Author: Rainestorm
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Son of 31 Nights, 31 Frights: The Fly
In the remakes-can-be-good file comes this doozy of a gorefest from the captain of creepy, David Cronenberg. Retaining the basic foundation of the 1958 original, he amps up the flesh-defying transformation and truly heartbreaking tragedy. Utilizing Howard Shore’s bombastic score to soulful effect, the slow disintegration of lone and lonely genius Seth Brundle (Jeff Goldblum)… Read more
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Son of 31 Nights, 31 Frights: The Lost Boys
It’s hard to believe now but there was once a time when Joel Schumacher could make a popular film that was actually good. The vampire genre had been more or less languishing in spoof purgatory before Tom Holland came along with Fright Night to make them scary again. But who would have thought that the… Read more
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Son of 31 Nights, 31 Frights: Sweeney Todd
A bloody good film in every sense. Tim Burton has never done and will likely never do better than this grand guignol musical horror show. Dante Faretti’s production design reveals a Burton-esque soundstage version of 19th century London that has a Universal Pictures monster movie appeal. Read more
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Son of 31 Nights, 31 Frights: Salem’s Lot
Insanely goofy by today’s standards. However, as a nine-year-old boy this was the most terrifying initiation into the world of horror that I could have expected. In 1979 a mini-series would span the same day across two weeks. That meant that after taking a terrifying beating with part one on Saturday, I went back for… Read more
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Son of 31 Nights, 31 Frights: Lake Placid
The rampaging crocodile at the center of this film is merely incidental. It’s really just a flimsy excuse to get a bunch of likable actors together (Bridget Fonda, Bill Pullman, Brendan Gleeson, Oliver Platt, Betty White) and riff on David E. Kelly’s playful script. Veteran horror director Steve Miner nicely balances the horror with the… Read more
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Son of 31 Nights, 31 Frights: The Return of the Living Dead
George A. Romero may have created the modern zombie, but this movie gave them their insatiable craving for braaaiiins. Mixing equal parts horror and comedy, director and Alien scribe Dan O’Bannon disposes of the dead-serious political undertones of Romero’s movies and instead opts for straight-up goofball hijinks at a medical supply company located next to… Read more
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Son of 31 Nights, 31 Frights: Vacancy
Far too many horror movies ask the audience to root for the killer by treating their victims as irritating morons (I’m looking at you, Paranormal Activity). This overlooked little gem has the temerity to (gasp!) treat its audience with a modicum of respect. The oddly-paired Kate Beckinsale and Luke Wilson get creative as a divorcing… Read more
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Cruise control
There’s nothing singularly new or original in Nicolas Winding Refn’s crime-drama Drive. Nevertheless, it is a gratifying alternative to the usual frenzied features that tear through mulitplexes every summer, or the tedious independent films that suggest great import but offer hollow trifles. I said something similar about The American last year and, while Drive doesn’t deliver… Read more
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Great Apes
I’ve spent more than my fair share of time railing against CGI, motion capture, and their combined and discrete misuse. In light of 20th Century Fox’s reboot of their classic Planet of the Apes series, I could not be more pleased to be proven wrong. Andy Serkis has solidified himself a place in film history… Read more
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Harry Potter and the Loose Ends
There’s little point in trying to review this last film objectively. Harry Potter episodes ceased the ability to stand on their own as individual films since Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. That movie was the series’ peak, appropriate enough considering it was nearly the midpoint. As such, there is much to nitpick… Read more