Category: Capsule Reviews

THE INNOCENTS (2021) Moody Norwegian chiller about a quartet of children who discover they not only share a psychic bond but harbor special powers. When sociopathic Ben’s (Sam Ashraf) powers grow stronger, he uses them to hurt those who’ve wronged him, causing a rift in his bond with the others. What sounds like X-Men Meets Village of the Damned is actually a much more complex film. The disquieting, brooding atmosphere keeps the tensions high, and creates a world in which none of the characters feel as if they’re safe. It runs a bit long, but The Innocents is a good and suspenseful little film that goes to dark places most movies wouldn’t dare. B+

NEEDFUL THINGS (1993) Solid Stephen King adaptation about a small Maine town slowly taken over by the demonic presence of its newest resident, Leland Gaunt (Max von Sydow). Leland’s antique store specializes in finding rare items for its costumers — objects for which many are willing to sell their soul, or commit murder, to obtain. A terrific cast (Ed Harris, Bonnie Bedelia, Amanda Plummer, and J.T. Walsh) makes the material work, which is handled in a much more subtle way (by director Fraser C. Heston) than you’d expect from a King book-turned-movie. Sydow wisely downplays his portrayal of the devilish Gaunt, while Walsh, as the bullying, embezzling Danforth “Buster” Keeton, is wonderfully scene-chewing. Good fun, but I can’t help wonder how more effective it all could have been had the screenplay (by W.D. Richter) attained even half of the book’s darker tone. B

THE TOXIC AVENGER (1984) The town of Tromaville has a new hero in the form of a mutated monster who quickly lays waste to the many pimps, murderers, and general douchebags that populate the city. Known as the Toxic Avenger, he’s actually mild-mannered Melvin, a bullied doofus who goes swimming in a vat of toxic waste (the result of a prank gone awry) and is turned into a muscle-bound hero who helps old ladies cross the street — when he’s not bashing in the heads of criminals. Perhaps the ultimate “bad taste” movie (this makes John Waters’s early films look like Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm), this gets points for its no-holds-barred shock value; children, dogs, and the elderly are all targets of the gory shenanigans of Tromaville. But it’s all done in satirical fun. Best scene: Toxic using industrial kitchen implements (including a milk shake mixer) to kill a group of splatterpunk rapists. Definitely not a movie for the Sensitivity Police. B+

TOXIC ZOMBIES (1980) A group of murderous pot farmers are secretly given a biological herbicide by the government and are turned into bloodthirsty zombie/cannibals in this ultra low-grade Dawn of the Dead clone, shot in and around Pittsburgh. The majority of the movie features characters being chased and chowed down on by the zombies, until a sufficient group of campers manage to escape and hold up inside a dilapidated house, Night of the Living Dead-style. There’s some shoestring charm to this backwoods gorefest, but it only goes so far before the paper-thin plot, like its cast, gets consumed. George Romero regular, John Amplas, has a small role as a corrupt FBI agent who gets his throat torn out. A low-fi howler, this was director Charles McCrann’s only movie; he ultimately died in the 9/11 attacks. C

BLOOD SALVAGE (1990) A stupid slasher variant about a vacationing family abducted by a religious fanatic hillbilly (Danny Nelson), who likes to perform diabolical medical experiments on his victims. The movie wants to be a parody (I think), but its tone is all over the place, with an uneven mix of gory horror and slapstick comedy that never gels. The screenplay also relies too heavily on its annoying, over-the-top characters to carry the movie, resulting in endless scenes of terrible, hammy acting. Even John Saxon, playing the father of a wheelchair-bound teen (Lori Birdsong) next on Nelson’s operating table, can’t save this. A chore to sit through. D

EATEN ALIVE (1976) Tobe Hooper followed-up Texas Chainsaw Massacre with this entertaining but disjointed shocker about a mentally disturbed man (Neville Brand) who kills and feeds to his pet alligator anyone who upsets him – which is everyone – at his dilapidated backwoods hotel. Shades of Norman Bates are obvious, but Brand’s performance is too hysterical at times, and the tone of the screenplay switches gears once too often. But, Hooper does throw in enough thrills and surprises (including a young Robert Englund’s encounter with the hungry gator) to keep the movie moving at a good pace, resulting in a demented, nasty little oddity. B–

THE OTHER (1972) Well-made adaptation of the best-selling book by Thomas Tryon (who also wrote the screenplay) about a series of deaths that surround a small family and its twin boys, Niles (Chris Udvarnoky) and Holland (Martin Udvarnoky). When mild-mannered Niles begins to astral project himself into the minds of others, this sets off a chain of incidents relating back to the psychopathic Holland. Although Robert Mulligan’s direction is at times stoic, this is a good film with excellent performances by the Udvarnoky brothers, and especially Uta Hagen as the matriarch of the family. The sinister, downbeat ending is a plus. Look for John Ritter in a small role. B

THE PHOENIX INCIDENT (2015) A group of friends encounter alien beasties in this meandering found footage story of the Phoenix Lights phenomenon from 1997. A 30-minute concept is stretched to 90 minutes, with a lot of screen time used on boring interviews with government officers involved in a worldwide conspiracy. There’s also a subplot about a sociopathic cult member (Michael Adamwaithe), but by that point I was looking at my watch. Technically well-made, but one can’t help wish this had been trimmed of its fat and released as a short film. The Phoenix Lights has created a tiny cottage industry: so far, this is the first of two found footage movies based on the supposedly real occurrence. C–

CITADEL (2012) Months after his wife was fatally attacked by a group of mysterious children, Tommy (Aneurin Barnard) realizes the same kids have come back to terrorize him and his daughter. While his mental health deteriorates, Tommy receives help from a disgraced priest (James Cosmo) who informs him the children are inhuman creatures that feed off fear. As with director Ciarán Foy’s other films (Eli, Sinister 2), Citadel is a good concept not fully realized. Yet, for most of the short 84-minute runtime the film works quite well, with Foy building a genuinely suspenseful and claustrophobic environment for Tommy to grapple with – not to mention some creepy, Cronenberg-esque kids. A lackluster conclusion slightly stains the overall impact the rest of the movie has, with one wondering what a few more rewrites of the screenplay might have achieved. B–

PHANTOMS (1998) A small Colorado town is overtaken by a mysterious, shapeshifting black ooze (not unlike The X-Files) emanating from below the ground in this entertaining but slight adaptation of the popular Dean Koontz book. When the town’s new doctor (Joanna Going) and her sister (Rose McGowan) arrive to discover most of the inhabitants dead or missing, they, along with the sheriff (Ben Affleck), try to figure out how to escape alive, and possibly save the rest of humanity. A good first half that builds intriguing mystery is muted with the introduction of too many uninteresting characters and a lengthy sequence inside a military vehicle where said characters sit around and hypothesize the creature’s origins. The special FX are good and the action robust, just don’t expect too much meat on these bones. C+

THE POSSESSION OF JOEL DELANEY (1972) Wealthy New York socialite Norah (Shirley MacLaine) becomes suspicious of brother, Joel’s (Perry King), change in behavior when he starts acting aggressive and speaking in a language he doesn’t know. When Joel’s girlfriend is found murdered, Norah believes the spirit of Joel’s deceased Puerto Rican friend (and serial killer) has invaded her brother’s body. An intriguing and suspenseful film that plays out more like a mystery than your typical possession movie, although it has its share of shocking moments. MacLaine is excellent and the mood bleak. The screenplay falls apart during the last several, hectic minutes, but the downbeat ending rings true. B

STRANGE INVADERS (1983) A love letter to ’50s sci-fi flicks, this has college professor, Dr. Bigelow (Paul LeMat), looking for his ex-wife (Diana Scarwid) in a small town and inadvertently stumbling onto a secret alien takeover that’s been going on for 25 years. With the help of a tabloid newspaper writer (Nancy Allen), Bigelow tries to uncover the alien plot, only to end up getting his daughter kidnapped and the government involved. Sort of a companion piece to director Michael Laughlin’s Strange Behavior, Invaders is both odd and charming, utilizing its kitschy premise by playing up the nostalgic vibe of movies like Invaders from Mars and Invasion of the Body Snatchers, and downplaying the seriousness of those films at the same time. Allen and Fiona Lewis (in a small role) are both delightful, but LeMat is wooden and unsympathetic. It’s not perfect, but there’s a lot to like here, and given the small budget, the practical FX are terrific. B

THE COLLINGSWOOD STORY (2002) The first of the webcam horror films that emerged in the wake of The Blair Witch Project, this simplistic film has a college student (Stephanie Dees) moving away from home and using webcams to communicate with her boyfriend (Johnny Burton). Unbeknownst to them, her new house was once the site of a mass murder associated with a satanic cult, bringing upon her a series of supernatural occurrences. It’s obvious the subgenre hadn’t yet found its footing, as this is much talkier and humorless than similar movies of its kind. The film has a genuinely unsettling atmosphere, but its slow pace and heavy reliance on exposition to build suspense hurts the impact the story could have had with a tighter, more focused screenplay. C+   

THE DEADLY SPAWN (1983) An enjoyable, low, low budget romp in the tradition of The Evil Dead, this pits a houseful of people against a multi-headed alien beastie with sharp teeth and a large appetite for human flesh. When the house’s monster-loving kid (Charles George Hilderbandt) becomes wise to the creature’s heightened sense of hearing, he uses it to his advantage to try and save his family from becoming next on the alien’s dinner plate. A fast pace and genuine excitement help lift this above its obvious budgetary restraints and somewhat dull characters. The OTT gore FX also add some spice to the paper-thin story, all leading up to a wonderful twist ending that would give Little Shop of Horrors a run for its money. B

SHE WILL (2022) Yet another “intellectual” non-horror “horror” movie that seems to have been made just for the pretentious film festival circuit. After aging movie star, Veronica Ghent (Alice Krige), undergoes a double mastectomy, she travels to a woodsy retreat to convalesce, only to find out the place was once the site of mass witch burnings. When Veronica begins seeing visions of said witches, she undergoes a physical and mental transformation, and uses her newfound powers to enact revenge against her male oppressors. Both obvious in its metaphors and mundane in its execution, She Will is a dumb movie that thinks it’s smart; the script never allows its characters to feel authentic or, most importantly, sympathetic. We’re automatically expected to side with Ghent because of a hinted past traumatic event that turned her into the chilly character presented in the film, but the movie itself is too cold and disjointed to allow the audience to make up its own mind. If you’re the type who likes to watch stock footage of snails having sex, this is the movie for you. D

ALL-AMERICAN MURDER (1991) d: Anson Williams. c: Christopher Walken, Charlie Schlatter, Joanna Cassidy, Josie Bissett, Richard Kind, Mitchell Anderson. The shocking, fiery murder of popular good girl, Tally (Bissett), ignites controversy in a small college town where all fingers point toward transfer student, Artie (Schlatter), who just happens to be a convicted arsonist. Artie pleads he’s being framed, but hard-boiled detective, Decker (Walken), isn’t convinced and gives Artie twenty-four hours to produce evidence of his innocence. Meanwhile, as more murders ensue, Artie discovers Tally may not have been as pure as she appeared. A disjoined slasher/mystery that doesn’t work as either, with an uneven screenplay (by Barry Sandler) drowning in silly, “crackerjack” dialogue that sounds more at home in a bad gangster movie from the ’40s. It’s hard to build much sympathy for Artie, who keeps placing himself in bad situations, and it doesn’t help that Schlatter plays the role as if he’s in a Michael J. Fox rom-com. Walken sleepwalks through his small part but undoubtably adds some professionalism to this otherwise low-rent melodrama. C–

THE AMERICAN SCREAM (1988) d: Mitchell Linden. c: Matt Borlenghi, Ponz Maar, Kevin Kaye, Jennifer Darling, Riley Weston, Jeane Sapienza, Blackie Dammett. An awkward but totally unique and enjoyable horror satire of the T&A comedies of the 1980s – especially the National Lampoon films – about a dopey family spending vacation at Wilson Creek, a small country town that seems to be filled with weirdos, hedonists, and killers. While the teens are constantly bombarded by crazy shenanigans, the bubbly parents are too busy wrapped in their own stupidity to notice any wrongdoings, especially Dad (Matt Frewer lookalike Maar), who’s a cross between Homer Simpson and Clark Griswald. The kids eventually discover the town is strangely lacking young people and go undercover as adults to find out what’s happening. There isn’t much of a plot – if you go into this film looking for logic you’ll be disappointed – but the film is more about the fundamentally whacky characters and insidiously oddball touches, including a John Waters-esque scene where a couple accidentally kill their baby and barbecue it. If that’s not your cup of tea, then The American Scream is definitely not for you. B

THE SPIRAL STAIRCASE (1946) d: Robert Siodmak. c: Dorothy McGuire, Ethel Barrymore, George Brent, Kent Smith, Rhoda Fleming, Elsa Lanchester, Gordon Oliver. Effective psychological chiller about a mute caregiver (McGuire) in a small New England town in the early 1900s terrorized by a killer of young women with disabilities. The film’s dense atmosphere creates an almost nightmarish world, while also successfully blending elements of film-noir into the story’s more dominant gothic setting. It should be noted this is one of the first movies to use the “black-gloved killer” that would become so prominent in Italian slashers of the ’60s and ’70s. The cast is good – especially Barrymore as the invalid matriarch of an estate that could house the identity of the murderer – but Siodmak’s direction is often cold, creating a barrier between the audience and the characters and softening the impact. A film that was ahead of its time, but one can’t help wonder how the story could have benefited had Hitchcock or Val Lewton gotten their hands on the material. B

10 CLOVERFIELD LANE (2016) d: Dan Trachtenberg. c: Mary Elizabeth Winstead, John Goodman, John Gallagher Jr. A white-knuckle thrill ride that works on multiple levels, this second film in the Cloverfield universe is perhaps the best sci-fi horror thriller in years. After surviving a car accident, a woman, Michelle (Windstead), wakes up in an underground bunker and is told by a strange man, Henry (Goodman), that some kind of attack has killed most of civilization in the surrounding areas. Things get worse when Michelle realizes Henry is not mentally stable, and the pressure rises as he makes life in the bunker difficult for her and another trapped survivor, Emmett (Gallagher Jr.). A simple premise is made rich thanks to a tight screenplay, which smartly places the audience in Michelle’s shoes and allows us to only know what she knows, which is mostly speculation from Henry. When surprising events unfold, they’re shocking and unpredictable. The claustrophobic environment of the bunker creates unease, especially when tension mounts between Henry and Michelle, creating some genuinely nail-biting moments. The characters are well-written and the chemistry between the actors feels organic and genuine. The surprise ending will leave you both on the edge of you seat and cheering. A

THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE 2 (1986) d: Tobe Hooper. c: Dennis Hopper, Caroline Williams, Jim Siedow, Bill Moseley, Bill Johnson. 14 years after the events in the first film, former Texas Ranger, Enright (Hopper), is looking for the infamous Sawyer family, unaware they’re now owners of an award-winning food truck (“The secret’s in the meat!”) and living under an abandoned theme park. When small-time radio DJ, Stretch (Williams), records the chainsaw murder of a caller, she uses the tape to help Enright catch the Sawyers, with dire consequences. Taking everything that’s been (wrongly) criticized about his earlier films, Hooper spins a delicious send-up by throwing in everything that was missing from the original Massacre (outrageous gore) and turning up the camp value – Moseley’s Chop Top is essentially a cartoon version of the hitchhiker from the ’74 film, while Williams’s Stretch is Sally dialed up to 11. A fun and colorful example of ’80s horror excess. B+