Horror Movie Reviews

I first ran across this film in the mid-80's when I was rediscovering Hammer films. It is probably the most unique of the gothic horror films that Hammer is known for, being both a swashbuckler and a vampire flick. The film was great, nice crisp colors, and great sound. This should make it a 5-star review, right? NO!

The top banner of the keepcase says "Widescreen Collection". I was prepared to watch one of my favorite Hammer films in letterbox glory. It only plays as a fullscreen (1.33:1 aspect ratio). I will be returning mine to Wal-mart for a refund.

One of Hammer's last great horror films (the confused To The Devil, A Daughter has its moments but it was compromised from the very beginning), Captain Kronos is receiving the deluxe treatment compared to some of the other Paramount releases on DVD. The transfer is good although there are some issues related to edge enchancement that haven't been resolved here during the transfer. The colors are pretty vivid overall and, while the print isn't pristine, it looks worlds better than many of the other releases from the same time frame.

The sound is standard mono. There isn't any attempt to remix the sound for 5.1 Dolby but it does sound better than the VHS version I had (although it does sound a bit flat and, pardon the pun, lifeless in a couple of spots).

In the hands of veteran director Brian Clemens, Kronos couldn't possibly have gone wrong. One of the major issues that dogged Hammer towards the end of its short reign was the inability to attract top outside talent. There were exceptions to be sure, but Hammer survived at the end by producing meagerly budgeted films lacking in the talent necessary to pull it off. Happily, Kronos was an exception to this rule.

Clemens, a veteran of The Avengers (among many others)directs with a stylish flourish that provides much needed energy throughout most of the film. The result is a film that, despite its shortcomings (budget being the chief complaint), still manages to dazzle. It's a pity that there was no way to introduce Peter Cushing's Van Helsing into this mix as a way to pass the baton to others as it would have been a nice touch.

The Vampires here don't drink blood but, instead, drain the life force of youth from their victims. A fascintating premise and update of the traditional vampire legend. Kronos jumps to the rescue attempting to stop this plague of vampires from continuing to take more victims. Clemens' retake on this old legend helps to prevent Kronos from becoming predictable. It's clear that Clemens (and Hammer) had hopes that the film would inspire a series of films. Sadly, this wasn't to be.

The DVD has a commentary by Hammer historian Jonathan Sothcott with interesting observations provided by director Brian Clemens and actress Caroline Munro. This is an example of how Warner Brothers, Columbia and, yes, even Paramount should have treated their other Hammer releases.

Capt.Kronos Vampire Hunter has a good mix of sword fights and
vampire mythos.Hammer Horror outing about a 19th century
swashbuckler out to save the world from the undead.

Interesting story line, the cousin who isn't the cousin arrives at the house and promptly turns the entire house and Blair's life upside down... and Linda Blair is a draw, but Lee Purcell is the star of this movie. Actually, I found Linda Blair to be so whiny I almost rooted for Lee Purcell! (Blair has a very nasal whine throughout the movie, and it is really annoying...) but her family and her friends and boyfriend treat her very badly and very unfairly in favor of Purcell, who is, far and away, the more attractive of the two...for a time. Then her real self emerges and...but you have to see the movie! Good, light, semi-scary fun.

considering this is a 70d flick its still quite creepy and the sound and video quality of the dvd is great. One wonders why Linda Blair ever dissapeared from the screen. she is always so good to watch and such a natural actress

This movie is typical 70's B horror, which makes it a classic in my book. A bit cheesy, but hey...that works. A very early Wes Craven flick about Cousin Julia and the "strange" incidents that seem to occur since her arrival. Hmmm!! This movie scared ...me in the 70's. And for nostalgic reasons, I still enjoy it. Also, look for a very young Fran Drescher in it, as well. Enjoy!!

If you like 70's horror, here are a couple more to look for, but good luck finding them, as they are currently out of print.

The Stranger Within - Barbara Eden
Midnight Offerings - Melissa Sue Anderson/Mary McDonough

theres werewolfs and theres hot chicks in this ok movie. from the start its good and the end is ok, but I was lost when this one turned from horror to romantic somewhere in there, inside of it, but otherwise it was a good view. for anyone who is a werewolf or horror buff

"The Curse" is a light-hearted, refreshing, over-the-top flick that challenges audiences to compare a woman's insatiable desires, animalistic tendencies, and self confidence brought on by the "monthly plague" with that of a were-wolf! Is it just Frida's period that makes her crazy or is she really killing off men in her alter ego as a female carnivore? You will roll on the ground laughing as she disposes body parts in the food grinder and dines on raw meat like it was a culinary delight! It is a must-see, reliable flick for a light saturday night viewing!

i came across this film quite by accident. made in new york for some $30,000 with a 4 week shooting schedule, two years in slogging post production hell, then a distribution deal and a scheduled release date of october 2001 -- whoops, can't release a movie that takes place in new york in october of 2001, so it sits on a shelf for another two years and finally ...

since there was no for special effects or to blow on sets or costumes, this movie was forced to survive solely by the power of its script and acting performances and it succeeds. it succeeds in being funny, scary, and romantic all at the same time. bitten by a fellow patron at a manhattan lingere sale, our heroine, frida, (played capably by Amy Laughlin) finds that her PMS is getting worse and worse every month and that, in fact, she has become a PMS werewolf, changing into an animal and ripping dates to shreds every 28 days. can true love save her? how long does it take to get rid of a human arm in the garbage disposal? who is that devilishly handsome police officer?

the bonus features include two seperate audio tracks with general commentary and a second with tips on how to make an indy horror flick ("don't use SAG!", spend money on an audio director, hire a DP with his/her own equipment)

BREAKING AWAY's (1979) Dennis Christopher stars in FADE TO BLACK, a wry comment on how Hollywood is gaining influence over the worldview of the average citizen in contemporary Western society. Christopher plays Eric Binford, a young man so obsessed with the cinema that he soon begins to blur the line between reality and the plots of his favorite motion pictures. As his life begins to unravel, Eric looks to the movies for the solutions to his problems, and of course, it's only a matter of time before Eric starts eliminating those "problems" following the example of his favorite movie characters--with murder!

Christopher's over-the-top performance is exuberant and flamboyant, but since his Eric Binford is a person whose behavior is governed by the cinema, such a performance makes the character seem both plausible and sympathetic. Another strong performance is offered by Linda Kerridge as Marilyn O'Connor, the object of Eric's unrequited love. (Of course, it helps that Kerridge, a former Australian model, is a very convincing Marilyn Monroe look-alike, a fact that is intricately weaved into the plotline.)

Admittedly, the supporting cast is not nearly as strong as Christopher and Kerridge, and a great deal of the dialogue for minor characters is pure caricature. Indeed, if taken too seriously, FADE TO BLACK will come across as cartoonish and the plot will seem outlandish. But if viewed as the Juvenalian satire it is meant to be, the film definitely works. Cinema buffs will enjoy the clips from old classics, and horror fans will get a real kick out of watching Eric commit acts of mayhem and murder while costumed as Dracula and The Mummy.

Viewers who do not appreciate dark satire--and especially those who do not enjoy thriller films--will probably regard FADE TO BLACK as made-for-TV fodder. True, it is not destined to be a classic. But it is definitely an entertaining film, and it's a genuinely fun ride for cinema buffs and devotees of the horror and thriller genres.

Eric Binford (Dennis Christopher) is an obsessed film buff who lives with his domineering Aunt Stella. A sad, strange young man, Eric hates the real world and has good reason to: he works as a delivery boy for a film supply company where his boss hates him and his colleagues think he's a wierdo. Even hookers hate him, and yes; not surprisingly he drives a moped. Yup, poor old Eric lives smack dab in the middle of Gimpsville and only exists for his love of movies. But one day he meets a gorgeous Aussie Marilyn Monroe lookalike (creatively named Marilyn) in a diner and he asks her out to a movie (of course). Unfortunately she quite innocently forgets their date so is two hours late... but Eric thinks she has stood him up. This drives Eric over the edge and he starts dressing up as various movie characters and killing off the people he feels have wronged him In his defense, the movie playing is Robbie Benson's DIE LAUGHING so you can't really blame the guy for snapping. (Why doesn't he just subject his victims to repeated screenings of it? That'd work).
Eric's delusional mania continues to worsen to the point where he thinks he's James Cagney in PUBLIC ENEMY, not to mention Christopher Lee's Dracula and William Boyd's Hopalong Cassidy amongst other characters. Christopher's poor acting doesn't help the viewer gain sympathy for the character of Eric but it's still an interesting movie. What I like best is how the film makers are thumbing their noses at people who think movies influence people into committing crimes. If that were true most of the population of western world would be on death row!
But best of all are the film clips from PUBLIC ENEMY, HORROR OF DRACULA and NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD among others. FADE TO BLACK isn't brilliant, but it's an entertaining movie for genre fans, with a few now familiar faces popping up. This is good viewing for your next Halloween party. Check it out.

THIS IS NOT A GREAT FILM BUT YOU WILL FIND IT ENTERTAING WHAT MAKES IT BETTER IS THE SCREEN PRESENCE OF AUSTRALIAN ACTRESS LINDA KERRIDGE, A FORMER[magazine] MODEL. SHE PORTRAYS A MARILYN MONROE LOOK-ALIKE WHOM DENNIS CHRISTOPHER(A FANTICAL FILM BUFF)FALLS IN LOVE WITH. IF YOU LIKE MOVIE MONSTERS, JAMES CAGNEY AND MARILYN MONROE YOU'LL ENJOY IT. WATCH LINDA EMULATE MARILYN IN THE "HAPPY BIRTHDAY" NUMBER AND ''PRINCE AND THE SHOWGIRL'' SHE COULD BE HER DAUGHTER. WHERE IS SHE NOW? I WANT MORE....."

I don't know why I watched this ridiculous "gore" spectacle from the 60's but I did. Herschel Gordon Lewis was never my idea of a horror film director anyway. But in this one I saw his tongue firmly planted in cheek. It's so funny and the acting so hammy you can't possibly be offended by it. Montag the Magnificent performs stage illusions where women from the audience are hypnotized as they're gored on stage. The trick is they seem perfectly fine afterward, seemingly unaware of what happened. Then later their guts fall out in restaurants or they end up dead---mutilated as they were on stage. A nosy "Hints For Women" type TV personality sets out to uncover the truth. The ending is WAY out there---what's illusion, what's reality and to whom?
The "gore" is so ludicrous you know it's fake and the film so cheesy it's laughable. And the acting couldn't be any worse. See this if you're game---but remember, it's all an "illusion"!

In "Wizard of Gore" Montag the Magnificent dispatches hypnotized women with slop happy glee while the audience is hypnotized into thinking they are watching a standard issue hypnosis and magic act. Other people have talked about the acting, the really bad pancake makeup on Montag, and the ending which basically makes this film the Florida drive-in circuit version of "The Matrix" (I was waiting for Montag to ask the heroine of the film which pill she'd take- red or green?). But aside from that, the most pervasive element of this film to me is the bleak nihilism within it. There is only one emotion in the film- Montag's, when he is tiptoeing through the organs. Otherwise he acts as somnabulistic as the women he dispatches. The boyfriend in the film spends most of his time yelling things into the phone while he tries to stop his girlfriend from just about EVERYTHING!! By the way, has anyone noticed that halfway through the film He turns into the panicked girlfriend while She turns into the main catalyst for the plot. At the same time she is an accomplished television host with a dollop of women's liberation to boot. Was this Lewis' appeasement to the viewing public (and more often than not, the not viewing public... if you've ever run into them outside a theatre,you know what I mean)? If so, I'd have to say that with me it works, and it was something I hadn't noticed when I'd seen the film many years earlier as a teen... it makes an interesting bridge piece between the wigged collegiates of "The Gruesome Twosome" and the 'women's liberation' scene from "The Gore-Gore Girls". But I'd really have to say that this is Lewis' most humorless and darkest film; most of them have the sickening violence in the same way that the Three Stooges would build up to a pie fight. By the way, I haven't gotten around to the commentary (but intend to), and about that, remember: ALWAYS BUY LEWIS FILMS WITH THE COMMENTARY. Rumor around is that he doesn't have the rights to the films anymore but he does to the newly recorded commentaries- so, basically, if you are buying a Lewis film with no commentary, the man sees none of your cash.

I love when an actor (?) brings such dedication to a role and Ray Sager approaches his Montag role as though his life depended on it (he was hired for the lead day before shooting began).
The Wizard is not filled with highspeed, action hero, death defying stunts or rapid paced scenes. Instead we get Montag giving a Shakespearean worthy monologue to you, yes you!
First time I played this disc my sides were hurting from laughter.
Cute females, grinding gore, twisted ending and bottom of the barrel budgeting make this a new favorite for me.
Watching it again, this time with the H.G. Lewis commentary makes it even more entertaining.
Oh, the glorious days of real time special effects and two-bit acting.

Forget about the outlandishly budgeted hollywood gloss junk made for the masses. This is a prime example of creative, esoteric, humerous, low budget filmaking.

Shakespearean gore.

This film is an interesting study of the forces of human nature, as well as human's desire and (vain) effort to force their will onto nature itself.

It's plot, however, keeps pace with nature - most of the time developing at a glacial pace - with only brief moments of faster development.

Similar to tree, without leaves after the winter, the movie starts out in a worn down environment, holding promises of an interesting future to come. Like twigs growing buds, the initial characters are setup and are slowly developing, reminiscent of growing leaves. A brief blossom displays a certain type of beauty, only to be eradicated by the forces of nature.

Eventually echoes of autumn settle in, with some of the protagonists falling like autumn leaves. Yet, on the other hand, new shades and colors reveal themselves in and for the remaining protagonists during this time of re-evaluation of their values; ultimately leading to a much more harmonious existence.

Nature vs. man's control over nature, the individual vs. social propriety, plans vs. outcome... This movie was fantastic and I'm now interested in other works this director has been involved in. This movie was beautiful, meaningful and well executed. There are those who consider the pace of this movie a negative (slow, dragging, etc.) without realizing the beauty of this movie couldn't be executed any "faster" without ruining the essence. If you have slightly more patience than the average MTV-raised 15-25 yr. old you will be richly rewarded by watching this film. I thought Ewan McGregor's performance was average with hints of brilliance and all the other actors were very well suited for their roles. I give the film 4 stars objectively and 5 stars personally because it spoke so personally to me.

It took this movie several years to find a distributor in the U.S., which is one of the reasons so few people have had the pleasure of seeing it. While it has been noted that the plot tends to be slow in unravelling, this can be entirely forgiven, as you become completely immersed in the world that this film creates. It deals with man's need to control nature and the craving of the spirit to be free.
Meener Chrome (Ewan McGregor) has been hired by a wealthy (and vain) land-owner named Smithers (Pete Postlewaite) and his wife Julianna (Greta Scacchi) to design a garden from the wilderness outside their inherited estate. As the family attempts to convert this field into a model of order, they are also trying to tame their daughter Thea (also called Anne), whose wild spirit is being crushed in this world of obedience and rigidity. It is only later that we learn that "Meener Chrome" is in the pay of Julianna's cousin, Fitzmaurice (Richard E. Grant). Almost mad with jealousy that Julianna has married another, Fiztmaurice intends to use Smither's vainity against him and financially ruin him through this elaborate garden and drive Julianna back into his arms.
While Chrome tries to bring order to the world around him, the world inside Smither's home begins to spin out of control. Julianna becomes captivated with Chrome, who in turn has completely fallen in love with Thea. Against the orders of her 'physicians' and her parents, Chrome attempts to bring some calm into Thea's life and offer her freedom from the world that is driving her to madness. Fitzmaurice, insensed that Chrome would pull out of the bargain rather than hurt Thea, and with Julianna's infatuation with him, descends deeper into his own insanity, which proves to be his destruction. Eventually, Chrome rescues Thea and find their own happiness, while Smithers and his wife must try to begin again, with nothing left but their garden.
This film is visually stunning, as we see this wild landscape transformed to a vision of late 17th century order and beauty, and later destroyed by a windstorm. The costumes and settings lend an almost surreal touch to this story that plays almost like a fairytale. To watch it once is not enough. McGregor's accent seems very half-hearted and sporadic, but in re-visiting the scenes, one can see 'Chrome's' true identity in his intentional misuse of his accents. The film is mainly a character driven, psychological story that is not for those looking for quick entertainment. Though the plot does tend to be a bit slow, the intense subtlety and power of the final scenes more than compensate. If you wish to lose yourself in a world of beauty and intruigue, The Serpent's Kiss might very well be a dream come true.

I saw this on video back in the 80's, mostly because Peter Weller was in it, and he was (and still is) one of my favorite actors. He plays an NYC businessman who becomes obsessed with a really big and mean rat that's invaded the dreamhouse/brownstone he's personally restored. The filmmakers definitely had aspirations beyond just making a rat movie (at one point, Weller pounds on the ceiling with a copy of "Moby Dick"), but just as a rat movie, it succeeds beautifully: Increasingly scary and gory rat action, something the new version of "Willard" pretty much forgot to include. There's also a rat expert onhand, without which no good rat movie can do without - really two, if you count Weller's character, who starts spewing rat facts at inappropriate times at the movie goes on. (One of the great bits of dialogue goes something like this: "You're thinking of [the rat] maybe 10% of the time...but he's thinking of you 100% of the time..." Because he's a RAT, and rats is rats.) What really puts the movie over, aside from some pretty effective direction, is Weller's great performance as the businessman, who slowly starts to lose his grip the more he becomes obsessed with evicting the rat from his home. I'd rank it as one of the best performances in a horror film, up there with Jeff Goldblum in "The Fly." So, if you're into rat movies, it'd be hard to top this one for your viewing pleasure.

I'm a big horror buff. Now i have known about this one since it's theatrical release, but this little gem has managed to evade me for a viewing all these years! Thanks to DVD. I finally got to peep it out. I wasn't expecting much. But when the credits rolled I felt all warm and fuzzy for laying out the dough on this title!

Most the other reviewers here applaud Weller's performance. And I must say it's maybe even the strongest one I've seen from him.

He plays the family guy, whose wife (Shannon Tweed in her screen debut) takes the kid and goes off to vacation at her parent's. Weller's character can not go because he's trying to get a deal through at work that could give him a big promotion. Soon after his wife and kid leave, a pretty big damned rat infiltrates Weller's brownstone abode which he has obsessively renovated painstakingly by hand. Basically Weller is a neat freak! And when the rat begins to vandalize the house as rodent's do... He begins to go nutty and obsessive on how to get rid of it... And soon it's a battle of life and death over which one will be king of the castle!

While others associate this film to the likes of Ben and mayhaps even Food of the Gods. I found this film to be rather original! Probably mostly in part to superior characterizations which make the tale work damn good.

The ladies will most likely freak out on this one though. Let's just say the big rat get's quite brazen at times trying to take over the house as his territory! If you think you get it bad enough to keep the seat down! Well then... Don't let 'em see this one!

I think it's a pretty safe bet that well rounded horror afficandos will be pleased with purchasing this one. All others should try to give it the ole' rental first.

BEING A PETER WELLER FAN, NOTWITHSTANDING, I ABSOLUTELY LOVED THIS FILM. HOWEVER, I DID NOT SEE IT AS A "HORROR" FILM. TO ME, IT WAS MORE COMEDY-SUSPENSE, ESPECIALLY WHEN MR. FASTIDIOUS TRASHED HIS HOUSE DURING THE WAR WITH THE RAT. GREAT STUFF!!

This teacher (played by Jay Thomas) at first seems to be a teacher that deserves respect, however as the movie progresses we can see that just teaching students not to be tardy six times (because thae want to be late on purpose to be kissy-kissy with the girlfriend of he week) or not to forget their books isn't the only thing that bugs the man. He truly is not a man of heart and is sarcastic with the students even his own wife. Some students plot to kidnap Mr. Griffin and give him a dose of his own medicine. They do. They tie him up. What they do not know was he has pills he must take. Later that night, Mario Lopez and this girl have a change of heart and they go back to the site where Mr. Griffin was left. At first they can not find him, but then they do find his body. He is dead. The story continues... Good film for Mario Lopez fans. DVD offers no extras or bonuses.

This movie wasn't the best I've ever seen, but it beats Teaching Mrs. Tingle hands down.

This is, by far, one of my favorite movies! It is about six high school seniors who are [annoyed with] their teacher, Mr. Griffin, for his creul and unjust punishment and harsh yelling. So, as a senior prank, they decide to kidnap him. But what they hadn't realized is that, sometimes, pranks go wrong. Amy Jo Johnson did a good job at playing the lead, Susan McConnell!

This is GREAT Fun, Peter Cushing in his final performance as Dr. Laurence Van Helsing. The plot finds Van Helsing chasing Count Dracula all over China. This Count Dracula, not Christopher Lee but John Forbes-Robertson gives a great performance as Dracula. The final is a knock out, with Dracula falling on Van Helsing's speer and turning to dust, putting the legend of Count Dracula at rest for good. This was Hammer Film's last Dracula movie, a sequel was planned with Cushing but it never saw the light of day

If you like Cushing/Martial Arts/Vampires/Hammer Films/Dracula........then this is for you. I love this film, being a fan of this led me to "The Vampire Hunters" (much more recent)another excellent film. I've been collecting Cushing films for years, many missing in action (imagine my hapiness at locating "Shock Waves"). With Anchor Bay releasing classic B-Films perhaps they'll finish off my collection of the Cushing/Non-Hammer films (out of print). Don't miss this movie.....its a must for many people with several different genre collections.

If you are a Shaw Brothers fan, a "Black-Belt Theater" buff, a vampire collector, or a Peter Cushing freak, this movie is for you!

Now the fact that Peter Cushing is tracking Dracula to China is reason enough to pick up this flick. But wait, there is more!
Along the way Drac gets the help of the legendary "7 Golden Vampires" and Peter Cushing (as VonHelsing)gets some help of his own in the form of a Kung-Fu sibling team up. You see, the 7 Golden Vampires destroyed their village, and they want VonHelsing to help them get revenge.

Just when you think you couldn't fit another cliche into one movie, this movie features "Son of VonHelsing" and the Kung-Fu sister in a love element.

Get a pizza and phone the friends, this movie is a non-stop laugh riot.

Nightmares has 4 vignettes:
1.) a nasty video game that consumes JJ (Emilio Estevez)
2.) a psychopathic killer that almost gets smoker(Christina Raines)
3.) A Satanic black Chevy truck trying to kill a faithless priest
(Lance Henrickson)
and 4.) a dumb story of Giant Rodent ... at a dopey husband
( I forget his name)
an enjoyable movie nontheless

This is a decent anthology film from the early 80's with a great soundtrack. The first story is only decent , not great , but not bad either although the scene where the gas station attendent busted through the chick's window scared me the first time I saw it. The second story is the best one , with Emilio Estevez as a arcade junkie who gets more than he bargains for when he reaches the 13 level. The third story is the worst and a waste of time even though Lance Henrikson is an awesome actor. The fourth is also great about a mythological devil rat harassing a suburban family. That story also featured an hillarious scene where Richard Masur is shooting at the rat and the stereo blast Black Flag's "Louie Louie" (what middle class home would even own a Black Flag album). I wouldnt recommend buying it..but it's a cool movie to rent or watch on late night tv

Finally I found the title of this flick!! I was like, 6 or something when I first watched this, and forgot the name for 20 years until tonight!!!! The movies that stand out is the video game one, the one where the Estevez dude turns to a monochrome dude trapped in the game, and then of course the last one, with the rat, as big as Shaq!!!! Now that is scary!!!!! This is a dandy 80's flick!!!