Fear of the unknown is perhaps one of the greatest elements of horror. It’s one of the greatest tools we have in the arena of the genre, but it’s rarely ever used. And when it is, it’s squandered in a sea of over explanation and tedious exposition. It’s rare we’re ever given horror movies these days that rely on what we don’t see and don’t know.
If you want a pure unadulterated ride in to the middle of the eighties, “The Goonies” is an inadvertent trip in to the complete mindset of the decade. Cyndi Lauper, adventure, escapism, work out obsession, coming of age, nostalgia for the sixties, a humongous Steven Spielberg influenced narrative, Corey Feldman, Richard Donner, Jonathan Ke Quan, if it was in the eighties, it’s likely here. That doesn’t act as a caveat, thankfully, as “The Goonies” is a very decade relevant film that still manages to work as an excellent child oriented fantasy adventure in the vein of “The Hardy Boys.”
I think one of the reasons why the DCOM “Phantom of the Megaplex” has now gone on to basic obscurity is that it’s one of the weirder movies the Disney Channel ever produced. It’s not just an ode to the love of movies, but it’s a call back to “The Phantom of the Opera.” Not only does the film draw heavily from the original story, sans the violence and murder, but it actually influences its audience to check out the Lon Chaney masterpiece. “Phantom of the Megaplex” is a busy and often messy horror fantasy, but one that works, mainly because the writers of the film clearly love movies as much as we do.
I wish I had a nanny like Jennifer Stone when I was a kid. Not just because she’s hot, but also because she’s prone to delivering some scary stories for her charges before bed time. “Deadtime Stories” is the latest efforts by Nick (formerly Nickelodeon) to offer fans a horror show. While it’s no competitor for “Are you Afraid of the Dark?” the newest anthology does a good job of delivering “Goosebumps” level scares, and interesting stories. Sticking to the small budget, gone are the narrators of the undead or demonic variety and now most of the stories are told by Stone’s character, a devilish and somewhat enigmatic babysitter.
It’s a remake! It’s a sequel! It’s a remake! It’s a sequel! No, it’s an homage! Who knows what “The Rage: Carrie 2” is. Like most “sequels” in the late nineties and early aughts, I imagine this was originally just called “The Rage,” and the studios decided to plug in a lot of continuity from Brian DePalma’s “Carrie.” A few quick fixes, and voila! We have a sequel to “Carrie” that no one wanted. “Carrie 2” is actually a solid dramatic thriller when all is said and done, the problem is it’s really not necessary. We don’t need to know what happened once Carrie White destroyed her entire student body.
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.
One thing is certain after watching “Curse of Chucky.” While it is a lower budget reboot of the series that also works as a sequel, director Don Mancini loves the character. There are call backs to the previous movies, and director Mancini keeps the series focused on Chucky and Chucky alone, without the intervention of side characters. Brad Dourif returns to voice the character of Chucky, and has a good time reprising the monstrous killer doll that returns to wreak havoc on a dysfunctional wealthy family with many skeletons in their closet.