Toronto85 Reviews

Stepfather II: Make Room for Daddy (1989)

Stepfather II: Make Room For Daddy

[7/10 · 12 January 2014]

The disturbed man looking for the perfect family, and will do anything to get it, is back at it again in 'Stepfather II: Make room for Daddy'. We pick up shortly after the original film, and see that the man formerly known as Jerry Blake is inside of a psychiatric facility serving his sentence for all the murders and attempts he committed. He breaks out early on and changes his persona yet again to a psychiatrist named Gene, this time targeting single mother Carol and her teenage son Todd. After brutally dispatching people in the way of him building a life with them, Gene makes it to the church on his wedding day ... but will he get through the ceremony without losing his mind completely?

Terry Quinn I thought 'Stepfather II' was really interesting in the sense that it separated itself from the other two films. In parts one and three, the stepchildren (Stephanie in 1 and Andy in 3) disliked the stepfather a lot. They could see that something was off with him, and it never really clicked. In this sequel, the son Todd really liked Gene the stepfather and looked up to him as a role model of sorts. His father just up and left him and his mom, so the writers did a great job of establishing Todd's need for a male figure. It kind of makes it all the more sad when it's revealed how sick Gene really is.

Terry Quinn puts in an amazing performance yet again as the deranged man who would kill for a perfect family unit. Meg Foster did really well as the mother Carol as did Jonathan Brandis as Todd. I liked the friend Maddie that they gave Carol, played by Caroline Williams. She was really good too. It lacked the intensity of the original film, but 'Stepfather II' is still very well done. The finale at the church as Gene prepares for his wedding is also very creepy.. and perhaps very bloody. I recommend this one!

7/10

The Stepfather (1987)

The Stepfather

[8/10 · 11 January 2014]

A serial killer who is in love with the idea of a "perfect family" preys on the Maine family in 'The Stepfather'. The film starts with us seeing Terry Quinn's character changing his appearance and leaving his family home after brutally butchering them. We fast forward some time later to him now going by the name of Jerry Blake, he's got a wife named Susan and is the stepfather to our lead character Stephanie. Stephanie can't stand him and suspects there is more to him than meets the eye. She begins investigating into the murder he committed a year prior, and it isn't long before he catches on. Others begin questioning him as well, and his former brother-in-law from the family he killed is on the hunt for him. With the walls closing in, Jerry beings to crack... and begins to kill.

'The Stepfather' is a brilliant late eighties thriller! I first came across it years back when TBS used to show a marathon of the Stepfather series on a regular basis. It's a basic story of a madman, but the performances by the actors involved takes it to another level. Terry Quinn is amazing as the psychotic Jerry Blake, just his mannerisms when he's having his meltdowns are spot on. Jill Schoelen, who became a late eighties scream queen, did a terrific job as the lead female character. And Shelley Hack put in a good performance as Stephanie's mom Susan, the woman he gave into the charms of Jerry.

There are some death scenes, some pretty brutal, but the intensity comes from watching Jerry Blake crack under the pressure. Not knowing when he'll snap leaves viewers on the edge of their seats, and when he finally does snap towards the end of the film ... things get scary. Highly recommended.

8/10

Trilogy of Terror II (1996 TV Movie)

Trilogy of Terror II

[8/10 · 10 August 2013]

Trilogy of Terror II is the obvious sequel to the 70's made for TV film which featured three scary stories. This one has the same number of stories, and each have a satisfying ending to them like the original film. The first story is "The Graveyard Rats" which tells the tale of a woman and her lover who plan to murder her old rich husband for his money. They do the deed, making it look like an accident, but realize that they must dig up his grave in order to any money. Problem is the graveyard is filled with huge rats determined to devour anything in sight. The second tale is called "Bobby". A mother uses voodoo to bring her dead son back, only to discover that by doing so she has unleashed an evil force upon herself. And the final tale (the best one) continues the killer Zulu fetish doll story from the original, this time it attacks a woman alone in a museum who was brought in by police to look at it.

I really enjoyed 'Trilogy of Terror II', I thought it was a very good sequel to a strong film made years prior. The first two stories are scary and creepy, and are actually more creative ideas than the first two tales told in the original 'Trilogy of Terror'. Continuing the Zuni fetish doll story from where we left off with Karen Black in the first film was a brilliant idea! It's basically the day after Karen Black's character killed her mother while possessed by the doll. Good stuff.

Acting all around was brilliant, starting with Lysette Anthony who was the lead in all three tales. There were also some really good stand out performances by the supporting cast particularly in the first story 'The Graveyard Rats' from Matt Clark and Geraint Wyn Davies. Sad to say this has not been released on DVD yet, but it certainly deserves a release! Check this out if you come across it.

8/10

Strait-Jacket (1964)

Strait Jacket

[9/10 · 10 August 2013]

Joan Crawford's character is the prime suspect in a series of axe murders in 'Strait Jacket'. We get a back-story before the film really gets going. Lucy Harbin came home early one night from a trip to find her husband cheating on her with another woman. She kills the both of them with an axe while her young daughter Carol watched. Fast forward 20 years, and Lucy is just getting out to live with her brother Bill and daughter Carol. Pretty soon we witness some things with Lucy that make viewers question her sanity, such as her seeing decapitated heads in bed with her that later disappear. And then a couple of axe murders occur, and all signs point straight at Lucy...but a clever twist and exciting/creepy conclusion make 'Strait Jacket' much more compelling than many other horror films.

I love this movie, it's one of my favourite old time "classic" horror flicks. Joan Crawford puts in her best performance next to 'What Ever Happened to Baby Jane', you really feel for Lucy Harbin yet fear that she is slipping back into insanity. Diane Baker also puts in an AMAZING as the seemingly well put together daughter of Lucy (Carol). The murder scenes are well done and graphic for its time. The finale at the mansion when Lucy's boyfriends parents are attacked is filmed perfectly, it's creepy and the use of shadows makes viewers jump. The twist at the end as it's revealed who the murderer is was a shocking one, and acted out perfectly.

'Strait Jacket' should be seen by all, another brilliant masterpiece by William Castle. It's a scary and eerie little early slasher flick which has some good performances and terrifying moments.

9/10

Bats (1999)

Bats

[5/10 · 10 August 2013]

An expert named Dr. Sheila Casper is brought in when "Bats" begin killing animals and people in a small town in Texas. Some bodies are first found all chewed up, and we discover the killers are large bats who have been injected with something thanks to a mad scientist Dr. Alexander McCabe. Those bats attack and infect a large number of other normal bats, and that's when it becomes feeding time. Whatever the scientist did to the bats he was testing gives them the ability to sense things that normal bats wouldn't, and also gives them the thirst for human blood. We see the bats attack our main group of characters, as well as the entire town until Sheila realizes the only way to stop them for good is to freeze them. Will this attempt to end their reign of terror work, or will the mutated bats live on and kill everyone in sight?

'Bats' is pretty much an average "animal/mammal attacks" type of horror movie. It really gave nothing too special other than a few moments. Those moments which work are the scenes in the small town when the bats attack the townsfolk. We get nice location shots of them attacking a bar, a grocery store, the outside of a movie theatre, etc. That was really well done. Where the movie fails is it's ending portion. It drags on way too much in which the experts and Sheriff Emmett Kimsey tries to kill them. Plus an added plot point of making it that the government was creating killer bats as weapons in war or something fell flat. I don't know, I thought it was really silly.

Acting was pretty good I thought. Lou Diamond Phillips as the Sheriff and Dina Meyer as the expert did a good job. The stand-out performance goes to Leon as funny guy Jimmy, he had some funny one-liners and delivered them perfectly. I'd recommend 'Bats' if you like these kinds of horror films where animals or birds attack. It wasn't bad, but could've been better.

5/10

Trilogy of Terror (1975 TV Movie)

Trilogy of Terror

[8/10 · 4 August 2013]

'Trilogy of Terror' tells three different scary stories, each with Karen black in the lead role. These stories are well put together, and each have a eerie little twist at the end of them that left me shocked, and in one story, creeped out.

In the first story "Julie", we meet a high school jock type of guy named Chad who wonders what his teacher Julie looks like under all of the stuffy clothes she wears. Julie has the whole librarian look going on. She has her hair up in a bun always, glasses on, multiple layers of clothing, etc. Chad becomes almost obsessed with her, and comes up with a sick scheme to drug and take photos of Julie half naked in bed as a way to blackmail her into sleeping with him and doing what he wants. It's not too long after that we discover Julie isn't all she seems, and that leads to a well put together twist.

The next is called "Millicent and Therese", both of whom are sisters who have nothing in common. Millicent is the good girl with morals, values and no make-up. Therese is basically a sexually suggestive woman who uses her sexuality and looks to get what she wants. Anyways, Millicent tells a story which paints Therese as their mother's killer and makes out as if Therese sold her soul to Satan. We the viewers soon get a better insight into the two sisters and their personality when their psychiatrist comes on, and realize that not all that Millicent has said is true...

The third and final story is the most terrifying, it's called "Amelia". Amelia is a happy young woman who lives on her own in a high rise apartment building. She's gotten a Zuni fetish doll shipped to her which she planned to give to her boyfriend as a gift, he studies anthropology. The doll comes with a scroll which states this specific doll is possessed by the spirit of a Zuni hunter named "He Who Kills"...and once you remove the gold chain from around it's neck, it will kill again. The chain accidentally comes off, and it goes after Amelia in her apartment leading to a genuinely scary ending.

'Trilogy of Terror' is a good made for TV movie from the 70's, I lied it for it's interesting conclusions to each tale. Even if the story was a little weak or slower moving, the twist at the end saves it. For example, I thought the first two stories lacked compared to the third, but the endings saved them! Karen Black was magnificent in all of her roles in each story, this movie had to have a strong actress to make it work and she did. I highly recommend this one.

8/10

The Dorm That Dripped Blood (1982)

The Dorm That Dripped Blood

[7/10 · 2 August 2013]

A deranged killer attacks a group of students in 'The Dorm That Dripped Blood'. Five university students volunteer over the Christmas break to close up the dorm, clean up things around campus. PRetty soon we see that some maniac has the intention of killing them. He or she knocks off a couple of students (violently), and then starts playing pranks on our main group left at the campus. The psychopath destroys a huge dinner they make, cuts the phone lines, fixes the lights to shut off, etc. Very soon, the murderer starts attacking our main group leading to the identity being revealed in an interesting little ending.

I thought 'The Dorm That Dripped Blood' was a good addition to 80's slashers, but didn't have the same flash that some of the other films at that time had. Production values seemed low in this one, so a lot of the film is poorly lit. The acting isn't the best ever, Laurie Lapinski was okay as the lead heroine. Daphne Zuniga, who is probably the most famous in the cast, puts in a good performance. Nothing spectacular, but nothing that took away from the film in a negative way. The scares are well done, the location of the dark dorm/campus helps in that! We get some stalking scenes with the killer and the characters which were creepy. The killer's identity is weak, but doesn't make this a bad film at all.

I highly recommend 'The Dorm That Dripped Blood' to all horror fans. It is a relatively unknown slasher film that I don't believe has ever had a proper DVD release in North America. Check it out if you can!

7/10

The 4th Floor (1999)

The 4th Floor

[6/10 · 2 August 2013]

A young woman inherits an apartment on "The 4th Floor", and discovers some deadly secrets. Jane Emelin's grandmother passed away after a bizarre accident in the building, so she gets the apartment on the fourth floor. Immediately she meets her crazed and wacky neighbours, some of whom seem very off. She also has a slew of people doing weird things across the street from her, she has a perfect view from her place into theirs. It has a "Rear Window" feel to it, very well done. Pretty soon after, her neighbour below begins banging on the ceiling scaring Jane late at night and even during the day telling her to keep quiet. The person below soon fills Jane's apartment with rats, frightening her! But this person's issues go much deeper than wanting Jane to keep the noise level down... and the person goes further than simply putting a few rats inside of the apartment.

I liked 'The 4th Floor', it was a pretty well done suspense film. Jane is basically being harassed by her neighbour below in an attempt to get her to move out. We get some suspects; her boyfriend who wants her to move in with him, a creepy female neighbour, a locksmith who lives across the street and a nice but odd male neighbour who takes a liking to Jane. According to everyone in the building, the neighbour below is an old lady who NEVER comes out. We of course find out differently, and also discover what really happened to Jane's grandmother. Lots of mystery.

Acting was well done by all in this one, with Juliette Lewis in the lead heroine role. "The 4th Floor" doesn't have all the blood and special effects that others have, but it doesn't need it. It's story and very creepy conclusion/twist that make this a must see!

6/10

The Haunting (1999)

The Haunting

[4/10 · 29 July 2013]

A group of insomniacs do their best to put viewers to sleep in 'The Haunting', a truly disappointing attempt at a horror film. Eleanor (or Nell) lives a boring life and has for years, taking care of her ill mother. Now that the mother has passed away, she's having trouble sleeping so when she see's an ad for a sleep study on insomniacs, she jumps at the opportunity. She and two others (along with the head of the study) have to spend a few days inside a creepy old mansion in which it's deceased owner (Hugh Crane) was a sadistic creepy guy who loved children. Each night some strange stuff happens; loud noises, ghosts climbing into bed with Nell, that sort of stuff. The group discovers the secret behind Crane and the children who died there, leading to an odd ending in which Nell feels compelled to stay in the haunted house forever.

'The Haunting' has got to be the most non scary horror film out there, when it really shouldn't be. It had a huge budget, a large creepy old house, a decent story had it been told better... but at the end of the day is just not scary or even remotely terrifying at all. The "scares" are few and far between, and when a ghost does appear they aren't eerie to watch. Most of the ghosts are the dead children from years ago, but they are nice ghosts and try to help Nell. The main villain Hugh Crane is not scary or intimidating at all, even when he finally appears it falls so flat. And one of the most disappointing things about this remake is that it does not use the huge mansion to it's advantage. The noises that we hear late at night are not well done at all, and the actors do not react in an appropriate way to the "scares".

I thought Lili Taylor put in a very weak performance as the lead Eleanor. Some of the acting choices she made during the "scary" moments feel flat and felt forced from on her part. Liam Neeson hammed it up for the cameras and seemed out of place in this. Catherine Zeta-Jones and Luke Wilson however did good jobs in the supporting roles. Overall 'The Haunting' remake is a failure. Stick to the original 1962 film, it was much better.

4/10

When a Stranger Calls (2006)

When a Stranger Calls

[7/10 · 29 July 2013]

This remake of 'When a Stranger Calls' attempts to take the intense and terrifying first fifteen minutes of the original, and makes a full length film of it. It's the classic story of the babysitter alone at night getting harassing calls, soon to find out that the caller is inside of the house all along. Jill Johnson (Camilla Belle) is the young teenage girl who has the responsibility of taking care of the Mandrakis' two kids. Once she gets to the house, which is practically an estate, she begins receiving harassing phone calls from someone asking her "have you checked the children". It's eventually revealed to Jill that the calls are coming from inside the house, and it's up to her to get herself and the children out alive.

This house is HUGE! It's got an indoor pond, at least a dozen rooms, and lights that turn on and off when you enter and exit each area of the house. I am so happy that the people who made this film actually used their large location to their advantage! Jill runs through almost every inch of the place, being stalked by the crazed caller. We actually get some very tense moments in this one when Jill discovers the caller is in the house, very well done. Acting was really good from Camilla Belle, you can feel her fear. The film is basically surrounding her and her character, so it's good that she put in a good performance. Katie Cassidy who is a scream queen herself put in a good job in the supporting role of Jill's friend/enemy Tiffany.

I am definitely in the minority when it comes to this remake, I thought it was pretty well done. It was not near as good as the original and the first 15 minutes of tension in that one, but I like that this remake focused ENTIRELY on the babysitter being stalked by the serial killer which is something the original failed to do.

7/10

The Haunting (1963)

The Haunting

[8/10 · 29 July 2013]

Four people spend a weekend at haunted Hill House as a part of a experimental study of supernatural phenomena in 'The Haunting'. Dr Markway enlists the group to go to the haunted mansion for his study, and that's when we meet our main character Eleanor (Nell). She is a lonely woman whose mother just passed away, and is now looking for an escape of some sort. A weekend at Hill House sounds wonderful to her at first. From the moment she enters the mansion she feels an out of world presence. We meet the other two guests and the doctor who is heading the study. Creepy loud noises occur in the middle of the night frightening Nell and the others, and it's not far after that in which we learn the chilling violent story of the man who owned the house years prior (Hugh Crane).

This original version of 'The Haunting' gets it so right. It looks at Eleanor's mental state and by letting us inside the mind of Eleanor we can sympathize with her, understand her better and appreciate the character. In the 1999 remake, we get none of that therefore do not feel or completely understand why she feels the way she does. We also get a series of disturbing and eerie loud noises and ghostly scares, and this movie does it so well. While watching 'The Haunting' late at night, it's actually unsettling and makes this film a genuinely scary ghost movie.

The acting was well done from everyone involved. Julie Harris played unhinged Eleanor very well, and the supporting cast (Claire Bloom, Richard Johnson and Russ Tamblyn) did a great job in their performances as well. Overall, 'The Haunting' was a very well done scary movie from the early sixties. It has some goo performances as well as good scares to keep the audience engaged.

8/10

He Knows You're Alone (1980)

He Knows You're Alone

[7/10 · 26 July 2013]

A soon-to-be bride is stalked by a deranged serial killer in 'He Knows You're Alone'. As soon as the film start, we see a young woman murdered while watching a horror film at the theatre. It's revealed that she was about to be married in a few days, and that there is a serial killer out there who kills brides to be! Apparently this guys soon to be bride left him for another guy, so he went crazy and killed her and has killed ever since. Eventually we get to our main group of characters, including the lead female Amy who is about to be married in a matter of days. The psychopath discovers she's about to be wed, and the film surrounds him stalking her and murdering her close friends... leading to a bloody ending, and a satisfying conclusion with a twist.

'He knows You're Alone' was very well done considering the year it was made, and the likely small budget it was on. The stalking scenes with the killer were paced well and creepy, you could feel him near Amy and her friends. It does have a bit of a Michael Myers feel to it, when Michael was following Laurie around the streets. The opening murder scene at the movie theatre is brilliant, and clearly 'Scream 2' took their cinema murder scene with Jada Pinkett Smith straight from this film.

The acting was really good, especially from Caitlin O'Heaney (Amy) and the lovesick puppy who adores her Don Scardino (Marvin). I liked their chemistry, the movie's subplot involves Amy being torn between her fiancé who is a boring guy and Marvin who makes her (and viewers) laugh. Patsy Pease and Elizabeth Kemp are good as Amy's friends, and a young Tom Hanks puts in a great performance in his first ever movie role/acting job. It isn't a perfect film, I thought it could've used a bit more scares. Maybe could've even have the killer wear a mask of some sort to create fear, but 'He Know's You're Alone' is an underrated 80's slasher that I'd recommend to all.

7/10

When a Stranger Calls Back (1993 TV Movie)

When a Stranger Calls Back

[8/10 · 21 July 2013]

'When a Stranger calls Back' takes us down the same path the original did with the psychopath harassing the babysitter initially, but takes a turn and makes this almost more chilling than the 1977 film. We meet Julia, a teenage girl who is babysitting two young kids. A man keeps knocking on the front door asking to use her phone because his car broke down. She writes his vehicle information down on a pad of paper, and puts it down and leaves the room. She is unable to call a towing company because the phones are dead! When she gets back to the pad of paper, everything she wrote down has been erased. The man outside claims to have seen someone walking around inside of the house, she looks into the living room.. someone dressed in black is headed straight for her!

Sound familiar? It's a bit like the original, just without the phone calls or the man being upstairs. Julia survives and we flash forward five years. The children that night went missing and were never found, same goes for the man who was inside of the house. Julia is now living on her own near a college campus, still suffering from the effects of what happened that night. She looks in her closet and see's the shirt of the little boy (who she was babysitting) hanging up, and that's when she realizes that the psychopath is after her again. She gets in touch with Jill (Carol Kane), our heroine from the original film to help her through this. Jill gets John Clifford (the police officer from the first movie) to help her find the man as well, leading to an interesting story and a creepy ending.

The psychopath in this sequel is nothing like Curt Duncan in the original. Duncan was simply deranged, this man is a master of illusion. He has the ability to be standing right next to you, but project his voice to make you believe he is outside your front door. He paints himself identical to an area of your apartment, so that you could walk right by him and not even realize he's there. That element makes 'When a Stranger Calls Back' an eerie and EXCELLENT film. It matches up well to the first one. Acting is great with Charles Dunning, Carol Kane and Jill Schoelen. I liked 'When a Stranger Calls' slightly more than this one for it's intensity, but this was really well done. Deserves a proper DVD release!

8/10

When a Stranger Calls (1979)

When a Stranger Calls

[8/10 · 21 July 2013]

A deranged man harasses a babysitter late at night in 'When a Stranger Calls'. A teenage girl named Jill who is babysitting two children gets obscene phone calls, each time the person asking "have you checked the children?". She calls the police who eventually put a tap on the phone to see who is harassing her. They tell her the calls are coming from inside the house she is in! The man's been upstairs the whole time! It's revealed that he killed the kids... We then go seven years into the future. The killer has escaped from a mental institution and the police officer who was on the case years back John Clifford (now retired) has been hired to find Duncan and kill him. After stalking a woman he meets in a bar, Duncan eventually finds Jill who now has a husband and children. The conclusion is a shocker!

'When a Stranger Calls' is like two movies put into one. The first fifteen minutes are some of the most intense and terrifying moments in horror movie history! It's pure horror. But the middle frame feels much more like a cop crime/drama. It basically follows Clifford trying to find Duncan in order to kill him for what he did all those years ago. Duncan falls for a woman who lives in the city, and it's basically him stalking her while Clifford stalks him. Then we get to the conclusion which is just as good as the first fifteen minutes of complete terror.

I had nothing wrong with the middle frame of 'When a Stranger Calls', it was well written and acted.. it just wasn't as intense as the first part of the film with the babysitter getting the calls. IT fell flat when compared to the beginning. The acting was good all around, from Charles Dunning and Carol Kane to Tony Beckley as the psychopath Curt Duncan. Overall this is a horror movie that should be seen by all. Despite a bit of a slow middle frame, the beginning and ending are must see!

8/10

The Conjuring (2013)

The Conjuring

[8/10 · 21 July 2013]

It's possession galore for the Perron family in "The Conjuring". The film for the most part takes place in 1971 and that's we meet the Perrons, a nice all American type family with a couple and their five daughters. They move into a house which is basically possessed and is haunted. It's all okay at first until the family dog dies, and then some doors start opening on their own, and finally some of the teenage daughters begin to feel a demonic presence in the house at night trying to get at them. They call the Ed and Lorraine Warren for help, a couple who investigate paranormal activity. Eventually we discover some history of the people who lived in that house over the years, and the terrible things that went on in the house. Can the investigators save the Perron family from being possessed completely, or will it all end in tragedy?

'The Conjuring' is a chilling horror movie, and it uses many different things then what we are used to seeing in recent horror flicks. Mirrors and shadowy figures and creaking doors opening are used to create fright, instead of blood and guts and over the top jump scares. Great direction by James Wan, this film had a 'Dead Silence' feel to it (that was also directed by Wan). I liked the background story of the people who lived in the house before, although I wish it would've been explored more.

What I didn't like about this was the exorcism parts. I just felt like it was sort of ripping off of 'The Exorcist', and it fell a bit flat and was a little silly. Any demonic possession movie will get that comparison. The special effects and make up for it was well done though! Acting was good all around, in particular from Vera Farmiga and Lili Taylor. 'The Conjuring' is basically 'The Amityville Horror' meets 'The Exorcist', with a few more scares. Some of the scenes late at night with the kids being basically stalked by the ghosts were genuinely scary, I thought it was really well done. I'd check this out!

8/10

April Fool's Day (1986)

April Fool's Day

[8/10 · 21 July 2013]

A group of college friends take a seemingly peaceful weekend trip to their pal Muffy's house on an island, however things get deadly in a hurry in 'April Fool's Day'. It all starts when the friends are on the ferry boat headed to the island. A couple of them decide to play a game, but it goes wrong and one of the boat crewmen gets injured. The group make their way to Muffy's large island home, and it isn't long before we see some of the character's being stalked and "picked off" by an unknown assailant. Eventually, it gets down to Kit and Rob to discover the murder mystery and save themselves from sure death...

I enjoyed 'April Fool's Day' a lot. The twist at the end was actually not disappointing for me at all, I know it gets a lot of flack. I thought it worked well given the title of the film and how they explain it at the end. The acting was very good, it was great to see Amy Steel one of my favourite "final girl's" from the Friday the 13th series. She was great as the lead heroine Kit in this one. 'April Fool's Day' had great atmosphere to it, which made the film feel scary and gritty. You could feel the fear that the friends felt after discovering the first dead body.

I highly recommend this. It's a late 80's slasher which isn't your typical slasher. It has the feel of it without the extreme gore, and a nice twist at the end to wrap it all up. Check it out.

8/10

Are You in the House Alone? (1978 TV Movie)

Are You in the House Alone?

[7/10 · 21 July 2013]

A young high school student begins getting creepy phone calls which eventually leads to her being stalked in 'Are You in the House Alone?". Gail Osborne is a sweet teenage girl who begins going out with classmate Steve. Eventually, she gets a phone call from an anonymous person who does the whole heavy breathing routine. It gets worse from there as Gail gets a note in her locker stating "I'm watching you". We get our list of suspects early on... is it the creepy photography teacher, Gail's current boyfriend or her ex boyfriend? Gail takes a babysitting job in town and that's when the stalker gets close and sadly Gail is raped by this person. We know who did it, and the rest of the film shows Gail trying to prove this person did this to her.

'Are You in the House Alone' is actually an important film for it's time as it tackles tough topics such a rape and women's rights. It isn't so much a horror film (like the title might make it seem) as it is a suspense/mystery movie. We spend a lot of the film trying to figure out who the stalker is. Once we find out the identity of the person, it's hard to watch Gail have to prove it to her closest friend and even the courts/police. Some of the stalking scenes were REALLY well done, and add creepiness to the movie.

The acting was very well done from Kathleen Beller, Scott Colomby, Robin Mattson and a young Dennis Quaid. Where the film lacks is it's pacing. It drags on quite a bit, and focuses a lot of the time on Gail's family issues and her father who's been recently laid off of his job. Good performances by her parents Blythe Danner and Tony Bill. I recommend seeing this 70's made for TV film for sure. It's only ever been released on VHS, but is online as well. It's a slower moving movie, but definitely has it's moments

7/10

Scream 3 (2000)

Scream 3

[8/10 · 15 July 2013]

A couple of years after the brutal Windsor College murders, Sidney is back in 'Scream 3' to battle a new ghostface yet again. The setting is Hollywood now, and the new Stab movie 'Stab 3: Return to Woodsboro' is about to released. We get an opening scene murder of a familiar face to the 'Scream' series, and that's when the fun begins. Gale and Dewey are back on the scene trying to help the cops solve the case, and Sidney eventually joins them from her secluded farmhouse. Pretty soon more of the cast members of Stab 3 start getting picked off in the order that they die in the movie, leading to a bloody conclusion at the director's mansion in Hollywood in which we learn some hidden secrets of Sidney's mother Maureen Prescott.

'Scream 3' is without a doubt the weakest of the original three films. However when the weakest film of a trilogy is as good as this is, that doesn't really matter. I enjoyed 'Scream 3' for many reasons, one of which is the Holloywood setting! It's fun to watch a movie within a movie, and we get film sets and director's mansions and cameos from movie stars. This one delivers in that aspect. I also like the idea of having the cast of "Stab 3" murdered off in a specific order, as well as the Maureen Prescott mystery. Almost every time the killer murders someone, a photo of Maureen in her younger days is left at the scene. So I thought that was good as well.

The acting was top notch again from all the regulars, as well as some new characters played by Jenny McCarthy, Parker Posey and Deon Richmond. I thought Parker Posey who was playing an actress who was playing Gale Weathers in "Stab 3" did a fantastic job in a comedic role. Courtney Cox and Posey running around and away from ghostface was hilarious, the two worked well together! The blood and gore seemed less than the previous films, but still effective enough.

'Scream 3' isn't as good as the first two for the reason that it does copy a lot of what we've already seen. That's the problem with sequels usually, and why they fail to surpass the original. It's stuff we've already witnessed. But I enjoyed this enough to highly recommend it, it's a great horror film that has quite a few intense moments. And the killer's identity was pretty good as well

8/10

Home for the Holidays (1972 TV Movie)

Home for the Holidays

[7/10 · 8 July 2013]

Four sisters come 'Home for the Holidays' when it appears that their father is dying. Their father tells them that his new wife Elizabeth is slowly poisoning him to death, and that he summoned them all there to kill her before she kills him! They just think he's a silly old man, but eventually the sister's begin being stalked (and some of them even killed) by a person in a bright yellow raincoat. This new wife of his was also suspected years ago of killing her first husband, but was never charged. It's a Christmas murder mystery, and with seemingly unhinged Elizabeth as the main suspect... will anyone survive?

I enjoyed 'Home for the Holidays', it's even become a Christmas tradition here at my place to watch it. However, it's not the best "Made for TV" movie put out there that's for sure. It drags on just a little too much, so some people might lose interest with it early on. Some of it plays off like a soap opera, with all of the in fighting with the sisters. It can get a little tedious, but I enjoyed the family squabbles to be honest. The acting was very dramatic and over the top, perfect for 1972. Sally Field puts in a good performance as the good sister Christine, and Julie Harris does well as Elizabeth.

'Home for the Holidays' has an interesting twist to the end of the mystery, which most people could probably see coming a mile away. Nevertheless, it's a good one and adds up to the story we get from the four sister's and how messed up they all are (minus Christine). I'd check this one out if you find it, it's a good addition to the "Holiday Horror" sub-genre.

7/10

Dawn of the Dead (2004)

Dawn of the Dead

[6/10 · 7 July 2013]

Dawn of the Dead tells the tale of zombies attacking a group of human survivors who take refuge inside a large shopping center. This is of course the remake to the amazing 1978 film by George A. Romero. While it has it's moments, this remake fails to match or surpass that original for a few reasons. Anyways, the movie begins with the world BEFORE the zombie invasion. We meet our "main" character Ana who is coming home from a shift at the hospital. She goes to bed with her husband and then is awoken to a little girl standing in the hallway. Yes, she is a zombie. It is a very tense and creepy opening scene. That's when the excitement begins and Ana takes herself to safety at the mall.

Other than the fact that it's a zombie film and it's location is inside of a large shopping mall, the Dawn of the Dead remake is very different from the original (which I liked a lot). This one had a much bigger budget and a more well known cast, but wasn't as good as the 1978 version. It's a good movie but failed to surpass the original. I HATE the fact that zombies can run, it takes away from the eerie moments we witnessed in the original 'Dead' films. Them running does add some intensity to a few scenes, but it just isn't the same as the 1978 version.

'Dawn of the Dead (2004)' does have some creepy moments, and of course has gore galore. But it doesn't have the same charm the original had. This should be seen by all horror/zombie fans as it is a good entry to the genre.

6/10

Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956)

Invasion of the Body Snatchers

[9/10 · 7 July 2013]

Invasion of the Body Snatchers is a classic sci-fi film, my favourite of the entire 'Snatchers' film series. It all begins when a doctor (our main character) Miles Bennell see's a young boy who says his mother isn't his mother, and a woman who says her uncle wasn't her uncle. Despite physical appearances being exactly how they should be, the two of them can tell something is off with their loved one's. Pretty soon, Miles and his love interest Becky discover some sort of plant pods growing in the basement, and then in their friend's back garden. These pods form into people, people that they know, even themselves! That's when they realize that alien lifeforms are trying to take over their bodies. And if they fall asleep, they will be gone forever. Taken over by emotionless beings who look identical to them. Can they get out of Santa Mira in time to get help, or will they succumb and fall asleep?

This original 'Invasion of the Body Snatchers' is the real deal. It is the best of the entire Invasion series by far! It does not get too in depth with scientific talk like the 1978 entry does, therefore does not drag on as much. This one focuses solely on the chase. We follow Miles and Becky as they run from the pod people all over town. It's exciting and never failed to get my interest. You can see how sleepy the both of them are after stay awake for so long, I guess that's a credit to the acting of Kevin McCarthy and Dana Wynter who did a great job in this.

I highly recommend this 1956 original version of 'Invasion of the Body Snatchers'. It gets your imagination going, tells a riveting story and it keeps viewers on the edge of their seats right to the very end.

9/10

Children of the Corn: Revelation (2001 Video)

Children of the Corn: Revelation

[5/10 · 7 July 2013]

The seventh film in the Children of the Corn series takes us to a soon- to-be condemned building where our main character Jamie's grandmother lives. Jamie goes to visit her grandma, but finds the building she lives in a mess. And her grandmother is missing. She decides to stay at the building to wait and see if she comes back, but finds some strange things going on. There are two creepy looking kids that are always appearing all over the place. And since this is a 'Children of the Corn' film, seeing creepy little kids is never a good thing. Eventually we find some secrets out about Jamie's grandmother, and then it's up to Jamie to battle an evil force trying to kill her.

This seventh instalment in a LONG drawn out series is not all that good. I remember it being better than 'Children of the Corn 666: Isaac's Return', but it fails to match some of the earlier sequels. It feels cheap, the production of it all just feels like it was made on a low budget. And it likely was! The acting wasn't all that bad which could've been an issue. Claudette Mink was good as the lead character Jamie. A problem with this film and the one before it is that it fails to bring not only scares, but entertainment. COTC 1-5 had some really good moments, even if some of those movies weren't very good. This one just felt rushed and some of the plot was confusing.

I'd recommend this to 'Children of the Corn' fans only. It's a good enough entry if you are a fan of the series, but fails in comparison to some of the other sequels.

5/10

Bad Ronald (1974 TV Movie)

Bad Ronald

[7/10 · 7 July 2013]

'Bad Ronald' tells the tale of a young teenage boy who accidentally kills a child, and is forced to go in hiding - within the walls of his own house! Ronald is a shy teenager who appears to not have many friends, if any at all. He spends most of his time at home with his mother, sketching pictures and creating a fantasy world book he created in which he is a prince and has a beautiful princess. One day on his way home, a little girl who lives in the town start picking on him. He gets so enraged that he throws her to the ground. Unfortunately she hits her head on a rock and dies. The police are after Ronald, so his mother's master plan is to hide him away in their house. But when the mother falls ill and dies, Ronald is left on his own inside the walls... with a new family moving into HIS home.

This was one of the better made for T.V. movies from the seventies. It ranks right up there with 'Don't Be Afraid of the Dark' and 'Dying Room Only'. It was well acted with Scott Jacoby leading the way as Ronald, the conflicted yet slightly deranged teen. Kim Hunter, who played Ronald's mother, did wonderful as the controlling and possessive parent. It's exciting to watch Ronald hide out behind the walls, especially when the new family moves into the house. There are some intense moments when he's watching them through a peep hole in the wall, and the ending is effectively eerie too.

I highly recommend 'Bad Ronald' to all. It's a good seventies made for TV movie that kept my interest for the most part. Pick it up on DVD if you see it.

7/10

The Changeling (1980)

The Changeling

[7/10 · 7 July 2013]

The film starts with our main character (John Russell) who is with his wife and daughter on a snowy road. Their car breaks down and John leaves them to go call for assistance. Tragically, a truck and car collide on the road right near them, killing both the wife and young child. After their deaths, John moves out of their home and moves into a huge mansion. Right from the start, strange things begin to happen. Doors open on their own, loud banging noises start occurring at exactly 6:00AM, taps to the kitchen sink start pumping out water all on it's own, etc. The moment John realizes that something is seriously wrong is when he see's the image of a little boy drowning in his bathtub. John investigates further and discovers a chilling tale of murder.

'The Changeling' is a genuinely eerie ghost/haunting type of movie. You have to be invested in sticking with it though in order for it to be. When I first saw it years back, I got bored with it and thought it was highly overrated. However, on another day I took the time to really sit and give it my full attention. That was when I realized it was a good scary movie. It doesn't have the special effects or the gore that other horror films do, so you have to use your imagination at times.

Acting was well done by all, with George C. Scott leading the way. 'The Changeling' is a movie I'd recommend depending on a person's mood. If you're in the mood to sit and be really invested in a movie, than catch this. It can drag a bit which turns some people off to it. Give it a try and see for yourself.

7/10

Summer of Fear (1978 TV Movie)

Summer of Fear

[6/10 · 7 July 2013]

It's a 'Summer of Fear' for Rachel and her family when cousin Julia comes to live with them. Following the death of her parents, Julia moves to the countryside to stay with her extended family. Almost immediately after moving in, Rachel's life begins to unravel. Her parents begin to favour Julia over her, her beloved horse dies AND her boyfriend falls for her cousin Julia. Instead of chalking these horrible occurrences up to coincidence, Rachel begins to do some investigating. It's then that she discovers that Julia is in fact a witch, and is not her real cousin! With no one believing her, can Rachel save her family and herself from death at the hands of witchcraft?

'Summer of Fear' tells a good story and is enjoyable to watch, but can't get past it's "Made for TV" label. The problem with it is that it drags a bit too much (like a TV movie does), so if you don't have the patience you won't get to the really fun parts (which are at the middle-end frame). I did however think it was a good horror flick. The acting was stellar from Linda Blair as Rachel, and Lee Purcell as the witch Julia. It's frustrating to watch Julia get away with everything and basically take Rachel's place. The movie does a good job of making you root for Rachel, which is good. Sometimes a lead can be annoying, or the villain is so entertaining that you turn on the "good girl". 'Summer of Fear' however really makes you feel bad for Rachel.

I'd recommend this one for sure. It moves a little slow at the start and throughout some bits in the middle, but Blair and Purcell put in good performances and the story is a good one. There are some good location shots and creepy moments once "Julia" completely transforms into the witch she is. Check it out!

6/10