Gremlins 2: The New Batch

Gremlins 2 is pretty bonkers. The movie takes place a few years after the events of the first film. Billy has a new job in New York, and is in a committed relationship with his girl Kate. Billy also reunites with Gizmo after the mogwai's home is destroyed. Of course, things go awry and the gremlins wreak havoc on the skyscraper. This movie is just a ton of fun. It has some pretty damn entertaining meta jokes, including a moment where the movie flat out stops until Hulk Hogan threatens the gremlins. It is a bit more light-hearted because Joe Dante wanted the movie to be a different animal from the first movie. The cast is a lot of fun too. Aside from the returning cast members, we also have Christopher Lee in a small role. The movie's biggest flaw is that the horror elements are probably toned down a bit too much. If you're not into movies that are willing to go to really weird places, this probably is not the movie for you. If you do like some of those kinds of movies, then I would definitely recommend checking out this movie. 

7 / 10  

Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare

Can one truly call Freddy’s Dead a good movie in any sense of the word good? No. Yet, I have something of a soft spot for this flick. I can’t entirely put my finger on what it is. It isn’t a movie I have childhood nostalgia for. I was in my mid to late teens when I watched it for the first time. I really think Robert Englund is in top form as Freddy, as per usual, even if he was a bit too comedic. For the most part, I did also find the kills to pretty creative, something I would expect out of a Nightmare on Elm Street movie. I think the main issue with this film is that it’s a whole new cast of characters taking Freddy down. It isn’t really a plot point that had been established in previous films. And yes, I do think that’s a pretty major problem with this movie. However, I actually do like the new characters we spend time for the most part. Kind of adding to that point a little bit, I do get that Freddy was the star of the show at this point. But, having completely new people be the ones to kill him for good almost makes his death feel a little empty. The special effects can be pretty laughably bad too, especially the dream people. The last ten to fifteen minutes incorporate 3-D, and it really comes off as an afterthought. So, yes, Freddy’s Dead is a legitimately bad movie with a ton of problems that are pretty tough to ignore. But, I do see this as a personal guilty pleasure, and an enjoyably bad movie to watch around Halloween. I know I’m in the minority, but I don’t really care.  

6 / 10

Pet Sematary (1989)

Louis Creed (played by Dale Midkiff) moves with his family to Maine because he takes a job. Before too long, tragedy strikes the Creed family, and Louis takes desperate measures when their neighbor, Jud (played by Fred Gwynne) tells him about the pet cemetery. I really enjoy this movie. It has something of a dated 80s charm to it. It probably helps that the script was written by Stephen King himself. The acting is pretty hit and miss. Fred Gwynne as Jud is easily the best part of the movie. On the other hand, I don't care as much for Dale Midkiff in the lead. He's not awful or anything. He just doesn't do much for me in the movie. I will say that I kind of love how quotable this movie is. I can't tell you how many times I have randomly said "Never get out of bed again," just as an example. Some of the effects are a bit dated by today's standards. I'm not saying that is a negative in the case of this movie, as I feel it adds to this movie's dated feel and charm. This isn't a perfect movie, nor do I consider one of the best King movies. However, I do think it's still a decently fun watch. Check it out, especially if you are a fan of Stephen King movies. 

7 / 10 

Creepshow 2

 Creepshow 2 was not directed by George A. Romero this time around. However, Romero did write the movie. The stories also are based on stories wrtten by Stephen King, even though King didn't write this movie himself. The stories this time around are still pretty inventive, even if there are less of them. The best of the three stories in this film is easily the third and final one. Among the stories are a wooden Native American statue that seeks revenge against a couple killers, a sludge monster stalking and killing a group of college students looking for a swimming getaway, and a woman being haunted by the ghost of someone she accidentally killed. The one thing I definitely think was weaker this time around was the framing in between the stories. It isn't bad. It just isn't as good as the framing in the first movie. Once again, the cast is pretty damn good too, even if it is a bit odd that a white actor was cast as a native American in this movie. I will admit though; I think I preferred the cast in the first movie a little bit more. Overall, Creepshow 2 was a fun enough sequel. Do I prefer the first movie? Yes. But, that doesn't take away from the fact that this is still pretty damn entertaining. If you're a fan of the first movie, give this movie a watch.  

7 / 10 

The Pool (a.k.a. Swimming Pool)

A group of "high school students" break into a closed down pool for a graduation party. I'll be honest, if you've rad any of my past reviews, you'll know I tend to be on the forgiving side of a lot of slasher movies. This... is not going to be one of those cases. I like a couple of the performances, namely the performances by a young Isla Fisher and a young James McAvoy before either of them really got big. There's at least one kill in the movie I think is genuinely entertaining. A couple of scenes are directed decently enough, I suppose. Isla Fisher's character in the film is only in two scenes. The backstory given to this character feels more interesting and thought out than the backstory given to the actual final girl. Okay, even by slasher movie standards, most of these characters feel incredibly stock. A couple of them are also really hard to tell apart from one another. Literally, three of the male characters in this movie have similar build and short black hair in a buzz cut. The killer's costume also looks stupid. It doesn't look like the costume I would expect out of the villain in a slasher movie. It looks like a costume worn by a lame supervillain. 

 But, this movie commits what is perhaps the greatest sin a movie can commit. It is just plain boring, especially in the first half. I've already mentioned that I don't particularly care about most of the characters. So, that probably doesn't help that much at all. Even as someone who is a bit of an apologist for cheesy slasher movies, I can't bring myself to recommend this. It really isn't worth your time or effort. 

4 / 10 

Headless Horseman

 
Headless Horseman is 2007 made-for-television movie about a group of college kids who find themselves stuck in a small town where the townsfolk offer them up to the Headless Horseman as part of a ritual sacrifice. Is this movie good? No. It is, however, my kind of bad. It has sort of an 80s slasher feel to it, and that is usually something that is going to appeal to me on some level. It has the quality of acting you would expect in both a slasher movie, and a made-for-television Sci-fi channel movie. It is noticeably low budget. The costumes and sets look cheap and fake. The CGI is awful. The gore effects are pretty inconsistent. Sometimes, it's clear the blood is digital. When you have those moments, it looks really bad. When I can tell the blood is not digital, it tends to be among the more impressive effects in the movie. The characters aren't very deep. Again, I don't really care about that in a slasher movie very often. I do, however, think they were mostly pretty likable. If you are a fan of cheesy, bad, dumb movies, then I would recommend this flick. I can't guarantee it's going to be your kind of bad. But, I also can't guarantee it won't be either. If you're not into this kind of movie, then I would say to skip it altogether. 

5 / 10 

The Mummy (1932)

 

The high priest Imhoetep intends to bring his long lost love back from the dead. Boris Karloff is easily the best part of this movie. I kind of love the sense that he has this hypnosis over this woman he's trying to use to resurrect his love. I should also say that I quite enjoy her as well. She's not necessarily a damsel who does nothing but scream. I actually feel like she has some form of personality to her. That said, she is still sort of just a prize. I can be a little forgiving of that because this was from the 1930s. This movie is short, and is pretty well-paced. However, I can't say it's my favorite of the classic Universal monster movies. Other than Karloff and Zita Johann as the female lead, Helen, the rest of the cast was just alright to me. The actors were fine, but I didn't really get much out of their characters. The effects also look pretty good for the time as well. Overall, The Mummy was a fine enough movie. I'm glad I finally got the chance to see it this year. Is it going to be a yearly watch for me? Probably not, but I still do recommend watching it at least once. 

6 / 10