Made for less than a million dollars, the slightly obscure Dead End is a chilling little indie you don't want to miss. It might just be the best Christmas horror movie no one ever heard of and every dollar is up there on the screen. It's quirky, weird, funny, bizarre, and scary all at once. Black comedy for sure but much more, this would make a nice double feature with The Perfect Host, another movie we're big on around here. So, grab some eggnog and a snack or two and check out the inimitable Ray Wise with legendary Lin Shaye as they take their family down a wrong turn, what's up with this road? Why doesn't it end? After all, they're just trying to make it to Christmas Eve dessert at Frank's mother's house. Tubi, Plex, Freevee, enjoy! 2.75 stars/2.75
Greetings All & Horrific Halloween - This 1985 comedy-horror hybrid perfecto starring James Karen and Clu Gallager has yet to be featured as our B-Movie Of The Month. But it certainly should be, it's essential B-movie viewing ha ha. Check out the trailer above and then check out the flick itself on Tubi, Pluto or Freevee. 2.75 stars/2.75
Going to be an early wrap on the October issue, folks, as I have to attend to something for a few days.
Here are a few more horror reposts from the horrific past >
Here are the three hints for November's B-Movie Of The Month-1 -it's one of the most (the most!) iconic TV movies of the entire '70's decade 2- That's not David Cassidy! 3- the subject matter was once considered America's biggest enemy. HAPPY HALLOWEEN C YOU SOON
A NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD (2014) - In one sentence - a super low-budget "Wales" remake. I lasted 22 minutes w this one. The best I can say about it is they were certainly passionate about the project, can always appreciate that. And it's kinda cool they made it in black n white. Official You Tube above. 0.75 stars/2.75
REBIRTH (2020) - Oh boy, this one is a trip alright. For some reason Barbra's character is a guy, I think he's gay but I'm not sure nor do I care. All the zombies have eyes that beam light, also have no idea what that's about. And worse of all, this moves slower than a snail travelling thru peanut butter. 0.5 stars/2.75
A NIGHT OF THE UNDEAD (2022) - For those that want to get even further out in the Twilight Zone of NOTLD remakes, check out this mockumentary with a premise I'm still not sure makes sense. It basically treats the 1968 movie like that was a documentary and the events depicted true instead of fiction and then this mockumentary explores whether or not it actually happened or was a hoax. Am I making sense? I didn't think so, I lasted 19 minutes with this one. 0.25 stars/2.75
1990 was a weird year for movies - many films from this year seem to have one foot still in the eighties but the other foot unsure of which way to walk. The only NOTLD official remake, directed by special effects extraordinaire Tom Savini, in collaboration with George Romero, is one such film. At the same time, it struggles within itself to stay in homage to the original but be something new at the same time. Originally audiences and critics gave it a thumbs down, citing this same misguided nature. Future decades would be much kinder to this unique remake, but I still have lots of problems with it.
My biggest complaint of many is the casting and in particular Patricia Tallman in the lead as Barbra (not to mention her hairdo.) I understand in this version Barbra is not supposed to be a passive wimp like the original but a warrior instead, as merciless in killing the zombies as Ben and the rest. Still, I don't understand this casting choice. And even worse, the guy they chose to play Cooper - he just doesn't have that annoying vibe about him like the original, which btw, was played by one of the shareholders, he wasn't even a pro actor. Tony Todd, however, is awesome as Ben and one of the main reasons to watch this.
The things that work - my biggest plus here is the exclusion of all the TV and radio reports from the original and just sticking to the action and rest of the plot. The zombies of course are awesome, thanks to Savini. Music is excellent but still doesn't come close to matching the original. The opening sequence in the graveyard, I like the little changes they make.
I've come to realize over time with this and lots of the sequels how special the original farmhouse from 1968 is. That house in a lot of ways is one of the main characters of the original and it casts such a perfectly desolate and creepy backdrop that is just not there in any other version. Maybe it was haunted.
Savini never really found his footing as a director and to me, he is to blame for the mixed bag this ultimately became. Still, as a homage, and firmly putting down roots for the last three decades, it's too late now - Savini's version is part of NOTLD's permanent family history, like it or not.
This is the bad guy, his big line is "I'll see you back at camp, man!"
Considered a pre-cursor to Blair Witch and the very first found footage film, like it or hate it, it's also credited as the first full-length feature to ever be completely produced on store-bought equipment. It's a like it or lump it kind of movie. Younger folk will not like the dated technology. One of those where the story and cinematic style have to pull you in from the get-go.
It follows a similar storyline to Blair Witch (or is that other way around.) Some jerky guys from New Jersey start their own cable show on one of those local community channels. They decide to do a special episode on "The Jersey Devil" where they will broadcast live from within the woods. They take a psychic with them to help find the spirit of this so-called Jersey Devil and he lands up killing all of them. Or did he?
Last Broadcast streams on Tubi, Freevee, Prime & Shudder. 2.75 stars/2.75
Having carved it's own unique niche almost fifty years ago, Wicked Wicked remains the only film ever produced in Duo-Vision. Which may be a good thing. Some bloke got the bright idea to do a whole movie in split screen and call it Duo-Vision. That it turned out to be for a low-budget drive-in horror flick is only to our benefit as B-movie fans. And it's not a bad flick.
A serial killer is on the loose in a seaside resort and it's San Diego 1972. Tiffany Bolling, one of the most charismatic starlets of B-cinema, shows off her singing skills as the hotel's entertainer and she's one of the main reasons to see this freaky flick. And to it's credit the split screen editing is quite good as is the location and a little gore thrown in for good measure.
On the other hand, the film's music, played by a single organist is awful. One can understand what they were trying for but it's the wrong organist and a bad score. Also, legendary 60's actor Arthur O Connell is badly miscast here as the hotel's custodian and looks like he'd rather be somewhere else. Special effects are cheesy but somehow blend well with the rest. While I can't really explain why, somehow the flick has a certain patina to it that works. Viva La Wicked Wicked! 2.75 stars/2.75 Only available on DVD thru Warner Archives.
WE ALSO DIG...
TIMECODE (2000)
How 'bout FOUR screens at once? Mike Figgis (Leaving Las Vegas) uses four digital cameras at once and charts his story using music staff paper to create a bold experimental film. Since it is physically impossible for every viewer to look at each screen at the same given moment, in effect he created the only movie that is a completely different movie for each person but still the same movie. Ya dig? A great cast of A-listers and it's all improv! Highly recommend. 3.0 stars/5
Anne Heche's tragic passing last year still has me reeling and it wasn't until recently that I was even able to watch one of her films. Two of my favorites are the Hollywood formulaic but enjoyable Six Days & Seven Nights and the fairly obscure indie Beyond Suspicion. Heche is paired here with Thomas Jane (for the second time, also see the series Hung) as a couple camping in a majorly cool RV at a lakeside in Alabama when their daughter goes missing. At that point the mystery is on and there's no shortage of creepy characters in their midst to wonder who the killer is.
For my tastes the film has just the right amount of twists and turns. And the ending, while very left field, will grab you no doubt. Actor Peter Facinelli directs for the first and only time here and does an admirable job especially in building suspense but otherwise lacks notable style. Heche, as was usually the case, is excellent given this material, she had such a great on-screen presence and will be sorely missed, already is.
The RV they camp out in is state-of-the-art and given the screen time a presence of it's own. It is a pleasure to watch. the thing has pop out rooms, movie theater, full kitchen, bathtub, the works. If you haven't seen it, The Vanished is worth at least one good watch and holds it's own in the insatiable outdoor woodsy thriller genre. Currently streams on Tubi. 2.75 stars/5
Editor's note - 10/3/24 - this is a repost, as of today The Vanished is only available VOD on either Apple or Amazon.
At the insistence of Kit Culkin, Macaulay's father, he chose to do a thriller and even made it a stipulation that Home Alone 2 wouldn't get Macaulay for the sequel otherwise. In retrospect, a fine decision I think. Although it wasn't received well at the time, The Good Son did go onto a semi-cult status and was a commercial success at the box office.
A nice hybrid of horror and action here and at the end of the movie, Macaulay Culkin pulls a Steve McQueen and does his own stunt jumping off a 180-foot high cliff into the ocean. That definitely upped my appreciation for this iconic kid actor and his performance here is spot-on, a bullseye from four hundred yards, not sure if anyone else could have pulled off such evil, worth every penny of the five million he got for this.
But we sure would be amiss if we didn't mention Elijah Wood's performance here - stunning. He was twelve years old when he did this. Again, I hope I don't throw these comments out undeservedly, but his performance is remarkable, and I think it was Oscar-nomination worthy - that good.
There were a lot of cast and crew changes because of Culkin's schedule and even the director was replaced, to good effect as they chose Joseph Ruben, the guy that did The Stepfather (1987) which of course spawned several sequels. Ruben also worked on another film I love, Joyride with Desi Arnez, Jr and Robert Carradine.
Thumbs way up on this one, streams on Tubi. 3.25 stars/5
Greetings all - If you love all things Night Of The Living Dead related like I do then you might be interested in this new version produced by a place called Lost & Found.
I rather like it and it has a lot of improvement over the Off-Color produced version which was the 3rd colorized and is most widely available on Tubi, etc.
The farmhouse interiors on this new version are vastly superior to the old ones. One of my biggest complaints about the Off-Color version has been the ugly unnatural blues and pinks all over the interior shots but this one they're gone. However, and it's a big however - whatever software/system this guy used the hues are changing a lot more than they should. The shots where characters don't move around a lot are lovely but when there's lots of movement the hues change. It's going to depend on your eye whether that bothers you or not but I found it not to be a dealbreaker, you can be the judge!
And as a bonus/comparison, here's the very first colorized version which was done literally the first year that VHS tapes started hitting the mass market, about 1986. It's not very good lol.
Ellie aspires to be a fashion designer and is accepted into a school in London. Her mom was in the same profession but died and every now and then Ellie sees her in a mirror. She rents a room when she gets to London and every night when she sleeps she crosses over into the mid-60's where she lived as another woman. Or did she? What other kind of ghosts may be in that room?
If that sounds like it might be your cup of tea then don't pass go and don't collect $200, see it! Visually stunning with echoes of Polanski, Hitchcock and I'll throw in a little Midnight In Paris. Thumbs up, way up on this one, nice to see there's still a filmmaker with imagination out there! 4.0 stars/5
