What could have been a descent into a childhood nightmarish dreamscape is frustratingly held back by a gimmick that overstays its welcome and leaves viewers struggling to grasp at any strands to form some kind of coherent narrative. With unusual camera angles that prevent the viewer from seeing anything of import or creating a context…
Tag: something
Poltergeist II: The Other Side (1986) – Brian Gibson
A number of cast and crew (including composer Jerry Goldsmith and visual effects artist Richard Edlund) return for Poltergeist II: The Other Side and while Julian Beck seems truly terrifying as Kane, the film doesn’t have the Spielberg or Hooper magic that made the first film such a hit. The Freeling family, Diane (JoBeth Williams),…
Communion (1987) – Whitley Strieber
Whitley Stieber experienced something. In fact, according to his writing, he’s been experiencing something all of his life. It’s influenced him, his writing, and the events and those around him. Strieber, like countless others, believes he was abducted. He doesn’t use the word aliens, he uses the word visitors. Because he doesn’t claim to know…
Deep Rising (1998) – Stephen Sommers
Writer/director Stephen Sommers delivers a fun creature feature romp that, even with some dated VFX, is still a lot of fun. Treat Williams leads a cast that includes Famke Janssen, Wes Studi, Jason Flemyng, Anthony Heald, and Kevin O’Connor. Williams plays Finnegan, a kind of Han Solo of the high seas. He and his crew…
Explorers (1985) – Joe Dante
The next film in DK Canada’s Monsters in the Movies, as it guides me through the interstellar reaches of space exploration with its chapter on Alien Monsters, is Joe Dante’s Explorers. Starring River Phoenix, Ethan Hawke, Jason Presson with appearances by Amanda Peterson, and James Cromwell, and featuring Dante regulars Robert Picardo and Dick Miller,…
Humanoids From The Deep (1980)- Barbara Peeters
A creature feature is the next title that I dive into for DK Canada’s Monsters in the Movies book. I remember seeing this poster when I was growing up, and was intrigued and troubled by it. And being anxious about horror films at that age, I definitely didn’t get around to seeing it for a…
The Grip of It (2017) – Jac Jemc
I threw a google search into the system lately for best haunted house books, and scariest books and garnered a nice list of novels I would be keen to read, The Grip of It falls into the haunted house category and it’s a solid, and quick read. With a story that gets under your skin…
Summer of Night (1991) – Dan Simmons
This week, I dig into another Dan Simmons horror novel, and decided on Summer of Night. While not necessarily derivative of Stephen King’s It, there are striking similarities, although both prove to be very entertaining. Set in 1960, Simmons novel doesn’t quite mine the nostalgia factor as King did (It made me long for a…
TAD2018: Tigers Are Not Afraid (2017) – Issa Lopez
Toronto After Dark gets underway this evening at the Scotiabank Theatre with its opening night film, Tigers Are Not Afraid. Hailing from Mexico, this film kicks off the festival with a darkly beautiful story that has hints of del Toro, and invites us into the troubled lives of a group of children. Screening at 7pm…
Acceptance (2014) – Jeff VanderMeer
The final book in Jeff VanderMeer’s Southern Reach Trilogy is on the book shelf this week, and like its predecessors is immensely enjoyable with its ominous overtones even as it hints at something stunning, amazing and beyond human comprehension. We are taken back into Area X, and the government institution investigating the geographical anomaly, the…
The Mind Reels 