The apocalypse. I love it. I love everything about it, I love the potential for story and human study is presents, I love the whole idea of society crumbling under the threat of some force, and I revel in writing about it. “After” is yet another take on a zombie apocalypse, except this time… it’s through the eyes of a zombie. After a presumably horribly bloody death, three survivors, held up in a large house, draw their attention elsewhere as their father lays in the next room slowly dying. Through his eyes, we watch his last sights as his children run back and forth planning an escape from the zombies outside. He then emerges and begins wandering the house, with his children struggling to fend him off without killing him.
Tag Archives: Horror
Ghost Rider (2007)
I tell you. I tell you. “Ghost Rider” had potential, friends. “Ghost Rider” under the right set of creators, competent direction, and writers it could have been one hell of a violent horror thriller with Ghost Rider not only serving as a horrifying anti-hero, but also a potential villain if not careful. With someone like maybe Clive Barker, along with a hard R and zero camp, “Ghost Rider” would have been a horror fan’s wet dream, but alas, we’re left with this. One of the most brutal crimes from Johnson’s screenplay is that he shamelessly cribs from the “Spawn” film. And if you’ve ever seen it, you’ll know that it’s hardly the source material capable for a competent film to begin with.
RL Stine's The Haunting Hour: Don't Think About It (2007)
Sure, by today’s standards, and with my current age, R.L. Stine isn’t so scary anymore. But in case many of you don’t know the name, R.L. Stine is very recognizable to the folks like me who grew up around the time Stine resided in book shelves all over the country. For horror geeks like me, Stine was a gateway drug, he was that first introduction into the horror genre before you came into the hard stuff, and I loved it all. For the teens that could get away with it, he brought us “Fear Street,” a creepier, mature, and violent series of books that had actual stories to them.
Hatchet (2006)
How many slashers movies have there been in the last few years that were worth a damn? Beyond “Leslie Vernon,” I can’t think of a single great slasher film that has made this slasher freak drool with sheer glee. “Hatchet” comes close to inspiring some foaming at the mouth, and I’m glad. As a horror nut that basically scours horror sites far and wide, I’ve heard about “Hatchet” almost non-stop. And thankfully, it’s lived up to its hype somewhat. “Hatchet” is a slasher comedy that really does admirably aspire to become a classic, and it succeeds in garner the horror comedy status from minute one. Not only is it a damn good and gory little slasher flick with a mean bastard of an axe killer, but it’s also pretty sharp and funny.
Rob Zombie's Halloween (2007)
“Halloween” will be and must be compared to the original, because it’s a pale imitation, it’s a botched job on every meaning of the word. At the end of the day, while “Halloween” is still one of my all time favorite horror films, “Black Christmas” is by far the better and creepier picture. But the remakes are basically the same. They’re just so bad they’re embarrassing and Zombie fails to inspire an influence and creates what can simply be known as “The Devil’s Rejects: Haddonfield.” Zombie continues with his demonizing of the poor and lower class, while also treading over the same crap we were given in “The Devil’s Rejects.” Is this better than “Halloween: Resurrection”? Sure, but so is smashing your head into a wall.
The Insane (2006)
There’s nothing more exciting for a horror fanatic to watch a film from an undiscovered talent who has a new and original vision for the horror genre. What Ellison and Cripps do is prefer to explore the recesses of the mind and how violence can psychologically alter what we view in our world, and how we view it. Thus, “The Insane” covers some interesting ground in only twelve minutes, and presents a gruesome view of the underworld of crime, while John Vincent goes on the hunt for the maniacs who took his life away.
Doctor Strange: Sorcerer Supreme (2007) (DVD)
For my money, Dr. Strange is probably one of the most uneven characters in the Marvel gallery ever created, while others of his ilk are basically one sided. Spider-Man was too whiny for me, Iron Man was too weak, and Fantastic Four was much too irritating to enjoy, but Dr. Strange is a character with great potential that had a comic series that was as dull as day old bread. Yet, this character‘s appearances in other series were exciting, and his television movie from the seventies was also decent. I just hope the live action adaptation gives me a reason to enjoy the character again. For now, here‘s another direct to DVD Marvel movie, “Doctor Strange: The Sorcerer Supreme,” an unofficial prequel to the movie. “Doctor Strange” is thankfully a step in the right direction, depicting the mythos of Doctor Strange as a murky and dark world filled with eerie sights and demons.