Tag: horror

Dark Night of the Scarecrow (1981)

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Streaming on YouTube | imdb | trailer

A mentally disabled young man is wrongly executed by four small-town vigilantes. Those men are later picked off one at a time. Simple as that. This was a CBS network TV movie (originally shot for a theatrical release) that scared the crap out of me as a child. Thankfully it has held up very well since then, and remains an effective horror film in spite of being PG. Our “hero” is played by Larry Drake, who went on to play another mentally disabled character in the series L.A. Law, and was also in Darkman, and Dr. Giggles (but I like this film much better than any of those). If you are not into horror with minimal graphic violence, skip this one. However I maintain this is a solid scare flick in spite of being on the mild side.

Available on Blu-ray from VCI.

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It Comes at Night (2017)

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JustWatch Streaming Info | imdb | trailer

I was hoping to recommend a horror movie, but this is more of a psychological thriller. Pretty damned creepy at times though. I saw It Comes at Night when it first came out and gave it a good rating, but I didn’t remember a thing about it. I figured why not rewatch it after a few drinks and give you a more off the cuff recommendation? 

Ahem… 

Killer cinematography. The whole cast is solid. Nice to see Christopher Abbot again in a role before I began recognizing his awesomeness. There are bits of this that remind me of how it felt at the beginning of Covid (oh boy doesn’t that make you want to watch this now?). Some people were turned off by this not being a straight forward horror movie. Some were turned off by not knowing exactly what is going on. I was not turned off. I am not calling this a fun movie, or even a great movie, but it sure as hell is Anomalous Cinema. 

The themes reminded me of the OG Twilight Zone episodes The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street (1960) and The Shelter (1961). I suggest if you’ve never seen those, watch them AFTER It Comes at Night.

Available on Blu-ray from Lion’s Gate.

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Clearcut (1991)

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JustWatch Streaming Info | imdb | trailer

Graham Greene stars as an Indigenous activist seeking to teach a lesson to the head of a logging company. I only saw this movie for the first time recently and what a pleasant surprise it was. Clearcut is an original mix of horror and thriller, and is satisfying throughout the run time. Going in knowing as little as little as possible will give you the best viewing experience. It would be best to not even watch the trailer.

Available on Blu-ray from Severin Films.

If you are a fan of Anomalous Cinema, please consider supporting this site by donating any amount (even $1.00 is appreciated) via Venmo @vergeoflight / Cash App $vergeoflight / or Paypal at this secure link. A Paypal account is not required. Thank you.

The Reflecting Skin (1990)

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Just-Watch Streaming Info | imdb | trailer

A boy lives in early 1950s rural Idaho where reality is very strange, and mysterious deaths are occurring. When I first heard the COIL song “Omlagus Garfungiloops” I was baffled by the sample “You’ve been exploding frogs again?” A friend informed me it was from the movie The Reflecting Skin. I knew I needed to see this. I finally was able to rent a copy a year or so later and was 100% not disappointed. I have watched this one multiple times over the years. I never get sick of it. This movie is darkly surreal, beautiful, horrific, funny at times, and features very good performances. That includes an early appearance of Viggo Mortensen, who I’ve been a big fan of ever since. There are moments where you see the limits of the budget, but they take little away from this unique indie masterpiece.

BONUS: You can watch director Philip Ridley’s bizarre short film The Universe of Dermott Finn (1988) here on YouTube. Check out an article about Ridley’s multi-faceted career here.

Not available on domestic Blu-ray.

If you are a fan of Anomalous Cinema, please consider supporting this site by donating any amount (even $1.00 is appreciated) via Venmo @vergeoflight / Cash App $vergeoflight / or Paypal at this secure link. A Paypal account is not required. Thank you.

Timecrimes (2007)

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Streaming info on JustWatch | imdb | trailer

Here’s one of my favorite Spanish horror mysteries to come out in the ‘00s. A man inadvertently travels backwards in time. Then things get very weird and complicated. This is definitely more of a mystery, with a dab of sci-fi,  than a straight up horror movie. Don’t let that deter you though. Timecrimes is dark, a little sleazy, sometimes funny, and kept me guessing throughout. It’s a pity that none of Nacho Vigalondo’s work since has interested me much. Hey, the man wrote and directed this awesome brain fuck of a movie, so it’s possible he’s got another great one left in him. I certainly hope that proves to be true.

Not available on domestic Blu-ray.

If you are a fan of Anomalous Cinema, please consider supporting this site by donating any amount (even $1.00 is appreciated) via Venmo @vergeoflight / Cash App $vergeoflight / or Paypal at this secure link. A Paypal account is not required. Thank you.

The Quiet Family (1998)

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JustWatch Streaming Info | imdb | trailer (sorry about the poor quality)

The first guest at a mountain inn commits suicide and wackiness ensues. This is a very good horror comedy by director Kim Jee-woon who also made the excellent A Bittersweet Life and I Saw the Devil, among other popular SK films. I just learned that The Quiet Family was also the inspiration for Miike’s The Happiness of the Katakuris that I recommended previously. This one is not a musical however. Do I really need to tell you more?

Not available on domestic Blu-ray.

If you are a fan of Anomalous Cinema, please consider supporting this site by donating any amount (even $1.00 is appreciated) via Venmo @vergeoflight / Cash App $vergeoflight / or Paypal at this secure link. A Paypal account is not required. Thank you.

From Beyond (1986)

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JustWatch Streaming Info | imdb | trailer

This is director Stewart Gordon’s second H. P. Lovecraft adaptation starring Jeffrey Combs. If you’ve read the original story then you know that it’s an extremely loose adaptation, like Re-Animator. However unlike Richard Stanley’s Color Out of Space this is still a great horror movie. Some of the practical FX look dated, but if that deters you from watching, you are going to miss a surrealistic, morbid, pervy, sometimes funny, cult classic. The recent restored versions of From Beyond showcase the awesome saturated colors, which was a real pleasure to see compared to the old VHS tape. Keep an ear out for some classic Skinny Puppy samples too. If you enjoy this, make sure to see the Gordon/Combs collaborations Re-Animator (duh – essential ’80s horror) and The Black Cat episode of the Masters of Horror series.

Available on 4K UHD from Vinegar Syndrome.

If you are a fan of Anomalous Cinema, please consider supporting this site by donating any amount (even $1.00 is appreciated) via Venmo @vergeoflight / Cash App $vergeoflight / or Paypal at this secure link. A Paypal account is not required. Thank you.

Black Christmas (1974)

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JustWatch Streaming Info | imdb | trailer

This one is for you younger readers that may have never seen this excellent Holiday Season horror film. Black Christmas is considered one of the earliest slasher films, it was a massive influence on John Carpenter’s original Halloween, and the director went on to make a little movie called A Christmas Story. That is correct. Portland’s own Hollywood Theatre once even showed both on the same night, but not as a double feature unfortunately. Director Bob Clark was also the man behind the raunchy teen comedy Porky’s and the highly recommended horror film Deathdream (aka Dead of Night). Black Christmas took me multiple viewings to really appreciate because it is pretty tame in the blood department. Clark was not setting out to make a gory “hack ’em and stack ’em” slasher. However it features two excellent performances from Olivia Hussey and Keir Dullea (Dave from 2001: A Space Odyssey), plus you might recognize multiple other beloved actors in supporting roles. This is one of my top three Christmas horrors, along with Christmas Evil and Silent Night, Deadly night, so do not miss it. Don’t waste your time with the remake by the way, it’s just ok.

Available on 4K UHD / Blu-ray from Shout Factory.

If you are a fan of Anomalous Cinema, please consider supporting this site by donating any amount (even $1.00 is appreciated) via Venmo @vergeoflight / Cash App $vergeoflight / or Paypal at this secure link. A Paypal account is not required. Thank you.

Dog Soldiers (2002)

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JustWatch Streaming Info | imdb | trailer

There really should be more good action horror movies. Dog Soldiers is an example of what can be done. Scottish soldiers on night exercises + werewolves = awesome. Do I really need to tell you anything else? I really enjoyed this movie and was happy to see the director go on to make The Descent. Unfortunately that was pretty much all old Neil Marshall had to offer, other than appearing as a talking head in many horror-related documentaries (well, Centurion was not bad). Maybe it’s not too late for Mr. Marshall? He has two upcoming movies at this moment, so let’s hope for the best.

Available on Blu-ray from Shout Factory.

If you are a fan of Anomalous Cinema, please consider supporting this site by donating any amount (even $1.00 is appreciated) via Venmo @vergeoflight / Cash App $vergeoflight / or Paypal at this secure link. A Paypal account is not required. Thank you.

Sleepy Hollow (1999)

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JustWatch Streaming Info | imdb | trailer

I am posting this on the Friday before Halloween 2023, so I wanted to choose something with a particularly spooky vibe. In fact, many moons ago, my partner and I had a seasonal party where we showed this, along with the original versions of Night of the Living Dead and The Evil Dead. I will admit that Sleepy Hollow falls into the territory of movies I would think everyone with interest in horror has seen. However the film came out before 9/11, so this recommendation is for the benefit of you folks born after. Tim Burton is very hit or miss for me, but this and Ed Wood are probably my favorite among his work. Yes, it does have some wince-inducing cheesy parts that might have been better in Edward Scissorhands, but it also features plenty of gore and one of my favorite Christopher Walken appearances. Just watch Sleepy Hollow if you’ve never had the pleasure before. It’s a whole bunch of creepy fun. Oh, and if you’ve never seen the 1958 Disney version of The Legend… (or it’s been a while), watch that first.

Available on 4K UHD / Blu-ray from Paramount.

If you are a fan of Anomalous Cinema, please consider supporting this site by donating any amount (even $1.00 is appreciated) via Venmo @vergeoflight / Cash App $vergeoflight / or Paypal at this secure link. A Paypal account is not required. Thank you.