SLIFR’s “Professor Abraham Setrakian’s Virulently Vampiric, Malevolently, Monsteriffic Super-Strain Halloween Movie Quiz”

Posted on October 20, 2015 by Felix Vasquez

One of my favorite movie blogs “Sergio Leone and the Infield Fly Rule” recently posted their annual horror quiz in celebration of Halloween, and I was more than happy to take part in it. Their quizzes are usually a lot of fun and ask some interesting questions for their users that allow for an interesting article, so I thought I’d take part in yet another fun Movie Quiz that could inspire some thoughts on my favorite in horror entertainment and fiction. SLIFR is never bereft of interesting questions that cause its players to think hard and long, so I tackled this with immense enthusiasm.

Feel free to copy this quiz for yourself and link back to “Sergio Leone and the Infield Fly Rule,” or feel free to let us know what you think about my answers below!

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Resolution (2013)

Posted on October 20, 2015 by Felix Vasquez

One of my top ten films of 2013, it’s so refreshing to see indie filmmakers actually try to challenge the conventions of not just horror but of fiction altogether. A film like “Resolution” would easily be a terrible effort in the wrong hands, but the combined genius of Justin Benson, and Aaron Moorhead make it a success on every conceivable level. This is a more cerebral take on 2012’s “Cabin in the Woods,” where in the world visited by the viewer is very self-aware. In fact, “Resolution” is so much more aware of the audience and yet it still comes out a winner in the end.

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Contracted Phase II (2015)

Posted on October 19, 2015 by Felix Vasquez

If you needed any clarification of what the end result of “Contracted” was, then “Phase II” pretty much shows all of its cards for its audience. That may either be a plus for the audience returning to see how the narrative unfolds, or a major missed opportunity for folks that appreciate some ambiguity. True, both films are in essence body horror movies, but they also transform in to brutally creepy and unique zombie films that rely on the grotesque nature of transforming in to the undead. Basically, “Contracted” builds on a more morbid and damaging form of disease transferred through bodily fluids that begin to take massive tolls on its victims.

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Munster Go Home! (1966)

Posted on October 18, 2015 by Felix Vasquez

One of my favorite qualities of “Munster Go Home!” is that it advances the mythology the Munsters, and extends their family bloodline. Unlike the Addams family, the Munsters aren’t all monsters. And Herman is actually the Frankenstein monster, except he was adopted by the Munster family and given their last name, hence his namesake. That doesn’t explain why grandpa is called Grandpa Munster, but hey, this is a family with a vampire mom and werewolf son, so you have to suspend some kind of disbelief here and there. “Munster, Go Home!” was a flop initially, which is sad considering the film really lends merit to the original series. It improves on its universe while keeping everything that made the original series so lovable.

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Will Vinton’s Claymation Comedy of Horrors (1991)

Posted on October 18, 2015 by Felix Vasquez

Maybe it’s because I’ve been spoiled by Will Vinton’s Christmas special, but “Comedy of Horrors” just wasn’t my favorite from the man. It’s likely because the narrative he gives audiences just doesn’t fit thirty minutes as a whole. I think this special should have had various segments rather than just one solid story. The story at the center is just never as engaging as I would have loved it to be, and in the end I was kind of disappointed. “Claymation Comedy of Horrors” is filled with a ton of horror references both obscure and mainstream, and I dug the Easter Eggs he included.

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The Gallows (2015)

Posted on October 16, 2015 by Felix Vasquez

“The Gallows” watches like a really bad “Fear Street” novel. If it were written by RL Stine at gun point. It’s beyond me that “The Gallows” managed to achieve a wide North American theatrical release with a pretty good ad campaign all around. Meanwhile, “It Follows,” a brilliant horror offering, had to rely on word of mouth. Beneath the hype “The Gallows” is a brutally boring and unscary attempt to cash in on the found footage fad that reaches the scares you’d find in a normal young adult novel. And I am being kind, since even young adult novels can often achieve some semblance of suspense and tension when they want to. “The Gallows” however is a forgettable and downright stupid effort that lacks in brains, common sense, and general creativity.

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Slashers (2001)

Posted on October 16, 2015 by Felix Vasquez

Maurice Devereaux’s “Slashers” is that satire that is right up there with “Dawn of the Dead” and “Battle Royale” in how is explores an element of our society that warrants a poking. “Slashers” is an often absurd commentary on the extremes our society is willing to go for entertainment, and how television continues evolving to new extremes to whet the appetites of a society gradually warped by violence. First and foremost, “Slashers” is a horror slasher comedy, but it has a good time mocking the reality show trend of the early aughts. “Slashers” is set in a universe where Japan has produced its highest rated game show of all time. Said game show is called “Slashers” where a group of people volunteer to run through an obstacle course and be hunted down by knife wielding maniacs that brutally murder them on air.

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