There's no denying that George Romero's 1978 classic, <I>Dawn of the Dead</i>, along with his other two films, <I>Night of the Living Dead</i> and <I>Day of the Dead</i>, is/are an important part of horror film history. However, a little over 25 years after <I>Dawn of the Dead</i> was released, we were gifted with Zack Snyder's 2004 remake, with a new spin: The zombies can run!
<I>Dawn of the Dead</i>'s a full-blown action/horror film with running zombies, who are fierce, brutal, and wreak havoc at and with anything in their path, while the humans must seek safety and shelter by securing themselves inside a mall, transforming it to accommodate their needs. Over time, though, something's about to happen, right?
The first 10 minutes of the film, before the opening credits appear, really set the stage for what you're about to watch. A great storyline, characters whose emotions you can feel through the screen, and fantastic effects and gore to keep any horror film fan's attention for the almost two hour runtime.
Watch this in the dark with an LG OLED - you won't regret it!
(<A HREF="https://boxd.it/4TlUqj">Originally published on LG OLED's Letterboxd</A>)
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Where to begin with this horror gem? Clive Barker's <I>Hellraiser</i> is a masterpiece, a mix between horror and romance while also introducing us to the Cenobites, lead by Pinhead (who was credited as "Lead Cenobite"). What makes this film so appealing is that it's not only dark and mysterious, but there are many stories being shown/told from those who have gained access to the box (also known as the Lament Configuration), which summons the Cenobites.
The film launched a popular franchise, giving us eight films starring Doug Bradley as Pinhead, and then two additional films (sans Bradley) that were not well-received by both critics and fans. In 2022, Hulu <A HREF="https://boxd.it/bg7S">developed a reboot with a female Pinhead</a> (Jamie Clayton), once again taking the franchise in a new direction.
(<A HREF="https://boxd.it/4UdfnB">Originally published on LG OLED's Letterboxd</A>)
I was so surprised by how good this was, especially as someone with no D&D knowledge at all. It is super funny, and not at the expense of the action or the story. It's just a lot more fun than I find most fantasy movies. I hope it gets a sequel.
Now that I know it was written by John Francis Daley, it all makes sense, because he also co-wrote Spider-Man Homecoming, which also nailed the comedy/action balance.
Tim Curry's "Pennywise the Clown" will forever haunt us ever since <I><A HREF="https://boxd.it/26tG">It</A></i> premiered as a limited series on TV back in 1990.
25-plus years later, the role was handed over to Bill Skarsgård, who turned the character into a child-like, menacing figure that haunts and stalks the children in this film. It's a great story on print turned into a film made for a new generation.
Also, whomever did the casting deserves a round of applause!
(<A HREF="https://boxd.it/4UcAA5">Originally published on LG OLED's Letterboxd</A>)
John Kramer, er… Jigsaw’s back!
This prequel, set between the events of <I>Saw</I> and <I>Saw II</I>, truly delivers a solid story to please fans, further adding to John’s/Jigsaw’s (back)story as to what his mission is. Along for the ride are the usual twists and turns, all well-played out until the very end.
Overall, <B>this is a John Kramer film</B>.
*There’s a mid-credit scene, so be sure to stick around.
Just the audacity of Charles Band to even TRY to pull this film off in 1989 is enough to make it worth watching in 2023.
Impressive creature and suit effects under any circumstance, but to have them fighting as well…!
With little to no dialog, Kaitlyn Dever carried the entire film. While watching, I noticed small elements of <I>A Quiet Place</I> (noise) and <I>War of the Worlds</I> (aliens), maybe even <I>The Faculty</I> and <I>Invasion of the Body Snatchers</I> (possession) sprinkled about, especially during the second half of the film. However, the ending just didn't sit right with me.
One of the worst of the killer animal films I’ve watched recently. Everyone does the absolute minimum, especially James “Sure, I’ll be in your movie, but I don’t want to really do anything” Franciscus.
Even the flipping title fish don’t get to a whole lot of killing either!(And who thought it was good idea to give Margaux Hemingway dialog?!)
The sixth installment in the <I>V/H/S</I> franchise was... interesting. While it's hard to compare it to the other installments (the first three could've taken place at any time, while these last three were attached to specific years, which you can tell by the "quality" of the tapes and technology), it still delivers.
I'm glad Shudder took this franchise under its wings as we've received three new films in three years, a gift for us all. As usual, there's great talent attached, incl. Scott Derickson and Mike P. Nelson, who truly deliver the goods that us franchise fans want. They're outside of the box insane and deliver a heavy bodycount in creative, unimaginable ways, and I can't wait for the next one!
I’ve watched this movie a few times now. I really want to like it more than I do. It’s got steam punk weaponry, beautiful cast, witches, magic and tons of action scenes. Why does it bore me?! Pretty sure it is the cast. Jeremy Renner sleepwalks his way through the film and he and Gemma Arteton have ZERO chemistry. Actually, NO ONE does, really. Gemma and the troll 'Edward' have more chemistry between them than anyone else in the cast!
My only complaint is that they never wear the dresses from the poster in the movie.
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This small-budget ($6 million!) suspense/thriller surpassed all expectations back in 1995 due to not only its fantastic cast but incredible story. Along with the somewhat improvised police line-up scene (it's not a spoiler as it's on the film poster!), the whodunit reveal at the end blew audiences out of their seats, and rightfully so. We will not spoil the film for you, so just go see it for yourself.
(<A HREF="https://boxd.it/4Swplb">Originally published on LG OLED's Letterboxd</A>)
