02/06/2012: Malibu Express [1985]

I have until this point only seen two Andy Sidaris movies in my life. However, watching those outrageous movies with my friends is some of my fondest movie memories. So, when I saw Girls, Guns and G-Strings on Amazon for $5, I did not hesitate to throw it in my cart and pick up all 12 of Andy Sidaris's B-movies. Now I will spend the summer sharing them with some new friends, and hopefully they will enjoy them as much as I did years ago.

10/02/2012: The House of The Devil [2009]

With the recent release of The Innkeepers, I had been hearing a lot about Ti West. As such I decided to get myself a copy of The Innkeepers and The House of the Devil. Having now seen both I can safely say that Ti West is definitely going somewhere, and not just as a horror director but as a film maker. The House of The Devil is definitely my favourite, but both are amazing films. The House of the Devil is just superior and shows just how much Ti West knows about his art form.

02/01/2012: Sleepaway Camp II: Unhappy Campers [1988]

The cult classic Sleepaway Camp had one of the most memorable and shocking endings ever, leaving us with one image burned into our eyes. Sleepaway Camp II brings Angela back to camp, after years in a mental ward, as a camp counselor.Of course this is the last place the transvestite serial killer should be.

The movie is short but takes no time. With all of the mystery removed in the first movie, Angela dives right in bringing the body count to 4 in the first half hour. It seemed to me that the movie had definitely toned down the blood and gore of the first movie. However they had become much more creative with the killings as Angela, burns, stabs, strangles, and drowns in an outhouse.

It is also noteworthy to say that those horror fans who keep hoping for a Freddy Vs. Jason Vs. Myers, can find it here, in what was one of my favourite scenes of the movie.

Overall it seems campers are divided on the series. Most who like the original don't like the sequels and vice-versa. However Sleepaway Camp II checks all the boxes of a slasher movie and doesn't disappoint.

Link:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0096118/

30/12/2011: Hellbound: Hellraiser II [1988]

Clive Barker is one of the top writers in the horror movie genre. In Hellbound he continues the story of Kirsty and her fight against the Cenobites and Pinhead. The plotline is decent and quite detailed for a movie which thrives on the blood and gore created by demons a little too into S & M. The actors aren't terrible but when you watch this movie you're not really paying much attention to much other than the detail put into the set, costumes and special effects.

Overall this movie is right on par if not superior to the first film, and while the other 7 films after it may only go downhill, Hellbound is a good follow up to the first movie especially for fans of blood and gore.

Link:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0095294/

28/12/2011: The Burning [1981]

Wow every movie I watched today was titled The _______. Also 2/3 where from 1981, what a year that was for horror. The Burning is a classic slasher movie that helped start the 80's slasher craze. Unfortunately it shares a lot of similarities with Friday the 13th which was released earlier that year, and while it claims to have been written first The Burning can come off as a Ft13 copycat.

As a slasher movie however the movie succeeds, taking a while to build up to the slashing, but this allows for the characters to actually develop, something rarely seen in most slashers. The fact that the characters aren't just obvious meat makes you care what happens. Interestingly this is Jason Alexanders first film (George Costanza), and he's not bald! The movie throws in the necessary scares, creepy camera angles, building music, and random sex that we later come to expect in a slasher movie.

The Burning is a great start to the slasher genre, and while a little over shadowed by Friday the 13th deserves acknowledgment for its roll.

Link:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0082118/

28/12/2011: The Howling [1981]

The werewolf genre is a sadly lacking one when it comes to movies. The controversy and debate over which ones are good and which are cheesy is an unresolved topic among many. Some claim The Howling is the best it has to offer, reigniting the genre during the 80's. In my opinion The Howling is not the greatest, but by no means the worst or even a failure.
The Howling's plot is well done if not flawless, featuring an entertaining and dark mystery about a colony living in a secluded area of woods. As the mystery unfold a group of reporters are dragged into the colonies secrets and so it goes. The ending however is very good, leaving an interesting question and idea in your mind. The special effects are nothing spectacular in comparison to An American Werewolf in London, but are not bad for 1981.
If you're a fan of the werewolf genre this is definitely a movie to watch, for it may be what you consider the best. Unfortunately I gather its numerous sequels and spin-offs are not great. Personally my favourite werewolf films after In London are the Ginger Snaps trilogy.

Link:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0082533/

19/12/2011: Highlander [1986]

IMDB : An immortal Scottish swordsman must confront the last of his immortal opponent, a murderously brutal barbarian who lusts for the fabled "Prize".

Upon reading this summary the movie sounds a little ridiculous, and I was weary of watching it. However I was pleasantly surprised to find this fantasy movie extremely enjoyable, with a good mix of Braveheart, Sean Connery, the supernatural, and New York city.

Telling the story of both the current fight amongst immortals in New York as well as splicing it scenes telling of Macleod's life of ~450 years, the movie is rich in fantasy, and sword fights.

It is of little surprise that the movie spawned a franchise including several sequels, a couple T.V. series, as well as books and comics. Unfortunately I am disappointed to see how poorly those appear to have gone, with the plotline being rewritten and other movies forgotten. I shall however watch them in hope, and if need be the T.V. series, because this concept appears promising.

Link:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091203/

19/12/2011: Escape From New York [1981]

Being a fan of John Carpenter, I decided to see what he could do outside of the horror genre. Escape From New York features a very interesting concept, the U.S. turning New York into one large ungoverned prison.

A fan of post-apocalyptic films, EFNY featured the society of inmates as the typical society one sees in those films, complete with all the strange characters that evolve from it. The main character played by Kurt Russel, a ex-special forces criminal named Snake, who sports an eye patch is clearly the inspiration for Solid Snake the protagonist in the Metal Gear series.

Another actor of note is Donald Pleasance, who played many famous roles throughout his career, including several of John Carpenter's films, such as Dr. Loomis in the Halloween 1-5.

This movie was nothing special and mediocre at best, but I am still interested to see the other one, mostly too see how they work the plotline.

Link:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0082340/

17/12/2011: Army of Darkness [1992]

Good. Bad. I'm the guy with the gun.

So heralds Ash once again, an even more badass hero, with a chainsaw hand who has travel in time for the third installment of the Evil Dead series, sometimes called The Medieval Dead.

Unlike the others, Army of Darkness has cut out the buckets of gore and left the lonely wooded cabin of the first two films. As seen in the end of Evil Dead II Ash has been tranported back to 1300 A.D., where the army of darkness threatens a castle and kingdom.

A much more comedic film, I found Army of Darkness to be an amazing blend of the Evil Dead hero ash and a good old medieval quest movie. The special effects while cheesy, allow for armies of skeletons and fun twists all along the way. With Ash using such memorable lines as "Gimme some sugar, baby." and "Honey, you got reeeal ugly"

The end scene is also hilarious as Ash chooses to give up his nearly godly status in favour of introducing himself as "Name's Ash, housewares."

Overall Army of Darkness is an amazing movie, and a great comedy, if they haven't kept the blood rolling down the screen.

I think I will definitely be buying this poster the next time I pick some up.

Ok I already bought it.

Links:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0106308/

17/12/2011: Evil Dead II [1987]

When I started I wasn't sure if this was a remake or a sequel. My first thought was well they've cut three characters and skipped all the trivialities, about two minutes in the Necromicon is already discovered and the tapes played awakening the demon in the woods, at six minutes in the entire plotline of the first movie is over and summarized.

It is not until about 15 minutes in that the movie finally figures out its on fast forward and begins to resemble anything like a movie. Evil Dead II then proceeds to follow the trail of the original.

[spoilers]

However the ending of the movie is the most entertaining part. First off Ash, after sawing off his own possessed hand, fashions himself a substitute out of a chainsaw, along with his sawed-off shotgun, Ash begins to kick some ass, until finally the portal is opened and the demon vanished.

I actually prefer the entrance into 1300 A.D. at the end of Evil Dead II as opposed to the one in Army of Darkness.
[/spoilers]

Overall, while Evil Dead was better the first time, the reinvention of Ash is superior in the II.

Links:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0092991/

14/12/2011: Evil Dead [1981]

So I'd heard a lot about this film, mostly referencing it as one of the best zombie movies ever. Of course anyone who had watched the movie will in fact tell you that they were not zombies, instead demons possessing the living/dead.

At first I was not getting into this movie, having to stop 12 minutes in and then 25 minutes in (literally pausing during the first possession), but after I finally sat down to finish it I must say bravo!

A couple of interesting things I noticed while watching is that

1. Ash is definitely the Fastest Gravedigger in the West. and

2. Ash is thrown into every bookcase in the room and pinned underneath during the first two attack scenes.

The gore and blood in this movie doesn't stop once its started making for a gritty campy horror classic. unfortunately this movies budget puts it on the line of being a humorous mockery of the horror genre and trying to be a part of the genre.

In fact most of the original actors left half way through, and many shots were done as simply as the director, San Raimi, and Bruce Campbell mounting a camera on a 2X4 and running down the hall.

Overall this is a classic unintentional masterpiece, and is more interesting the more I read. Unfortunately Bruce Campbell has yet to actually use the chainsaw, but there is always hope in Evil Dead II. (Where I heard the tree rape scene gets repeated).

Links:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0083907/

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0083907/trivia

11/12/2011: Sleepaway Camp [1983]

So with some free time tonight I returned to the 80's with a movie from the complete opposite end of the spectrum. Sleepaway camp.

Riding in on the slasher craze of the 80's sleepaway camp, well to put it simply, was probably written by a mental patient. However with terrible acting and sketchy plot, Robert Hiltzik's directing still creates quite the atmosphere. Also it may be one of the few movies I've seen where the teenage characters actually were played by actors their age.

The entire reason this movie has achieved it's cult status is that it has the biggest shocking twist of an ending. This is an image that definitely sticks in your mind. [spoiler]

Also Aunt Martha packed a WHOLE BAG of chips.

Links:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0086320/
http://www.sleepawaycampmovies.com/

11/12/2011: An American Werewolf In London [1981]

Finally went back to the good old 80's horror flicks with the werewolf classic some would argue is the best werewolf movie, with the best transformation.

The werewolf transformation is definitely the most detailed scene I have ever seen, lasting at least over two minutes. (I checked). While I enjoyed the movie I didn't find anything scary in it, and while the gore was apparent it was nothing compared to today's standards.

However AWIL is undoubtedly a classic and definitely one of the finest of the sadly limited werewolf genre. The "sequel" is apparently rubbish in comparison, especially almost 20 years later, but I will be watching it sooner or later.

Also interesting is that I never realized how old Animal House was. Also why does the keyboard have ^,<,>, but no down arrow?

Links:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0082010/