The movie opens, in case we forgot, with Lorraine (Vera Farmiga) and Ed (Patrick Wilson) collecting the evil Annabelle doll from the two nurses who were in possession of it and bringing it home to lock in the evil-shit-you-never-touch room. If you need a recap of the previous movies, here are synopses from Wikipedia: AnnabelleContinue reading “‘Annabelle Comes Home’: It’s No ‘Conjuring,’ but You Can’t Go Wrong with the James Wan-iverse”
Author Archives: GhoulieJoe
Peter Jackson’s ‘Meet the Feebles’: Not Technically a Horror Movie, but it’s Pretty Damn Frightening
Peter Jackson‘s second film. It concerns the cast and crew of the childrens’ show Meet the Feebles, all puppets, who are trying to rehearse for their upcoming bid for syndication. We have Heidi the Hippo (Mark Hadlow), a binge-eating has-been, Wynyard the frog (Brian Sergent), a heroin addict with PTSD from his tour in Vietnam,Continue reading “Peter Jackson’s ‘Meet the Feebles’: Not Technically a Horror Movie, but it’s Pretty Damn Frightening”
‘The Curse of La Llorona’: The Scariest Thing About it is the Poster Art
America, 1973: mother Patricia (Patricia Velasquez) has issues with alcoholism, which isn’t helped by angry spirit La Llorona targeting her two sons. When her well-meaning social worker Anna (Linda Cardellini) takes the kids away (Patricia had been hiding them in a closet), La Llorona gets them, which makes Patricia less than pleased. In fact, sheContinue reading “‘The Curse of La Llorona’: The Scariest Thing About it is the Poster Art”
‘YellowBrickRoad’ is Disturbing, Engaging, and Creative
1940. Friar, New Hampshire. The entire population, obsessed with The Wizard of Oz, walks off into the woods. Some are found frozen, some are murdered in grisly fashion, but most vanish entirely. A lone survivor is recorded, terrified and nonsensical. Cut to 2008. An intrepid band of explorers set out on a book-writing expedition: writers TeddyContinue reading “‘YellowBrickRoad’ is Disturbing, Engaging, and Creative”
‘Three…Extremes’: Quality Stuff
Three short films by acclaimed Asian directors. “Dumplings” by Fruit Chan concerns an aging actress (Miriam Chin Wah Yeung) who finds a disturbing way to look more youthful. Park Chan-wook‘s “Cut” shows a director (Lee Byung-hun) taken hostage in his own home. “Box” by Takashi Miike involves a writer (Kyoko Hasegawa) whose horrible childhood comesContinue reading “‘Three…Extremes’: Quality Stuff”
1982’s ‘The Thing’: Please No More Remakes
John Carpenter‘s reimagining of 1951’s The Thing from Another World. A group of people at the National Science Institute Station in Antarctica are menaced by a shape- shifting alien that can pass itself off as a myriad of seemingly harmless things, from a dog to a fellow colleague. Since the being could rapidly infect theContinue reading “1982’s ‘The Thing’: Please No More Remakes”
‘Fragments of Horror’: Junji Ito is a National Treasure (book review)
Junji Ito, to a J-horror fan, is probably best known for the film adaptations of his mangas Tomie, Uzumaki, and Marronnier. I recently discovered the joys of horror manga with a Grudge comic, but Ito’s artwork leaves it in the dust. His illustrations are wondrously eerie, and his stories are both disturbing (in a goodContinue reading “‘Fragments of Horror’: Junji Ito is a National Treasure (book review)”
My Root (essay)
When I am asked why horror movies are appealing to me, I think of the (non-horror) movie But I’m a Cheerleader. It’s about a group of gay teenagers sent to a conversion camp. Part of their “therapy” is wracking their brains to find their root—the trauma that made them gay. Their answers are ridiculous—for example,Continue reading “My Root (essay)”
‘The Tommyknockers’: Hostile Aliens, Corny Gadgets, and Gratuitous Sex Scenes
Bobbi (Marg Helgenberger) is a writer living out in the Maine woods who (literally) stumbles onto a spaceship. Deciding it would be a good idea to dig it up, she and soon the whole town feel the effects of the aliens inside: they “become,” which involves having a ton of energy and being inspired toContinue reading “‘The Tommyknockers’: Hostile Aliens, Corny Gadgets, and Gratuitous Sex Scenes”
‘Twilight Zone: The Movie’: Worth Watching, Even if You’re Not a Fan of the Show
Remakes of episodes of The Twilight Zone, organized into four stories. Segment 1 involves angry, racist white man Bill (Vic Morrow) being suddenly transported back in time, finding himself in the shoes of oppressed members of society. Segment 2 takes place at a rest home, where Mr. Bloom (Scatman Crothers) shows the elderly residents thatContinue reading “‘Twilight Zone: The Movie’: Worth Watching, Even if You’re Not a Fan of the Show”
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