Retro Reviews

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. …

If you weren’t alive in the 1990’s, it was a VERY different time period. Kids today that go around saying “six seven” might run into one of their parents that lived in the 90’s that will stand up and shout “I AM THE GREAT CORNHOLIO, I NEED TP FOR MY …

I always have a spot in my heart for the OG’s, the ones who helped bring horror into the eighties with a whole new world. Everything coming out of the genre seems forced and has lost the magic of underground horror. All it did was get a younger viewpoint, maybe …

Historically slasher and monster movies work when you have a physically imposing antagonist. There are exceptions such as 3 foot 6 Warwick Davis as the Leprechaun or the 150 pound Robert Englund as Freddy Krueger. Then you have the big dudes such as the 6 foot 3 Kane Hodder as …

Much in the same way that Sean Cunningham ripped off John Carpenter’s Halloween, many filmmakers since have ripped off Friday The 13th (1980). In my opinion, one of the best F13 ripoffs is 1981’s The Burning. In just the past few years, The Burning has gained quite a cult following. …

Movies about ghosts really annoy me, and they can’t be made well. Now there is CGI, but Poltergeist II flipped and became tribal. The film wanted to bring up one hell of a spirit. It’s a warning to the family, but also to you. Or maybe it is a lesson …

The Craft may not be what one envisions when we hear the words “classic film,” but in my heart and in many others, this movie is definitely deserving of the title. I remember watching it in the theatre when it released on May 3, 1996, and in fact, I saw …

Between 1965 and 1974, Amicus Productions, a famous British competitor to Hammer Films, made seven horror anthology movies. While The House That Dripped Blood and Tales From The Crypt are widely considered the best, there’s another complete gem that often gets forgotten. From Beyond The Grave was the final Amicus …

I have to be honest, I’d never seen Bloody Birthday before. I’m so glad I chose to write this article though, because I was pleasantly surprised by this delightfully cheesy horror-filled flick, which can be found in full on YouTube.  Bloody Birthday was released in 1981 and celebrates it’s 45th …

Directed by Steve Miner, Friday the 13th Part 2 is the 1981 sequel that helped turn a one-off horror hit into a full-fledged franchise. While the original film laid the groundwork, this follow-up is where the series begins to settle into its identity, shaping many of the ideas and patterns …