Creepy Cinema 2019: Season of Nostalgia | Week Four

Aliens - 1986

I watched the original Alien for our first ever Creepy Cinema back in 2012. I loved that movie and it was everything I wanted in a horror film. To quote myself, “I spent half of the movie screaming, even when nothing scary was happening. Just knowing that something horrible could happen put my nerves on end. I kept screaming even when people were just running onto screen.” I was hoping to get the same experience from Aliens. For this sequel, the director changed to James Cameron and it’s quite obvious from the first few minutes. 

The film immediately follows the events of the first film and focuses on Ellen Ripley, played by Sigourney Weaver, returning to the moon where she first encountered the alien. I expected this film to be a bit more scary than it was and it came across as more of an action film. This didn’t make it any less enjoyable, but it was just a different experience. There is nothing like Weaver portraying Ripley. She’s such a badass character that is fun to watch and I love that she overshadows even the burliest of men. Most of the new cast members aren’t memorable and play into the stereotypical characters in this kind of movie. I did enjoy the addition of the young girl Newt, who acted the heck out of her role and was better than some of the adults. While this film wasn’t as good as the first, it’s still a great movie that expands on the Alien franchise. 

The Craft - 1996

The Craft  was one of my favorite movies when I was a teenager. It came out the year before I entered high school, and I thought my experience there would be similar to what I saw in this film. So imagine my disappointment when I didn’t face off against a coven of witches or meet any hotties who resembled a Skeet Ulrich type.

The film is about a high school girl who’s magical powers begin to awaken when she transfers to a private school. She doesn’t quite fit in with the popular kids so she gravitates to a group of three misfit girls. These girls aren’t your typical outsiders. They dabble in magic and they’re seeking a fourth for their coven. I’m happy to report that I still love this movie. It’s so good on so many levels. There’s teen angst, rivalries, a bonafide 90s heartthrob and the best of the 90s including music and fashion. Also, I always wanted to play the “Light as a Feather” game, but I didn’t have a group of girlfriends who would do it. Anyway, it’s a movie that ranks high on my list of classic 90s movies and one that I will always recommend!

Return of the Living Dead - 1985

Woah! I had no idea what to expect from this movie. Markus gave me very little background information and I didn’t do any research so I went in with a clean slate. The film follows two groups of people, a gang of punk teens out for a joyride and a medical supply warehouse manager and his staff. Their storylines converge when both groups encounter the titular living dead, and must band together to survive.  

This film is a cult classic and one that I’m surprised I never heard of before this year. I really enjoyed this movie and definitely see why it’s so admired. The story is familiar but has a distinctly unique take on zombies. Even though it wasn’t as scary as it could be, there were lots of WTF moments. I can’t even count how many times, I screamed or just stared in shock over something. The zombies in Return of the Living Dead are unique and instantly iconic. I was the most impressed with the famous “Tarman” zombie. He was simultaneously grotesque, funny and terrifying. I found myself just saying “What?!” over and over. If you’re looking for a gory-fun time, check out this flick.

Creepy Cinema 2019: Season of Nostalgia | Week Three

Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark - 2019

If you’re a child of the 80s or 90s, then you’re very familiar with the book Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark. How can anyone forget the macabre and grotesque covers and illustrations? The version I had was of the skeletal woman with half of her face gone. I used to love that book and read it cover to cover multiple times. They were the literary version of the show Are you Afraid of the Dark? The film is based off this anthology of scary stories, but with a twist. 

Markus and I had no idea that the film would be set in 60s small town Pennsylvania, but it was a nice surprise. They nailed the look and vibe of the time and it was one of the things I liked best about the film. Instead of jumping around from story to story, like an anthology movie, the anthology is incorporated into the main protagonist Stella’s life. She stumbles upon the book in an old house which triggers the stories start to affect her and her friends in real life. It was a clever and interesting way to showcase the stories in one tight film. Since it’s based off of a kid’s book the movie isn’t as scary as it could be, but there are some genuinely unnerving moments that are memorable. My favorite part was seeing some of the specters and monsters come to life on the big screen. I genuinely enjoyed this movie. So if you’re looking for a fun Halloween popcorn movie, check it out.

It - 1990

For a lot of my friends, this version of It is the reason why they don’t like clowns. Thankfully, I was spared a viewing when I was young. When we watched the 2017 remake it was all new and instantly became one of my favorite horror films. I know that Tim Curry’s portrayal of Pennywise is legendary and has embedded itself in horror culture forever. I was curious to see if this tv adaption was good or at least campy good. 

It is based off of Stephen King’s extensive novel of the same name. The miniseries flips back and forth between the past and present of the Losers Club. The past for them is the 1960 and the  present is 1990. This adaptation is pure 90s evening television at its best and worst. They cast a few famous actors from the time in pivotal roles like John Ritter and Tim Curry, which was great. However since it was made for tv it’s definitely not as scary as it could be. Nonetheless Curry’s Pennywise is seriously entertaining. He dons a cockney-ish accent with a carnie persona and truly acts the hell out of the role. He’s honestly the best thing about It, and it totally makes sense why all my friends are terrified of clowns. The rest of the cast’s performance bounces between forgettable and over the top, which I more often than not find myself laughing at. There’s also a bit of cheapness to the production level, but I guess that’s expected. Although I’m glad I finally saw this version, I can’t say I would ever watch it again. 

Child’s Play - 1988

Here’s a story about little Noelle: One day my dad bought me a doll that could walk and talk. He didn’t buy me presents often, so when he bought this one, I tried really hard to love it. However even as a little girl, I knew it was creepy as hell. My mom put the doll high up on my bookshelf so that when I looked up at it, it looked down at me. For years, it stood on that shelf, dimly watching over me like gargoyle. Then one day, I walked out of the bathroom and the doll was naked and walking toward me. I screamed bloody murder. That, my friends, is why I haven’t watch Child’s Play until now. 

I’m sure you know the premise, a doll is possessed by a demented criminal, and torments a young boy and his mother in 80s Chicago. I’m gonna be real guys, I liked this movie a lot more than I thought I would. For some reason, I expected it to be really campy, but it wasn’t at all. It takes itself quite seriously and the story is tight and concise. Chucky is 100% creepy, even when he’s not moving on his own or even just sitting there. So when that demented doll finally loses it? Terrifying. The practical effects and animatronics are dated at some points, but they are still very impressive and really get the job done. This movie has it all, creepy dolls, voodoo, seedy 80s Chicago, a wholesome mom, a somewhat attractive cop (Chris Sarandon), a well acted villain (the legendary Brad Dourif) and a genuine child actor. I’m thoroughly surprised that I enjoyed Child’s Play as much as I did, and would even consider watching the rest of the franchise. 

Creepy Cinema 2019: Season of Nostalgia | Week Two

The Lost Boys - 1987

You may not know this about me, but I loved vampires when I was younger. I was a huge fan of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, both the series and the movie. I think it all stemmed from The Lost Boys. It’s one of those movies that I really liked when I was young, but for some reason didn’t carry on into adulthood. The film is about a newly divorce mother and her two teenage boys moving to the Santa Clarita, California. Even though it’s a nice coastal town there is definitely something amiss. The town is overrun with drugs, missing people and troublesome youth, some whom turn out to be vampires. The film famously stars the two Coreys, Haim and Feldman, as well as a young Kiefer Sutherland. 

Since it’s from the 80s, it really reminded me of my childhood and I loved that nostalgia. Corey Haim is actually really good in this movie and he is the epitome of an 80s kid brother. He’s got the brightly colored wardrobe (that I was obsessed with), the cool attractive older brother and he loves comic books. I didn’t know this film was directed by Joel Schumacher but it was very apparent during this viewing. There’s some weird editing and some even weirder placed eroticism in scenes that definitely didn’t need it. He also plays the song Cry Little Sister over and over and it gets a bit tiresome after a while. I did like the other Corey, as a humorously militant vampire hunter. He was so earnest and believable as only a teenage boy can be. Sutherland’s performance as the antagonist was great, and his character is so iconic. Lost Boys isn’t the greatest vampire movie I’ve ever seen, but it’s definitely a lot of fun. 

The Addams Family - 1991

One of my favorite movies from the 90s is Addams Family Values. It’s one of the rare sequels that is really memorable and watchable. I rewatched it multiple times and felt a strong connection to Wednesday Addams. Despite all the rewatching of Addams Family Values, I didn’t do the same for its predecessor. I actually didn’t remember it very well and was happy to watch it again this year. 

The Addams Family is based off the illustrated characters created by Charles Addams. The macabre and bizarre titular family are definitely iconic and have been remade into many different films, cartoons and shows. The 1990 version was directed by Barry Sonnenfeld and focuses on the family reuniting with their long lost Uncle Fester. I really liked this film, not as much as Addams Family Values, but it’s a lot of fun. I love Raul Julia and Angelica Huston as Gomez and Mortecia Addams. Julia is so over the top, but not in a hokey way, and Raul will always be my Gomez. There’s something so enjoyable about this series. It’s dark comedy at its finest as only the 90s can deliver.

Phantasm - 1979

Phantasm is an independent horror film from the 70s and the first in the franchise. The film takes place in a small town and focuses on a teenage boy, his brother and friends as they encounter a supernatural foe known as The Tallman who is killing off locals and wreaking havoc on the town. 

Not sure if you can tell from my previous reviews, but I’m not the biggest fan of 70s films. I’m sad to say it, but Phantasm also falls into this category. The pacing of the film is really slow and there are a lot of weird shots and odd choices that don’t sit well with me. Not much happens for the first half and it only gets interesting around 37 minutes into the film. For me, that’s way too long. The acting is very stiff, awkward and unnatural. The character development is fairly weak and you don’t feel a connection to any of the leads. They’re all two dimensional and the relationship between the two brothers is never really solidified. The only interesting character is the Tall Man played by Angus Scrimm. He’s barely in the film and only has a few lines. Apparently, he has a huge cult following and his character is fleshed out in the following sequels. Unfortunately for me, I didn’t like this film enough to want to watch the rest. 

Creepy Cinema 2019: Season of Nostalgia Week One

I know it’s a bit surprising, but I’ve managed to live 35 years on this planet and have never seen Halloween. I actually didn’t even know the plot of the story. I’ve seen heaps of memes, but always confuse Michael Myers with Jason Voorhees. For Markus, this is one of the films that he talks about fondly because he is a huge John Carpenter fan. We’ve even seen Carpenter perform the Halloween theme live, which was pretty awesome.

Halloween is a classic slasher flick from 1978. The film is about Myers, a serial killer who escapes a sanitarium on the eve of Halloween night. He returns to his hometown and begins to stalk a teenage girl and her friends. The girl is played by a very young Jamie Lee Curtis. Since I went into the film not knowing a single thing about it, it was very fun and entertaining. I tend to not like movies from the 70s because I feel they they have a tendency to drag sometimes are a little too “experimental.” However I think Halloween was just right - a tight, well contained story. It doesn’t linger much and builds the right amount of suspense and tension. As I was watching it, I felt a bit of a Hitchcock vibe and remembered that Jamie Lee Curtis was Janet Leigh’s daughter. Leigh is famous for starring in Hitchcock’s infamous Psycho shower scene. I really enjoyed Halloween and it was the perfect film to begin Creepy Cinema: Season of Nostalgia.

Scream is such an iconic horror flick from my teenage years and came out when I was in eighth grade. I actually remember watching this movie multiple times because I liked it so much. I think because it was a teen slasher flick with bit of comedy, I didn’t feel as scared by it. Scream is an homage to the classic slasher flicks from the 70s and 80s. The film follows Sydney Prescott, played by Neve Campbell, and her classmates who are being tormented by a serial killer known as Ghostface. It’s been almost 15 years since I last watched it, so I was excited to watch again and see if it still holds up to the hype. 

After watching it again, I have to say that Scream is still really fun, but there are few things that don’t necessarily hold up. The acting isn’t that great and all these teenagers look like they’re In their 30s. As a teenage girl, I remember thinking Skeet Ulrich was so hot. He dominated 1996 with this film and The Craft. This time around, I found him creepy as hell and very suspect throughout the whole movie. There was also a lot of foreshadowing with his character that I totally missed in past viewings. Despite these few setbacks, the story was well planned executed cleverly. They really made you think the killer was someone else, but in the end it’s who you always thought it was. I also loved that this movie was meta in its writing, and knew who its audience was. There were so many Easter eggs that I caught this time around. I thoroughly enjoyed rewatching Scream, and letting those waves of nostalgia wash over me. 

Arachnophobia is another 90s film that I managed to miss. Like most people, spiders aren’t my favorite, so why would I watch a movie where they kill people? The main premise of the movie is a bit out there, but sort of believeable? After the discovery of a new species of spider, said spider is transported to small town America and wreaks havoc on a small town.

For some reason, I always thought this was a super serious movie with super scary people sized spiders. Boy was I wrong. Now it wasn’t my favorite movie, but it was enjoyable. The first 15 minutes of the movie is epic. There’s some great cinematography, which isn’t surprising because it was produced by Steven Spielberg. I was definitely getting some Jurassic Park vibes with the shots of the South American jungle. One thing that I found a bit too “convenient” was the intelligence of the spider/spiders. How do they know how to strategically kill people, hide in certain places and sneak around like little 8-legged ninjas? A little too on the nose for me. Jeff Daniels as the lead was a great choice. I liked seeing him in something where he was just a dad trying to protect his family. John Goodman as the exterminator is the real highlight of the film, and I thought he was one of the best parts of the movie. His theme song was great, and added a nice level of comedy to the film. Overall, I’m happy with Arachnophobia and think it’s a fun watch for the spooky season. 

Creepy Cinema 2019 : Season of Nostalgia

It’s my favorite time of the year once again. Fall definitely crept up faster than I thought, but I won’t complain. Not going to lie guys, Markus and I have had our Halloween decorations up since the second weekend of September.

For our eighth year of Creepy Cinema, we’ve decided to watch 12 films that remind Markus and I of our youth. There are a lot of classics that I haven’t seen so I’m excited to see how they’ve held up over the years! Check out the list below and let me know if any are your favorites, and get ready for Creepy Cinema: The Season of Nostalgia!

• Halloween (1978)

• Phantasm (1979)

• Return of the Living Dead (1985)

• Aliens (1986)

• Lost Boys (1987)

• Child’s Play (1988)

• Arachnophobia (1990)

• It (1990)

• The Addams Family (1991)

• The Craft (1996)

• Scream (1996)

• Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark (2019)