GhoulieJoe

‘The Darkroom’ (2006) is Fine the First Time, but Less So on Subsequent Viewings

Not to be confused with the 2013 film Darkroom. John Doe (Reed Diamond) is a guy with amnesia who has spent the last 15 years in a mental hospital after he was found by the side of the road with blood on his hands. Enter Dr. Allen (Ellie Cornell), a drug company rep who’s testingContinue reading “‘The Darkroom’ (2006) is Fine the First Time, but Less So on Subsequent Viewings”

‘The Crow’: Maybe it’s Nostalgia Talking, but the Film is Haunting and Memorable

Metal singer Eric (Brandon Lee) and his fiancée Shelly (Sofia Shinas) are brutally murdered in their home by a gang of thugs. But, as legend goes, “when someone dies a crow carries their soul to the land of the dead. But sometimes something so bad happens that a terrible sadness is carried with them andContinue reading “‘The Crow’: Maybe it’s Nostalgia Talking, but the Film is Haunting and Memorable”

‘Coraline’: Stop-Motion is Just About Guaranteed to be Unsettling

Stop-motion film, directed by Henry Selick. Coraline (Dakota Fanning) has just moved into a new apartment building, and is perpetually bored. Her workaholic parents (Teri Hatcher and John Hodgman) have no time for her, and are generally annoyed at her presence. She discovers a new world inside a wall, a whimsical place where flowers tickleContinue reading “‘Coraline’: Stop-Motion is Just About Guaranteed to be Unsettling”

‘Club Dread’ is a Sly Slasher Spoof

Sun. Sand. Fruity drinks. Murder! Pleasure Island, Costa Rica, is home to Coconut Pete’s Coconut Beach Resort, which is dedicated to decadence. Unfortunately, someone is running around killing off the staff. Further unfortunately, there are no boats, phones, or radios, so everyone is trapped. It’s up masseur Lars (co-writer Kevin Heffernan), aerobics instructor Jenny (BrittanyContinue reading “‘Club Dread’ is a Sly Slasher Spoof”

‘Dead Waves’ is Creepy, Thoughtful, and Occasionally Hilarious

Japanese movie, AKA Shiryôha. Usui is the director of a popular supernatural TV show called Spirit Sightings. He is contacted by Tsuyoshi, who wants his apparently possessed sister Runa to get a free televised exorcism. Runa is opposed to the idea, and for good reason: the dead waves, which are “Radio waves believed to harborContinue reading “‘Dead Waves’ is Creepy, Thoughtful, and Occasionally Hilarious”

‘The Dead Hate the Living!’ is a Delight for Hardcore Horror Fans

David Poe (Eric Clawson) is a director making a low-budget zombie movie in an abandoned hospital. He and his crew: makeup guy and best friend Paul (Brett Beardslee), leading ladies (who are also his sisters) Nina (Kimberly Pullis) and Shelly (Wendy Speake), leading man Eric (Benjamin P. Morris), production assistant Topaz (Jamie Donahue), extra MarcusContinue reading “‘The Dead Hate the Living!’ is a Delight for Hardcore Horror Fans”

‘Dead Alive’ AKA ‘Braindead’ is a Disgustingly Good Time

New Zealand, 1954. The Sumatran Rat Monkey has just been acquired by a zoo; too bad it’s infected with a nasty disease that makes people rabid. Largely affected by this is kindly Lionel (Timothy Balme), whose mum Vera (Elizabeth Moody) is bitten and becomes (for lack of a better word) a zombie. She bites otherContinue reading “‘Dead Alive’ AKA ‘Braindead’ is a Disgustingly Good Time”

‘Darkness Falls’: A Little Creepy and a Little Crappy

In Darkness Falls (most depressing town name ever) the children have to be careful upon losing their last baby tooth; the ghost of Matilda Dixon (Antony Burrows)—AKA the Tooth Fairy—will come to collect it, and if her face is seen, it means certain doom. The only way to keep her at bay is with light.Continue reading “‘Darkness Falls’: A Little Creepy and a Little Crappy”

‘Da Hip Hop Witch’ is a Baffling but Somewhat Entertaining Parody of ‘The Blair Witch Project’

2000 spoof of The Blair Witch Project. The “Black Witch of the Projects” is an angry spirit who tends to attack rappers, including Ja Rule, Eminem, Rah Digga, and Vanilla Ice (who play themselves). She seems more of a nuisance than anything, as every victim lives to tell his or her story about the incident.Continue reading “‘Da Hip Hop Witch’ is a Baffling but Somewhat Entertaining Parody of ‘The Blair Witch Project’”

1986’s ‘The Wraith’: Nice Cars, Cool Explosions, and Charlie Sheen

Packard (Nick Cassavetes) is a mean guy who likes to race teenagers for pink slips, cheating when he’s going to lose. He and his gang of punks: preppie guy Minty (Chris Nash), bandanna-wearing Oggie (Griffin O’Neal), high-pitched Gutterboy (Jamie Bozian), referee RUghead (Clint Howard), and Skank (David Sherrill), who’s always drinking random hazardous stuff, findContinue reading “1986’s ‘The Wraith’: Nice Cars, Cool Explosions, and Charlie Sheen”