Retro Reviews

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

Chucky Bleeds!?! 30 Years Of ‘Child’s Play 2’ (1990) – Retro Review

Child’s Play 2 is a monumental horror sequel. It takes everything great from the first film and takes it into overdrive. The story connects both films flawlessly by showing how obsessed Chucky is with Andy. The film was released on November 9, 1990. Directed by John Lafia (Man’s Best Friend …

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Anthology Flashback #7: ‘The Veil,’ Karloff’s Unaired 1958 TV Series

The Veil

Quite often in the world of television, opportunities are missed, seemingly for no good reason at all. When searching for examples of this, look no further than the horror/suspense anthology, The Veil. Why did it never officially air on television? The series had a lot going for it, including having …

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Word To Your Mummy! A Look Back At ‘The Awakening’ 40 Years Later

Mike Newell’s The Awakening is a mummy movie trying all the tricks to be a classic while being wedged uncomfortably between the post-Universal and Hammer films era and the campy adventure genre reimagining of the Fraser take. Like a dry desert heat, that can hard pill to swallow for a …

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All Aboard! Roger Spottiswoode’s ‘TERROR TRAIN’ (1980) Turns 40

Terror Train

It’s simply not possible to overstate Jamie Lee Curtis’ place in horror history. She’s legendary, a HUGE part of my horror upbringing. She was once signing her children’s book at a local bookstore about 30 miles from where I live. I contemplated taking my Terror Train poster for her to …

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‘The Elephant Man’ (1980): David Lynch’s Masterpiece Turns 40

The misunderstood monster is a theme storytellers have been fascinated with for generations. From Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein to Victor Hugo’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame, these stories have often brought to light mankind’s tendency to quickly judge the unknown and have gifted us valuable lessons on perception versus reality. As …

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Fever For More… Why I Love ‘The Wizard Of Gore’ (1970) Retro Review

There is nothing more exciting than a magic show, now add a little splatter to the mix and you have the making of a true bloody-tastic classic. Released on October 23, 1970, The Wizard Of Gore left everyone a little horrified and excited to see what else this movie was …

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Stephen King’s ‘Silver Bullet’ (1985) – Still Tearing Us To Pieces 35 Years Later

Stephen King’s Silver Bullet may have been one of the first horror movies I’ve ever seen, and I fell in love with it. As a young child, there was nothing scarier—or cooler—to me than werewolves. Vampires were scary, yes, but you could speak to them and possibly barter with them. …

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David Fincher’s ‘SEVEN’ (1995): Still Sinfully Sinister 25 Years Later

Seven (1995)

Because they imbue you with a sense of shock, awe, terror, or in some cases all three, some movies stick with you long after the credits roll. Part Police procedural, part thriller, part horror movie, David Fincher’s Seven is one such film. With its star studded cast, including the always …

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‘Urban Legends: Final Cut’ (2000) – Still Legendary After 20 Years

When horror fans talk about the whodunit murder mysteries boom of the ’90s and 2000s, we hear a lot of titanic titles being brought up. Scream (1996), I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997 – read our retro review here), and Valentine (2001 – read our retro review here) …

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Roger Corman’s ‘A Little Shop of Horrors’ (1960): Feeding Us 60 Years Of Comedy Horror

They say the classics never die, and that is true in the case of A Little Shop of Horrors which turns 60 in September 2020. A unicorn of its time in terms of quirky horror and creative, comedic drama, the timeless underground flick has been beloved for decades. A little …

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