I Am Nancy (2011)

Posted on October 6, 2015 by Felix Vasquez

Surely, “I Am Nancy” isn’t one of the best documentaries ever made, but it will definitely go down as one of the most unique. How often do documentaries focus on the final girls of horror movies? “I Am Nancy” is that documentary about Heather Langenkamp who ended up playing one of the best final girls: Nancy Thompson. But unlike people like Jamie Lee Curtis and Neve Campbell, actress Heather Langenkamp’s fate as a performer was much different. Rather than become a big star, Langenkamp slowly slid in to obscurity as the film’s villain Robert Englund became an icon of pop culture and film history.

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Crystal Lake Memories: The Complete History of Friday the 13th (2013) [Blu-Ray]

Posted on October 5, 2015 by Felix Vasquez

If you’re like me, you left “Never Sleep Again” completely sure about your love for all things Krueger, and then wondered if Jason would ever get his turn. Thankfully, the folks at 1428 Films have indulged Jason Voorhees fan boys with an utterly extensive and incredibly detailed chronicle of the “Friday the 13th” series. At an intimidating six hours, director Daniel Farrands pays homage to the series that influenced dozens of copycats and wannabes in the eighties. Narrated by series star Corey Feldman, “Crystal Lake Memories” is another of the classic horror documentaries from 1428 that doesn’t just chronicle the rise of a pop icon, but also pays tribute to independent film.

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“Fear The Walking Dead”: Our Thoughts on Season One

Posted on October 5, 2015 by Felix Vasquez

“When civilization ends, it ends fast.”

In a letter addressed to Robert Kirkman in an issue of “The Walking Dead,” a reader asked if we were ever going to see zombies use tools. Kirkman replied that the zombies would never evolve. The only thing keeping man from winning is man. That’s essentially the thought process behind the apocalypse in “Fear the Walking Dead.” Surely, the walking dead are horrifying and major contributors to the downfall of mankind, but what basically destroys civilization is the horror of mankind: Our selfishness, our greed, and our inability to look out for one another.

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Night of the Wild (2015)

Posted on October 5, 2015 by Felix Vasquez

“Night of the Wild” is a lot like those terrible seventies nature run amok movies. It’s badly directed, horribly edited, has terrible continuity issues, and garners some inadvertent camp. All that’s missing is an obligatory nude scene. “Night of the Wild” is brimming with potential, beginning with a premise that could have amounted to a great movie. A mysterious green meteor crash lands on a small farm town spreading its meteorites. Suddenly the local animal population begin turning on their masters, becoming violent murderous monsters. Without explanation or warning, now the humans must fight to survive and figure out a way to make it out of their town. “Night of the Wild” pretty much dips in quality after the first ten minutes, creating a story that the budget and resources couldn’t possibly afford.

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R.L. Stine’s Monsterville: Cabinet of Souls (2015)

Posted on October 3, 2015 by Felix Vasquez

I don’t know how they keep recruiting these Disney stars to headline the RL Stine movies. Disney always seems to have such a tight grasp on them. In either case, “Cabinet of Souls” is the very definition of an RL Stine story, except with a much longer format. It surely sports the same mold and aesthetic with a small town, teen protagonists, and evil villains that seek to ruin their innocence somehow. It stumbles on occasion, and there’s a clear lack of wit that you can usually find with Stine’s yarns, but it’s a pleasing movie; especially if you’re a fan of Dove Cameron, Katherine McNamara, or Ryan McCartan.

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Insidious Chapter 3 (2015)

Posted on October 2, 2015 by Felix Vasquez

I hope Blumhouse and James Wan quit while they’re ahead because so far, “Insidious” has been a strong trilogy of horror films. While the first is still the best, “Chapter 3” is a strong follow up that succeeds in creating its own level of terror and suspense, while also giving us the origin of Elise and her team of Tucker and Specs. Most prequels don’t normally work, but “Chapter 3” does, mainly because it doesn’t rely too strongly on foreshadowing to the first film. It includes a wink and a nod every now and then, but they’re thankfully used in moderation and with clever effect.

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Insidious Chapter 2 (2013)

Posted on October 2, 2015 by Felix Vasquez

I was perfectly happy to have “Insidious” end on the dark note that it did. I didn’t need any further emphases on what had occurred because it was very self explanatory. However, I’m glad that “Insidious Chapter 2” explains what occurred while also expanding on it, and building on that dark note to create an even darker note. “Chapter 2” doesn’t top the original, but in a Hollywood currently obsessed with trilogies, I’m thankful that “Chapter 2” feels more like an extension of the mythos rather than a cheap cash grab. Everything is essentially the same as we saw it from the first film with harsh tones of red and blue filling every crevice of the nightmarish world James Wan creates. We’re also able to dig deeper in to the Further to explore what lies within the darkness and how it can rot souls.

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