Charlies Farm

Not sure when this will be released here in the states, but it looks interesting.  Anytime you have Bill Moseley and Kane Hodder in a movie, I'm there. 

The Quiet Ones

Ironically the movie is not quiet at all. 

 Tucked away in an estate outside of London, Professor Coupland along with a team of university students conduct an "experiment" on Jane Harper, a young girl who harbors unspeakable secrets. What dark forces they uncover are more terrifying than any of them expected.- From IMDB




After Oculus I was hoping for a great run of horror movies this year. The Quiet Ones dropped the ball in a major way. 

What could have been an amazing ghost film, turns into a jump scare marathon.  Jump scares are not bad, if they're not over used.  After the 13th time they did it in The Quiet Ones you were barely startled anymore.

The way a lot of the movie was shot was distracting too.  Many scenes in the movie were shown from the camera that was supposed to be filming the experiments point of view.  Which means about a third of the movie looks like found footage.  Why did the guy have to be holding the camera all the time?  Couldn't he have just as easily used a tripod? 

Save some money and wait till this one is on Netflix.  

Oculus

Never buy anything that killed the previous owner.  

This year is off to a great start as far as horror movies are concerned.  Oculus is one of the most original horror films I've seen in years.  While the basic plot of a haunted object is nothing new, the execution is. 

This is a film that doesn't rely on huge effects or tons of CGI.  It's an old school ghost film in the vein of  The Haunting of Hell House. 

I'm glad to see well written and acted horror films make a return.  I can only hope this trend continues. 

Phantasm V: Ravager

There's no movie without the Hemicuda. 

 It's been 16 years since the last Phantasm movie.  It's about time!!

Oderus Urungus

Dave Brockie aka Oderus Urungus died yesterday at age 50.  I met him at Spooky Empire’s Mayhem last year.  He was a genuinely nice guy and went out of his way to make sure everyone had fun.  My condolences to his friends and family. 

Godzilla

This year at Spooky Empire there will be something unique.  For the 60th anniversary of the original Godzilla film they have gotten Akira Takarada and  Haruo Nakajimato appear!  

Both actors appeared in multiple Godzilla films and it will be a real treat to hear what they have to say. 

The Movie Crypt

When I first heard that Adam Green and Joe Lynch were doing a podcast I was excited.  Being a fan of their show Holliston, I was expecting something like they do in the show.  I thought they would do some movie news and reviews and occasionally have on guests.  I couldn't have been more wrong or more pleasantly surprised.

The inaugural episode featured the duo doing a full length commentary for Friday the 13th Part Two.  The commentary may have been light on actual facts, but it did unleash Bruce Fury on the world.  Okay that won't make sense till you listen to the podcast, but trust me it's hilarious.

The  subsequent episodes have been equally entertaining, but even more informative.  Each week Green and Lynch bring in a new guest from the industry.  They don't just stick with the expected guests either.  One of their best episodes featured Hollywood agent David Boxerbaum.  His stories and insights behind the scenes were very interesting to hear.  Many times we forget about the people who do most of their work in pre-production.  Costumer Autumn Steed was another guest who was funny and insightful.  I had not given much thought to clothing in TV shows and movies, unless it was a sci-fi or fantasy. 

The best thing about The Movie Crypt is the harsh truths that Green/Lynch and the guests
bring.  There's no sugar coating at all.  The stories they share make me wonder how anything ever gets made.  It makes you realize just how dedicated you have to be to make it in Hollywood. 

Anyone looking to break into the business should definitely check out this podcast.  For those of us who are just genre fans, it adds a whole new level of appreciation for the films we love. 

You can download The Movie Crypt on I-Tunes or on Geeknation:

http://geeknation.com/podcast/the-movie-crypt/