Late Night with the Devil
– (2023) – A multitude of depraved incidents transpire during a talk show on Halloween night, from possession to hypnosis to hysteria. While the plot doesn’t make a whole lot of sense, the style and structure are so unique that this is often hard to look away from. The gore F/X are impressive, while the humor is equally up to task. Not the easiest to describe, but a cinch to enjoy.
Imaginary
– (2024) – A young girl develops the same imaginary friend her new step-mother once had, and follows the same improbable motions of coping with a fantastical world. Begins as a common, lackluster family drama before gradually becoming a common, lackluster horror story. Humiliates itself when trying to explore the lore of imaginary friends, while in-turn making fools of a cast made to recite banal dialog. Lacks suspense, logic, and emotional depth.
Dark Harvest (2023)
– (2023) – Every year, teenagers must prevent a pumpkin-like creature from dominating their town. The few moments dedicated to horror are creative, atmospheric, and graphic. The bulk that’s dedicated to character drama, however, is trivial and dull. The ultimate twist is pretty obvious, but stands as one of the few ambitious plot moments.
Shakespeare’s Shitstorm
– (2020) – A boat loaded with raunchy patrons is destroyed by whales, forcing everyone onto an island where their debauchery worsens. A maniacal mess that whizzes through scenes without ever giving the story a chance to breathe. There’s too much to take in all at once, yet not all is lost. The horror aspects are imaginative and Lloyd Kaufman steals the show whenever he’s on screen. The music, however, is hardly memorable.
Easter Evil
– (2024) – A young woman believes the Easter Bunny is stalking her and, sure enough, she’s right. Of the scant 72-minutes, only about 2% of this is dedicated to horror. The rest is a banal comedy that focuses on two friends endlessly chatting in a hotel room. Simply horrendous.
your a-z guide to obscure & classic horror movies
– (1985) – Singing sisters get wrapped up in the crime syndicate of the men who assault them. Plays like a staged version of a movie that wouldn’t have sucked so much if the director allowed more than one take per scene. Lame.
– (2005) – A new nurse at an old hospital discovers the ghostly reasons for violence inflicted on children. Has inventive ideas, but the drama is heavy handed and the acting not always on point. Certainly worth watching as it does move fast through an overlong running time.
– (2002) – A girl who can start fires with her mind (and loins) is pursued by someone she thought she’d killed. Does an awful job recreating the original story/movie, and stands shakily on its own. 168 minutes is about 100 too many, since only a few stable advances occur. A ridiculous festival of absurdities that manages to squeeze out some fun.
Slashed Dreams
– (1975) – A camping couple struggle to recover from or subdue their yokel assailants. Gets off to a busy start, then spends far too much time with two characters who don’t do much. The point is tired and the music is terrible.
Killer Crocodile
– (1989) – A radioactive crocodile attacks an Amazon-ish area. Starts with a perfectly chintzy shot that raises hope for what follows, but doesn’t take long to drift down a river of nothingness. Enough occurs to keep this afloat, but too many stretches are far too dull.
Mulva: Zombie Ass Kicker!
– (2001) – Zombies are on the rise on Halloween, but a colossal geek intends to stop them. The lead actress is kind of funny in her pathetic ways, but every other comedic attempt dies a quick death. Means well, but eventually means nothing, though it does improve when you get used to the Chris Seaver universe.
Zombie Nightmare
– (1986) – A guy who’s struck down by a car is resurrected to exact revenge on his assailants. Fails to generate much interest, mainly because the lead villain is killed only two-thirds in. The slow pace doesn’t help, but some of the stupidity is amusing.
Blood Harvest
– (1987) – A girl returns home only to find that an active serial killer is on the loose. Has a couple of effective murders, but the story is a lame whodunit in which every character deserves to die. An irksome bore that makes you want to punch Tiny Tim.
Dance or Die
– (1987) – A recovering drug addict is pursued by criminals between scenes of awful dancing. Appears a mix of two separate films, as the dancing and crime plots have nothing in common. The best parts involve sex and gunshot wounds, but everything else is too muddy to make sense of.