Retro Reviews

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

The Dog Days of Summer: The Plausible Horror of ‘Cujo’ (1983)

cujo

Directed by Lewis Teague (who went on to direct Cat’s Eye) and originally written by Stephen King, Cujo (read our interview with Dee Wallace – here) is most impressive for its realism. Rather than being cursed by magic or something inexplicable, a St. Bernard named Cujo contracts rabies after getting bit …

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‘The Damned Thing’ – A Masters of Horror Episode Retro Review

“It has been waiting.” The Damned Thing is Tobe Hooper’s second contribution to the Masters of Horror collection, his first being Dance of the Dead. Although The Damned Thing was technically based on the short story by Ambrose Bierce (read our review of the short story here), the finished product holds …

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William Malone’s ‘The Fair Haired Child:’ A Master of Horror Story – Retro Review

“Anything done out of love is beyond good and evil.” William Malone is truly a Master of Horror and has done some amazing stories with hypnotic visuals and soundtracks, like House on Haunted Hill (1999), FearDotCom (2002), Creature (1985) and episodes of Freddy’s Nightmares, as well as he memorable Parasomnia – one of …

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Mortal Kombat, 25 Years of Horror

Its 1992 and you’re 6 years old. You are a video game fan most notably the Nintendo Entertainment System and the new fangled Super Nintendo Entertainment System. The graphics are primitive with unrealistic 8 or 16 bit sprites. Even arcade games which were graphically superior still displays cartoon-esque images. The …

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Retro Review – 25th Anniversary of ‘Dr. Giggles’

The year was 1992. Movie rental stores were full of horror blockbusters such as Candyman, Alien 3, Hellraiser III, Bram Stoker’s Dracula and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. That October, Dr. Giggles was released as well. This movie is a hidden gem, a throwback to ’80s horror movies with a ton …

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Retro Review: THE ZODIAC KILLER (1971)

Looking for an intense thriller centered on the Zodiac Killer? In the mood for a true-to-life depiction of Zodiac’s heinous crimes? Yes? Well, you certainly won’t find it in 1971’s The Zodiac Killer, the inaugural release from the American Genre Film Archive (AFGA), in conjunction with Something Weird Video.  Zodiac’s …

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Evil Is Strange: John Carpenter’s ‘Prince of Darkness’ Turns 30 – Retro Review

What would a former Catholic Church basement, theoretical physics, a swirling green liquid, Alice Cooper and Satan all have in common? Why, Prince of Darkness, of course! Warning:  This trailer itself contains a spoiler! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PKI2kI6Flw0 Welcome to the world of Prince of Darkness, where all your dreams come true — …

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Inevitable Death and Insanity in Werner Herzog’s ‘Nosferatu the Vampyre’

Every vampire story is a little bit different. Werner Herzog’s 1979 classic Nosferatu the Vampyre is no exception. For one thing, it doesn’t take place in Transylvania, but in Wismar, Germany, and Herzog’s Dracula (Klaus Kinski) somehow comes across not as mythical but as an inevitable force of nature — …

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‘Near Dark’ 30 Years Later: Sink Your Teeth Into This Cult Classic Once Again This Halloween

As Halloween approaches, we horror fans often feel compelled to embrace the scary movies we loved so much as children. One of mine was (and is) Near Dark, the vampire cult classic that was released three decades ago on October 2, 1987. The film directed by Kathryn Bigelow (The Hurt …

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‘The Scopia Effect’: A Psychological, Supernatural, Reincarnation-Themed Horror Story

Christopher Butler’s The Scopia Effect is a unique reincarnation-themed horror story. What makes it unique? It blends concepts of hypnosis, reincarnation, mind, body and soul, and suggests that delicate minds shape the violence of the past, present and the future. Starring Joanna Ignaczewska, Akira Koieyama, and Julian Seager, The Scopia …

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