GhoulieJoe

Ernest R. Dickerson’s ‘Bones’ is Haunting and Gritty

Snoop Dogg is Jimmy Bones, who, back in the ‘70s, was his neighborhood godfather (or doggfather, as the case may be). He’s betrayed and killed in his home by his greedy business partner Jeremiah (Clifton Powell), drug dealer Eddie (Ricky Harris), and crooked cop Lupovich (Michael T. Weiss), while his girlfriend Pearl (Pam Grier) isContinue reading “Ernest R. Dickerson’s ‘Bones’ is Haunting and Gritty”

2001’s ‘Blood Moon’ (AKA ‘Wolf Girl’) is Sad but Satisfying

Tara (Victoria Sanchez) is a teenager in a traveling carnival show; she’s the Wolf Girl, being as she was born with hypertrichosis, making her hairy all over. She’s targeted by four mean kids, led by Krystal (Shelby Fenner) and Beau (Shawn Ashmore). She meets Ryan (Dov Tiefenbach), a boy whose mother (Lesley Ann Warren) isContinue reading “2001’s ‘Blood Moon’ (AKA ‘Wolf Girl’) is Sad but Satisfying”

‘The Blair Witch Project’ is Dirty, Raw, and Original

Heather (Heather Donahue), Josh (Joshua Leonard), and Mike (Michael C. Williams) are making a documentary about the mysterious Blair Witch. They misplace their map and get lost in the woods. Meanwhile, they’re hearing weird noises, and someone is leaving behind odd items like stick figures and piles of rocks. As the situation becomes steadily moreContinue reading “‘The Blair Witch Project’ is Dirty, Raw, and Original”

‘Blade II’ is Chock Full of Action and Gore

Blade (Wesley Snipes), the half-vampire/half-human vampire hunter, takes a break from staking when he accepts a truce from the Vampire Nation. It seems there’s an anomaly causing the bloodsuckers to mutate into drooling Venus-flytrap-faced lunatics that are deadly to the un-mutated. Along with his human associates Scud (Norman Reedus) and Whistler (Kris Kristofferson), who magicallyContinue reading “‘Blade II’ is Chock Full of Action and Gore”

‘Bitter Feast’ is Sharp and Darkly Funny

Peter (James LeGros) is the host of his own cooking show, and also the chef at a chic gourmet restaurant. He focuses on organic, sustainable ways of eating, for example cooking a deer he killed and butchered himself. Unfortunately his technique doesn’t garner enough ratings, and Peter loses the show and his upcoming line ofContinue reading “‘Bitter Feast’ is Sharp and Darkly Funny”

1972’s ‘Ben’ is Surprisingly Heartwarming for a Film about Killer Rats

Danny (Lee Montgomery) is a lonely young boy with heart problems. When he befriends a wild rat, his mother and older sister are disturbed by his choice of companion, especially when Ben and his fellow rodents attack a boy who bullied Danny. Eventually Ben and his gang do so much damage to the town that the policeContinue reading “1972’s ‘Ben’ is Surprisingly Heartwarming for a Film about Killer Rats”

1992’s ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’ is Funny and Entertaining–to the Max!

Not to be confused with the TV show of the same name; this is the film that the show sprang from. Buffy (Kristy Swanson) is a vapid cheerleader whose biggest responsibility is choosing a theme for the upcoming school dance. Then she meets Merrick (Donald Sutherland), who informs her that she’s the latest incarnation inContinue reading “1992’s ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’ is Funny and Entertaining–to the Max!”

‘B.T.K.’ is a Fascinating Look at a Real-life Killer

Dennis Rader (Kane Hodder) is a seemingly mild-mannered government worker who gets urges to murder people, so he promptly does. The film shows his spiral of compulsion, murder, and finally his capture. In the roughly bazillion movies about real-life serial killers, this one stands out to me. Not just because for once Hodder (best knownContinue reading “‘B.T.K.’ is a Fascinating Look at a Real-life Killer”

Five Things I Have to Grudgingly Concede About the 1997 Remake of ‘The Shining’

Of course it’s blasphemy to say that the remake of The Shining is superior to Stanley Kubrick’s original, but there are still some things to like about it. I’m working on a writing project about horror movies and parenting, and I’m writing a sub-section about psychotic parents. I tried to use the original, but JackContinue reading “Five Things I Have to Grudgingly Concede About the 1997 Remake of ‘The Shining’”

Five Songs That Make Me Shake My Head at the Narrators

This is a piece I wrote a while back and finally got around to doing my final polish. Many songs involve an unreliable or unlikable narrator whom the listener isn’t supposed to trust or like. For example Dave Matthews Band’s “Don’t Drink the Water,” which describes the horrors of colonialism through the eyes of someoneContinue reading “Five Songs That Make Me Shake My Head at the Narrators”