Horrorfest 2016 Presents: They Look Like People (2015, Perry Blackshear)

What makes us human? How do we measure about the beasts and monsters of the land, creatures lacking knowledge and operating on instinct? Do Wyatt and Christian ever overcome their insecurities, their struggles as men, attempting to move forward in a hostile landscape? They Look Like People could describe someone puzzling if anyone they know is truly human, a person and not something masking their alien nature under a flesh suit. Once you consider this notion and unlock the doors of paranoia, life becomes terrifying.

While Christian attempts to make contact with Mara, someone who could aid him in moving forward, Wyatt struggles with reality. I love how twisted this film is at times, and yet it basks in moments such as three people getting drunk and having a good time, or two old buddies reliving glory days of old. Perry Blackshear has crafted a wonderful, frightening and modern day urban take on fear and anguish, fights to achieve clarity in a world lacking in solid ground to hold onto. Glance into the abyss yet don’t fall in or linger about. You might not like what you see on the other side.

Horrorfest 2015 Presents: Critteriffic

Sure this was supposed to be part of my viewing from last year. Doesn’t matter because I do what I want anyways. Critters 3 and 4 came as a double bill part of a four pack that I found at my local library. Neither are particularly good, yet I actually dug one a little bit. I like to finish franchises anyways, for better or for worse. The series isn’t Oscar worthy but it is fun to watch. For some reason the 80s and 90s had a lot of franchise horror, although that seemed to be the norm for Hollywood, period.

Critters 3 is not a good movie. It’s easy the worst of the series and is mostly notable for featuring a young Leonardo DiCaprio in one of the main roles. As the son of a douche bag who wants to drive off his tenants so he can build a shopping mall or something. After having the Critters take over a farmhouse and a small town an apartment building is a huge step down. Imagine if this had been a big budget film where the Crites invade a whole city. Too bad that never happened.

Still this film does have its moments and the cast isn’t bad for a poor showing. They make this crappy movie watchable and I did like some of the kills. Also for some reason (SPOILER) The film ends on a cliffhanger. I like that Terrence Mann and Don Keth Opper appear in all of the series. That’s welcomed consistency.

Now oddly enough Critters 4 was a step up and works okay as an ending to the series. Well at least it was supposed to be, since nothing ever seems to end in Hollywood. Opper and Mann return along with new additions Brad Dourif and Angela Bassett as members of a crew that finds Charlie in space. I overlooked the obvious Alien/Aliens ripoff moments and sat back and enjoyed the fact that for the first time ever the Crites were actually in space. And that this movie has a few surprises, including one I did not see coming.

Even though like the rest of the series the low budget feel is quite apparent, I still enjoyed the fourth movie. The first two entries in the series are the best, however I still recommend even seeing the last two, just to see how things shake out. Also I am a fan of even bad sci-fi, especially since we don’t get too much of the actual stuff these days. Comic book movies don’t count.

It’s Hammer Time Presents: The Man Who Could Cheat Death (1959, Terence Fisher)

Operating as another one of the studios famous mad scientist movies, The Man Who Could Cheat Death has some of Terence Fisher’s usually strong visual style of film making that is the reason why he is the best out of the studios’ stable of directors at the height of its popularity. This film is well made and also is a tad creepy, as the title character turns out to be a monster as a result of his desire to live forever. Georges Bonnet is arrogant, intelligent, murderous and yet utterly charming. Without the parathyroid glands he takes from his victims Georges will finally die after living for over a 100 years. His mentor, Prof. Ludwig Weiss, refuses to help and therefore Georges has to force Pierre Gerard to perform the operation that will enable Georges to continue living forever. A scene that shows what happens to Georges’ victims is rather eerie, aimed at being terrifying and featuring plenty of green. Its almost as if Georges was an alien instead of just a man who thanks to science has found the secret of eternal life. This gift is of course not without a steep price.

Its a bit strange seeing Christopher Lee in a non-monster/evil person role, and he does a fine job here as Pierre, the doctor who unless he aids Georges will suffer the loss of the woman the two men love, Janine Dubois (played by the lovely and talented Hazel Court).  Anton Diffring is fantastic as Georges, giving life to a man who has become evil in his quest to never die. His fate becomes sealed by different forces, and the finale is rather violent and intense, as are most endings to Hammer Studios movies. This film is rather good also for its discussion on what long life, especially possibly living forever, can do to a person. In a key scene Ludwig and Georges argue about the surgery, with Ludwig mentioning that the years have changed Georges for the worse, not for the better. It almost reminds me of some newer Doctor Who episodes where the Doctor’s companions tell him to never travel alone, and how the Doctor often reflects that living so long has turned him into a different man completely.

Some argue that this movie is too heavy on dialogue, yet I like how Fisher sets up his more dramatic elements. Plus the killings are properly horrific and there is plenty of suspense in the final act. I do want to view the original version of this film, titled The Man In Half Moon Street and compare the two films. Hammer Studios was usually quite good at making remarkably entertaining remakes that either channeled the spirits of the originals or offered a new twist on previous material.

Favorite Horror Movies

1. Night of the Living Dead (1968, George A. Romero)
2. Gremlins (1984, Joe Dante)
3. Videodrome (1983, David Cronenberg)
4. Halloween (1978, John Carpenter)
5. Night of the Creeps (1986, Fred Dekker)
6. The Last Man On Earth (1964, Ubaldo Ragona, Sidney Salkow)
7. The Horror Express (1973, Eugenio Martin)
8. Shaun of the Dead (2004, Edgar Wright)
9. Carnival of Souls (1960, Herk Harvey)
10. Alien (1979, Ridley Scott)
11. Evil Dead II: Dead By Dawn (1987, Sam Rami)
12. Scream (1996, Wes Craven)
13. Tremors (1990, Ron Underwood)
14. Re-Animator (1985, Stuart Gordon)
15. Friday the 13^th: The Final Chapter (1984, Joseph Zito)
16. Horror of Dracula (1958, Terence Fisher)
17. Sleepy Hollow (1999, Tim Burton)
18. Trick ‘r’ Treat (2008, Michael  Dougherty)
19. The Frighteners (1996, Peter Jackson)
20. Arachnophobia (1990, Frank Marshall)

Horrorfest 2013 Presents: Forbidden World (1982, Allen Holzman)

Space is a dangerous and scary place. Full of wonders and dangers lurking around every asteroid and moon. At least that’s the case in Forbidden World which is an Alien ripoff that I actually enjoyed. Even with the low-budget special effects and the hilariously bad opening space battle. We can thank the legendary Roger Corman for producing this entertaining piece of sci-fi horror schlock.

I can’t even recall the space fodder….I mean, characters…names. They aren’t terribly important and neither is the plot which involves genetics and some ugly monstrous creature. This film has it all: tons of nudity gore and horrific death scenes. Not to mention amusingly cheesy moments and a cool android. That’s always a plus. Don’t forget that random shower scene either. The creature itself has great big shiny teeth and appears to be a cross between a spider and god knows what else.

A film like this could only exist in the past when cheesy low-budget films were easy to make. Today this film would fail to straddle the fine line between entertaining goofy camp and outright dumb parody. Someone like Roger Corman was always able to walk that line as a director and as a producer.