Scream (2022)

Posted on January 14, 2022 by Felix Vasquez

After Wes Craven’s unfortunate passing, the “Scream” franchise went in to a limbo where its fate seemed uncertain. It was still a hot property with a lot of ideas to bring forth but without the engineer Craven behind it, there didn’t seem much point. And with the MTV series and horrendous follow up mini-series, it definitely felt like there wasn’t a point in continuing the movie series. Thankfully, “Scream” (or “Scream 5”) doesn’t just do a bang up job of carrying on the legacy of meta-humor, movie commentary, and subverting movie tropes, but it brings a powerful statement about legacy.

The legacies we build, and the legacies we leave behind.

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Maniac Cop 3: Badge of Silence (1993) (Unrated Version) [4K UHD/Blu-Ray]

Posted on January 11, 2022 by Felix Vasquez

There’s still a lot of value in the “Maniac Cop” horror movies (the first two are still top notch slashers), especially as they can be creepy slasher films that confront racism, classism, police brutality and police corruption. The first two “Maniac Cop” films almost hit the nail on the head, all the while “Badge of Silence” doesn’t do much with the formula at all. In the end of the day its low budget is its downfall as the movie does almost nothing to match the pacing and suspense of the first two movies.

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Maniac Cop 2 (1990) [4K UHD/Blu-Ray]

Posted on January 7, 2022 by Felix Vasquez

One thing you have to give it to the “Maniac Cop” movie series (as well we William Lustig and Larry Cohen) it that it tends to off the more interesting characters without much preamble amounting to some great plot twists. I never expected Tom Atkins to die in the original “Maniac Cop,” and it’s kind of a surprise to see Bruce Campbell, the dashing hero from the original movie, murdered brutally by the titular Maniac Cop. It’s a great entry way in to such a weird, zany slasher series.

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“You’re Next” is Still One of the Top Ten Slashers of All Time

Posted on October 31, 2021 by Felix Vasquez

Simplicity has always been the best friend of the slasher movie. Nine times out of ten the best slasher movies aren’t convoluted or complex. Most times they’re just simple premises with simple motivations but a lot of subtext added throughout the narrative. “Halloween,” “Scream,” “Friday the 13^th,” all benefited from being fairly simplicity and so does “You’re Next.” Adam Wingard’s horror thriller came like a wrecking ball back in 2011, sideswiping me and just blowing me out of my seat. Although now he’s headed for the bigger blockbusters, Wingard’s horror outings tend to channel John Carpenter with how they mesh sub-genres.

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Slumber Party Massacre (2021)

Posted on October 17, 2021 by Felix Vasquez

Amy Holden Jones’ original 1982 “The Slumber Party Massacre” is considered one of the great trashy slasher classics of the 1980’s. It’s a movie that’s so irredeemably stupid but is still celebrated by many fans. I personally think the sequels are better, if infinitely stupider, but that’s neither here nor there. 2021’s “Slumber Party Massacre” is both a meta-satire and re-imagining that follows up on the original events of the premise of the original movie and turns it on its head.

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Halloween Kills (2021)

Posted on October 16, 2021 by Felix Vasquez

Director David Gordon Green simultaneously delivers a sequel that does something completely new with “Halloween” and also promises to divide horror fans down the middle. There is no horror movie in 2021 that promises to polarize horror fans more than “Halloween Kills.” Rather than a movie that features Michael Myers killing, killing, and killing some more, David Gordon Green goes a different route and explores the fall out from his murder spree in 1978 and 2018.

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