The only word I can think of to describe this movie is fun. “Creepshow” is just a really fun movie to watch. The film is an anthology of shorts based on stories written by horror author Stephen King. It is done in the style of 1950’s horror comic books and features some surprising cast members, including Ed Harris, Ted Danson and Leslie Nielsen. In true Romero fashion, “Creepshow” contains some incredible practical gore effects and plenty of zombies. This film is the perfect film to sit around and watch with a bunch a friends, especially near Halloween.
As you can probably tell, I have been watching a lot of zombie films. I got an idea for a zombie movie a couple months back and I have been trying to immerse myself in the genre. That way, when I start writing, I know which concepts have already been tackled and which aspects of zombie movies I can improve upon.
Prior to starting this film journal, I revisited “Night of the Living Dead,” as well as Romero’s original “Dawn of the Dead,” and now have finally finished up his original zombie trilogy by watching “Day of the Dead.”
The first thirty minutes of this film are less then stellar. Over-the-top characters and some crummy dialogue make for a lackluster beginning. You don’t really want to root for anyone and every person you encounter is kind of an asshole. However, once you get to spend sometime with the characters away from situations that require constant yelling and berating, the film becomes much more enjoyable. This improvement in pacing could also have something to do with increased zombie encounters that showcase Tom Savini’s patented gore effects.
“Day of the Dead’s” social commentary is a little in your face, but the last hour is incredibly action packed, providing some exhilarating genre thrills that let you forget the film’s lack of subtlety. I really enjoy the ‘Bub’ character, a zombie who has been tamed and even taught to use fire-arms. Fans of zombie films definitely need to check this out. Stick with “Day of the Dead” through the first third and enjoy the bloody good hour that follows.
Congratulations Mr. Romero, you seem to be parodying yourself. “Diary of the “Dead” has an interesting premise, but very poor execution. Shooting a zombie movie like a documentary from the POV of the characters seems like an extremely awesome set-up. Romero, however, doesn’t take full advantage of it.
“Diary of the Dead” is far too polished for Romero to pass it off as a gritty, realistic view of a zombie apocalypse. On top of that, the dialogue is flat and the social commentary is so obvious you would think it was Romero’s freshmen term paper. Skip this one and stick to the original three “Dead” films.
In the opening moments of the comedy-horror film “Drag Me to Hell,” my friend with whom I was sharing a bottle of wine with, blurted out, “Well, she’s clearly getting dragged to hell.” His snide outburst mirrors the tone of the film and the exact environment in which you should watch the latest release from director Sam Raimi.
“Spider-Man 3” left a bad taste in a lot of people’s mouths and, if you read interviews with the director, it left one in Raimi’s too. “Drag Me to Hell” is his return to the genre that made his career. In the same vein as “Evil Dead,” “Evil Dead II: Dead by Dawn” and “Army of Darkness,” “Drag Me to Hell” perfectly balances grotesque horror with slapstick comedy.
The movie follows Christine Brown (Alison Lohman), a loan officer who denies an old gypsy woman an extension on her mortgage. The gypsy woman places a curse on Christine with the promise that, in three days, she will be dragged to hell. The mild mannered Christine undergoes terrible tortures while trying to the lift the spell cast upon her.
While watching “Drag Me to Hell,” I could practically see Raimi grinning behind the camera during the film’s hilariously horrific set pieces. Christine fends off an attack from the Gypsy woman by plunging a stapler deep into her forehead. Soon after, she is stricken with a projectile nose bleed that sprays all over her boss. Raimi also seems obsessed with finding every excuse to spew toxic bile and green vomit into her mouth. Like Alfred Hitchcock, Raimi takes pleasure in making his female characters suffer.
Getting together with a group of a friends, having a few drinks and enjoying the sick insanity of it all is the best and only way to watch this film. There’s a sick pleasure in watching a member of the financial institution undergo such a terrible fate, and yes, as my friend very quickly figured out, she does in fact get dragged to Hell.
The Hammer adaptation of “Dracula” goes down in history as one of the most iconic representations of the legendary story and character. This is in large part due to the eerie and powerful performance by both Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing. However, the films gorgeous Technicolor cinematography and elaborate production design also make it one of the most beautiful horror films I’ve ever seen. Read this retrospective review of the 1958 classic.
Stands as one of the best in Universal’s original monster series if simply for its tragic elements and the inner turmoil found in the protagonist. The Wolf Man make-up is pretty sweet too.
If you take the horror sensibilities of Sam Raimi and crank up the intensity levels to insane cocaine addict, you’ll have Peter Jackson’s “Dead Alive.” This is one of the grossest, goriest and funniest horror movies I’ve ever seen.
