From Dusk Till Dawn 3: The Hangman’s Daughter (2000)

Posted on October 11, 2013 by Felix Vasquez

There is still no explanation as to the origin of the strip club/temple. Not that I really cared, mind you. In the final shot of “From Dusk Till Dawn,” it was a great final blow to the audience to show how these vampires have likely been committing these slaughters since the mid-1800’s. I didn’t need to know how they got together and devised this idea to lure bikers and truckers to feast on them, but I assume if they’re going to continue the series with a prequel, you might as well give it a shot and explain how the temple came to be. Maybe an 80’s montage set to “Our House” with the vampires building the club and painting it at night or something.

Continue reading →

From Dusk Till Dawn 2: Texas Blood Money (1999)

Posted on October 11, 2013 by Felix Vasquez

Let’s face it, someone took a shitty movie about vampire bank robbers and turned it in to a sequel to “From Dusk Till Dawn.” Except it’s nowhere near being a sequel. Even with an appearance from Danny Trejo as the vampire bartender Razor Eddie from the first film, this is a shitty vampire movie someone decided to make in to a sequel. It’s a goofy, campy, and ridiculous vampire movie filled with horrible performances, and a ridiculous premise that does nothing to reconcile itself with the first film. There’s not even a mention of Seth Gecko for crying out loud. Shit, at least re-cast Juliette Lewis’ role as Kate Fuller and follow her along on another vampire adventure, at least.

Continue reading →

From Dusk Till Dawn (1996)

Posted on October 11, 2013 by Felix Vasquez

Not surprisingly, when long time film making pals Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez teamed up to make a horror movie, in the end it felt like two different movies. For folks unaware of the duo’s style of writing and film making, the second half will completely blow away anyone entrenched in the crime drama that is the first half of the film. “From Dusk Till Dawn” begins like a hyper violent take off of “Reservoir Dogs.” Seth Gecko and his brother Richie have broken out of jail leaving a trail of bodies behind, and are now hiding out in a gas station. Just their luck a sheriff comes in to chat with the owner, and thanks to a series of mishaps, Seth and Richie leave the gas station and its workers dead in a hail of gunfire and flames.

Continue reading →

Carrie (1976)

Posted on October 10, 2013 by Felix Vasquez

Upon first glance, you’d think Brian DePalma directing a Stephen King Adaptation would be something disastrous. DePalma has spent most of his early career emulating Hitchcock, and delivering cerebral gems like “Sisters.” It’s a treat though that he ends up becoming one of the most crucial elements of “Carrie” and its adaptation. Because what the director can’t convey through special effects, he conveys through some amazing camera work and editing that still wows me to this day. “Carrie” is easily one of the best horror films, and revenge films ever made. It’s a brilliantly cast and deeply tragic story of a girl whose powers became the judgment day for many cruel individuals who preyed on the innocent.

Continue reading →

Carrie (2002)

Posted on October 10, 2013 by Felix Vasquez

Back in the early aughts, remake fever was hitting pop culture like a mad rush, and even major television networks were getting in on remaking classic horror films. From “Helter Skelter,” to “Salem’s Lot,” no classic horror movie was off limits. 2002’s “Carrie” doesn’t just remake the Briand DePalma movie for a contemporary audience, but attempts to spin the entire story in to a potential television series for NBC. I’m not too sure what direction they would have taken Carrie in her own series. Perhaps she’d be an anti-hero, or someone who helped other troubled supernatural beings while traveling on the road with Sue Snell. Who knows?

Continue reading →

It! The Terror from Beyond Space (1958)

Posted on October 9, 2013 by Felix Vasquez

The argument over whether “It!” inspired the film “Alien” continues to this day. Film buffs alike still debate about “Alien” and the shocking almost inarguable similarities. The similarities of which were so close the producers of this sued Ridley Scott for plagiarism. It isn’t the first time Ridley Scott or Jame Cameron has been accused of plagiarism, and it certainly won’t be the last. Fans are still finding similarities from “Avatar” to other earlier works of science fiction, and there’s still a heavy opinion that James Cameron lifted his concept for “The Terminator” from “Outer Limits.” There’s also the similarities of “Aliens” to “Starship Troopers.” I’m not saying he’s guilty of plagiarism, but I’m not writing off the potential for it, either. Once you see “It!,” it’s not hard to ignore the similarities, and some may even agree it’s a plagiarized film among many.

Continue reading →

20 Million Miles to Earth (1957)

Posted on October 9, 2013 by Felix Vasquez

In the fifties, many horror and science fiction films spoke of two things. The nuclear age, and the potential dangers of space exploration. While the US tested radiation, and strived to bring their men to space to explore other planets, Hollywood explored such ideas and its negative effects through filmmaking in films like “Godzilla”, “The Day The Earth Stood Still”, “Them”, and another film that would come in 1968 changing the face of filmmaking and horror for decades to come, a much more grim grotesque exploration in to the potential consequences of bringing a foreign chemical home with us and eventually spell doom for the rest of the world through a familiar foe.

Continue reading →