The dilemma that the writers for the “Paranormal Activity” series now find themselves in is that “Paranormal Activity 3” was a prequel that told us everything we needed to know about this mythos. We began with Katie, continued with her sister, and then found out why they were so special. The third film ended the saga. Now, the continuing sequels are really just running on fumes and scrambling to find ways to continue a story that doesn’t really need continuing. “The Marked Ones” is a great effort, but a sub-par horror film.
Tag Archives: Demons
Night of the Demons 2 (1994)
It’s ridiculous how great director Bryan Trenchard-Smith’s sequel to “Night of the Demons” is. Smith doesn’t just take Kevin Tenney’s story and run with it, but he ups the ante by adding mythology, giving Angela a larger persona as the series’ official villain, and has a damn good time. And how bad ass is Jennifer Rhodes as film heroine Sister Gloria, an uptight nun whose own religious devotion becomes the only thing that can stop Angela’s reign of terror?
Night Of The Demons (1988): Collector’s Edition [BluRay/DVD Combo]
Director Kevin Tenney loves Halloween, and it’s never made more clearly than during the “Night of the Demons.” The 1988 horror film is still a fun and hilarious horror comedy that doesn’t just embrace its horror tropes, but celebrates Halloween as a whole. From the pumpkin in the opening shot to the book end sub-plots involving a crabby old man preparing for trick or treaters, “Night of the Demons” is a perfect film for a Halloween party, and just a downright fantastic summary of why the eighties were such an unabashed festival of novelties for the horror genre.
Night of the Demons III (1997)
Movie three and I’m still not sure about what Hull house is, or why it hasn’t been torn down yet by the city. We know it’s built to keep out demons, and we know a man is accused of slaughtering his entire family (all of whom likely possessed by demons), but beyond that we’re not given anymore information. There’s still a lot of material to be mined from the concept, but director Jimmy Kaufman is mainly here to bring us through the motions. Angela is back, and she’s preparing another Halloween party for demonic minions. That’s about it, and that’s all we’re really getting for this final outing. Unlike the second film, Kaufman doesn’t do much with Kevin Tenney’s original premise.
Nightbreed (1990): The Director’s Cut [Blu-ray/DVD]
Thanks to the advent of home entertainment and a wonderful company like Scream Factory, director Clive Barker is finally able to realize his original vision for the cult horror film “Nightbreed.” While the film itself has gained momentum and respect over the years as a dark and morbid tale of monsters from the underworld facing human cruelty, Barker’s experience making the movie was a bitter one he often recollected with anger and sadness. With his Director’s Cut, he’s not only able to salvage old footage that he was forced to edit out of his narrative, but he re-structures “Nightbreed” in to practically an entirely new movie. One that’s better than the original cut.
This Is the End (2013)
You would think that “This is the End,” a movie about a group of Hollywood actors that basically play themselves for no reason would be self serving and self indulgent. And you’d be correct. Even in its breaking of the fourth wall and satirizing of its stars (that probably only the stars and their friends really would find laugh out loud funny), “This is the End” isn’t a bad movie. In fact for the first forty five minutes, it’s really funny and works as a goofy apocalyptic horror comedy. The rest is just filler, endless montages, and flat improv (mostly from Rogen).
Puppet Master 5: The Final Chapter (1994)
“The Final Chapter” of the Puppet Master series isn’t the final Puppet Master movie, but it’s definitely the final installment of the true series for me. I consider the rest of the installments nothing but filler and greatest hit clip compilations. In the first two films, we watched the evil puppets and their master Toulon wreak havoc, part three was the origin of how Toulon became evil and how the puppets were once capable of good, and the final two installments are Toulon and his puppets redeeming themselves by saving the world from interdimensional demons.







