Horrorfest 2014 Presents: Halloween: Resurrection (2002, Rick Rosenthal)

Since I last saw this film years ago I revisited back in 2018 in time for the Blumhouse take on the series. In a nice Blu-ray box set that I got from Walmart. Man do they know how to take your money. Everyone hates Halloween Resurrection, yet I’m not one of them. Look I know it’s cheesy and that what the film does to Laurie is not cool, still I kind of enjoyed this movie. I dig that a bunch of dumb people decide to do a found footage style broadcast in Michael Myers’ old house. I mean how insane do you have to be to want to film at the childhood home of a mass murder!

Busta Rhymes and Tyra Banks headline the group of young adults who foolishly enter Myers’ domain in search of Internet webcam glory. Thomas Ian Nicholas, Sean Patrick Thomas and Bianca Kajlich are the main stars of the younger cast. The only thing that was really dumb was old Mikey managing to cut off someone’s head with a carving knife. Pretty sure that’s not possible haha! Rhymes yelling “Trick or treat motherfucker!” and trying out kung fu moves on an unstoppable serial killer was hilarious and I’m guessing that part was supposed to be intentionally funny.

Look I don’t loathe any entries in the series except 5 which was pretty dumb and very unnecessary. 6 wasn’t good but it had some decent moments and a solid atmosphere at least. Maybe it’s for the best that both Rob Zombie and David Gordon Green choose to ignore all of the sequels when they made their own entries in the franchise.

Horrorfest 2021 Presents: Jack Frost 2: Revenge of the Mutant Killer Snowman (2000, Michael Cooney)

Look I enjoyed the first Jack Frost even if it wasn’t a great movie. The sequel is hilariously awful in a fun way that still means it sucks. Yet I didn’t hate this movie cause it made me laugh and I found the whole thing to be watchable in a bad fun movie way that requires booze. I didn’t have any booze at the time though. Also the reason for Jack Frost still being around is dumb in that usual slasher movie villain way.

Too bad that this sequel lacks the self aware comedic value of the first movie. Yes the kills are fun and this movie wisely follows the sequel rules of a higher death toll. However I can’t recommend this flick even to die hard slasher movie fans. It’s that bad and really it’s not surprising they never made a third movie. Which is also for the best if this is what they cobbled together for the sequel.

Horrorfest 2021 Presents: The Convent (2000, Mike Mendez)

Despite being a low budget horror movie that didn’t even make it to theaters, The Convent is a fun early 2000s horror movie that I really enjoyed. Also it has some good freaky moments and seems to be both a mix of different horror movies and it’s own, unique take on the demonic nun genre. Plus you sort of care about the characters in this one, and the movie handles it’s business and quits while it’s ahead, which is smart.

Adrienne Barbeau headlines a cast of people I’ve never heard of, plus Coolio and Bill Moseley in smaller roles. The kills in this flick are pretty gnarly, and there is even some funny moments that sometimes work. Despite being fairly cheesy, this movie is wonderfully goofy in a that good cult movie way. I don’t think they could really make a movie like this now, especially since parts of the film reminded me more of 1980s and 1990s horror. 1990s horror really hasn’t inspired too many imitators, although perhaps it just doesn’t have the nostalgia factor of previous decades. Give it time though I’m sure it will happen.

Slasher Sequel Fest

Inspired by numerous movie marathons over the years, I was thinking about doing one for only sequels of slasher films. My list would be:

1. Scream 2 (1997)
2. ANOES 3: The Dream Warriors (1987)
3. Sleepaway Camp II: Unhappy Campers (1988)
4. H20 (1998)
5. Leprechaun 2 (1994)
6. TCM 2 (1986)
7. Hello Mary Lou: Prom Night 2 (1987)
8. Friday the 13th Part 4: The Final Chapter (1984)
9. Happy Death Day 2U (2019)
10. Silent Night Deadly Night Part 2 (1987)
11. Slumber Party Massacre Part II (1990)
12. Hellraiser II: Hellbound (1988)
13. Final Destination 2 (2003)

Horrorfest 2013 Presents: The Lords of Salem (2012, Rob Zombie)

After witnessing a bunch of old witches having a huge devil worshiping orgy in the middle of the woods many things will seem tame after wards. In this case though the film The Lords of Salem decides to up the level of insanity after a slow buildup that establishes the main characters. Rob Zombie effectively channels Dario Argento, Mario Bava, Roman Polanski, and even Stanley Kubrick while managing to make a slightly better and frightening woman targeted by satanists movie than Ti West did with The House of the Devil. I’m impressed, to say the least, although I’ve only viewed his two Halloween films. I much prefer his latest over each of them, and I do plan to go backwards and view his first two movies. Say what you will about his music but Zombie has a knack for camera placement, haunting visuals, and fairly good plots. The problem with the two movies I mentioned have been more of the acting and dialogue variety, coupled with H2 ending up being way too concerned with overly extreme and pointless violence instead of its far more interesting psychological center.

Lords of Salem however lacks most of the issues that plagued his previous works, and has some rather starkly wonderful and creepy moments. Such as the eerie hallway moments, or the inside of Heidi, the main protagonist’s, apartment-there is only dim light in there, and it has the feel and look of a tomb. With a great big amazing poster from the classic A Trip To The Moon inside, also. I read that the moon is involved with fertility, and that makes sense because poor Hedi’s seemingly nice landlord may not be who she actually is. Spooky. Of course we are also left with the possibility that all of Heidi’s troubles are the result of her struggling to stay clean from drugs, which only adds to the dark proceedings. Oh they are dark indeed, bleak and terrifying nightmares that plague Heidi and cause her to question reality. Its bad enough when you are facing normal problems, yet suffering from possible hallucinations is even worse.

The rest of the film continues to unfold in a suffocating atmospheric manner, growing more and more odd and entering further into the world of the bizarre. Mysteries are answered only resulting in new questions, and by the film’s last act the final connections to reality are completely severed. Rob Zombie has given us a freaky new horror film, an experience in terror that is bold, well crafted, and different. By the time the end credits rolled I was almost glad that the film had ended only so that I could witness something happy to cleanse my thoughts. However the images still lingered on long after the screen had faded to black.

Horrorfest 2013 Presents: The Cabin In The Woods (2012, Drew Goddard)

When I first heard about The Cabin In The Woods it was a film that had an original release date of 2009, and then was pushed back to the point where those anticipating it were wondering if the film would see the light of day. Well thankfully the movie was finally released in 2012, with director Drew Goddard and the famous Josh Whedon being its principal writers. This is a movie created for horror movie fans, and also for those who love all of the famous cliches that the genre has offered up over since the dawn of cinema. Thankfully I avoided most of the film’s trailers and also did not read any reviews, as both would offer up spoilers one way or another; my goal with this review is to attempt to do the almost impossible and talk about the film without actually tipping its hand. Still I shall do my best.

Meta in horror movies is nothing unique or new, and funny enough the horror genre was brought back to life by one such styled horror movie: Scream, which is a modern classic and a favorite of mine. I also mention that film since it plays upon famous horror conventions and was rather stylish, original, and entertaining. The Cabin In The Woods is in a similar mode, and I was surprised that it actually had some decent scares and a creepy atmosphere up its sleeve. The humor elements in this movie are also a combination of sharp and silly, mixing slapstick with sarcasm at times. In that regard this is a fine addition to the list of horror meta films, a sub genre that does not get enough credit as it has resulted in some really good horror/comedies that straddle the lines between bleak humor and nasty horror moments.

Oh and the characters for this movie are really quite good. Almost too good for a movie paying homage to the slasher genre first and foremost, and one that plays upon the grace notes of famous horror films. There is even a tip of the hat to the infamous special character, the old guy who warns the characters of the evil despite never moving away from the evil. That’s just marvelous. Few horror movies-hell regular movies that I’ve seen recently-have lived up to the hype quite like this one. Special horror films come along too few and not enough, and they should be recognized and enjoyed. The Cabin In The Woods is one of those movies.

Some last couple of thoughts: those opening credits reminded me of the ones for the 1997 controversial film Funny Games, which I saw last year and which I thought was merely solid at best. I then realized that The Cabin In The Woods is the movie that Funny Games should have been. Sorry if you are a fan of Funny Games, but that’s one horror/drama/satire that failed to live up to its promised reputation. There’s nothing worse than a movie you don’t hate or love, or even like, although I guess I gave it an 80/100 so that’s something, I guess. This is a movie also that I will have to view numerous times. And that I want to see numerous times. Plus trying to find an image for this movie that is not spoiler filled is hard. Really hard.