Retro Reviews

Reviews of older horror films, shorts, or general creepiness.

Evil Elevators?!?!? ‘THE LIFT’ (1983) – Blu-ray Review

It’s truly hard to believe that horror filmmakers were running out of ideas in the mid 1980’s, but haunted elevators? On the surface, that’s what director Dick Maas’ 1983 film The Lift appears to be about. But, in a strange amalgamation of genres, it touches on some themes that were …

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A Polished Version of a Beloved Indie Classic! ‘THE HAZING’ (2004) – DVD Review

My introduction to director Rolf Kanefsky was 1990’s brilliant There’s Nothing Out There, but my introduction (apart from a fleeting Tromatic glance)  to horror film goddess Tiffany Shepis (Victor Crowley) was Kanefsky’s equally brilliant The Hazing. Having only seen it on bootlegs of dubious quality and streaming, I jumped into …

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‘CLASH OF THE TITANS’ (1981): Release The Kraken! – Retro Review

Clash of the Titans (1981)

As a child of the early 1980’s, few films sparked my imagination the way Clash of the Titans (1981) did. Even though it followed visual FX extravaganzas like Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back, and Superman, Ray Harryhausen’s painstaking stop motion work was still more than capable of inciting wonder …

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I Ain’t Afraid Of No Ghost: James Wan’s ‘THE CONURING 2’ (2016) – Retro Review

James Wan’s The Conjuring 2 is one sequel I like more than the original, which has only happened a small handful of times. The Conjuring 2 was released, some nightmares of my own, bringing into play my phobia, which I will get to later. I will admit I dreaded going …

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Who Gets the Family Bible? Revisiting Richard Donner’s ‘THE OMEN’ (1976)

In my life, there have been just a few movies that got under my skin. Richard Donner’s  The Omen has something about it, maybe because, oh, I don’t know, the Antichrist?! (Insert laugh track here). All joking aside, many people agree that this movie is a traumatic experience. Let’s get …

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House Parties Just Ain’t What They Used To Be: ‘CHAOS AD’ (2016) Blu-ray Review

New from the deranged folks at SRS Cinema, is a snazzy Blu ray release from The Sleaze Box: writer/director Chris Woods’ (Death-Scort Service 1-3) 2016 splatter/exploitation flick Chaos AD (no relation to Brazilian metal icons Sepultura). Naturally, being a fan of grimy indie sleaze, I dove right in! Synopsis On …

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‘HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME’ (1981): Cutting Cake and Slicing Throats – Retro Review

When it comes to ’80s Canadian slashers, Happy Birthday to Me is often overlooked by Bob Clark’s Black Christmas (1974) and My Bloody Valentine (1981). While Happy Birthday to Me isn’t as flawless, the film is a classic and deserves to be on the same level as those other Canadian gems. …

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