SPECIES II

SPECIES II

Although it's not actually a good movie this creative sequel with a super hot astronaut who comes home to earth infected and begins mating is a trashy, fun overly entertaining genre monster fest. Natasha Henstridge pregnant at the time of filming is back as Sil who is his number one target. The special FX are awesome and the creature design is inspired. Unlike the superior original it doesn't take itself seriously which is a good thing because the screenplay is not as well written. That being said the movie flows well moving from one gory setpiece to the next and it's never boring.

7/10

PROM NIGHT (2008) UNRATED

When I first saw this film in theaters I hated it. It wasn't until revisiting it a few years later that I just found it overly mediocre. But seeing the unrated cut for the first time now I have to admit I was quite entertained. Although the characters are still hella dumb I really appreciated Brittany Snow's performance and that chase scene is pretty kick ass. Plus a lot more people get killed in this version and it's pretty brutal at times. That being said it's still not a great movie and still doesn't hold up against the original. But its definitely worth a light reccomend.

Budget: $20m
Box Office: $57m

6.5/10

PORNO (2019)

Fangoria presents this cheesy genrefest set in 1992. The staff of a small theater find themselves targeted by a succubus they accidentally release by watching a mysterious film after hours. It takes them one by one exposing their secrets, seducing and than destroying them. I wish I could say that I loved it. With the kick ass poster and inspired trailer i expected more. It just never quite gets crazy enough and the awkward pacing is a bit distracting. That being said after a slightly drawn out set up it finally gets to some goods in the final third and it's kinda fun. I just wish they had the "balls" to go all the way.

6/10

THE DEADLY INTRUDER (1988)

THE DEADLY INTRUDER (1988)

The setup is fairly simple as a group of friends are stalked and murdered by a mysterious killer before and after a dinner party. It all leads up to a predictable but well done twist and finale. There's not much new here but it's done pretty well. I'm not gonna lie the movie is very low budget and suffers from its constraints but still offers some decent, retro genre fare.

6/10

THE BABYSITTER (1995)

THE BABYSITTER (1995)

Definitely way more of a dramatic thriller than something horroresque. The film tells the tale of a young woman played by Alicia Silverstone (Clueless) who casts a spell on three men who become obsessed over her on a night when she's babysitting. Her cute but naive boyfriend played by Jeremy London. A young thug who fixates his sites on her and manipulates the scenario and the pedophilic father she's babysitting for. The movie is creepy and uncomfortable but purposely so. I do feel like it pushes the limits of bad taste into something unwatchable at points but the film works as an intriguing examination of obsession and male/female expectations and realities. Although not completely successful it works well enough to merit a light reccomend. It's one of the films that was pushed out quickly after Alicis had gained box office success with Clueless.

Budget: $2m

6.5/10

THE SEDUCTION (1982)

THE SEDUCTION (1982)

I am so happy they decided to restore this retro, schlocky gem that I might have never seen. It stars a fierce and gorgeous Morgan Fairchild as a tv news personality who finds herself stalked by a sexy, obsessive stalker played by a hunky Andrew Stevens. It's pretty by the numbers but it's a fun horroresque, erotic thriller that really delivers. Not to spoil anything but basically she just reaches the point where she refuses to be the victim and fights back. It's pretty damn satisfying.

Budget: $3m
Box Office: $11.4m

7.5/10

GHOST IN THE MACHINE (1993)

This has always been one of my fave flicks since I first saw it st a sold out screening on a sunday afternoon as a kid. It was a mid sized theater of course. A serial killer nicknamed the address book killer by the media whose killed just as he picks his next victims courtesy of his job at an electronic store. Karen Allen (Raiders of the lost ark) stars as single mother Terry who gets a gift for her tech whiz boss and has a page of her address book scanned at the store. He dies and his soul is transferred into the net to continue his murder spree but this time with the advantage of anything electronic. The kills are pretty wild and creative and the finale is corny but fun. As a kid I had a huge crush on Terry's ghetto white boy son Josh. Gimme s break I was 13, lol. I revisit this several times a year its goofy bit really fun and energetic with inspired direction from Rachael Talalay ( freddy's dead).

Budget: $12m

Box Office: $5m