Day 333: Halloween 3: Season Of The Witch

Halloween 3: Season Of The Witch

I don't remember Halloween being so red

The Halloween movie franchise is Michael Myers. Just like Jason in Friday The 13^th and Freddy Kruger in A Nightmare On Elm Street, it's hard to conceive of a Halloween movie without the blank-faced killer. It actually happened, though, believe it or not. The Halloween movie series was planned to produce a different horror story every year under the Halloween name. Michael Myers was never really supposed to be the face of the franchise. The idea wasn't a terrible one in theory as it would keep the franchise from being boring and predictable. It only happened once though. Could the non-Michael Myers Halloween be that bad as to completely throw out the original plan and go back to the slasher well?

Halloween 3 is a science-fiction horror movie starring Tom Atkins (Maniac Cop, Night Of The Creeps) as Dr. Dan Challis. On October 23^rd, store owner Harry Grimbridge (Al Berry, Re-Animator, The Last Starfighter) is chased down and attacked by mysterious men in suits. He collapses at a gas station , is taken to a hospital, and placed in the care of Dr. Dan Challis. Dan notices that Harry is clutching a jack-o'-lantern mask from the Silver Shamrock toy company. Commercials for the masks have been playing nonstop, advertising some sort of raffle on Halloween night for anyone who purchases a mask. Even Dan's children have the masks. Another man in a suit finds Grimbridge in the hospital and kills him before blowing himself up in the hospital parking lot. Bothered by the incident, Dan begins to investigate the incident with Grimbridge's daughter Ellie (Stacey Nelkin, Bullets Over Broadway, The Twilight Zone). They travel to the small town of Santa Mira, home of the Silver Shamrock company. The town is practically abandoned other than the factory and it's workers. One night in their motel, a saleswoman for Silver Shamrock notices a small chip that falls off a mask. The chip shoots a laser into her face, burning her horribly and releasing bugs from her mouth. Dan and Ellie, who slept together the night before, receive a tour of the factory from the owner, Conal Cochran (Dan O'Herlihy, Robocop, Adventures Of Robinson Crusoe). Dan sees the men in suits near the factory and also notices Cochran's secretive “finishing” process for the masks. What does Conal Cochran have planned with his killer masks and will Dan be able to stop him in time?

"No, I'm not happy with my long-distance rates!"

Well, this is a pretty huge departure from the first two Halloween movies. And I mean that in more ways than one. Gone is the slasher theme, the large amount of gore and violence, the pacing, the fear, and just about everything that made the first two Halloween movies so good. I understand the desire to separate the third movie and I don't really have a problem with wanting to do something different. I have a problem with a story that is so convoluted it makes my head hurt. It's as if three or four different horror movies were blended together and someone forgot to have things make sense. I thought the movie was going to be something about supernatural masks that kill the wearers, but instead we have a goofy sci-fi plot with some magic thrown in for the hell of it. Cochran's plan is as confusing as it is silly. I still have no idea why the men in suits were needed in the movie, adding a strange and unnecessary subplot.

The first two Halloween movies had a lot of suspense and plenty of fears. Halloween 3 has neither. The middle is incredibly slow and devoid of atmosphere. There isn't much in the way of scares either. The movie is strictly by-the-numbers and, if not for the Halloween name, would probably have been lost to the campy 80's horror dustbin a long time ago. Co-writer John Carpenter manages to get in plenty of social commentary, taking shots at commercialism, consumerism, and marketing. It's good commentary that makes sense, though it comes wrapped in the extremely annoying theme music for Silver Shamrock's commercial. The acting is ok, but nothing special. Tom Atkins plays his usual tough and gruff self, which would have been fine if his character was a police officer or investigator. Instead, he's a doctor, but never really acts like it. The one truly good thing the movie does is the ending. I don't think I've seen a movie where I hated 99% of it, but loved the last 20 seconds. Those last 20 seconds were everything the movie wasn't. It was intense to the point where I was literally leaning forward in anticipation.

This calls for Green Jelly's "Rock And Roll Pumpkin"

Switching things up in Halloween may have been full of good intentions, but it ended up damaging the franchise to the point where they decided to just stick with Michael Myers. Halloween 3 did poorly at the box office and for good reason. The movie is simply not good. The story is all over the place, a hodge-podge of different ideas that don't work. There isn't a lot of action and almost no suspense or fear. The social commentary is good, but heavy at times. The movie isn't a total loss as the masks are cool to look at and the ending is intense. Sometimes it's good to mix things up, keeping a franchise fresh and interesting. Of course, having a good story helps.

3.5/10

Day 329: In the Mouth Of Madness

In The Mouth Of Madness

Give a hoot. Read a book.

What is reality? Is it what we think and feel or is it something tangible that we can touch and mold? I don't know, I'm not a psychology major. What I do know is that a lot of horror movies like to ask that question. It's mostly used as an excuse to shoot all sorts of crazy things and get away with it? Want the walls to melt? Question reality! Want your main character to rip his own face off? Question reality! Want to see another show staring the Kardashians? Punch yourself in the face AND question reality! Regardless of how you feel in regards to the esoteric questions of life and reality, you have to admit, it allows for some crazy things to happen in a movie.

In The Mouth Of Madness is a  1995 horror movie written by Michael De Luca (Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare, Judge Dredd) and directed by John Carpenter (The Thing, Prince Of Darkness). The movie stars Sam Neill (Jurassic Park, Event Horizon) as private investigator John Trent. Trent is committed to an insane asylum where he is visited by Dr. Wrenn (David Warner, Titanic, Tron) to recount his story of how he ended up there. After solving a case, Trent is attacked by an ax-wielding maniac who asks him if he reads horror author Sutter Cain's (Jurgen Prochnow, Das Boot, Beverly Hills Cop II) work before being shot by police. Trent was hired by Arcane Publishing director Jackson Harglow (Charlton Heston, Planet Of The Apes, The Ten Commandments) to track down the now-missing Cane. Cane's work is immensely popular, garnering a rabid fan-base. Fights and riots have broken out by people pre-ordering his latest book, In The Mouth Of Madness. Harglow assigns Cane's editor Linda Styles (Julie Carmen, True Women, Fright Night Part 2) to join Trent in his search. After reading Cane's books, Trent begins to experience very intense and very realistic nightmares of deformed monsters coming after him. Styles explains that Cane's work is known to cause hallucinations and paranoia among his more "unstable" readers. Trent discovers that the covers to Cane's work are actually a map of New Hampshire and show the way to Hobb's End, a supposedly fictional town. Trent and Styles somehow manage to find the town which is laid out exactly how Cane wrote it, complete with a strange black church to the east which Cane described as being the source of all evil. The briefly see Cane who sicks his dogs on angry townspeople who claim that Cane turned their children evil. Trent thinks this is all a publicity stunt and refuses to believe what is happening. Soon, even stranger events occur as people, including Styles, mutate into hideous monsters. Trent tries to escape, but is caught in an endless loop, always returning to Hobb's End. Cane finishes writing his new novel and after reading it, Styles goes insane. Cane gives his novel to Trent so he can distribute his mind-altering masterpiece to the world. What is reality and what is fiction and will Trent be able to stop Sutter Cane?

Taking the Elephant Walk to strange, new places

When movies decide to mess with reality and the audience's perception, they run the risk of being utterly confusing. In The Mouth Of Madness has enough action and scary looking monsters to hide the fact that the story is all over the place. It's essentially a story within a story within a story. Just writing that makes my head hurt. To make matters worse, the story is mostly told in flashback. The story is fairly entertaining, the parts you can follow anyway. The way the story bounces around and messes with the characters can be confusing and tiresome by the end. It's funny how the movie precedes the rabid fans of Harry Potter,Twilight, and now Fifty Shades Of Gray. It can best be described as "Lovecraftian" with it's focus on hideous creatures and man's helplessness to their whims. In The Mouth Of Madness is part of Carpenter's "Apocalypse Trilogy" and fans of The Thing and Prince Of Darkness will appreciate how good the monsters in the film look. They are a heaving mass of twisted and distorted flesh with realistic features and movements. The movie does have it's physical as well as psychological scary moments. The ending is fairly depressing, though the inexplicable rock music over the credits might have you believe otherwise. Carpenter does the music for the rest of the film, giving scenes the proper atmosphere they deserve.

I don't think I've seen a movie with such a big difference in acting quality from the lead to the main support. Sam Neill is great and that's no surprise. He's entertaining in just about everything he does. He gives John Trent the cool confidence needed in the beginning as he is the audience's "eyes" so to speak. We are just as skeptical as he is when he visits Hobb's End. His terror and slow descent into madness is both believable and unsettling. Though he's not in the movie a whole lot, Jurgen Prochnow is quite entertaining as the god-like Sutter Cane. The scene where he appears next to Trent on a bus, telling him his favorite color is blue is very well executed. The problem lies with Julie Carmen. Plain and simple, she is just not good. She just played her part all wrong and really brought down the quality of the film. John Carpenter brings his usual style to the film, capturing some great monster scenes and a lot of emotion.

Gimme a "T"!

Overall, In The Mouth Of Madness is a fun horror movies with some hard-to-ignore flaws. The story is all over the place and may be hard for people to focus on. That's what happens when you have a movie all about twisting reality. The monster look great and their are some genuinely scary scenes, but it's not really enough to get past the meandering story. Sam Neill and Jurgen Prochnow are both very good in their roles, but Julie Carmen is just terrible. If you enjoy John Carpenter's previous work or H.P. Lovecraft, you should be able to enjoy In The Mouth Of Madness for what it is: a mind-bending monster movie.

7/10

Day 305: Halloween

Halloween

Who wants pumpkin pie?

C'mon, like I was going to review any other movie on Halloween. Sex In The City did cross my mind, but even I can't handle that type of unspeakable horror. While not the first in the slasher genre (Both Black Christmas and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre predate it), Halloween propelled the idea to the next level, spawning countless knock-offs, remakes, and sequels. It also helped make John Carpenter a household name in the world of horror. While Halloween was not intended to be a franchise based on Michael Myers, the character proved to be so popular that when the third Halloween had nothing to do with the killer, audiences reacted negatively. Rather than randomly picking a movie out of the franchise and possibly suffering through the one with Busta Rhymes, I figured it's best to start at the beginning.

Halloween is a 1978 slasher horror film written and directed by John Carpenter (They Live, The Thing). The movie stars Jamie Lee Curtis (Trading Places, True Lies) as teenager Laurie Strode and Donald Pleasance (Escape From New York, Prince Of Darkness) as Dr. Sam Loomis. On October 31, 1963 in Haddonfield, Illinois, a young boy named Michael Myers brutally murders his sister with a butcher knife. Michael is sent to Smith's Grove Sanitarium where he is placed under the care of Dr. Loomis. For almost fifteen years, Michael remains in an almost catatonic state, showing no emotion and never speaking. The night before Halloween, Michael escapes the sanitarium and Dr. Loomis desperately tries to track him down, believing he will head back to his childhood home. The next day, high school student Laurie Strode continuously has the feeling that she is being watched and followed. She is unaware that Michael Myers is the one stalking her. That night, Laurie babysits a young boy named Tommy Doyle (Brian Andrews, Halloween II, The Great Santini) while her friend Annie (Nancy Kyes, Assault On Precinct 13, The Fog) babysits a young girl named Lindsay Wallace. Tommy is constantly afraid that the boogeyman is going to get him, but Laurie reassures him that there is no boogeyman. Dr. Loomis combs the streets with the local sheriff, searching in vein for Michael, who is going around the neighborhood killing people. Annie goes to see a boy and drops Lindsay off with Laurie, but is soon murdered by Michael. Will Dr. Loomis be able to stop Michael in time before he gets to Laurie and the kids?

It's like ten thousand spoons when all you need is a JESUS, LOOK AT THAT KNIFE!

This is the movie that started it all for slashers and it did so on the strength of it's story, not with a big budget or fancy effects. Made for around $325,000, Halloween manages to be scary and thrilling without the use of gimmicks. Carpenter weaves a story that is entirely realistic which helps give the movie a scary credibility. Setting the events in the suburbs and in people's homes brings the fear straight to the audience. The atmosphere is dark without drifting off into fantasy. The music is probably one of the most lasting parts of the movie. Everyone knows the classic theme music, but it's the simple 2-note piano throughout the film the truly creates tension. We know something is going to happen, just not what or when or where. The movie has a good amount of action with some fun and unique kills. There is a decent amount of blood, but nothing compared to today's movies. There are some truly great scenes like when Laurie continuously finds bodies in the house and when she fights Michael at the end.

The character of Michael Myers is the manifestation of all our fears. He is unstoppable in his singular goal of murder. There is no reasoning with him, no pleading for your life. He does not speak and his featureless mask (a modified Captain Kirk mask) allows the audience to project whatever they want onto the killer. Carpenter does a great job of drawing the audience in at the beginning and then paying off when it comes to the action. Jamie Lee Curtis is very good in her role and comes off as a believable heroine at the end. The movie does run into a little bit of trouble with the “annoying kid” factor, but so much is going on that it's easy to ignore. Donald Pleasance is great as Dr. Loomis, exuding an air of urgency while still remaining level-headed. It's his steely resolve that makes his mission seem all the more important. If he was frantic and terrified, it would have made the movie cartoonish and silly. Thanks to Carpenter's writing, the characters are all believable and enjoyable to root for.

Paper beats rock, gun beats giant butcher knife

While it wasn't the first slasher, Halloween may be one of the most important horror movies. It is proof that you don't need a big budget to make a lot of money and have an impact on future generations. The story is highly enjoyable and treats the audience as equals. Donald Pleasance and Jamie Lee Curtis are both very good in their roles and help make the movie more complete. The action is solid and the kills are fun to watch. The movie has the right kind of atmosphere, thanks largely to the great, simple music. While a little tame compared to today's standards, Halloween still has a lot of frights and a genuine feeling of horror. Once you're done trick or treating and partying, turn off the lights, curl up on the couch and watch the horror classic.

10/10

Day 300: They Live

They Live

Cue Yello's "Oh Yeah"

As I've said in other reviews, I'm not one for conspiracy theories. I don't believe that the Freemasons or The Bildeburgs or the Girl Scouts Of America are planning a takeover of the world. If people can barely get your order right at the drive-thru, how can there be a global conspiracy to control money or power or whatever you want. That's not to say the average person isn't kept down through various means, I just don't think there's a few guys in an underground liar scheming to make me buy blue jeans or listen to that Gangnam-style song. But things are not always what they seem. What if there was some one, or some thing, suppressing the human race? Would you stop it? Could you stop it?

They Live is a 1988 science fiction/horror movie directed and written (under a pseudonym) by John Carpenter (Halloween, The Thing). The movie stars “Rowdy” Roddy Piper ( WWF/WWE Superstar, It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia) as unemployed drifter John Nada. Nada finds work doing construction in Los Angeles and befriends Frank Armitage (Keith David, Barbershop, The Thing). While at a shantytown, Nada notices strange activity at a nearby church, and when he investigates, he discovers the church is actually a front, as the only thing in the church are boxes. That night, the police raid the town, beating on the homeless and knocking over their dwellings. When Nada returns the next morning, he finds one of the boxes from the church. Inside the box are sunglasses and Nada takes a pair. When he puts them on, the world suddenly becomes black and white. He can now view messages that are unseen to the naked eye all over the city. Messages like “Sleep” “Consume” and “Buy”. These messages of conformity and consumerism are controlling the population. Even more disturbing, Nada is now able to see that certain people, mostly those in positions of wealth and power, are in fact humanoid aliens. When he confronts an alien woman she speaks into her watch, notifying others that he can see her true form. Two policemen try to stop Nada, but he kills them, taking their guns and going on a killing spree at a nearby bank. He escapes the police and takes Holly Thompson (Meg Foster, The Lords Of Salem, Leviathan), an assistant director at television station Channel 54, hostage. While suffering from headaches due to wearing the sunglasses for too long, he tries to convince Holly about what is truly going on. During an intense headache, Holly kicks Nada out of a window, sending him down a hill. He stumbles back to the alley where he found the glasses and meets with Fred. He tries to convince Fred about the aliens and when Fred refuses to put on the glasses, they get into a fight. After the long fist fight, Fred finally wears the glasses and understands what is really happening. They join members from the “church” who are really an underground resistance planning to take down the aliens. The aliens use a signal from Channel 65 to camouflage themselves and it's up to Nada and Fred to destroy it. How will they be able to get in and destroy the signal, freeing the world from the alien's grasp?

Where's your Hulkamania now?

They Live is a really fun science fiction movie with just enough horror to keep things scary. While most alien invasion movies take place during (or slightly before) the invasion, it's already happened in this movie. There is no warning that they are coming, no giant space ship to announce their arrival, and no explosions to show their dominance. They are already in charge when the story begins. Reflecting the political and social climate of the times, Carpenter manages to capture the hopelessness of the average man who has no work or self-worth, hence the name “Nada”. The alien villains are the rich and powerful, using their wealth and status to keep the poor humans down. The secret messages to consume and stay complacent are chilling to see, opening the audience's eyes to real world advertising. I can see where certain types (*cough*Conservatives*cough*) may take issue with such commentary, but it's just subtle enough where the theme doesn't dominate the movie. There is a good amount of action throughout, which helps break up the overall message as well.

Roddy Piper may seem like an odd choice for a protagonist in a movie like They Live, but he is spot-on perfect in his role. He's a great mixture of brash attitude, charisma, and broken-down everyman that just fits so well for the character of John Nada. The famous line “I'm here to chew bubble gum and kick as...and I'm all out of bubble gum,” was a Piper original, not something from the script. Keith David is very good in his role as well. No amount of description can do justice to the incredibly long fight scene between both men. Rather than a quick scuffle or a cutaway, we see every punch, every tackle, and every crotch kick. South Park lovingly recreated this scene a few years ago, down to every punch thrown. This is also where Piper fits in well as his wrestling experience makes his physicality believable. John Carpenter is in his element as writer and director, crafting a fun movie with lots of action and just enough creepiness to make the audience uneasy. 

I knew the Golden Girls were skull-faced alien fascists!

They Live is a politically subversive movie with a good mixture of science fiction, horror, and action. While not a financial success, the movie's message and impact is still felt today. While the message is heavy, it's broken up nicely between the action and suspense. Roddy Piper is great and highly entertaining to watch. The movie has it's funny moments along with it's thrilling ones. The skull-like makeup for the aliens looks very good and certainly increases the horror aspect. John Carpenter manages to create a fun movie with plenty of social commentary. I'm surprised They Live has not been remade, but I'm glad it hasn't yet. No need to mess with something so fun.

9/10

Day 250: Prince Of Darkness

Prince Of Darkness

Pretty. Insane, but pretty.

Satan. Lucifer. Beelzebub. Scratch. Dick Cheney. The Devil has many names and comes in many forms. Some believe he is a physical being, torturing condemned souls in the fiery pit of Hell while others believe he lives within every human being, causing us to do evil. Whether you believe in Heaven and Hell or God and Satan, the Devil makes for a pretty good horror movie villain. Since just about everything regarding his Goatship is open to interpretation, writers and directors are free to design how he looks as they see fit. While some movies go for the traditional pitchfork and horns, others go for something abstract. And then there's John Carpenter who adds his own little twist with his brand of horror.

Prince of Darkness is a 1987 horror movie written and directed by John Carpenter (Halloween, The Thing). The movie stars Jameson Parker (JAG, Simon & Simon) as metaphysician/student Brian Marsh and Lisa Blount (An Officer And A Gentleman, Box Of Moon Light) as fellow student Catherine Danforth. Father Loomis (Donald Pleasance, Halloween, Escape From New York) approaches their professor, Howard Birack (Victor Wong, Seven Years In Tibet, The Last Emperor), in need of help. A fellow priest who had recently died, left a box containing a key to an underground labyrinth beneath an abandoned church in Los Angeles. Inside the labyrinth is a cylinder filled with a swirling green liquid that appears to be growing in power. Birack gathers his students at the church, including Brian and Lisa who have begun to fall in love, in an effort to find out just what is in the cylinder. They are joined by other specialists including a woman to translate ancient text from a 2,000 year old book found next to the cylinder. The group notices that homeless people, led Street Schizo (Alice Cooper, Suck, Wayne's World 2), begin to encircle the church. When a group member leaves the church, Street Schizo impales him with part of a bicycle. After parts of the book is translated, it is revealed that the liquid is a conscious, living embodiment of the Prince of Darkness, Satan. Satan's powering is growing, changing the sky and overloading their computers. Loomis tells the group that the Church had been keeping the information about Satan a secret for thousands of years in order to protect humanity. Various members of the group begin to share the same dream, which appears to be a warning from the future. Satan is able to finally free itself from the cylinder, shooting liquid onto Susan, a radiologist with the group, making her into a slave. She begins possessing other members of the group including Kelly, who had a strange mark on her arm earlier in the day begins to physically change. She becomes the ultimate incarnation of Satan, complete with fantastic powers. Birack and the priest discover that Satan is the the son of an even more powerful entity and plans to bring him into this world. Surrounded and out-numbered, how will they be able to stop Satan from bringing his father into our reality?

Who wants Jell-O?

I'm a fan of John Carpenter's work so it came as a bit of a surprise when I came across Prince Of Darkness because I had never heard of it before. How can a movie by the man behind such classics as Halloween, The Thing, and Escape From New York just go completely under the radar? I think part of the problem is that the movie is too abstract for the average movie-goer. Thanks to mainstream media, we all have a preconceived notion of what the Devil should look like and a swirling green liquid doesn't fit that idea. I appreciate the desire to be different and I feel it works in the movie's favor since it's not your average horror movie. The general idea for the movie came from Carpenter's interest in theoretical physics and atomic theory and it shows. It's nice that the movie tries to give a scientific explanation for things, but it occasionally gets bogged down in specifics, leading to some confusion and bordedom. There is a good amount of action in the movie, though, with some nice violence and traditional horror scares. A lot is crammed in to the movie and certain aspects, like the dream message or Brian and Catherine's relationship, aren't really given enough time, especially given their importance.

Carpenter creates a great atmosphere that lasts throughout the movie. Shot with wide-angle lenses in an anamorphic format, the movie is very unsettling. The gothic feel of the church adds to the overall creepiness brought out by Carpenter's signature synthesizer music. What really sticks out to me are the small, minor changes in the actors when they become possessed. Much like spider-walk and head spinning scenes in The Exorcist, the unearthly sounds coming from the possessed group really touches a nerve. The acting is pretty good all-around and every plays their parts well. Jessie Lawrence Ferguson, who plays a group member named Calder, mixes strange giggles with weeping that send chills up my spine. The ending is quite good I actually had a nightmare related to this movie, so you know it has something working for it. The movie doesn't have your typical scares, but it manages to stick with you.

"We can't find Waldo anywhere!"

Prince Of Darkness is an underrated and undervalues horror movie from one of the masters. John Carpenter is able to craft a scary, surrealistic movie with a good amount of action and suspense. The abstract ideas and specific detail may keep some people away, but it's worth sticking with the movie. The atmosphere throughout the movie is very good thanks in part to the creepy music and creative camera shots. While it may not be the most well-known John Carpenter movie, it is well worth the time to watch. It is fun, scary, and unique. If you need a movie that will make you think and feel that you may not have seen before, Prince Of Darkness is a good choice.

8.5/10

180: Vampires

Vampires

Gee, I wonder what this movie is about

Another day, another John Carpenter movie. He's been working horror for over thirty years and has been involved with some of the biggest and best horror movies ever. Halloween, The Thing, They Live are some of his best work. Even his non horror movies like Escape From New York and Assault On Precinct 13 are fun. Recently, though, John Carpenter has hit a bit of a rough patch. His return movie, The Ward, was thoroughly mediocre and Ghosts of Mars was just plain bad. Fun, but bad. Sometimes you just have a cold streak and sometimes you just have nothing in the tank. But how about the movie right before Ghosts of Mars, Vampires?

Vampires is a 1998 horror movie starring James Woods (Videodrome, Any Given Sunday) as the vampire hunter Jack Crow and Daniel Baldwin (Attack Of The 50 Ft. Woman, Phoenix) as his partner, Anthony Montoya. Jack leads a group of vampire slayers as they clear out a house, or nest, in New Mexico. That night, the crew parties with a group of hookers, including a pretty blond named Katrina (Sheryl Lee, Winter's Bone, Twin Peaks). A master vampire named Valek (Thomas Ian Griffith, xXx, The Karate Kid Part III) arrives, bites Katrina, and brutally kills most of the crew and the women. He calls Jack by name and goes after him, but Jack is able to escape along with Montoya and a woozy Katrina. Montoya and Katrina hold up in a hotel while Jack visits Cardinal Alba (Maximilian Schell, Joan of Arc, The Brothers Bloom) and Father Adam Guiteau (Tim Guinee, CSI, Iron Man). They explain that Valek was the first vampire, thus the most difficult to kill. Meanwhile, Katrina now has a psychic link to Valek, seeing what he sees. She tries to kill herself, but Montoya stops her from jumping out a window, cutting his arm in the process. Katrina sees the blood and bites his arm. Through Katrina's link, they are able to eventually piece together that Valek has found a mythical black cross, The Berziers Cross. It is revealed that Valek was a priest who became possessed by a demon and the cross was used in his exorcism. The exorcism was never completed, turning him into a vampire. Now that he has the cross, he will be able to complete the ritual, allowing him and his vampires to walk in the sunlight. Will Jack, Father Guiteau, and a bitten Montoya be able to stop Valek and his vampire crew and how is Cardinal Alba involved?

Great band picture

This movie is fun, plain and simple. I watched it many times growing up and even through the years, I am still entertained by it. It is filled with loads of action and some genuine laughs. Most of those laughs could be attributed to clever writing and James Woods. Jack Crow is practically made for Woods; he is loud, crude, and obnoxious. He looks like he is having fun in this role and it shows on screen. Screaming “Die! Die! Die you fuck, die!” isn't exactly Shakespeare, and in fact, may have been written by a 16 year old boy, but it does have a fun ring to it. There is plenty of guns, stakes to the heart, stakes to the head, and exploding in sunlight. The exploding bits could have been executed better because certain scenes just looked like the actors had flares attached to their clothing. There is a good amount of blood and one fantastic scene in the beginning when Valek splits one of the vampire hunters in half. Makes me wish they did more of that.

The story itself isn't particularly original, but its enough to keep things moving along between gunshots and curse words. It feels like there is a vampire movie out ever few years where the main vampire is about to unlock the ability to walk in the day time. It just feels played out, but again, the story isn't the real focus of the movie anyway. Thomas Ian Griffith is good as the brooding Valek and Sheryl Lee does well as Katrina. She is very convincing when she is transitioning to vampire and psychically linking to Valek. Daniel Baldwin keeps up with Woods in the fun department and is a good supporting role.

Give me a "T"!

Vampires is a fun, action-packed vampire movie with a good amount of blood and lots of gun shots. The acting and dialogue play very well in between action sequences, making the movie a complete and enjoyable watch. James Woods is great in his role and looks to be enjoying every minute of it. When an actor is having fun and gets into the role, we the audience benefit. While the story isn't anything special, the one-liners will keep you smiling as well as the gunshots and vampire staking. It's not John Carpenter's best, but he does well enough to craft and entertaining vampire movie.

7.5/10

Day 160: Masters of Horror: Pro-Life

Masters of Horror: Pro-Life

Oh, baby, baby. How was I supposed to know?

Abortion is a very serious and personal issue. It's also one of the most divisive issues in the United States. There are plenty of horror movies based around Satanic pregnancies, Rosemary's Baby being the most well-known. I don't believe any of these movies ever focused on abortion, though. They may have been mentioned briefly or in passing, but it was never the entire basis of the movie. There's probably a good reason for that because most movies don't want to make the audience angry, one way or the other. Whatever you feel on the subject (Personally, I quote Jay from Dogma, “A woman's body her own fucking business.”), it's a very strong catalyst for a horror movie. With John Carpenter (Halloween, Escape from New York) in the director's chair, maybe he can avoid the minefield while creating a fun and scary movie.

"This orange is gigantic!"

Masters of Horror: Pro-Life stars Caitlin Wachs (The Legend of Bloody Mary, My Dog Skip) as Angelique and Ron Perlman (Hellboy, 5ive Girls) as her father Dwayne. Angelique is running in the woods when she crosses onto a road and is almost hit by Alex (Mark Feuerstein, Royal Pains, Defiance) and Kim (Emmanuelle Vaugier, Saw II, Smallville). They take her to the clinic they work at to make sure she is ok. Her father Dwayne pulls up to the clinic and is prevented from going inside due to a court order keeping him at least 500 feet from the facility. Abortions are performed at the clinic and Dwayne has made it his religious mission to stalk and harass the doctors. Angelique informs Alex that she is, in fact, pregnant. She says it happened last week, but she is much further along and Alex believes that her father raped her. She explains that something from under the ground grabbed her, pulled her down, and impregnated her. She wants an abortion, but is too far along in the pregnancy now. Dwayne is joined by his three sons and prays to God for guidance. He here's a voice telling him to protect the baby. All four arms themselves and break into the clinic. The kill the security guard and shoot it out with the head doctor who is fed up with being harassed. He kills one of the sons, but is shot and tortured by Dwayne. Meanwhile, Angelique goes into labor and gives birth to a monstrous demonic baby. Will Dwayne protect the baby when his real father comes for him and will Alex and Kim survive?

This is what awesome looks like

The story of a demonic pregnancy and baby is nothing new, but setting the story in a clinic is certainly different. The movie focuses a bit too much on the political back and forth between Dwayne and the clinic and not enough on horror. Believe me, I like social commentary, and the episode does it well, it's just too much for an hour long episode. Ron Perlman is awesome as always, so I don't mind him getting ample screen time. He is the real villain of the movie anyway. The entire “demon impregnating Angelique” story is very rushed and not given much thought. When the demon father is revealed, his look is a little disappointing. Derek Mears (Friday the 13^th, Predators) plays the demon and does these goofy poses. If you've ever seen the SyFy show “Face Off” you've probably seen the models do the same pose; bent at the knees, arms low and slight bent up, head arched back and moving around in a roaring motion. It comes off as silly and not scary. The demon baby, though, is extra creepy looking, sort of a mix between a spider, a crab, and a Cabbage Patch doll.

Even though John Carpenter was the director, you'd never know it. This easily could have been directed by just about anyone. Beyond some real good background music, there is nothing Carpentery (that should be a word) about Pro-Life. The baby does remind me of some of The Thing, but maybe because it is so horrifying. The movie has plenty of violence and a few scenes that will make you wince or cover your eyes. There is a decent amount of blood and enough action to keep things interesting. The acting is good throughout, though Caitlin Wachs is a bit annoying at times. Her screams were particularly grating and she does that for a good chunk of the movie. 

"I'm a demon! RAAAWWWR..um...RAAAWRR"

Masters of Horror: Pro-Life takes a tried and true horror genre and tries to put it in a different location. It's an interesting, if controversial, idea, but it doesn't really come off well. It's not very scary, more unsettling than anything. The acting is good for the most part, but the directing isn't special. There is lots of action and violence, but they really missed out on the entire demon portion of the story. I fell the hour-long format hurt the finer parts of the story and made everything feel rushed. While not the worst Masters of Horror, Pro-Life could have been a lot better.

5.5/10

Day 102: Village Of The Damned

Village Of The Damned

Pink Eye is going around that village

Oh, remakes. The bane of every horror and science fiction fan's existence. It seems like Hollywood today is filled with comic book adaptations, tween novel movies, and remakes. In the last few years we've had remakes of Black Christmas, A Nightmare On Elm Street, The Amityville Horror, The Hills Have Eyes, Prom Night, and My Bloody Valentine. That's just skimming the surface of Hollywood's “I dunno, do you have any ideas” brain-freeze. Remakes are nothing new. Since the early days of cinema, stories have been remade, re-shot, and re-imagined. Take Frankenstein for example. That story has been on the big screen in one form or another at least 30 times. But how about a remake that came out in 1995 and was directed by John Carpenter? Surely that must have been good, right? Right?!

Village of the Damned is a remake of the 1960 film of the same name, which was based on the novel The Midwich Cuckoos by John Wyndham. The movie takes place in the small coastal California town of Midwich and stars Christopher Reeve (Superman, Deathtrap) as Dr. Alan Chaffee. An unseen force sweeps over the town, rendering everyone unconscious and ten women, including Alan's wife, Barbara, mysterious pregnant. The children appear normal, but after a few years, they all being to have pale skin, white hair, steel-blue eyes, vast intelligence, and an emotionless, creepy vibe. The children are paired off, but one of the boys, David, is without a match because it died in child birth, thus giving him some emotion. It is revealed that the children have supernatural powers and are able to read people's minds. Alan's daughter, Mara, is the leader of the children, and uses her powers to make Barbara commit suicide. Dr. Susan Verner (Kirstie Alley, Cheers, Look Who's Talking) is sent by the government to study the strange phenomena and the children. She reveals that there were other groups of children with the same powers born throughout the world, but were killed when people realized they were not human. It turns out Susan kept the dead baby to study it and the children kill her. Will Alan be able to block the children from reading his thoughts and stop them before they take over the world?

I'm freaked out more by their weird clothes

This version of Village of the Damned differs from the original in a few ways, slightly altering the story a bit, but not enough so that it is drastically different. This version, though, seriously lacks in fear and scary moments. The original British version has a fun, Twilight Zone feel to it, with some old-school scares. This modern remake just kind of exists without having a real goal or direction. Sure, emotionless children that all look the same are creepy, but not scary. The story isn't very exciting and almost downright calm at certain points. There are a few decent scenes, like when the entire town passes out and when the children make the police turn their guns on themselves, but those are just small glimmers of excitement.

The biggest problem with Village of the Damned is the casting. I have no idea what they were thinking casting Kirstie Alley as the mysterious, chain-smoking government doctor. This was just two years removed from Cheers ending, so I can only imagine the reaction of audiences back then. It must have been similar to reactions of Tara Reid playing a scientist in Alone In The Dark. She tries, but she is just completely wrong for the role. Christopher Reeve fairs better, but even he feels wrong for some reason. Mark Hamill has a small role in the movie and he's always enjoyable.

"Why are we in this movie?"

Sometimes remakes are a good thing. They introduce new audiences to a great story or, with the aid of new technology, can improve a movie and make it better. Sadly, this is not the case for Village of the Damned. It's a boring movie with questionable casting and mediocre action. It's even more disappointing knowing that John Carpenter directed. Maybe he can try again in another ten years.

4/10

Day 100: The Thing

The Thing

You got a little something on your...oh that is your face

100 days! They said it couldn't be done. We showed them. We showed them all! MUHAHAHAHA. It certainly wasn't easy to get to this point, but I'm glad I've made it this far and even happier that you are reading. Thanks to the great people that talk to me through Twitter (@365DaysofHorror) and to all the international visitors I receive. I decided to treat myself for this anniversary by watching one of my favorite horror movies: John Carpetner's The Thing.

The Thing is a 1982 science fiction horror movie based on the John W. Campbell novel, Who Goes There? Set in the Antarctic, the movie stars Kurt Russell (Escape From New York, Death Proof) as helicopter pilot R.J. MacReady. A Norwegian helicopter chases after a dog through the tundra until it accidentally explodes outside the American research facility. MacReady and Dr. Cooper (Richard Dysart) fly out to the Norwegian facility for answers, but only find more questions as they discover a charred, mangled humanoid corpse. They bring it back to base where Dr. Blair (Wilford Brimley, Coccoon, The Natural) conducts an autopsy, concluding that it had a normal set of internal organs. The dog that was chased by the helicopter is put in a kennel with the other dogs. The dog transforms into a hideous creature, killing the other dogs. The emergency lever is hit and Childs (Keith David, Pitch Black, Gargoyles) kills it with a flamethrower. Blair conducts an autopsy on the creature and discovers that it is capable of imitating other beings and suspects that anyone could be replaced. The group investigates the Norwegian station again and discover a massive crater and a massive hole in the ice, where they believe the creature had emerged from. Meanwhile, the creature's remains become active again and attacks one of the crew members, Bennings. The creature begins to take his form, but it burned by the crew before he could completely assimilate. Blair, who has lost his mind at the thought of this creature being able to completely take over the world, has destroyed the radio and killed the sled dogs. The crew locks him in a shed to keep him from hurting himself and others. The crew begins to turn on each other. Any one of them could be the alien creature. Will MacReady be able to stop the creature or is he already a monster?

You should really moisturize

The Thing does absolutely everything correct for a horror movie. The source material is very good to being with and John Carpenter is able to capture the desolate hopelessness of the frozen tundra. The reason why the movie is so effective is because it is legitimately scary. You are scared of the unknown, alien creature and you are scared that it could look like anything. Like a good mystery novel, every person is a suspect. You even begin to wonder if MacReady is the alien. Throw in some downright terrifying effects and makeup with a good amount of violence and you're ready to jump out of your skin. Seriously, the prosthetics and animatronics used in the movie are impressively scary. The music throughout the movie sets a tense and frightening tone that never lets up. Despite being made in 1982, The Thing is still scaring people to this day, something not so easy in the over-saturated world of horror.

The acting is another large part of why the movie works. Kurt Russell, Keith David, and Wilford Brimley are all brilliant in their roles. It is become they are so convincing that we are able to fully immerse ourselves into the story. Russell and David are their usual badass selves while Brimley goes out of his comfort zone to play a doctor who's gone insane with fear. The action is solid throughout and although the movie runs a little long, about 110 minutes, you never feel bored. 

Welcome to Man Town. Population: Beard

I know a lot of people love The Thing, so if I've missed something, don't tell me. I don't want to know. I just know that this is a fantastic horror movie with great directing, acting, and action. I have yet to see the prequel (I've heard mixed things), but I may have to check it out one day. Here's to another 100 movie reviews. Cheers!

10/10

Day 82: The Ward

The Ward

No, I want her brains!

It's been a long time since John Carpenter has directed a movie. Over 9 years actually. His last movie was the 2001 flop, Ghosts of Mars. 9 years is an eternity when it comes to directing movies. Maybe he was just burnt our and needed a break. Maybe he was just thinking of a sequel to Memoirs of An Invisible Man. Either way, I was excited to see a new movie by the director of some of my favorites like They Live and Escape From NY.

The Ward stars Amber Heard (Drive Angry, Zombieland) as Kristen, a recent addition to the North Bend Psychiatric Hospital in 1966. Kristen was picked up by police after burning down a farmhouse. There, Kristen meets the other patients; Iris, Sarah, Emily, and Zoey. Kristen is given the room of a former patient named Tammy. No one speaks of her or where she has gone. Kristen is being treated by Dr. Stringer (Jared Harris, Resident Evil: Apocalypse, Mad Men) who is using hypnotherapy to treat her for her repressed memories. While at the hospital, Kristen keeps seeing a zombiefied ghost girl in her room, walking the halls, and in the showers. When she asks about the girl, no one can give her a straight answer. One by one, the girls in the ward are kidnapped and killed by the zombie girl. With no one answering her questions, Kristen plans to escape. Will she be able to save herself and the remaining girls and how is the ghost girl connected to Kristen?

They don't share the same dermatologist, I can tell you that much

Amber Heard and the rest of the girls do an acceptable acting job. The makeup is decent for the ghost girl, but nothing particularly amazing. The horror is based more in startling moments and a few psychological twists than out-right violence or gore, though there are some vicious moments. The story is basic, but the theme is still strong enough to carry the movie and hold the audience's attention. It does have a clever twist ending, except for the fact that we saw something very similar in the 2003 John Cusack movie “Identity”. The Ward went for clever and came up with unoriginal.

If The Ward was done by a lesser known director, it could be deemed “good.” Unfortunately, this movie was directed by John Carpenter, one of the masters of the horror genre. His directing is good, but it's for an uninspired, horror-by-numbers film that could have been done by anybody. It has the typical jump-at-you startling moments, the mystery, and the conspiracy that can be found in countless other horror movies. Carpenter's movies are known for being larger than life, but The Ward is just too mundane. That's not to say it's a bad movie, because its certainly not. It's perfectly acceptable, just nothing special.

Hey, what happened to your Resident Evil wheelchair?

Ultimately, you have to blame the script, not the director. The Ward comes off like every other psych-ward based movie with a little haunting thrown in. Think “Girl: Interrupted” meets “The Grudge”. Carpenter does his best to give the movie atmosphere and edge, but its just too hard to get around material that has already been covered to death. The acting is good all around so that's not the problem either. The Ward is not a bad movie. It definitely has it's good qualities. It's just a shame that all this talent was wasted on a mediocre story. Hopefully, they can all come back together soon with a better story in hand. I'll be waiting.

5/10

Day 40: Ghosts of Mars

Ghosts of Mars

Apparently, Martian ghosts don't have nail clippers

We've all seen movies so bad that we like them. Maybe its over-the-top violence or a ridiculous plot that keeps us coming back for more. There are times, though, when you know a movie isn't good, but you enjoy it anyway. You can't put your finger on what makes it bad and you can't put your finger on why you like it. That's how I feel about Ghosts of Mars

Directed by John Carpenter, Ghosts of Mars stars Natasha Henstridge (Species, The Whole Nine Yards) as police officer Melanie Ballard and Jason Statham (The Transporter, Crank) as Sgt. Jericho and Ice Cube (Friday, Barbershop) as the famous criminal Desolation Jones. In the 22^nd century, Mars has been terraformed, allowing humans to begin colonization the empty planet. Ballard and her small group of officers are transporting their prisoner, Jones, when they discover a mining town deserted, save for a few survivors. We learn that a secret door created by ancient Martians was opened, unleashing the “ghosts” that possessed miners, turning them into blood-thirsty mutant killers. Ballard is possessed by one of the ghosts and sees its memories and motives, before expelling it from her body. Will Ballard be able to defeat the ghosts and warn her superiors of the danger? Will Desolation Jones use this chance to escape or will he stay and fight?

Straight outta Compton

Ghosts of Mars is a movie that had some potential, but just fell flat in so many areas. The acting and dialogue is probably the biggest problem. I know Ice Cube can act and show range, but as Desolation Jones, he has no room to show depth. He's just a thug with a glimmer of morals. Natasha Henstridge is ok, but it does feel like she is forcing her lines at times. The story gets confusing at times with flashbacks within flashbacks that jump around too quickly for the audience to get settled. The movie was shot in New Mexico, a great location choice, but the sets themselves come off as cheap and hokey. They were going for some sort of futuristic feel, but came off more like what people in the 50's thought 2000 was going to look like.

The “ghosts” themselves are intended to be menacing, but just come off as cheap. A friend once described this movie to me as “Ice Cube goes to Mars and fucks up Gwar”. If you don't know the shock metal band Gwar, google them right now. I'll wait. Throw on a little more dirt and blood, and there you have the monsters from Ghosts of Mars. These ghosts don't show much depth either, just a lot of screaming and yelling into the night and then mindless killing. Not that I'm against the mindless killing, in fact, that's probably the best part of the movie. Plenty of blood and decapitation's to fill your heart with gore-y glee, but it would have been nice to see more motivation and emotion in what they were doing.

Who knew Martians had silky and manageable hair?

With all it's flaws, and there are many, Ghosts of Mars is still somewhat enjoyable. Far from John Carpenter's best work, it still had some fun violence and a decent idea. I think given a more realistic approach and a deeper script, this movie could have been among Carpenter's better movies. Unfortunately, it suffers from poor acting, weak dialogue, and an all-around campy feel. Maybe Carpenter can revisit the idea one day and give it the time and effort it deserves.

5.5/10

Day 33: An American Werewolf In London

An American Werewolf In London

There's a bad moon on the rise

I have to admit, I was a little gun-shy about watching another werewolf movie. Wolves of Wall Street was so bad that I never wanted to see anything involving werewolves for weeks. It's so easy to make a bad werewolf movie, let alone a bad horror movie. I thought that they only way to get back into the genre was to not take any risks and watch a well-known and much-liked werewolf movie. That's where this movie came in.

An American Werewolf In London starts off with two young Americans, David and Jack, backpacking across Northern England, on there way to Italy. When night falls, David and Jack stop in a small pub called “The Slaughtered Lamb”. After a strange encounter in the pub followed be a warning of “Beware the moon,” David and Jack head out into the moors where they begin to hear terrifying baying and growls. Jack is brutally murdered by a werewolf and David suffers wounds before the people from the pub kill the creature. David wakes up in a London hospital where he is cared for by Dr. Hirsch and the beautiful nurse, Alex. David suffers from horrible nightmares and is visited by a mutilated Jack, who informs David that he is in limbo and that to end his torment, Jack must end the werewolf bloodline and kill himself before the full moon. David falls in love with Alex and goes back to her apartment where the the nightmares and visits from Jack continue. Dr. Hirsch travels to The Slaughtered Lamb to question the locals about the attack and learns the truth. Meanwhile, the full moon rises and David goes through a horrific transformation into a werewolf and goes on a killing spree throughout London. How will they stop the transformations and save David from killing again?

Werewolf? There, wolf.

AAWIL has a seriously good mix of scary moments and lighter moments. The scenes of horror and not just scary, but frightening. The transformation scene is the best example. In previous werewolf movies, such as the classic Wolf Man, the transformation into a werewolf was partially scene or done completely in the shadows. In this movie, the scene is brightly lit and is shown in it's entirety. You see muscles grow, hair spread and bones snap while David screams in agony. It is easily one of the best pre-CGI special effects ever used in a horror movie. Scenes in the Underground have great perspective and you really feel the werewolf bearing down on you. The subtle humor and upbeat music is juxtaposed well with the horror, so you never feel like the movie is slipping into actual comedy and losing it's edge.

The acting is solid all around and the story is good all the way through. John Landis knows what he's doing with some creative shots and great direction. Good location choices help to fill out each scene and convey whatever feeling Landis is trying to create. The makeup and effects for Jack and the transformation are the real stars of the movie. It makes me long for the days where paint and supplies were used over computers and programs.The romance does feel a little bit forced and convenient, but for the sake of moving the story forward, it's ok.

Sloppy Joe Day is the best!

Simply put, An American Werewolf In London is a good movie. It sounds silly, but its so hard to find a good movie nowadays. The story if entertaining, the acting and directing are solid, there is plenty of horror, and the effects are amazing. Well worth your time if you're a fan of horror movies or just a fan of movies in general. It's so easy to make a bad werewolf movie, but when you know there is a good one out there, take the time to watch and enjoy. Your brain and your heart will thank you.

9/10

Day 24: The Fog

The Fog

Can I use your phone...OW!

John Carpenter is one of my favorite directors. His list of fantastic movies include Halloween, The Thing, and Escape from NY. He has a knack for storytelling, great atmosphere and creative shots. I have seen many of his other films multiple times, but I figured I would give one I had never seen before a try. Unfortunately, it did not live up to his other films.

The Fog stars Adrienne Barbeau (Creepshow, Escape from NY) as radio DJ Stevie Wayne, Jamie Lee Curtis (Trading Places, Halloween) as the hitchhiker Elizabeth, Hal Holbrook (Creepshow) as Father Malone, and Tom Atkins (Creepshow, Escape from New York) as Nick Castle. Set in the small fishing town of Antonio Bay, California, townspeople are plagued by a mysterious fog that rolls in from the ocean. Father Malone discovers a diary from his grandfather, revealing the six founding members of the town deceived a wealthy leper named Blake, looting and sinking his ship. The characters must survive the fog, the deadly secrets it hides within, and find out how to stop it before Antonio Bay is destroyed.

The Smashing Pumpkins keep getting weirder

The Fog is your classic supernatural revenge story. Someone has been wronged and now, through otherwordly and not wholly explained means, they have come back to gain revenge and claim what belongs to them. Carpenter does a good job of making something as silly as fog seems scary. He smarty conceals the fog creatures to keep an air of mystery to them. It's no secret that the movie was made on a very small budget, but it still manages to work. There are some good scenes of violence and gore, keeping up with the early 80's gorefest of horror movies that were coming out.

The problem is that the story feels fairly rushed. Beyond a quick explanation, there really is much more else to go on. The viewer is bounced between a few too many characters, not giving us enough time to really connect and care for any one of them. Most horror movies stick with a core group of characters that you follow from beginning to end, giving you time to learn who they are, what they are about, and why you should care. The Fog bounces us around between Stevie, Father Malone, Elizabeth and Nick, and secondary characters not even worth mentioning. The acting is fine all around, but you can only do so much screaming and yelling before it comes off as silly.

 This next song goes out to all you Fog lovers out there

Overall, The Fog has its moments, but just doesn't reach the same level as other John Carpenter movies. Some good gore and violence keep the viewer entertained and the story has its merits, but it felt very rushed and showed it's limited budget. Carpenter even re-shot 1/3 of the movie because it didn't live up to his standards and later said that The Fog was “a minor horror classic.” Its still worth your time to see because it is a cult classic, but don't expect to get your socks knocked off.

6.5/10

Day 8: Masters of Horror: Cigarette Burns

Masters of Horror: Cigarette Burns

Welcome to Flavor Country

Movies have great power. We never really think about it, but movies have the power to elicit emotions, to recall memories and feelings we have long forgotten, and to change how we see the world; movies can show us all that we are and all that we can never be. John Carpenter's Cigarette Burns delves deep into the feelings and brings them to the surface.

Starring Norman Reedus and Udo Kier, Cigarette Burns is a psychological roller coaster that you want to turn away from, but feel compelled to keep watching. Reedus plays Kirby Sweetman, a rare films dealer with a torrid past that claimed the life of his wife. Mr Bellinger (Kier), a collector of rare films, memorabilia, and other items calls on Kirby to find “ La Fin Absolute du Monde” (The Absolute End of the World), an extremely rare film that supposedly sparked a deadly outburst from the crowd when they first viewed it.

 You should see him when he's angry

Kirby travels the world finding clues to the whereabouts of the supposedly destroyed film. As he gets closer to finding the film, Kirby begins to see circular flashes (cigarette burns) of his dead wife and slowly loses his grip on reality. Others who have seen La Fin Absolute du Monde warn Kirby of the horrible film and its sinister origins. When Kirby finally obtains the film and gives it to Bellinger, we see the terrible cost of watching the evil La Fin Absolute du Monde.

Cigarette Burns is one of those horror movies that scares you with its smart script and commentary, not monsters that jump out at you from the dark. It's the slow, creeping build that envelops the viewer and grabs their psyche. That's not to say there aren't some good scenes of violence and gore, but that's not why the movie works so well. Credit goes to Reedus and Kier for their convincing roles as well as the film's great music and solid directing by John Carpenter. My only real complaint with the movie is that it's too short. As part of the Masters of Horror series, it clocks in at just under an hour. If this was a feature length film, I believe the extra half hour would have made this movie even better.

 You've got red on you

The characters must watch La Fin Absolute du Monde. They have heard the rumors, they know what dangers the film can bring, but they are compelled to see the film, no matter the cost. We the viewers can't help but feel like we are doing the exact same thing while watching Cigarette Burns. We want to see this film within a film just as badly as the characters do. We are horrified by the brief glimpses, but cannot look away until it is too late. I hope this movie isn't a direct warning to me, this blog, and to you, the reader. Sleep tight.

9/10