WonderCon 2019: The Future of Horror and Child's Play

* Terror of the 2020's: Where Horror is Heading in the Next Decade

Rebekah McKendry, James Sabata, Jared Rivet, and Vincent V. Cava have a round table discussion about the near future of horror. The current state of horror is first established. Horror tv is where the money is even though it tends to be less extreme with few outliers like Hannibal and Channel Zero. They see more different formatted shows in the future like The Terror. Horror has been known since its inception as a financial sure thing. There are a huge amount of films made on tiny budgets that are released on VOD even though much less money is made per film than with DVDs or BluRay.

For the future, keep an eye out for shows like don't fit into conventional formats like The Terror. So-called "elevated" horror is on the rise, specifically $5 to $10 million films that deal with higher brow issues and become critically acclaimed. Reboots aren't going to die because even though we complain, we all go see them anyway. Hopefully existing IPs are changed in tone like Hannibal or The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. The zombie trend is on the way out. Zombieland acted as its bookend with the first at the beginning and the second at the end. People have been claiming fatigue for years, but Santa Clarita Diet is going strong along with Kingdom, Black Summer, The Walking Dead, its spin-off, and the star studded The Dead Don't Die. I think it might still have some life in it. They predict that filmmakers are moving away from anthologies and towards serials.

This panel was more of a casual conversation with some audience participation. I enjoyed it, but I'm not sold on some of their predictions.

* Child's Play (2019)

I am not super enthused about this reboot. Most are unnecessary, but this one is just insulting. The last Chucky movie was literally made two years ago with a TV show in development and Don Mancini, the creator, has been involved in every installment of the franchise as writer and/or producer. He was not asked about the remake or consulted at all and it leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

The panel consisted of director Lars Klevberg, producer Seth Grahame-Smith, producer David Katzenberg, writer Tyler Burton Smith, and actors Aubrey Plaza and Gabriel Bateman. The most exciting announcement that made me consider watching the film is that Mark Hamill is the new voice of Chucky. The film focuses more on technology such as Google Home or Siri, which is always connected and watching you, linked with a doll going haywire and deciding to kill you. The concept is interesting, but pretty far removed from Child's Play and seemed unnecessary to use the title. I appreciate that the filmmakers decided to use as much practical effects and animatronics as possible. Andy is a teenager here with Chucky, more of an AI than just a doll, being his first friend. I find this concept creepy. A doll like this would make sense with a much younger child than a teenager.

I like Aubrey Plaza as an actress, but she said some weird things during the panel such as coming to set with a real knife and hiding outside of Gabriel's house for hours as pranks. Honestly, I think it was an awkward way to try to fill up the time since this was literally the only panel to not take any audience questions. Other than that, it seemed like a fun set. Klevberg had a stoic nature that everyone had fun with. The only other thing troubling me was the short amount of time the film was made. From conception to the first day of filming was only 6 months and it's a concern that it may have been rushed. I will probably see the film. It seems like an interesting concept, but I still have reservations about its quality.

Upcoming Horror Films

* Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, August 9 in theaters



Plot: It's 1968 in America. Change is blowing in the wind...but seemingly far removed from the unrest in the cities is the small town of Mill Valley where for generations, the shadow of the Bellows family has loomed large. It is in their mansion on the edge of town that Sarah, a young girl with horrible secrets, turned her tortured life into a series of scary stories, written in a book that has transcended time-- stories that have a way of becoming all too real for a group of teenagers who discover Sarah's terrifying home.

I read this series as a kid and the art especially was so memorable, chilling, and strange. Seeing it replicated so lovingly onscreen is surreal and I can't wait to watch this movie. The horror of the book is obviously not being pulled back at all with the body horror of the poster below. I had the wonderful opportunity to go to a press event for this film, where I got see a clip, see the new trailer, and hear directly from Guillermo del Toro, Andre Ovredal, and the cast. The film will have the most memorable stories in Scary Stories such as The Red Spot, Harold, and The Pale Woman melded into one story. The concept of the story book writing itself as it occurs in real life is awesome. It seems like each character will be affected by one story based on their personality and background. Del Toro said they are aiming for a PG-13 rating, which completely makes sense. I can't wait for this adaptation.

* Suspiria, May 3 on Amazon Prime

Suspiria, on of my favorite films of last year (read my review here), premieres on Amazon Prime May 3rd. If you haven't seen this film, I highly recommend it. I personally loved it, but it is lengthy and can be polarizing.

* Body at Brighton Rock, April 26 on VOD



Plot: Wendy, a part time summer employee at a mountainous state park, takes on a rough trail assignment at the end of the season, trying to prove to her friends that she's capable enough to do the job. When she takes a wrong turn and ends up deep in the backcountry, she stumbles upon what might be a potential crime scene. Stuck with no communication after losing her radio and with orders to guard the site, Wendy must fight the urge to run and do the hard job of staying put-- spending the night deep in the wilderness, facing down her worst fears and proving to everyone- including herself- that she's made of stronger stuff than they think she is.

Body at Brighton Rock looks a bit like Last Shift mixed with The Ranger with a twist of its own. I'm immediately on Wendy's side despite her naivete. Her determination to do her job and prove herself are admirable. I am completely intrigued to know what's going on and I already have a list of theories about what's going on. I loved Roxanne Benjamin's work in anthologies such as XX, Southbound, and VHS 2, so I'm eager to see her first full length film.

Upcoming Horror Movies in the Fall

Fall horror films are coming! These are the films around Halloween you can expect in theaters plus my impressions of the trailers.

* Halloween (2018), release date: October 19



When I first heard about this Halloween installment, I was doubtful especially looking at the slews of sequels that already exist. This trailer made me so excited. Every film after the original doesn't exist to this one. Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis reprising her icon role) has a family and lives on, but trains in weapons and made modifications to her house to stay safe. She's committed to killing him. The bathroom scene with the rain of teeth and the closet scene look particularly creepy. The movie just looks good with the same suspense of the original. John Carpenter composing the music solidifies my faith in this movie and I hope it doesn't disappoint.

* Suspiria (2018), release date: November 2



I've grown to love the original Suspiria over the years, so a remake made me roll by eyes. This trailer shows 70's camera work with modern settings and style. The color palette and fairy tale feel are abandoned. I think it's best decision to be its own movie instead of replicating the original. Tilda Swinton is always amazing, but I have my doubts aobut Dakota Johnson of Fifty Shades fame. Suspiria looks eerie and beautiful at once with way more actually dancing in the dance school. Not a lot is shown, but it seems they are choosing to follow at least parts of the story. I'm cautiously excited for this.

* Hell Fest (2018)



Hell Fest is a haunt like Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios that has elaborate sets, dedicated scare actors, and decent special effects. Hapless young people go in and are stalked by either a very dedicated scare actor or a murderer. I always thought that these types of events would be a way to hide actual murders happening. The concept is creepy and the execution looks fun. Looking forward to a slasher hopefully with a few surprises in it.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

It's Saint Patrick's Day and everything is green! Here are some things to make your holiday more horrific!

* Shudder's Chilling Collection from Ireland



Shudder has some fun horror films from Ireland that include Grabbers, Wake Wood, Stitches, Dark Touch, Cherry Tree, Citadel, and Outcast. Obliquely related because of Catholicism, they also released the historically censored and banned Ken Russel film The Devils. So many movies, so little time!

* The Scare Review episode on Leprauchan: Lore, St. Patrick's Day and Jennifer Aniston's Debut

Sarah and Maggie discuss Leprauchan, its lore origins, bad acting, nonsensical buildings, and cheesy jokes. I hadn't seen it since I was a kid, but I remembered being scared of this creepy guy even when he's chasing people in a variety of small vehicles in fast motion and dropping puns left and right. I loved their commentary and criticism of this nostalgic film.

* Nightmare on Film Street, Irish Horror: The Canal vs. Citadel (Head-to-Head)

Jon and Kim compare two Irish horror films. I actually can't talk about the episode because I haven't listened to it yet. This is the very first head-to-head episode where I haven't seen or even heard of either film. I want to watch them and formulate my own opinion before listening. If you've seen them, go over to their site (or your favorite podcatcher), listen to the episode, and see which one reigns victorious.

* Rick and Morty segment Strawberry Smiggles



This is the very first clip of Rick and Morty that I ever saw and it charmed me with its morbid humor. A leprauchan eats Lucky Charms-like cereal and bets its safe from the kids who stalk him for it.

Unconventional Thanksgiving Films

Thanksgiving can be a wonderful holiday of food and happiness but it can also be an awkward event with emotional landmines. Either way, here are some unconventional movies that you can watch to go with the good and the bad of the holiday.

* Kristy

Kristy was one of the best films I watched last year. Justine is staying at her university over Thanksgiving break because she can't afford to visit her family when a gang of masked killers invade. She has to step up and outsmart her assailants using every bit of knowledge she has about the school to survive. I could watch this film over and over. I love Justine as a final girl. She's kickass, intelligent, and relentless. The cyber society dedicated to killing random privileged women around he world gives it an extra bit of creepiness. It's definitely made it into my cycle of yearly movies.

* Thankskilling

Who doesn't want to watch a movie starring a foul mouthed puppet turkey that kills moronic teenagers? It's not the best movie, but it has a lot of cheesy charm going for it. The characters are all horribly stupid and completely stereotypical. The charm is in the ridiculous situations. My favorite scene involves the turkey killing the local sheriff and wearing his face. The teenagers are fooled by his disguise multiple times. I do wish he would have spoken less as most of what he says was too close to a cute rate Freddy Krueger. It's still a fun movie that's only a little longer than an hour which is perfect. 

* Home for the Holidays

For those of us that don't have idyllic Thanksgiving dinners, this film shows a more disfunctional famliy. Claudia's life is completely falling apart and hits rock bottom just as Thanksgiving is rolling around. It has disparate family members clashing over food, life decisions, and social issues. At its core, it shows that although we love family, we don't always see eye to eye and even if we don't particularly like each other at times. It's definitely mandatory viewing for me because it has some hilarious scenes and relatable moments.

Horror Movie Mini-Reviews: Morgan and The Raven

* Morgan

Morgan is a completely engineered being. She looks human and can act human, but the company who owns her call her "it" and treat her as property. When she stabs a woman in anger, a risk assessment specialist is called in to see if she should be terminated. I figured this film would be a lot like a watered down Ex Machina or Splice, but it surprised me. A lot of the typical science fiction tropes are there, but with some surprises thrown in. First, I expected a sterile, white lab, but scientific team stays in an old mansion where they live regular lives outside of the lab. I expected the people to be clinical and emotionless, but they were normal people who loved Morgan like a daughter. They have been with her since birth and have seen her grow up. I liked how the people who most closely take care of her view her as a person and fight as hard as they can to keep her alive.

Morgan is the most stereotypical character of the film. Her actions are pretty predictable and completely unsurprising. It's disappointing that the concept that she might actually be human was never really entertained. She's not really an android but apparently not really human either. This was the weakest concept of the film since she's just an engineered person to me. She should have rights and privileges of any person. The ending was a bit of a surprise. I suspected it early in the film, but I didn't think it would actually go in that direction. I wish the film was just a little more unique. The trappings and settings were refreshing plus the interesting twist at the end, but at its core it was still formulaic.

My rating: 4/5 fishmuffins

* The Raven

Fiery and passionate Edgar Allan Poe is outraged by his lack of success and makes no secret of insulting his competition and his critics. When those same people he hates start dying in ways he wrote about in his gothic tales, he is the top of the suspect list and forced to clear his name by helping the police catch the real murderer. The Raven is an unexpectedly enjoyable film that melds true events of Poe's life with a fictional murder mystery. John Cusak plays Poe over the top with egotism, arrogance, indulgence in his vices, and a romantic side. I appreciated the decision to avoid sanitizing his character or making him into a one dimensional hero. He still works as hard as he can to stop the killer and regrets the use of his stories in this situation.

The film is surprisingly romantic, focusing much of the film on Poe's relationship with Emily. Emily's father makes no secret of his hatred for Poe, but that doesn't deter him at all. Their romance is sweet and clandestine with some playful disagreements and banter back and forth. I was surprised that Emily was portrayed as more intelligent and capable than I expected. It was a refreshing departure from genre tropes. The delightfully gruesome murders bring to life Poe's stories as I've never seen. Some of the murders were based on stories I wasn't familiar with and sparked my interest in reading more of Poe's work. The Raven has twists and turns to keep you guessing with good performances, suspense, and a fun mix of fact and fiction.

My rating: 4/5 fishmuffins

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre

Sally, her brother Franklin, and three of her friends (Jerry, Kirk, and Pam) go to investigate reports of vandalism on her grandfather's grave. On the way, they decide to visit their old family home, but never make it there. They stop for gas and stumble upon a house in the middle of nowhere looking for gas. That unassuming house contains a deranged, cannibalistic, inbred family who delight in murder and mayhem.

This iconic film is known as one of the scariest films ever made and I love it. So many moments are memorable. The first scene with Leatherface still scares me when he charges out of his room, beats Kirk with a hammer, grabs him, and slams the metal door shut with a deafening clang. It happens so fast and brutally that you almost don't believe your eyes. A little later, Pam tries to escape, but Leatherface drags her back into the house in broad daylight. Horror often takes place at night and this movie makes it clear that daylight isn't safe. What follows that is the brutal meat hook scene that doesn't really show you anything, but seems like it showed everything.

The best part of the film is Leatherface. Even though his family is deranged and cannibalistic, he remains the most memorable of the group. Many consider him devoid of personality, but I disagree. Michael Meyers has no emotions or personality. Leatherface simply doesn't speak, but he telegraphs his emotions in other ways. He has this strange duality about him. On one hand, he's a huge monster of a man, capable of killing pretty much anyone. On the other hand, fear drives him. He's scared of both his family because of their abuse and strangers because of the danger they bring. I feel a bit sorry for him because he's treated badly by pretty much anyone. The infamous chainsaw "dance" scene at the end of the film shows his frustration in an unexpected, almost beautiful way. I want to know more of his story.

Sally is the quintessential final girl who elicits our sympathy by generally being innocent, running around, and screaming. While her performance isn't the best throughout the entire film, her scene at the very end is amazing. She escapes on a truck thanks to a kind stranger and escapes Leatherface and then laughs maniacally and uncontrollably as she's driven away, covered in blood. This scene truly captures the plight of the final girl. She survived, but at what cost? All of her friends and her brother are dead and she has to live with the horrors she has seen.

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is an amazing film that is still feared by audiences today. It's one of the films that helped originate the slasher genre and spawned one of the most famous villains of all time. The film does have a few flaws, but they are insignificant in the face of all of its successes. If you haven't seen it, take the plunge and tell yourself "it's only a movie."

My rating: 5/5 fishmuffins

Horror Mini-Reviews: Zombie Edition

* Resident Evil

Alice wakes up with no memory. Umbrella Corporation's top secret facility called The Hive is home to an outbreak of a zombie disease called T-Virus. Alice has to escape the facility with a group of other Umbrella operatives through crowds of zombies and other experimental creatures. I had heard pretty good things about the first Resident Evil film, but I was pretty bored through the whole thing. I didn't really care about Alice and her drama or really any of the human characters. The effects didn't age well, the writing wasn't very good, and the acting was pretty abysmal. It's a basic action movie with none of the horror I expected. The only thing that really intrigued be was the T-virus itself and the Red Queen, the AI of the facility that would do anything (including keeping all living things inside) to keep the T-virus from spreading. I'm on the AI's side and I say few lives of the people trapped inside are well worth not having everyone else turn into zombies. But whatever, there are 4 sequels with one more coming to theaters. Not into it.

My rating: 2/5 fishmuffins

* Dinner

Cesar Aira's short novel features zombies as I've never seen them. Like the original Night of the Living Dead, all dead people rise as zombies. These zombies have long limbs and can move fast, but clumsily. Their hunger drives them to be more savage. The graveyards bursting with dead overflow and attack the living for their endorphins. The dead go throughout the town to those that have exciting, happy lives, crack open their heads, and suck the endorphins right out of their brains. This new view of zombies is unique, but the fact that people seem perfectly fine afterwards stretched the limits of my suspension of disbelief. Even an emotional change would have made sense.

The other parts of the story are about the most insanely boring people: a middle aged man and his mother. They have excruciatingly dull dinner parties with people they don't even like and generally complain about everything. I thought the story would lead these people being compared to the zombies, but it just randomly followed their dull story at the end. This book had some great ideas, but overall, it was a disappointment.

My rating: 2/5 fishmuffins

Me Before You

* spoilers *

Louisa "Lou" Clark has been working in the same cafe for years and loves it. She likes fashion and helping people, but doesn't really aspire to go to school or do anything momentous. When the cafe suddenly fires her, she's devastated. Her family depends on her paycheck since her mother was laid off and her father hasn't been able to get a job for months. After working job after job at a temp agency, they refer her to a job that keeps opening: being a caregiver for Will Traynor, a rich paraplegic good at alienating everyone around him. Can Louisa keep this job and support her family or will she allow Will to chase her away?

Me Before You isn't the typical movie I would watch. I'm more partial to horror and fantasy films over tearjerky romances, but this one was different than the usual fare. The characters are flawed but enjoyable to watch. Emilia Clarke is charming as Lou, wearing loud, colorful clothing and adorable shoes. She embraces the little things in her life like cute (others would say childish) fashions and helping those around her. Despite her kindhearted nature, she doesn't let Will push her around and isn't afraid to stand up to him. I loved her enthusiasm and excitement. Will is much the opposite. He makes tasteless jokes and tries as hard as possible to make everyone around him uncomfortable. His life before his accident was full of adventure and extreme sports, but now it's full of constant pain and the realization that he can't have that life anymore. Lou and Will predictably become friends and something more.

Their relationship starts with simple conversations and getting to know each other. Lou discovers early that Will wants to kill himself through assisted suicide and makes it her goal to make life so awesome he won't want to die anymore. So she takes him on a number of excursions that she's never done before and wants his company. It doesn't all go well as Will's health is fragile and she doesn't do the necessary study to be the caregiver of someone with his health. He has a nurse, but the nurse isn't there 24/7.  Her boyfriend is also an obstacle. Patrick is obsessed with fitness (which Lou has no interest in) and doesn't seem to have any emotional or real attachment to her at all. Matthew Lewis' talent is criminally wasted on this flat, cartoonish character, but he provides the only person who thinks Lou shouldn't care for or be with Will.

After they go on a big romantic trip to Mauritius and finally confess their love for each other, Will confesses his plan to kill himself and wants her to be there with him. Lou is devastated and doesn't talk to him the whole trip. At home, she agonizes over the decision to be there for him and eventually does. The typical Happily Ever After ending would be that Will loves Lou so much that he doesn't want to die anymore. Unfortunately, it's not very realistic since he's in constant pain every day and just isn't happy. He can't be the person he was and this life isn't enough for him. This ending has come under fire from advocates saying this fictional character's decision should somehow apply to all disabled people. It's perfectly possible to adapt to being disabled, but with Will's character development, it would have been a cheap, hollow, cliche ending. It also puts assisted suicide in the forefront of the media and gets people to talk about it.

I cried for about the last half hour of the film, but it was a beautiful story of two people changing each other's lives for the better. Lou sees more of the world and gets some direction to her life and Will got to enjoy his last months of life. It's cliche in places, but charming, sad, and sweet. I understand people's complaints about it, but I think it's a fitting end to the story. I wish they were a little more realistic about his actual death. If you see one romantic comedy/tragedy this year, you should watch this one.

My rating: 4/5 fishmuffins

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies Blog Tour: Favorite Scene

I have been a long time fan of the book Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. My review of it was the very first post ever on Fishmuffins of Doom, so it has a special place on my shelf, on my blog, and in my heart. Now with the new film coming out, I was asked to write about the scene I would like to see in the film.

I'm most looking forward to the epic fight between Lady Catherine de Bourgh and Elizabeth Bennet. As in the original tale, Lady Catherine demands that Elizabeth admit that she isn't engaged to Darcy and that she will never become engaged to Darcy as he has been promised to her daughter since childhood. Elizabeth of course refuses and the fight begins. Lady Catherine is also supported by her cadre of ninjas, so it's not only an unfair fight, but a daunting one for poor Elizabeth. Lady Catherine is being played by Lena Headey who is always amazing, although I expected someone a bit older in the role.

I'll be reviewing the film later on in  Women in Horror Month, so keep an eye out. In the meantime, watch the trailer below, read the book, or check out the film in theaters.

Upcoming Zombies Sneaking Up Behind You: Part 2

These zombies aren't quite here yet, but will try to eat your brains very soon. Keep an eye out!

1) Antisocial 2

I watched the first installment about the social media virus zombifying everyone. The followup's plot is as follows from IMDB: "Years after having her newborn child stolen from her, Sam searches a world infested with infected users from the Social Redroom website. After befriending a young girl named Bean, Sam is captured and locked in a facility dedicated to finding a cure for the Redroom Virus. Trapped and tortured, Sam tries to escape the facility before in impending update on the Redroom site hits 100% and unleashes its final phase of attack."

I liked the first film, so I'll definitely give this one a try and hope that it's as relevant and well executed as the first. Michelle Mylett returns as Sam and Cody Calahan returns to direct. It has debuted at Fantasia Film Festival in Canada. No word on a US release yet, but cross your fingers for this year. Check out the trailer below.

2) iZombie Season 2

The happiest zombie show on TV returns for another season already! The second season will also have 13 episodes and answer such questions as to how will Liv act when she eats frat boy brains? How will her parents react after she refuses to donate zombie infected blood to her severely injured brother? Will Ravi be able to replicate the zombie antidote? Will Major be as badass and/or annoying as he was last season? I have to know these answers! I will be tuning in on October 6 for the premier and reviewing that season for next year's September Zombies. Check out the trailer below.

3) The Walking Dead Season 6

Rick and company are back this October 11 with another 16 episodes to pick up where they left off: Rick and company at the have after he just killed the wife beater and murderer of the leader's husband. I can't wait to see the new villains called the Wolves. Signs of them were all over the first season at first with the walkers with W's carved on their foreheads and then with depraved tableaux of cruelty and torture. There also seems to be dissent in Rick's ranks after his mostly unilateral decision to kill murderer guy and essentially take over their new home. I can't wait to see what happens! Check out the trailer below.



More zombie fun to come!

Current Zombies Coming to Get You: Cooties

Cooties is an independent horror movie featuring teachers fighting against zombie children caused by eating contaminated chicken nuggets. I actually saw this movie about a year ago in an advanced screening. I held off reviewing because I wasn't supposed to talk about it until the release, but I didn't expect it to be so far away. I remember enjoying the movie and I would love to watch it again. I think I'll also have a slightly different perspective since I'm a teacher now, so it'll be interesting to see if my opinion changes. Elijah Wood stars as a meek substitute teacher and Rainn Wilson is hilarious as a gruff, tough PE teacher. I remember the ending being pretty open for a sequel, so hopefully the film does well enough to warrant one. We'll see! Cooties has a limited release in the US, so check if it's playing near you.

Netflix Horror Movie Mini-Reviews 2

More horror movies from Netflix! And to Jessica Secret, I have added Rabid Grannies to my queue and will share my thoughts here soon.

1) Cabin Fever 2

This is a cheesy, fun sequel to an original cheesy, fun film. It's so over the top and ridiculous that you just have to laugh. In this one, the flesh eating virus introduced in the first film is spreading to the local high school on their prom night. It makes fun of both teen and horror movie conventions with over the top gore and a silly high school plot. I liked the ending, but I felt that some needless scenes could have been shortened or removed outright. The guy who played JT from Deadgirl is in this one, and although he did a pretty good job, I couldn't help but think "zombie rapist" every time I saw him. I would recommend this to people who like really gory horror comedy.

My rating: 7/10 fishmuffins

2) Summer's Moon

This is a mediocre horror movie with Twilight's Ashley Greene. It's about a girl named Summer who goes in search of her father, who she has never met. She meets a guy named Tom, they sleep together, and then he locks her in his basement garden to keep it beautiful. It's part creepy romance, part Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and part Misery. The film is obviously trying to mooch off Greene's fame, but Twilight fans and die hard horror fans really aren't going to like it. There's not enough romance and too much blood for the Twihards and there's not enough actual horror or blood for hardcore horror fans. It should have gone either one extreme or the other instead trying to pander to two polar opposites.

My rating: 5/10 fishmuffins

3) The Living and the Dead

A mentally ill man lives with his parents in a large mansion. His father has to leave and hires a nurse to take care of that man and his ailing wife. The son locks the nurse out of the house, insisting that he take care of her himself even though he is obviously not fit to do so. Forgoing his medication, he becomes more and more delusional and erratic. It's a race against time for the father to come home before anyone gets hurt. This film is incredibly depressing and really good. Everything from the gloomy, empty mansion to the weary inhabitants works together and creates such a heavy and claustrophobic atmosphere. As the film progresses, it gets harder and harder to differentiate what is real and what are the hallucinations of a schizophrenic.

This film is guaranteed to get under your skin.

9/10 fishmuffins

4) Suck

This is a great horror comedy. A band called The Winners is the exact opposite of their name. They are desperate to make it as a band and their last chance is a concert with supposed industry people set up by their sleazebag agent. None of them believes that it will happen, but they go through the motions. Their luck turns around when the bassist encounters a vampire who turns her into one. Now, their shows are more crowded and people actually seem to like them. The other band members also want to be vampires, but a vampire hunter follows them across the country, eager to slay them before any more humans are killed. This movie is much more than just comedy. Besides vampires, it has great original rock songs by The Winners and cameos by rock legends Iggy Pop and Alice Cooper. There are even cool easter eggs like recreations of famous rock album covers in the movie. This isn't a sappy romance, but a campy rock adventure with plenty of blood, clever humor, and Malcolm McDowell (he's just awesome). The ending was meh, but the rest of the film was surprisingly funny and well made.

My rating: 8/10 fishmuffins

Do you guys have any movie recommendations?

Jennifer's Body

My sister and I saw Jennifer's Body last Thursday (midnight showing at the Arclight in Hollywood). I was really excited to see it. I love campy, cheesy, funny horror with gobs and gobs of blood and gore. Reality, alas, did not live up to my expectations.

Here is the summary from IMDB.com:

Nerdy, reserved bookworm Needy and arrogant, conceited cheerleader Jennifer are best friends, though they share little in common. They share even less in common when Jennifer mysteriously gains an appetite for human blood after a disastrous fire at a local bar. As Needy's male classmates are steadily killed off in gruesome attacks, the young girl must uncover the truth behind her friend's transformation and find a way to stop the bloodthirsty rampage before it reaches her own boyfriend Chip.

The film was ok, but I had much higher expectations. The dialog was insipid and extremely pleased with itself. It nauseatingly basked in its own clever juices. I was laughing mostly because I couldn't believe that certain piece of dialog had made it into the movie. Real teenagers would not be caught dead speaking like that.

As Fangoria points out, any hot actress could be interchanged in the title role. Jennifer before and after the demonic possession really didn't act any different apart from eating males from her class. I don't know if I'm supposed to feel sorry for her, but I definitely didn't. The character is brainless and bland.

I have no idea why this movie is rated R. There really isn't very much blood (which made me sad) and there is no nudity (much to many a fanboy's chagrin). There is an extremely gratuitous kiss between the two female leads that didn't actually mean anything at all. If you're going to have a kiss like that, at least let it have further implications in the film somewhere.

Overall, the film was disappointing. I read the accompanying graphic novel, which gave the back stories of all the boys that were killed and the events leading up to their deaths. I really liked it and couldn't wait for the movie afterwards. I think the biggest failing of the film was the dialog written by Diablo Cody. I hope Breathers: A Zombie's Lament based on the S.G. Browne novel is better.

Michael Myers: Then and Now

I just went to see Halloween II with my sister and I was thinking of the new Michael vs. the old Michael. (It has to do with zombies. I promise.)

In the old Halloween movies, Michael is practically a machine. He moves with a single mindedness that is insane. He moves slowly, yet steadily towards his victims. He makes absolutely no vocal noise and exhibits no humanity at all. What does this sound like? I think he is a very large zombie. Not a zombie that eats brains, but just a walking dead person. How else could he survive being shot multiple times in the chest and falling off of a balcony? He is either a zombie or he has read The Zen of Zombie by Scott Kenemore and decided

he wanted to be as like a reanimated corpse as possible. (I'm reading the book currently and it's awesome so far. It talks about attaining zen and achieving life goals through emulating zombies.)

In the new Halloween movie, Michael is much different than I have ever seen him. I think Rob Zombie wanted to emphasize that although he commits unhuman acts, he is i

ndeed human. Michael actually made noise in this film. He didn't speak, but he would grunt with effort or pain. He has never done this before, so it was really weird for me. It was also inconsistent with the previous film. They also showed him eating which I thought was pretty unnecessary (and gross since the meal was a dead dog), but it accomplished Zombie's objective.

I find that I much prefer John Carpenter's original vision of Michael Myers. I don't think of him as human at all. Rob Zombie's film is an interesting and valid re-imagining, but it doesn't measure up to the original in my heart.

Deadgirl and Zombie Feminism

I'm really looking forward to the film Deadgirl. The premise sounds a bit weird and really isn't for everybody. Basically, two high school guys find a naked zombie girl tied down in the basement of an abandoned mental institution. I can see this plot going so many different ways. I wanted to see it in the theater, but I wasn't able to make it in the short time it was in the Laemmle Sunset 5 theater in Hollywood.

The one thing that really excites me about this movie is the concept of zombie feminism. The first zombie feminist was the Bride of Frankenstein when she said no to her creator and the monster she was created to be with. I know that horror movies in general aren't really known for feminism, but there are films like this out there. I love how io9.com boils down the message behind Deadgirl: "...man shouldn't rape women because those women might turn out to be superpowered zombies who want to eat your you-know-what." (You can read the rest of the article here: http://io9.com/5053881/zombie-feminism.) This concept really holds my interest and I hope more films follow in this trend.

Here's the IMDB page if you want to find out more about it: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0896534/

Dance of the Dead

I had the opportunity last October to watch Dance of the Dead in the theater with my faithful horror movie watching companion and sister. I really like this movie. It's zany, silly, and hilarious, but it still has some flaws. It starts off like a typical teen movie: with teenager drama. The characters are a bit different than usual: there are the sci-fi geeks, Jimmy (the loser outcast), his creepily peppy girlfriend (Lindsey), the stoner rock band, the very angry redneck guy (Kyle Grubbin), and the militaristic football coach, among others. All these characters are so unique and funny in their own way. The teenager drama soon gives way to zombie violence and lots of it. The social outcasts and losers now become the saviors of their school. This follows in the vein of Shaun of the Dead. I loved seeing the teen drama playing out amidst the zombie violence and how much the teens cared about that maybe more than the zombie problem.

I liked seeing stars of other indie horror films I enjoyed working together in this film. Justin Welborn was in the great indie film The Signal, and he plays a very different character (the redneck troublemaker), but does it well. It's great to see that he can do comedy as well as serious films. Jared Kusnitz starred in Otis, another great horror comedy, and does a great job in this film too.

There are so many funny moments in this movie. I found myself laughing out loud a lot. Although I know it goes against typical zombie canon, I love that the rock music puts them into a kind of trance and tames the wild beast. The zombie prom scene is priceless, as well as the zombie makeout scene. There were some things that were plain lame, like the running zombies (which I have never agreed with), zombies that can crawl up the wall to the ceiling, and the headless zombie that chased the main characters. Other than those few things, this movie was great. I went out the very next day and purchased the film on DVD.