Writer/director Edoardo Vitaletti’s debut feature, The Last Thing Mary Saw is a horror drama that promises to be one of the most polarizing films of the year. It’s a return to the rising resurgence of folk horror much in the vein of “The Witch” and “Midsommar” but explores the more relevant ideas about religious oppression, sexual oppression, and the perils of the love between two young girls, which becomes increasingly dangerous over the course of the narrative.
Tag Archives: Horror
How “Jason Lives” Became My Favorite “Friday the 13th”
As a kid horror movies were forbidden. But they were forbidden in the way that staying up late was forbidden. Sure, it was a no no, but our parents always looked the other way if we caught a sneak peek at one of the stronger horror shockers. Plus, growing up with a mother with an insatiable appetite for all things horror, it’s pretty tough to re-enforce a ban when she’s showing up every other day with VHS copies of “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” and “Sleepaway Camp.” For some reason though, growing up, my mom always discouraged my watching “Jason Lives.” I could never quite figure out why, though.
Brain Freeze (2020) [Fantasia Film Festival 2021]
Director Julien Knafo’s zombie horror comedy is a movie that teeters back and forth between what it’s trying to say and what it’s trying to appeal to. It identifies itself as a horror comedy and injects a lot of silliness involving zombie carnage, body horror, and even some poor animals, but mid-way it stops being funny and tries to convey some kind of social commentary. What the commentary is, exactly, is beyond me, but it never improves on the overlong, tedious exploits.
10/31 Part II (2019)
I’m elated with the fact that a lot of indie filmmakers these days have delivered so many Halloween-centric genre films. Whether good or bad, there’s practically a whole new sub-genre now, and we’re treated with “10/31, Part II.” The sequel to the surprisingly very good Halloween based horror anthology, “10/31, Part II” offers much of the same Halloween based horror stories, all delivering some unique concepts and narratives that kept the experience lively and surprising.
The Bootleg Files: Doom of Dracula
BOOTLEG FILES 775: “Doom of Dracula” (8mm reissue of sections from the 1944 “House of Frankenstein”).
LAST SEEN: On YouTube.
AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: None.
REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: No perceived commercial value.
CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: Not likely.
In the years before video cassette recorders invaded living rooms in the late 1970s and early 1980s, movie lovers who wanted to own copies of their favorite films relied on portable projectors that screened the 35mm or 70mm Hollywood theatrical fare in the much smaller 16mm, 9.5mm, 8mm and Super 8 formats.
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You Have to See This! The Wraith (1986)
Streaming On: Pluto TV, Tubi, Roku Channel, Vudu, Amazon Prime Video, Google Play Movies & TV, Apple TV, YouTube TV
“A wraith, man! A ghost! A evil spirit – and it ain’t cool!”
“The Wraith” is one of those B movies from the eighties that is so inexplicable and so bizarre, but so damn satisfying. When I was a kid I spent a lot of my time watching antenna TV (Grade A TV Junkie right here!) and whatever movie was on that peaked my interest, even a little, I would be there front and center. “The Wraith” is one of the movies that caught my attention right away (showing prominently on WPIX Channel 11). It wasn’t only for the revenge tale involving an undead anti-hero, but also for the titular Wraith, who just looks so bad ass
A Quiet Place, Part II (2021) [4K UHD/Blu-Ray/Digital]
A few years ago, John Krasinski pretty much took everyone by surprise by unleashing one of the most innovative and entertaining horror dramas of the mid-aughts. Often imitated but rarely duplicated, the “A Quiet Place” follow up was only inevitable, but it was fascinating to see if Krasinski could duplicate his original film’s success. While “A Quiet Place Part II” stumbles in a few places, the second chapter in the saga of the Abbott Family and their survival against the enigmatic monsters that consumed the world. Continue reading