Movie Review: Underworld - Blood Wars

Hard to believe the Underworld franchise has been chugging along for more than a decade and is looking at at least one more sequel before all is said and done. I actually used to enjoy this franchise, led by a latex-clad Kate Beckinsale. There is plenty of potential in an epic tale of a war between vampires and werewolves. I used to anticipate each new episode in the series to see just what was going to happen, even when they replaced Beckinsale with Rhona Mitra and took us into the past to see early monster altercations. Now, I look at a new Underworld movie and think “Another one?” It doesn’t help that I revisited the franchise recently and found them to be kind of dull. Stylish, but dull.

Blu-ray Review: Children of the Night

Children of the Night is an Argentinian horror film that tells a tale of vampires and is described on the case as Let the Right One In meets Twilight. Now, that is not entirely accurate. Well, not really accurate at all, so don’t let that description scare you off. I guess you could see some similarities between them. In any case, should you see this movie? the short answer is yes. It is interesting, well made, and seems to be pretty fresh considering the vampiric subject matter. It is not the bloodiest vampire film I have seen, but it also doesn’t pull any punches. This movie is not about romanticizing the blood suckers, but it does seek to provide a plausible reality.

Movie Review: Dracula Untold should have been left that way.

Dracula Untold is a story that would have been best left untold. While, I think there are some good ideas to be found in here, there is a lot not to like. The entire project feels lackluster at best and it never really picks up energy. I kept watching, waiting, hoping, for something to flip the switch and really take off and give me something really good, but it never happened. I guess at some point I actually did have some hopes somewhere along the line. I shouldn't have. There was a time when vampires were monsters, when they were scary, when you would be terrified to know there was a vampire around. There is a bit too much romanticizing of the vampire going on these days.

Movie Review: Black Sunday (1960)

As I have said before, and will likely repeat for a long time, I was very late getting into the deep end of the horror genre. Even having dived in head first, there is a lot of ground to cover and I am not likely to ever fully catch up to where I should be had I gotten in at a more logical age. With that said, one of the directors with whom I have had very little experience is Mario Bava. It is a name I here time and again when it comes to quality horror fare with an eye for the artistic. I figured I should probably watch some of his films. To that end, I have dove in and watched Black Sunday, also known as Mask of the Devil.

Movie Review: Only Lovers Left Alive

So, the other night I ventured out to a local arthouse theater for the first time in ages. It is not that I don't like the theater, but most of the films I have wanted to see there have come to other more convenient theaters. Now, while I was there I realized something else, I don't fit in there. The audience was filled with hipsters and what I call arthouse condescenders. I am much more at home with grimy horror and exploitation aficionados, but that is neither here nor there. What is important, above whoever shows up to a screening is the movie itself. In this case we have Only Lovers Left Alive.

Movie Review: Dario Argento's Dracula

There are some classic monsters and characters that always seem to be remade and reinterpreted every so often. The classic Universal monsters are among the most popular, with countless Dracula and Frankenstein tales being told over the years. It is almost like any horror director feels the need to prove themselves with their interpretations and ideas on the classics. I have absolutely no problem with this. Good movies, good ideas, good interpretations, these things will always rise to the top. Unfortunately, sometimes there are wrong steps taken, things just do not come together in the execution. This is an example of that. Dario Argento's Dracula (released theatrically in 3D) just does not work. Period.

Movie Review: The Living Dead Girl (aka La morte vivante)

Hot on the heels of my experience with The Night of the Hunted, I jumped right back into the Jean Rollin pool with The Living Dead Girl. It is another haunting exercise in style, atmosphere, and mood, with less attention paid to performance ad story development. Who knew this could be such a potent combination? (that is a rhetorical question. Clearly somebody knew and I am left to play catchup.) Also, whenever I see the title, I cannot help but think of Rob Zombie, and knowing his affinity for horror, am assuming there is a connection, but am too lazy to actually look.

Movie Review: Blood Bath (1966)

I did not set out to watch Blood Bath on purpose. It is one of those movies I had tossed into my Netflix queue to revisit somewhere along the line. Well, that future time came the other day when I was looking for something to watch, preferably short, this happened to come up. It is a title I was rather unfamiliar with but with a word like "blood" in the title, I was more than willing to press play.

Blu-ray Review: The Thompsons

Mitchell Altieri and Phil Flores, aka the Butcher Brothers, first appeared on the scene with The Hamiltons in 2006 when the movie was selected to be part of the After Dark Horror Fest. Now, I have not seen that film, but I have seen their follow up, The Violent Kind, a very strange genre bending film that needs to be seen to be believed. With that said, that movie was good enough to make this directing duo one to keep an eye on. They have returned with The Thompsons, a sequel to their debut.