B-MOVIE OF THE MONTH - DEAD END (2003)

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

Monday, May 15, 2023

GRIZZLY II : REVENGE (1983/2020) - VERY POSSIBLY THE WORST MOVIE I'VE EVER SEEN NEXT TO BLOODSUCKING FREAKS

 

I was just talking a couple of weeks ago with a friend about the level of deception in these days and times which seems to be at an all-time worldwide high. And what do you know, along comes Grizzly II to astound me even further. Since when does a movie that's been shelved for 37 years translate to "37 years in the making?" Trust me, this mummy should have stayed in the tomb, never to be resurrected. Bad doesn't even begin to describe this incoherent mess, bad vibes all around.

So the story goes, the producer split the very first day of shooting taking with him the movie's funds.  And that was it, game over. That alone should have been enough to signify the disaster that lay ahead. And to bill George Clooney, Laura Dern and Charlie Sheen when they're literally in only like five minutes of the movie is downright disgraceful. Their representation can't have been too happy about that one. The special effects are equally insulting with the shots of the bear looking like some guy put a bear's head costume on his head and shook it around. 

The movie also centers around a rock concert in Hungary, a huge early '80's spectacle with all sorts of props and lighting reminiscent of the early '80's MTV era. It's also the strangest rock concert I've ever seen and takes up way too much of the movie. The vibe is so weird in this concert and film overall that after watching it I felt like I had just walked through the murder scene at 8763 Wonderland Ave. I think martians may be landing on earth soon. 

Giving this one a quarter of a point for nice shots of Laura Dern's legs in the first five minutes of film. 0.25 stars/2.75

Editor's Note - and congratulations btw to Grizzly II for receiving the lowest rating ever on B-Movie Gazette in six years.

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