From JC–“I assigned Peter CLUB DREAD because I think it’s an entertaining Broken Lizard film, and an ok horror film, but one that is overall pretty fun to watch as either straight horror or straight comedy.” Club Dread isn’t a guilty pleasure of mine. That’s because there’s no guilt involved, it’s all pleasure. I love [...]
Jump scares may be cheap, and often times they only serve to cheapen the experience of a given film. It’s always a pleasant surprise when you come across an exception to that rule. In the case of Shutter, it was both a pleasant surprise and at times an absolutely fucking terrifying experience. What is actually [...]
Directed by S.S. Wilson, 2004Teleplay by Scott Buck Tremors 4: The Legend begins, which is set in 1899 and still manages to star franchise stalwart Michael Gross as an ancestor of NRA loving Burt, is better than you’d expect from the third in a sporadic trickle of straight-to-DVD sequels. Take this not as a sound [...]
Directed by David Koepp, 2004Written by David Koepp, Stephen King Secret Window stings me. I like David Koepp. I think he is a fine studio writer and, whether it is embarrassing to admit or not, had a huge impact on both my life and my likes. Jurassic Park, to a kid my age, was a [...]
Directed by Christian James, 2004Written by Christian James, Dan Palmer Christian James’ first feature film, Freak Out, is the closest you’ll get to a Troma film without the Troma label. That is, perhaps, the best available litmus test for whether or not you’ll enjoy the film. If you’re a fan of low budget schlock, you’ll [...]
Directed by Alexander Witt, 2004 I didn’t want to watch Resident Evil: Apocalypse. I really didn’t. But I needed something to review, was too lazy to get out of my bed, and it was the only ‘horror’ movie on HBO On-Demand. So the remote won and my soul lost. Resident Evil: Apocalypse is one of [...]
Directed by Matthew Leutwyler, 2004 It’s movies like this that remind me why I wade through so much crappy, straight-to-DVD, Indie horror. The ratio may be low, but for every ten or fifteen Satan’s Little Helpers or Gingerdead Mans, there is at least one Dead & Breakfast. In the interest of full disclosure, I was a [...]
Directed by Fabrice Du Welz, 2004 I’m at a loss for words when it comes to properly describing the Belgian gem of filmmaking that is The Ordeal. Though the term is so generic these days, the best way to put it is simply to call it ‘art house horror’. Welz’s film is a remarkably surreal [...]
Directed by Banjong Pisanthanakun, Parkpoom Wongpoom, 2004. Review originally written 5-23-05 Once I actually bought it, it took me a while to get around to watching it, but it’s worth the wait. I’m a huge fan of the new wave of Asian cinema, but admittedly my knowledge of the Thai scene is extremely limited so [...]
Directed by Alex Turner, 2004. Review originally written 3-30-05 I always check out the quotes they decide to put on the cover/back of a DVD. I had been looking forward to Dead Birds anyway, just because of what I read of it in Fangoria, but I was even more eager when I read on the [...]
Directed by Su-chang Kong, 2004 The Tartan Asia Extreme (a company I truly respect, so you should too) R1 release of Korea’s R-Point touts on the cover, “The best military-guys-meet-supernatural-evil flick since Dog Soldiers.” That may be true, but it isn’t saying much. First off, there are only a handful of army v. supernatural flicks [...]
Directed by Fruit Chan, 2004 I’d been waiting months for the R1 release of Three.. Extremes – as opposed to ‘importing’ the bootleg – because I knew the second disc was going to be the feature length cut of Fruit Chan’s Dumplings, which is easily the high tide line of the trilogy of shorts. It [...]
Directed by Jeff Lieberman, 2004 Bad. Bad. Bad. The only reason I had even a barely passing interest in this movie was because I thought it was about something it wasn’t. I thought it was about a kid who, when trick or treating by himself, befriends a guy in a Satan costume with whom he [...]
Directed by Conor McMahon, 2004 There is a limit to how much handheld, homebrew horror I can take. I didn’t think I could quantify that limit, but after enduring this trash I can firmly tell you that even 30 minutes pushes it. Because the opening shot is of a man being attacked and eaten by [...]
Directed by Christopher Smith, 2004 Our heroine, Kate, falls asleep waiting for a train on the London Underground while on her way to try to sleep with George Clooney. That really is how the plot kicks off. She wakes up alone and trapped in the sealed subway system. A train passes by (despite that the [...]
