Being Film #24 for Hooptober 2022 I came into the latest remake of Firestarter with little in the way of expectation; I left with those little expectations satisfied, but not in the way I thought. The biggest sin of Firestarter is that it feels so small and uninspired, like it's just there to get you... Continue Reading →
Being Film #23 for Hooptober 2022 Of course, every Hooptober must contain a review of a Tobe Hooper film, and Dan has maybe forced me to re-assess my negative experience with Eaten Alive based on his review. And I may still do that, but for this year's entry I needed to return to something else,... Continue Reading →
When you watch a classic Universal horror film, you have certain expectations of them. Monstrous figures wander gothic backdrops. Expressionist lighting and excessive fog create ghostly atmosphere. These films are meant to evoke “the old world” or the horrors of science gone wrong. There’s exactly one scene like that in Dracula’s Daughter. Gloria Holden’s Countess... Continue Reading →
Being Film #22 for Hooptober 2022 It would be a huge mistake to look at the filmography of Noriaki Yuasa and dismiss The Snake Girl and the Silver-Haired Witch. Because yes, while his entire filmography as a director is almost exclusively limited to Gamera films I would argue that 1) the Gamera films are pretty... Continue Reading →
Being Film #21 for Hooptober 2022 One of the themes of this year's Hooptober marathon is taking a closer look at lower budget, regional filmmaking. Bill Rebane did a lot for filmmaking in general and specifically for the Midwest, creating the first full-time film studio there, as well as pioneering a 360 cinema view that... Continue Reading →
In the fine tradition of Italian knockoffs such as Starcrash and Contamination, comes Bruno Mattei’s Shocking Dark. Knockoff is generous though. An acquaintance described this film as one clearly written by a 12 year old which isn’t far off. Only if it was an ambitious 12 year old that only watched James Cameron’s pre-Abyss films.... Continue Reading →
Being Film #20 for Hooptober 2022 Is it enough to say David Bruckner's legacy sequel/soft reboot of Hellraiser is the third best entry in the series after the first two films? Because that is most definitely true, and if you're looking for some serious Cenobite action and some great effects, well...you'll certainly get your money's... Continue Reading →
With a title like Creature From Black Lake, that this might be a riff on The Creature From The Black Lagoon. That the monster might be some kind of aquatic horror. That thinking would be a mistake. Creature From Black Lake might be the most of it’s time film I’ve watched for Hooptober. Creature From... Continue Reading →
Folks, let me start this review with the statement I am a Halloween franchise apologist. I admit after Friday the 13th and A Nightmare on Elm Street, it’s the less glamorous 80s slasher franchise. Those other two series have the more iconic monsters and kills. If you were a kid in the 80s, you liked... Continue Reading →
Spoilers galore In a post Saw world, it’s hard to describe how transgressive watching either Hellraiser or Hellbound: Hellraiser II on cable felt as a teen. If you grew up in a religious family like I did, of course the title feels taboo. There’s also the aesthetics of those first two movies. The torture and... Continue Reading →
Cinema Dual 