Adam J. Whitlatch's Blog, page 2

Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon - 21/31 Days of Halloween 2020

Ah, slashers. We've visited Jason Voorhees a couple times this year. Have you ever wondered just how they pul off such perfect, formulaic killing sprees? How they manage to power walk a mud hole in even the fastest jock and stomp it dry?

Today's film answers all these question, taking us behind the scenes, showing us all the tricks of the grisly trade.

I'm thrilled I got to revisit this movie, because I hadn't seen it since its original release, and when I recently searched for it, it wasn't available for sale on Vudu, which is where I usually buy my digital movies, but as luck would have it, a friend spotted it on Amazon Prime this week.

Turn down the lights, kids, and sharpen your #2 pencils, because you're going to want to take notes as we take a deep dive into the life of a serial killer in 2006's Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon.

As our film opens, we join a documentary film crew as they shoot exposition for their film, retelling the legends of such legendary slashers as Jason Voorhees, Freddy Krueger, and Michael Myers. They meet with an aspiring slasher named Leslie Vernon, who claims to have been drowned by an angry mob as a child. Now he's returned and is ready to get his revenge on the town. Leslie takes the crew to his childhood home where his inaugural massacre is to take place, showing them tricks of the trade and even introducing them to his mentor, a retired slasher named Eugene.

The film crew goes along with it until Leslie begins to zero in on his "survivor girl," a virginal waitress named Kelly whom Leslie has chosen to be his foil. The leader of the film crew, Taylor begins to have misgivings after Leslie terrorizes Kelly in the library and is stopped by a psychiatrist named Halloran, who Leslie gleefully recognizes as his "Ahab," his nemesis representing the good without which evil cannot exist. Leslie's story begins to unravel when Halloran confronts the film crew and injects doubt into their minds. Taylor and her friends face a dilemma: Finish their movie, or stop Leslie from executing his murderous plot?

Oh, man. This movie is absolutely bonkers from start to finish, and that's okay, because Behind the Mask is darkly hilarious in the most deliciously sadistic way. I love the way the movie both glorifies and pokes fun at the slasher genre. The idea of supernatural killers like Michael, Jason, and Freddy going through the same routine as Leslie is side-splittingly funny. Comedy aside, the movie also works as a legitimately grisly and effective slasher as Leslie accomplishes exactly what he set out to do, and even with the meta knowledge he's bestowed on the film crew, they are powerless to alter the path he's set them on. To be fair, though, it helps that they're idiots like most slasher fodder.

The movie is packed with clever, not-so-subtle nods to the horror genre, with supporting roles from Robert Englund (Freddy Krueger), Kane Hodder (Jason Voorhees) and even Poltergeist's Zelda Rubenstein. Even though the movie pokes a lot of fun at the genre it's spoofing, it does so with only the deepest love.

If you love slasher movies, you owe it to yourself to watch Behind the Mask - The Rise of Leslie Vernon. Just be sure to stay to the end of the credits and keep your eyes peeled while the Talking Heads' very apt tune Psycho Killer plays.

https://youtu.be/7RiJDEZywlw

Brightburn - 20/31 Days of Halloween 2020

Have you ever wondered what would happen if Superman went bad? I don't mean a temporary red kryptonite situation. No I mean what if Kal El was a bad seed. Can you imagine what that would be like? I mean we've seen glimpses of such power when other Kryptonians like General Zod have invaded Earth, but I'm talking about something deeper.

How would it affect those close to the rogue Supe?

Amazon Prime's The Boys (based on the comic series of the same name) covers some of this ground. Homelander is certainly a perfect example of an anti-Superman, but the show has barely begun to pick at the ugly scabs of his upbringing.

Well today's film tackles this very subject. Get ready for some super-psychoanalysis with 2019's Brightburn.

Out story opens in 2006 with a rural couple named Kyle and Tori Breyer who have been trying to conceive a baby, but to no avail. One night, a meteor lands in the forest behind their farm. The meteor turns out to be a spaceship containing an infant boy. The Breyers adopt the child as their own and hide the space pod in their barn. Twelve years pass without incident as the boy, named Brandon, grows up knowing he was adopted but believing himself to be a normal boy.

On his twelfth birthday, Brandon's personality begins to change, and while his adoptive parents initially shrug it off as normal growing pains, they cannot ignore Brandon's strange behavior forever. One night, a strange voice awakens Brandon, leading him to the hidden pod. Wounded by the truth about his origin, Brandon begins lashing out as both his peers and family in increasingly violent ways, discovering new abilities every day. By the time the Breyers realize something must be done, it's too late, and the strange voice's words ring loud and clear in Brandon's ears... "Take the world."

Brightburn presents a terrifying alternate reality. While Brandon Breyer is NOT Clark Kent, all of the similarities right down to the Kansas farmhouse are deliberate. The movie leaves the cause of Brandon's fall vague. Is it a result of merciless bullying from his peers? Or was he doomed to be evil by his own mysterious origins. It seems very likely that, based on the pod's repeating message "Take the world" that Brandon was sent to Earth as a weapon rather than a refugee.

This is definitely not a movie for the kids. Brightburn is bloody and extremely graphic. I'm not a doctor, but I don't need a degree in psychology to tell me that Brandon is one sick, twisted individual. The movie contains some decent jump scares, and Brandon's climactic rampage put my stereo system's subwoofer through its paces.

I can't think of any complaints about Brightburn except a few unresolved conflicts, but based on the post-credits scene, I have a feeling they got resolved offscreen... brutally. The movie not only serves as a shocking "what if" scenario, but also an effective cautionary tale on the corruptibility of power. Comic book fans love to speculate, and Brightburn explores some dark themes. It's a well-done and thought-provoking look beneath the cape that we don't really get to see too often. I highly recommend this movie for comic book fans. Then while you're at it, watch The Boys on Amazon Prime if you need a few laughs to go with your super-powered terror.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oD1vbhicJUY

Never Hike Alone - 19/31 Days of Halloween 2020

Put on your hiking boots, kids, because we're heading off the beaten path for today's movie.

I know what you're thinking. "Adam, is that Jason Voorhees? But you already reviewed a Friday the 13th movie this year!" That's right, I did, and I actually had a completely different movie picked out for today. It's my son Logan's 15th birthday today, however, and as I sat down in front of the TV, he asked if he could make a suggestion. Well how can I say no to the kid on his birthday? At first, I rolled my eyes when he told me about this hour-long Friday the 13th fan film, but it occurred to me that I've never reviewed any kind of fan film for 31 Days of Halloween before, so this could be fun. What the hell?

Now when I said "off the beaten path," I meant it both figuratively and literally. Not only is this not outside my usual wheelhouse, but we also wander into Camp Crystal Lake's untamed past in 2017's Never Hike Alone.

As our story opens, we join outdoors vlogger Kyle McLeod as he sets out on his latest hiking adventure. Using a GoPro camera, Kyle documents his trek through the wilderness. On his first night, Kyle is frightened by a pack of coyotes hunting nearby, cutting one of his logs short. On the second day, he stumbles across a cordoned off section of woods, but believing it to be part of the preserve, he crosses the fence and ventures toward the lake. As he prepares to set up camp for the night, he uncovers a sign for Camp Crystal Lake.

The film's climax brings back fan favorite Tommy Jarvis, with Thom Matthews reprising the role for the first time since Friday the 13th Part 6 - Jason Lives!, which I reviewed previously this year. While I would still like to see Corey Feldman reprise the role he started someday, it did warm my heart to see Thom Matthews return. It appears he's also involved with another fan film produced by the same team. Hopefully he gets a larger role this time.

With the Friday the 13th franchise caught up in litigation hell, it may be a long time before we see any kind of official release, so fan efforts like these are a welcome appetizer. I have mixed feelings about how the ending plays out, and even a few gripes about Tommy's portrayal, but overall I find the movie to be a solid effort. You can view Never Hike Alone in its entirety for free on YouTube. It's definitely a must-see for any die-hard Jason fan.

https://youtu.be/QnJBgzez2ZQ

Never Hike Alone - 19/31 Days of Halloween 2020

Put on your hiking boots, kids, because we're heading off the beaten path for today's movie.

I know what you're thinking. "Adam, is that Jason Voorhees? But you already reviewed a Friday the 13th movie this year!" That's right, I did, and I actually had a completely different movie picked out for today. It's my son Logan's 15th birthday today, however, and as I sat down in front of the TV, he asked if he could make a suggestion. Well how can I say no to the kid on his birthday? At first, I rolled my eyes when he told me about this hour-long Friday the 13th fan film, but it occurred to me that I've never reviewed any kind of fan film for 31 Days of Halloween before, so this could be fun. What the hell?

Now when I said "off the beaten path," I meant it both figuratively and literally. Not only is this not outside my usual wheelhouse, but we also wander into Camp Crystal Lake's untamed past in 2017's Never Hike Alone.

As our story opens, we join outdoors vlogger Kyle McLeod as he sets out on his latest hiking adventure. Using a GoPro camera, Kyle documents his trek through the wilderness. On his first night, Kyle is frightened by a pack of coyotes hunting nearby, cutting one of his logs short. On the second day, he stumbles across a cordoned off section of woods, but believing it to be part of the preserve, he crosses the fence and ventures toward the lake. As he prepares to set up camp for the night, he uncovers a sign for Camp Crystal Lake.

Kyle abandons his campsite and wanders into the abandoned, decaying ruins of Camp Crystal Lake. As he explores the dilapidated buildings, he finds gory reminders of the terrible things that happened. As he records he recounts the tales his older brother told him about a drowned boy named Jason and his mother Pamela's bloody killing spree against the camp counselors she blamed for the boy's death. When he stumbles across Jason's lair and the mummified head of Pamela Voorhees, Kyle realizes the stories were all true. Now he must fight for his life against the undead Jason Voorhees himself if he ever hopes to escape Camp Crystal Lake.

Since this is a fan film, let's talk about the production value itself. By the opening credits, you'd have no idea this is a Friday the 13th film. The mix of third-person and Go-Pro footage works well together. I'm glad that the filmmakers didn't go for a full-on shaky cam approach... Hmmm... Maybe I should review Cloverfield this year. Anyway! Jason looks great for the most part. His hands look like rubber gloves, but his overall appearance and mask are on point. There are some missing features on the mask, but we'll let that slide. As is tradition, we do get a brief look at Jason unmasked, and I like the look they went with. Definitely undead without being too over the top.

The film's climax brings back fan favorite Tommy Jarvis, with Thom Matthews reprising the role for the first time since Friday the 13th Part 6 - Jason Lives!, which I reviewed previously this year. While I would still like to see Corey Feldman reprise the role he started someday, it did warm my heart to see Thom Matthews return. It appears he's also involved with another fan film produced by the same team. Hopefully he gets a larger role this time.

With the Friday the 13th franchise caught up in litigation hell, it may be a long time before we see any kind of official release, so fan efforts like these are a welcome appetizer. I have mixed feelings about how the ending plays out, and even a few gripes about Tommy's portrayal, but overall I find the movie to be a solid effort. You can view Never Hike Alone in its entirety for free on YouTube. It's definitely a must-see for any die-hard Jason fan.

https://youtu.be/QnJBgzez2ZQ

The Invisible Man (1933) - 18/31 Days of Halloween

Yesterday's film put me in the mood for some classic Universal horror, and a sale on Vudu provided the perfect pick.

It's certainly no secret that I love the works of H.G Wells. I've been a fan of his stories ever since a snowy Halloween night when my dad dragged out a battery-powered radio and played Orson Welles' 1938 War of the Worlds broadcast for me during a power outage. I'd always been a fan of fantasy, particularly sword and sorcery tales and films, but Wells awakened a love of science fiction in me that has shaped both my passions and my career.

In middle school, when my classmates were reading stories like The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Where the Red Fern Grows, I had my nose buried in books like The Time Machine or The Invisible Man. I remember my English teacher turned up her nose at my choices, always trying to force "more appropriate" reading material on me, but I couldn't be swayed. It's from the same brilliant mind behind those books that today's movies came, so lock the doors and stay close, because it's time for 1933's The Invisible Man!

As our story opens on a snowy night in a peaceful English village, a man wrapped in heavy bandages stumbles into the Lion's Head Inn and demands a room and food. His strange appearance worries the locals, and they speculate he must be some escaped convict or other troublemaker. The stranger sets up a laboratory in his room, but after weeks of commotion, cursing, and not paying his rent, the innkeepers grow tired of him and attempt to evict him. The man flies into a rage and gleefully removes his bandages, revealing that he is completely invisible. The invisible Man flees the Lion's Head and spreads havoc throughout the village before slipping away.

Meanwhile, Doctors Cranley and Kemp speculate on the recent disappearance of their colleague, Dr. Jack Griffin. While searching his laboratory, they discover Griffin had been working with a chemical called monocane known for its powerful bleaching power but also known to pause insanity when administered to a living being. Griffin arrives at Kemp's home and tells him the nature of the experiments that made him invisible, as well as his futile search for a clue. Griffin is set on using his condition to seize power, and Kemp becomes a prisoner in his own home as the Invisible Man plots his reign of terror.

The Invisible Man sticks out like a sore thumb among the other classic Universal monsters. The story is hardly terrifying and lends itself to extended scenes of slapstick confrontation between Griffin and his enemies (usually the police). Professional screamer Una O'Connor, known for playing hysterical characters turns the slapstick up to eleven with her performance as the innkeeper's wife.

Now of course I want to talk about the movie's effects, which are rather impressive for 1933. Through various tricks, the Invisible Man terrorizes people in various states of undress, at one point dancing around his room in only a shirt and in another scene chasing a woman as a pair of singing trousers. The effect doesn't always work, however, as sometimes the empty clothes appear translucent against the background. Again, though, for 1933 in a time before green screen and CGI, I have to say I'm impressed.

While The Invisible Man deviates a bit from the novel and relies on slapstick comedy for its "scares," its entertainment value is undeniable. Griffin's malicious antics are actually a delight to watch, particularly when he torments the nosy Lion's Head patrons. While there are a few murders, and Griffin's nefarious plans do include a passing mention of rape, the movie is mostly safe for younger audiences, like most of its contemporaries. In fact, the innkeeper's head wound may possibly make it the goriest of all the Universal monster films. The Invisible Man is short, funny, and worthy of any serious horror fan's collection. Check it out.

https://youtu.be/GFtbiFgaAiM

Mary Shelley's Frankenstein - 17/31 Days of Halloween 2020

I love Frankenstein. I mean it. I'm a total Frankenstein fanboy, particularly the classic black and white movies staring Boris Karloff. Let's face it, though, those movies aren't the most faithful adaptations of Mary Shelley's novel Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus.

I'm sure we all know the story by now, but here it is in a nutshell: one stormy night Mary Shelley, invented the science fiction genre to avoid being roped into another lame threesome with Lord Byron. Still with me? Good.

While the years and memory haven't been kind to Francis Ford Coppola's 1992 film Bram Stoker's Dracula, at the time it was a critical and financial success, renewing interest in the classic movie monsters and in finally adapting the, faithfully for the screen. Enter Kenneth Branagh, who starred and directed in today's film, 1994's Mary Shelley's Frankenstein.

As the film opens, a crew of explorers become stuck in the ice while searching for a passage to the North Pole. As they try to free themselves, they hear a terrible wailing in the distance, and a man stumbles out of the mist. The weary traveler tells the captain the story of his life and the events that led him to the frozen north. We then flash back to the aristocratic upbringing of Victor Frankenstein. After his mother dies in childbirth, Victor becomes obsessed with the idea of conquering death, and leaves for medical school to take up the family profession. There, his radical ideas are met with ridicule and scorn, except from one professor named Waldman who shares some of his knowledge with Victor but refuses to assist him in his endeavors.

I'll be honest, Mary Shelley's Frankenstein is a roller coaster of not just action and suspense, but also quality. I utterly despise all of the scenes filmed in the parlor at Castle Frankenstein which was clearly constructed to accentuate the wailing grief of characters ascending and descending the curved staircase. Almost as comical is Victor's laboratory, which seems more like a life-sized game of Mouse Trap than a scientist's lab. Despite the silliness of some of the sets, however, the film boasts an impressive cast of performers including John Cleese, Helena Bonham Carter, Ian Holm, and Robert De Niro as both Waldman's killer and the creature. De Niro truly shines in the role, going from gentle giant to brutal killer in the blink of an eye. Branagh, being very much at home on the Shakespearean stage, often seems to forget he's in front of a camera and hams it up a bit too much.

is still the most faithful big screen adaptation of the novel that I've seen yet. De Niro's portrayal of the creature makes slogging through some of the more embarrassing scenes worth it. Is the movie scary? Not really. Frankenstein has always been more about the arrogance of man than scares. Not everybody agrees with me, but I enjoy it. I highly recommend it for any fan of classic, thought-provoking horror. https://youtu.be/GFaY7r73BIs

Alone - 16/31 Days of Halloween 2020

(NOTE: Today's movie is not to be confused with the other 2020 film of the same name .)

Ever since 2004 when Shaun of the Dead and the Dawn of the Dead remake brought zombies back into the mainstream, the genre has been going strong... for better or for worse. Don't get me wrong, I love zombies, but I've never been shy about my opinion that the genre has gotten stale and needs to go back underground for about a decade or so.

Every once in a while, a movie comes along that tries to do something different, something fresh, and while I applaud the effort, they typically just add to the rotten steaming pile already saturating streaming sites. Too many focus on the monsters while neglecting the human element, or at least checking off enough boxes to get away with the bare minimum. Today's film is a new release that only came to my attention yesterday, and based on the trailer and cast (or rather one cast member), I decided to give it a shot as soon as it hit Vudu this morning. Let's take a look at 2020's Alone.

As the film opens, a disheveled man named Aidan is recording a video log on day 42 of a global pandemic. After signing off, he prepares to hang himself. We then flash back to the beginning of the story as Aidan wakes up to find his lover from the previous night has snuck out. He turns on the television to find a test pattern and a message from the Emergency Broadcasting System. As sounds of chaos echo throughout the apartment complex, a neighbor named Brandon forces his way into Aidan's apartment, having been bitten by crazed people outside. A newscaster reads the symptoms of a new, fast-acting disease that turns people into insane cannibals, and Brandon begins showing advanced symptoms right before Aidan's eyes. Aidan forces the increasingly violent Brandon into the hall and locks the door. Despite his efforts to contact his family, Aidan is terrified to learn that he is alone.

Aidan barricades his front door with the refrigerator and begins counting the days while he continues to attempt to make contact with his family. On the forty-second day, with hope gone and both his supplies and sanity dwindling, Aidan records what he believes will be his final vlog. As he tightens the noose around his neck, however, he catches a glimpse of a beautiful woman on a balcony across the courtyard. He's not alone after all!

Alone doesn't really invent the wheel here. In fact, it's a pretty run-of-the-mill disaster survival story. But you know what? I don't fault it for that. There's nothing wrong with using a familiar trope if it's done well, and in my opinion, Alone does just fine. Aidan's not a survivalist. He's just an average Joe plunged into extraordinary circumstances. Too many survival movies try to make the hero a natural survivor, but Aidan fucks up, and he fucks up a lot, and that's refreshing to see.

The "zombies," or rather the infected, are still very much alive and tragically aware of their nightmare existence, seemingly prisoners in their own ravaged minds as their primordial reptilian side takes control. They're not mindless. In fact, some display some remarkable problem solving and ingenuity, which raises some serious issues for their prey. Donald Sutherland delivers a fantastic performance as an elderly survivor named Edward. I've never watched a Donald Sutherland movie I didn't like, which was a driving force convincing me to drop $9.99 on this film, and I'm happy to say ol' Donald's reputation remains intact in my book.

With an all-too-real global pandemic and chaos outside our walls, Alone is a relatable and welcome October Surprise. Again, the movie doesn't break any new ground, but the presentation is impeccable. For the best experience, I'd recommend watching with surround sound or headphones. If you're tired of mindless shamblers and want a human story, give Alone a watch.

https://youtu.be/S9SdmI0KkSw

An American Werewolf in Paris - 15/31 Days of Halloween 2020

I know what you're thinking. "Wait, didn't he review this movie yesterday?" I assure you, today's movie is quite different. Stick with me.

Do sequels ever really live up to their predecessors? I mean, there are a few notable sequels out there, but as a general rule, sequels (particularly horror sequels) tend to suck, and the amount of suckage is proportional to the length of time that passes between movies.

Maybe I'm making up for a distinct lack of werewolf flicks in my viewing pool (I've been waiting for The Howling to appear on streaming sites for the past three years, dammit), but I couldn't pass up today's movie. You see, long before I ever saw An American Werewolf in London, being a teen in the late 90s, I happened to see its sequel first, totally unaware of the original. So does the sequel improve on the original? There's only one way to find out. Break out your phrase books, travelers, because we're heading across the Channel for 1997's An American Werewolf in Paris.

As our story opens, we join a trio of thrill seekers aboard a train traveling from Spain bound for Paris. Upon their arrival in the City of Lights, Andy, Brad, and Chris sneak to the top of the Eiffel Tower after closing. While Brad and Chris enjoy the view, Andy prepares a stunt he believes neither of his friends can top: bungee jumping off the tower. A beautiful woman appears suddenly and climbs the railing, preparing to jump to her death. Andy tries to talk her down, but they both fall. Andy saves the woman's life but injures himself in the process.

Andy awakes in the hospital, determined to find the beautiful woman he saved. After Andy witnesses the mysterious beauty stealing a human heart from the hospital, the American friends use the woman's suicide note to track her to her home. The woman, Sérafine refuses Andy's advances, but he is insistent. After a disastrous first date, the Americans return to Sérafine's home and meet a rough-looking man named Claude. Delighted to discover they are Americans, Claude invites them to a party at the Club de la Lune. While Chris searches for Sérafine, Andy and Brad are trapped inside the club when the hosts transform into werewolves and attack the guests. Sérafine appears and helps Andy escape, but he is bitten. The next day, he wakes to a seemingly never-ending nightmare of monsters, rotting ghosts, and bloody milkshakes.

Okay, right out the gate, I would like to recant my statement in yesterday's review when I called the fully transformed werewolf in An American Werewolf in London hokey. Even four years after Jurassic Park changed special effects forever, CGI was still finding its footing in film, and in this movie, it stumbles and falls flat on its face. The CGI critters have no real weight and look pasted into the scene no matter the lighting. Not only are the werewolves laughably fake looking, but the transformation sequence shows an unforgivable lack of understanding of mammalian anatomy.

The movie tries and fails to be as funny as its predecessor, lacking both London's smart, tongue-in-cheek gallows humor and whimsical soundtrack. Speaking of soundtrack's this movie is probably best remembered for the Bush single Mouth, which I'll admit holds a special place in my heart. Why? Oh. Erm... ask my wife. The undead ghost effects pale in comparison to Rick Baker's Oscar-winning makeup and only manage to make the character Amy more annoying. While much more aggressive than London's tormented spectres, they just don't have the impact their predecessors did.

An American Werewolf in Paris just falls flat on its face at every turn, from the ham-handed attempts at humor to the cheap CGI monsters to the sappy fairytale ending. While An American Werewolf in London is a beloved classic, the sequel is just another lame, soulless cash grab. My advice is to skip this one and pretend it never happened.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xmoKnjj7Y38

An American Werewolf in London - 14/31 Days of Halloween 2020

Let's see... zombies... vampires... serial killers... leprechauns... aliens... killer dolls... Hmm... Have I ever reviewed a werewolf movie on this blog? For the life of me, I cannot remember. Well, there's no time like the present.

I'll be honest, I've never been a real fan of the werewolf genre. I chalk that up to growing up in the 90s with the chest-thumping-alpha-pack bullshit established by White Wolf in their World of Darkness series of role playing games. More modern depictions of lycanthropes like The Southern Vampire Mysteries/True Blood and Twilight only cemented that dislike in me. Werewolves have become props in vampire stories, and that really isn't fair. They deserve their own time in the sun... er, moon. If you want a good werewolf story, the proverbial (and in this case literal) lone wolf is always best. I can think of a handful, but few are more beloved than 1981's dark horror comedy An American Werewolf in London.

As the story opens, we join two American college students named David and Jack as they backpack through northern England. The travelers seek refuge in a small town pub, but they find the atmosphere less than welcoming. When they inquire about a crudely drawn pentacle on the pub wall, the patrons become hostile. Jack and David depart as the locals offer a piece of parting advice, "Stick to the road, and stay off the moors. Jack and David ignore the warning, leaving the road and becoming caught in the rain as an unseen creature begins to howl and snarl. Deciding to return to the pub, they are attacked by a dog-like creature. Local men arrive and shoot the creature, but not before Jack is killed. Before he blacks out, David sees a naked, bleeding man on the ground beside him... dead.

Three weeks later, David awakens in a hospital in London. He's distraught over the news of Jack's death and becomes agitated when his doctor and the police inform him that an escaped lunatic was responsible for the attack. David insists a wolf-like creature was responsible, and his beliefs are confirmed when Jack appears to him as an undead apparition and informs him that he must die in order to break the werewolf's curse and release Jack's soul. Vivid nightmares plague David's sleep, and he begins to question his sanity as Jack returns again and again. Meanwhile, David's doctor has questions of his own as doubts about the official account of the attack creep into his mind.

An American Werewolf in London is notable for having won the very first Academy Award for Best Makeup, and rightfully so. The movie boasts what is still one of the most horrific and realistic werewolf transformations on screen, and that alone is worthy of accolades, but special effects wizard Rick Baker didn't stop there. The gore effects on David's undead victims, particularly the ever decomposing Jack, are amazing. In an age where we're spoiled by CGI, it's not hard to spot the smoke and mirrors used for some of the effects, but despite this, the movie doesn't lose any of its charm.

I'll be honest, I find the fully transformed werewolf to be a little hokey. I think the creature is best utilized in fleeting glimpses. Some shots work better than others. I think the subway scene bothered me the most. However, I do give the movie props for not going the easy way out and just gluing appliances onto an actor and letting him run around on two legs. This is a werewolf completely devoid of humanity, a true beast, and I applaud Landis and Baker for that.

I don't have to tell you that An American Werewolf in London is a revered classic. Any serious horror fan could tell you that. In a time when horror comedies were a tough sell, John Landis took a chance, and it paid off. I cannot recommend this movie enough. Give this one a watch. If you're in the mood for dinner and a movie, I recommend hamburgers (bloody rare, of course), because there's enough Wendy's product placement that you'll be craving one by the time the end credits roll anyway. Remember, kids, stick to the roads, stay off the moors, and keep an eye out for naked American balloon thieves.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ArJhUEAeiw0

Tombs of the Blind Dead - 13/31 Days of Halloween 2020

It seems as soon as George A. Romero's Night of the Living Dead hit screens, foreign filmmakers were looking to cash in on the new flesh-eating zombie craze. With a flood of films coming out of Europe under an overwhelming number of alternate titles, it's sometimes hard to keep track of them all.

Before today, I only knew today's film through a number of YouTube film critics and reviewers. The idea intrigued me, a fresh take on a genre that hadn't yet lost its freshness. While Italian filmmakers like Dario Argento and Lucio Fulci are well known for cashing in on the emerging zombie movie market during the 1970s, another franchise out of Spain would also make its mark in cinemas and VCRs worldwide. Turn down the lights and keep your voice down as we explore 1972's La Noche del Terror Ciego, or as we know it in the United States, Tombs of the Blind Dead.

As the movie opens, we witness a brutal human sacrifice at the hands of the Knights Templar in a medieval Spanish village. Fast forwarding to the present, Betty Turner is reunited with her former schoolmate Virginia. Virginia's lover Roger invites Betty to join them on a camping trip in the Spanish countryside. Betty accepts, but Virginia suspects Roger has ulterior motives behind his invitation and becomes jealous. The next day, the trio board a train bound for the country. Despite Betty's assurances that she has no romantic interest in Roger, Virginia jumps from the train when Roger makes an obvious pass at her friend.

Virginia hikes to the abandoned village of Beranzo. After exploring the ruins, Virginia beds down for the night, a portable radio at her side to drown out the creepy night sounds echoing through the ruins. As night falls, the dead Templars rise from their tombs and seek out Virginia. She flees the village, but the blind dead run her down on horseback and attack her in a field. The next day, the drivers of a passing train spot the body and contact the local authorities. Concerned, Roger and Betty conduct their own investigation, one that will bring them within screaming distance of the Blind Dead!

is transmittable, as we learn when their victims rise and go on their own feeding frenzies. This makes the film's climax all the more exciting. Knowing there are three sequels, I wonder how this film's ending plays a role in those, if at all.

By today's standards, the Blind Dead are hardly horrifying. The skeletal hands and decayed faces offer little to no articulation or expression, but the film does a decent job of building suspense as the sightless revenants stalk their prey. I only wish they'd focused more on the concepts of sound and silence, but the female characters spend so much time screaming that the true potential of the sightless dead relying on sound to locate their victims is lost. It's just too damn easy for them.

While horribly dated, Tombs of the Blind Dead is still a fun movie. The blood and gore is minimal as the film relies more on suspense and creepy imagery to sell the terror. The living characters aren't terribly memorable with the exception of the strange morgue attendant. Predictably, as in many other films of the period, the lesbian character is sexually assaulted by an alpha male stereotype with a magic penis complex who cannot take no for an answer, so be advised if you're sensitive to such depictions and situations. (EDIT: I've learned that the original, uncut Spanish version of the film includes a full rape scene. The scene is trimmed in the English version so the attack occurs offscreen.) If you're a fan of hokey foreign horror, give this movie a watch; just don't drop too much money on it. Tombs of the Blind Dead is streaming free with advertisements on Vudu.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HpcYWJnS6N8