976-EVIL

976-Evil Movie Review

People calling a 976 number to get their “horrorscope” get very personal messages and eventually evil powers. This 1988 film, Robert Englund’s directorial debut, is pretty standard 80’s b-movie stuff, complete with a weird plot, stereotypical teenagers, and really bad special effects. Stephen Geoffreys (Evil Ed from Fright Night) is a perfect choice for Hoax, the lead character. Geoffreys almost brings back Evil Ed in the performance, playing a similar, but nerdier, character.

"Don't call me Evil!...please"

If you are into hot 80’s rebel chicks, you will find some liking in this film. It’s also interesting to note that Darren Burrows of Northern Exposure fame made his film debut here. And, as a fan of The Wonder Years, I was happy to see Robert Picardo make an appearance here in a role MUCH different than Cutlip. The dialogue is pretty lousy and the fight scene in the bathroom is Ed Wood bad. The plot is terrible--the acting, for the most part, is equally as bad. Still, there is some weird charm to this movie that keeps you interested up to the awful ending. If you dig bad 80’s horror, this one’s for you. If not, skip it.

On A Scale Of One To Ten: 5

976-EVIL Trailer (This is actually a pretty awesome trailer)

A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET (2010) (From The Theatre)

A Nightmare On Elm Street 2010 Movie Review

A group of high school students having dreams of a burned killer named Freddy Krueger (Jackie Earle Haley, Watchmen, Shutter Island)) suddenly start dying. This remake of the 1984 classic keeps many of the same stories of the original while adding new stuff as well. I am going to say right off the bat that I am a huge fan of the original, so my expectations going into this weren’t really high to begin with. What did impress me, however, were some of the death scenes, in particular the first and the final ones. There are also a few moments that make you jump, which is always good. This movie has a few scenes taken directly from the original, with mixed results. The scene of the girl getting thrown about the bedroom is back and is actually better here. On the other hand, the bathtub scene also returns and is not nearly as effective as in the first film. One thing that really drags this movie down is the cast. With the exception of Rooney Mara as Nancy Holbrook (as opposed to Nancy Thompson from the original), the cast is very weak and, for the most part, irritating. This applies especially to Kyle Gallner as Quentin and Thomas Dekker as Jesse. The special effects are hit-or-miss throughout, alternating between really cool and really distracting and poorly done. Finally, there’s Freddy. This movie confirms what I believed going into it: nobody other than Robert Englund should EVER play Freddy. This is not at all a knock on Jackie Earle Haley, who is a good actor in his own right. He did as much as he could do with the role, but it comes off as a Halloween costume of Freddy, not the real thing, and that takes way too much from the movie.

Freddy?

It just never FEELS like Freddy. If you are a youngster and/or you’ve never seen the original, this may not affect you at all. For those of us who grew up with and love the original series of films this will just never feel like a Nightmare On Elm Street movie, though it does have tons of potential. Had they brought Englund back and cast better actors for the supporting roles, this could have been a wonderful movie. Sadly, it’s not--at least I caught the matinee.

On A Scale Of One To Ten: 6

A Nightmare On Elm Street Movie Trailer

SLEEPAWAY CAMP

Sleepaway Camp Movie Review

Quiet teen Angela (Felissa Rose) goes to a summer camp where the mean kids and counselors are being killed off one by one. This 1983 low budget horror film is pretty typical of the movies from that era: camp setting, mean kids, nice kids, slasher killing people off camera, bad dialogue, bad acting. The two best performances are turned in by Karen Fields as the bully Judy and Desiree Gould as the super-weird Aunt Martha (a bit of a tip-off to the twist ending).

You've said too much!

Interestingly, Gould has only appeared in two other films and Fields has not done any other movies. This is a pretty forgettable film but it is VERY well known for one thing--the aforementioned twist ending is one of the most talked about endings in horror history. This alone almost makes it worth sitting through (though I was already aware of the ending before I saw the film). Otherwise, this is a fairly run of the mill slasher flick.

On A Scale Of One To Ten: 5

Sleepaway Camp Movie Trailer

DONNIE DARKO

Donnie Darko Movie Review

Teenager Donnie Darko (Jake Gyllenhaal, Zodiac, The Day After Tomorrow) is bothered by visions of a demented looking rabbit (Frank), who persuades Donnie to commit crimes, while also giving him clues about the end of the world. This is really just touching the surface of this bizarre film that also involves time travel and alternate reality. Filled with strange characters, strange scenes, and even stranger special effects, I have found this to be a movie that people tend to either love or write off completely because they cannot connect to it--I fall into the former. I think the story is phenomenal and the acting is very strong. Gyllenhall does a fine job as Donnie, Jena Malone (The Ruins, Into The Wild) is good as Donnie’s girlfriend Gretchen, and Patrick Swayze (The Outsiders, Red Dawn) is a scene-stealer as motivational speaker Jim Cunningham.

"Are you going to finish that popcorn?"

It should also be noted that the soundtrack is outstanding, featuring many of the best new wave bands of the 1980’s. The film does get bogged down at times and moves slow, especially if you watch the extended director’s cut. Donnie Darko is a mood-altering movie as well, so be warned. This truly is  a fantastic film that I recommend highly.

On A Scale Of One To Ten: 9

Donnie Darko Movie Trailer