Go to Church: Examining La Chiesa as Demons 3

Beware of Spoilers....

In 1985, Lamberto Bava and Dario Argento introduced the world to the reality of Demons. That film delivered fun and frights in an overly gory film that has become a cult favorite. They wasted no time in following that success with the equally crazy and perhaps even more unglued sequel in 1986 with Demons 2. Clearly they did not want to let up the momentum but also did not have a unified creative direction as to where to take the series, so in 1989 The Church (aka La Chiesa) was released and is often considered Demons 3, despite the lack of direct connection. Of course, it is one of three films to be referred to as Demons 3. If there is one thing fun about Italian horror, it is navigating the web of alternate titles.

Screening Report: Tremors (9/10/15 Alamo Drafthouse, Yonkers, NY)

A month or so back it was announced that Tremors would be screening at the Alamo Drafthouse in Yonkers, NY, as part of their Prints of Darkness screening series, hosted by Fangoria magazine's Michael Gingold. On the side I had been told that they had reached out to Kevin Bacon to possibly make an appearance for a Q and A live in the theater. The theater had recently done a live Skype broadcast with him following a screening of Cop Car, plus he lives in New York City, so it was not outside the realm of possibility. Needless to say, a week score the screening, it was announced they would, indeed, have Kevin Bacon in the theater.

Movie Review: Killing Car

The other night is was scrolling through my Netflix queue looking for a movie to watch. I did not know what I was looking for, just something older that I may want to write about. I chose poorly and ended up with the 1954 science fiction feature Gog. What a bore that was, sure it had some interesting ideas, but I had no interest in writing about it. So, last night I went back to the well and stumbled across Killing Car. It had a release date of 1993 and had some interesting cover art. As I pressed play, I had absolutely no idea what I was in for. Some would probably say I struck out again.

Movie Review: Intruder (1989)

Every movie fans has lists of movies. There are lists for movies they love, movies the hate, movies they love but don't want anyone else to know about, favorite horror movies, favorite comedies, you name it, they have (or can have at a moments notice) a list for it. The most basic of these lists are the movies they have seen and the movies they haven't seen. The movies on the not seen list can be there for any number of reasons and likely run the gamut from all-time classics to obscurities you heard mention of in some long forgotten conversation, some are just titles you see on a shelf and just shove to the side. Intruder is one of those shoved to the side movies. It has also now migrated to the movies I've seen list.

Movie Review: Paganini Horror

When it comes to trashy Italian horror, there are a number of names you can look up and find plenty to be entertained by. One of those names happens to be Luigi Cozzi, often credited as Lewis Coates. He may not have been quite as prolific as some, and his name does not come up as often as, say, Lenzi, Bava, Fulci, or even Mattei, but he is not to be overlooked. I would highly recommend Starcrash and Contamination, these are fantastic and goofy flicks, and do not forget his pair of Hercules movies with Lou Ferrigno. The movie at hand is the final fictional feature he helmed, Paganini Horror. It is a lesser film to be sure, but still one to be savored.

Movie Review: Silent Night, Deadly Night III - Better Watch Out (1989)

Way back in 1984 a little movie arrived in theaters that caused such an uproar that it got itself yanked out of theaters. It was condemned by Siskel and Ebert, denounced by Leonard Maltin, and picketed at theaters by concerned parents. Despite all odds, it has survived and garnered itself not only a cult following, but a handful of sequels (including one that features Mickey Rooney!). The movie in question is Silent Night, Deadly Night, a movie about a little boy scared by his grandfather and warped by holiday happenstance into a killer out to punish the naughty. I am not here to discuss the original, although it is an absolute blast, but Part III, subtitled Better Watch Out. And I haven't even seen part 2!

Movie Review: Friday the 13th Part VIII - Jason Takes Manhattan (1989)

As the tradition has gone, they did not waste any time getting another Friday in front of the cameras. For the eighth time in ten years, a Friday the 13th film graced theaters across the country. This time around, rather than take it back to the cabins, rather than go back to the lake, the decision was made, for the first time in the series history, to take Jason away from the woods, out of Crystal Lake, and put him somewhere with recognizable landmarks, never mind how it happens, that is the stuff of movie magic. Jason was sent on a mission, a mission into the big city. That's right, 1989 saw the arrival of the eighth film in the series, Jason Takes Manhattan.

Movie Review: Alien from the Deep

If you want crazy and absurd genre films, you need look no further than Italy. During the 1980s and 1970s, they churned out a cornucopia of absurdity. Some are classic, some are not so, but so, so many of them are so gloriously entertaining. The movie in question came out near the end of the glory era, but still manages to bring a solid slice of entertaining absurdity. The movie is called Alien from the Deep, was released in 1989, was directed by the late Antonio Margheriti (Cannibal Apocalypse, The Last Hunter), and features the instantly recognizable Charles Napier (Rambo: First Blood Part II). On top of that, it is another Italian rip on Alien.

Movie Review: Midnight Matinee (1989)

So, while I was stumbling around looking for something to watch, I came across this little movie called Midnight Matinee on Netflix. It is not something I had ever heard of before, but it sounded pretty interesting. The description reads: “Even though a devastating murder took place during a small town's horror film festival two years earlier, the townspeople want another festival.” Sounds like fun, right? I mean, who wouldn't want a horror film festival. Who cares if a murder took place. People are always dying, we don't always get horror film festivals.

Movie Review: The Fly II (1989)

Lately, there has been a lot of discussion about remakes. It seems that among the hardcore fans there is no way to do a remake right, while mainstream audiences at large seem to be a lot less fickle. Anyway, I am very much a wait and see kind of guy, I like a lot and hate a lot. Let the movie prove itself to be bad before ripping into it. In any case, there is one movie I seem to forget when discussing good remakes, David Cronenberg's The Fly from 1986. The Jeff Goldblum/Geena Davis horror was well received and holds up in comparison to the Vincent Price original. It did well enough to spawn a sequel of its own, The Fly II in 1989.

Movie Review: Slugs - The Movie

Last night I decided to take little break from the Sci Fi Invasion challenge. I felt, shall we say, inspired after writing about Extraterrestrial Visitors, the rather awful film from Jua Piquer Simon. There are some odd bits in that film, but nothing really worth going any distance to see. The inspiration came when I looked up the filmography of said director and discovered he was also behind the amazing Pieces (seriously, that is a gonzo masterpiece). I decided to go elsewhere in his filmography and see which direction his talent goes.

Movie Review:Slipstream (1989)

All right, now we're talking. Well, kinda sorta I guess. So many movies in this set have been utter snoopers that when you come across one of ever so slightly more questionable quality, it feels like you are watching Citizen Kane. Still, there has to be something to it other than just a better by comparison aspect. I don't know. I guess it really doesn't matter, if you are entertained, it is a worthy movie of watching. The movie in this case turns out to be Slipstream. I can tell by the looks on some of your faces that you are familiar with this little public domain gem.

The Movies of Brandon Lee: Laser Mission

It is hard to believe it has been 20 years since Brandon Lee was tragically killed on the set of The Crow. The movie has gathered a cult following and I consider to be one of my all time favorite movies. It is a shame that his life was cut down at such a young age, just as he was about to become a big star, in my estimation anyway based on his iconic performance in The Crow. In any case, I have decided to revisit his brief filmography.