Even though I love sharks, I have always had this irrational fear that I was going to be left out in the middle of the ocean all by myself without any hope of being rescued. I used to have nightmares about this when I was a kid, so when I …
Read More »‘TEEN VAMP’ (1989) – Retro Review
If you’re a lucky member of Generation X you grew up with some pretty keen “gateway horror movies.” Classics such as Teen Wolf (1985), where a young Michael J. Fox shows just how harrowing it can be to go through the inevitable “changes” teenage boys like him face. Then there was …
Read More »How To Watch A Remake: Celebrating ‘PSYCHO’ (1998)
How many excellent films have been cast out as garbage simply because they’re remakes? How many remakes are excellently crafted stand-alone films that would shatter box office records if their predecessors never existed? This is a consideration I want you to make as we take another look at Gus Van …
Read More »‘ADDAMS FAMILY VALUES’ Ring True 30 Years Later – Retro Review
When Charles Addams created the brilliantly dark The Addams Family cartoon, he found a way to represent the outcasts who have taught important lessons about acceptance and family for decades. One iteration of the famous creepy kooky family holds as a shining example to this day. Let’s celebrate 30 years of …
Read More »Defending Nobody’s Favorite: Why ‘Scream 3’ Is Better Than You Thought
Recently I conducted a 24 hour survey on SCREAM sequels, asking Twitter their favorite. An overwhelming majority mentioned Scream 2 as their favorite (our writer, Jason, seems to agree). The least favored, however? Scream 3 by a harsh difference. So it’s fair to say it’s not popular. However, I want …
Read More »‘Severance’ (2006) Is A Stark Reminder That Corporate Team Building Exercises Can Be Literal Hell – Retro Review
Ah, Team Building Exercises. During my five year tenure at a corporation, I can honestly say that nothing, NOTHING, was more torturous that than those horrific hours spent “bonding” awkwardly with my co-workers. So when the talented director of Creep (the 2004 version with Franka Potente), Christopher Smith, made Severance, …
Read More »Alejandro Amenábar’s ‘The Others’ Turns 20! – A Haunting Retro Review
Twenty years ago, the world was given a unique and tragic tale set in Alejandro Amenábar’s suspenseful film, The Others. Set in 1940s Channel Islands, the story follows irate mother Grace (Nicole Kidman) as she struggles to deal with a husband at war, two children with severe photosensitivity, and complete …
Read More »Why John Carpenter’s ‘Big Trouble In Little China’ (1986) Still Matters Now – Retro Review
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 …
Read More »Retro Review: ‘Meatball Machine’ (2005) Delivers a Twisted and Gory Love Story
With a special edition Blu-ray coming soon—April 12th, 2021—I thought I would take another look at the techno/splatterpunk and body horror film from Japanese directors Yudai Yamaguchi and Junichi Yamamoto, 2005’s Meatball Machine! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EVBQedhFk0g Synopsis: Capable of making bio-mechanical weapons out of human flesh, alien parasites grotesquely invade the Earth, …
Read More »James Gunn’s ‘Slither’ (2006) Is Still Slimy Creature Fun – Retro Review
Looking back through James Gunn’s carrier, his trajectory is truly unique. He started out as a volunteer with Troma, eventually becoming a writer for projects like Terror Firmer and Tromeo & Juliet, then moving on to major studio writing for projects like the live action Scooby-Doo films and Zack Snyder’s Dawn of …
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