Wait. What’s that? Is that 2019 creeping in already? Calm down, 2019. We still have unfinished business here in 2018. And by unfinished business, I mean hearing my Best & Worst Horror Movies Of 2018! I know, it’s all very exciting. Let’s get into it and start with the worst first! Continue reading
**Sits down and eats bowl of Lucky Charms**
Ya know, I was just saying to my friend the other day “Man, I really want to see another Leprechaun movie“. And low and behold……a trailer was released last week for another Leprechaun movie! Christmas miracles have started early this year.
Real quick, before I let you watch the trailer for Leprechaun Returns – this is a direct sequel to the first Leprechaun movie from 1993 (that one with that girl from the show Friends). So, Halloween isn’t the only franchise erasing sequels! Also, for those wondering – no, Warwick Davis is NOT reprising his role as the little Irish dude who wants his gold. Fear not though, because I think we will be in good tiny hands with actor Linden Porco.
Oh! And the bully from Pee Wee’s Big Adventure (Mark Holton…..who was also in the original Leprechaun movie) is back! So yeah, I’m excited for some reason. I’m easily amused, especially by wise-cracking killer leprechauns and bad acting. We can all witness the Christmas miracle of Leprechaun Returns On Demand and digitally when December 11th rolls around.
Getting your hopes up is a terrible epidemic that affects millions of people every year. Especially people who are fans of horror movies. Last year, my hopes were way up for the new incarnation of Stephen King’s IT – and although I liked it, I was not in the majority that LOVED it. Hence, my hopes were dashed because they were up way too high. So what happens this year when October 19th rolls around? Well, it’s my birthday of course! Oh – not just mine actually…..but a certain mask-wearing/knife-wielding killer from Haddonfield, Illinois named Michael Myers’ as well. And yes, he comes home on that date in theaters nationwide!
The new Halloween has some interesting twists coming along with it in the writer/director categories. Directed and co-written by David Gordon Green (Pineapple Express), he isn’t exactly the first choice for a horror movie. But, I’ll reserve judgement until my peepers see it for myself. A favorite of mine, Danny McBride, co-wrote it along with Green and Jeff Fradley. What does all of this mean for the tone? Who fucking knows. But what I do fucking know is that John Carpenter IS onboard as a consultant and will do most or all of the music for the movie. Oh – and did I mention that Jamie Lee Curtis is back reprising her role as Laurie Strode? I guess I really didn’t need to mention that unless you’ve been living under a rock for the last few months.
Now, recently some news got out about some early test screenings for Halloween. And the word was not good. You can take these opinions with a grain of salt and a Michael Myers grunt, as I will again reserve judgement until I see the final product for myself. The poster that came out last week was alright, but people were figuratively sucking it off because the mask was shown…..but I kinda thought it didn’t look much different than Rob Zombie’s mask in his Halloween movies (one of the only redeeming qualities btw). To each his or her own though, the excitement level for Halloween is steadily building steam. When the trailer drops, so will the horror panties. I don’t know that the hell that even met. But anyway…….
So what if it sucks? What if my hopes are so high, that if it does suck…..I go running out of the theater like a madman and dash into the street without looking and get hit by a car like Ben Tramer??? Oh, let’s hope that doesn’t happen. And let’s hope that Halloween doesn’t suck, because I really do want to have a good birthday. We shall see. And if you want to get me something for my birthday, I’m an extra large.
What do a best friend hiking trip in Sweden and a bad Ouija board experience during a solar eclipse have in common? Well, nothing actually – but they are both the premises of two recent horror movies that hit the wonderful world of Netflix. Let’s start with these poor bastards that did some hiking in Sweden:
The Ritual (2018)
This one took me by surprise. A British horror film (directed by David Bruckner) set in Sweden that follows four friends who keep a pact to go on a hiking expedition after another one of their friends was killed six months prior. Now of course, when you have people hiking in some creepy woods in a horror movie then bad shit’s going to happen. The rub with The Ritual is that it’s pretty unpredictable. A hybrid of The Blair Witch Project and The Wicker Man with a little monster action thrown in, this movie is beautifully shot and packs the emotional punch lacking in a lot of horror movies. It also packs a pretty great literal punch towards the climax. And The Ritual is creepy. Did I mention it’s creepy? Yeah. Go watch it.
(4 Out Of 5)
Verónica (2018)
There have been some decent Ouija board related horror movies throughout the years (Witchboard, Ouija: Origin Of Evil), but none that have really hit me where it hurts like this new offering titled Verónica. A spanish horror film directed by Paco Plaza (who gave us the impressive Rec franchise) that manages to take the somewhat tired ‘possession’ storyline to new creepy and emotional levels. The plot is fairly standard (a girl and her friends attempt to use a Ouija board to speak to her dead father during a solar eclipse), but manages to still be riveting. The acting is superb (especially Sandra Escacena playing Verónica) and Paco Plaza has a knack for utilizing the camera so well, especially during those ‘wait, did I just see something in the background?‘ shots. I felt it could have been trimmed by about 10 minutes or so, but that’s a minor complaint for a movie like Verónica. Go watch it!
(4 Out Of 5)
It’s far and between that I watch a horror movie trailer, and then re-watch about five more times quickly after. Such is the case for the new trailer for the film written and directed by Ari Aster called Hereditary. Just the tease alone, that you’ll see below, made me want to go take a shower.
Not even sure where to begin with this one. But first, yes – the buzz is already very strong on Hereditary thanks to it’s screening at Sundance last month. Being toted as ‘This generation’s Exorcist‘, those are obviously very strong words. Judging from the trailer though, that might not be crazy talk.
The visuals incorporating the dollhouse into real life are stunning, as is the last half where we see horrible things. Horrible, horrible things. A kid bashing his head against a desk, creepy crawlies crawling all over someone, a person engulfed in flames, and some serious chopping with a kitchen knife. All of this is accompanied by some unnerving music that sets the tone for what this movie experience is going to be like. Hereditary opens on June 8th. Make sure you bring an extra pair of underwear to the screening though. I’m thinking you might need it.
The year was 2006. I had just recently moved to Los Angeles. Gas prices were relatively low. And a young filmmaker named Adam Green was busy bringing ‘Old School American Horror‘ back! Yes, that’s right – the 80’s homage/throwback Hatchet was born. And thus, it’s villain Victor Crowley was as well (thanks in large part to Kane Hodder). I remember watching Hatchet for the first time, almost blindly buying the DVD. What I was treated to was indeed a love letter to the horror that I grew up on in the 80’s: Unapologetically nasty gore, inventive kills, boobs, and boobs. Did I mention boobs?
Adam Green would go on to give us two more Hatchet sequels in the aftermath of the success of the original. Now, I’m not ashamed to admit that they didn’t really hit my horror spot as much as the first time I saw Victor Crowley grace the screen with his horribly disfigured swampy face. I liked the sequels, but the vibe felt off to me. But now……..Victor Crowley is back in 2018 and he’s looking like his old self! For better or worse, that is. Yes – the aptly titled Victor Crowley is the fourth (and maybe final) sequel in the Hatchet series and if the first full trailer is any indication, it will go out on a high body count note! Check it out below and get your preorder in for the Blu-ray/DVD over at Amazon HERE for a super good price.