I want this to be a post where I do nothing but gush about how great Krampus is, but it isn't going to be. I liked Krampus a lot, but don't think I quite loved it. That said, I felt similarly about Trick 'R Treat the first time I watched it, and it has done nothing but grow on me with time and repeated viewings, so there's a good chance that  ( Read more... )

Way back on Wednesday night I watched the Mockingjay double-feature at the Alamo; it was my first time seeing either movie, and it was, hands down, the best theatre-going experience of the year for me, at least until tonight when I go watch Santo and the Blue Demon Against the Monsters projected from a VHS tape ( Read more... )

I saw Crimson Peak over the weekend, because of course I did, and it's taken me this long to get a chance to sit down and try to write out my feelings about the experience, even though they're really not that complicated. It's difficult to think about Crimson Peak on its own terms. It's tough to step back from it, look hard, and judge it as just ( Read more... )

I'm a sucker for mole people, ask anyone. CHUDs, Morlocks, really any kind of (preferably ancient) subterranean race of humanoid monsters. Bonus points if they're tied in with some sort of hollow earth stuff. If I know that a movie or a book or whatever has such creatures in it, then chances are I'm on board, even if I am also usually disappointed ( Read more... )

I've made it pretty clear in the past that I'm a fan of the Insidious franchise, so I was looking forward with both interest and trepidation to series writer and co-creator Leigh Whannell's debut in the director's seat. After all, while the prior films had more than just well-timed scares going for them, there's no denying that much of what set ( Read more... )

A couple of weeks ago, I watched this movie when it showed up on Netflix, rather than waiting for today when it would have been more seasonally appropriate. Another in the vast crop of holiday-themed slasher pics that littered the horror landscape of the 80s, April Fool's Day is essentially And Then There Were None, slasher-style, complete with all ( Read more... )

One down, one to go.

Last night, I finally watched Body Bags, the second-to-last movie I need to watch in order to have seen everything John Carpenter ever directed. All that's left now is Dark Star, which I'm saving to watch with my good pal Reyna Sparby, because it is her favorite movie. So who knows when that'll happen?

How was Body Bags? Well ( Read more... )

I'm not what I would call a fan of the Hannibal Lecter film series, though I like some of them and have watched all but Hannibal Rising repeatedly. (Once was enough for it, thanks.) I've never read any of the books by Thomas Harris, though I probably will one of these days. But there's something about the whole thing that fascinates me. It's what's ( Read more... )

What to say about The Lair of the White Worm? It's wonderful, for starters. On the one hand, I wish that I had seen it years ago, and on the other hand, I'm glad that I managed to miss it for all this time, so I could have the joy of experiencing it fresh when it randomly showed up on Netflix the other day ( Read more... )

As promised, The Witch's Mirror kind of has everything. Starting off with an opening narration over Goya paintings, it wastes absolutely no time getting into weird supernatural happenings, and the first scene introduces the titular mirror and also showcases the film's predilection for low-rent in-camera effects, as the witch and her goddaughter ( Read more... )