January 12, 2025 “Weekend Deadaway” (*1/2 out of four) was a tired slasher thriller about a group of friends (Susan Slaughter, Jim Nieciecki, Emily Sue Bengton, and others) who converge upon a lake vacation house and find that (yawn) an uninvited guest is on the prowl to kill everybody. Clever title for a movie that seems practically spit out of a computer and made up entirely of spare parts. You know a horror movie is in trouble when you’re rooting for the killer to put everyone out of their misery. Continue reading →
January 9, 2025 “Night Of The Harvest” (** out of four) was a fizzled horror story about a young woman (Jessica Morgan) who survives a brutal attack; about a year later, her sister plans a Halloween party for her but a killer is roaming in the party and planning and enacting a further attack. Give star/co-writer/co-director Morgan points for trying to tackle subjects like PTSD and trauma but results are meager and also fatally overlong. A few minor jumps help but there’s otherwise not much worth “harvesting” here. Continue reading →
January 9, 2025 “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” (**1/2 out of four) was an agreeably done sequel to the 1988 cult classic about the return of the Deetz family (Winona Ryder, Catherine O’Hara, and others) and their daughter (Jenna Ortega) accidentally opens a portal to the afterlife leading to the return again of Beetlejuice (Michael Keaton). Wholly unnecessary sequel to a film that came out over 36 years ago still features enough madcap humor, macabre touches from director Tim Burton, and visual eye candy to make it satisfying although it starts to wear thin after a while. Fans of the original (I wasn’t) may want to boost my rating a little. Continue reading →
January 8, 2025 “Lowlifes” (*1/2 out of four) was an aptly titled horror melodrama about a family (Amanda Fix, Matthew MacCaull, Brenna Lewellyn, and others) whose survival skills are put to the test when they have to spend the night at a remote homestead where all Hell breaks loose. Yet another redneck horror story inspired by “Deliverance” and also “Ten Little Indians” but maybe the word “inspired” doesn’t quite equate to- or describe- this movie. Professionally made but larded with cliches and used story elements. Continue reading →
January 8, 2025 “Murderfest” (* out of four) was a tawdry horror thriller about five serial killers who broadcast their killings online to a live streaming audience and compete with one another to see who has the most murderous craft. Potentially satirical look at the dark web and online streaming is hamstrung by terrible production and filmmaking and gets dumb-and-dumber as it goes along. “Yawnfest” would be a better title for this trifle. Continue reading →
January 8, 2025 “Dante’s Hotel” (*1/2 out of four) was a mindless horror melodrama about an event planner (AnnaLynne McCord) who has to team up with a mysterious hotel tenant (Judd Nelson) when an unknown assailant starts killing off hotel members one by one. Fairly fast-moving but uninspired rehash of conventional horror story elements. Watch “Dante’s Peak” again instead. Continue reading →
January 8, 2025 “Purgatory Station” (* out of four) was a horrid horror melodrama about a crooked lawyer (Angus Benfield) who wakes up in a large container and soon learns he has 8 hours to scuttle a deal for a corporate land grab with a greedy millionaire (Bob Gunton who can play this role in his sleep by now) or see everyone die in gruesome fashion. Part elements of “Saw”, part supernatural elements from “The Sixth Sense” but an all-around mess and painfully overlong at nearly 2 hours. It’s always great to see Gunton on screen but judging from this effort (and others recently) his career seems to be in purgatory. Continue reading →
January 1, 2025 “Nosferatu” (** out of four) was a grim remake of the 1922 silent film classic which was inspired by Bram Stoker’s “Dracula” about a young woman (Lily-Rose Depp) and a vampire (Bill Skarsgard) who become gradually obsessed with one another leading to horror and ensuing complications for all around them. Exquisitely shot and designed but drably done and sluggishly paced for most of its length. Performances are fairly one-note also and don’t give film much life or pizzazz. Not likely to satisfy horror fans or devoted fans of the original. Continue reading →
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