horror – Anomalous Cinema

The Burning (1981)

May 5, 2023May 4, 2023 vergeoflightLeave a comment

Streaming on Amazon Prime | imdb | trailer

Naughty teen campers pull a prank and the victim returns for revenge. End of plot. There aren’t a lot of teen slasher movies I like, but this one is solid. It’s really straight forward, but if you enjoy ‘80s horror and have missed this, you’ll probably appreciate it. I’ve seen The Burning a few times, including a film print, and have always had a good time. Tom Savini turned down working on Friday the 13th Part 2 for this film, so you know the makeup FX are quality. Plus you get to see Jason Alexander (George from Seinfeld) with a full head of hair, and an early, very brief, appearance from Holly Hunter. So have a few drinks (or whatever floats your boat), turn off all higher brain functions, and enjoy some early ‘80s horror cheese.

Available on UHD/Blu-ray from Scream Factory.

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The Mist (2007)

March 24, 2023March 21, 2023 vergeoflightLeave a comment

Streaming on Netflix | imdb | trailer

This is the original movie version of Stephen King’s 1980 novella. I skipped the recent TV series because of the poor ratings. What we have here is neither the best, nor the worst King adaptation. I’d rate The Mist above average among those films. Why the hell am I recommending this? Well, it is creepy as hell if you don’t know what is going on in the plot. At least that was my experience when first seeing the movie. I took a look recently, and it still looked good, in spite of some slightly dated CG. Bottom line, if you missed this one and haven’t read the book, there’s a decent chance you’ll enjoy it.

Hey Netflix, get some better horror movies please!

Available on Blu-ray from ummm… well it’s available anyhow.

Rosemary’s Baby (1968)

March 10, 2023April 6, 2023 vergeoflightLeave a comment

I liked this image so much I couldn’t crop it.

Streaming on Amazon Prime | imdb | trailer

Rosemary and her husband move in to a fancy but weird Manhattan apartment. Once she becomes pregnant, things take an extremely dark turn. I have hesitated to recommend Rosemary’s Baby as it’s on so many critic lists. However I wouldn’t be surprised if many younger people have overlooked this film. Another part of my hesitation is the fact that director Roman Polanski is a terrible human being (and many people believe that star Mia Farrow is no saint either). I recently heard someone say that great art becomes it’s own entity once it is completed. That entity stands apart from the flawed, sometimes awful, human being that made it. Yep, this film is great art. It’s one of the most beautifully crafted horror films ever made. That horror stays on the psychological end of the spectrum, but I love every minute of it. This movie demands to be seen in spite of the flawed humans involved.

Available on Blu-ray from Paramount.

Apostle (2018)

February 17, 2023February 16, 2023 vergeoflightLeave a comment

Streaming on Netflix | imdb | trailer

Here’s an oddball movie among the filmography of Gareth Evans (The Raid, Gangs of London, etc.). Instead of the action he’s known for, this is full-on horror. Apostle has been rightly compared to the original The Wicker Man (no, not the Nicholas Cage one), but the difference here is that the end of the movie is violent and gory as all hell. The one flaw is that it takes some investment of patience to get to the bloody conclusion (Evans does like to make complicated plots). I say it’s 100% worth the effort. Since this movie is streaming, there’s no need to watch it in one viewing. I did, but you don’t have to.

Not available on Blu-ray.

Quo Vadis, Aida? (2020)

January 27, 2023January 24, 2023 vergeoflightLeave a comment

Streaming on Hulu | imdb | trailer

A local translator for the UN in Srebrenica gets caught between her people and the Serbian army. This is a fictional story based on the very real, and very brutal, Bosnian war in the 1990s. In spite of not being directly based on historical events, it is a very effective movie. The acting is top notch and the cinematography is perfect. This is obviously dark stuff, but important on many levels. It’s also one of the best serious dramas I’ve seen in recent years.

Not available on domestic Blu-ray.

Hobo with a Shotgun (2011)

December 30, 2022March 4, 2023 vergeoflightLeave a comment

Streaming on Hulu and Amazon Prime | imdb | trailer

The headline read “Hobo Stops Begging, Demands Change.” That, and the fact that all exploitation elements are cranked to 11, sums up this movie. I’ve been a Rutger Hauer fan since seeing Blade Runner is a kid. I think I’ve seen the majority of his films, and I have even read his autobiography. For many years I complained about the injustice of Hauer not getting a good lead role. Well in 2011 the stars aligned – Hobo with a Shotgun was announced. I was avidly following the pre-release promotion of the movie, and was not disappointed when I finally got to see the finished product. I think the low rating on imdb is because of the overall purposeful cheese factor, and the fact everything offensive is thrown in to the mix. Yeah it ain’t Ingmar Bergman, but I give it a perfect score. RIP Mr. Hauer.

Available on Blu-ray from Magnet.

Christmas Evil (1980)

December 23, 2022December 23, 2022 vergeoflightLeave a comment

Streaming on YouTube | imdb | trailer

This is my favorite Christmas horror movie. Yes, the original Black Christmas and Silent Night Deadly Night are great, but this one is just so much more twisted and fun. Christmas Evil is also built on intentional humor that works, and features an absolutely unforgettable ending. You might just spill your eggnog.

Available on Blu-ray from Vinegar Syndrome.

The Horrible Dr. Hichcock (1962)

December 16, 2022December 15, 2022 vergeoflightLeave a comment

Streaming on YouTube | imdb | trailer

This is a solid gothic horror, starring Barbara Steele, by Ricardo Freda who later made the very good films The Iguana with the Tongue of Fire and Tragic Ceremony. If you are a fan of early Mario Bava and the Roger Corman Poe films, you will almost certainly be pleased. Warning to the casual horror fan: this is pretty tame aside from the implied necrophilia that makes this doctor so horrible. The movie relies on suspense instead of blood, and the pace is very deliberate. However if you can watch it with that in mind, you might enjoy it as much as I do. One definite incentive is that Barbara Steele gets a lot of screen time.

Available on Blu-ray from Olive.

Dawn of the Dead (2004)

November 11, 2022May 4, 2023 vergeoflightLeave a comment

Streaming on Netflix | imdb | trailer

You’ve seen the original 1978 version right? If not, fix that immediately. There was a time when I said that was my favorite movie of all time. I still love it. I am very cautious about remakes, but I saw this version in the theater when it came out and immediately enjoyed it. This is a “reimagining” done right. Zack Snyder and James Gunn took the same very general plot and did something new with it. They don’t use the same characters or location, which is key in honoring the source material. This Dawn is not better than the original, but well worth seeing. Here you have some serious fast-paced, violent, and intense horror. The CG looks a wee tiny bit dated, but honestly, it doesn’t bother me much. Oh yeah, I recall that this and 28 Days Later caused all these nerds to complain about fast moving zombies. They apparently forgot about Return of the Living Dead which was made in 1985. I hardly watch zombie flicks these days, but I don’t care how fast they move as long as the movie is good.

Available on Blu-ray from Scream Factory.

Under the Shadow (2016)

October 28, 2022October 27, 2022 vergeoflightLeave a comment

Streaming on Netflix | imdb | trailer

You may have noticed I am not a fan of PG-13 movies. Well, this is an exception. Under the Shadow is a very creepy horror film set in ‘80s Iran during that country’s war with Iraq. Your city being bombed regularly is bad enough, but throw an evil spirit into the mix and you have serious trouble. Sounds like some full-blown Anomalous Cinema right? This is a unique film that I thoroughly enjoyed. I hope to see more quality dark horror movies come out of Islamic countries in the near future.

Not available on domestic Blu-ray.