remake – GhoulieJoe

‘Jacob’s Ladder’ (2019) is Not Without its Charms

Jacob (Michael Ealy) is a former Afghanistan war medic who suffers from PTSD, which is exacerbated by the fact that he saw his brother Isaac (Jesse Williams), also a soldier, die on his operating table. In his current job at a veteran hospital, he bumps into guys who are on HDA, also known as “theContinue reading “‘Jacob’s Ladder’ (2019) is Not Without its Charms”

‘The Grudge’ (2020) is Worth Your Time

Taking place in the mid-2000s, the same time as the first American remakes of the Japanese Ju On movies, the film chronicles the swath of destruction caused by an American nurse, Fiona (Tara Westwood) bringing home the Saeki curse to her own house and spreading it to anyone who steps inside. I wasn’t big onContinue reading “‘The Grudge’ (2020) is Worth Your Time”

2006’s ‘The Wicker Man’: A Towering Garbage Fire or Just the Remake We Needed?

Police officer Edward (Nicolas Cage) has been contacted by his ex-girlfriend Willow (Kate Beahan), who tells him that (a) they have a daughter named Rowan and (b) she’s missing. He heads down to Summersisle, a small island in Puget Sound, to find her. He runs afoul of a strange matriarchy of wannabe pagans who areContinue reading “2006’s ‘The Wicker Man’: A Towering Garbage Fire or Just the Remake We Needed?”

‘Quarantine’: Somebody Call a Wah-mbulance

Remake of Jaume Balagueró’s Rec, directed by John Erick Dowdle. Reporter Angela (Jennifer Carpenter) and her cameraman Scott (Steve Harris) are doing a piece on firefighters. They ride along with firemen Fletcher (Johnathon Schaech) and Jake (Jay Hernandez) on a call to an apartment building where one of the residents has been heard screaming. TurnsContinue reading “‘Quarantine’: Somebody Call a Wah-mbulance”

‘Psycho’ 1998: Why???

Marion (Anne Heche) is longing to get married to her boyfriend Sam (Viggo Mortensen), but neither of them have the money. She sees her opportunity when her boss gives her a boatload of money to deposit in the bank, and instead she runs away with it. She winds up at the Bates motel, run byContinue reading “‘Psycho’ 1998: Why???”

‘Night of the Living Dead’ 1990: Do it for Barbara! And Tony Todd!

Remake of George A. Romero’s 1968 film, this time in color with a contemporary twist or two. Makeup man Tom Savini takes the director’s seat, with Romero writing the screenplay. It keeps the same basic plot and characters: a band of humans with higher than average survival skills board themselves up in a farmhouse (unfortunatelyContinue reading “‘Night of the Living Dead’ 1990: Do it for Barbara! And Tony Todd!”

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’”