John’s Horror Corner: Demonia (1990), Lucio Fulci’s clunky Italian nunsploitation is sort of an “unshiny” blood-stained hidden gem.
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MY CALL: Another clunky Italian horror boasting enough chunky gore to earn its hidden gem status despite being otherwise nearly incomprehensible (which is par for the Fulcian course). A fun a watch for gorehounds, and a gem for a legendary “splitting” death scene. MORE MOVIES LIKE Demonia: Fans of Fulcian gore may continue with City of the Living Dead (1980; aka Paura nella città dei morti viventi, The Gates of Hell), The Beyond (1981) and The House by the Cemetery (1981), which form Fulci’s Gates of Hell trilogy; and then Zombie (1979). Despite featuring more nuns behaving badly, I’d skip The Other Hell (1981).
We open in 1486 Italy, as a gaggle of struggling manhandled nuns are dragged into a monastery basement to be crucified. Then we skip to 1980 Canada when a séance connects a young woman (Liza) to the horrid execution of the nuns, which happened to transpire precisely where she will soon be on an archeological expedition on a team led by Professor Evans (Brett Halsey; The Black Cat, The Devil’s Honey). During this trip, Liza stumbles upon the actual site of the crucifixion with the nuns’ remains still affixed to the crosses.
For about thirty minutes I was pleasantly surprised and even relieved at how surprisingly coherent this Fulci film was unfolding. But then, of course, something off-the-wall random pulls the rug out from under me as a completely out of place laughing topless ghost shoots an archaeologist with a spear gun on a boat. Then some drunk guys fall into a pit of spikes… because apparently there are Indiana Jones booby traps in this monastery.
The random Fulciness now blossoms with sweaty nun sex scenes complete with mid-coital murder and bastard babies of lecherous nuns being burned alive in braziers. But you know you’ve gone “Full Fulci” when the cat attack happens. Not since Dario Argento’s Inferno (1980) do I recall such a silly cat scene. And it comes complete with fake cats being literally shaken in front of the camera and a chunky gored eyeball being pulled from its socket. Good stuff.
Of course, the major gorehound selling point of this film is the from-the-crotch body-splitting death scene. Fans of this scene would no doubt also appreciate Bone Tomahawk (2015) and Terrifier (2016), to name some others capitalizing on the same exploitatively entrail-rich gag. We see the abdomen rupture with robust intestines as the body is pulled asunder. Truly, I sought this movie just for that scene! Was it worth it…? Yeah, probably so.
In the end, writer and director Lucio Fulci (Manhattan Baby, Aenigma) finished this film as incomprehensibly as so many others. You’ll surely scratch your head at the narrative decisions being made. But truly, fans of zany clunky Italian horror may find this to be more a gem than a lump of coal for Fulci’s relentless appreciation of wincingly palpable gory death scenes.
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John’s Horror Corner: All the Creatures were Stirring (2018), a Christmas horror-comedy anthology that is not worth your time.
MY CALL: I recommend a hard pass even you if love Christmas horror or anthology horror. Very boring. This film fails to deliver… everything. MOVIES LIKE All the Creatures were Stirring: For more (and much better) Christmas horror try Black Christmas (1974, 2006 remake, 2019), Await Further Instructions (2018), Holidays (2016; Christmas), A Christmas Horror Story (2015), Krampus (2015), Better Watch Out (2016), Tales from the Crypt Season 1 (1989; And All Through the House), Silent Night Deadly Night (1984), Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale (2010) Gremlins (1984), and Tales from the Crypt (1972; And All Through the House). Skip The Oracle (1985).
In this particularly dry horror anthology, Jenna (Ashley Clements; Edgar Allan Poe’s Murder Mystery Dinner Party) and Max meet up on a Christmas Eve date for an awkward theatrical performance that serves as our wraparound anthology tale. The quality of this opening segment sets the bumpy, uneventfully phoned-in pace for this collection of stories.
At her “mandatory” office Christmas party Alissa (Jocelin Donahue; Doctor Sleep, Insidious: Chapter 2, The House of the Devil), Scott (Matt Mercer; Contracted, Bliss, Beyond the Gates) and colleagues find a surprise while opening their perfunctory Secret Santa gift exchange when someone is literally killed by their gift. It seems that a poor man’s Jigsaw has rigged a holiday game of death for these office workers. It doesn’t lead to anything interesting or fun or shocking… and you should be prepared for more of the same if you continue watching this movie.
Our second story finds a man locked out of his car in a mall parking lot after gift shopping on Christmas Eve and a helpful but weird stranger (Katie Parker; Absentia, The Haunting of Hill House, The Haunting of Bly Manor) lends him her phone. Cursed and bound to a bloodthirsty evil, they find themselves in a strange conundrum. This was a very dumb segment and, as previously warned, get ready for some more. The stories don’t get any better as we suffer an awful Christmas Carol Scrooge experience that makes me hate this movie. Then a motorist kills a reindeer on the road and is hunted for his crime.
Finally came the short that led me to watch this in the first place by virtue of its star. Not wanting her boyfriend to spend Christmas alone, Gabby (Constance Wu; Hustlers, Crazy Rich Asians) surprises Steve but finds a very strange surprise of her own. This is very Twilight Zone-ish and darkly funny. Probably the best segment of the movie… but still very bad.
The writing, visuals and delivery was just plain weak. The acting and editing range from rough to proficient (at times), but well shy of anything polished in experience. And the clearly ultra-low budget special effects are nothing special. This movie felt like it was made by people who didn’t even want to make it.
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Wonder Woman 1984: A Worthy Sequel That Isn’t Afraid to Change Things Up
After the critical and financial success of Wonder Woman in 2017, Writer/director Patty Jenkins and star Gal Gadot had their work cut out for them as they had to make a sequel that satisfied impossible expectations, while being visually and stylistically different. After watching Wonder Woman 1984, it’s safe to say that they succeeded in their goal, as they’ve made a film that allows Diana Prince to grow as a superhero, while placing her in the neon-drenched and brightly-lit world of the1980s, which differs greatly from the first movie.
In the decades following her exploits during World War I, Diana has kept up a low-key existence that involves occasionally beating up thieves in shopping malls and working as an anthropologist at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington D.C.. Her quiet life is interrupted when she meets archaeologist Barbara Minever (Kristen Wiig), the newest member of the Smithsonian team, who is tasked with researching a relic that recently arrived. The relic is actually called the Dreamstone, and it grants people one wish – with a hidden cost (there’s always a cost with magic). Barbara wishes to become more like Diana, and Diane wishes that Steve Trevor (Chris Pine) return from the dead (he does, it’s fun). Things get more exciting when shadier-than-shady TV personality Maxwell Lord (Pedro Pascal) shows up and steals the Dreamstone, so he can pay off his debts AND inadvertently threaten the entire world with destruction.
The neat thing about Wonder Woman 1984 is how it largely avoids being a retread of its predecessor. The tone is more comedic as Steve adjusts to the 1980s and discovers the joy of fanny packs. Also, since every wish has a price, Diana powers wane, which becomes a liability during the various car chases and fist fights. This stands in a neat contrast to the first film where Diana learns how to become Wonder Woman by fully realizing her powers. It’s refreshing to see a sequel that isn’t afraid of changing things up, and not simply repeating the greatest hits that made it so popular. An added bonus is that since it’s directed by Patty Jenkins, the characters are treated respectfully and not exploited like Gadot was in Justice League. The treatment of women is refreshing as the camera doesn’t have a lingering eye that takes the agency away from the characters.
There have been complaints about the lack of action (the final CGI fight is not good), but Wonder Woman 1984 is packed with crowd pleasing moments that build upon Wonder Woman’s lore, and give fans something to cheer for. Also, it’s packed with humanity as Gadot brings a welcome warmth and likability to her character who is trying to stop the end of the world by making very personal choices that will deeply affect her.
Wonder Woman 1984 is a much different film from its predecessor, and I love that. Watch it!
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The Movies, Films and Flix Podcast – Episode 334: Die Hard, Hans Gruber and Candy Bars
You can download or stream the pod on Apple Podcasts, Tune In, Podbean, or Spreaker (or wherever you listen to podcasts…..we’re almost everywhere).
If you get a chance please make sure to review, rate and share. You are awesome!
The MFF podcast is back, and this week we’re talking about the Christmas classic Die Hard. We love this film, and despite it being covered by every other movie podcast (ever), we found some unique aspects to tackle to make sure you’re hearing something new. In this episode, we discuss candy selection, gun fights and dangerous rose bushes. We also draft our favorite action films, cast a Con Air sequel, and discuss our favorite moments.
If you are a fan of the podcast, make sure to send in some random listener questions so we can do our best to not answer them correctly. We thank you for listening, and hope you enjoy the episode!
You can download the pod on Apple Podcasts, Tune In, Podbean, or Spreaker.
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Deep Blue Sea – The Podcast – Episode 25: A+ B Movies, 1990s Action Cinema, and Strategic Shadows
You can listen to Deep Blue Sea – The Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spreaker, Spotify, Tunein, Podcast Addict, Amazon, Google Podcasts, and everywhere else you listen to podcasts. Also, make sure to like our Facebook page!
Please make sure to rate, review, share, and subscribe!
Jay and Mark are joined Brian Raftery (@BrianRaftery on Twitter), the man who made Deep Blue Sea fans very happy in 2016, when he wrote a Wired article entitled “Forget Jaws. The Real Shark Movie to Beat is Deep Blue Sea.” It might be the greatest DBS piece ever written, and it helped people realize that DBS is actually an A+B movie. In this episode, we discuss “Brothers Never Make It” the 25th chapter on the Deep Blue Sea DVD. We also talk about Howie Long, Chill Factor, and movie shadows. Enjoy!
Make sure to follow Brian on Twitter, and buy his excellent book Best. Movie. Year. Ever. How 1999 Blew Up the Big Screen wherever you buy books (buy four or five copies…why not).
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John’s Horror Corner: Black Christmas (2019), the second reimagining of the 1974 classic slasher Christmas horror.
MY CALL: Another remake of the 1974 original, but borrowing little from it. This remake is very light and feisty, best suited for an audience of teenagers or viewers who can’t handle mean, brutal, shocking horror movies. MOVIES LIKE Black Christmas: The closest choice would be. For more Christmas horror try Black Christmas (1974, 2006 remake), Await Further Instructions (2018), Holidays (2016; Christmas), A Christmas Horror Story (2015), Krampus (2015), Better Watch Out (2016), Tales from the Crypt Season 1 (1989; And All Through the House), Silent Night Deadly Night (1984), Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale (2010) Gremlins (1984), and Tales from the Crypt (1972; And All Through the House). Skip The Oracle (1985) and All the Creatures were Stirring (2018).
This film opens with familiar beats; tropes yes, but executed well. A young college student departing campus for the holiday break is stalked by a mysterious hooded assailant. Everything swiftly goes wrong for this poor girl and her demise is as much cliché as it is graceful, rich with wintery themes. And with the close of our cold open, we fast forward to another winter break sometime in the near future.
As we’re introduced to our Hawthorne College sorority girls, we find they are thoughtfully written and likewise acted in lived-in, credible fashion. I’m reminded of the high-quality characters of Happy Death Day (2017) even though the tones of these two films differ a bit. We meet some who are gawky and awkward, shy, activistic and the like, and all of them feel like real people saying real things instead of some “this is what I do” canned cast introductions. Barring the ‘higher film’ attempts in horror (e.g., Get Out, Us, Hereditary, Midsommar) we seldom expect such natural writing in the genre—especially not for a second remake/reimagining. There are times in this first act that I completely forgot I was watching a horror movie, and that’s a big compliment.
When we meet Professor Gelson (Cary Elwes; Saw, The Bride, Bram Stoker’s Dracula), he seems everything we expect from a well-scripted (if still typical) college movie. He’s charismatic, a bit arrogant, and has an adversarial relationship with key players of the story. Again I’ll say it: tropes yes, but executed well.
The proficient employment of classic writing/movie tropes effects a sense of familiarity with this movie. Another strength of the film: the winterscape campus shots are a snowy stark sight. And while the photography is nothing epic and rarely wide-angled, the snow-caked buildings taunt the eye. Director and co-writer Sophia Takal (Always Shine) made an entertaining movie for those who have had enough brutal or high-brow horror fare lately, and Imogen Poots (Fright Night, Vivarium, Green Room) serves the film well as the lead.
I enjoyed the film overall as a low stakes popcorn flick, and appreciate the general filmmaking. But the shots of our hooded slasher (along with his actions) tend not to impress. The killer is the weakest component of the movie. Maybe it’s the PG-13-ness of it all, but it just feels sooooo Horror-LITE. Not only that, but we see very little provocative violence happen on-screen. The brutality is almost all off-screen and after the fact. What does happen on-screen tends to lack any punch or shock. The weakest “horror” of it all was the finale, which felt just plain stupid to an almost angering degree. All of the thoughtful writing was thrown out the window for this “children’s horror movie finale” display. Moreover I found the ending to be meaningless. The last 20-30 minutes of the film were a disappointing departure from the wonderful foundation of the first 60.
This remake feels nothing like the original. Not in tone or intensity, or even a scintilla of development. This is a completely unique product which essentially only shares the premise that “a group sorority girls are stalked and murdered on campus during Christmas break.” What’s good about that is that there is nothing to compare (or complain) about regarding the 1974 classic. The downside is that it hardly feels worthy of the iconic name Black Christmas, despite being a very well-made PG-13 horror-LITE movie.
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Deep Blue Sea – The Podcast – Episode 24: Leg Twitches, Police Academy, and Stair Scenes
You can listen to Deep Blue Sea – The Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spreaker, Spotify, Tunein, Podcast Addict, Amazon, Google Podcasts, and everywhere else you listen to podcasts. Also, make sure to like our Facebook page!
Please make sure to rate, review, share, and subscribe!
Jay and Mark are joined by Todd Liebenow (of the @ForgottenFilmz and @WaltSentMePod podcasts) to discuss “Thumbs Up, Man Down,” the 24th chapter on the Deep Blue Sea DVD. In this episode, they discuss DJ TJ Scoggs, Police Academy, Tremors, A League of Their Own, Musical Numbers and Legs twitching. Enjoy!
Please follow Todd on Twitter and listen to the Forgotten Filmcast and Walt Sent Me. Thanks!
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The Movies, Films and Flix Podcast – Episode 333: Stargate, Alien Technology, and Sand
You can download or stream the pod on Apple Podcasts, Tune In, Podbean, or Spreaker (or wherever you listen to podcasts…..we’re almost everywhere).
If you get a chance please make sure to review, rate and share. You are awesome!
The MFF podcast is back, and this week we’re talking about Stargate, another excellent Kurt Russell film. Directed and written by Roland Emmerich, and starring Kurt Russell and James Spader, this science fiction film tells the story of what happens when interplanetary travelers are forced to battle a justifiably angry alien. We love the Stargate, and had a great time talking about how breezy it is, and how the practical effects keep it looking great 26 years after its release. In this episode, we discuss Roland Emmerich movies, sand, and alien technology.
If you are a fan of the podcast, make sure to send in some random listener questions so we can do our best to not answer them correctly. We thank you for listening, and hope you enjoy the episode!
You can download the pod on Apple Podcasts, Tune In, Podbean, or Spreaker.
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John’s Horror Corner: Silent Night, Deadly Night part 2 (1987), a Christmas horror sequel that is both lazy and clever.
MY CALL: The sequel of the “then controversial” cult classic, this story continues and replays the highlights of its predecessor to form the death scene meat and potatoes of the movie. MOVIES LIKE Silent Night, Deadly Night part 2: Normally I’d direct folks to the original: Silent Night Deadly Night (1984). But since all the kills and their build-up from the original are literally shown again in this, there’s little point.
The follow-up to a bonkers 80s B-movie cult classic, this sequel opens with strong scoring and a tense introduction to Ricky (Eric Freeman) in a psychiatric hospital on Christmas Eve. Now grown up after living through his older brother’s killing spree (i.e., Billy from part 1), Ricky has become a killer just like Billy.
As the narrator to our story, Ricky recounts his brother’s vile deeds to his psychiatrist. As if justifying his murderous destiny, Ricky recalls the murder and sexual assault of his parents by a man in a Santa suit; their troubled upbringing in an orphanage run by Mother Superior (Lilyan Chauvin; Predator 2, Pumpkinhead 2, Silent Night Deadly Night); Billy’s departure from the nunnery and job at the toy store when he turned eighteen; and absolutely everyone Billy killed in 1984. Entire scenes of footage are generously borrowed from part 1. As a result, all the kills from the first half of this movie are from this stock footage. Like really, every kill from Silent Night Deadly Night (1984); about half of this sequel is in fact the more exciting half of part 1.
So really, this sequel doesn’t even begin to hold its own until about minute 40. But fret not, because at least one “new” kill (the umbrella death scene) is rather spectacular for a lower budget kill. And while I enjoyed the jumper cable death as well, the better deaths in this movie were from the previous film. It makes it hard to judge this movie on its own unless it was viewed in lieu of its predecessor. I guess we do still get Ricky killing some folks in a Santa suit (for some of new death scenes). But it’s just not enough for me care… even a little. The Santa suit shenanigans feel phoned-in and short-lived.
But let’s give director Lee Harry (Street Soldiers) and his cast a little credit. Ricky’s storytelling scenes were well-acted and aptly written. In fact, the acting in this felt rather superior to anything from part 1 (except of course, for the most talented scream queen Linnea Quigley; The Return of the Living Dead, Night of the Demons, A Nightmare on Elm Street 4, Creepozoids). It seems that someone had a great script idea, but so little money to fund the film that utilizing the previous was the only way to make it work. So as lazy as the scene-stealing tactic initially feels, maybe this was their clever way of making it happen. At least they managed to cast the lovely Elizabeth Kaitan (Friday the 13th part VII, Nightwish, Necromancer), who is something of a bad movie starlet.
Despite a couple entertaining kills, this movie is basically a cheap cash-grab throwaway riding the coattails of the best parts of its maker. This would best be viewed by horror fans who actually missed the original. For that demographic, this would probably be quite satisfying.
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Freaky: An Inspired Horror Film Featuring Fun Performances From Vince Vaughn and Kathryn Newton
After the excellent Happy Death Day and Happy Death Day 2U, director/writer Christopher Landon is back with another film with an interesting hook. Instead of a time loop, Freaky focuses on a 17-year old named Millie (Kathryn Newton) swapping bodies with a 40-something-year old serial killer dubbed the BIissfield Butcher (Vince Vaughn) after he stabs her with a mystical dagger known as La Dola. To make things worse, she (now Vince Vaughn) learns she has around 12(ish) hours to find The Blissfield Butcher (Now Kathryn Newton), so she can stab him with the dagger. It’s a wonderful idea, and the performances by Vaughn and Newton, and Landon’s ability to stretch a $6 million budget make Freaky worth a watch.
After the PG-13 rated Happy Death Day films, it’s nice to see Landon step into R-rated territory, and he more than earns the rating. The beginning of the film features some highly effective gore as dumb teenagers are hunted and killed by the Blissfield Butcher, who uses wine bottles, tennis racquets and spears as killing devices. Landon takes full advantage of Vaughn’s 6’5 frame, as the large killer overpowers all of his victims, and later his size plays well with the body swap as Millie begins to enjoy having the strength of a large man who can pick up bullies like they’re nothing.
While the Happy Death Day films focused on likable characters trying to figure out how to break the time loops, Freaky is more kill driven, as unlikable characters are singled out, and sawed in half. It’s easy to know who will be killed during the film, as various stereotypical adults and high schoolers mark themselves for eventual deaths by being rude, bossy or chauvinistic. On one hand, there’s a satisfaction in seeing bullies being frozen to death, but it also eliminates any suspense as there’s nothing to like about the horror fodder.
Amidst the chaos, there is a nice story involving Millie’s mom Katie (Paula Finneran) coming to grips with the loss of her husband. Also, Millie’s friends Josh (Misha Osherovich) and Nyla (Celeste O’Conner) prove their loyalty as they help Millie (after a fun kitchen fight), attempt to stop the serial killer from wiping out dozens of kids at the homecoming dance. In the end, Landon’s neat idea and committed performances have created a fun film that should become a cult-classic.
Freaky is a lot of fun, and if you enjoy all-in performances, creative skills and inspired cheeky ideas, you’ll appreciate the film.
Movies, Films & Flix 