Category: Horror

“Splinter” (2008) / Z-View

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Splinter (2008)

Director:  Toby Wilkins

Screenplay:  Ian Shorr, Kai Barry, Toby Wilkins (uncredited)

Starring: Shea Whigham, Jill Wagner, Paulo Costanzo, Charles Baker, Rachel Kerbs and Laurel Whitsett.

Tagline: It will get under your skin.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

A young couple carjacked by an escaped prisoner and his girlfriend become trapped in a remote gas station by a parasitic lifeform that infects its victims turning them into deadly hosts.  Splinter is a low-budget film that works thanks to a well written script and excellent casting.  The story moves quickly and while there may be a few nits to pick with their ice-pack solution, why bother when the film is so much fun?

Splinter rates 4 of 5 stars.

“Master” – The Poster and Trailer are Here!

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The poster is pretty bland, but the trailer to Master creates a subtle, creepy atmosphere.  Deal me in.

In writer-director Mariama Diallo’s debut feature, Master, three women strive to find their place at a prestigious New England university whose frosty elitism may disguise something more sinister. Professor Gail Bishop (Regina Hall) has recently been promoted to “Master” of a residence hall, the first time at storied Ancaster College that a Black woman has held the post. Determined to breathe new life into a centuries-old tradition, Gail soon finds herself wrapped up in the trials and tribulations of Jasmine Moore (Zoe Renee), an energetic and optimistic Black freshman. Jasmine’s time at Ancaster hits a snag early on when she’s assigned a dorm room that is rumored to be haunted. Things get worse when Jasmine clashes in the classroom with Liv Beckman (Amber Gray), a professor in the middle of her own racially charged tenure review. As Gail tries to maintain order and fulfill the duties of a Master, the cracks begin to show in Ancaster’s once-immaculate facade. After a career spent fighting to make it into Ancaster’s inner circle, Gail is confronted with the horrifying prospect of what lies beneath, her question ultimately becoming not whether the school is haunted, but by whom.

“All of Us Are Dead” Season 1 / Z-View

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All of Us Are Dead: Season 1 (2022)

Creator :  Chun Sung-il,  Lee Jae-kyoo,  Kim Nam-su (based on the webtoon Now at Our School by Joo Dong-geun)

Directors:  Lee Jae-kyoo,  Kim Nam-su

Writers:  Chun Sung-il

Stars:  Park Ji-hu, Yoon Chan-young, Cho Yi-hyun, Lomon, Yoo In-soo, Lee Yoo-mi, Kim Byung-chul, Lee Kyu-hyung and Jeon Bae-soo.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

With All of Us Are Dead we get the zombie apocalypse from the perspective of high school students trapped in their school surrounded by the walking (and running) dead!  There are subplots involving a father trying to get to his daughter, and the political/military aspects of dealing with the crisis, but the main story is how the students work together to survive.

All of Us Are Dead provides plenty of action with a large cast of characters (many who will not live through the season),  This adds to the tension and raises the stakes of the series.  Another interesting aspect is when a zombie variant appears.  Is the virus mutating?

It seems like a real nit to pick when I say a little less high school drama would improve a zombie series set primarily in a high school. I enjoyed All of Us Are Dead and hope we get a season 2.  All of Us Are Dead rates 3 of 5 stars.

“Catching Killers” Season 2 / Z-View

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Catching Killers: Season 2 (2022)

Produced by :  Simon Dekker and Diana Sole Walko

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

Catching Killers is a documentary series focused on the capture of notorious killers as told by the actual investigators who caught them.  There are four episodes in season 2.

Season 2, Episode 1: Bind, Torture, Kill: BTK.  Although I  knew the story of the BTK killer, this episode was exciting and engrossing.  Over the course of nearly two decades the BTK killer violently tortured and then murdered ten people including an entire family of 4.  After the murders BTK w0uld send taunting letters to the media and police describing his kills and threats of more to come,  Despite leaving few clues during his 17 year murder spree, it was a stupid mistake that led to his capture.

Season 2, Episode 2: Thrill Kills: The Phoenix Serial Shooter.  In 2005 through 2006, a pair of serial killers were stalking the streets of Phoenix, Arizona.  These shotgun killers would find people on deserted sidewalks and blast as they drove by.  The final victim count included six fatalities and several dozen people wounded.

Season 2, Episodes 3 & 4: The Toronto Village Killer.  Talk about creepy!  This case involved men who were missing and thought to be the victim of a cannibal killer!  These two episodes produced the most suspense of the series.  The police actually saved a man who was about to become the latest victim.  Unfortunately, there’s a denouncement at the end of the episode that takes a little luster off the capture.

“Race with the Devil” (1975) / Z-View

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Race with the Devil (1975)

Director:  Jack Starrett

Screenplay:  Lee Frost, Wes Bishop

Starring:  Peter Fonda, Warren Oates, Loretta Swit, Lara Parker, R.G. Armstrong and Jack Starrett.

Tagline:  If you’re going to race with the devil, you’ve got to be as fast as Hell!.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

Frank (Oates) and Roger (Fonda) are vacation with their wives (Swit and Parker) driving backroads across the country.  They make camp one night far from any town.  As the evening winds down, Frank and Roger share a few beers and stories when they see in the distance a huge bonfire.  They go closer for a better look and witness a satanic cult performing a human sacrifice!  Frank and Roger are seen and the chase is on.

I saw Race with the Devil on its initial release in June of 1975.  I was 16 and the perfect audience for a film that was a combination horror, action and car chase mashup.  I re-watched RwtD many times over the years and while it’s not quite as good as 16 year old me remembered it to be, it’s still fun.  If you like drive-in type movies. and don’t think too hard about the plot, then you’ll have an enjoyable ride if you Race with the Devil.

“The Mummy” (1999) Trivia That May Surprise You!

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Todd Gilchrist at Mental Floss came up with some surprising trivia about the 1999 reboot of The Mummy which he calls Unwrapping 16 Facts About The Mummy.  Before you click over, here are three of my favs and my thoughts on each…

FILMMAKERS SPENT MANY YEARS TRYING TO REVIVE THE MUMMY.  (While I did know this, I wasn’t aware that at one point George (Night of the Living Dead) Romero was recruited to write and direct the reboot. – Craig)

AT ONE POINT, DANIEL DAY-LEWIS WAS BEING EYED TO PLAY THE MUMMY.  (While I could see Day-Lewis playing the Brendan Fraser role, would the producers really wanted Daniel Day Lewis as the Mummy?  He’d be, uh, under wraps for most of the film! – Craig)

STEPHEN SOMMERS WON UNIVERSAL OVER WITH HIS CONTEMPORARY APPROACH. (Writing Rick O’Connell as an Indiana Jones-type character and adding in the humor was genius! – Craig)

Interestingly enough, I didn’t care for The Mummy (1999) but greatly enjoyed the sequel, The Mummy Returns (2001). 

RIP: Ivan Reitman

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Ivan Reitman, writer, director and producer, died in his sleep on February 12th at the age of 75.  No cause of death was been given.

Ivan Reitman is best known for directing the megahit Ghostbusters, but he also directed 24 other films including: Meatballs, Stripes, Twins and Kindergarten Cop.  Mr. Reitman also served as a producer on over 60 films including: National Lampoon’s Animal House, Ghostbusters, Twins, Kindergarten Cop, Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot and Beethoven to name just a few.

I first became aware of Ivan Reitman because of his involvement with Animal House.  A year later I saw Meatballs, my favorite Ivan Reitman directed film, on it’s initial release.  It’s interesting that Ivan Reitman got his start producing low budget horror films like Cannibal Girls, Shivers, The House by the Lake and Rabid (directed by David Cronenberg and starring Marilyn Chambers) before he found his sweet spot with comedies.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Ivan Reitman’s family, friends and fans.

Jordan Peele’s “Nope” Poster and Trailer are Here!

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Nope.  Jordan Peele?  Yep.  Deal me in.

“What’s a bad miracle?”

Oscar® winner Jordan Peele disrupted and redefined modern horror with Get Out and then Us. Now, he reimagines the summer movie with a new pop nightmare: the expansive horror epic, Nope.

The film reunites Peele with Oscar® winner Daniel Kaluuya (Get Out, Judas and the Black Messiah), who is joined by Keke Palmer (Hustlers, Alice) and Oscar® nominee Steven Yeun (Minari, Okja) as residents in a lonely gulch of inland California who bear witness to an uncanny and chilling discovery.

Nope, which co-stars Michael Wincott (Hitchcock, Westworld) and Brandon Perea (The OA, American Insurrection), is written and directed by Jordan Peele and is produced by Ian Cooper (Us, Candyman) and Jordan Peele for Monkeypaw Productions. The film will be released by Universal Pictures worldwide.

Rare “Dracula” (1931) Lobby Card!

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Check out this very rare (and very cool) lobby card for Dracula (1931).

I miss the days when theaters had awesome supplemental materials to advertise movies.  Theaters and newspapers were sent press kits full of photos, different versions of ads for the film and more.  I used to love getting the Thursday newspaper which would be full of pages advertising the movies opening (and still around).  Those were the days, my friend.

Source: Michael Kronenberg.

“Jurassic World Dominion” – The Poster and Trailer are Here!

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Jurassic World Dominion needs to be seen on the big screen in a packed theater.  Check out the poster above and trailer below and see if you don’t agree.  I love that they’ve got so many from the previous movies and the idea of dinosaurs world-wide.  Deal me in.

This summer, experience the epic conclusion to the Jurassic era as two generations unite for the first time. Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard are joined by Oscar®-winner Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum and Sam Neill in Jurassic World Dominion, a bold, timely and breathtaking new adventure that spans the globe.

From Jurassic World architect and director Colin Trevorrow, Dominion takes place four years after Isla Nublar has been destroyed. Dinosaurs now live—and hunt—alongside humans all over the world. This fragile balance will reshape the future and determine, once and for all, whether human beings are to remain the apex predators on a planet they now share with history’s most fearsome creatures.

Jurassic World Dominion, from Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment, propels the more than $5 billion franchise into daring, uncharted territory, featuring never-seen dinosaurs, breakneck action and astonishing new visual effects.

The film features new cast members DeWanda Wise (She’s Gotta Have It), Emmy nominee Mamoudou Athie (Archive 81), Dichen Lachman (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.), Scott Haze (Minari) and Campbell Scott (The Amazing Spider-Man 2). The film’s returning cast includes BD Wong as Dr. Henry Wu, Justice Smith as Franklin Webb, Daniella Pineda as Dr. Zia Rodriguez and Omar Sy as Barry Sembenè.

Jurassic World Dominion is directed by Colin Trevorrow, who steered 2015’s Jurassic World to a record-shattering $1.7 billion global box office. The screenplay is by Emily Carmichael (Battle at Big Rock) & Colin Trevorrow from a story by Derek Connolly (Jurassic World) & Trevorrow, based on characters created by Michael Crichton. Jurassic World Dominion is produced by acclaimed franchise producers Frank Marshall p.g.a. and Patrick Crowley p.g.a. and is executive produced by legendary, Oscar®-winning franchise creator Steven Spielberg, Alexandra Derbyshire and Colin Trevorrow.

Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment present, in association with Perfect World Pictures, a Colin Trevorrow film. jurassicworld.com

“It! The Terror From Beyond Space” (1958) / Z-View

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It! The Terror From Beyond Space (1958)

Director:  Edward L. Cahn

Screenplay:  Jerome Bixby

Starring:  Marshall Thompson, Dabbs Greer and Ray Corrigan.

Tagline:  It Breathes. It Hunts. It Kills!

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

A rescue team is returning to Earth from Mars.  With them is Col. Edward Carruthers, the sole survivor of the first Mars landing.  Carruthers claims that his crew was killed by an alien life form.  Most of the rescue team believes that Carruthers killed his crew to insure he would have enough food and water to last until help arrived.  That all changes when crew members turn up brutally murdered and it is discovered the alien is on the ship!

If you’re a fan of low budget, 1950s scifi-horror, then you’ll have a blast with It! The Terror From Beyond Space.  What it (It!) lacks in special effects it (It!) makes up with an excellent fast-paced story and a claustrophobic setting.  Dan O’Bannon is said to have used It! The Terror From Beyond Space as the jumping off point for his Alien (1979) screenplay.  If you’ve watched both films, I’m sure you’ll agree.

I applaud Jerome Bixby and his crew’s ability to make the most of the limited budgets/sets.  A perfect example is when they received the alien suit, the mask didn’t correctly fit the actor (Ray Corrigan) playing the monster.  They couldn’t afford to have another mask made and Corrigan’s chin stuck out the mouth hole!  The solution was to paint his chin to look like the monster’s tongue!  Roger Corman would have approved!

It! The Terror From Beyond Space isn’t a great movie, but is a great example of the genre and a lot of fun.  I rate it 4 of 5 stars.

THE DEVIL’S OWN PISS AND OTHER STORIES by Whiskey Leavins / Z-View

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The Devil’s Own Piss and Other Stories by Whiskey Leavins

Trade Paperback: 266 pages
Publisher: Independently published (April 12, 2021)

First sentence…

The Devil, or should I say, a devil, needed a double-thirteen to win.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

Let’s start with The Devil’s Own Piss and Other Stories‘ very cool cover.  If you see that cover art and don’t pick up the book for a closer look, then stop reading this now and go get your eyes checked.  Rafael Andres from CoverKitchen. please take a bow!

Thankfully, the stories in The Devil’s Own Piss and Other Stories are worthy of such a cool cover.  There are over 30 tales populated by Lucifestus and other devils, the dangerous Troupe Brothers, movie stars, influencers, space aliens, regular folks, famous folks from history and many others.  You won’t find everyone in every tale, but often the stories overlap.  What they do have in common is humor.

My favorite stories involved Lucifestus.  He’s an honest-to-goodness, well, maybe not goodness, but he is a devil.  Lucifestus is huge, red and barrel-chested.  He sports a pointy goatee and a blue-black slicked back ducktail.  Oh, and he has these huge horns.  You won’t see his real appearance unless he wants you to.  He could be sitting right next to you in a bar and you’d see a dude that looks like Tom Waits.  Lucifestus is a hard-drinker, who loves to gamble so he’s often found in bars or racetracks.  He doesn’t cheat, and offers tempting wagers for everything from something that would humiliate the loser to the loser’s soul.  I loved every tale with Lucifestus and am ready for more.

The other tales are funny and a nice change of pace.  As the cover indicates, The Devil’s Own Piss and Other Stories is definitely an R-Rated Book.  If you’re easily offended, then this isn’t for you.  I loved it.  Whiskey Leavins is the guy you’d want to buy a few beers (and I don’t drink) and wait for the stories to flow.

Rating: