Horror and Sci-Fi Stuff
Having seen many film versions of the the classic Frankenstein story over the years, I can safely say that Roger Corman’s 1990 interpretation, Frankenstein Unbound, is the most…ummm…unique. A science fiction film as much as horror, the story begins in the far distant year of 2031, where a scientist named Buchanan (played by John Hurt)... Continue Reading →
Film franchises are a staple of the horror genre. Halloween, Friday the 13th and Nightmare on Elm Street are just a few modern examples, producing a myriad of sequels attempting to emulate the success of the original film. But if you measure the success of a franchise based on quantity over quality (please don’t do... Continue Reading →
At first glance, Antlers (2021) may appear to be just another standard monster movie but scratch below the surface and you'll find a dark complexity that is rare in modern horror. Set in a small, impoverished town in Oregon (but filmed in British Columbia, Canada), the film begins with a man and his young son being... Continue Reading →
Released in 2009, Wake Wood was one of the first films produced by Hammer Films after it was relaunched following a decades long hiatus in 2007. Like the other recent Hammer projects, such as The Resident and The Lodge (which I reviewed last year), it varies considerably in style and subject from the early Hammer... Continue Reading →
Sequels often fall short of the original and never has this been more true than with Howling II. The original Howling, released in 1981 and directed by Joe Dante, achieved box office success and helped reinvigorate the werewolf genre in the early 80s. The sequel was released in 1985 and has only a thin tie-in... Continue Reading →
Hosted movie shows have long been a staple for fans of the horror and sci-fi genres. These series date back to the 50s and 60s when notable hosts such as Vampira and Ghoulardi kept horror fans company while they watched genre films of the time. In the 80s and 90s, Elvira and Joe Bob Briggs... Continue Reading →
Released in 2019, shortly before the start of the pandemic, The Lodge is a movie for our times. Co-directed by Severin Fiala and Veronika Franz, the film centres around a broken family who travel for a holiday at an isolated lodge to try to regain some semblance of normalcy after the mother's sudden suicide. After... Continue Reading →
Attending film festivals really hasn’t been an option for most of this year due to…well you know. Film makers have had to find other ways to bring their work to the masses such as streaming services or VOD. I was pleased to hear that one of my favourite annual events, Blood in the Snow Film... Continue Reading →
Major League Baseball is officially returning later this month (I am personally counting the days) so I thought this would be the perfect time to review Deadball, perhaps the finest Japanese baseball-horror film ever made. Released in 2011, Deadball is as much a comedy as a horror film. The "story" centres on Jubeh (Tak Sakaguchi),... Continue Reading →
Have you ever wondered what it would be like if Vincent Price went clubbing? Well wonder no more, just watch The Monster Club! This 1981 anthology film walks the line between horror and comedy and perhaps a little more on the comedy side than was initially intended. Vincent Price plays a vampire named Eramus who... Continue Reading →
Two of my favourite genres are horror and comedy and occasionally when those two unintentionally intersect it can result in an unexpected treat. Such is the case with Birdemic: Shock and Terror, the 2010 (very independent) film which contains neither shock nor terror but does induce many unintentional laughs. The film’s marketing promises a horrifying... Continue Reading →
In honour of Burns Night which celebrates Scotland’s national poet, Robert Burns, today we look at Scottish horror film The Wicker Tree. Unfortunately, unlike the Scot’s famous bard, this film is nothing to be proud of. The Wicker Tree’s story is loosely tied to the classic The Wicker Man which was also directed by Robin... Continue Reading →
On the surface, Horror films and Christmas might seem to make odd bedfellows, but the contrast of a murderous rampage set against what is supposed to be a joy filled time of year just seems to amplify the fear. Case in point, the original Black Christmas (1974), which stands as one of my all-time horror... Continue Reading →
Next stop on Maniacs and Monsters' tour of horror events is the Toronto After Dark (TAD) Film Festival. Founded in 2006, the event showcases new and independent films, bringing together fans and filmmakers for a nine night extravaganza of horror, sci-fi and cult genre films. The 14th edition of this growing event is set to... Continue Reading →
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