Ghostwatch

Now available on Shudder is the made for TV movie Ghostwatch.  The movie originally aired in 1992 on the BBC, and caused quite a bit of controversy.  The film is presented as a "live" TV special and despite opening credits stating it was fictional, many people thought it was real.  One suicide and two cases of PTSD were linked to the show.

The film centers around an investigation of a haunting in a London house occupied by a single mother and her two children.  If this sounds familiar it's because it is based on the true story of the Enfield haunting,  The Enfield haunting was also the inspiration for The Conjuring 2.


Watching Ghostwatch I couldn't help but notice how much other found footage movies have been influenced by it.  All the tropes that are common today in found footage films are in Ghostwatch. One of the most noticeable is the explaining of how all the equipment works.  This is forgivable in 1992 because no one had seen this done a hundred times.

Paranormal Activity anyone?

Ghostwatch was definitely a film ahead of it's time.  When it aired nothing like it had been seen before.  It unknowingly set the standard that found footage movies have been  following ever since.

The Void

The Void was one of the most anticipated horror movies of 2017.  When it was released Friday fans were not disappointed.

Writer/directors Jeremy Gillespie and Steven Kostanski  do not disappoint with this intense thriller.

The story begins when police officer Daniel Carter (Aaron Poole) bring in an injured man to the local hospital,  The hospital is run by a skeleton crew because it will be closing and relocating in the morning.   Soon after the man is brought in a mysterious group of people in robes show up and surround the building.

There is no chance they are here to help you.

 I won't say anymore about the plot, the less you know the better.  The film reminds me several older movies most notably The Thing, Hellraiser, and Assault on Precinct 13.  I say this as a compliment, I was glued to the screen for the whole film.

The movie relies on practical effects and those effects are very strong.  The film is shot in a way that uses shadows and darkness to it's advantage.  That said, it never feels like you can't see what's going and again it's nice to be able to see the action for change.  One of my pet peeves is movies that are so dark you can't see what is happening on the screen.

I can't recommend this movie strongly enough, it's what horror fans have been waiting for.  

Campfire Tales (1997)

Horror anthologies are one of my favorite sub-genre of horror movies.  Campfire Tales is a movie that tends to get lost in the shuffle.

Released in 1997 it features a cast that would go on to much bigger things.  Check out this cast list and imagine the budget needed to get them all together today,

Christopher Masterson,Ron Livingston, James Marsden, Amy Smart, Jacinda Barrett, Christine Taylor and Jay R. Ferguson.

The film opens with the pretty standard hook handed killer on lovers lane urban legend,  After that it focuses on a group of college students who have a car wreck,  While waiting to picked up they pass the time by sharing scary stories.

All three stories are well acted and have great atmosphere, but the second one is the one that everyone will remember.

The second story revolves around a young girl (Alex McKenna) who is left alone while her parents go out.  She has a friend online that is not quite what she seems, when the friend finds out she's alone, things get very weird.  The story is also based on a urban legend and it has some of the creepiest images you will ever see,

Campfire Tales is out of print on DVD, and has no Blu-Ray at this time.  I actually had to get a VHS to watch it again.

Hopefully somewhere will pick this up and give it a decent release.  I would love to see this get the Scream Factory treatment.

Man-Thing by R.L. Stine

 (Warning spoilers ahead)

This week Marvel relaunched Man-Thing with Goosebumps writer R.L. Stine taking over the writing reigns.

Man-Thing is a character who has largely remained in the shadow of the far more popular Swamp-Thing.  There was even a feature film of Man-Thing in the early 2000's but even it remains mostly unseen.

Bringing a writer of Stine's popularity shows that Marvel is serious about trying to give Man-Thing another chance.

After reading the first issue, I have to say I am surprised in the direction they are going.

Stine has given the character the ability to speak and think like his former human self.  Which is quite a change from all the previous comics.  Also, Man-Thing has gone to Hollywood to become a movie star.  Yes, you read that correctly.

 So, Man-Thing has gone Hollywood, at least in his comic series.  I was expecting a much more EC comic feel from the series, and the comedic turn has taken me by surprise.

The first issue gives us a quick recap of his origin and is very light and humorous in it's tone.

Maybe taking the series in a humorous route is the right way to go.  Man-Thing has been the butt of many jokes over the years.  

Some intentional:

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. asking the real questions.

Some unintentional (maybe)

I mean, they had to know, right?

If the serious can laugh at itself maybe we can too.

Cuts From The Crypt

I'm a huge fan of Podcasts. I have a long commute to and from work and they make the time go by much faster.

The newest Podcast I have added to my playlist is "Cuts From The Crypt".  Hosted by Tony Giles, this podcast takes a look at horror movie soundtracks.

On the inaugural episode he plays and discusses tracks from 30 Days of Night, A Nightmare on Elm Street, The Thing and many more!

If you're looking to explore some new soundtracks or hear some classic cuts, please give this a listen, you won't regret it.

Click here to listen!

The Monster

Sometimes there are good reasons the road is less traveled.  

I finally had a chance to watch this and I loved it.  Writer/director Bryan Bertino (who also gave us The Strangers) does an amazing job on this film.  The Monster tells the story of a mother and daughter who are traveling on a deserted road when they have an accident.  It doesn't take them long to figure out they aren't alone on the road.

Never touch the roadkill 

The movie does an excellent job of being both a great family drama and an effective horror movie. You truly care about the characters, they aren't just stereotypes waiting to be killed.

The creature effects are top notch, the titular monster is very unique looking.  Also amazing is that it was done with practical effects and no CGI.  This makes the monster feel more real and menacing.

My only complaint is that I found myself screaming at the screen when the characters did certain less than intelligent things.  Although I guess that just shows how invested in the movie I really was.

A tale of two sequels

Making a sequel is always a hard thing.  No matter how good it is people will always say "It's not as good as the original".  Two of the most successful horror movies ever made,  Friday the 13th and A Nightmare on Elm Street , both got sequels the year after the original film.

The F13 sequel is one of the most loved of the series.  The NOES sequel is one of the most disliked of the series.

What did F13 get right that NOES got wrong?

Friday the 13th Part 2 introduced us to Jason as the killer for the first time.  While he didn't wear his signature hockey mask yet, he was still a terrifying figure.  F13 2 upped the ante in terms of body count and still has some of the most memorable kills of the franchise.  The cast, lead by Amy Steel, all delivered good performances.  Director Steve Miner brought us many iconic images that stay with you long after the movie is over.

One of my favorite "Final Girls"

This scene really got to me as a kid.  

It's worth mentioning that  very few people mention the original Friday the 13th as their favorite in the series.  Which is something no other franchise can say,

A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge is by contrast the stepchild of the NOES series.  The biggest problem with the film is the script.   Writer David Chaskin filled the script with homoerotic subtext in an effect to amplify the horror for teen boys.  This caused a lot of strife on the set and the film suffers for it.

It also violates the rules of the first film.  While Freddy appearing at the pool party is an iconic scene, it's not something he should be able to do.  Freddy taking over a persons body is not something he did before or after this.

Director Jack Sholder does give us some terrifying images, but they aren't enough to make the film rise above the original or sequels.

"You've got the body...."

When discussing which NOES film is their favorite I have yet to hear anyone cite this one.