Candyman appears to be a typical slasher film. It is much more than typical. Candyman’s ultimate success lies in its psychological aspects.
In Candyman, a young college student explores the urban legend of a killer known as the Candyman. Her research leads her to the Cabrini-Green housing project, one of Chicago’s roughest neighbourhoods.
After Jason took Manhattan, it looked like the Friday the 13th franchise was dead. The series had sunk to an all-time low. New Line picked up the series and decided to send Jason to hell. And the ending of the film hinted at a possible confrontation between Freddy Krueger and Jason Voorhees.
Steven Wiliams went from 21 Jump Street to a bounty hunter looking for Jason
Wilma from Buck Rogers would appear in this film and then disappear from the face of the planet
Freddy wanted a piece of Jason
tabloid TV shows love Jason
Do I recommend this film?
Yes. It’s not a great entry but this film took the Friday the 13th series in a new direction. It’s the only Friday the 13th film made in the ’90s so it’s worth checking out.
Scream was the film to reinvigorate horror films in the mid-’90s. It was a refreshing and energerizing entry into a genre that was quickly growing stagnant. It’s a blend of horror and comedy which connected perfectly with audiences.
In Scream, a small town is terrorized by a series of killings.
Following Scream’s success, screenwriter Kevin Williamson’s I Know What You Did Last Summer was a quick way to cash in on the growing teen slasher genre. Throw four up and coming stars into the mix and you have the perfect elements for a late ’90s teen slasher.
Four teens are out partying one night when they hit and presumably kill a man. They vow to take this secret to their grave until the next summer when the man mysteriously reappears for bloody vengeance.
Paul Walker, Leelee Sobieski, and Steve Zahn are stalked by a killer named Rusty Nail in this highway road trip thriller. Joy Ride isn’t a life changing film. Paul Walker is about as exciting as a pudding cup. Leelee Sobieski’s talents lie in the fact that she is basically a young Helen Hunt (which ain’t sayin’ a lot).
In Joy Ride, three young people on a road trip from Colorado to New Jersey talk to a trucker on their CB radio, then must escape when he turns out to be a psychotic killer.
the voice of the killer is Buffalo Bill (Ted Levine)
Eric Stoltz & Eric Roberts auditioned for the role of Rusty Nail
Paul Walker has to strip (something for the ladies)
CB radio is a sort of prehistoric internet
called Road Kill in the UK (those crazy Brits)
the car is a 1971 Chrysler Newport
Do I recommend this film?
Meh. Not really. I actually like Joy Ride but I can’t really recommend it. It’s not a solid thriller. Paul Walker & Leelee Sobieski aren’t great actors. Steve Zahn is good but doesn’t save the film. The killer is pointless and it’s pretty standard fare. Check it out if you liked the 2007 remake of The Hitcher (but if you liked that you have other problems to deal with).
Alexandre Aja’s High Tension promises to scare the living hell out of you. The first time I watched this film, it was 2 in the morning with all the lights out and alone in my house. It didn’t scare the hell out of me but it had me on the edge of my seat.
In High Tension, two college friends, Marie and Alex, encounter loads of trouble (and blood) while on vacation at Alex’s parents’ country home when a mysterious killer invades their quiet getaway.
you can decapitate a person with nothing more than a staircase and a clothes dresser
the film was known as Switchblade Romance in the UK for some unknown reason
there is a good chance that Aja ripped off the story from Dean Koontz’s Intensity
shot in Romania
Do I recommend this film?
Absolutely. This is one of the best horror films to be realized in the past decade. I’ve heard a lot of people bemoan the ending of the film but they can all go to hell. It’s a fucking horror movie! It doesn’t need to make sense (at least in this case). I’m really getting lazy with these reviews as the month goes on. Yikes.
I felt like watching a German slasher movie. Anatomie was my choice. Anatomie is the story of Franka Potente and a bunch of German medical students who fall prey to a crazy German slasher.
The Hole is an underrated gem. It’s not quite a horror movie but it’s creepy in so many ways. It stars Thora Birch, Keira Knightley (in her first major role), and Desmond Harrington.
The Hole is the story of four teenagers who are locked in an underground bunker in order to escape the dread of going to Wales for a school trip. What happens next is anyone’s guess. It’s a psychological thriller with enough twists to keep you guessing right up to the end.
I find Thora Birch far more attractive than Keira Knightley
I find Thora Birch far as a redhead than a blonde
Keira Knightley annoys the hell out of me
there’s full frontal nudity of several dongs (for the ladies)
there’s a topless shot of Keira Knightley
The Hole is not a porno
Thora Birch is a little crazy (I suspect she’s a little crazy in real life too)
rich kids are a bunch of dicks
one of the characters says you should take the rich kids down (which may or may not be a direct reference to Rushmore)
Do I recommend this film?
Yes. The Hole is an underrated gem. Most horror fans will appreciate elements of the film. The actors are well cast and give good performances. I highly recommend The Hole
Return of the Living Dead is a comical take on the zombie genre. It mixes horror & comedy well. In Return of the Living Dead, two buffoons accidentally release Trioxin gas into the air which causes the dead to rise. Mix in a group of punks & hilarity ensues.
the zombie outbreak started accidentally in 1966 at the Pittsburgh VA hospital
the events of Night of the Living Dead are a true story
the gas which caused the outbreak is 2, 4, 5 Trioxin
send more parademics
watch your tongue if you like this job
dancing naked in a cemetery is cool
you mean the movie lied?
Tobe Hooper was originally slated to direct the film in 3D
2 of the characters are named Burt & Ernie
the character of Ernie was a Nazi
Do I recommend this film?
Return of the Living Dead is a gem. Before Shaun of the Dead took a comical look at zombies, ROTLD was mixing humour into the zombie film. It’s a refreshing look at a genre that’s turned stale in the past few years.
George Romero returns to his zombie series with 1985’s Day of the Dead. This is a much darker film than Night or Dawn of the Dead. The characters are unsympathetic & downright vile. It’s an interesting film to watch but is not as strong as Dawn of the Dead.
In Day of the Dead, a group of scientists & military personnel are holed up in an underground bunker while the zombie apocalypse is slowly overtaking the outside world. In the bunker, one of the scientists is attempting to research the effects of becoming a zombie.
living in an underground bunker will drive you mad
all of the shopping malls are closed
they’re dead, they’re fucking dead
Do I recommend this film?
I do recommend this film. I don’t think it’s as strong a film as either Night or Dawn of the Dead but it’s highly entertaining. Gore fans will be pleased to see more gore in Day than Romero’s previous films. The story is a bit convoluted and the characters aren’t as easy to relate with as in the previous films. There was a straight-to-DVD remake of Day of the Dead that was released earlier this year. Avoid this like the plague. The remake is a sad attempt to cash in on the Dead name & nothing else.
Candyman appears to be a typical slasher film. It is much more than typical. Candyman’s ultimate success lies in its psychological aspects.
