Almost twenty years later, Frank Darabont’s adaptation of the Stephen King novella is still one of the most relentless and hopeless horror films ever made. “The Mist” is a merciless breakdown of humanity that shows everything from tribalism, religious fanaticism, and the extremes we’re willing to go through to make it one more day. Like Romero’s “Dawn of the Dead,” it all happens smack dab in the middle of a massive grocery store, where every aisle feels like a division of society that has broken off in to their own principles and moral codes. The longer the denizens of the store are stuck in the mist in this confined setting, the more the social structure and all semblance of civilization begins to break down.
Tag Archives: Horror
Totally Killer (2023)
A lot of modern directors are cultivating a formula of taking classic eighties and nineties movies and giving them a clever horror twist. While many have likened “Totally Killer” to “The Final Girls,” I’m more prone to consider “Totally Killer” a horror twist on “Back to the Future.” It’s very much a nod to Robert Zemeckis’ film right down to the similar finale. The way director Nahnatchka Khan stages her horror comedy is so much in the vein of the classic film, but that thankfully doesn’t hinder the experience.
Shudder’s “Creepshow” Returns With a Chaotic Season Four
Shudder’s “Creepshow” is back for yet another season piling on four whole seasons for Shudder and AMC. Not too shabby for a series that set a high bar with its original films. “Creepshow” season four is about as great as ever, opting for a lot of the classic EC Comics narratives. Many of the segments within season four involve tales of comeuppance, revenge tales, and sometimes morality plays. Often times show runner Gregory Nicotero and co. opts for primarily horror mixed with dark comedy a la the original “Creepshow” film.
Spirit Halloween: The Movie (2022)
It truly pains me to see that “Spirit Halloween: The Movie” is a genuinely terrible movie, in spite of its best intentions. I love “Spirit Halloween,” I love the whole spirit of their stores, and their charity work, but “The Movie” is a misfire on all cylinders. It’s a boring, poorly concocted adventure film that, shocking enough, doesn’t know how to utilize the Spirit Halloween setting all that well at all. The best way to describe “Spirit Halloween: The Movie” is that, at best, it feels like mid-tier straight to video fodder from Charles Band circa 1994. Even the script feels retro-fitted from probably a screenplay that was finished in the late 90’s.
DTV Monster Hits (1987)
I admittedly was a tad too young to really savor “DTV Monster Hits” as around 1987 I was four. But years later I was able to check out the VHS copy from a cousin, and I’ve been fascinated by this compilation ever since. Although “Monster Hits” is meant to celebrate Halloween, and the long history of Disney being some twisted people under the skin, it’s also a fun compilation of some huge eighties hits. And this was 1987, the peak of the decade where Michael Jackson reigned supreme. And it’s not a surprise that the artist that leads this small compilation is Michael Jackson whose massive hit “Thriller” plays over segments of a lot of Disney animation.
Headless Horseman (2022)
Take two cups of “Ghost Rider,” one cup of “Spawn,” a dash of “The Crow,” mix it up with only a fraction of the budget, and you have Jose Prendes’ “Headless Horseman.” The Asylum’s newest mockbuster watches like an off brand comic book movie from the late nineties. It feels like something from a studio that couldn’t afford Marvel’s “Ghost Rider,” so they opted for a character from an obscure indie label. If it seems like I’m just mocking “Headless Horseman,” I’m truly not. I was surprised at how much I didn’t hate it, as while the movie borrows from the aforementioned series’ wholesale, it amounts to some cheesy, charming fun.
Ranking “The Exorcist” Series from Best to Worst
It’s been fifty years since the release of the late, great William Friedkin’s horror masterpiece “The Exorcist” and we’re getting two really big, and anticipated sequels that follow after the original film. “Believer” is setting high expectations and has a high bar to hit. “The Exorcist” has yet to be topped by its follow ups, or its bevy of imitators. Here’s my list of films from “The Exorcist” series from Best to Worst. Fingers crossed “Believer” ends up wowing fans and audiences alike.