Previews and Reviews that are Z's Views
Check out the new movie clip for The Last Voyage of the Demeter starring Corey Hawkins and Javier Botet!
US Release Date: August 11, 2023
Starring: Jon Jon Briones, Javier Botet, Corey Hawkins, Aisling Franciosi, Liam Cunningham
Director: André Øvredal
Synopsis: Dracula’s unholy presence dooms the crew of the merchant ship Demeter as it sails from Carpathia to London.
How cool is this Creature from the Black Lagoon painting by John Febonio? You can see more of Febonio’s art here.
The McCabe family’s weekend getaway was never meant to be a life-changing experience. Governor William McCabe, a respected politician, was looking forward to some rest and relaxation. His beautiful wife Lauren and distant stepdaughter Erin strain to enjoy their time together, as the façade of the trophy family has worn dangerously thin. Things take a severe turn for the worse when a charismatic stranger knocks on their door and triggers an unexpected chain of events.
Based on a single chilling chapter from Bram Stoker’s classic novel DRACULA, The Last Voyage of the Demeter tells the terrifying story of the merchant ship Demeter, which was chartered to carry private cargo—fifty unmarked wooden crates—from Carpathia to London.
Strange events befall the doomed crew as they attempt to survive the ocean voyage, stalked each night by a merciless presence onboard the ship. When the Demeter finally arrives off the shores of England, it is a charred, derelict wreck. There is no trace of the crew.
The Last Voyage of the Demeter opens in theaters on August 11.
The Haunted Strangler (1958)
Director: Robert Day
Screenplay: John Croydon (as “John C. Cooper“), Jan Read based on an original story by Jan Read
Stars: Boris Karloff, Anthony Dawson
Tagline: Their wild beauty marked them for death by . . . The Haunted Strangler
The Plot…
James Rankin (Karloff) believes that when the serial killer known as The Haymarket Strangler was executed, they hung the wrong guy. In his efforts to clear the man, Rankin comes into possession of the murder weapon. As he holds the knife Rankin is compelled to kill…
Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…
To give you an idea of the quality of this one, in order to show Karloff’s transformation from kind old man to sadistic killer, he simply took out his lower dentures and sucked his bottom lip up to show his upper teeth.
For Karloff completists only.
The Haunted Strangler (1994) rates 2 of 5 stars.
The Last Voyage of the Demeter
Based on a single chilling chapter from Bram Stoker’s classic novel DRACULA, The Last Voyage of the Demeter tells the terrifying story of the merchant ship Demeter, which was chartered to carry private cargo—fifty unmarked wooden crates—from Carpathia to London.
Strange events befall the doomed crew as they attempt to survive the ocean voyage, stalked each night by a merciless presence onboard the ship. When the Demeter finally arrives off the shores of England, it is a charred, derelict wreck. There is no trace of the crew.
The film stars Corey Hawkins (In the Heights, Straight Outta Compton) as Clemens, a doctor who joins the Demeter crew, Aisling Franciosi (Game of Thrones, The Nightingale) as an unwitting stowaway, Liam Cunningham (Game of Thrones, Clash of the Titans) as the ship’s captain and David Dastmalchian (Dune, the Ant-Man franchise) as the Demeter’s first mate.
The film also features Jon Jon Briones (Ratched, American Horror Story), Stefan Kapicic (Deadpool films, Better Call Saul), Nikolai Nikolaeff (Stranger Things, Bruised) and Javier Botet (It films, Mama).
From DreamWorks Pictures and the producers of Zodiac and Black Swan, The Last Voyage of the Demeter is directed by Norwegian horror virtuoso André Øvredal (Scary Stories To Tell in the Dark, Trollhunter), from a script by Bragi F. Schut (Escape Room), Stefan Ruzowitzky (The Counterfeiters) and Zak Olkewicz (the upcoming Bullet Train), based on the chapter “The Captain’s Log” of Bram Stoker’s DRACULA.
The film is produced by Brad Fischer and by Oscar®-nominated producer Mike Medavoy and Arnold Messer for Phoenix Pictures and is executive produced by Matthew Hirsch.
The Passage (2019)
Written by: Liz Heldens (eps. 1 & 2); Peter Elkoff (ep. 3); Daniel Thomsen (ep. 4); Joy Blake (ep. 5); Mike Flanagan Dennis Saldua (ep. 6); Kate Erickson (ep. 7); Peter Elkoff & C.A. Johnson (ep. 8); Daniel Thomsen & Vanessa Gomez (ep. 9); Liz Heldens & Joy Blake (ep. 10)
Directed by: Jason Ensler & Marcos Siega (ep. 1); Jason Ensler (eps. 2, 3 & 9); Allison Liddi-Brown (ep. 4); Jeffrey Nachmanoff (ep. 5); Jessica Lowrey (ep. 6); Eduardo Sanchez (ep. 7); Ti West (ep. 8); Mark Tonderai (ep. 10)
Stars: Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Saniyya Sidney, Jamie McShane, Caroline Chikezie, Emmanuelle Chriqui, Brianne Howey, McKinley Belcher III, Henry Ian Cusick, Vincent Piazza, Kecia Lewis, Jason Fuchs and James Le Gros.
Tagline: Can one girl save humanity?
The Plot…
Tim Fanning (McShane), a scientist working on a cure for alzheimer’s disease, accidentally became infected with a virus that gave him strange powers and a thirst for human blood. Now Fanning is held in a secret medical facility behind thick glass walls as the US government experiments on ways to create a race of super soldiers. Although progress has been made, each subject has gained the same powers as Fanning and a desire for human blood.
Now the scientists want to experiment using a younger subject. Agent Brad Wolgast (Gosselaar) is sent to bring a young, newly orphaned girl named Amy Bellafonte (Sidney) to the facility. When Wolgast learns what is planned for Amy, he decides to help her escape.
But it may be too late for everyone… Fanning and the other experiment subjects have a secret power that the scientists don’t know about. Fanning can psychically communicate with each of them. They are planning an uprising!
Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…
The Passage is one of my all-time favorite series. It is well written and well directed. The production values are top notch. It features one of the best casts possible. Every role from the leads to the smallest parts are perfect. I plan to revisit The Passage every few years just to relive the great viewing experience.
The Passage (2019) eearns 5 of 5 stars.
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920)
Director: Robert Wiene
Screenplay: Carl Mayer, Hans Janowitz
Stars: Werner Krauss, Conrad Veidt and Lil Dagover.
Tagline: Dr. Caligari and his mysterious slave – the black and white phantom who lives in a cabinet and goes forth in his sleep to do his master’s bidding. the weirdest characters ever seen on the screen and the most daringly different picture ever seen.
The Plot…
Dr. Caligari has brought his strange sideshow to the town carnival. Caligari places a coffin on stage which he then opens. Inside is a sleeping man named Cesare. Dr. Caligari speaks a command and Cesare awakens to take questions from the audience. A man asks, “How long shall I live?” To everyone’s surprise Cesare says the man will be dead before dawn.
The next morning the man is found murdered in his bed. This is the second murder since Caligari came to the small town. Is Cesare the murderer? Caligari? Or is something more sinister at play?
Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari is considered by many to be the first horror film.
The sets and cinematography are amazing especially considering the film was made in 1920. All of the sets are given odd angles and perspectives which contributes to a feeling of unease. Buildings are interconnected with tilting walls, strange shadows and alleys that create odd intersections. Plus The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari features a great twist ending.
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920) rates 5 of 5 stars.
The MeTV staff came up with their list of The 7 Scariest Monsters That Spooked Us On ‘The Twilight Zone”. I decided to play along. I’ve commented on each of their choices and provided my list of the seven best Twilight Zone monsters.
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MeTV |
Zablo |
1. “Nightmare at 20,000 Feet” (Excellent choice. Also made my list. – CZ)2. “The Eye of the Beholder” (Great design, but were they really monsters? Misguided, yes. But monsters? – CZ)3. “The Fear” (Scary at first, maybe. Then you find out what the “alien” really is. – CZ)4. “The Invaders” (Almost made my list. – CZ)5. “The Living Doll” (This episode didn’t resonate with me. The doll was just irritating. – CZ)6. “Hocus-Pocus and Frisby” (Loved the alien design but the episode was a comedy so not scary. – CZ)7. “The Masks” (The faces were well designed. The people getting the new faces weren’t nice, but were more victims than monsters. – CZ) |
1. “The Howling Man” (Great design. What monster is scarier than the devil? – CZ) 2. “It’s a Good Life” (Little Billy Mumy is one of the scariest monsters ever in this episode. – CZ) 3. “To Serve Man” (Nine foot tall aliens that eat humans? Yeah, that’s scary. – CZ) 4. “Nightmare at 20,000 Feet” (Features The Twilight Zone‘s best jump scare! – CZ) 5. “The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street” (One of the scariest Twilight Zone episodes because we are the monsters. – CZ) 6. “Will the Real Martian Please Stand Up?” (Although this episode features humor, it’s scary to think that an invading alien force is already living among us. – CZ) 7. “Nick of Time” (A fortune telling maching that may provide you a glimpse of the future. Do you dare look? – CZ) |
Midnight Mass (2021)
Written by: Mike Flanagan (eps. 1 & 7); Mike Flanagan and James Flanagan and Elan Gale (ep. 2); Mike Flanagan and James Flanagan (eps. 3 & 5); Mike Flanagan and Dani Parker (ep. 4); Mike Flanagan and James Flanagan and Jeff Howard (ep. 6)
Directed by: Mike Flanagan
Stars: Kate Siegel, Zach Gilford, Kristin Lehman, Samantha Sloyan, Annarah Cymone, Annabeth Gish, Alex Essoe, Michael Trucco, Henry Thomas and Hamish Linklater
Tagline: Be Not Afraid
The Plot…
Riley Flynn (Gilford) has returned to his hometown of Crockett Island after four years in prison for killing a woman in a drunk driving accident. Flynn is at rock bottom. Being home hasn’t helped much. Father Paul Hill (Linklater) a charismatic new priest has also just arrived on the island.
When strange and miraculous things begin to happen on the island, the small town is divided. Some see the miracles as messages from God, while others aren’t so sure…
Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…
I loved every episode of Midnight Mass. Don’t sleep on this one!
Midnight Mass (2021) earns 5 of 5 stars.
The Descent (2005)
Director: Neil Marshall
Screenplay: Neil Marshall
Stars: Shauna Macdonald, Natalie Mendoza and Saskia Mulder.
Tagline: Face Your Deepest Fear
The Plot…
A group of six women get together for an annual adventure. This year they’ve decided to explore unmapped caves in the Appalachian Mountains. The women quickly find they are, pardon the expression, in over their heads. A narrow passage collapses, one of the women is badly injured… and the group is targeted by creatures living deep within the caves.
Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…
Kudos to Neil Marshall for writing and directing this gem. The film is filled with action, characterization, and scares. Marshall knows when to give us a brief second to catch our breath before the next danger. If you’re not claustrophobic or afraid of the dark, you may be after viewing this film. The creatures are realistic and frightening.
The Descent (2005) rates 4 of 5 stars.
Razorback (1984)
Director: Russell Mulcahy
Screenplay: Everett De Roche based on Razorback by Peter Brennan
Stars: Gregory Harrison, Arkie Whiteley
Tagline: No nightmare will prepare you for it…
The Plot…
When his wife is killed covering a story, Carl Winters (Harrison) travels to the Australian outback to find the cause. Soon Winters is caught up in the hunt for a giant Razorback that has been terrorizing the area for years.
Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…
I had wanted to see Razorback for years because it was directed by Russell Mulcahy. I’m a huge fan of Mulcahy’s direction of Highlander. Sadly, Razorback fell waaaay short of my expectations.
Razorback just didn’t resonate with me at all. I didn’t care much for the characters. The story had several dead spots. The way the Razorback was killed came off as just plain silly. Of course your mileage may vary.
Razorback (1984) rates 1 of 5 stars.
Alien: Resurrection (1997)
Director: Jean-Pierre Jeunet
Screenplay: Joss Whedon based on characters created by Dan O’Bannon, Ronald Shusett
Stars: Sigourney Weaver, Winona Ryder, Dominique Pinon, Ron Perlman, Gary Dourdan, Michael Wincott, Kim Flowers, Dan Hedaya, J.E. Freeman, Brad Dourif, Raymond Cruz and Leland Orser.
Tagline: Witness the resurrection.
The Plot…
Over two hundred years have passed since the events of Alien 3. On a remote space station military scientists are using DNA from Ellen Ripley (Weaver) to create clone hosts for Xenomorphs. The current clone, Ripley 8 (Weaver), due to the melding with the alien embryos has increased strength, reflexes and acidic blood.
A group of mercenaries arrives at the space station with cargo for the military. Soon after two adult Xenomorphs escape. It then becomes a battle for survival as more adult aliens are released throughout the ship!
Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…
I am a huge fan of Alien Resurrection mainly due to the unique characters and actors playing them. The mercenary crew could be stars of their own movie(s)! I would love to see some of their adventures. The mercenary crew consists of…
In addition, we have…
There is also a subplot which involves Weaver and Ryder. For me that takes a backseat to the the characters — the military, mercenaries and civilians in a battle against the aliens on a spaceship heading towards Earth! There are so many fun scenes –
Many people have complained about Ripley 8’s relationship to the aliens as well as the look of the Xenomorph Queen. I understand the complaints and would agree that these are the weakest parts of the movie. Still, the things I love about the film far outweigh these concerns. Alien Resurrection is one that I have watched and enjoyed multiple times.
Alien: Resurrection (1997) rates 4 of 5 stars.
I’m a big fan of the first season of Interview with a Vampire. Bring on season 2!
There’s a new coven waiting in the wings. #InterviewWithTheVampire returns in 2024 on AMC and AMC+.
