House_of_Gonzo Reviews

2001 Maniacs: Field of Screams (2010)

Doesn't live up to the first

[5/10 · 16 July 2010]

Well, I just watched this last night and let me preface this by saying I love the first one. The first had original deaths, was funny and the production value was wonderful as is the acting. Well, the new one doesn't hit on any of these.

The acting--Bill Moesley, as always, did a wonderful job. He made Mayor Buckman his own and you could almost forget that Robert Englund played him previously (scheduling conflicts wouldn't allow him to reprise the role). Lin Shaye was also very funny. The rest of the Maniacs did a decent job but where the acting lacked was the actors that get killed off. Not good at all.

Deaths--As I said, the previous film had some great kills, and, as weird as it is to say, they were fun. The ones in this film, not so much. I can't say much more about them as I don't want to give anything way but I think you may be disappointed. Now, I did see the rated version so that may have something to do w/it. However, in order to see the unrated I'd have to buy it and I'm not sure I want to do that.

Production value--I know they only spent 2 weeks shooting this and First Look is on board as apposed to Lions Gate who did the first so I have a feeling that they didn't have much money to work with. That being said, the audio for the entire film sounded as if it was ADR. The voices didn't seem natural and in one scene in particular it sounded as if the actor did his lines over the phone. It was very distracting.

All in all, I was pretty let down. I try not to get to excited about films because I set the bar high but I did w/this anyway and it certainly didn't meet expectations. I'd say 2.5 stars out of 5.

Wrong Turn (I) (2003)

A Must See

[8/10 · 20 December 2003]

Last month I won this film having never seen it and was excited and waiting anticipating having read several peoples pleasant reviews. Needless to say, I wasn't let down. I knew going in what the villians in the movie were and wasn't let down as I thought the suspense was really thick. The movie starts out w/a couple mountain climbing and after the male makes it to the top he, well, let's just say that something comes out of nowhere. I loved it and I think that it's one of the best horror films to come out in the past few years. There was no killer in a mask as we are prone to seeing, and even though you see the vilians they are very creepy because you have no idea what kind of disturbing thing they are going to do next.

Wendigo (2001)

Stay away!

[2/10 · 5 December 2003]

I remember back when I was little when I was away at camp and we would campout under the stars. There was always someone there that would have a good story to tell that involved the woods that surrounded us and they would always creep me out. Well, when I found Wendigo at the library, I checked it out hoping to be one of those films that had a supernatural being haunting people in the woods much like the stories that were told at camp. Well, much to my dismay, I was so far from the truth. Wendigo is really bad. The story starts of when a family of three is driving to their winter cabin, which looks like your normal suburban home and nothing like a cabin in the woods, and they run into a deer. Well, it seems the local rednecks were actually hunting this particular deer and are pretty upset at our city folk. The movie spends far too much time following the families everyday activities instead of getting to the point of the film. It wasn't until about the last 15 minutes that we actually have some action involving the "wendigo." My suggestion is that you stay very far away this film. It will leave you wanting your hour and a half back.

28 Days Later (2002)

Could have been so much better

[5/10 · 25 October 2003]

Spoilers included

I just watched 28 Days Later last night and must say it could have been better. I have lots of complaints about the plot and story. I believe that there are many questions about the story that just don't make sense. For instance, how can someone be injected with rage? And if were really possible how are you going to infect someone else? Rage is an emotion. Now, I will admit that there were scary and intense parts, but the story could have been touched up better. Some of the characters at the end of the film were also not written well. I am refering to the soldiers. If they were true soldiers they would be more concered with the well being of other humans that have not been infected. Not raping the only women they have seen in almost a month. Now yes, I'm sure they were "in the mood" but give me a break. The movie was shot entirely with DV which makes it a better looking film than most Hollywood films. Some of the colors displayed look beautiful. As far as supplemental material goes, this movie has lots of extras including all three endings, which sadly resemble each other. They like the story could have been elaborated on better.

The Ring (2002)

Scary!

[7/10 · 15 October 2003]

I wanted to see this in the theaters but was unable to since I was broke. But once it was released on DVD I had to rent it. I had to go to two different places since the first was out. I was pretty creepy. My wife was so freaked out she made me take it back to the store right away, I couldn't even leave it in my car. The extras are sparse. There are no deleted scenes or behind the scenes footage which I suppose lends to the creepiness of the film. I understand that there is in an easter egg that shows the original film but I couldn't get that far being as I had to take the DVD back. Although I did watch the video that is featured in the movie. Well, the first minute or so. All in all a must see.

Killer Klowns from Outer Space (1988)

Not for the clown fearers.

[7/10 · 15 October 2003]

While the film was very low budget (listen to the commentary for details) they were able to pull it off. For those who hate clowns, which includes my wife, you don't want to see this. The expressions on the alien clowns are down right creepy. The story is basic and reminds me of the original "The Blob" with clowns substituted in for the gooey being. The extras are descent and include the casting of the clowns which at times are kind of creepy

April Fool's Day (1986)

Not bad

[7/10 · 15 October 2003]

I saw this film several years ago and was pleasantly surprised at how good the story is. It was made in the 80s so you can get a general idea of the quality. The acting is not bad and even stars "Biff" from Back to the Future. Great plot twist and needless to say I didn't see it coming. The extras are poor. I don't think you can do worse because, well, there are no extras. Maybe, I doubt it though, we'll see a SE.

Carnival of Souls (1962)

Not bad.

[7/10 · 15 October 2003]

While this film is really that scary I think that most horror fans should see this. Simply, because of how well it was made at a time where there weren't "big budget" movies. It is in black and white, which I believe when done right, can be creepy at times. The zombies aren't bad looking but I figured out the story kind of half way through so I wasn't shocked by the ending. There are numerous extras on the discs including a news segment on the filming. Go rent it now.

The Omen (1976)

Very creepy

[8/10 · 14 October 2003]

I saw The Omen for the first time today, and boy was it creepy. The film itself is filmed in such a way that a lot of the horror films of the 70s were done, similar to "The Shining." I didn't see any flaws in the filmmaking itself and just hearing Lee Remick yell out "Damien" for the first time just gave me chills, cause I knew what was to come.

Underworld (2003)

This was just ok.

[6/10 · 11 October 2003]

I could have waited to see this movie on DVD. First, I don't like werewolves in movies because the effects are so dumb looking I can't believe they used CGI on them. Now, if they were to go old school with it and actually use make it might not be that bad. This movie pits vampires versus the werewolves and sadly we hardly see any vampire type trademarks. Sure they drink blood from wine glasses (these vamps are of higher class) and some bare their teeth, but there is only on vampire bite in the entire movie. I truly expected a little more from this film.

Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003)

This film was incredible

[8/10 · 11 October 2003]

I don't normally read reviews for films because they are very biased. But being as I am a huge Tarantino fan I read a couple for Kill Bill and knew what to expect when seeing it.

Now, that I have seen I loved it. This film was shocking, disturbing, bloody, and very action packed. Every actor in this film did a wonderful job. I am waiting impatiently for February to see the second volume. This is a must see especially if you are a fan of martial arts. While there was some wire worked used, it was used in a way that wasn't over the top.

8-10 stars

The Cell (2000)

Very suspenseful

[7/10 · 6 October 2003]

I first saw "The Cell" in the theaters when it was released and was impressed with the beauty. So impressed that I had to buy it when it came out on DVD. It also didn't help that my wife wanted it because of Vince Vaughn either. I was certainly glad to see that the transfer to DVD was done so that all the colors that I saw on the big screen showed up very well on the smaller screen.

The Cell is about a psychiatrist who has to help the police locate a missing girl by going "into the mind" of the kidnapper who is in a coma. The idea that was used to enter his mind was done wonderfully and is sometime tough to figure out was is really happening but I love it when that happens. Vincent D'Onofrio is stupendous as the psycho killer/kidnapper and Jennifer Lopez is not bad as the psychiatrist. This movie is also at times very creepy.

The only downside to the DVD is the audio commentary. I tried listening to it and about fell asleep. The director is very boring and most of the time it is hard to understand him. All in all I give this 7-10 stars.

Sleepaway Camp (1983)

Very well made film.

[7/10 · 2 October 2003]

Sleepaway Camp was first introduced to me last year when I saw an ad for the box set in an ad and I said I had to have it. I thought that maybe I saw it many moons ago and that I may not have realized it and my wife assured me that it was a good movie. A couple of weeks later low and behold as I am unwrapping birthday presents what do I find? The Sleepaway Camp box set! I couldn't wait to get home to see them.

On a quiet Sunday afternoon my wife and I sit down to have a Sleepaway Camp marathon. The first movie on tap, Sleepaway Camp I. I was very impressed by this movie considering it is a low-budget film. The movie starts with two men out on a lake with their kids and a boat accident leads a series chain of events. The girl that was present at the accident goes to camp years later to get revenge on anyone who gets in her way. I found all of the deaths to be very original and very well displayed considering the limited budget. The ending was probably the most frightening image in film history. You must see this film. If you don't buy it, at least go out and rent it.

Shriek If You Know What I Did Last Friday the Thirteenth (2000 Video)

Not bad

[7/10 · 27 September 2003]

If you have seen "Scary Movie" and have avoided this thinking that they are trying to capitalize on that series I say forget that notion. Rent this movie.

If you have seen the first "Scream" you have the general plot of this movie. All of the popular kids start to be killed and we have to figure out who did it. Well, I have to say that there are a lot better jokes than the second "Scary Movie" (which I thought was horrendous), and it was almost better than the first. Tom Arnold is funny as hell in this and believe it or not Coolio is also funny as Principal Interest or The Administrator-Formerly-Known-As-Principal.

All in all this is a must see for fans of spoof movies. 7 out of 10 stars.

The Blob (1958)

Not a bad movie.

[5/10 · 27 September 2003]

I checked out this little flick from the library not expecting too much since it was made before good special events were even a blip on the radar. Granite, at the time these were good effects, but compared w/what can be done now, they aren't very good.

Well, if you don't know, a meteor lands on earth and when an old farmer finds it, it breaks open and "The Blob" takes an attraction to his hand. Think about that sticky stuff on the back of insert cards in magazines that when you roll it up looks like a booger and you can't get it off. Anyway, a couple of kids find him and take him to a doctor where the space "being" begins to take over the town getting bigger as it kills.

The movie honestly wasn't that bad I have definitly seen worse. Especially ones that were made in that time period. My next mission is to check out the remakes and see how those hold up.

My recomendation: Go to your local library and check out as many horror DVDs as you can find. You don't have to spend in money and you get to see some you wouldn't normally watch. Or of course you could just rent them.

I'll give 2 1/2 stars out of 5.