Cooties (2015)

Starring: Rainn Wilson, Elijah Wood, Alison Pill, Leigh Whannell, Jack McBrayer, Jorge Garcia, Nasim Pedrad
Director: John Milott, Cary Murnion


Premise:
A virus starts turning kids at an elementary school into ravenous zombies and a band of teachers must try to survive.

My Take:
Another movie which would make my best of 2015 list. It is smart, funny, gory, and a great ride from beginning to end. The cast was outstanding knowing when to hit the right notes for comedy and for scares.

Rating: So Good


Watched: Netflix DVD

Fringes of Horror by Sean Kimmel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License
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Starry Eyes (2014)

Starring: Alexandra Essoe, Amanda Fuller, Noah Segan, Pat Healy, Marc Senter
Director: Kevin Kolsch, Dennis Widmyer


Premise:
A movie actress hopes to make it to the big time by giving up herself to a Hollywood producers. Soon she realizes the bargain was much more than she imagined.

My Take:
I think the movie does a good job of setting up the plight of the character yet it still seemed to be missing something. One can guess where it is heading but it feels like only the surface of a bigger tale is grazed over. Still I found the movie to be enjoyable.

Rating: In the middle


Watched: Netflix Instant




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Haven, Season 5, Part 2 (2015)

Starring: Emily Rose, Lucas Bryant, Eric Balfour, John Dunsworth, Richard Donat, Adam Copeland,
William Shatner, Laura Mennell,


Premise:
The town of Haven is trapped under a mysterious force with let all the troubles loose and reattach into people. Now the usual group much figure out how to contain these troubles and deal with the sinister force which set them loose.

My Take:
The final season of Haven does an excellent job of wrapping everything up it has laid out in the previous season. Though the final episode was a tad dramatic but satisfying. There has yet to be a series that encompasses so much of the world Stephen King created. And the show came a long way from season one.

Rating: So Good


Watched: SyFy

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We Are Still Here (2015)

Starring: Barbara Crampton, Lisa Marie, Larry Fessenden, Andrew Sensenig, Monte Markham
Director: Ted Geoghegan


Premise:
A couple move into a old, rural house in order to cope with their son's death. They soon realize something is in the house with them. The mother thinks it is the spirit of her son, but in reality it is much worse.

My Take:
A methodically paced movie which creates a fantastic atmosphere. The story is nicely disguised as a haunted house movie but really there's a lot more depth and misdirection as why the house is haunted. Fantastic performances too. It's great to see Barbara Crampton returning to horror the last couple of years. One of my favorite flicks of the year.

Rating: So Good


Watched: Netflix DVD

Fringes of Horror by Sean Kimmel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License
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Scream Queens, Season 1 (2015)

Starring: Jamie Lee Curtis, Emma Roberts, Lea Michele, Abigail Breslin, Nasim Pedrad, Niecy Nash, Skyler Samuels, Keke Palmer, Glen Powell, Billie Lourd, Oliver Hudson, Deigo Boneta, Nick Jonas


Premise:
The girls of Kappa House Sorority are being killed off by a murderer in a red devil outfit.

My Take:
I found this whole series to be a mess. It seems logic was thrown out the window. It infuriated me to no end. Yet some how this stupid show managed to keep me watching until the end when I had no reason to keep tuning in. When the writing was sharp it was pure gold. And while the most of the characters were idiotic stereotypes there were a few cast members who just nailed it (Jamie Lee Curits, Niecy Nash, Glen Powel). I am very torn on this series. I cant really recommend it but yet it does deserve to find an audience.

Rating: In the middle

Watched: Hulu / Fox

Fringes of Horror by Sean Kimmel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License
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The Mask (1961)

Starring: Paul Stevens
Director: Julian Roffman


Premise:
An archaeologist finds a curse masked which causes him to murder.

My Take:
Not a very good movie. It uses the 3D gimmick, which was new back then, to try for some trippy scares. It fails.

Rating: Warning


Watched: Youtube

Fringes of Horror by Sean Kimmel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License
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Electric Boogaloo: The Wild, Untold Story of Cannon Films (2015)

Director: Mark Hartley


Premise:
A look inside the rise and fall of Cannon Films, ran by Menahem Golan and Yoram Globus.

My Take:
If you know much about cinema history or are a movie buff then Cannon Films probably holds a place in your heart or memory. They produced a large amount of movies in the 70s and 80s throughout all genres. It was very interesting to see how these two men built the company up and how it ultimately failed.

Rating: So Good

Watched: Netflix Instant

Fringes of Horror by Sean Kimmel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License
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The Final Girls (2015)

Starring: Malin Akedrman, Taissa Farmiga, Adam Devine, Alia Shawkat, Thomas Middleditch,
Director: Todd Strauss-Schulson


Premise:
After the death of her mother, who also happened to star in a cult slasher film, the mourning daughter reluctantly agrees to be part of a midnight screening. During the screening she and some friends happen to get sucked into the movie where they become part of the story

My Take:
First off, this is just a fun movie and is one of my favorites of the year. It has sharp dialog and plays up to the traditional slasher conventions while spoofing it at the same time. The cast plays along flawlessly too. There might be some gaps in logic but once in awhile the viewer just has to enjoy the ride.

Rating: So Good

Watched: Netflix DVD

Fringes of Horror by Sean Kimmel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License
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Shake, Rattle, and Roll 9 (2007)

Starring: John Prats, Lovie Poe, Dennis Trillo, Pauleen Luna,
Director: Paul Daza, Topel Lee, Michael Tuviera


Premise:
"Christmas Tree" - A beautiful Christmas tree from the rain forest harbors a deadly creature inside.
"Bangungot" - A w oman performs a spell to enchant a man she has a crush on and instead gets trapped in a nightmare world she created..
"Engkanto" - A rock band's van breaks down in a rural area where the fall prey to an ancient spirit in the woods


My Take:
My wife loves this extremely popular, Filipino horror franchise. Like the other entries in the series the tales are laced with lots of humor and Filipino lore. All of the segments interesting but nothing great.

Rating: In the middle


Watched: Netflix DVD

Fringes of Horror by Sean Kimmel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License
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The Walking Dead, Season 6 [part 1] (2015)

Starring: Andrew Lincoln, Norman Reedus, Melissa McBride, Lauren Cohan, Steven Yeun, Danai Guirira, Chandler Riggs, Sonequa Martin-Green, Michael Cudlitz, Alanna Masterson, Christian Serratos, Josh McDermitt, Seth Gilliam, Lennie James, Ross Marquand


Premise:
In season 6, the group tries to protect themselves from a huge zombie swarm that is edging closer to their walled in community. When things do not go as planned, many people are left scattered and fending for themselves. To make matters worse, a group of people with "W" carved in their foreheads attack the community in an attempt to take it over.

My Take:
The first half of this season is basically one long story of what happened to the group over a few day period (with the exception of one flashback episode). Granted, there was a lot of chaos and during that time period with the zombie swarm and the attack from the outside group. There is a lot of set up for the second half.

Rating: So Good


Watched: AMC





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Berberian Sound Studio (2012)

Starring: Toby Jones
Director: Peter Strickland


Premise:
A sound engineer working on an Italian horror movie starts to think real life and movies blend together.

My Take:
There is a lot to love about the movie. It is filmed beautifully. The sound is amazing and adds to the atmospheric depth. The cast is great too. The story... well kind of the typical Italian Giallo film where it's style over logic and substance. And sometimes that is fine with me.

Rating: So Good

Watched: Netflix Instant

Fringes of Horror by Sean Kimmel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License
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Hitch-Hike (1977)

Starring: Franco Nero, David Hess, Corinne Clery
Director: Pasquale Festa Campanile


Premise:
A couple picks up a hitch hiker. He holds the couple hostage as he turns out to be a robber on the run from the police.

My Take:
High testosterone level in this flick as Nero and Hess chew up the screen playing off each other. And the script always me guessing. Human nature at it's worse is on display.

Rating: So Good

Watched: Netflix DVD






Fringes of Horror by Sean Kimmel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License
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Stoic (2010)

Starring: Edward Furlong
Director: Uwe Bolle


Premise:
Three prison inmates turn on another after a poker game. They torture and abuse him and then try to cover it up.

My Take:
This is a hard movie to set through. It's a demonstration of human brutality. The flaws in logic doesn't help much either. I have never seen prisoners have so much access to items and guarded so little.

Rating: Warning


Watched: Netflix DVD

Fringes of Horror by Sean Kimmel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License
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Let Us Prey (2015)

Starring: Pollyanna McIntosh, Liam Cunningham, Douglas Russel, Hanna Stanbridge, Bryan Larkin
Director: Brian O'Malley


Premise:
A mysterious man shows up a small town police station. He seems to know about every persons deepest and darkest secrets which he uses to drive them into violence and madness.

My Take:
The movie was interesting but it came just short of being special. Still it's very much worth watching. The cast is fantastic and the atmosphere is top notch.

Rating: In the middle


Watched: Showtime






Fringes of Horror by Sean Kimmel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License
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American Vampire: Volume 1

Author: Scott Snyder, Stephen King
Illustrator: Rafael Alberquerque


Premise:
In the late 1800's an outlaw named Sweet is transformed into vampire. He emerges with new and different powers than the old ones, who want him dead.
In the early 1920's an actress looking for her big break gets feed to a group of vampires and is left for dead. Sweet saves her by making her one of his kind. She then seeks revenge on those who attacked her.

My Take:
An outstanding tale this gets the reader immediately sucked into its universe (no pun intended). It effortlessly goes between Sweet's origin and Pearl's transformation. Both end up in a battle with the old ones. And the book does an excellent job of portraying each time period the story is set in. I am looking forward to see where this tale goes.

Rating: Instant Classic






Fringes of Horror by Sean Kimmel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License
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Kull The Conqueror (1997)

Starring: Kevin Sorbo, Tia Carrera, Thomas Ian Griffith, Karina Lombard, Harvey Feirstein
Director: John Nicolella


Premise:
A warrior becomes King and the natural heirs to the throne conjure a powerful witch o dispense of him.

My Take:
I did not want to watch the movie. My wife chose it. It was as bad as expected it to be.

Rating: Warning


Watched: Cinemax

Fringes of Horror by Sean Kimmel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License
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Dead Souls (2012)

Starring: Bill Mosely, Jesse James
Director: Colin Theys


Premise:
A young man inherits the abandoned family farm on his 18th birthday. He goes there to start his life only to find the property has a dark secret which caused his families death.

My Take:
I enjoyed the Michael Laimo book, however the movie is a stinker and boring. Avoid it and pick up the novel.

Rating: Warning


Watched: Chiller






Fringes of Horror by Sean Kimmel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License
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Harbinger Down (2015)

Starring: Lance Henriksen, Camille Balsamo,
Director: Alec Gillis


Premise:
Grad students studying Belugas whales in the Arctic on board a fishing vessel discover a Soviet craft in the icy waters. They bring it on board only to discover it has an alien creature inhabiting it.

My Take:
Noted for it's practical effects, which are above average, the movie tries it's hardest to be a Thing clone. It's a movie that is watchable and then forgettable. One wonders what all the hype was about surrounding it.

Rating: In the middle

Watched: Netflix Instant






Fringes of Horror by Sean Kimmel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License
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Tales From the Dark 2 (2013)

Starring: Fala Chen, Kang Tung Lam
Director: Lawrence Ah Mon, Gordon Chan, Kelvin Kwan, Teddy Robin Kwan


Premise:
An anthology movie.

Pillow - A nurse suffers from insomnia after her boyfriend leaves and buys a scented pillow to help her sleep. The pillow conjures up vivid dreams of her boyfriend.

Hide and Seek - Former students return to their elementary school to find it haunted.

Black Umbrella - An old man tries helping a prostitute who in return tries to scam him. But the old man is hiding a deadly secret.

My Take:
All three of these tales are enjoyable. Third installment being my favorite and I think the most origin of the bunch.

Rating: In the middle


Watched: Hulu






Fringes of Horror by Sean Kimmel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License
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