Category: Reviews

Directed by Tom McLoughlin [Other horror films: Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives (1986), Sometimes They Come Back (1991), The Haunting of Helen Walker (1995)] & Michael Schroeder [Other horror films: Out of the Dark (1988)]

I don’t think that this early 80’s entry to the genre is all that special. I’ve seen it twice, and while I rather like the atmosphere and much of the story, I’m not entirely enamored by it. That said, it’s almost certainly worth a look if you’re a fan of 80’s horror, despite it not being amazing.

A good girl needing to spend a night in a mausoleum (because she just has to get into this sorority-type clique) where a recently-deceased telekinetic killer has been interred makes for a fun movie, despite there being a hell of a lot of set up. I don’t think any real action starts up until about an hour into the movie. That said, in it’s 80’s way, One Dark Night is still fun.

Meg Tilly isn’t a name I know (though she was later in Psycho II), but she does really admirably here, and I rather liked her somewhat adorable nature. This can also be said for Elizabeth Daily, who was the most hesitant of the sorority girls. She didn’t do that much past a certain point, but I enjoyed her time on-screen. Most others don’t make much of an impression, including Leslie Speights, Robin Evans, David Mason Daniels, and Melissa Newman. Obviously, Adam West was interesting to see, but he adds little to the movie.

The supernatural killer here is interesting, especially as he uses his powers to raise the corpses of the mausoleum to attack the girls. I’m not really big on the whole telekinetic killer thing, but it was sort of cool seeing him barely move yet able to cause such mayhem and horrific chaos. On a related note, the special effects are decent, especially toward the end, so kudos there.

One Dark Night isn’t really a classic in any sense, but it is harmless fun, despite the long set-up and somewhat shaky conclusion. For fans of 80’s horror, I don’t see a good reason not to give it a shot.

7.5/10

And for more, One Dark Night was covered on the Fight Evil podcast, so if you want to listen to Chucky (@ChuckyFE) and I discuss this one, enjoy.

Directed by Tom Chaney [Other horror films: The Wind Walker (2019)]

This is a pretty horrible movie, and seems like a combination of a more competently-made Things (1989), combining ideas with The Evil Dead, but damn it, I do think it has a bit of charm, which is probably what’s expected from a Troma movie.

There’s an okay story here, which is somewhat goofy at times, but what makes it work a bit better than expected is the stop motion used on the titular wendigo, which looks more to me like a centaur. Even so, I appreciated the attempt, and seeing him rip through a cabin’s roof and grab someone was a pleasure.

As far as performances go, it was a mixed bag. Lori Baker, Patrick Butler, and Devlin Burton were all accessibly decent, but Ron Asheton’s performance was so awful, it almost wipes out the positive aspects of everyone else. His hamminess was off the charts, but luckily, he doesn’t have the chance to quite ruin every scene, which I guess is something.

Speaking of Asheton, who was a member of Iggy Pop/The Stooges, it was probably his idea to throw such an awful and discordant soundtrack into the mix. The music itself is bad and often out of place, but what’s worse is that the audio was mixed poorly, and it’s not uncommon for the lyrics of songs to be on the same audio level as characters in the movie, which was distracting as hell.

Another thing I really could have done without were the two news flash sequences, which literally added nothing to the story. There wasn’t anything in them particularly funny or note-worthy, and at least six, seven minutes of time is just wasted.

Hey, at least we got some okay decapitations, including one done by a pterodactyl demon-type thing, which was a solid sequence, so kudos there.

Frostbiter isn’t a movie that comes highly recommended, and I do find the movie below average, but in it’s mediocrity, I do think the movie has a bit of charm, and I actually could see myself giving this one another watch in the future.

6/10

Directed by Steve Miner [Other horror films: Friday the 13th Part III (1982), House (1985), Warlock (1989), Halloween H20: 20 Years Later (1998), Lake Placid (1999), Day of the Dead (2008)]

I think we can all agree that the first Friday the 13th is a great movie, but the second film is probably a bit better. That’s always been my feeling on it, anyway, but at the same time, the first five films of this series are all pretty solid in their own way, and all are above average. The second part isn’t the best of the five, but it is pretty damn solid.

The kills here are great. I think there’s only one that’s particularly weak, but most of them are of high quality, from the razor-wire garrote, and double impalement by spear to a machete to the face, hammer to the head, and of course the upside throat-slitting. Though Tom Savini wasn’t involved in this one, I thought the kills were all pretty great, which is nice to see.

Character-wise, there are some memorable ones here. Paul (John Furey) wasn’t that memorable, but Ginny (Amy Steel, also from the classic April Fool’s Day) was a fantastic character, and with her child psychology interest, she was a good choice of protagonist, as she, above anyone else, could even have the potential to get through to Jason (which she does, in a way). Ted (Stuart Charno) was pretty fun too, and unlike many in these films, finds a happier ending, which was a nice surprise.

The couples Terry (Kirsten Baker) and Scott (Russell Todd, later in Chopping Mall), along with Jeff (Bill Randolph) and Sandra (Marta Kober), don’t particularly interest me (though Baker did have a solid nude sequence), but all their deaths were welcomed. Mark (Tom McBride) and Vickie (Lauren-Marie Taylor, later in Girls Nite Out), though, were both enjoyable characters, Vickie in particular, as she was the cutest girl here, and I really liked her personality. Same for Mark, as a wheelchair-bound character in a slasher isn’t something you see everyday.

Seeing Adrienne King come back for the opening was decently fun, and did set up the movie well, but I don’t know how much I care for Jason going so far out of his way just to get revenge. Still, I’m glad they went as far as to bring King back, however briefly.

As for Jason, I really like his portrayal here. He runs, he makes mistakes (him breaking that chair toward the end always struck me as funny), he gets knocked down – Jason here seems a lot more human than he does in later films, and I thought that worked well. I also like the sack over his head – I get that the hockey mask is iconic, but I thought he looked reasonably frightening here, so I had no complaints. Steve Dash did great here as Jason, so it’s a shame he never played him again (though Warrington Gillette was credited as Jason, apparently Dash, the stunt double, played Jason for much of the film).

Of course, the ending is good fun, what with a rainstorm and characters finding bodies, getting killed, all that good stuff. Much like with the first film, I really enjoyed the finale, though I think the first one was better (though we do get a very clever way to deceive Jason here, which I thought was quite ingenious). Still, a lot of frantic running and fighting happen here in the final twenty minutes, and it’s all good fun, even the somewhat dreamily mysterious conclusion (we never really do find out what happens to Paul). I’m just happy that decapitated head didn’t wink, or something, because I won’t lie – they were definitely thinking of doing that.

Friday the 13th Part 2 isn’t the perfect slasher, but I do think it’s a lot of fun, and the likable and memorable characters here are certainly worth watching, and there are a few solidly funny quips here too (‘No seconds on desserts,’ or ‘the one with the puck’). I never hesitate to watch this one, and while I think the first movie has a better finale, Part II is a bit more enjoyable overall.

8.5/10

This is one of the films covered on the Fight Evil podcast, so if you’re into cool shit brah, here’s Chucky (@ChuckyFE) and I discussing this classic.

Directed by Joseph Mangine [Other horror films: N/A]

I’ll be forthcoming and admit that I didn’t go into this one with high expectations. Truthfully, I was thinking that I’d rather dislike it. But as it turns out, not only did I enjoy it, but despite some very glaring problems, I actually rather loved it.

I want to talk about the big problem with the film first before I go into praising it incessantly. We never find out what exactly the monsters are, or where they come from, or what they want, or why they want it. They seem to come out at night to kill, and that’s about all we know about them. Some of their designs are a bit off, but for most of the main ones, I thought they were decent (such as the one with ropes). Also, it could be argued that the film doesn’t have much coherency.

All of that said, though, I had a great time with this.

In a somewhat unique choice, Neon Maniacs plays itself pretty straight for most of the film. With a title like it has, you’d expect endless camp and maybe silly comedy (think Troma), but aside from a few funny lines (and the scene at the turnstiles), the movie’s nothing like that (which goes a long way to explain why I enjoyed it more than I thought I would). The characters know they’re in danger, and there’s a pretty somber tone throughout, especially toward the end (speaking of which, that final line is fantastic).

There’s a lot of great scenes here, such as the really cool pool sequence and much of the battle of the bands finale. That battle of the bands was fun especially because I actually really liked that first song, ‘Baby Lied.’ It was catchy and totally my jam. Even ignoring the fun music, though, when it randomly cut to Donna Locke’s character sitting atop the speakers and cheering, dressed as a vampire, I couldn’t help but laugh.

Donna Locke is perhaps the number one reason I loved this film. Her character’s utterly adorable, and is a lot more interesting and proactive than the actual main character of the film (played by Leilani Sarelle). She directs low-budget horror films, fights off a few monsters single-handedly, goes to investigate and videotape the monsters, and consistently tries to hook up with Sarelle in order to fight against them. Donna Locke’s character is utterly badass, and it’s a damn shame that Locke has never appeared in anything else. I really liked her character, and cheered whenever she was onscreen.

Clyde Hayes and Leilani Sarelle do well too, they’re just not nearly as memorable. Hayes previously appeared in the fourth Friday the 13th, but he was more prominent here, which worked well, as he was decently action-oriented. The scenes in which Hayes, Sarelle, and Locke worked together in order to fight off the monsters were all rather fun, so props to that.

Neon Maniacs surprised me. It has pretty good special effects, some effectively atmospheric sequences (such as Locke traveling in the fog), memorable characters, decent deaths, and enjoyable music, all tied together with a would-be campy plot played generally straight. I will admit to being taken aback, but that was my mistake. A really enjoyable movie, despite the origins of the monsters never being made clear.

8.5/10

This is one of the first movies Chucky (@ChuckyFE) and I covered on our Fight Evil, so listen below as we awkwardly discuss it.

Directed by Robert Wise [Other horror films: The Curse of the Cat People (1944), The Haunting (1963), Audrey Rose (1977)]

This classic film is one that’s heavily bolstered by solid performances and a rather entertaining story. While somewhat light on what you might traditionally expect from a horror film, I think The Body Snatcher has a lot going for it.

One thing about this film that I rather enjoy is the fact that it’s easy to use this as a companion piece to the 1960 release The Flesh and the Fiends. If one were somewhat daring, you could even call The Flesh and the Fiends a prequel to The Body Snatcher. At the very least, the two films work together well, and as both are rather decent films, there’s possibilities there.

The Body Snatcher’s cast is probably the best part about the film. Bela Lugosi is somewhat underused, but both Henry Daniell and Boris Karloff are used to great effect. Daniell has that aura of a dignified man with a rather torrid past, while Karloff oozes sleaziness in virtually every second of screen-time. Daniell and Karloff are definitely the most memorable performances here, because while the audience’s moral center, played by Russell Wade, is decent, he’s ultimately somewhat forgettable by the time the story wraps up.

Speaking of which, while at first I was hesitant toward the final ten minutes of the film (they struck me as unnecessary, given the death of the antagonist that had already happened), I found them masterful (important to note that while I’ve seen this one before, it’s been quite a long while, so many of the details were forgotten). The final carriage ride is just fantastic, both introspective and somber, turning into a manic, thrilling conclusion.

While it’s light on some horror aspects (which is something I didn’t really notice at the time, but seems clear when thinking back to the film), The Body Snatcher is a lot of fun, and it really does have a lot going for. Definitely give it a watch, as it’s one of the high-lights of the often lackluster decade that was the 1940’s.

8/10

Directed by Wes Craven [Other horror films: The Last House on the Left (1972), The Hills Have Eyes (1977), Stranger in Our House (1978), Swamp Thing (1982), Invitation to Hell (1984), The Hills Have Eyes Part II (1984), A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984), Chiller (1985), Deadly Friend (1986), The Serpent and the Rainbow (1988), Shocker (1989), The People Under the Stairs (1991), New Nightmare (1994), Vampire in Brooklyn (1995), Scream (1996), Scream 2 (1997), Scream 3 (2000), Cursed (2005), My Soul to Take (2010), Scream 4 (2011)]

Directed by Wes Craven, Deadly Blessing is a movie I’ve been wanting to see for some time, and while I’m not surprised with my somewhat lukewarm reception to it, I do wish this one was a bit more stable, as it certainly had the potential to be a better movie.

Dealing with an Amish-like religious group called the Hittites (they’re pretty much Amish, though apparently more fire-and-brimstone and all that jazz) and a mysterious killer, Deadly Blessing occasionally feels like a really bizarre slasher. The slasher aspects themselves don’t really overtly pop up until the finale, but there’s plenty of creepy and unsettling scenes beforehand, among them sequences including tarantulas falling into mouths and snakes sliding into bathtubs (setting up a scene very similar to Nancy’s bathtub sequence in ANOES).

The three main women here were all good. Maren Jensen and Susan Buckner (who was the most attractive of the three women, especially in her jogging clothes) did the best, as past a certain point, Sharon Stone’s character didn’t have much to add (though to be fair, she did play more a part in the finale than did Buckner’s character). Ernest Borgnine was intimidating in his role, and had a way with words toward the serpents (or should I say the women who are not followers of his religion).

Lois Nettleton and Lisa Hartman, who played mother and daughter, were okay, but I don’t think either one was special. Michael Barryman (who was in The Hills Have Eyes) was nice to see, but didn’t necessarily add much. Lastly, as attractive as Buckner was, my vote for cutest woman here is Colleen Riley (who was in the second Hills Have Eyes).

I think the problems here is that it takes a bit of time to get going, and when things to start happening, while some of the sequences are unsettling (such as the aforementioned tarantula scenes), it doesn’t feel quite enough. I enjoyed much of the story, though the ending was pretty damn bad. There’s a portion here too that reminded me a bit of Sleepaway Camp, though not nearly as interesting or effective. There were some good scenes here (such as Sharon Stone’s sequence trapped in the barn), but there just wasn’t enough to make the hour and forty minutes seem like time well-spent.

After The Hill Have Eyes, Craven directed five movies before getting to A Nightmare on Elm Street. I’ve not seen the other four (Stranger in Our House, Swamp Thing, Invitation to Hell, and The Hills Have Eyes Part II), but this one struck me as pretty middle-of-the-road. Like I said, I think there was more potential here than what the end product showed. Deadly Blessing isn’t without partial merit, and I still think the movie’s almost a smidge above average (if for nothing else, the mystery of the killer’s identity mixed with the remote setting worked well together), but I don’t see it as any more than that.

7/10

And as Chucky (@ChuckyFE) and I covered this on the Fight-Evil podcast, you can listen to us discuss it below.

Directed by Ric White [Other horror films: Nightmares from the Mind of Poe (2006)]

Before An American Haunting came onto the scene, the low-budget Bell Witch Haunting was released, which covered the same supposed supernatural event. A very low-budget film, Bell Witch Haunting isn’t entirely without merit, but it still really strains your patience, as it clocks in at just over two hours long, which is utterly unacceptable, especially given the content.

I have more than a few problems I have with the movie, and I really struggled to finish this one: among these problems, as I alluded to, is the ridiculously lengthy run-time, as Bell Witch Haunting is two hours and two minutes. If the story here had been perhaps more interesting or better written, that might well be excusable, but with the product we got, I don’t think it was at all necessary.

Another thing that really grated on me – there are little ‘section titles’ that pop up throughout the movie constantly, and none of them did the least bit to make the film better. The ghost of the entity really grated also, as she sounds like a bratty young teen girl. Not really my idea of spooky. Oh, and another thing – while the movie mostly takes the subject matter seriously, there are occasional smatterings of comedic scenes thrown in (including some 1820’s toilet humor), and I thought the movie could have done without that.

The aforementioned entity starts off innocently enough here, pulling sheets off beds, banging on the walls, pinching people when they’re trying to sleep, or telling people embarrassing secret information (like I said before, the voice of this entity is so damn annoying, but it did lead to the somewhat funny line ‘I will not allow this thing to question my character!’), but it gets worse as the movie goes on, with a few deaths and a rather sad scene at the end.

I’ll say this one positive thing about the movie – the death of Doug Moore’s character was pretty depressing. I didn’t care an ounce for most of these characters (partially because the Bell family is so big, it’s so hard to keep up with who’s who – seriously, I think there’s at least six children running around), but seeing the head of the family slowly lose his grip on life, and his final conversation with a long-time friend (played by director Ric White) was rather emotional, all my other issues with the movie aside.

Otherwise, the only other performance I cared for one way or the other was Amber Bland, who played the oldest daughter. She sort of loses prominence at different points throughout the movie, but she is one of the characters paid the most attention to (in fact, her birthday party, almost aborted due to the father’s recent excommunication from the church, was one of the more heartwarming scenes). Daniel Cooper, though, was more on the annoying side, playing an obnoxious, overweight younger brother, who’s catchphrase ‘Aw, ma’ got old after the second time. At least he provided us with one of the few solid scenes, involving quite a few tarantulas.

One thing I’ve neglected to touch much on is the low budget, and I want to be clear on this: yes, Bell Witch Haunting has a very low budget, but that is not at all reflective of my problems with it. Plenty of great low-budget horror movies exist, but they generally don’t have an overlong story that’s often none-to-exciting. Bell Witch Haunting was difficult to trudge through, and I suspect that most people who come across this one will leave with much the same opinion.

4/10