It’s surprising that Daniel Erickson’s “Scary Movie” has fallen so consistently under the radar, especially during the rise of modern Halloween oriented movies. Erickson’s movie is very misleading in that it feels a lot like it meanders back and forth narratively, but in the end, charges head first in to something absolutely clever. John Hawkes’ performance as a gaping, clueless, and frightened young man is wholly intentional. Warren is basically the foundation of “Scary Movie” as he wanders around his small towns’ haunted house attraction on Halloween night literally terrified of his own shadow.
Tag Archives: Crime
Tales from the Hood 3 (2020)
The “Tales from the Hood” series keeps chugging on and sadly doesn’t seem to be taking advantage of its platform involving racial and social commentary, anymore. While “Tales from the Hood 3” is a solid horror anthology, it doesn’t pack any of the social commentary we saw in the original movie and the zany sequel. That both works against and for the considerably low budget follow up. I doubt a lot of people are going to enjoy “Tales from the Hood 3” but I had a good time.
Happy Halloween, Scooby Doo! (2020)
Who better to celebrate Halloween than the Scooby Gang? “Happy Halloween, Scooby Doo!” is the thirty first animated movie in the long running franchise. It’s a long running franchise that, to its credit, doesn’t seem to be slowing down any time soon. This installment is firmly a Halloween oriented movie, revolving around the idea of fear, and Velma trying to ignore her emotional response to fear in favor of rationality. What she ultimately comes to realize is that fear can be a good thing; it can even help us survive in perilous situations.
The Goonies (1985) [4K Ultra HD/Blu-Ray/Digital]
Even though I was born in the eighties, I don’t have a particular connection with “The Goonies” as while it’s mostly considered a masterpiece, I’ve only ever considered it just pretty good. Director Richard Donner’s adventure film is the Hardy Boys Meets Indiana Jones and for the most part it’s an entertaining call back to fodder like “The East Side Kids,” which keeps in line with Spielberg’s ode to his childhood cinema.
For The Sake of Vicious (2019) [Fantasia Festival 2020]
The visceral raw energy and violence of Gabriel Carrer and Reese Eveneshen’s “For the sake of Vicious” is bound to be compared to the masterpieces like “The Green Room” very soon. The set up at least conjures up memories of “Assault on Precinct 13” except in a smaller scale. In either case, it’s a classic white knuckle home invasion siege thriller that spares no one, even when it successfully builds on empathetic and fascinating protagonists.
I Am Lisa (2020) [FrightFest 2020]
Following a brutal beating, Lisa is left for dead nearby her town by her assailants. While in these woods, Lisa encounters something else and comes out of her ordeal with interesting side effects.
A Witness Out of the Blue (2019) [Fantasia Fest 2020]
The official definition for this film is “[a] Hong Kong crime thriller about a detective and a parrot” and it honestly nails the film. It’s what it’s about with of course other factors involved like a criminal, some corruption, and a little bit of love possibly.