THE STORY OF THE JERSEY DEVIL AND FACT OR FICTION TV SHOW - THEY WENT INTO THE WOODS WITH A PSYCHIC FOR "THE LAST BROADCAST" (1998)

     

  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

HORROR REPOST WEEK CONCLUDES WITH "WICKED, WICKED" (1973) THAT'S THE TICKET - SAN DIEGO 1972 MEETS PHANTOM OF THE OPERA AND IT'S IN 'DUO-VISION'....DUO-WHAT?!

This man seriously needs to get tested.

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

HORROR REPOST WEEK - THIS ONE'S A WOODSY THRILLER AS ANNE HECHE AND THOMAS JANE CAMPING AT A REMOTE LAKESIDE WHEN THEIR DAUGHTER GOES MISSING IN "THE VANISHED" (2020)

 

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. 

ELIJAH WOOD GOES TO STAY AT HIS UNCLE'S HOUSE WHERE HE ENCOUNTERS PURE EVIL IN MACAULAY CULKIN, HE'S "THE GOOD SON" (1993)

 

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