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 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 2018 | Attack of the VHS | Week Two

Ghostbusters 2 - 1989

If you know Markus, you know he is a HUGE Ghostbusters fan. He has heaps of vintage Ghostbusters memorabilia, and even has every version of Egon Spengler from the 80s Kenner toy line. It’s really quite adorable and it’s only natural that we have both movies on VHS. Previously, we watched the first Ghostbusters for Creepy Cinema. We always need a little levity every year, so Markus suggested that we add the sequel this year.

The film is set five years after the first and follows Egon, Ray, Peter and Winston as they navigate life after saving New York City from the demi-god Gozer. You would think that they would be treated as kings, but humanity always has a way of being ungrateful. The guys are forbidden to have anything to do with the supernatural, but of course spooky things always have a way of finding the Ghostbusters. I remember this film from my childhood and it has always been a favorite. I haven’t seen it in ages, but it was nice watching it again, especially on VHS. Usually sequels aren’t as good as the first, but this one was still pretty good. In some ways it was better, like not have to go through the set up and getting straight to the good stuff. Ghostbusters is a classic 80s movie that never gets old and is always fun to watch!

Christine - 1983

It feels like the past few years have seen a surge in all things Stephen King. Not that I’m complaining, if you followed last year, you know I reviewed the new IT and absolutely loved it. A year later, I still love it and wish all scary movies were just as fun. Admittedly, I didn’t know much about Christine, I only knew that it was a about a killer car, so I knew it was going to be interesting. I was also happily pleased to see it was directed and scored by John Carpenter, so I knew it would have a nice synth soundtrack.

The film follows a nerdy kid named Arnie who is bullied in all aspects of his life. His only reprieve is when he’s with his best friend and jock, Dennis. Arnie becomes obsessed with restoring an old junky car to it’s former beauty which is named Christine. After Christine is restored, strange and deadly things start to happen to people in Arnie’s life. I was hesitant to give Christine a “So good” rating, but I also don’t think it warranted an “It’s aight.” I like the premise of a possessed car terrorizing people in the name of a bullied teen, but there were some things that I couldn’t look past. The pace of the movie is quite slow and the storytelling is quite disjointed as it goes back and forth between Arnie and Dennis. We don’t even see Dennis for most of the second act. I did love the soundtrack, the premise and of course Christine, who is one cool car. Overall, it wasn’t a perfect film, but it was definitely an enjoyable ride!

Wishmaster - 1997

I knew nothing about Wishmaster before we added it to the list this year. Judging from the title, I assumed it had something to do with wishes going wrong and I was totally right! The story begins in an ancient Persian palace, where a king’s wish goes horribly wrong because of and evil djinn (genie). The djinn wreaks havoc on a huge celebration, and what ensues is the stuff of nightmares. Extreme body trauma, people turning into giant snakes, and monsters galore. However the king’s alchemist stops the djinn by trapping him in a jewel. We then jump forward in time to the present day (the late 90s), where the djinn manages to break lose and wreak havoc on humanity once again. This time he specifically preys upon the main character, a woman named Alex.

I really enjoyed this movie and thought it was really well done. Also adding to the fun of this movie, there were tons of little cameos from iconic horror actors, like Robert Englund (Freddy Krueger), Tony Todd (Candyman) and horror special effects wiz Tom Savini. Since I’ve been doing this for six years, it’s actually quite fun being able to pick out these people. However the real star of this movie is the Wishmaster himself, played by Andrew Divoff. He was phenomenal as an evil djinn, and was probably one of the best and most unique villains I’ve seen in a long time. Every time he was on screen, my eyes were drawn to him. The way he spoke and the intenseness of his gaze was really captivating. All the other characters were just filler until he returned on screen. In fact he was so good, that I’m interested in seeing him in other films. He’s a real Jeffrey Combs in my eyes. I cannot recommend this movie enough, even if it’s just to see Divoff portray a deranged djinn in a movie bookended by great special effects horror.

Creepy Cinema 2018 | Attack of the VHS | Week One

The Thing from Another World - 1951

This movie was the inspiration for the 1982 film, John Carpenter’s The Thing, which is one of Markus’ favorite movies. We watched it for the first year of Creepy Cinema, and I have never been the same. So it was very exciting to watch the film that inspired that nightmare inducing bottle movie. The Thing from Another World follows a group of scientists and military crew that discover a crashed alien spacecraft in the North Pole. The group investigates and realizes that there is some “thing” frozen in the water next to the crashed ufo. The rest of the film follows the aftermath of finding the unknown creature and how it affects the isolated group. There are some bad decisions made by the military and the scientists to their detriment. I actually spent some time yelling at the TV when people made poor decisions or went on to “investigate“ a situation.

Overall it was a really fun movie and quite scary for the era it was produced in. The film also has an exciting and explosive third act conflict that is a must see. The titular Thing never speaks, is quite menacing and frightening in its own right. However despite all these monstrous qualities, humanity again shows that it truly is the real monster. It’s easy to see why this film would influence and inspire Carpenter to create such a beloved cult classic. Definitely give it a watch.

Evil Dead 2 - 1987

One of my favorite movies we’ve watched for Creepy Cinema is Evil Dead. I’ve never been more terrified in my life. I remember watching with my legs bent up in to my chin the whole time and screaming at anything, even if it wasn’t meant to be scary. I screamed so much that I even freaked out Markus. It was a great time. Seriously, when a movie is so good at scaring the audience, but also interesting and compelling — I kinda get why people become horror fans. Prior to this viewing, I watched Evil Dead 2 years ago and I remember really enjoying it. I always described Evil Dead a true horror movie, because it’s terrifying and Evil Dead 2 as the lighter and funnier version.

The real star of this movie is obviously Bruce Campbell as the lead character, Ash Williams. I mean come on, look at the dude, he’s so charismatic it’s unreal. While the first film focused on Ash’s character with his friends, this one spent a lot of time with him alone in the infamous cabin. It’s really great to see him grow as an actor and character, and ultimately become the Ash that we all know and love. I will say that I liked the first film a bit more because it was scarier, which I know is so strange. This movie was still incredible, but for different reasons — and it of course lays the foundation for the incredibly awesome movie, Army of Darkness.

Bats - 2000

Oh man, it’s not like I didn’t know what to expect. I mean the movie really is about bats, and a ton of them. Before we saw the movie at the store, I actually didn’t know it existed. But how could I say no to Lou Diamond Philipps and Dina Meyer, aka Dizzy Flores, from Starship Troopers — one of my favorite movies of all time. It has all the trappings of a great B-grade creature feature, like Gremlins and Critters, but it just really falls flat.

Phillips is the sheriff in a sleepy Texas town that is suddenly invaded by a huge swarm of genetically altered bats, who are also carrying a terrible virus. In order to capture the bats and contain the epidemic, the CDC call in a zoologist who specializes in “batology.” At first, the film is off to a running start and is quite action packed. When we get to the town and finally introduce all the characters, it just slows down and get’s really uninteresting. There were too many scenes with bats attacking people, and said people being unable to defend themselves. I kept rolling my eyes the entire time, because the townsfolk simply continued making the worst decisions. When we finally reached the movie’s resolution, I wasn’t invested in a single character and honestly couldn’t tell you what happened to them. It’s really unfortunate because this could’ve been a really fun flick, but it ultimately disappointed me.

Creepy Cinema 2018 | Attack of the VHS

Guys, it’s my favorite time of the year! There’s a crispness in the air, the leaves are starting to change and all my sweaters have come out of storage. It’s literally the perfect season for me, and with the changing of the seasons also comes Creepy Cinema! For those of you that don’t know, Markus and I spend all of October watching horror films, and if you know me, I’m not normally a fan of these kinds of movies. However six years ago Markus and I had the bright idea to start Creepy Cinema, and I have to admit that over the years I’ve started to look forward to it. Now I actually really enjoy it! This year we thought, since Markus still has the VCR he bought in college, we would scour our local geek shops and acquired some VHS horror gems to add to our collection. So this year’s theme was conceived, “Attack of the VHS!” We’re watching 12 horrors movies from several eras — all on VHS tapes. So without further ado, scroll down to see the twelve movies I’ll be watching and reviewing! Also, let me know which movies you’re most excited about and which ones you haven’t seen!

The first six movies include so many recognizable classics, and I’ve surprisingly only seen two of them. I’m sure you could guess which two, Evil Dead 2 and Ghostbusters 2. I’ll still be watching them again, because, let’s be real, I would watch them even if they weren’t on this year’s list.

I haven’t seen any of the next six films, so I most excited to watch this set. There’s also nice variety in this set. We’ve got your Jinns, Beings, Freddies and Bowies. It’s a real exciting lineup and I can’t wait to check them out. If you know me, I’m pretty sure you can guess which one I’m the most excited about!