I'd been meaning to see this one for a long time, but it's relatively hard to find. This film is amazing for several reasons: 1). It is based on the true story of this man John List, 2). It is one of the best psychological "mind of a killer"/"mind of a crazy person" movies ever made, 3). It is such an atypical "slasher" film I wouldn't even classify it as one, 4). The acting and production crew are amazing considering what a ridiculously low budget this film had, 5). It has two sequels and a remake. Though Terry O'Quinn is not a household name, most people will recognize him as John Lock from the TV series Lost, but 20 years prior Terry gave the performance of a lifetime as The Stepfather. The Stepfather is based on real life murderer John List who killed his family, disappeared only to change his identity and join another family, it is debated by some that List might have done this more than once, just as the character is portrayed in the film. The Stepfather wants the perfect 1950s TV family and will do anything to make his dream come true, but when the realities of 1980s America and family troubles rear their ugly head, it becomes too much for the Stepfather to handle. So rather than try to work out the problems his family has, he'd just assume start all over again and get a new family. This film is so effective because the character is so strong and the whole movie revolves around the character, making it possible for the
audience to at times even be sympathetic towards the psychopathic killer, making the movie much more than your average slasher flick. The plot bears some resemblance to The Shinning, but just superficially, this film is based on a true story, and it does not have Kubrick's trademark lengthy pacing. The film also boasts several great technical aspects, such as wonderful lighting and atmosphere, and overall cinematography (there are some really great camera movements and angles in this one). The director Joseph Reuben did several other films with a great atmosphere to them like Sleeping With The Enemy (1991) Dreamscape (1984, AKA as Inception 20 years before its time), and one of my favorites, The Good Son (1993). The Director of Photography went on to create the great visual look seen in movies like Field of Dreams (1989), Father of The Bride (1991), Pleasantville (1998), The Serpent and The Rainbow (1988), as well as The Good Son and Sleeping With The Enemy. The music of the film is notable for being made by Patrick Moraz, the one time keyboardist for the progressive rock band Yes. This film was not too successful on its initial release in theaters, but it did develop a big cult following and become relatively successful upon its VHS release. The film inspired two sequels and a 2009 remake, showing that the effect the film had both on the industry and on those who've seen it, is a lasting one. Also the movie does a great job of turning harmless "nice family" cliches into great horror lines, like: "You shouldn't drop by without calling first." This one is also on Bravo's list of 100 Scariest Movie Moments, and I give it a 5/5. You can view the trailer below:
The Sentinel was dismissed by many when it came out as a kind of knockoff of The Exorcist (1973), or being a kind of combination of similar supernatural horror films like The Omen (1976) or Rosemary's Baby (1968) but I found it a very unique, scary, and interesting story, as well as a well made and possibly influential film. The story centers around a woman who rents out an apartment in New York only to learn her apartment building is the gateway to hell, and the building is owned by secret group of priests who are in charge of guarding it and making sure hell's evil is never unleashed. The film is directed by Michael Winner (of the Death Wish series), and the screenplay was written by the author of the novel the film was based on, the film also has a fantastic musical score by Gil Melle (The Andromeda Strain, and several famous TV show themes from the 70s & 80s), and one of the most star studded casts that have ever been in a horror movie,
featuring many up and coming stars as well as falling ones: Chris Sarandon, Burgess Meredith, Ava Gardner, Jose Ferrer, Arthur Kennedy, Martin Balsam, John Carradine, Eli Wallach, Christopher Walken, Jeff Goldblum, Tom Berenger, Richard Dreyfuss (as an extra), Sylvia Miles, and Beverly D'angelo. This film's story may strike some of you reading about it as similar to Ghostbusters, and it is, (an apartment building in New York is used to resurrect a demon to end the world) and this movie also has a similar look and feel to Ghostbusters as well, but that only adds to the enjoyment for me because I have always wanted to find a movie with a similar vibe to it. The film is very visually striking; There are Terrifying dream sequences, and some almost iconic shots of John Carradine (his face is on the DVD cover/movie poster), and the apartment building is very old and full of character, and a lot of the rooms in the building are very lavishly furnished, also throw in the fact that the main character is a fashion model and her boyfriend's a rich lawyer, and the film has a lush cosmopolitan vibe. The film's story is very interesting to me and I wish I could say more, but I don't want to give away anything. The film is also pretty scary actually. My only gripe with this one is that during its climax when the legions of hell awake most of them are physically disfigured. Now I'm not sure what kind of message the film was trying to send with that imagery, but when I see disabled veterans and people suffering with horrible physical deformities, I don't know about you but I don't see those people as the inhabitants of hell, so I'm not sure if that was supposed to relate to an old verse from the bible or something, but I feel most people would see that part as offensive,
and maybe that is one of the reasons why this film has been pushed into obscurity. The film also has a vibe similar to some of Lucio Fulci's films, and similar to a Mia Farrow movie called The Haunting of Julia (1977 [aka Full Circle]), and The Entity (1983). It is immensely underrated though in my opinion, and if you like supernatural horror flicks I highly recommend it. I give it a 4.75/5 ( I would have given it a 5/5 but it scared me a bit more than I thought it would, in the sense of disturbing me more than I would have liked). The film is featured in all the movie books I have including Rue Morgue Magazine's 200 Alternative Horror Films you Need to See, and it is also featured on Bravo's 100 Scariest Movie Moments. You can view the trailer below (there are some spoilers in it though):
I had heard mixed reviews about this one for a long time, and I thought the story had strong ties to witchcraft or the occult ( I love horror movies but I tend to stay away from that subject matter, that's the only stuff that really spooks me too bad) so it took me a while to get around to it. That all being said though, the film deals with ancient Native American burial grounds (always a great start for a horror movie), it fits into the "killer kid" sub-genre of horror, has Stephen King appear as a priest, Fred Gwynne (the actor most known for being Herman Munster from the tv series The Munsters) is a main character, and The Ramones contribute a couple songs to the soundtrack (including the title theme which was their highest charting single ever on The Billboard charts). Also the story is based on the Stephen King novel of the same name, but it is influenced by the classic horror folk tale "The Monkey's Paw". That all should make the movie sound great because it is, I loved every minute of it. The acting was terrific by everyone involved ( I should also mention the child actor who played the son is probably best known for his roles as a friend of Michelle Tanner on the classic 90s sitcom Full House, and Kindergarten Cop[1990]), the cinematography and special effects are great, it's a terrific drama for a lot of the film, but it is also funny and definitely freaky in parts. The story is about a family moving to New England and shortly after they arrive their cat dies. The family's neighbor then shows the dad of the family a place where he can bury his cat so that it will come back to life. Shortly after tragedy strikes the family, the husband is tempted to use the magic of the secret burial ground again. There are a lot of King's trademarks here, a New England setting, a psychic connection with the young girl, and strong dramatic overtones. This is also the movie that made Mary Lambert (the director of the film whose other claim to fame is directing some of the most famous music videos of the 80s)'s career. The film is listed on Bravo's list of 100 Scariest Movie Moments, but I would advise to not watch the segment about the movie until after you see it. I give it a 5/5, you can view the trailer below:
