ORIGINALLY POSTED ON STRAIGHT.COM, FEB. 10, 2005 The credits for Boogeyman screenwriter Eric Kripke, director Stephen Kay, and star Barry Watson aren't overly impressive. Kripke wrote for and helped develop the cheesecake TV series Tarzan, Kay directed a routine Sylvester Stallone vehicle, Get Carter--after penning the widely reviled remake of the The Mod Squad--while the main entry in Watson's bio … Continue reading Horror review: Boogeyman
Director Uwe Boll sinks to a new low with the horrifically inept Alone in the Dark
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON FEB. 3, 2005 By Steve Newton Alone in the Dark is a terrific horror flick--at least the one from 1982 is. It stars stalwart acting vets Jack Palance and Martin Landau as psychopathic escapees from a mental hospital who go on a murderous rampage. The flick comes recommended for Palance and Landau's gleefully … Continue reading Director Uwe Boll sinks to a new low with the horrifically inept Alone in the Dark
Horror review: Seed of Chucky
ORIGINALLY POSTED ON STRAIGHT.COM, NOV. 18, 2004 I've been a fan of killer-doll flicks every since Trilogy of Terror, the 1975 TV movie that featured an episode in which Karen Black gets stalked in her apartment by a bloodthirsty, ankle-slashing Zuni fetish doll. The original 1988 Child's Play, helmed by Fright Night director Tom Holland, was quite a hoot … Continue reading Horror review: Seed of Chucky
Horror review: Saw
ORIGINALLY POSTED ON STRAIGHT.COM, NOV. 4, 2004 Ten years or so ago, I was covering the local shoot of the trashy teen-from-hell flick The Crush for American horror mag Fangoria. It starred then-newcomer Alicia Silverstone as a hot-to-trot underaged babe willing to kill for the affections of a mild-mannered journalist, played by Carey Elwes. At the time, Silverstone … Continue reading Horror review: Saw
Horror review: The Grudge
ORIGINALLY POSTED ON STRAIGHT.COM, OCT. 28, 2004 There's little doubt that the critical and commercial success of The Ring--Gore Verbinski's 2002 Hollywood remake of the hit Japanese horror flick Ringu--had a lot to do with The Grudge getting the Tinseltown treatment. Directed by Takashi Shimizu, it's a remake of his own Japanese blockbuster, Ju-On: The Grudge, and the parallels between … Continue reading Horror review: The Grudge
Horror review: Haunted Castle
ORIGINALLY POSTED ON STRAIGHT.COM, OCT. 7, 2004 The media kit for this new 3-D horror flick includes a copy of a fax sent out by the IMAX Corporation to the more than 200 giant-screen theatres owning or leasing an IMAX projection system. In the notice an IMAX executive warns: "We are extremely concerned that the … Continue reading Horror review: Haunted Castle
Horror review: The Forgotten
ORIGINALLY POSTED ON STRAIGHT.COM, SEPT. 30, 2004 Joseph Ruben delivered one of the finest Hollywood thrillers of the '80s with The Stepfather, a domestic chiller that starred Terry O'Quinn as Jerry Blake, a creepy stepdad who was more than willing to kill for the ideal American family. Cheerfully charming a neighbour one minute then skillfully bashing … Continue reading Horror review: The Forgotten
Horror review: Exorcist–The Beginning
ORIGINALLY POSTED ON STRAIGHT.COM, AUG. 26, 2004 Few horror franchises have failed as miserably as that of The Exorcist. Sure, William Friedkin's 1973 adaptation of William Peter Blatty's shocking occult novel was a masterwork of terror. Everybody knows that. But John Boorman's Exorcist II: The Heretic ('77) and Blatty's own The Exorcist III ('90) are widely reviled turkeys. No wonder … Continue reading Horror review: Exorcist–The Beginning
Horror review: Alien vs. Predator
ORIGINALLY POSTED ON STRAIGHT.COM, AUG. 19, 2004 Monster fans have been waiting a long time to see the bloodthirsty creatures from the Alien and Predator movies go at it; rumours of a cinematic matchup have been rampant for years. The big question was, Would the tone of the new film echo the spooky, claustrophobic style of Ridley Scott's brilliant Alien, … Continue reading Horror review: Alien vs. Predator
Horror review: The Village
ORIGINALLY POSTED ON STRAIGHT.COM, AUG. 5, 2004 That M. Night Shyamalan guy sure loves secrets; heck, he won't even tell us his first name. The director's latest film, The Village, is built on a foundation of secrets, but despite a cast that includes Oscar winners Adrien Brody and William Hurt, and Oscar nominees Joaquin Phoenix and … Continue reading Horror review: The Village
Horror review: The Chronicles of Riddick
ORIGINALLY POSTED ON STRAIGHT.COM, JUNE 17, 2004 Though hardly more than a mediocre Aliens knockoff, director David Twohy's 2000 sci-fi horror flick, Pitch Black, managed to develop something of a cult following when it was released on video. It was about a musclebound convict named Riddick (Vin Diesel) who crash-lands with his captors on a desolate planet where … Continue reading Horror review: The Chronicles of Riddick
Horror review: Van Helsing
ORIGINALLY POSTED ON STRAIGHT.COM, MAY 13, 2004 The media kit for Van Helsing includes an insert in which potential reviewers are asked to refrain from revealing plot developments involving the main characters of Gabriel Van Helsing (Hugh Jackman) and Anna Valerious (Kate Beckinsale) in the final 30 minutes of the film. That's fine with me, 'cause I … Continue reading Horror review: Van Helsing
Horror review: Godsend
ORIGINALLY POSTED ON STRAIGHT.COM, APRIL 29, 2004 Some bad horror flicks take a while to reveal their ineptitude, but not so Godsend; it's identified as a chunk o' junk during the opening credits! That's when sucky high-school biology teacher Paul Duncan (Greg Kinnear), rushing home for his son's eighth birthday, takes a shortcut through a big-city … Continue reading Horror review: Godsend