Joan Mitchell is unsatisfied with her suburban, domestic Pittsburgh life with her hard working businessman husband and hippie daughter. Maybe witchcraft will revitalise her life. Whilst this sounds like a horror film because of its dalliances with the occult, it’s really a very interesting character study and feminist critique of the day. In fact, I …
Continue reading George A Romero Reviewed- Day 3- Season of the Witch (1972)
Aka ‘The George A Romero film that isn’t horror’, was purportedly lost for many decades, something the director was pleased about as he hated it. But, then it was rediscovered and released firstly by Something Weird Video and more recently on Blu Ray by Arrow Video. And the truth is, it isn’t as dreadful as …
Continue reading George A Romero Reviewed- Day 2- There’s Always Vanilla (1971)
A mysterious radiation thought to have been brought back to Earth after a space probe to Venus, is bringing the dead back to life to feast on the living. A young woman named Barbara is visiting her dead father’s grave with her brother Johnny when… This film has so much of a great reputation amongst …
Continue reading George A Romero Reviewed- Day 1- Night of the Living Dead (1968)
‘A young woman, admitted to a psychiatric hospital for burning down a farmhouse, is attacked by a mysterious entity. When other patients start to disappear, she believes that she is haunted by a ghost.’ Brilliantly directed, photographed and with framing that reminded me of Halloween. But, alas, this isn’t Halloween. Whilst The Ward looks and …
Continue reading John Carpenter Reviewed- Day 21- The Ward (2010)
‘Officer Melanie and Sergeant Jericho travel to a mining outpost to transport a prisoner. On arriving, they realise that demons of an ancient Martian civilisation have possessed the entire colony.’ I had heard so many dreadful things about this film- that the dialogue was terrible (it’s not too bad), that the special effects are awful …
Continue reading John Carpenter Reviewed- Day 20- Ghosts of Mars (2001)
I had heard such bad things about John Carpenter’s Vampires that I didn’t even see it when it was released theatrically in 1998. In fact, it was only yesterday that I saw it for the very first time. What’s 25 years to see a film though?! Is it a bad movie by Carpenter’s standards or, …
Continue reading John Carpenter Reviewed- Day 19- Vampires (1998)
John Carpenter's Escape From L.A. massively polarised both critics and fans alike when it was released in 1996. Any sequel to a much-loved cult classic such as Escape From New York will be anticipated with nervousness, as it had such a high bar to live up to. The film met with praise but also disdain …
Continue reading John Carpenter Reviewed- Day 18- Escape From L.A. (1996)
‘After a dark force renders unconscious the natives of Midwich for six hours, 10 pregnant women give birth to 10 identical kids who are uncommonly brainy, emotionless, telepathically linked and sinister.’ Carpenter’s remake of the 1960 classic. Of course, with this being a remake, certain critics were already crossing their arms and rolling their eyes …
Continue reading John Carpenter Reviewed- Day 17- Village of the Damned (1995)
An insurance investigator is looking into the disappearance of horror writer, Sutter Cane just before the release of his next novel, In The Mouth of Madness. The deeper he goes, the more insanity envelopes him as he starts to lose his marbles. This is Carpenter’s love letter to Lovecraft and he does it very well. …
Continue reading John Carpenter Reviewed- Day 16- In The Mouth of Madness (1994)
Horror anthology directed by Carpenter and Tobe Hooper. The three tales are ‘Unleaded’ (Halloween meets Intruder), ‘Hair’ (alien hair transplant) and ‘Baseball Man’ (serial killer possesses guy who is transplanted one of his eyes). All three are excellent. It’s a shame nothing came of this TV movie as it makes a great pilot for a …
Continue reading John Carpenter Reviewed- Day 15- Body Bags (1993)
Meathook Cinema 