Nightmares and Dreamscapes
October 31, 2006
Stephen King adaptations are traditionally hit or miss affairs. For every superior one like Salem’s Lot (1979) there are many more lackluster ones like Maximum Overdrive (1986). And so each new King adaptation is approached with a certain amount of...
The Ninth Gate
October 31, 2006
Critical and commercial reaction to Roman Polanski’s films has always been mixed at best. To say that they are an acquired taste is an understatement. The Ninth Gate (1999) is no exception. Despite what the film’s misleading trailer promoted at the...
The Omen
October 24, 2006
The Omen (2006) is the latest in a long line of 1970s horror films that did not need to be remade but is anyway by an unimaginative major Hollywood studio with a contemporary spin. Priests in the Vatican arrange a powwow with the Pope to inform him that...
Supernatural: Season 1
September 22, 2006
Out of all the science fiction and horror television shows that debuted during the 2005-2006 season, only Supernatural was picked up for another season. Why did it survive while other, better shows failed? As always there are a number of factors that...
The Dark
August 18, 2006
After starting in T.V. with Xena: Warrior Princess, John Fawcett hit his stride with the werewolf horror Ginger Snaps; a refreshing female take on the lycanthrope legend that put expensive studio fare to shame. Sadly, he only had a peripheral involvement...
Silent Hill
August 17, 2006
Since Christophe Gans’ surprise international success with Brotherhood of the Wolf (2001), there has been a certain amount of anticipation for what he would do next after showing such promise with a film that effortlessly juggled several genres. For...
I Know What You Did Last Summer: The Collection
August 10, 2006
At first glance, it seems incredible that a film as awful as I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997) did well enough to spawn two sequels. How could a film that was essentially Beverly Hills 90210 meets Scooby Doo with blood have been so successful? It’s...
The Garden
August 8, 2006
The Garden (2005) introduces us to Sam (Gordon), a hyper-sensitive young boy who suffers from visions and cuts himself in order to control these hallucinations. His father David (Wimmer) is a recovering alcoholic six months sober and recently divorced....
The Tooth Fairy
August 3, 2006
Writer/producer Stephen J. Cannell continues to challenge Roger Corman’s throne as the king of quickie B-horror movies made on the cheap. He struck a deal a few years ago with Anchor Bay Entertainment to distribute his films that feature a host of B-movie...
Night Watch
July 11, 2006
Leave it up to filmmakers from another country, in this case Russia, to offer a fresh perspective on an established genre. The story may be as old as time but the way it is presented is not. Night Watch (2004) chronicles an epic, centuries-old struggle...
