Claire (Meghan Ory) is a college student with a dark past: when she was a young child, she witnessed local kid-hoarder Mrs. Darrode (Diane Salinger) kill her seven foster children. As an adult, Claire has to take medication; unfortunately, this cuts her off from her emotions, which disrupts her chosen profession of acting. Her therapistContinue reading “‘Dark House’ (2009) is Repulsive, and Not in a Good Way”
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‘Dracula: Dead and Loving It’ is Eternally Amusing
Parody of Dracula movies by way of Mel Brooks. It has the same basic plot as Dracula (mixing aspects of Tod Browning’s 1931 version and Francis Ford Coppola’s 1992 version): Count Dracula (Leslie Nielsen) makes a living (undeading?) drinking blood and corrupting repressed virgins until he crosses the wrong people, namely Dr. Seward (Harvey Korman),Continue reading “‘Dracula: Dead and Loving It’ is Eternally Amusing”
‘Dr. Giggles’ is Goofy and Slightly Creepy
Dr. Giggles (the late, great Larry Drake) is an escaped mental patient who likes to pretend he’s a doctor. Hence the name, he also laughs at inappropriate times, not unlike Dr. Hibbert on The Simpsons. He returns to his hometown to take revenge for his father, who was killed by the locals because he murderedContinue reading “‘Dr. Giggles’ is Goofy and Slightly Creepy”
John Erick Dowdle’s ‘Devil’ is a Hell of a Good Time
Sometimes the Devil likes to torture people before taking their souls, so he gets them in a group, hides among them, and really freaks them out. One such group is comprised of Vince (Geoffrey Arend), a con artist, Jane (Jenny O’Hara), a snobby middle-aged woman, Ben (Bokeem Woodbine), a security guard with a violent temper,Continue reading “John Erick Dowdle’s ‘Devil’ is a Hell of a Good Time”
David Cronenberg’s ‘Dead Ringers’ is Brilliant and Wrenching
Twin brothers Beverly and Elliot are genius boys trying to understand women and their ways. After discussing the wonders of fish intercourse (they don’t need physical contact to procreate), they ask a neighbor girl to have sex with them in their bathtub. They grow up to become famous gynecologists, ironically learning very little about women.Continue reading “David Cronenberg’s ‘Dead Ringers’ is Brilliant and Wrenching”
‘Dead Silence’: Intense enough for ‘Saw’ Fans, but with Much Less Gore
In the town of Raven’s Fair it’s a good idea not to scream, or one may lose one’s tongue to the ghost of Mary Shaw (Judith Shaw). Shaw was a ventriloquist who had the nasty habit of murdering local children who heckled her show. So the town rose up and murdered her. However, she regularlyContinue reading “‘Dead Silence’: Intense enough for ‘Saw’ Fans, but with Much Less Gore”
1982’s ‘The Dark Crystal’ is Terrifying but Ultimately Optimistic
Directed by Jim Henson and Frank Oz, acted by puppets. In a dying world, the only hope is to repair the cracked Dark Crystal. The task of doing so falls to Jen (Stephen Garlick), a Gelfling (they’re kinda like elves) who was raised by the kindly Mystics (a cross between a horse and something withContinue reading “1982’s ‘The Dark Crystal’ is Terrifying but Ultimately Optimistic”
‘The Boogeyman’ Contains Many Laughs but No Boogeymen
Not to be confused with 2005’s Boogeyman; this is a little gem from 1980. One night, little Lacey and Willy grow tired of their mother’s drunken, abusive boyfriend, and Willy stabs him to death. Actually a bad decision, because the guy’s spirit enters the mirror over his girlfriend’s bed, and vows revenge. Flash forward twentyContinue reading “‘The Boogeyman’ Contains Many Laughs but No Boogeymen”
‘The Deaths of Ian Stone’ is Pretty Okay
Ian (Mike Vogel) has a rather odd existence. One day he’s a hockey player with a girlfriend named Jenny (Christina Cole); another day he’s an office worker and Jenny is only an acquaintance—his girlfriend is a woman named Medea (Jaime Murray). One day he’s driving a cab and Jenny is his passenger; another day he’sContinue reading “‘The Deaths of Ian Stone’ is Pretty Okay”
‘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”