The Lost World (1960)
Unlike `The Lost Continent’ (1951), this 20th Century Fox Cinemascope production had an ample budget — but the money wasn’t spent very well. A good cast (Michael Rennie, Claude Rains, Jill St. John, David Hedison, and Fernando Lamas) are all…
Wolfen (1981)
I won’t spend time arguing about the merits of whether “Wolfen” is going to be an “effective” or “gee-whiz” entertainment for you and the kids next Saturday night. What I will argue is how the craftsmanship that went into this…
Why Is Comic-Con So Important?
Unless you have lived under a rock for the past decade or have no friends with nerdish tastes, you have heard about the annual San Diego Comic-Con, a four-day convention which descends on the pop culture psyche every July. Is…
Tobe Hooper
Before becoming a filmmaker, Tobe Hooper, a native of Austin, Texas, spent the 1960s as a college professor and documentary cameraman. In 1974, he organized a small cast that was made up of college teachers and students, and then he…
The Legend of Hell House (1973)
This is a classic haunted house plot line executed with quite some style. Four people are sent to a spooky mansion to determine whether the afterlife exists – if they spend a week there they’ll each be rewarded with £100,000….
The Asphyx (1973)
“The Asphyx” a/k/a “The Horror of Death” is one of the most original yet unheralded English horror films. Set in 1870’s England, aristocrat Sir Hugo (Robert Stephens) accidentally photographs an entity (mythological name Asphyx) entering a person’s body at their…
The Evictors (1979)
In 1942, Ben and Ruth Watkins have just moved into an old Louisiana farmhouse. It’s a beautiful place, but they soon learn of it’s morbid past. Apparently, the previous few tenants all died in ways that raise suspicion. This doesn’t…
The Legend of Boggy Creek (1972)
The Legend of Boggy Creek is the story of a creature alleged to live in the area near Fouke, Arkansas. The creature supposedly stands 7 feet tall, is covered with hair, smells bad, and kills chickens, dogs, cats, and other…
The Town That Dreaded Sundown (1976)
Based on a true story, the phantom killer stalks Texarkana and kills couples who hang out at lovers lanes. Armed with some nasty weapons and a pillow case for a mask, he terrorizes this town to the point of near…
Alien from L.A. (1988)
Really, this routine, harmless, goofy comic fantasy may be instantly forgettable, but it’s hard to completely resist – if for no other reason than to see its star in a bikini top. Supermodel Kathy Ireland stars as Wanda, a nerdy…
The Wild Man of the Navidad (2008)
Dale (Co-Director Justin Meeks) doesn’t want to open his ranch to hunters, but has to because he needs the money. Too bad for him (and them) that a bloodthirsty creature is not keen on trespassers. Produced by “Texas Chainsaw Massacre”…
The Bloody Rage of Bigfoot (2010)
I enjoyed “The Bloody Rage of BigFoot” a lot. This movie’s reach does not exceed its grasp – it knows what it is and does it surprisingly well. Writer/director James Baack obviously knows and respects the genre. Well done. The…
Creature from Black Lake (1976)
“Creature from Black Lake” gets my vote as the single most amiable and entertaining Bigfoot fright film to ever amble onto the big screen. John David Carson and the ever-daffy Dennis (“Truck Stop Women,” “House of 1,000 Corpses”) Fimple display…
Alien Factor 2: The Alien Rampage (2001)
Baltimore’s own Don Dohler has been crankin’ em out since the late seventies beginning with THE ALIEN FACTOR. In 2001, Dohler finally answered his legion of fans (all 10 of ’em)and filmed ALIEN FACTOR 2:ALIEN RAMPAGE. And while I must…
The Crater Lake Monster (1977)
A claymation plesiosaur rises from the depths of Crater Lake to wreak havoc on a group of local rednecks, not to mention your fast forward button. To call “The Crater Lake Monster” amateurish is to overstate the obvious. If you…
The Sword and the Sorcerer (1982)
If I were to say the name “Albert Pyun”, chances are pretty good you’d draw a blank. “Cyborg”? Uhh, isn’t that a Van Damme film or something? Yeah. “Radioactive Dreams”? Cult movie from the 80s maybe? Sci-fi? Yup. Same guy…
Mean Guns (1997)
“Mean Guns” is a great movie as far as action goes. Christopher Lambert and Ice-T are really the only two big names in the movie. The rest of the cast is either virtually unknown or relatively unexperienced in the action…
Blast (1997)
At the time of the Atlanta Olympics the FBI stopped a potential terrorist attack, this film is what might have happened if they hadn’t. Terrorist plant bombs all over the Olympic buildings and take the USA women’s swimming team hostage….
Omega Doom (1996)
Most people would tell you that this flick stinks because it’s got poor special effects or the plot seems to be vague. Frankly, you can’t judge it next to A-list movies. It’s not an A-list movie. What it is though,…
Max Havoc: Curse of the Dragon (2004)
Max Havoc (Mickey Hardt) is an ex-kickboxer turned photographer who protects two attractive sisters from the Yakuza led by David Carradine. Seems that one of the sisters bought a jade dragon from dealer Richard Roundtree and after numerous awkward moments,…