It’s taken me a while to get to this one, but once the mood hit I was ready for it. And man, I got a kick out of it. It plays with some tropes, has an exploration of motherhood and parenting, and oh yeah, let’s enjoy the blood and gore. Nadja (Peri Baumeister) and her…
Tag: vampire
Abigail (2024) – Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, and Tyler Gillett
After I enjoyed Radio Silence’s Ready or Not, Abigail climbed my list of things to watch in the immediate future. And It definitely entertains. Once again, a group of people find themselves trapped in a mansion (this time it’s the Guiness Manor in Ireland). This time it’s for twenty-four hours while they hold a young…
Vampires vs. The Bronx (2020) – Oz Rodriguez
Vampires vs. The Bronx feels like a bit of a throwback to those teen/young audience horror films that were springing up during the 80s. Undeniably influenced by The Lost Boys, and perhaps The Monster Squad, it doesn’t have quite the same level of cult-hood, but it is a fun film that is a solid kid-friendly…
Dracula (1931) – George Melford
Sometimes there’s a glowing hole in my film education. I had no idea that Universal, in 1931, released two versions of Dracula, there was the iconic Bela Lugosi version which cast a long bat-shaped shadow over the entire 20th century, setting the standard for reserved, charming and well-dressed nosferatu. At the same time George Melford,…
Vamp (1986) – Richard Wenk
This one has been on my list to eventually get to for quite some time, and apparently now was the time. If I’d realized how much of a comedy it was before this, I would have dug into it a while ago, Ias it ends up being a lot of fun. If silly. A.J. (Robert…
Yokai Monsters: Spook Warfare (1968) – Yoshiyuki Kuroda
As much as I loved 100 Monsters, Spook Warfare almost disappointed me as much. It feels like a bit of a goofy film, and I get that this is the point of the series, the same way Godzilla went from a dark film to ‘who is he fighting this time?’ It starts out promisingly enough,…
The Last Voyage of the Demeter (2023) – Andre Ovredal
We just can’t leave the undead alone. It seems every couple of years someone trots out another Dracula update, or a new take on vampires. Some of them are good, some of them are not. The Last Voyage of the Demeter falls into the former. It’s bloody, and it’s fun. Based on a small five-page…
TAD 2023: Canadian Shorts After Dark
Saturday afternoon at Toronto After Dark gives Canadian filmmakers a chance to showcase their genre shorts, and this time around, there are nine shorts for your spine-tingling enjoyment. There is Bird Hostage written and directed by Lauren Andrews and features her and fan favourite Jay Baruchel in this eccentric little tale that sees Lauren (Andrews)…
Renfield (2023) – Chris McKay
Nicholas Hoult, Nicolas Cage, and Awkwafina star in Chris McKay’s bloody, hilarious, and over-the-top love letter to the supporting character of the original Dracula story, Renfield, including some wonderful homages to the original 1931 film. It’s modern-day America and Renfield (Hoult) has relocated Dracula (Cage) yet again to hide him from those who would hunt…
Salem’s Lot (1979) – Tobe Hooper
So since I recently reread Stephen King’s 1975 novel, ‘Salem’s Lot, I thought I would watch the 1979 television miniseries that was directed by Tobe Hooper. Broken into two parts, the three-hour story was broadcast on two consecutive Saturdays, 17 and 24 November, 1979. Even at three hours, the series doesn’t feel like it’s done…
The Mind Reels 