Jerry (Terry O’Quinn) is a nice guy who’s all about family values. He’s a genial real estate agent, a fun neighbor, and a loving husband and stepfather. He’s also a serial killer who likes to marry into families and murder all of the members. His latest soon-to-be victims are Susan (Shelley Hack) and her daughterContinue reading “1987s’ ‘The Stepfather’: A Twisted Take on Suburbia and “Father Knows Best””
Author Archives: GhoulieJoe
1994’s ‘The Stand’: Dated and Super Long, but Mildly Entertaining
A human-made plague that is accidentally loosed wipes out about 99% of the population. Guided by dreams of either a saintly old woman named Mother Abigail (Ruby Dee) or a scary guy named Flagg (Jamey Sheridan), the good survivors head to Colorado, and the bad ones go to Nevada. There’s a sizable cast of characters,Continue reading “1994’s ‘The Stand’: Dated and Super Long, but Mildly Entertaining”
‘Stan Helsing’: Immature but Amusing
Stan (Steve Howey) is a video store clerk who on Halloween night gets roped into making a delivery to the owner’s mother with his ex-girlfriend Nadine (Diora Baird), his friend Teddy (Kenan Thompson), and Teddy’s date Mia (Desi Lydic). Despite Stan’s philosophy of not getting involved in other peoples’ problems, his friends are forced toContinue reading “‘Stan Helsing’: Immature but Amusing”
‘St. John’s Wort’: It’s the Cure for What Ails You
Japanese movie, AKA Otogiriso. Nami (Megumi Okina), a video game designer, has just inherited a mansion from her late father, whom she never knew. Wanting to check out her new place (and get some game ideas), she and her ex-boyfriend/fellow designer Kohei (Yôichirô Saitô) head over there. What they don’t know is that the houseContinue reading “‘St. John’s Wort’: It’s the Cure for What Ails You”
‘Spider Baby’: Mid-’60s Grindhouse
The Merrye family is exhibiting some odd behavior—the Merrye Syndrome, which is an age regression so far back it goes prenatal, at least psychologically, which apparently leads to “savagery and cannibalism.” The last of the bunch are teenagers Virginia (Jill Banner) and Elizabeth (Beverly Washburn) and their older brother Ralph (Sid Haig). They haven’t yetContinue reading “‘Spider Baby’: Mid-’60s Grindhouse”
‘Soul Survivors’: Creepy, but Not in a Good Way
Cassie (Melissa Sagemiller) is a college student plagued by the ghost of her dead boyfriend Sean (Casey Affleck), whom she accidentally killed in a car accident. She also continuously hallucinates two guys in masks who keep trying to kill her—and occasionally succeed. Her friends Matt (Wes Bentley) and Annie (Eliza Dushku) don’t believe her, butContinue reading “‘Soul Survivors’: Creepy, but Not in a Good Way”
‘Something Wicked This Way Comes’: Made by Disney, So Naturally, it’s Terrifying
Young kids Will (Vidal Peterson) and Jim (Shawn Carson) are always looking for an adventure. They get more than they bargained for when an evil circus rolls into town. As they do. Proprietor Mr. Dark (Jonathan Pryce) grants wishes, but in a monkey’s paw-type way, for example giving an elderly school teacher the chance toContinue reading “‘Something Wicked This Way Comes’: Made by Disney, So Naturally, it’s Terrifying”
‘Sleeping with the Enemy’: Still a Good Solid (Creepy) Movie
Laura (Julia Roberts) is married to Martin (Patrick Bergin), a batterer. She knows if she runs away he’ll find her, so she fakes her own death by pretending to drown and starts a new life in a small town far away. Her next-door neighbor Ben (Kevin Anderson) helps her learn to trust and love safely,Continue reading “‘Sleeping with the Enemy’: Still a Good Solid (Creepy) Movie”
‘Scream and Scream Again’: Confusing but Fun
U.K.-based American International film. Multiple storylines include: serial killings of young women, cop on the trail Superintendent Bellaver (Alfred Marks), officers Griffin (Julian Holloway) and Helen (Judy Bloom), forensic technician Dr. Sorel (Christopher Matthews), evil guys Konratz (Marshall Jones) and Dr. Browning (Vincent Price), and a jogger in hospital who’s slowly losing his limbs. EventuallyContinue reading “‘Scream and Scream Again’: Confusing but Fun”
‘Rumpelstiltskin’: So Bad, it’s…Just Bad
Rumpelstiltskin (Max Grodénchik) is a goblin-type guy in the 1400s wanting to trick people into letting him grant them wishes so he can claim their first-born babies. The local villagers are less than pleased with his conduct and hunt him down, and a witch turns him into a statue. Flash-forward to present-day LA, when housewifeContinue reading “‘Rumpelstiltskin’: So Bad, it’s…Just Bad”
