Us (2019)

March 25th, 2019

Directed by: Jordan Peele

Written by: Jordon Peele

Starring: Lupita Nyong'o, Winston Duke, Elisabeth Moss

Budget: $20,000,000

Quote: "hey look exactly like us. They think like us. They know where we are. We need to move and keep moving. They won't stop until they kill us... or we kill them."

Trivia: The Bible verse that continuously appears in the film (Jeremiah 11:11) reads: "Therefore thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will bring evil upon them, which they shall not be able to escape; and though they shall cry unto me, I will not hearken unto them."


Jordan Peele has once again created an original and excited new entry into the horror genre. I cannot believe that half the comedy duo of Key & Peele (which had a really funny show on Comedy Central) has become one of the most exciting new voices in the horror genre (and soon to be science fiction as the new host of the rebooted Twilight Zone). Like his first movie Get Out, Us also looks at identity, individuality, and what it all means in the broader social context. However, Get Out leaned more towards the psychological thriller genre (despite the very bloody ending), even being classified as a comedy by the Golden Globes (which it simply is not). Instead, Us places both Peele and the movie firmly in the horror camp without any reservations. Us is bloody, intense, and thought provoking. It also boasts incredible performances by all the actors particularly Lupita Nyong'o who absolutely steals the movie. There are dozens of theories about the social and socioeconomic meanings behind the film. There is a lot of merit in these broader implications. But theories aside, the film is a bloody fun ride that never lets up as soon as it begins.

Slice (2018)

November 27, 2018

Directed by: Austin Vesely

Written by: Austin Vesely

Starring: Zazie Beetz, Chance the Rapper, Rae Gray

Quote: "So you're telling me, that my pizza place is built on a gateway to hell?"

Trivia: The opening credits have a strong resemblance to the opening credits of "night of the demons" (1988).


I really liked this movie! Somehow the movie came out this year without me hearing a thing about it. It wasn't until I was flipping through Amazon Prime Video that I came across the movie and recognized Chance the Rapper's face on the cover. Chance is surprisingly a really good actor and brings a lot to the film. The film also boasts a handful of other likable actors: Zazie Beetz (Atlanta), Paul Scheer (The League), Chris Parnell (SNL), and Hannibal Burress (The Eric Andre Show), among others. The world that writer/director Austin Vesely creates in the town of Kingfisher is also really fun and seems inspired by the world of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. It is a world where humans, ghosts, werewolves, and witches all interact. The movie has been criticized for being schlocky and a stupid B-movie, which it surely is. But what's wrong with that? Beyond the campiness, the movie also offers some insightful social commentary on American society at large. A bit disjointed, the movie is nonetheless a fun ride that I recommend.

Lord of Illusions (1995)

November 9, 2018

Directed by: Clive Barker

Written by: Clive Barker

Starring: Scott Bakula, Kevin J. O'Connor, J. Trevor Edmond

Budget: $12,000,000

Quote: "There are two worlds of magic. One is the glittering domain of the illusionist. The other is a secret place, where magic is a terrifying reality. Here, men have the power of demons. And Death itself is an illusion."

Trivia: The scene with Swann (Kevin O'Connor) biting his finger and pouring his blood on the screws in order to drill the mask into Nix's head was excised from the original cut in order to obtain an R-rating from the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA). The scene was later reused for the unrated director's cut edition of the film.


Along with Wes Craven, Clive Barker was one of the big the names in '90s horror. Although his time as a horror director was short lived, he did carve a niche in horror history with his unique style of supernatural horror. His style incorporates inventive storylines, elaborate monsters, religious elements, and sexuality. These elements would all combine to create Hellraiser, his first and best full length film, a movie that deserves a spot as one of the all time great horror movies. However, he followed Hellraiser with Nightbreed a silly monster movie that while it is a fun and weird movie, doesn't not hold a candle to the very dark Hellraiser. It'd be like if Coppola followed The Godfather with The Money Pit... I mean I like both those movies, but it's a weird leap to make.

Suspiria (1977) With Goblin Live!

November 7, 2018

Directed by: Dario Argento

Written by: Dario Argento, Daria Nicolodi

Starring: Jessica Harper, Stefania Casini, Flavio Bucci

Quote: "This is Pavlo, our general handyman. He's really ugly, isn't he? Don't be afraid to say so. Can't understand you anyway, he speaks only Romanian. You see that gorgeous smile? He's felt very handsome ever since he got those false teeth."

Trivia: Director Dario Argento's original idea was that the ballet school would accommodate young girls no older than twelve years. However, the studio and producer Salvatore Argento (his father) denied his request because a film this violent involving children would almost certainly be banned. Dario raised the age limit of the girls to twenty years but did not rewrite the script, hence the naiveté of the characters and the occasionally childlike dialogue. He also put all the doorknobs at about the same height as the actress' heads so they would have to raise their arms in order to open the doors, just like children.

The Church (1989)

October 24, 2017

Directed by: Michele Soavi

Written by: Dario Argento, Franco Ferrini

Starring: Hugh Quarshie, Tomas Arana, Feodor Chaliapin Jr. 

Budget: $3,500,000

Quote: "Filthy liar! Here we'll wash your mouth out with soap, here!"

Trivia: Though it was originally conceived as another entry in the popular Demons series, director Michele Soavi insisted that the film stand alone and not be connected with the films Demons (1985) or Demons 2 (1986). In an interview Soavi referred to the Demons films as 'pizza schlock' and wanted La Chiesa to be more sophisticated.

This movie is one of nearly a half dozen movies that are claimed to be the third pseudo-sequel to the Argento/Bava Demons films. However, the director Michele Soavi insisted that this movie is not another Demon movie which he felt was beneath him. He even went so far as to call them "pizza schlock," stating that his movie is a more sophisticated higher art. In many ways he is correct, this movie does not look or feel like a Demon movie. The Demon movies are really fun celebrations of American-influenced Italian gore, that never took themselves too seriously, and have become horror classics. The Church, while not a terrible movie, is yet another forgettable Italian demon flick with a sense of pretentiousness to it. The director's air of superiority is a bit off putting considering the film is no more high brow than any other Italian demon movies. And we don't need movies like this taking themselves too seriously... Alright, I should probably not get so defensive. I love the Demon movies and felt the need to address the bit of trivia I found on the movie. The movie is actually pretty good with an interesting story and some great gore scenes.

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.

Jennifer's Body (2009)

September 6, 2018

Directed by: Karyn Kusama

Written by: Diablo Cody

Starring: Megan Fox, Amanda Seyfried, Adam Brody

Budget: $16,000,000

Quote: "I dreamed some bad people were trying to nail you to a tree with hammers and big stakes and shit. Just like J.C. But I didn't let 'em get to you, 'cause I'm a hard-assed, Ford-tough mama bear."

Trivia: To prepare for her role as a possessed living-dead teenager, Megan Fox lost around 15 lbs, bringing her weight down to a near-frail 97 lbs, and stayed out of the sun.


Written by Diablo Cody at around the same time she wrote Juno, Jennifer's Body is a film created for the teens and twenty somethings of the late 2000s. It's filled with pop culture references, witty dialogue, and the individualist stance against the status quo. Sure, these can all be chocked up to teen movie cliches, I wouldn't disagree with this, but there is something else to the movie. Yes, it has Megan Fox. Yes, she is incredibly sexy in the film. Yes, Fox murders boys by having seducing them. Yes, it has a decent amount of gore. However, this is not what I think makes the film a success. Because, in all honesty, the movie is not as hot as one hopes nor are there any real scares. Instead, it is the relationship between Megan Fox's character and Amanda Seyfried that is the most interesting part of the film. Their relationship is a microcosm for some of the bigger issues that teenage girls and young women deal with daily in their lives. Being a man, I will tread on this subject lightly since I have little to no personal experience in this area (the best I got is that I've taught middle school for six years now).

A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge (1985)

September 2, 2018

Directed by: Jack Sholder

Written by: David Chaskin

Starring: Robert Englund, Mark Patton, Kim Myers

Budget: $3,000,000

Tagline: Someone is coming back to Elm Street

Trivia: This film is famous for having undertones and themes that many perceive as homoerotic, and the events of the film are often seen as an allegory for Jesse's closeted homosexuality. While the makers of the film initially denied that this subtext was intentional, Screenwriter David Chaskin eventually admitted that the subtext was intentionally written into the script, in order to give the characters more depth.

A Nightmare on Elm Street 2, the often overlooked Freddy film. What makes it so overlooked is that it is missing the gifted directing and writing of Wes Craven that the first film had and it also lacks the silly and fun goofiness of the later Nightmare films. It is neither scary nor funny. Instead what we're left with is a watered down version of the first movie that is completely forgettable. I really hate to agree with People magazine of all things, but it really is a "tedious, humorless mess."

Hellraiser (1988)

August 22, 2018

Directed by: Clive Barker

Written by: Clive Barker

Starring: Andrew Robinson, Clare Higgins, Ashley Laurence

Budget: $1,000,000

Quote: "I thought I'd gone to the limits. I hadn't. The Cenobites gave me an experience beyond limits. Pain and pleasure, indivisible."

Trivia: The Chatterer and Butterball Cenobites had dialogue in the original script. However, when their make-up made coherent speech impossible, their lines were given to the Female Cenobite and especially Pinhead, which helped to cement his reputation as the film's trademark character.


I remember first seeing Hellraiser at my friend Josh's house who lived across the street when I was way too young. The monster Frank was terrifying to me. But it was the scene at the end when he is laughs to himself "Jesus wept" before his head is torn apart by chains that has been forever burnt into my mind.

There is really nothing that I can write about Hellraiser that has not already been written a thousand times before so I'm going to skip what happens in the film and make this one short and hopefully sweet. I have seen this movie a dozen times before but wanted to watch it for two reasons. First, Joe Bob Briggs hosted this movie on his now famous The Last Drive In and I love his commentary and insights. Second, my wife has never seen any of the Hellraisers before and I felt it was part of my marital duty to make sure she doesn't go through life without seeing this gem. The movie is bad ass!

A Nightmare on Elm Street (with Drinking Game) (1984)

August 10, 2018

Directed by: Wes Craven

Written by: Wes Craven

Starring:  Heather Langenkamp, Johnny Depp, Robert Englund

Budget: $1,800,000

Quote: One, two, Freddy's coming for you. / Three, four, better lock your door. / Five, six, grab your crucifix. / Seven, eight, gonna stay up late. / Nine, ten, never sleep again.

Trivia: Freddy Krueger has under seven minutes of screentime.





I could write about the movie, but I have already seen it dozens of times, and most likely you have seen it a dozen times too so I will spare us both a discussion on a film that has already been discussed to death. It's amazing. Wes Craven is god. Great concept. Great actors. Great special effects. Et cetera. So instead of a film discussion, I will be looking at the A Nightmare on Elm Street drinking game that I got from Drinking Game Zone.

Demon Wind (1990)

August 8, 2018

Directed by: Charles Phillip Moore

Written by: Charles Phillip Moore

Starring:  Eric Larson, Francine Lapensée, Rufus Norris

Budget: $500,000

Tagline: It'll Blow You Away!

Trivia: Lou Diamond Phillips was married to one of the assistant directors on this film. Phillips frequently visited the set during the shooting of the movie and even played a demon under a pseudonym.




Demon Wind is one of those movies that I never got around to seeing, but so many people choose it as one of their favorite guilty pleasures. A bad movie that they love. I want to apologize to all those people, but I could not get into this film. I'm sure it's because I'm watching it for the first time as a thirty five year old and have no nostalgic attachment to the film. While, I was not a fan of the film, it did have a lot of cool moments and is not without some merit. If you haven't seen it and need a quick synopsis: It's the plot of Evil Dead mixed with Lamberto Bava's Demons with no budget or acting ability.

In the Mouth of Madness (1994)

August 4, 2018

Directed by: John Carpenter

Written by: Michael De Luca

Starring:  Sam Neill, Jürgen Prochnow, Julie Carmen

Budget: $8,000,000

Quote: Every species can smell its own extinction. The last ones left won't have a pretty time with it. In ten years, maybe less, the human race will just be a bedtime story for their children. A myth, nothing more

Trivia: The Sutter Cane character is clearly based on John Carpenter's friend Stephen King, even referencing King's New England roots, with Hobb's End filling in for King's Castle Rock. Carpenter directed a film version of King's Christine (1983).

I've been on a John Carpenter kick for a bit now and one of his most beloved films that I have never seen is In the Mouth of Madness. Starring the younger doctor (the Dinosaurs came from birds guy) from Jurassic Park (Sam Neill), In the Mouth of Madness is a horror film that belongs in the H.P. Lovecraft cosmic horror tradition. It is bleak, depressing, full of despair, and absent of any clear narrative. Upon watching, one gets that feeling that they are experiencing the same madness that the characters are dealing with in the film. Madness, reality, sanity, and insanity are all subjective terms in the universe this film creates. Directed by John Carpenter, this film has some of the best practical effects anyone could ask for!

Tourist Trap (1979)

July 15, 2018

Directed by: David Schmoeller

Starring: Chuck Connors, Tanya Roberts, Jocelyn Jones

Tagline: Every year young people disappear

Trivia: The script originally called for nudity, but Schmoeller said he was too bashful and embarrassed to bring it up with Tanya Roberts and the other actresses during casting. When they got to the lake scene, he finally asked them if they'd be willing. The collective answer was no.








At 6 pm on Friday the 13th, Joe Bob Briggs (famous movie critic and hosts of Drive-In Theater and MonsterVision) released his one time (please say this isn't the end) twenty four hour horror movie marathon called The Last Drive In. Joe Bob brings his classic wit and encyclopedic knowledge of movie trivia as he hosts some of the best and weirdest horror movies. During that night, #TheLastDriveIn was the number one trending hashtag on twitter and Shudder's servers crashed several times. It was a huge success. Unfortunately, I had to work and had guests over to celebrate the San Diego Pride Festival and a couple of them hated horror movies (I know, what the fuck right?). So I'm going to be watching the individual episodes and providing my commentary on them. I am going to do my best not to repeat Joe Bob's commentary, also I am not going to be commenting on Joe Bob or any part of The Last Drive In. These discussion, like all my previous discussions, will simply be on the films themselves.

The first film is an odd masked slasher film from 1979 called Tourist Trap. The masked slasher genre had been kick started the year before with the huge success of Halloween. After Halloween, there came dozens of films with a masked killer tormenting teens (My Bloody Valentine, Terror Train, Friday the 13th Part 2, Pieces, etc). Tourist Trap uses some of the conventions of the teen slasher genre but remains a one of a kind movie that has more in common with Texas Chainsaw Massacre than with Halloween.

Phantasm V: Ravager (2016)

July 12, 2018

Directed by: David Hartman

Starring: A. Michael Baldwin, Reggie Bannister, Dawn Cody

Quotes: You'll never be safe. I'm always watching you.

Trivia: According to the book "Phantasm Exhumed," filming on Phantasm: Ravager first began in late 2008 where it was originally envisioned as a spinoff webseries about the Reggie character. This webisode footage was eventually expanded upon with new footage that featured appearances by main cast members to become feature-length.







This is it. The final chapter. The last Phantasm movie. It is a bittersweet ending to one of my favorite horror film series. Luckily it ends on a high note. I absolutely loved this film! It had everything I could want in the final chapter of the Phantasm story. Comedy, horror, action, and of course the badassery of Reggie. Reggie is at his absolute best in this film and demonstrates a wider range of acting talent than he had in previous films. There are some epic battle scenes with the Tall Man and we learn a little more about what created the Tall Man. The movie's ending is vague and bleak but with some sense of hope. Coscarelli also includes a lot of the illusionary confusion that make his films so compelling. Finally, we get a couple of great and unexpected cameos that, as a fan, I was ecstatic to see.

Blood Punch (2014)

July 11, 2018

Directed by: Madellaine Paxson

Starring:  Milo Cawthorne, Olivia Tennet, Ari Boyland

Tagline: Life After Death... After Death... After Death...

Trivia: The three main actors are from Power Rangers R.P.M. (2009), Mike Ginn and Adelaide Kane also appeared on the show. The screenwriter and the director also worked on the Power Ranger films.









I found this film on Shudder where they described it as a movie that seems like if Sam Raimi had directed Groundhog's Day. That is a pretty solid description of the film. The characters are a bit over the top and the first half hour is difficult to get through, but after that the movie gets really good with a lot of twists and turns that keeps the movie exciting until the end. There are also some great death scenes and just enough comedy.

Phantasm III: Lord of the Dead (1994)

July 2, 2018

"It's never over!" The Tall Man and his spheres are back to enslave the human race in Phantasm III: Lord of the Dead. This time writer/director Don Coscarelli had complete creative control over the production and we finally get back the original actors for Mike and Jody. Also, the film has a huge budget similar to the previous sequel so there is nothing creatively or budgetarily stopping Coscarelli from making the film he wants. The film continues immediately after the second movie with Reggie and Mike following the Tall Man to stop his evil plans for world enslavement. Along the way, Reggie and Mike get a few extra followers, Tim (a boy they meet whose family the Tall Man had killed), Rocky (a nunchuck wielding woman), and most importantly Jody (whose soul has been encased in one of the Tall Man's spheres). Together they battle zombies, spheres, and the Tall Man himself as he tries to destroy the world.

Night Watch (2004)

July 1, 2018

After the fall of the Soviet Union and subsequently the Soviet film industry, the world had been waiting for the first great post-Soviet blockbuster. In 2004, the world had to wait no longer. Night Watch was released to critical acclaim and gained huge international revenues. The film would be the highest grossing Russian film at the time and the highest grossing Russian horror/suspense of all time. The film would use its huge budget to create a beautifully crafted vampire movie with stunning visual effects. While the effects hold up, I felt the story was a bit convoluted and the characters flat.

Phantasm (1979)

June 25, 2018

What is it about Phantasm that has captivated viewers for almost forty years now? I discovered this film twenty years ago when it had already become a classic spawning at that time three sequels (just two years ago the fifth phantasm movie had come out). I remember loving the film but being unable to explain exactly why. Like the film's villain, The Tall Man (Angus Scrimm), the movie is so bizarre but also so lovable. The movie's score captivated me with the same eerie eight notes. The helps to create the mysterious atmosphere for the odd plot (if you haven't seen the film, think Exorcist theme). In my early twenties I was in a punk band that actually would occasionally cover the Phantasm theme.

Maybe what makes this film a cult classic is its misfit qualities and charm. It really doesn't fit in with any other movie. It is too weird, too bizarre to be classified next to the slashers, demonic films, and alien flicks that were popular in the late seventies and early eighties. Sure, it's technically an alien movie, but it doesn't incorporate any of the elements typical of an alien movie. I also didn't fit in with any of the cliques in high school and maybe that is what made this film so appealing to me. It is a great film. A really great film! And it doesn't have to conform to any of the expectations, themes, or genres of any other film. It is weird, but so what?

The Wishmaster (1997)

June 24, 2018

Wishmaster retells the classic story of the genie in the lamp as an extremely violent horror film. The film includes a ton of horror stars: Robert England (Freddy Krueger), Angus Scrimm (the tall man from Phantasm), Reggie Bannister (Reggie from Phantasm), Ted Raimi (Army of Darkness, Xena Warrior Princess, Twin Peaks), Tony Todd (the Candy Man), and others. Also the film has some really great practical effects and some computer effects that definitely do not stand up to the test of time.

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.