Category: Horror

“Frankenstein” (2025) written & directed by Guillermo del Toro / Z-View

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Frankenstein (2025)

Director: Guillermo del Toro

Screenplay: Guillermo del Toro; based on FRANKENSTEIN by Mary Shelley

Stars: Oscar Isaac, Jacob Elordi, Christoph Waltz, Mia Goth, Charles Dance, David Bradley, Kyle Gatehouse, Lauren Collins, Ralph Ineson, Peter MacNeill and Burn Gorman.

Tagline:  Only monsters play God.

The Plot…

 1857.  The Horisont, a ship sailing to the North Pole, has become trapped in ice. While attempting to free the vessel, the crew finds a badly injured man named Victor Frankenstein.  They bring him aboard and begin treating his wounds.

Not long after, a huge scarred man with incredible strength attacks the ship.  Several of the crew are injured or killed.  The monster demands that Victor Frankenstein be turned over to him.  Instead the Captain orders his men to fire upon the creature.  The shots break the ice around the monster and it sinks away.

As the crew rejoices, Victor Frankenstein says that the creature can not be killed.  It will return and attack again.  Frankenstein says he knows this because he created the monster.

This is his (and the creature’s) story…

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)… 

Guillermo del Toro licensed Bernie Wrightson’s illustrations from Wrightson’s FRANKENSTEIN graphic novel adaptation to be used in pre-production of the film.

Del Toro has created a beautiful adaptation.  It is well cast, well directed and well acted.  The set designs are award-worthy.  I enjoyed the experience of watching it, but his Frankenstein is not one I feel I will be re-watching much.

Frankenstein (2025) rates 4 of 5 stars.

“Monster: The Ed Gein Story” (2025) starring Charlie Hunnam and Laurie Metcalf / Z-View

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Monster: The Ed Gein Story (2025)

Created by: Ian Brennan

Directed by:

  • Max Winkler (eps. 1-3; 6-8)
  • Ian Brennan (eps. 4-5)

Teleplay by:

  • (eps. 1-8) Ian Brennan

Stars: Charlie Hunnam, Suzanna Son, Vicky Krieps, Laurie Metcalf, Tom Hollander.

Tagline:  None.

The Plot…

Ed Gein was a murderer and grave robber.  In 1957, when a sheriff’s deputy, following up on a missing person’s case went to Gein’s farm he discovered the missing woman’s decapitated body in a shed.  The partial corpse was hung upside down and mutilated.  In Gein’s house some of what authorities found included:

  • Whole human bones and fragments
  • A wastebasket made of human skin
  • Human skin covering several chairs
  • Human skulls mounted on bedposts
  • Bowls made from human skulls
  • A corset made from a female torso skinned from shoulders to waist
  • Leggings made from human leg skin
  • Masks made from the skin of female heads
  • A victim’s face made into a mask in a paper bag
  • A victim’s entire head in a burlap sack
  • A victim’s heart in a plastic bag
  • A belt made from female human nipples
  • A pair of lips on a window shade drawstring
  • A lampshade made from the skin of a human face
  • more

Gein was determined to be mentally incompetent to stand trial.  He was sentenced to a State Hospital for the Criminally Insane, where he lived until his death in 1984.  Ed Gein’s murders and depravity inspired the novel (and later movie) Psycho, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and more.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)… 

Charlie Hunnam is almost unrecognizable as Ed Gein.  Kudos to him for taking on such a challenging role.  Laurie Metcalf is perfect as Gein’s mother.

I wish Monster: The Ed Gein Story stuck closer to actual events.  Liberties are taken that I feel weaken the story.  For example, Gein never had a love interest.  Gein never chased down and killed lost hunters with a chain saw.  Gein never had contact with Christine Jorgensen, an American actress famous for being known as the first transexual widely known in the United States.

Because of these fictional additions, it makes me question things when other real life personalitites, like Anthony Perkins and Alfred Hitchcock show up.  I realize Monster: The Ed Gein Story isn’t a documentary.  But it is supposed to be Gein’s story and that was creepy enough.

Monster: The Ed Gein Story (2025) rates 3 of 5 stars.

“Spider Baby” (1967) written & directed by Jack Hill, starring Lon Chaney, Jr., Sid Haig and Mantan Moreland / Z-View

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Spider Baby (1967)

Director: Jack Hill

Screenplay: Jack Hill

Stars: Lon Chaney Jr., Carol Ohmart, Quinn K. Redeker, Beverly Washburn, Jill Banner, Sid Haig, Mary Mitchel and Mantan Moreland.

Tagline: Seductive innocence of LOLITA

The Plot…

The Merrye family lives in a house on a hill outside the city.  Since their parents died when they were children, the family butler, Bruno has watched over Ralph, Virginia, and Elizabeth.  Now young adults, the three have the Merrye syndrome, a genetic family curse named after them.

Once members of the Merrye family reach adulthood, they begin to regress mentally and socially.  They become violent, although they act childish.  Although Bruno does his best to watch over them, the three have killed people who wander onto the property.

When Bruno learns that distant relatives are coming to pay a visit, he does his best to prepare Ralph, Virginia and Elizabeth so they will not act out their murderous impulses.  Bruno’s plan is to entertain his guests and then send them on their way.

Ralph, Virginia and Elizabeth have other ideas.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)… 

Spider Baby was filmed over 12 days August/September of 1964.  It wasn’t released until 1967, because the producer (a real estate agent) went bankrupt.  The budget was $65,000.00.  The star of the film, Lon Chaney, Jr. was paid just $2,500.00.

Spider Baby was released under various titles including Spider Baby; The Liver Eaters; Attack of the Liver Eaters; Cannibal Orgy; and The Maddest Story Ever Told.  The latter title was a play on the popular film, The Greatest Story Ever Told.  One of the posters used to promote the film had the tagline, Whatever Happened to Spider Baby which of course, was a play on Whatever Happened to Baby Jane (another popular movie of the era).

Lon Chaney, Jr. sings Spider Baby‘s theme song.

Spider Baby marks director Jack Hill’s feature film debut (although it was released after some of his other movies).  Hill would go on to direct explotation films such as The Big Doll House; The Big Bird Cage; Coffy; Foxy Brown; The Swinging Cheerleaders and The Switchblade Sisters.

Spider Baby is a cult film. I wanted to see Spider Baby mainly for Mantan Moreland.  Best known for his comedy roles, Mantan was chosen for the film since he is brutally murdered in an opening scene.  The director rightly figured this would shock audiences.

Spider Baby (1967) rates 2 of 5 stars.

“Weapons” (2025) written & directed by Zach Cregger; starring Julia Garner, Josh Brolin and Amy Madigan / Z-View

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Weapons (2025)

Director: Zach Cregger

Screenplay: Zach Cregger

Stars: Julia Garner, Josh Brolin, Cary Christopher, Benedict Wong, Anny Jules, Howard St. John, Ali Burch, Alden Ehrenreich, Whitmer Thomas, Melissa Ponzio and Amy Madigan.

Tagline: Last night at 2:17 am every child from Mrs. Gandy’s class woke up, got out of bed, went downstairs, opened the front door, walked into the dark …and they never came back.

The Plot…

At 2:17 am, while nearly everyone in Maybrook, Pennsylvania, was fast asleep, 17 children got out of their beds, quietly left their homes and disappeared.  Several security cameras caught the children running from their homes into the night.  Police were stymied.  The children vanished with no clues as to where or why.

When it became clear that all of the children were in Justine Gandy’s third grade class, she became the main suspect.  Police questioned Ms. Gandy but there was nothing linking her to the disappearance.  It was a strange case. All but one of the children in Justine Gandy’s class were missing.  Only one, Alex Lilly, showed up for school the next day.  Neither Alex or his parents had any idea what/who was behind the missing children.

Justine Gandy, frustrated with police efforts decides to investigate.  She believes that Alex’s parents know more than they are saying.

She will find out just how wrong she is…

Archer Graff, the parent of a missing student, frustrated with police efforts decides to investigate.  He believes Justine Gandy knows more than she is saying.

He’ll find out just how wrong he is…

Ring the bell.  School’s in.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)… 

Netflix premiered Weapons at 2:17 am, the same time as the disappearance of the children.

Amy Madigan was perfect!

Weapons (2025) rates 4 of 5 stars.