Retro Reviews

For those who aren’t familiar with it, Big Trouble in Little China is a John Carpenter film that released on July 2, 1986, one that struggled and inevitably flopped in the box office but rebounded on home video release, eventually becoming a cult classic, loved by many, but especially this …

When I first stumbled on Attack the Block ten years ago in 2011, I had no idea that I had found a new favorite indie horror film. Between the urban setting, the ink-black monsters and the ass-kicking characters, I knew right away that I had found a gem. I’m not …

What a fun movie to talk about! Haunted Honeymoon was originally released on July 25, 1986, and is celebrating its 35th anniversary this month. The film stars such greats as Gene Wilder (Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory 1971) as Larry, Gilda Radner (SNL) as Larry’s charismatic and blushing bride, …

This month, one of my favorite horror films, Michael Wadleigh’s (Woodstock) Wolfen (1981), celebrates its forty year anniversary. Unlike many werewolf films, Wolfen goes beyond the normal hack and slash and chooses instead to delve deep into issues like power, mysticism, and ecological welfare. Synopsis: A city cop is assigned to …

When Psycho rode its massive hype train into theaters in 1960, its promotion and formula were considered groundbreaking. Alfred Hitchcock had found his magnum opus, raising the slasher film into prominence for perhaps the first time on a national level in America. Twenty-three years later, after Hitchcock was no longer living, a …

Hitting the theatre on July 19,1991, Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey follows two robots, Evil Bill (Alex Winter) and Evil Ted (Keanu Reeves), who are sent by evil tyrant Chuck De Nomolos (Joss Ackland: Caligula 1979 – read our retro review here) back to the 20th century where they try …

Seven years after the release of Ridley Scott’s phenomenal Alien in 1979 (read our retro review here)—a movie that had people lined up and down city streets to see it and helped usher in the age of the blockbuster—the next dose of deep space terror was unleashed. This time, sitting …

One question we horror fans hear a lot is: What’s a good scary movie? What’s the one movie that really scared you? This is a question I hear often, and honestly, I always answer it truthfully. There are tons of movies that horrified me and some I just love to …

It was on this day, June 27th of 1966, that audiences watched a train hurtling through the cold, moonlit night along a rocky coastline. Aboard this train was a young woman in her twenties, Victoria Winters (Alexandra Moltke). Her destination: the small fishing village of Collinsport, Maine. She has been …

The homemade aesthetic of no budget indie horror flicks has long had an appeal to me. They have a different flavor from their more polished and conventionally made brethren. I also love seeing my longtime home of Columbus, Ohio, onscreen since it doesn’t happen very often. I’m sure most American …