Fright Night (1985) - Movie Review

[caption id="attachment_325" align="alignright" width="263"] Official Score = 3 Devils[/caption]

Have you ever seen a movie that just kind of stuck with you? Something that you found to be both fun and exciting but was also extremely emblematic of the decade upon which it was made? I have seen plenty of those in coming of age dramas and the like, but you know what? I have to admit that up until a few years ago I had never really seen it in a horror movie!

I mean don't get me wrong all horror movies regardless of the decades which they were made always had very clear cut signs of the times on which they were made, but some were just a little bit more then others... A great example of this is, Poltergeist (1982)!

Now this is one of only a small handful of horror movies that are like this, but one of things that I have grown to really appreciate and enjoy about this movie in particular, is the fact that this movie, (which was made in 1982), just really screamed the 80s, and the truth is, is I was pretty young back then, but that decade was a fun (and in the case of a horror movie like this,) thrilling walk down memory lane!)

And another one, and it is not the only thing that I like about this movie, but it is certainly a nice draw, and that is, Fright Night (1985)!

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="474"] Charley Brewster (WIlliam Ragsdale) & Peter Vincent (Roddy McDowall) in, Fright Night![/caption]

Written & Directed by: Tom Holland (Child's Play). Starring: William Ragsdale (Justified), Chris Sarandon (The Nightmare Before Christmas), Amanda Bearse (Married With Children), Roddy McDowall (Shakma), Jonathan Stark (According To Jim) & Stephen Geoffreys (Moon 44).

Now, again I actually had not heard about this movie until about a few years ago when my buddy Matt Dowling from AwesomeBMovies.com told me about it, and I got to say that I was surprised at how truly pleased with this movie that I really was!

What I mean by this,  is that the story has some funny cheesy awesome moments to it, but it also has moments where in you are on the edge of your seat... And another lesser important side to it, but still good, is the fact that this movie never really has a truly dull moment to it!

You see, this movie tells the story of how a horror aficionado by the name of, 'Charley Brewster' (William Ragsdale), a nice suburban teenager, with a nice girl next door type of girl friend, and with the slightly nutty best bud... He is living a very ideal life indeed... That is until he comes to discover that his new next door neighbor is straight out of a horror movie!

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="480"] Charlie as he is being introduced to his new neighbor... m[/caption]

You see, Jerry Dandridge (Chris Sarandon) is some one who does not particularly enjoy sunlight, and is a lot older then he looks... He's a freakin Vampire!

So with out anyone actually believing him, it will be up to his skeptical best friend, and his hero (a former movie Vampire killer turned late night monster movie host), to stop Charley's new next door neighbor from really sinking his teeth in to the neighborhood!

The other thing that I really liked about this movie was the talent, I had seen these guys in some other things through out the years, but not for many years... So it was great to not only see them at work fresh, but from way back in the day as well!

In the end guys, if you haven't seen it yet, do so, it is definitely one worth watching... I thought so, and I suspect you will as well!

http://youtu.be/1ISgM9sjza8

Shakma (1990) - Movie Review

[caption id="attachment_325" align="alignright" width="263"] Official Score = 3 Devils[/caption]

You know, it is rare to see a great environmental message in a Hollywood film, and some times it is hard to see, but when you do see it, that movie in my opinion becomes that much more impressive!

A great example of this is the movie, Silent Running (1972) about a Spaceship that has its own artificial biosphere, and how one man will do anything to preserve it, could be said to be one of the earliest environmental PSAs!

There are other such examples, but in my opinion, when Hollywood finds an entertaining way to enlighten people about the harm that this world is in, it can make a real impact, and for a fright fan like myself, it is even cooler to see something like that in a horror movie!

This thing is pretty rare, but they did a great job of it in, Shakma (1990)!

Written by: Roger Engle, Directed by: Tom Logan (What If) & Hugh Parks (Dream Trap). Starring: Christopher Atkins (The Blue Lagoon), Amanda Wyss (A Nightmare On Elm Street), Ari Meyers (Dutch), Roddy McDowall (Planet Of The Apes), Rob Edward Morris (China Moon), Tre Laughlin & Greg Flowers.

Now first off I want to say that by itself this is just a fun B Movie about a group of students that lock themselves in to their college sciences building with one of their professors till the game is over with...

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="400"] Two Members of the game that are about to have the time oft heir lives![/caption]

This game of course being a sort of real life, 'Dungeons & Dragons' style game... but the problem is, is that a fun night of mirth and merryment as the various players try to make it to the end of the game turns in to a real nightmare!

You see there is an unexpected visitor in the form of an, 'Ape' whom earlier that day had been experimented on and ultimately had gone from a tame sweet-natured Ape by the name of, 'Shakma' who was, 'Sam's' (Atkins) favorite test subject, to a blood thirsty psychotic monster who's sole purpose in life is to kill everyone in his path!

In the end though, with Shakma playing the game, this round will be a game that no one will ever forget!

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="512"] Shakma is excited to play the game![/caption]

Now the truth is, is this movie kind of truly is a, 'B Movie' including some of the more dummer, 'why the fuck would they do that?' moments in it, and for the most part that is a part of this movie's charm, but in other cases it is kind of distracting and annoying!

But in the end, this movie is a well made B Horror movie, and is a lot of fun, with the main actors having done such a great job that you really end up rooting for them to survive! And as for being a B Movie with a message, I have to admit that until I saw this one that I didn't think I had ever seen one, and it was well worth it in my opinion!

http://youtu.be/D2tnp4QCKtk

Planet OF The Apes (1968) - Movie Review

[caption id="attachment_415" align="alignright" width="350"] Official Score = 4 Devils[/caption]

I would be surprised if anyone on this planet has not heard of the, Planet Of The Apes movie series in some capacity at this point! I mean after all there was a prequel to the first movie that was released a while back with, James Franco (Spider-Man) called, Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes (2011)!

But for those of you newbies to the series who probably got their start watching the latest movie, but have yet to catch up with the classic original series…

Well before James Franco did his prequel, and even before Mark Wahlberg (The Perfect Storm) did his remake of the original movie, Charlton Heston (Soylent Green), did an awesome job in the first, (and still in my opinion the best of the series), movie just simply called, Planet Of The Apes (1968)!

Written by: Michael Wilson (A Place In The Sun), Rod Serling (The Twilight Zone), and Directed by: Franklin L. Schaffner (Patton). Starring: Charlton Heston, Kim Hunter (A Street Car Named Desire), Roddy McDowall (Deadly Game), Maurice Evans (Rosemary’s Baby), James Whitmore (The Shawshank Redemption), Linda Harrison (Cocoon) and Woodrow Parfrey (Dirty Harry).

“TAKE YOUR STINKING PAWS OFF ME YOU DAMN DIRTY APE!” – George Taylor (Planet Of The Apes)

Planet Of The Apes tells the amazing tale of a group of astronauts led by Colonel George Taylor (Heston), from modern day Earth who while they are in a sort of a hyper sleep aboard their spaceship as it travels through space, end up waking up when their ship crash lands on some sort of a planet…

Of course when they first disembark, they don’t think much of the planet (as it seems like mostly a lifeless world (despite the breathable atmosphere…

So the crew sets out in search of shelter and food and the like (since their ship is now under water and currently unsalvageable…) As they are walking though, they come to discover certain interesting facts about their new planet… Like the fact that it looks like Man is an Animal and Apes reign supreme!

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="850"] Taylor (Charlton Heston) as he is being held captive in a special (Human Zoo) and being studied by Dr. Zaius (Maurice Evans) and Zira (Kim Hunter)[/caption]

This crew gets that harsh dose of reality when they (and a group of savage humans end up being chased by a group of Apes that are trying to hunt them down and capture them!)

After they are captured, the survivors of the ship are taken to different areas where one of them is lobotomized, the other is killed and stuffed and sent to the Apes Museum, and the last one (Colonel Taylor) is left alive when he begins to not only demonstrate that he is intelligent, but that he can talk as well…

He demonstrates this to Dr. Cornelius (McDowall), and Zira (Hunter), who decide to protect him from a world where Apes treat mankind as the specimens! And now it will be up to Cornelius, Zira, and Taylor to get Taylor to safety before the rest of the Ape world gets the chance to destroy him! Because in a world like, the Planet Of The Apes, Taylor, is going to find out a truth about himself and mankind that will change both mankind and Apes in such a way that neither species will ever forget!

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="400"] 'Taylor' (Heston) with, 'Nova' (Harrison), 'Zira' (Hunter) and, 'Cornelius' (McDowall), as Zira and Cornelius try to help Taylor and Nova find a life for themselves![/caption]

Now if that hasn't got you interested yet, than let me tell you this.

A: Unfortunately just about everyone from this movie is dead… And it is a true shame, because the talent that was brought to this movie is unparalleled in how truly fantastic of a job that everyone did!

B: Unfortunately I have not had the chance to read the book that this movie is based off of… Before I continue on here, let me say this (most movies that are based on books that I have seen are usually not as good,) so I have to assume that if what I just mentioned holds true in regards to, The Planet Of The Apes, then the book will be mind-blowingly amazing!

C: The last thing that I wanted to say about this movie is this… I thought the special effects in this movie were amazing… Sure there were some campy moments in the special effect (but that was still good in my opinion… I mean after all it was the 60s…) But in the end, this movie had some of the best special effects that have come out of that era (short of Ray Harrhausen of course… But then again, he did set the standard back then…)

In the end, this movie for me was definitely worth the watch and could be for you as well!

http://youtu.be/uAH-Tw2hue8