Proud to admit that I am a horror junkie.
However, my definition of what falls under the realm of horror entertainment is fairly wide. Horror is an emotion experienced differently by individuals.
These are short reviews of the movies, television series, novels, comics, albums, and any thing else which crosses my path if I feel like falls into the wide world of horror entertainment.
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The Rating System
All opinions are my own. We are all different. What I may think is great, you may this terrible. Don't let my opinios stop you from exploring the vast world of horror in all media.
~Mind Blowing: Search for this movie immediately. It can only be described as pure greatness and possible an instant classic.
~So Good: Highly recommended because for one reason or another it stands out above the usual fair. Put the movie on your radar as it wont disappoint.
~In the Middle: The movie is a nothing special, average affair. It may entertain in the short term but it will be easily forgettable in the long haul.
~Warning: This movie is a cliched driven slop of familiar territory. Only watch if you're really of fan of this type of material.
~Steaming Pile: The movie is absolute garbage, a complete bore, and not worth the time or effort.
Starring: Brandon Scott, Maria Sten, Barbara Crampton, Steven Weber, Gregg Henry,
Premise:
Newlyweds have their secrets exposed when a strange door appears in their basement. The man has a kid with another person and the woman manifest a clown who will kill any one that hurts her.
My Take:
Another Intense and surreal season with one of the scariest damn clowns of all time.
Starring: Dan Stevens, Rachel Keller, Aubrey Plaza, Bill Irwin, Jean Smart, Jermaine Clement, Jeremie Harris, Katie Ashleton, Amber Midthunder, Navid Negahban, Hamish Linklater
Premise:
Season Two has David and the other mutants teaming with Division in order to stop the true threat to humanity The Shadow King as he searches for his new body.
My Take:
If you thought season one was a mind wrap then season two will blow your skull out. It has alternate timelines, trips to the astroplanes, views inside people's mind, augmented reality, and it's own reality. With all this weirdness and misdirection the show manages to keep it's basic story on track and not too confusing for the viewer.
Premise:
A boxer finally gets his shot at a big fight. He fails and is fired by his manager. The results lead him into a state of pure evil.
My Take:
It's a interesting but hard movie to watch. Very graphic gore and nudity will turn many viewers away. The movie is edited so you need to view the entire thing before putting the pieces together.
Rating: In the middle (but only for those with a strong stomach)
Starring: Auden Longworth, Sara Gadon, Aaron Paul, Jamie Dornan, Molly Parker, Oliver Platt
Director: Alexandra Aja
Premise:
A young boy is in a coma after a near fatal flaw. He tells his story as a doctor tries to help him and the mother but soon he discovers not all is at it appears.
My Take:
The movie often plays with the lines of reality as it's told from the imagination of a young boy coping with many things. There is a mystery as to why he's in the coma and what is actually happening with his parents.
Starring: Kyle MacLachlan, Miguel Ferrer, Laura Dern, Sheryl Lee, David Lynch, Michael Horse, Robert Forster, Naomi Watts, Jim Belushi, Robert Knepper, Madchen Amick, Dana Ashbrook, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Tim Roth, Harry Goaz, Kimmy Robertson, Tom Sizemore, Grace Zabriskie, Sherilyn Fenn, James Marshall, Peggy Lipton, Crysta Beil
Premise:
25 years after a horrible murder shocks a small community, the residents are still searching for answers. The FBI agent at the head of the investigation, who went missing after the case, suddenly shows up in two different places living different lives. An FBI director looks for the missing agent.
My Take:
The hard to explain series return is filled with cameos galore and one strange scene after another. This is David Lynch at his surreal best and story telling worst. It feels like a bunch nonsense and takes about a third of the series to finally start coming together in some manner. Nothing is easily explainable and lots of loose ends are never wrapped up. It's fascinating and frustrating at the same time.
Starring: Udo Kier, Patrick Magee, Marina Pierro, Howard Vernon
Director: Wakeruab Viriwczyj
Premise:
During the engagement party of Dr. Jekyll and Miss Fanny Osbourne, the guests are treated to an intruder with murder on his mind.
My Take:
A rather sexual take on Jekyll & Hyde story that at times is fascinating and at time down right ridiculous. At least it keeps the viewer engrossed.
Starring: Ricky Whittle,Ian McShane, Emily Browning, Crispin Glover, Gillian Anderson, Peter Stormare, Kristin Chenoweth, Pablo Schreiber, Yetide Badaki, Cloris Leachman, Orlando Jones, Bruce Langley, Dane Cook, Jonathan Tucker, Beth Grant, Betty Gilpin, Omid Abtahi
Premise:
A man just released from prison finds out his wife died while having an affair with their friend. He takes a job for a mysterious man called Wednesday and finds himself in an epic battle of old Gods vs the new Gods.
My Take:
The show is a feast for the eyes and does justice to the source material. An excellent cast walks through it all with ease. The first season was short and really makes the viewer want more.
Starring: Dan Stevens, Jean Smart, Aubrey Plaza, Mackenzie Gray, Kate Aselton, Bill Irwin, Rachel Keller, Jermaine Clement
Premise:
A man who is diagnosed as schizophrenic may end up being one of the most powerful mutants the world has ever seen. There is a group of mutants who want to help him control this power and group of military people who want to destroy him.
My Take:
A trippy and almost anti-super hero series that is tied into the X-Men universe. Because the narrator is unreliable and messed up in the head, the viewer questions each scene and each character. It's one hellacious nightmare and an extremely fun show to watch.
Starring: Zenzig Raggi, Frank Oliver
Director: Marian Dora
Premise:
A group of people gather in a country house where they precede to bring out the worst characters in each other
My Take:
German art house horror is the term that comes to mind. The running time for the movie is too long. There is some ghastly imagery throughout combined with a chopped up narrative but it's not enough to save it for me.
Starring: Reggie Bannister, A. M ichael Baldwin, Angus Scrimm, Dawn Cody, Daniel Roebuck
Director: David Hartman
Premise:
A man jumps through portals to other dimensions and time looking for his friend before a mysterious Tall Man can kill him. Is it all in his end or is it reality
My Take:
Is this franchise truly over? Who knows as the movie doesn't really answer a lot of the questions the series has opened up over the years. And it's a bit confusing with all the alternate realities and time jumping. At least it's good to see the main cast of characters back for one last hurrah.
Starring: Lilly-Fluer Pointeaux, Catrinoa MacColl, Murray Head
Director: Romain Basset
Premise:
A woman return the family home after her grandmother's death. The tension with her mother is still bad as are the family secrets. The woman tries to use lucid dreaming to make sense of it all.
My Take:
An interesting story with lots of strange imagery and scenes which mostly revolves around the woman's estranged father (and her birth) and her grandfather's powerful religious beliefs.
Starring: Jeroen Krabbe, Renee Soutendijik
Director: Paul Verhoeven
Premise:
An author often has visions of his own death. He meets a woman who may be the catalyst for the visions coming true. As he starts finding out more about the woman he finds out her last three boyfriends ended up dead.
My Take:
An slow moving but rather intriguing flick that contains a lot of boundary pushing sexual ideas, at least for when it was released, which content makes it for not all viewers. A beautifully shot film with lots of odd imagery.
Starring: Su-jeong Lim, Rain
Director: Chan-Wook Park
Premise:
A girl believes she is a cyborg and is taken to a mental institution where another patient befriends her.
My Take:
A charming film that deals with the friendship/romance between two people. It often shows how they perceive the world through their mental ailments.
Starring: Katie Maguire, Catherine A. Callahan
Director: Damien Leone
Premise:
A kid gets a mysterious video tape in his candy bag on Halloween. The babysitter starts watching the tape which contains scary tales revolving around a demented clown.
My Take:
Despite it's low budget the movie doesn't skimp on the gore or the bizarre. It's a messed up series of tales including the wrap around story.
Starring: Kate Lyn Sheil, Joe Swanberg, Amy Seimetz, Ti West, Jane Adams, Larry Fessenden
Director: Joe Swanberg
Premise:
An actress working in a werewolf movie starts to get too involved in the role
My Take:
At the core the movie is really a relationship drama with lots of horror overtones. I suppose it's mumblecore horror and definitely not for everyone. The performances are solid with the lines between reality and fantasy often blurred.
Starring: Klaus, Tange, Ursula Bedena
Director: Helene Cattet, Bruno Forzani
Premise:
A man comes home to find his wife missing. As he attempts to find out what happen, he goes farther into a weird world of sexual desires.
My Take:
A feast for the visual and auditory senses. It can be challenging at times, and confusing, but the creative duo pulls off another modern giallo
Premise:
A family man starts to lose his grip on reality when visiting a popular theme park on vacation.
My Take:
This is one of the movies that is hard to watch yet it's hard to turn off. It was just weird enough to keep me captivated and annoyed me at the same time.
