Jeff Burk's Blog, page 7
October 31, 2016
31 Days of Horror I Haven’t Seen – Day #31 – THE INCREDIBLE SHRINKING MAN
Every day for the month of October I am watching and reviewing a horror movie that I haven’t seen before. Here’s today’s:
THE INCREDIBLE SHRINKING MAN
Jack Arnold, United States, 1957
I’m a huge Richard Matheson but I had never seen this classic. I wanted to finish this marathon with a big one.
The movie has its roots in classic fifties paranoia of radiation. But where this movie breaks itself apart from its very cheesy peers is this movie takes its very silly concept deathly serious. The set pieces of a tiny man battling for his life against a cat or a spider are thrilling and fantastically done. The effects are still effective after sixty years.
What really impressed me was the very end. Most of the movie is a horror adventure but the story ends on a note that is either weirdly hopeful or nihilistic cosmic horror. The nuance and themes are truly heartbreaking and fearful. This is one classic that lives up to the hype.
October 30, 2016
31 Days of Horror I Haven’t Seen – Day #30 – INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE
Every day for the month of October I am watching and reviewing a horror movie that I haven’t seen before. Here’s today’s:
INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE
Neil Jordan, United States, 1994
I hated the book this movie is based on. I am always confused when people talk about TWILIGHT “ruining” vampires – I thought it was Ann Rice who ruined the monsters. Despite my distaste for the book, many people have recommended the movie to me so I finally gave it a shot.
Well, it’s not as boring as the book. It’s very “Victorian” and “moody” so if you like that sort of thing – you’ll like this movie. To me, it was a bit melodramatic. Take the aesthetic of the classic Hammer studios films and wrap it in Hot Topic – then you get this movie.
October 29, 2016
31 Days of Horror I Haven’t Seen – Day #29 – SOMETHING EVIL
Every day for the month of October I am watching and reviewing a horror movie that I haven’t seen before. Here’s today’s:
SOMETHING EVIL
Steven Spielberg, United States, 1972
Did you know that Steven Spielberg made a haunted house movie? And I’m not talking about POULTERGEIST.
This made-for-TV movie also holds the distinction of being one of the few Spielberg movies that have never been release to home video. The movie follows a family that move into a farmhouse that just so happens to be haunted by demons. It’s no DUEL (his other made-for-TV flick) but it’s still a solid little horror story.
Spielberg directing elevates what could (and most likely would) have been a very corny final product. But the camera work and the spooky scenes are still effective after more than forty years. It’s surprising that this movie has basically become forgotten as there’s many worse horror movies from the time period and it’s interesting to see someone who would become one of the all-time great directors dipping their toes in horror.
October 28, 2016
31 Days of Horror I Haven’t Seen – Day #28 – PSYCHO II
Every day for the month of October I am watching and reviewing a horror movie that I haven’t seen before. Here’s today’s:
PSYCHO II
Richard Franklin, United States, 1983
I love the original flick but, until now, I’ve never seen any of the sequels. It was just a movie that sequels didn’t really make sense to me. I heard that the second one was pretty good but just never checked it out until now.
As far as sequels go, this was pretty solid. Rather than retread the plot of the first this is more of a character study in who Norman Bates is as a person. However, most of the movie is basically a romance flick starring Norman Bates. That isn’t what I’m looking for when I watch a horror movie. I’d say most horror fans would dig this sequel but it just wasn’t to my tastes when it was all done.
On a weird side note – does anyone else think that Lifetime got their template for movies from this?
31 Days of Horror I Haven’t Seen – Day #27 – PSYCHO II
Every day for the month of October I am watching and reviewing a horror movie that I haven’t seen before. Here’s today’s:
PSYCHO II
Richard Franklin, United States, 1983
I love the original flick but, until now, I’ve never seen any of the sequels. It was just a movie that sequels didn’t really make sense to me. I heard that the second one was pretty good but just never checked it out until now.
As far as sequels go, this was pretty solid. Rather than retread the plot of the first this is more of a character study in who Norman Bates is as a person. However, most of the movie is basically a romance flick starring Norman Bates. That isn’t what I’m looking for when I watch a horror movie. I’d say most horror fans would dig this sequel but it just wasn’t to my tastes when it was all done.
On a weird side note – does anyone else think that Lifetime got their template for movies from this?
October 27, 2016
I talked bullshit with J. David Osborne
He has a podcast. I was on it before. Now I was on it again. We talked about internet culture and politics.
31 Days of Horror I Haven’t Seen – Day #27 – SCARE CAMPAIGN
Every day for the month of October I am watching and reviewing a horror movie that I haven’t seen before. Here’s today’s:
SCARE CAMPAIGN
Cameron Cairnes and Colin Cairnes, Australia, 2016
This one is weirdly similar to a movie I reviewed two days ago (FEAR, INC.) and both films were released this past week so it’s impossible to not compare them.
This one deals with a reality “prank” show dedicated to scaring unsuspecting people. Their latest episode goes horribly wrong when their target turns out to be serial killer who begins to massacre the cast and crew.
This is cliché and forgettable as straight-to-VOD horror flicks come. It’s not terrible but there really isn’t anything interesting to it either – it’s just painfully mediocre. Honestly, I’ve already started to forget most of this movie. If you have to watch a new movie about scary pranks going wrong, FEAR, INC is the better of the two movies.
October 26, 2016
31 Days of Horror I Haven’t Seen – Day #26 – THE ALCHEMIST COOKBOOK
Every day for the month of October I am watching and reviewing a horror movie that I haven’t seen before. Here’s today’s:
This was a fascinating little character piece. It takes the classic Lovecraftian intellectual-seeking-forbidden-knowledge set-up but updates it in some very interesting ways. The main character who we follow is a young black man into punk and who has ties to some criminal elements. He is living out in the middle of nowhere spending all day and night conducting scientific and occultic experiments to try and contact demons.
While ultra-low-budget, the great acting, directing, and music keeps you constantly engaged and unsure where this is all going. The movie feels extremely grounded but the main character seems to believe that he is really going to summon and demon. Is he? The movie keeps you constantly guessing if his plans will work, how far he will go with his experiments, and what it will do to him.
October 25, 2016
31 Days of Horror I Haven’t Seen – Day #25 – THE WINDMILL
Every day for the month of October I am watching and reviewing a horror movie that I haven’t seen before. Here’s today’s:
THE WINDMILL
Nick Jongerius, United States, 2016
I wish I knew this was a slasher before I picked it. I really don’t like the slasher subgenre. I find the movies extremely repetitive and, for a subgenre that prides itself on kills, surprisingly tame and not really that violent.
This one isn’t really any different than the dozens of slashers you forgot about from the eighties. The only “new” spins on the set-up is this one takes place at a windmill that may have been built on a gateway to Hell.
If you’re one of those people that whines about how there’s no more eighties styles slashers – here’s one for you. If you’re like me and get nothing out of those movies – there’s nothing new or interesting here.
October 24, 2016
TALL TALES WITH SHORT COCKS Vol 5 – Featuring a new story I wrote!
TALL TALES WITH SHORT COCKS Vol 5 is available now! It features a brand new story I wrote titled “How I Got A MY LITTLE PONY Tattoo.”
It also features a ton of great bizarro authors including Bradley Sands, Danger Slater, David W. Barbee, and many more!
