If you read Thursday's review of " The Giant Gila Monster ," you'll know that it was one of two movies that won a viewing during my weekly, " What Movie Wednesday " event.  Well, today, I bring you the second of the double feature I had that night... " Zombie Dearest "... After spoiling a suprise birthday party that was arranged for him, Gus's wife decides to leave him and return to her childhood home.  Gus, not wanting to lose her, follows her and agrees to fix up the run down farmhouse.  Soon however, Guss digs up a convenient farmhand that will do his bidding.  Too bad that farmhand has a taste for human flesh ... Writer/Director/Star David Kemker brings us an amusing and entertaining tale of a man and his zombie.  The premise is solid, and the writing is pretty good.  The first few minutes actually had me snorting my drink out my nose, it was so silly. While it's not a laugh a minute type movie, there is humour spread nicely thr

This week, my " What Movie Wednesday " feature wound up having TWO winners.  A couple of last minute votes pushed " The Giant Gila Monster " (1959), and " Zombie Dearest " (2009) to a tie.  Since I had already delayed things due to technical difficulties... and because I pre-empted it last week, I decided that rather than try for a tie breaking vote, I would make it a " What Movie Wednesday Double Feature " week! First up for review is, " The Giant Gila Monster "... When people start dying in unexplainable car wrecks, Sheriff Jeff and Chase Winstead being to investigate.  As the deaths pile up, the clues point to something HUGE is responsible... something that has a taste for human flesh.  Soon the Sheriff and Chase are in a fight to save the town from colossal carnivore of death ... " The Giant Gila Monster " was filmed by Ray Kellogg back to back with " The Killer Shrews " for Gordon McLendon- who owned a c

Once should never judge a movie by it's title... but sometimes, the title is a big indicator of the movie's quality... S afecracker Joey Faust has a mysterious benefactor in Major Paul Kenner when Kenner breaks Faust out of jail.  Soon Faust discovers that the Major has a sinister plan in story for him and the world... one that requires him to become the Amazing Transparent Man ... This is a mad scientist B-movie right to the core.  The premise is silly, the budget low, the acting giggle inducing.  But it's not all bad, though. I have to give credit to Douglas Kennedy as Joey Faust.  He managed to make the character interesting- and even a little likable.  His face reminded me a bit of Lon Chaney, Jr in " Indestructible Man " (1956).  Marguerite Chapman as Laura Matson was nice to look at, but a little hammy when being hysterical and panicky.  I wasn't much for James Griffith's performance as Major Paul Krenner, however- though I was amused by his

Right now, while vampires may be making a comeback in movies on and TV, zombies are reigning supreme in the video game industry.  One of the most popular ones is " Left 4 Dead "... A strange "flu" has overwhelmed Pennsylvania, turning people into flesh eating zombies.  Four survivors are forced to fight their way through the hordes of the undead in order to escape ... " Left 4 Dead " is a First Person Shooter that hits so many notes correctly. First off, the graphics are just fantastic.  The detail on the characters and zombies help to make you believe that these are people who have been turned into the undead.  The environment is also equally well detailed and crafted.  The look of the game creates a great atmosphere of mood and suspense that helped to suck me into the action.  It had an almost cinematic feel to it- which was helped by the fact that each part of the over all storyline had a movie poster to go with it.  Just a beautiful looking ga

Last month, I reviewed the 1976 release of " The Omen ," and it's 2006 remake.  This month, I bring you my thoughts on " Damien: Omen II ". Seven years after the deaths of his parents, Damien Thorn is staying with his uncle and aunt.  He lives a safe, happy life until people start dying.  Soon, Damien learns the truth: that he'll play a major role in the battle between good and evil The storyline is pretty good in this movie.  It was fairly easy to follow, with enough side stories to provide depth to the main plot.  The pacing of the story in this movie is also a little faster than in "The Omen," so I wasn't bored with it.  There is a serious flaw though with the storyline, and that's the fact that it relies on people having watched the first movie to understand a bit more about the plot.  One it's own, the story isn't as effective . The story was certainly strong enough to allow for decent development of the characters.  E

I find horror novels that start out gently and proceed to increase the roughness and intesity as the story goes along quiet satisfying company on those cold, dark nights where the flickering light of the candle causes soft shadows to dance in the corners of my room.  Helps to remind me that the dark has yet to reveal all of its secrets to me... much like the darkness inside us keeps its own secrets tightly within its grasp... Pandora Ellis has been invited to spend the summer at her great aunt Rachel's estate while her parents take time to mend their marriage.  From the moment she steps foot inside of "Savannah," she is confronted by mysterious occurances.  Occurances that may lead her to solving the secret of Rachel's suprisingly youthful appearance... but with the price being her very soul... Philip Caveney is a British author that started writing children's books in 2007.  Before that, however, he wrote adult thrillers- including " The Sings of Rach

One of the things I enjoy about my " What Movie Wednesday " series is that I can get my readers involved in the content of this site by telling me what movie to watch and review.  Another thing I like is the spontaneous nature of it- I never know what to expect from the voting, or the movie either. Such was the voting yesterday.  It was actually pretty close between the three movies- I was almost afraid there'd be a three-way tie, to be honest.  Fortunately, there was a winner- " Harvest of Fear ". Medical intern Billy McKinley has arrived at Devil's Lake at the wrong time.  Someone has started killing off teens attending the Harvest Festival- mimicking a series of killings from twenty years before.  Is it the same killer, or has Billy gotten dragged into something much darker? There are some pretty decent things in this movie- and some not so decent things too.  I will admit that the premise is a little cliched, but still capable of providing a dec

This past weekend (March 9th & 10th), my friends from " Film Reviews From the Basement " hosted Dark Fest 2012.  Also on hand was director Sevé Schelenz, to bring attendees his award winning film, " Skew ".  I was unable to attend the festival myself, but Jay has kind enough to lend me his copy of this film before hand so I could watch and review myself. Simon has a new camera, and decides to videotape him and his friends- Rich and Eva as they travel on a roadtrip to attend a wedding.  Unfortunately, something seems to be wrong with Simon's camera... it's showing him things that will leave a lasting impact on him and his friends before the trip is finished ... " Skew " wasn't that bad of a film- but it wasn't what I would call a great film either.  I loved the premise.  It added a nice supernatural element to the story- especially when it's revealed that only Simon is able to see what's being shown him through the view fi

For my latest, " What Movie Wednesday ," feature, I offered up three movies, and let people vote for which one I would watch, tweet along to, and review.  The three movies that were suggested were: " Legacy of Blood " (1971); " Orphan " (2009); and " Thirst " (2009)  People spoke, and the movie chosen was the 2009 Korean vampire movie, " Thirst ". Father Sang-hyun is a priest afflicted with doubts about the value of the work he does with the sick and the dying.  Wanting to do something truly meaningful, he volunteers for a medical experiment in search of a cure for a deadly virus.  Infected by the virus, Sang-hyun receives a blood transfusion, and miraculously recovers. Soon afterwards, he meets Tae-ju- a woman married to an old family friend of Sang-hyun's.  Their attraction to one another pulls them down a dark path of darkness, violence and death... I found " Thirst " to be a beautifully made movie.  Even t

Western culture and Eastern culture.  Belief and disbelief.  The living and the dead.  These are often some of the themes used in the entertainment industry.  Sometimes to educate us, sometimes to amuse us... and sometimes to scare us. Melissa and Yul have gone to Hong Kong for their honeymoon, taking part in the "Hungry Ghost" festival.  They learn that it believed that only by offering a living animal will the dead be appeased when they roam during the full moon of the seventh lunar month.  This is a lesson that may just cost them their lives... and their souls... " Seventh Moon " was directed by Eduardo Sanchez- who brought us " The Blair Witch Project ".  While I wasn't too keen on that movie, I was happier with this outing.  While there is still some disorienting camera wobbling and spinning, it is at a more tolerable level in this movie. In fact, there is some pretty decent camera work done in this movie.  One particular scene that showed

This past Wednesday, I started a new interactive feature for my blog- " What Movie Wednesday "! "What is this new feature about," you ask?  Well, let me tell you. Every Wednesday, I will be posting on my Facebook group page , my personal Facebook Profile , Google + ,  and Twitter a bit of a poll.  In the poll, I will be asking YOU, the reader, which of three possible horror movies I should watch that night for review.  At that point, you will then be able to vote on which movie I watch.  The movie that gets the most votes wins (natrually). The polls will be posted at 12:00 am (Pacific Standard Time) every Wednesday morning, and voting will continue until 7:00 pm that same day.  At that time, I will announce the winning movie, and begin watching it.  I'll also be doing a bit of a running commentary of the movie on Twitter while watching it.  The next day, I will sit down and write my review of the movie here.  At the bottom of the review, I will acknowl

As part of my new series- called, " What Movie Wednesday ," people who follow me on Facebook and Twitter got the chance to tell me what movie to watch and review.  The people chose the Spanish made 1969 film, " The House That Screamed "... A young woman arrives at a French boarding school, and discovers a world ruled by a strict, uncompromising Headmistress, and a small clique of her "enforcers".  Mixed into this world is a the Headmistress' charming son, rebellious girls, and a dark figure stalking all of them one by one... When I come across foreign films, my interest is always piqued, and " The House That Screamed " certainly piqued mine.  This Spanish film was originally released under the name, " La Residencia "- with the English release being called, " The Boarding School ," and " The House That Screamed ". This film had a very gothic, moody, feel that reminded me heavily of the Hammer horror films