Don Mancini, the driving force behind the Chucky movies, having written all the scripts, finally gets to settle in to the director’s chair as he continues to take the series in fun and interesting directions. This one definitely plays a little more meta than other entries. Chucky (Brad Dourif) and Tiffany (Jennifer Tilly) are back,…
Tag: puppet
Child’s Play 3 (1991) – Jack Bender
The third film in the Child’s Play franchise followed very quickly on the heels of the second film, something screenwriter Don Mancini wasn’t happy about. He’d barely finished writing two when he had to dive into creating the third. And he says the third film is his least favourite because of it. The narrative leaps…
Demons 2 (1986) – Lamberto Bava
Demons 2 came fast on the heels of the first, now iconic horror film, and while there are some interesting moments, I didn’t enjoy it as much as the first one. There are some solid kills, and some pretty sweet practical effects, but it just didn’t have the kick of the first film. Set shortly…
How to Sell a Haunted House (2023) Grady Hendrix
I have greatly enjoyed Grady Hendrix’s books so far, there are still a couple more for me to track down, and I’m willing to say How to Sell a Haunted House is one of his best. Combining a story of loss with a puppet that seems to be the equal of the clown doll in…
Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio (2022) – Guillermo del Toro, and Mark Gustafson
One of my favourite directors, Guillermo del Toro takes on the classic tale of Pinocchio. Teaming up with director Mark Gustafson and an incredibly talented bunch of animators and voice talent, del Toro moves the story forward in time to the 1920s, setting it in Italy during the rise of Mussolini, paired with some dark…
House II: The Second Story (1987) – Ethan Wiley
While Friday the 13th franchise producer Sean S. Cunningham returns for House II, he and composer Harry Manfredini seem to be the only connective tissue to the first film. And while the first film was able to walk a bit of the cult line of camp, horror, comedy, and flat-out silliness, House II most assuredly…
Invasion of Astro-Monster (1965) – Ishiro Honda
Godzilla is back! But he almost takes a backseat to the rest of the story, which sees an expansion of the Godzilla universe by bringing in aliens, flying saucers, and seeing the return of Rodan and King Ghidorah. When a new planet, Planet X, is discovered in orbit around Jupiter, a joint Japanese/American mission is…
Child’s Play (1988) – Tom Holland
For kids of the 80s is there a more terrifying killer doll than Chucky as seen in director Tom Holland’s 1988 film? It’s been awhile since I’d seen this one, so when it popped up in DK Canada’s Monsters in the Movies I was excited to see how it stood the test of time. Long…
The Beach Girls and the Monster (1965) – Jon Hall
Sometimes bad is bad, but sometimes, sometimes it’s so bad it’s good, and I had a great time with this title which is the next one featured in DK Canada’s Monsters in the Movies. Filled with a swingin’ beach soundtrack, this one ended up being delightful, and had me laughing out loud as a dangerous…
Goliath and the Dragon (1960) – Vitorrio Cottafavi
I move to Italy for the next film in DK Canada’s Monsters in the Movies book as I explore the chapter on Dragons & Dinosaurs. Dubbed in English to reach the North American audience, this Italian sword and sandal (and sorcery) ‘epic’ follows Goliath (Mark Forest) who has his hands full as we join him…
The Mind Reels 