Jacob (Tim Robbins) is a friendly postal worker who is also a Vietnam veteran. His fairly comfortable life with his girlfriend Jezzie (the wonderful, late Elizabeth Peña) is disrupted by sudden hallucinations: he has war flashbacks and also horrible visions of monsters. One night he wakes up in bed with his ex-wife Sarah (Patricia Kalember),Continue reading “‘Jacob’s Ladder’: Rich in Biblical Goodness (and Creepy AF)”
Tag Archives: review
‘J-Horror Anthology: Underworld’–Gore on a Limited Financial Plan
Japanese movie, organized into six segments. “Chain Mail” shows three snobby teens getting their comeuppance from a girl they accidentally killed; “Left Behind in the Mountain” features a cruel prankster being taught a lesson; “Tattoo” is about a prostitute with a supernatural ink job; “Lost in Memory” concerns three young men and their ethereal friend;Continue reading “‘J-Horror Anthology: Underworld’–Gore on a Limited Financial Plan”
‘J-Horror Anthology: Legends’–Scares and Campy Fun
Japanese movie, AKA Inagawa Junji no shinjitsu no horror. It consists of six short films. “Peony Lamp” concerns a young samurai and his ghostly paramour; “She Bear” shows two girls and their run-in with a monster; “Yamamba” is about two reporters looking for a legendary creature; “Nurarihyon” deals with a friendly ghost and the family heContinue reading “‘J-Horror Anthology: Legends’–Scares and Campy Fun”
James Wan’s ‘Insidious’: Effective Jump Scares and Eerie Sights
Josh (Patrick Wilson) and Renai (Rose Byrne) are a loving couple with three kids who were clearly named by an Australian scriptwriter: baby Cali and older sons Dalton (Ty Simpkins) and Foster (Andrew Astor). Dalton suddenly goes into a coma-like state that doctors can’t explain. The person who can explain it is family friend EliseContinue reading “James Wan’s ‘Insidious’: Effective Jump Scares and Eerie Sights”
‘Igor’: My Kind of (Re)Animation Movie
Malaria is a simple country, where the people are poor and sell evil inventions to support themselves. It’s populated mainly by mad scientists and their assistants, called Igors, who are second-class citizens. One particular Igor (John Cusack) is our protagonist. When his master Dr. Glickenstein (John Cleese) dies unexpectedly, he sees his chance to pursueContinue reading “‘Igor’: My Kind of (Re)Animation Movie”
‘Hellbent’: A Gay Slasher You Can Get Behind
Lonely wannabe cop Eddie (Dylan Fergus) and his buddies: bisexual bed-hopper Chaz (Andrew Levitas), awkward Joey (Hank Harris), and studly Tobey (Matt Phillips) head out to the West Hollywood Halloween Carnival to get some bootie. Eddie is especially interested in Jake (Bryan Kirkwood), a hottie he met earlier. They catch the attention of a maskedContinue reading “‘Hellbent’: A Gay Slasher You Can Get Behind”
‘The Haunting’ (1999): I Enjoyed it More Than the Original–Come at Me!
Dr. Marrow (Liam Neeson) is a psychologist conducting an experiment ostensibly about insomnia but actually about his desire to “investigate the dynamics of fear.” This equals taking naive Eleanor (Lili Taylor), sex kitten Theo (Catherine Zeta-Jones), and goofy Luke (Owen Wilson) and testing their reactions to a supposed haunting in the giant mansion they’re stayingContinue reading “‘The Haunting’ (1999): I Enjoyed it More Than the Original–Come at Me!”
‘Hard Candy’: Not for the Squeamish
Jeff (Patrick Wilson) is a thirty-two-year-old photographer, and when he’s not taking pictures of underage girls for a living, he’s picking them up through the internet. His newest online prey is fourteen-year-old Hayley (Elliot Page, in his former life as a teenage girl), who agrees to go back to his house and pose for him.Continue reading “‘Hard Candy’: Not for the Squeamish”
‘Hannibal’: Anything’s Better Than the Book it’s Based On
Hannibal picks up a few years after The Silence of the Lambs left off. Clarice Starling (Julianne Moore replaces Jodie Foster) is in trouble with the FBI over a drug bust gone wrong. Her career has basically been a disappointment, since she never managed to get ahead; she’s still being held back because she’s aContinue reading “‘Hannibal’: Anything’s Better Than the Book it’s Based On”
‘Gothika’: Slick High-Budget Horror with Actors You’ve Heard Of
Halle Berry is Dr. Miranda, a prison psychiatrist. Among her many tasks is counseling Chloe (Penelope Cruz), who’s convinced the devil is raping her. Miranda’s smug sureness of who’s crazy and who’s not is challenged when after an encounter with a ghostly girl, she wakes up in a cell at her work, suspected of murderingContinue reading “‘Gothika’: Slick High-Budget Horror with Actors You’ve Heard Of”
GhoulieJoe 