Re-Animator (1985) – movie review

Re-Animator (1985)

Directed by Stuart Gordon
Produced by Brian Yuzna

Starring:
Bruce Abbott
Jeffrey Combs
Barbara Crampton
David Gale
Robert Sampson

In the first 60 seconds of this film an old man’s bulging eyes explode splashing blood into a woman’s face. A few minutes later there’s a sex scene with Megan, (Babara Crompton) and Dan (Bruce Abbott). This is just the tip of the iceberg that makes up the insane world of Re-Animator. The circumstances, blood and guts, and over-the-top effects are reticent of the 1980s itself. The teaming of Brian Yuzna and Stuart Gordon on this film (and From Beyond) produce something so horribly vile and disgusting to the point you have to laugh; it is nothing less than Black Comedy.

The story is a far cry from the original Re-Animator tale penned by Lovecraft to where only the names, places and basic premise remain. Doctor Herbert West has a serum that when it’s injected into the brain stem, can bring people and animals back to life. He demonstrates on mutilated cat. First Megan’s father dies and they bring him back to life. He’s not the same. Then West uses the serum on University professor Dr. Hill. At first, Dr. Hill doesn’t believe the serum will work, but when Hill tries to take credit for the serum, West kills him. Once back to life and feeling indestructible, Hill decides to fulfill his fantasy with Dan’s fiance, Megan, and kidnaps her.

What hard-core gore scenes shall I talk about? I guess the most vile are the creepy old man (Hill) makes advances on the young college student scenes. Horrifying! Hill’s head, separated from his body puts some gnarly sex moves on a naked and restrained Megan.

Despite being in previous horror films, it was Comb’s role in Re-Animator that gained him notoriety as a campy horror actor and fan favorite. The music by Richard Band provided excellent accompaniment to the craziness of the film, especially in the tense pacing of the main theme which was heavily influenced by the main theme in Psycho. John Naulin handled the Special FX using 24 gallons of blood, 10 times more than he’d ever used on a film previously. Re-Animator has since become a cult favorite and spawned several sequels including Bride of Re-Animator.

And check out the other classic Gordon/Yuzna vile collaboration, From Beyond

A darkly funny Gordon/Yuzna gorefest that took Lovecraft ideas and mashed them with over-the-top 1980s, body horror excess!

I give it 4.1 headless corpses out of 5 on the Frankenstein scale of b-horror re-animated flesh flicks.

 

 

Gallery of gore and nudity:

splitting headache…

headless scientists

zombie bowling league

Lecherous!

good times…

yuck!

make-up!

 

It Follows (2014) – Movie Review

It Follows (2014)

Directed by David Robert Mitchell

Starring
Maika Monroe
Keir Gilchrist
Daniel Zovatto

This film starts out really slow and somber. The background music kinda’ sucks, it stands out because it’s so bland and Casio keyboard sounding. Jay’s boyfriend is a real creep. I guess teenage girls have little judge of character. That’s why they should listen to their parents more. So this bad entity, that can take over bodies and look like anyone, follows these youngsters around. It moves slow but if it catches you it will kill you. It’s passed to someone else by having sex with them. A guy has sex with Jay then disappears. Shortly after Jay begins to see strange people around her. They look like a normal people but there’s just something weird about them. They are in unnatural settings like an old woman on the school campus, or a freaky girl that looks like she’s just been raped.

The young man, Paul, that lives with the family loves his old time sci-fi flicks. Killers From Space and Voyage to the Planet of Prehistoric Women are two of the flicks he’s watching. Damn, these ghostly people are creepy. Especially the real tall guy. The movie definitely ramps up the tension with these scenes. It doesn’t help that the mom works nights.

The family hides at the neighbor’s summer house on the lake. It gets creepy there too. In fact the good scenes are so good that you can overlook some scenes that are extremely slow and that there are a couple of loose ends in the storyline. The fact that there’s no adults anywhere in these kid’s lives has to be overlooked, too. It‘s like a Charlie Brown/Peanuts cartoon. I’ve seen reviews that compare this to the atmosphere of modern sexuality of young people today. The only way to deal with this sexually transmitted ‘ghost disease’ is to pass it on to someone else. Really? I hope today’s young people are more intelligent and morally decent than that. I’ve also seen reviews that praise this film as the best horror flick in a decade. I wouldn’t go that far–its good but not that good. Anyway, it does have a semi-happy ending for Jay and Paul who, it seems, had a crush on Jay for many years.

A decent creepy thriller with a somber mood.
I give it 3.3 creepy ghost girls out of 5 on the scale of horrific harbingers of hell.

 

Horns (2014) – movie review

Horns (2014)

Directed by Alexandre Aja

Starring:
Daniel Radcliffe
Max Minghella
Joe Anderson
Juno Temple
Heather Graham
–
(slight spoilers)
I usually like movies based on a good book, even if some aspects are different. I realize the events of a book that takes over a month to read are not going to fit into a two hour film. I know that inner thoughts from the main character are not going to be translated well to the screen and little asides that add depth to characters will not work well in a film. Things will be changed to visual aspects of story telling and some parts will be left out. This film is adapted from the book of the same name by Joe Hill.

Iggy Parrish wakes up one day to find his girlfriend, the love of his life, was murdered. He is accused of killing her, but evidence is lost making prosecution near impossible. He then wakes with horns growing out of his head which gives everyone he meets the desire to confess their greatest sins to him. He has gained some powers of the devil, where he can lead people into temptation among other things. It’s kinda’ like the opposite of Bruce Almighty 🙂

This is not a typical horror film. Despite the strange, horror-like occurrences in the story, the real horrors are the true to life aspects. The break-up in the diner was a scenario we’ve probably all lived through. I once had a situation where everyone thought I did something wrong (something went missing in the store I worked at) and no matter what I said, no one believed me. I was later vindicated but too many bad things were said and it had cost me several relationships. There are other aspects to this film that are excruciating but lean more toward drama, the horror of real life or in the classical sense, the comedy, which in early opera and plays meant the painful irony of life. Iggy is laughed at, scoffed at, and wrongly accused in this film. False accusations and ridicule are painful parts of life many of us have probably dealt with in our own existence.

It’s not until the third act that this film (and the book) resembles a true horror story. Ig sharpens his horns (so to speak) and the horrors begins. The ending is dismal but there is also a reconciliation aspect to it. In the book, the final showdown between Iggy and his best friend, Lee, is much bigger. I do think Alexandre Aja delivered a good adaptation of the book. I’m not sure if that translates to a good watch for those who have not read the book. I’m sure some of my enjoyment came from re-living parts of the book I liked so much. It’s not a frightening story. It is a great horror story nevertheless, one that I think can be enjoyed by not only horror fans, but a wider general audience.

A tragic story that keeps you glued to the screen for its mystery and murder aspects and mesmerized by the strange affliction of the main character, Iggy Parrish.

I give it 4.0 sinful confessions out of 5 on the scale of guilty, gluttonous lies for selfish deeds and self preservation needs

Read my book review here: Joe Hill – Horns

he drives a Gremlin, lol!

horny little devil!

woh, this is illegal in 3 states!

steamy dance in a treehouse in the woods!

wait until you hear her dirty confession…holy crap!

Da,da,..da, da, da… The Farm…Green Acres we are here!

talking to snakes again?

Horns poster 2