Murder By Contract (1958) – Irving Lerner

I’ve been checking out some noir titles over the past few weeks, checking in with one of my favorite genres. This was perhaps my least favorite of the bunch. I think it could have been a little better constructed, and perhaps delved into the issues that plagued the film’s lead character, Claude (Vince Edwards). Claude…

House (1985) – Steven Miner

Directed by Steve Miner, who gave us Friday the 13th Parts 2 and 3, and Sean S. Cunningham who gave us the first film, and was the producer for its sequels, gives us a different kind of horror (tinged with comedy) starring William Katt and George Wendt, and while there’s an interesting concept here, a…

The X-Files (2018) – Rm9sbG93ZXJz, and Familiar

“We have to be better teachers.” For an episode that doesn’t have a lot of dialogue, this is an important message. It’s also important to remember how we treat those who can learn from us. In this episode written by Kristen Cloke, and Shannon Hamblin, Mulder (David Duchovny) and Scully (Gillian Anderson) learn that manners…

Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter (1984) – Joseph Zito

Back when I first started the blog, I got through the first three Friday the 13th films, and kind of stalled. Now, here I am ten years later, continuing the journey with Jason (Ted White in this film) as I explore the beautiful Shout! blu-ray box set. This is the last film released that still…

The Conjuring (2013) – James Wan

I’m going to be honest, the first time I saw The Conjuring, I was disappointed, I didn’t really get into it, and felt that it relied a little too heavily on it’s jump scares (always seemingly accompanied by a musical sting). Still, a while ago I gave it a rewatch, and really enjoyed it the…

The Family Plot (2016) – Cherie Priest

Haunted house stories take a fine hand to craft and make them entertaining, believable, and scary. Cherie Priest accomplishes all of that with her superior horror novel, The Family Plot. Music City Salvage is barely staying afloat, and Charles Dutton the owner, risks everything to keep it afloat when he buys the Withrow house for…

Paranormal Activity (2007) – Oren Peli

The Blair Witch Project may have made found footage horror movies mainstream, but it was Oren Peli’s Paranormal Activity that brought it into our bedrooms. And this haunted house/possession story is the next stop in the ghost chapter of DK Canada’s Monsters in the Movies. There’s a lot of divisiveness about this movie, people either…

The Supernatural Enhancements (2014) – Edgar Cantero

So last week I delighted in Edgar Canteros’ wonderful Meddling Kids, and wasn’t sure it could be topped. Then, I dug into this week’s scary ride, Cantero’s The Supernatural Enhancements. I went into this story with the bare minimum of knowledge, I knew the tale was doled out in surveillance footage, diary entries, letters, audio…

The Amityville Horror (1979) – Stuart Rosenberg

The next film to haunt the ghost chapter of DK Canada’s Monsters in the Movies is the granddaddy of the modern ghost/haunted house movie The Amityville Horror. Based on the non-fiction(?) book by Jay Anson. When a house comes up for sale (at a cheap price – a now recognizable horror staple), the Lutz family…