30 Days Of Night - 2007 - David Slade

A masterpiece of Horror that works on every level. The story revolves around a town in Alaska that is just entering their yearly 30 days of night when a stranger enters town. Strange occurances and vandalism begin and shortly after a band of vampires enter town. The rest is a scary, brutal and horrifying ride that director David Slade crafts brilliantly. The vampires are very frightening and menacing. Danny Huston rivals and one of the most disturbing vampires in history. Traditional fans of the genre might not be as kind as I am about the film, this in an updated version of the vampire and the choppy camera work may irritate some people. You can't argue that the cinematography and overall feel of the film is amazing and the action will leave you breathless at times. Josh Harttnet was a little young and pretty for the main hero but he was still very convincing. The supporting cast was just as strong. To put this into perspective, it's one of the few films I literally had to watch over again as soon it was finished.
FEAR FACTOR: 9  -   STUPID VICTIM SCALE: 2  -  SFX:  8

This modern-day "Slasher" is a throwback to the early 80's, especially the "Friday The 13th" series.  In fact this one is also about a young boy who becomes a recluse killer who lives in a cabin deep in the woods, hmm, can you say "Jason Vorhees"?  I can't complain about the cast really.  No, Bo Hopkins isn't going to win any Oscar's or Academy Awards, but when you need a good ole' boy sheriff, you call Bo.  The kids include "pretty people" like Mario Lopez from "Saved By The Bell" and Jason Preistly's sister Justine. "Saved By The Bell"... now THAT was some good acting, and Lopez looks and acts the same way he did on that annoying program.  Maybe that's why he's still doing strait to video B-Movie Horror.  The most mysterious appearance is by Gary Busey, who steals the show for about 5 minutes. It was almost like he owed someone a favor, so he showed up and they wrote him in as a crazy local who kills chickens.  Tracy Scoggins also had a very small part in here as well.  This is a by-the-numbers "Slasher" with some recognizable faces and a decent look.  There's a few tense moments and an ending that screams out for a sequel.
FEAR FACTOR: 5  -  STUPID VICTIM SCALE: 5  -  SFX:  4

"In space no one can hear you scream..."  This has become one of the most famous taglines in the history of Horror and Science Fiction."  I have always contested this one leans towards Horror more than Sci-Fi because it is without a doubt one of the most intense experiences ever put on film.  Director Ridley Scott (Blade Runner) is simply brilliant here.  By killing off some of the crew you expect to be the heroes, you feel a terror and fear that most Horror movies can't deliver.  The plot is pretty simple actually, a group of miners are investigating an S.O.S. call from a seemingly abandoned planet.  What they find will is an organism that attaches itself to one of the crewman's face and lays an egg inside him.  They are unable to remove it and finally it falls off itself.  Everything seems all right with the crewman (John Hurt) until the egg inside him decides to hatch.  This scene is one of Horror's most famous, and has been copied numerous times.  In fact, Alien literally spawned an onslaught of copy-cat movies that is still the prototype for today's Science Fiction films.  Another important feature of the film is that the lone survivor is a woman, played by Sigourney Weaver.  She's not the helpless woman either, she takes charge and delivers the goods... and STILL looks great in her underwear.  The impact of this film is immense and will continue to be copied for many years.
FEAR FACTOR: 8  -  STUPID VICTIM SCALE: 3  -  SFX:  8

Fifty years after the first film ends, we find our heroine Lieutenant Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) helplessly floating in space in some sort of deep sleep.  She's rescued and brought back to Earth only to get pounded with questions about the incident that happened on the ship years ago.  To her dismay, she discovers that the planet they visited in the first film has been colonized with humans, and soon afterwards, they loose contact.  Ripley reluctantly joins a group of marines to investigate, and when they get there, all hell breaks loose.  Even though this one is most likely considered Science Fiction, the action is beyond anything imaginable thanks to James Cameron (The Terminator).  The marines discover a "nest" of Aliens and they find themselves in a mess they never expected.  Michael Biehn (The Terminator) plays "Hicks" and Bill Paxton (Near Dark) is "Private Hudson" who absolutely steals the show with is smart-ass comments.  "I got news for you pal, we just got our asses kicked in there!" and "Game over man" are still used today as part of our vocabulary.  It's safe to say that every red-blooded American male has seen this movie at least 5 times.
FEAR FACTOR: 8  -  STUPID VICTIM SCALE: 3  -  SFX:   9

The third chapter of this hugely popular Sci-Fi Horror series is often considered the weakest, but maybe unfairly so.  It's certainly the darkest and most depressing, which may be why it's looked on as the weakest link.  Our heroine Ripley crashes her ship into a planet inhabited by prisoners who are living like Monks, even though they're the badest of the bad, they have embraced religion and are happy with the status quo.  The all-male colony doesn't appreciate having a women around, or an alien for that matter.  Your sympathy for Ripley reaches new heights as she loses everyone she ever cares about.  I'm not as critical on this one as most, after all, how do you live up to the original directed by Ridley Scott, or the second instalment director by James Cameron.
FEAR FACTOR: 6  -  STUPID VICTIM SCALE: 3  -  SFX:  7

The only connection left from the "Alien" or "Predator" films in this one is Lance Henrickson, and his character could have been left out because this is an entirely different set of circumstances. His involvement was probably only used to help smooth things over with the fans of the "Alien" films. Unfortunately, this film didn't win over the new generation of AVP comics and video games either. If you're somewhere in the middle of all this, and willing to watch the film for purely entertainment purposes, you will enjoy yourself. The storyline is based around archeologists exploring a strange pyramid built underground. They soon find themselves in a battle between the two sci-fi icons. Yes, it is strange seeing the two on the same screen, but it's the ultimate "what if..." scenerio for Science Fiction fans, even if the storylines don't follow the comic book series. The budget was obviously spent on special efx and not actors, even though the no-name players handle the material well. This won't go down as a classic, but for 90 plus minutes it's pretty entertaining.
FEAR FACTOR: 5  -  STUPID VICTIM SCALE: 2  -  SFX:  7

A well-hyped sequel to "Alien Vs. Predator" that takes off almost exactly where the first film left off. Critics lambasted this one as they did the first, the video gamers and comic fans were equally appaulled, but like the first, it's highly entertaining. Let's face it, we've all wondering what would happen if the Aliens got to Earth, after all, hasn't that been one of the driving forces behind the entire series? Well, now we get to see what happens, like it or not. The controversy is half the fun. Like the first one, the film is filled with medium-grade actors who are up for the task, but don't take away from the real stars, the creatures. You could say the Predator is the "good guy" for the most part, even though numerous humans fall victim when they get in his way. Personally, I find this new AVP angle harmless and fun, enjoy them for what they are, pure entertainment.
FEAR FACTOR: 6  -  STUPID VICTIM SCALE: 3  -  SFX:  8

Thanks to Martin Landau and Jack Palance, this movie is more nerve-wracking and disturbing than scary.  The plot is fairly simple as a blackout allows three total nut-cases to escape a Mental Institute.   For reasons somewhat unclear, they go after a doctor that had just started at the institute, played by Dwight Shulz (A-Team). Supposedly they were upset about another Doctor leaving for another job. This one has some comedic elements and some good acting done by the entire cast, Donald Pleasance (Halloween) is great as the eccentric head of the Institute..  It was too bad this turned into your basic Slasher flick as it had more potential with Palance and Landau.  When they were involved, they were very effective, Landau was scarier, but Palance was simply disturbed as hell. There's lot's of surprises that make this a great roller-coaster ride, I think even today's attention deficit crowds will be happy with the action and violence.  I'll leave you with this great line delivered by Jack Palance... "There are no crazy people Doctor... we're just all on vacation."
FEAR FACTOR: 6  -  STUPID VICTIM SCALE: 3  -  SFX:  5

Simply stated... messed up!  No, it's not quite as sick as "Deliverance" or "Texas Chainsaw Massacre", but it's not far off.  A group of young adults get stranded on a small island in the Pacific Norwest and soon find out that they are not alone.  A creepy family headed by "Pa" (Rod Stieger) and "Ma" (Yvonne De Carlo of "The Munsters") are living on the island with their "children".  One is as weird as the next and the visitors soon find out their deep dark secrets.  Just when you think this one is as sick as it can get, you are completely taken off-guard.  Director John Hough, who worked on the original series "The Avengers" somehow brings a touch of class to this sick and twisted story.  Having veterans like Steiger, De Carlo and Michael Pollard certainly helps bring the story to life.  If you like the bizarre and unexpected, this one should be right up your alley.
FEAR FACTOR: 6  -  STUPID VICTIM SCALE: 3  -  SFX:  5

AMERICAN NIGHTMARE - 1983 - Don McBrearty

Despite the fact this is a pretty bad film all around, it does manage to keep your interest to who the killer is.  Even though the date says 1983 for a release date, it was filmed at least 2 years earlier, which is easy to see in the music, styles, and the fact that Michael Ironside has some hair on his head.  The acting is quite poor in this one, Ironside plays a minor role, and the lead, Lawrence Day was about as stiff as they get.  Speaking of stiff, there were benefits to the film, including some great strip-routines by Lenora Zann and a barely legal Alexndra Paul (Baywatch).  The film rivals Nick Cage's "8MM" in sickness, but not nearly in substance.  Day's character "Eric Blade", the son of a multi-media tycoon is searching for his missing sister, who presumably has turned to the world of prostitution.  There some graphic murder scenes here, some quite unsettling as a serial killer is seemingly ridding the world of hookers and strippers.  This Canadian release isn't very good, but it does feature early roles of Michael Ironside and Alexandra Paul... albeit small roles, it may be enough to keep you interested for 81 minutes or so.
FEAR FACTOR: 5  -  STUPID VICTIM SCALE: 7  -  SFX:  4

AMERICAN PSYCHO - 2000 - Director:  Mary Harron

I've seen this film over 10 times, and I'm still not quite sure what to think, other than I thoroughly enjoyed the twisted dark humour.  I literally laughed out loud on numerous occasions before catching myself to ask, "Oh my GOD, am I supposed to be laughing!"   Christian Bale is brilliant as Patrick Bateman, a young, feisty, sharp-dressed man on Wall  Street who has some, well, "problems".  Bale is downright hilarious at times as a smug S.O.B. who enjoys slaughtering prostitutes and co-workers.   But his bad habits are what's funny, it's his "Frasier Crane" type of attitude and tastes topped off with is obsession with 80's Pop music like Whitney Houston.   His dissection of Huey Lewis's "Sports" album is one of the highlights.   So what does this have to do with horror?  Well, the fact that he butchers people and films himself raping and killing prostitutes might have something to do with it.  The scene where he's contemplating using a nail-gun on a date is about as twisted as it gets.  The beauty of the movie is that it seems to be open to interpretation, you can make your own assumptions to what is going on here.  I really think this one will appeal more to the B-Movie fans than the mainstream because of it's bizarre circumstances and completely twisted style of acting.  Bale rivals the insanity of Deniro and Nicholson.
FEAR FACTOR: 5  -  STUPID VICTIM SCALE: 3  -  SFX:  5

AMERICAN VAMPIRE - 1997 - Director:  Luis Esteben

This is a bad attempt at a comedy and and even worse attempt at Horror.  They blatantly use Carmen Electra to promote the film, even though she's only on screen for 10 minutes tops.  Even Adam West can't save this stinker.  The humor is about as funny as "'Saved By The Bell" and the special effects, or lack thereof, are equally as lame.  If there had been some nudity or a little more action is might have been tolerable, but this one falls flat  on multiple levels.  They try  to combine "The Lost Boys" and "Fast Times At Ridgemont High"... sort of.  They don't even come close to either of those films, but rather a bad  made-for-tv shlockfest.  I'm surprised the actors could live with themselves after seeing this debacle.
FEAR FACTOR: 0  -  STUPID VICTIM SCALE: 8  -  SFX:  1

AMITYVILLE HORROR, THE - 1979

The plot is about as simple as it gets.  Newlyweds move into a house where some grizzly murders had taken place.   They got a great deal on the house so what the hell.  Stupid move.  This one rips off "The Exorcist" in a lot of ways, "Omen" in others.   James Brolin plays a boring male lead, and Margo Kidder is his wife, who along with three of her children from a previous marriage move into their first home. Years before a man had killed his family in the house and now really bad things are happening again.   Brolin plays "George Lutz" who is slowly losing his mind, and to promote this, they have him chopping wood or sharpening his axe every other scene.  Jack Nicholson would do a much better job a year later in "The Shining".  This may be all urban legend, but I thought I remembered reading that this was based on a true story.  This would explain why it did so well over time and has numerous sequels to date.  Rod Steiger plays the priest who knows what's going on.  He provides some of the movies only bright spots with his intense acting skills
FEAR FACTOR: 4  -  STUPID VICTIM SCALE: 6  -  SFX:  5

AMITYVILLE HORROR, THE 2: THE POSSESSION - 1982 - Director: Damiano Damiani

The first 20 minutes of this one was scarier than the entire first movie.  Burt Young, better known as "Paulie" from the Rocky Movies is the father of an Italian-American family who moves into the infamous house.  This one is set before the first movie and is based on the true story of the DeFeo case, although the story was obviously exaggerated for effect.  Critics have panned this one, but personally I thought it was quite frightening, director Damiano Damiani (say that 10 time really fast) uses some pretty intense camera work that was a bit like Sam Raimi's work in the Evil Dead series, not nearly as intense though.  Burt Young's character was abusive, loud, obnoxious and everything in between, but we assume a lot of that is due to the circumstances in the house.  A lot of this movie reminds one of "The Exorcist" t, but of course ANY movie after that would receive the same fate.  Rutanya Alda plays the mother of the family who's trying to hold things together.  Her acting alone makes this one a lot more frightening, she generally looks scared to death at times.  Yes, the question arising again..."why don't you just LEAVE!"  We may never know why, it's just something we need to overlook and enjoy the film.  Jack Magner plays "Sonny" the oldest brother of the family who is possessed by the entity living in the basement, he looks like Mark Wahlberg in "Boogie Nights".  There's a very uncomfortable scene where he seduces his sister played by Diane Franklin... no incest is not funny, but it ads a twisted element to an already twisted story.  Pay no attention to what you've heard, this one's a sleeper in my book.
FEAR FACTOR: 7  -  STUPID VICTIM SCALE: 5  -  SFX:  5

AMITYVILLE 3D - 1982 - Director: Damiano Damiani

Oh NO, the credits are coming at me!! AAAAH... oh, sorry, those 3D VIDEO tapes really scare me!  Obviously this was made before the video craze or they would have realized that a 3D movie doesn't have a long life, and the result is a grainy and slightly blurred film that is based around things coming at the camera.  Despite the silly 3-D effects (like a flashlight sticking out at you) the movie was "blessed" with a very capable cast consisting of Candy Clark, Tony Roberts, Tess Harper and a young Meg Ryan.  Clark was especially fun to watch as a hyperactive reporter.  After she and Tony Roberts character "John Baxter" bust some phonies who are performing bogus séances and basically ripping people off.  Baxter decides to buy the house after the arrests, and soon after, strange things begin to happen.  Overall, it's better than the first, with more action, but overall, it's nothing too spectacular.
FEAR FACTOR: 4  -  STUPID VICTIM SCALE: 5  -  SFX:  5

AMITYVILLE 1992 - 1992 - Director: Tony Randel

Wow, what a nice surprise, this is probably the best on in the series as it's based in a different setting than the original house.  There's is a connection as a suburban family is haunted bu a clock that was in the old Amityville house.  I think the casting is what I was most pleased with.  Stephan Macht (Graveyard Shift) is a great psycho, and Shawn Wheatherly (Shadowzone) was great as "Andrea Livingston".  There's some good scares and good effects in this one.  I'm sure part of my enjoyment was that I wasn't expecting much, and there's nothing earth-shattering, but it's not a bad little strait-to-video horror flick.  One of the better of the series at least.
FEAR FACTOR: 4  -  STUPID VICTIM SCALE: 5  -  SFX:  5

AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON - 1981 - Director: John Landis

You'd have to consider this a masterpiece of Horror and Comedy.  John Landis (Animal House) wrote and directed this sometimes hilarious story about a couple of American tourists who are attacked by a werewolf.  David Naughton plays "David Kessler" and Griffin Dunne is "Jack Goodman".  Naughton's character survives the unfortunate attack, but Dunne's didn't, and proceeds to haunt his buddy from the afterlife.  David Kessler starts acting strange and having some wacky nightmares.  Naughton is fantastic as the neurotic American among the residents of England.  It has a dry British wit about it that makes this one enjoyable on all counts.  To top it off, the special effects done extremely well for this time period.  The movie had a pretty good showing at the box office despite 81' being right in the middle of the "Slasher" craze.
FEAR FACTOR: 4  -  STUPID VICTIM SCALE: 5  -  SFX:  5

ANATOMY -  2000  - Director: Stefan Ruzowitzky 

German-made Horror flick about a young woman who is accepted into an elite medical school that has some dark secrets behind it.  Somebody, pardon the pun, is taking their anatomy classes to literally!  If you're a bit squeamish, this one will really make you nervous.  It's too easy to give something away by getting into details, but let me just warn you there are some very horrifying situations that will stick with you for a long time.  The story jumps around a lot, and could have been put together better, but on the other hand, it does give it a fresh approach, which may or may not be good.  The cast members are young and pretty and they leave nice cadavers.  Overall, the entire film looks very good, has a fast pace and some truly disturbing imagery, you could do a lot worse.
FEAR FACTOR: 7  -  STUPID VICTIM SCALE: 4  -  SFX:  6

APOCALYPSE NOW - 1979 - Director:  Francis Ford Coppola

This one ranks as one of the best War movies of all time.  I consider this either a "Psychological Thriller" with some strong elements of Horror built in.  The Vietnam War in on, and Captain Benjamin Willard (Martin Sheen) has been assigned to assassinate the renegade Colonel Kurtz (Marlon Brando).  Kurtz has created his own army in Cambodia and has basically lost his mind.  Once he was one of the Army's top men, now he's enemy Number One.  There's so many brilliant characters in this film, from Dennis Hopper to Robert Duvall as Colonel Kilgore, who's more interested in surfing than fighting a war.  Francis Ford Coppola was nominated for an Oscar and should have won it.  You are so absorbed by this film you simply can't turn away.  All the characters are flawed and basically insane, including the "hero" (used loosely) Captain Willard.  One could write a thesis paper on this film and it's meanings, but if I had to use an extremely broad synopsis, it would be that War brings out the worst in men.  This is a classic, plain and simple.
FEAR FACTOR: 4  -  STUPID VICTIM SCALE: 5  -  SFX:  5

ARACHNID - 2001 - Director:  Jack Scholder

Good looking "Monster" movie about a giant alien spider and a group of castaways trying to survive on a semi-deserted island.  Chris Potter (Kung Fu: The Legend Continues) is good as the lead hero, and the rest of the cast is equally as effective.  It is your typical man vs. monster movie, nothing ground-breaking, but with good effects and good acting, this one works pretty well.  The theme of this one is a throw-back to the 50's Drive-In Monster Movies with more special effects and a modern punch.  If you're scared of Spiders, this one probably won't help matters, but on the other hand, the creature is so large it loses it's creepy-crawly effect.
FEAR FACTOR: 6  -  STUPID VICTIM SCALE: 5  -  SFX:  5

ARMY OF DARKNESS - 1993 -  Director: Sam Raimi

This is actually Part 3 of the "Evil Dead" series, but for what is rumored to be marketing reasons, they named the third installment "Army Of Darkness".   You could classify it as Horror/Fantasy/Comedy, although Comedy is possibly the most prevalent genre here.  Bruce Campbell stars as "Ash" for the third time, and easily gives the best performance of his career.  The slapstick comedy produced by he and director Sam Raimi is simply brilliant, but still maintains to be somewhat frightening.  There a scene where Ash is being attacked by skeletons from beneath the ground, which is a scary premise, but Raimi and Campbell turn it into a "Three Stooges" routine that makes me laugh out loud even after multiple viewings.  Campbell is a genius with his "anti-hero" characters, especially Ash.  He means well and talks big but often comes off a "boob", but in the end he always saves the day.  As far as the plot goes, without giving too much away, it starts off where Evil Dead 2 left us as Ash is sent back in time to a primitive world of Knights and Sorcery.  It has a certain "fairy tale" vibe to it that is more mainstream than the extreme gore featured in the first two films.  Bruce Campbell films are still on the "cult" level, but his fans are rabid, rivaling that of "Trekkies".  Campbell has said in interviews that the appeal of Ash is that he often says things we'd like to say, whether it's arrogant and politically incorrect, Ash isn't afraid to speak his mind.  This attitude has great appeal to the younger male audience, who are unfortunately overlooked by the mainstream.  To date, "Army Of Darkness" remains some of Horror and Science Fictions greatest accomplishments, it had theatrical release with reasonable success, but not enough to justify a big-budget sequel.  In my opinion, I'd rather they bury the "Evil Dead" series and let the legacy live on rather than ruin it with a sub-standard sequel.
FEAR FACTOR: 5  -  STUPID VICTIM SCALE: 4  -  SFX:  7

ARMY OF DARKNESS - 1993  - Director: Sam Raimi

Starring:  Bruce Campbell as “Ash” and “Evil Ash”, Embeth Davidz as “Sheila”, Marcus Gilbert as “Arthur”, Ian Abercrombie as “Wiseman”, and Richard Grove as “Henry the Red”.

The 3^rd in the “Evil Dead” trilogy, this movie is a sort of “Conan the Barbarian meets H. P. Lovecraft”.  Ash is transported back to medieval times, where he becomes “The Chosen One” as prophesied in the Necronomicon ad Mortis.   Ash, as the cynical anti-hero, doesn’t want the job and does it only to return home.  As usual, we have great fun observing his adventures and misadventures.  He makes a metal hand to replace the one he had to cut off, and introduces gunpowder to the ignorant knights & other medievals.  He also finds time to romance “Sheila”, a dark-ages woman—and a real babe—in between pursuing the Necronomicon  and fighting the hordes of evil dead raised by the book.  It is never explained where he obtained the knowledge and skill to fight as well with a sword as he does, but we don’t mind—this is not a documentary.  As is the case with the other movies in this series, we find the characters engaging and care what happens to them.  Also, the movie is never boring; there is something going on all the time. This is a good movie and I recommend it.
-Producer:  Robert Tapert.  Co-Producer:  Bruce Campbell.  Music:  Joseph Lo Duca & Danny Elfman.
Reviewed By: John Harris