Daily Cheesy Horror Trailer: The Prowler

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yiwvv8eMf8s

Daily Cheesy Horror Trailer: Motel Hell

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4AR3BgaCdA&feature=related

Hidden Gem: Waxwork (1988)

Trying another new segment here. This is for severely overlooked horror films, even by fan standards.

Now, there were certainly some gems in the late 80's, that's for sure. They ranged from the outrageously cheesy (Night of the Demons) to the fantastic (The Serpent and the Rainbow), but if there was one overlooked camp classic to sneak in at the end of the decade, Waxwork is in my eyes most assuredly it.

The film is directed by Anthony Hicox, who would go on to direct Waxwork II: Lost in Time and Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth. It stars Zach Galligan (Gremlins 1&2), Deborah Foreman (April Fool's Day), John Rhys-Davies (Lord of the Rings, Raiders of the Lost Ark) and the always epic David Warner (In the Mouth of Madness, TRON, The Omen).

The focus of the movie is, obviously, a Waxwork. But whereas I went in expecting another ol' dip the bodies in wax to hide them type of movie, I was pleasantly surprised to find a rather awesome new take. This is a campy supernatural film, and the true plot is that the owner of the Waxwork wants to unleash hell on earth by offering up victims to his horror-themed wax exhibits. When the people step through the exhibit, they step into the world inhabited by that specific character. Dracula's victim finds herself in a castle, the werewolf's victim in a forest, etc. Now, one would think this would shift to play like an anthology film, but the plot remains surprisingly coherent throughout.

The plot point that sealed the deal for me, however, was the one spot where the film truly rose above just being a campy 80's monster movie. The heroine, Sara, is very sexually repressed and instead of having her simply do battle with a burly monster at the end, Hicox instead explores the theme throughout. Sara clearly has desires of her own. Desires that may even go a step further than what her friends are doing. For example, the wax figure that captivates her most is not The Count, nor Frankenstein's Monster, nor the Phantom of the Opera... it's the Marquis de Sade. A figure she nearly seems to idolize... until she meets him face to face.

Of course, any 1980's monster pic depends heavily on its gore and effects, and this film has these by the buckets. The special effects are done by Bob Keene, the genius who worked on the early Hellraiser films.

So, while Waxwork may not take its spot amongst the classics, it does explore some interesting themes when it wants to. What can truly be expected here is simply good, clean, messy fun. It is, just as the tagline reads, "more fun than a barrel of mummies."

Daily Cheesey Horror Trailer: Basket Case (1982)

New segment I'm trying here.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_uQj7j8yG6A&feature=related

Review: Halloween II (2009)

7/10

Starring: Scout Taylor-Compton, Danielle Harris, Malcolm McDowell, Brad Dourif and Tyler Mane

This film has, as expected, already begun to take a beating as it is a sequel to Rob Zombie's Halloween, which opened to some pretty good reviews but was savagely received by fans who were expecting more of the same.

Rob Zombie's film is different for the Halloween series. It does not destroy the original classic and it would have to try hard to be as bad as Halloween III. Now, to get on to the film itself. As you can see, I was a fan of Zombie's Halloween remake. Here, I was equally impressed. With this film, there were no more boundaries, as Zombie made all the characters his own at the end of the first. This is Rob Zombie's Halloween II and he's free to do whatever he wants with it. Luckily, the directions he takes it in are pretty damn interesting.

This film is well-written and every character has something to do. It's a psychological movie and Zombie goes into depths exploring how each character from the first is dealing with the events, and no two are going about it the same way. Annie (Danielle Harris) has become a recluse unable to leave the house, Loomis (Malcolm McDowell) has become a shadow of himself, almost a joke, totally ignoring the events to surpress whatever guilt he feels. Sheriff Brackett (Brad Dourif) is totally devoted to his job, coming much closer to filling Loomis' normal role in a Halloween film.

Obviously, the focus of the film is Michael and Laurie, and it is portrayed in a way that feels real. A question constantly raised throughout the film is whether or not Laurie (obviously the most traumatized - especially when she discovers she's Myers' sister) will be gripped by her brother's madness. We get keen looks into Michael's head as well as Laurie's, their very similar dreams and visions. And Michael, now a bearded vagrant, even gets some fun ground to play with in realizations that he has to put the mask on to kill and that in his visions, he speaks through his childhood persona.

Overall, another enjoyable effort by Zombie and a worthy entry in the (now 31 year) Halloween saga.

Posters Unveiled

The first posters for A Nightmare on Elm Street, Puppet Master: Axis of Evil and Scream 4 have been unveiled. While Scream 4 is simply a logo, I am so digging the other two. One, this is the only time a Puppet Master film has been hyped up enough to even warrant a poster, so here's that.



As a lifelong fan of the indy series, I cannot wait for January.

And then there's this guy. Nightmare news has been pouring in all day, with the first image only this morning. And it has kept on winning me over. This still doesn't show a whole lot, but I like what we see. We get a good look at the glove, for one thing, and some of the scarring. All the elements of Freddy are still there. Loving this so far, can't wait to see what else is in store.



And the Scream 4 logo. Well, I don't know how to feel about this. One, I can't vouch for whether or not it's real. If it isn't, then I'm a silly fool. If it is real, then that means the project is finally getting off the ground.

Are You Ready for Freddy?

Here it is, folks! Your first look at Freddy in Platinum Dunes' A Nightmare on Elm Street, from the people over at Bloody-Disgusting.

I, personally, love the shot. I know you can't see much, but I definitely see the presence of Freddy here. The tone is fantastic too. Very, very dark. And it definitely seems a return to original form for Krueger, as promised.

And Freddy fever continues, as Brad Fuller reveals ANOTHER shot of Freddy will be revealed this afternoon on IGN!