Letterboxd — Your life in film

If Sam Raimi's deadites secretly infiltrated Michael Mann and (soulmate via parallel evolution?) Shinya Tsukamoto's contemporaneous remake of Jack Sholder's 'The Hidden' in order to make it about evil sorcereresses and alien demons driving supercharged Oldsmobiles, it still would not be half as awesome as Damon Packard's 'Dawn of an Evil Millennium'. This movie proves that if editing/sound design/music/lighting are strongly conceived/executed, and what money is spent is put up on the screen (or on tape), that total radicalness is…

I have a theory (feel free to disagree with me) that it's better to watch some films when you are a child. If you watch films aimed at children as an adult for the first time, you will appreciate the technical merits but you will also be more likely to notice the simplifications and cheesiness. Such films may just not be that relatable anymore and your heart will remain indifferent to them. Whereas as a child, your heart is wide…

The best way to get an audience onboard with a subpar monster effect? Chuck that beasty boy in the first 2 minutes flying around and in full frame, forget trying build up a sense of mystery. And it works!

➡️Masters of Schlock & Awe #5 - Jim Wynorski

It also isn’t that bad overall, at times it even looks stop-motion. Wynorski manages to have it somewhat convincingly pick up or maul people (incredible shoddy decapitation effect that looks more like a…

I think that remaking a classic horror film is commendable, knowing that the original set the bar. It comes with the territory, and it presents a balancing act by paying tribute while also putting a modern spin on things. In this respect, Aja's direction is component, and I must say that he has a good handle on the material, even if the result is underwhelming. I like that the setting is explored more, and I like that it influences character…

A Walk Amongst Monsters #93

“Now, from the bowels of the earth it has come forth again to plague the earth.”

This shit blew my mind as a kid man, you have no idea.

As a lover of stop-motion, giant monsters, and scorpions, this was a favorite for years and got regular viewings. Even all these years later the scenes that hit hard then hit hard now. It’s lost none of that luster for me.

Sure it’s clearly cashing in on…

Monthly franchise June 2023: Jaws

One of Spielberg's best.

The film follows the police chief of a small island town called Amity as he is forced to hunt down a great white shark that has been attacking the beaches.

Well, finally getting to check this one off of my watchlist, as this is yet another classic that I've somehow managed to never sit through in its entirety. Thankfully, it's actually pretty good, and a lot of that comes down to…

An early 2000s slasher about a group of friends breaking into an indoor water park to party after their last day of high school. Obviously, a killer crashes the party.

The Pool is a refreshingly simple, straightforward slasher from a time when slashers were still striving to be self-referential and self-aware in the wake of Scream. There is a character that actually says "I know what you did last summer" (groan). But otherwise it's a standard stalk and slash with…