Dark Night of the Scarecrow is a reminder of a bye-gone era in which made-for-TV movies were just as good as what was shown in the theaters. You have Brian’s Song and Duel which both proved to be such hits that they were shown in theaters with Duel getting additional footage shot by a youngContinue reading “‘Dark Night Of The Scarecrow’ Excels As Made-For-TV Horror/Thriller”
Category Archives: Flashback Friday Frights
‘Lost Highway’ Is A Neo-Noir Nightmarish Path
Lost Highway was David Lynch’s first movie since he rose to mainstream sucess in middle America with Twin Peaks and its less than stellar prequel, Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me. It’s a movie about murder and debauchery in southern California and even more surprising is how much the cast is connected to some ofContinue reading “‘Lost Highway’ Is A Neo-Noir Nightmarish Path”
‘The Good Son’ Focuses On The Mind Of A Young Sociopath
Warning: This post contains spoilers. By the time The Good Son hit theaters on this date, Sept. 24, 1993, Macaulay Culkin’s star was already starting to fade a little. It wasn’t because he wan’t bankable. It was because his father was making things just to difficult in Hollywood. In the five years, he had goneContinue reading “‘The Good Son’ Focuses On The Mind Of A Young Sociopath”
‘The Game’ Plays You, The Viewer
I know it sounds like a boring Yakov Smirnoff joke. “In America, you play The Game. In Soviet Russia, The Game plays you.” But that’s exactly what it does. Coming from David Fincher as only his third movie following the great thriller Se7en, this is an entirely different movie that seems like a carbon copyContinue reading “‘The Game’ Plays You, The Viewer”
‘Mazes And Monsters’ Throws Young Tom Hanks Into RPG/Satanic Panic Era
There was once a time in which Tom Hanks was a young starving actor like many others. As one of the producers would recall during the filming of the 1980 movie He Knows You’re Alone, Hanks appeared on set early while he was trying to have lunch and they both shared a sandwhich and chatted.Continue reading “‘Mazes And Monsters’ Throws Young Tom Hanks Into RPG/Satanic Panic Era”
‘Cutting Class’ Has Brad Pitt As Alumni
Brad Pitt’s evolution over the years from a Okie to one of the most in-demand actors and successful producers of all time is the stuff of Hollywood legend. It’s been reported that during the mid-1990s his star power was so high that his lack of interest in a script led to all the studios refusingContinue reading “‘Cutting Class’ Has Brad Pitt As Alumni”
Dissecting ‘American Psycho’
American Pscyho opened in the spring of 2000 to good reviews and a modest box office of over $34 million considering it’s relatively low budget of just $7 imillion. But even before it went into production, it was an issue of controversy for years. When Bret Easton Ellis published the novel by the same nameContinue reading “Dissecting ‘American Psycho’”
‘The Frighteners’ Still Scary-Good Fun
Outside of the midnight movie circuit, no one 30 years ago probably knew who Peter Jackson was. Australian cinema was big following Mad Max in 1978 but even by the early 1990s, people were tired of things coming from down under. Paul Hogan had used up his catchphrases and Yahoo Serious was a like aContinue reading “‘The Frighteners’ Still Scary-Good Fun”
The Sad Tragedy Of ‘Cujo’
For almost 40 years, the word “Cujo” has become synonymous with vicious dogs. This is a misnomer because the Cujo the St. Bernanard is nothing more than a victim. Released on this date, Aug. 12, 1983, Cujo was a modest success despite getting not too favorable reviews. In his book, On Writing, Stephen King talkedContinue reading “The Sad Tragedy Of ‘Cujo’”
‘Fright Night’ Brought Queer Horror To The Reaganeighties
By the time Fright Night hit theaters in early August 1985, HIV/AIDS was becoming more known in the heartland. It may have been still referred to as the “gay cancer” in some circles but more people were taking it seriously. A week before Fright Night hit theaters, Rock Hudson had announced to the world thatContinue reading “‘Fright Night’ Brought Queer Horror To The Reaganeighties”