your typical 80's slasher but The Prowler is so much more. The intro is set in the 40's, WWII, which sets up this movie very nicely as I love anything WWII! I'm very impressed with the attention to detail, good acting and believable costuming. The scenes of the Prowler are very menacing and really make this movie special and the kill scenes are agonizingly dragged out and I mean that in the best possible way. I found myself anticipating the next time I saw the Prowler and with images like this who wouldn't!
I love these late 70's and early 80's films as the styles are truly at a turning point and watching them this many years later it makes the films very transitionary and fun. There are some truly startling moments, typical and necessary nudity and some visually striking scenes with high contrast and bright blood. I can only imagine that bands like Metallica and Slayer could have been influenced by this movie with it's bleak yet slick themes. This Netflix rental is a must watch and the ending will really getcha! Essential, Kvlt
You can also watch the whole movie right here and now!
A girl recovering from a tragic accident has amnesia but is starting to suspect she was into some very evil things. This movie is shot with lots of flash backs, quality angles that keep you interested, basic but effective settings and the acting isn't half bad. There are little homages to horror fans here and there and even a cameo by Jeffery Combs! This is a great story and overall this film reminds me a lot of the 90's direct to VHS movies from the video store. The demon and the blood effects could have been a lot better, the fight scene gets a little sexually outlandish and the lead mans toupe is ridiculous but those are the things that keep it on par with the home movie style of this film. Free to watch on Amazon Prime. Kvlt
Also known as La Vampire Nue this is a French film with English subtitles and is free to watch on Amazon Prime so I suggest watching it while you can! What this movie lacks in acting it more than makes up for in nudity and surreal and striking 60's color! To sum up this artsy film, a suicide cult offs them selves for a beautiful vampire who is being held by a scientist for research.
This movie smacks of the Francs! It's artsy, dramatic, full of nudity, jazz, long silences and elaborate costuming. It is well worth the watch and for fans of psychedelia, foreign cinema, vampires and the occult. Kvlt, 420
The movie poster says it all really. What I love about these 60's and 70's movies is their use of bright and lush colors and amazing painted back drops. It's so surreal and creates an atmosphere that modern movies have a hard time achieving.
Psychedelic, occult and witch craft! This warlock seduces and manipulates a young woman played by Sandra Dee using her as a vessel to spawn a demon. Mixing elements of the occult, Satanism, witch craft, the Necronomicon and H.P. Lovecraft this is the quintessential occult horror! The music is equally fantastic and reminds me a lot of the fantasy movie Hawk The Slayer! This is free to watch on Amazon Prime and is absolutely Essential and 420!
Here in the second installment of the new series Misfits Movies I'll be reviewing the sequel to The Abominable Dr. Phibes; Dr. Phibes Rises Again!! Horror and Sci-Fi were the main influence for the Misfits and their song Dr. Phibes Rises Again is featured on their album Cut's From The Crypt! This song takes the main them from the original intro of Abominable and turns it into a heavy ass rockin punk tune. Give it a listen!!
And if that isn't awesome enough I ran across this little nugget of Misfits info and found the original recording of this song! So after the Misfits disbanded and before they regrouped Jerry Only and Doyle created a band called Kryst The Conqueror and this was one of their songs. Check it out this is way more metal!!
O.K. now on to the movie review!
Dr. Phibes Rises Again (1972)
If you missed the original the narration will catch you up on the story in a mystery style much in keeping with the element of the first film. This one surprisingly takes place in the desert and although not as captivating as the first it's still a fine watch, with great visuals even it it is darker and not as lush as the first. One thing is for sure, when it comes to creative kills I'd rather watch this than something like Saw. Not essential but definitely Kvlt!
Watch the full movie!!!
Want more Kryst The Conqueror!? Here's the full album!! It's so metal! \m/\m/
In this new series of reviews called Misfits Movies I will attempt to cover as many movies as I can that inspired the great horror punk band the Misfits! Their song The Abominable Dr Phibes was the first track on the American Psycho album featuring Michael Graves on vocals and not Glenn Danzig who is superior but I still like Graves too. This song is only an intro song but it sets up the album nicely. Give the whole album a listen!
Now on to the movie review!!
The Abominable Dr. Phibes (1971)
First response and a Netflix rental. Holy shit! Immediately this shows promise visually and I mean right off the bat with beautiful opulent settings, but what more could you ask from Vincent Price?! I mean look at this!!
Early on it's hard to know what's going on but I still found myself captivated! The use of what seems to be fruit bats is nothing short of awe inspiring from a film making perspective. Thirty minutes in and I still didn't know what was going on but I loved it! Scene after scene of macabre beauty and the cemetery scene is particularly gorgeous. There is also some comedic relief between to cops that lighten things up here and there. Absolutely Essential!
I watched this movie for free on Amazon Prime and was very impressed! Here is my first response! This is an anthology with a great set up starring Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing and featuring Ingrid Pitt! In this film there are lots of darkly beautiful things to see with an elaborate set and highly creepy music. A telling of three separate story lines, these are all intertwined by a single morbid thread. The technicolor look is amazing with lots of fog, vivid colors and great lighting and contrast. The child story is by far the best but there are so many ideas weaving in and out of all three stories including; a haunted house, a stalker, a house of wax, the occult, witches, a demonic child and even vampires! This is a fine example of fantastic writing, performances and storytelling. Essential and Kvlt!
The beginning of this British movie very much feels like the beginning of Halloween with the killing off of a promiscuous couple, filming the scene from the killers perspective and dissonant minimalist music. It starts of with a surprising and shocking kill scene and you realize quickly that someone is going around murdering all the old chaps who dress as Santa. The lavatory scene is one of the most dramatic and shocking I've seen in a while! The blood is very bright and vivid and old school and the dated settings and sepia tones really put you in the time frame that this film was made. This is one of those movies that can time warp you to a totally different era and it's fantastic! Just when you think this movie is getting a little silly something totally brutal and shocking happens. There is some nudity that actually helps move the story along and then there is some nudity that is there just for the sake of nudity so wins all around! There is use of very typical British camera angles that are a dead give away your watching a vintage British film and I love it! The end is like any other of this Christmas sub genre but uses a flashback sequence in an artistic way to tell the story. Essential and Kvlt!
This classic slasher flick paints a very real picture of a traumatized boy who grows up to be a serial killer. What's so scary about this type of movie is that it makes you wonder what screwed up things did my parents do that could one day push me over the edge? And what's so masterful about story telling like this is that you sympathize with the bad guy so much that you start to see things from his point of view and things that should seem normal seem twisted and perverse. The little details really make this movie and by melding together modern and ancient concepts of Santa the writers really created a fun and entertaining story. Musically this movie employs techniques like Halloween used to create suspense with disturbing and repetitive music that is high pitched and dissonant. This movie also melds good and evil concepts so smoothly you sometimes can't tell if what is happening is good or bad and the kills just come out of nowhere and completely surprise you! This movie right here is a freaking classic!
So little to say you deserve two movie posters! This movie has a great cast including; Jeffrey Combs (Re-Aminmator, Star Trek), Yvonne De Carlo (Lily Munster), and Michael Daek as the creature! Cellar Dweller is a really boring movie with an cool concept. Somehow they created a little tension as I felt myself actually get scared for the lady descending down into the cellar. This movie should be watched only for it's animation, puppets and splatter pay offs and it's interesting concept. Truly only a Kvlt movie.
Youtube has recently taken down the full movie so here is the trailer.
This fantastic and demented movie starts off sort of annoying with frustrating credits and disturbing narration. Bare with it though because soon you will be rewarded with Shannon Elizabeth Fadal who played the hot exchange student in American Pie! There are some short animated parts that are fun and the wholesome family town vibe creates the illusion of comfort and the setting and music really make it feel like a family Christmas movie crossed with a horrible B-movie. Overall Jack Frost is humorous and genius and the things Frosty does with his carrot nose are delightfully demented. Just guess what is about to happen here!
Jack Frost is a B-movie that knows its a B-movie and plays with that. There's a comedic element throughout and the baddy Jack Frost is full of one liners that will keep you chuckling! Essential Christmas horror and Kvlt!
Watch the FULL movie here! This screen shot says it all...
Starring Treat Williams and Joe Piscapo, this crazy movie has some "treats" of it's own including Robert Picardo (Star Trek's Doctor) and Vincent Price! This slow moving cop zombie comedy is soooo slow at times. But just when I'm about to press the stop button it gives me another reason to keep watching. For example The fat two faced zombie Franken monster, China town and of course Mr. Price. The acting and one liners are pretty darn bad and Piscapo flashing his muscles constantly is rather annoying. But, the make up effects are very fun and entertaining and Vincent Price just steals the show every time he appears. This could have been expanded into a pretty fun book as there is so much going on you have to create connections in your mind to make the plot make sense. It seems this movie really had it's pulse on the 80's and did a great job blending horror, Sci-Fi and cop movie fairly seamlessly. Kvlt
Check out the trailer!!
This was a re-watch of the original Halloween II on VHS. This sequel starts off immediately where the first movie left off. Michael follows Laurie to the hospital where he picks off all the staff while the cops try to solve a death they assumed was a Myers killing while the whole town goes nuts. You don't need to have seen the first movie before this one as all the pertinent information is presented to you in a way that you can catch up on the back story. Halloween II reveals more information as to why Michael is chasing Laurie (Jamie Lee Curtis) which progresses the story so that it's not just a slice and dice fest. The music and camera tactics are back just like in the first movie with long moments of silence, dark and shadowy scenes and Michael popping out from behind corners to scare the crap out of us! Part 2 is heavier on the boobs this time around and the make out scene in the hot tub is one of the best kills in 80's horror. Overall this sequel isn't as scary as the first movie and I think it's all about location, just like I didn't think the second Hellraiser (which was also set at a hospital) was very scary. I really liked the skull inside of the pumpkin image they used for the credits but why in the wold would you play Mr. Sandman as your ending credit music. It baffles the mind. Halloween II gets an essential rating from me because it moves the story line along and with such a huge name in horror as Michael Myers it's a must to at least watch the first sequel. Essential
Watch the trailer!!
Halloween II (2009) Rob Zombie Directors Cut
This is a first response to Rob Zombies directors cut of the Halloween II remake (Netflix rental) from 2009 starring Tyler Mane again as Michael. Like his remake of the first Halloween this is a re-imagining of the story line and incorporates elements of part 2, 4 and 5. They had to use a different kid to portray the young Michael for this sequel which really stinks because I liked the first kid a lot better. But apparently the first kid got to big to play the role by the time they filmed this sequel. This movie is truly bloody and gory and just a lot more brutal than Zombies first remake or any of the originals for that matter and some of the blood spatter you could even say is beautiful. The hospital is utilized in this remake in a way that is actually scary compared to the original and is not just a back drop but an almost tangible element of the horror that is Rob Zombies vision. This whole movie verges on the lines of almost being artsy from a cinematography angle and all the characters are dark and gritty and engaging down to even the smallest of characters. Zombie put together a great soundtrack as well that I felt was very fitting with the era of the movie with songs like, Diamond Head's Am I Evil, a cover of Love Hurts, The Moody Blues' Nights In White Satin and even a fictional Psychobilly band Captain Clegg and the Night Creatures who had a performance in the film. Essential
Watch the trailer!
So if your wondering which one you should watch, I say true horror fans need to watch both! If your just looking for a cool movie to watch on Halloween and your not the most hard core horror fan, just watch the remake. But then again I'm a bit biased as I've had a man crush on Rob Zombie since the La Sexorcisto album. The man's just a genius!
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
