I normally do not introduce Sayer’s reviews, but I must say that I recommend reading this one in full. It is long; like Dirk Diggler long, but much so worth it. And for that reason I am publishing it earlier than his other reviews. That and I’ll be vacationing in Austin this […]

Guest Review by R.J. Sayer
Directed by Stephen Carpenter and Jeffrey Obrow, 1987
Written by Stephen Carpenter, Earl Ghaffari, Jeffrey Obrow, John Penney, Joseph Stefano
One of the biggest challenges to a horror geek, whether writing a review or simply describing a film to a friend who’s never seen it, is resisting the temptation to spoil shit. And […]

Review by R. J. Sayer
Directed by Bigas Luna, 1987
Written by Eva Lesmes, Bigas Luna, Michael Berlin
Like many horror geeks, I practically grew up in Video Stores. And like many of the visitors to this site - I assume, anyway - I would spend eons in the horror section just gazing with awe at the cover […]

Directed by Robert Harmon, 1986Written by Eric Red

The original Hitcher has a damned die hard set of enthusiasts.  People love that movie in unbelievable ways.  Twenty or thirty minutes into it, I was considering joining them.  The opening act of Red’s script is the very definition of caged intensity.  It captures the spirit of an […]

Directed by Stuart Gordon, 1986Written by Stuart Gordon, Dennis Paoli, Brian Yuzna, based off H. P. Lovecraft’s story

Of all H.P. Lovecraft adaptations - in and out of Stuart Gordon’s hand - From Beyond is perhaps the most successful.  However, first, a qualifier.  I don’t think any director has ever captured the true essence of Lovecraft.  […]

Directed by Douglas Cheek, 1984

Cannibalistic Humanoid Underground Dwellers.  That is all you need to know about the letters C.H.U.D. to know what kind of movie it is.
I understand some things age better than others.  Cheese can age well.  Milk cannot.  Night of the Comet aged well.  C.H.U.D. did not.
The U.S. government has been forced to […]

Directed by Robert Hiltzik, 1983

I love the kids-stalked-at-summer-camp plot.  Maybe it’s because I spent several weeks of summer when I was younger at Camp Lakewood, a camp not too different from any of these cinematic cliches.  Or maybe I just like cabins.  Either way, my affinity for all that jazz wasn’t enough to save Sleepaway […]

Directed by Thom Eberhardt, 1984

I often dispel the idea that a golden age of horror where everything released was good has already come and gone (hence the name of this site).  While I hold true to that belief, for me the ’80s into the very early ’90s were the genre’s glory years.  There was an […]

Directed by Steve Miner, 1982

Why am I reviewing Friday the 13th Part III without having reviewed any of the other 9 films in the series (counting Freddy vs. Jason)?  First, because Christine and I have horror marathons whenever she comes down during which we try to watch all kinds of random movies we haven’t seen.  […]

Directed by Douglas McKeown, 1983

You know the drill by now.  Meteor meets Earth.  Slimy slugs with horrible teeth come out to say hello.  This time around, though, there’s no bodily possession (read: Night of the Creeps and Slither ), just plain body chomping carnage.
And as meteor smashing, alien creature features go, The Deadly […]

Directed by Ken Russell, 1980

Altered States is one of the most unique ‘obsessed scientist’ horror films ever made. In fact, in that fun little subgenre it is second only to David Cronenberg’s flat-out masterpiece The Fly (which, for the record, I consider to be one of the top two horror films of all time). […]

Directed by Fred Dekker, 1986

Why did Fred Dekker stop making movies? Night of the Creeps was his first flick and while it isn’t as perfect as The Monster Squad, it is still a highly entertaining creature feature. It’s a bummer the last thing we’ve gotten from him as a director was Robocop 3… […]

Directed by Fred Dekker, 1987

In regards to childhood adventure flicks, The Monster Squad is second only to the Goonies. And, in some categories, The Monster Squad actually kicks The Goonies ass. Plus, if you don’t like either flick, you didn’t have a childhood. End of discussion.
Why does the Monster Squad kick so […]

Directed by David Cronenberg, 1983

David Cronenberg knows what the hell is up. Pound for pound he is the greatest American auteur working today. Several of his films are in my all time favorites and I’d even go so far as to list The Fly in my top 5 horror films of all time. […]