The Hills Have Eyes (1977)

November 22, 2018

Directed by: Wes Craven

Written by: Wes Craven

Starring: Michael Berryman, Dee Wallace, Suze Lanier-Bramlett

Budget: $350,000 - $700,000

Quote: "Baby's fat. You fat... fat and juicy."

Trivia: The movie is based on the legend of Sawney Beane and his family, a feral clan who inhabited and roamed the highlands of Scotland, in the early 1400s. They captured, tormented and ate several transients. They were eventually captured and the executions of the Beane clan all allegedly involved grotesque tortures, inspiring the aspect of the film that the Carter family become as brutal as their attackers when they seek revenge.

Wes Craven had made a name for himself within the exploitation genre with his 1972 film, The Last House on the Left, a brutal rape-revenge movie that did surprisingly well at the box office despite its extreme content (it made $3 million over its $87,000 budget). Despite the film's success, Craven found it difficult to make a second movie as producers and distributors were nervous about working with "the rape" movie guy. However, five years later, in 1977, Craven was finally able to make what is in my humble opinion, his best movie, The Hills Have Eyes. I was stoked to discover that this movie was the second film in Joe Bob Briggs' Dinners of Death Thanksgiving horror marathon on Shudder (the first was The Texas Chainsaw Massacre).

Blue Ruin (2013)

September 24, 2018

Directed by: Jeremy Saulnier

Written by: Jeremy Saulnier

Starring: Macon Blair, Devin Ratray, Amy Hargreaves

Budget: $1,066,000

Quote: "You know what's awful? Just 'cause my dad loved your mom... we all end up dead."

Trivia: At one time Benny mentions a "Duce" who got hit by a train. This is a reference to "El Duce", lead-singer of punk-Hardcore band "the Mentors", who claimed Courtney Love offered him $50,000 to kill Kurt Cobain. He appeared in Nick Broomfield's "Kurt and Courtney" documentary. He died under mysterious circumstances after he made these claims.


A week ago I watched and wrote about Green Room, an incredibly violent survival/revenge film that I am completely in love with. It was written and directed by Jeremy Saulnier who also wrote/directed Murder Party, a movie I watched a few years ago (and thought it was just okay). After posted about Green Room, someone online recommended another of his films, Blue Ruin saying that it was as good as Green Room and much more realistic. The online recommender (sorry, I forgot who) was absolutely correct. Saulnier takes a realistic approach to the revenge film. It is like what would happen if some shlub like me tried to avenge someone; an increasing series of poor mistakes. Looking back at his three movies, Saulnier refers to them at the "inept trilogy," where in each film people are put into situations that they are completely unprepared for. Ineptitude is the perfect word to describe the main character of Blue Ruin, Dwight (Macon Blair). Dwight is unprepared and unqualified for the revenge business.

Revenge (2017)

September 21, 2018

Directed by: Coralie Fargeat

Written by: Coralie Fargeat

Starring: Matilda Anna Ingrid Lutz, Kevin Janssen, Vincent Colombe

Budget: $2,900,000

Quote: "Woman always have to put up a fucking fight."

Trivia: The film features so much blood that, according to director Coralie Fargeat, the prop team would often run out of fake blood.





Rape-revenge has to be one of the most unpleasant genres of films in horror. Both Wes Craven's first film The Last House on the Left and the infamous I Spit on Your Grave are almost unwatchable. There is something so much more emotionally troubling about watching a rape in a film than watching a murder or even a torture in a movie. Unfortunately that is all too often why director's exploit this for shock and awe in their films and television shows. Luckily the movie Revenge, while being a rape-revenge movie, focuses much more on the revenge part of the genre and not the rape. There is sexual violence in the film, but it is used as a plot device to move the story forward in order to demonstrate the incredible strength and resiliency of the main character, Jen. It is her story and the men in the story quickly become her victims. The movie is much closer to the bloody, violent, and gritty Mad Max and Death Wish films of the 1970s rather than I Spit on Your Grave. Matilda Lutz, as Jen, is just as badass as Paul Kersey in Death Wish, possibly even more so.

Mandy (2018)

September 16, 2018

Directed by: Panos Cosmatos

Written by: Panos Cosmatos, Aaron Stewart-Ahn

Starring: Nicholas Cage, Andrea Riseborough, Linus Roache

Budget: $6,000,000

Quote: "...they lit her on FIRE! They were weirdo, hippie-types, whole bunch of 'em. And then there was some muscle - it didn't make any sense. There were bikers, and gnarly psychos, and... just crazy evil."

Trivia: The green glowing light that Mandy pulls out of the corpse during one of the animation sequences is a nod/homage to the glowing green orb featured in 1981's Heavy Metal



I'm writing this piece on Mandy almost a week after watching it because although I have been thinking about it ever since, I don't know what to say. It's hard to come up with the words to describe a movie like Mandy. It really seems to be one of a kind, but here I go: The movie is without a doubt one of the best movies I have ever seen! Visually, director Panos Cosmatos, creates a surreal and psychedelic world where the skies themselves carry emotions and a mystical quality to them. If you have ever experimented with DMT, you'll know what I mean. The score by Johan Johannson, released posthumously is beautiful and dark helping to build the otherworldly atmosphere that Cosmatos has created. The characters are so unique and the acting is great. I'll be the first to admit that I am not a fan of Nicholas Cage (aside from Leaving Las Vegas... dude can play a drunk!) but he gives one of his best performances in this film. Every aspect of the film is carefully crafted to create one of the most unique revenge films ever made.

Green Room (2015)

September 15, 2018

Directed by: Jeremy Saulnier

Written by: Jeremy Saulnier

Starring: Anton Yelchin, Imogen Poots, Alia Shawkat

Budget: $5,000,000

Quote: "Now Gentlemen and Ladies. Whatever you saw or did... Is no longer my concern. But let's be clear... this won't end well."

Trivia: Patrick Stewart said in an interview that when he finished reading the script at his country home in England, it was so terrifying that he locked up his house, turned on the security system, and poured himself a Scotch. He then knew that he wanted to play the Darcy Banker role because a character that horrifying would be an incredible challenge, and make for a compelling film.

I grew up listening to punk rock so I was very excited when my friend Matt told me about this movie. The plot is simple: A punk rock band witnesses a murder after playing in what they find out is a white supremacists' club. The band is forced to lock themselves in the club's green room and find a way to fight their way out to save their lives. What follows is an extremely bloody and violent struggle for survival. The movie is much more violent than I had originally expected. I was wondering if it was one of those films that is vaguely a horror movie and more of a thriller? Hell no, this movie is straight splatter! Also, it is really well acted. In the band are Pat (Anton Yelchin who played Chekov in the new Stark Trek movies) and Sam (Alia Shakwak who played Maebe in Arrested Development) and the boss villain is played by Sir Patrick Stewart, Mr. Jean Luc-Picard himself who makes a terrifying white supremacist leader. More than just an interesting premise, this film really delivers some great disgusting moments.

Pumpkinhead (1988)

June 21, 2018

Don't let the silly name fool you, this 1988 gem has some really great horror moments! Pumpkinhead is the revenge story of a father whose son is killed by a drunk hit-and-run motorcyclist and he seeks out an old lady in the swamp to summon the revenge demon Pumpkinhead to murder the hit-and-runner and his five friends.

There are a few aspects of this film that make it especially interesting. First, the practical effects of Pumpkinhead himself are incredibly well done for 1988... or for today even. Tom Woodruff, Jr. (It, Aliens, Death Becomes Her, Tremors) did an incredible job on the special effects and makeup of the Pumpkinhead creature. A less talented artist could've created something really goofy and ruined the film, but Woodruff's creature is terrifying looking.