The “Friday the 13th” property is still in legal limbo, and the odds of us seeing a sequel or reboot any time soon are slim. All we the fans have for now are fan films. Thankfully, the delivery from filmmakers that respect the property has been fantastic, and James Sweet’s own fan film is no exception. It’s a little rough around the edges in regards to the narrative, but he offers some new fodder that I hope is made in to canon someday.
Tag Archives: Survival
Night of the Animated Dead (2021) [Blu-Ray/Digital]
The last time “Night of the Living Dead” was animated was in 2009’s “Re-Animated” where director Mike Schneider enlisted a slew of animators to offer their own interpretations of various scenes from George A. Romero’s masterpiece. That wasn’t so much a remake, as it felt more like an art installation, or a cinematic experiment that allowed us to view the classic film through various lenses and scopes, giving us unique peek in to the terrifying narrative. “Night of the Animated Dead” has a chance to feel like a unique re-imagining. Instead it picks off the corpse of George A. Romero’s “Night of the Living Dead.” Continue reading
The Last Matinee (Al morir la matinee) (2021)
Back in the golden age of video stores, a lot of times when you weren’t informed on certain video releases, you’d pretty much have to rent something out of the blue. Sometimes you came home with a lemon, and sometimes you ended up renting something amazing. “The Last Matinee” feels like that lost video store gem, that movie inhabiting the corner of the horror section of the video store that is waiting to be discovered. And when it’s discovered it’s bound to blow you out of your seat.
The Sadness (2021) [Fantasia Film Festival 2021]
Director/Writer Rob Jabbaz’s “The Sadness” is easily the starkest and most depressing commentary on humanity that’s been produced in the last ten years. Humanity during the COVID era (?) has revealed a lot about itself during a pandemic that’s almost proven apocalyptic, and Jabbaz jumps on true events to deliver a message to his audience. Sadly, the message isn’t hopeful. Or optimistic. And no, it’s not at all cynical. It’s truth. It’s a clear cut exploration of civilization, and how easy it is (and can be) for everyone within to turn on each other, and descend in to absolute chaos, sadism, and delirium.
Glasshouse (2021) [Fantasia Film Festival 2021]
In this post-apocalyptic take on The Beguiled, a toxin called The Shred gets in the air and erases parts of people’s memories, giving them symptoms resembling dementia. In the midst of this, a family lives in a glasshouse, doing everything the mother believes necessary to survives. That is until a stranger comes into their lives and between the two sisters.
How “Jason Lives” Became My Favorite “Friday the 13th”
As a kid horror movies were forbidden. But they were forbidden in the way that staying up late was forbidden. Sure, it was a no no, but our parents always looked the other way if we caught a sneak peek at one of the stronger horror shockers. Plus, growing up with a mother with an insatiable appetite for all things horror, it’s pretty tough to re-enforce a ban when she’s showing up every other day with VHS copies of “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” and “Sleepaway Camp.” For some reason though, growing up, my mom always discouraged my watching “Jason Lives.” I could never quite figure out why, though.
Brain Freeze (2020) [Fantasia Film Festival 2021]
Director Julien Knafo’s zombie horror comedy is a movie that teeters back and forth between what it’s trying to say and what it’s trying to appeal to. It identifies itself as a horror comedy and injects a lot of silliness involving zombie carnage, body horror, and even some poor animals, but mid-way it stops being funny and tries to convey some kind of social commentary. What the commentary is, exactly, is beyond me, but it never improves on the overlong, tedious exploits.