The first time I watched del Toro’s gothic tale I didn’t pay attention as much as I should and consequently, I grew bored with it. The advertising had made it look more akin to a horror film which is what I thought I wanted. I wasn’t prepared for the onslaught of lurid colors, and what…
Tag: ghosts
The Frighteners (1996) – Peter Jackson
Michael J. Fox takes the lead in what was Peter Jackson’s first big studio film, with Bob Zemeckis serving as executive producer. While some of the special effects have not stood the test of time, it remains a fun film, trying to walk that balance between horror and comedy. Frank Bannister (Fox) is a con…
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022) – Sam Raimi
Sam Raimi returns to the superhero genre and tinges it with his sense of horror with Marvel’s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Benedict Cumberbatch returns as the titular Strange as well as multiple versions of the famed sorcerer as he confronts a danger that threatens the whole of the multiverse. Raimi brings his…
The Hardy Boys: Hunting for Hidden Gold (1938/1963) – Franklin W. Dixon
It’s been awhile since I checked out a Hardy Boys tale, so I happily dug back into them this week, moving on to the fifth volume in the long running series, and the further that I got into this one, the more I realized, this one is a western. Frank and Joe hardy fly out…
TAD 2021: Post Mortem dir. Peter Bergendy
Toronto After Dark delivers it’s first spectral tale of the festival, with the beautifully crafted Hungarian film, Post Mortem from director Peter Bergendy. This one, has all the trappings of a classic ghost story, and does it right, well, and without going overboard on the visual effects. Tomas (Viktor Klem) is recovering from a near…
Ghostbusters (2016)- Paul Feig
It’s been five years since Ghostbusters (2016) came out. It’s been a year since Ghostbusters: Afterlife was supposed to be released (it’s now been pushed to November 2021), since then, the vitriol around an all-female lead cast has dispersed, and perhaps the film can be judged anew. I thought it was okay when it first…
The X-Files (1998) – Dreamland II, and How the Ghosts Stole Christmas
The body swap two parter with guest star Michael McKean comes to a conclusion this week with Dreamland II. Written by Vince Gilligan, John Shiban, and Frank Spotnitz this episode was first broadcast on 6 December, 1998. With Mulder (David Duchovny) still stuck in Fletcher’s (McKean) body, and Fletcher in his, Scully (Gillian Anderson) finally…
In Conversation with John Landis
Today is my birthday, so it seems like the perfect moment to share this wonderful gift DK Canada gave me. Director John Landis has overseen the compilation of a new anthology, Haunted Houses, and it is perfect reading for the Halloween season. It’s a fantastic collection, and DK Canada arranged for me to speak with…
The Tenth Girl (2019) – Sara Faring
In my continued search for engaging and new horror, I delve into lots of books and consult lots of lists, new and old. Well, on a few of those lists, I found The Tenth Girl mentioned and I went to work tracking down a copy to read. It’s a bit of a Gothic tale, set…
John Landis Presents Haunted Houses: Classic Stories of Doors That Should Never Be Opened (2020)
It seems fall is here, and as the leaves start to turn, one can’t help but turn one’s thoughts to Halloween and ghost stories. It seems while I was working through John Landis’ Monsters in the Movies, he turned around and released a collection of classic haunted house stories now available from DK Canada. Landis…
The Mind Reels 