DVD Review: Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events

This movie, based on the fictional Lemony Snicket's bestselling line of books, is at the same time wonderful and crappy. My point being, that if you've read any of the books, you're sure to be left feeling cheated. I loved the way the film was shot, the effects were great, even the acting was good. However, I hated the way the movie began with a short version of the opening of Book 1, then took bit parts from that book, bit parts from the second, bit parts from the third and then ended the movie with an altered ending from the first book. I didn't like that at all. I know the books are short, but to try to condense three of them is retarted. They should have just did the first book, the entire book and then the sequels. But the movie was enjoyable to watch due to the effects, locations and Jim Carrey. I'm not his biggest fan, but he was good here. I'm gonna give this movie a middle of the road rating at **1/2 out of *****. Should have been and could have been better if they stuck to just the first book.

Comic Review: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre

Last but not least, and not to be outdone by his more recent counterparts is the grandaddy of horror icons...Leatherface. Starring in his own comic, he pulls out all the punches. When a group of escaped criminals happen to stop at grandma's gas station, things turn ugly, real ugly. This comic is like a race against time from start to finish. Big ole LF shows us once again he's simply the best when it comes to tree cutting implements and nobody can make the blood flow like him and his kin. An enjoyable read and not for the faint of heart. I give the first issue of the series **** out of *****. All three of the New Line Horror comics recieved a **** rating, so here's hoping they keep up the quality!

Comic Review: A Nightmare on Elm Street

Our old pal Mr. Krueger is back and as colorful as ever. In this the first comic in the series, a group of teens try to uncover the truth about the terrible plot the town elders are utilizing to keep Freddy at bay. The town is still using Hypnocil to keep the kids in a dreamless coma induced sleep, and the friends are bent on exposing the truth. Needless to say, Freddy makes a big return after getting his ass (or should I say, head) handed to him by big bad Jason Voorhees. The kills are quick and gruesome and come delivered with that special Freddy style. It's good to see the sweater wearing killer back in action. I give the comic **** out of *****.

DVD Review: Incident at Loch Ness

I must confess, I have a thing for the Loch Ness Monster. I love to read about it, watch films and shows about it, hell, I even liked the cartoon Scooby Doo and the Loch Ness Monster! So I was very excited to watch this mockumentary about director Werner Herzog and his attempt to film a documentary based on the creature. After watching for a while, I had to remember and convince myself that this was in fact fake. The acting and dialogue are all so natural and the way everything unfolds is so damn realistic, it makes you almost forget. Some scenes with the character interaction are down right funny. The movie unfolds basically as a documentary about the filming of Herzog's documentary, Enigma of Loch Ness. The film plays through all the crew fights, mishaps and bad luck and ultimately pays homage to Jaws near the end. I recommend this film as a great escape from your everyday horror, thriller or any other genre movie. It was like a breath of fresh air. I give it ****1/2 out of *****.

DVD Review: The Grudge

Well ,this being the PG-13 version of the film, I was thinking it would be lame and not so scary. I was wrong. The filmakers did a great job of bringing the shivers and keeping this film within that ratings section. The little kids are downright spooky and totally make the movie. As far as Sarah Michelle Gellar, she was good, but anyone could have played that part, realistically. The audio was creepy and the scene with the security camera footage was goosebump inducing. The Production company, Ghost House, has done it right with their first picture and I am very excited about their future projects, the next of which is Boogeyman, which I intend to watch this weekend. The movie follows Gellar's character as she heads to a house to take care of an invalid woman and finds out there is something in the house that's just plain evil. The Japanese believe that if someone dies a horrible death, there is a curse laid upon the place. Gellar tries to find out the truth of what's happening and comes face to face with the evil! This film should definitely be watched at night with the lights off, guaranteed to chill. The Grudge gets a spooky **** out of *****.

Movie Review: Haute (High) Tension

I just finished watching both versions of this film, both the French unrated version and the English dubbed version. I wish I could understand French because they really did a rather lousy job of dubbing the voices for the English version. If you haven't seen any of the available clips online from this movie, don't start now because it totally ruins the movie. Unfortunately, all the good parts can be seen online and leave the film rather lifeless if you've already seen them. If you haven't seen any, then good for you, you should be rather taken back and hold on for the ride. Everything in this movie would have hit harder if I didn't already know it was coming. This trend must stop! They're doing it with Devil's Rejects too and I will not fall for it again. The whole point is to be scared and not know what's coming next! Having said that, the movie is good, it's well shot and the acting's very good. The soundtrack lends to the film's atmosphere. The film follows two girls who go studying at one's parent's house and that night, a terrible visitor comes a calling. Blood flows and the race is on. It's a classic cat and mouse film and there is a twist at the end, but not one that any self-respecting horror fan can't figure out within the first fifteen minutes. I can't state it enough--Don't watch the online clips!!! Take that advice and you'll have a bloody good time. I give Haute Tension *** out of *****.

Howl's Castle Moves Here

The trailer for the next animated feature from the people that brought you Spirited Away is available for viewing. It's called Howl's Moving Castle, it's being release by Disney this June and the animation is unbelievable. Check it out HERE and see for yourself.

Cry Wolf Trailer Here

The trailer for the upcoming teen slasher Cry Wolf is up for your viewing pleasure. It looks pretty good, here's hoping the movie can continue what the trailer promises. Check it out HERE.

One Scary Trailer!

Check out the trailer for this upcoming film called Chaos. It's a frightening, realistic terror and the trailer is horrifying in it's simplicity. Advance talk is that this movie is so brutally violent that many people who've seen it have actually gotten sick. Needless to say...Can't Wait! Check it out HERE if you dare.

Urban Legend: Bloodly Mary Trailer Here

The third film in the Urban Legend series is set to hit DVD on July 19th and you can view the trailer here. Brought to you by the good folks at Video Detective.

Horror/Sci-Fi DVD Releases for 6/07

Seed of Chucky
The Machinist
Dark Town
Hellraiser: Deader
Morons from Outer Space / Alien from L.A.
The Prophecy: Uprising
The Roswell Crash: Startling New Evidence
Stargate Atlantis: Rising
The Wickeds
Wonder Woman: Seasons 1-3
Wonder Woman: The Complete Third Season
The X Files Mythology Volume 1

Well, we get a return visit from some old friends this week with Chucky, Pinhead and Prophecy sequels. Batman gets skinny in The Machinist, a couple of hopefully decent B films and the staple TV releases round out a decent week of releases.

CD of The Month (June): Reckoning Night by Sonata Arctica

Finland is like a metal oasis right now. With bands like Nightwish, Edguy and Sonata Arctica releasing some of the most original rock in years. This latest disc from Sonata Arctica continues their string of excellent releases. The music is tight, melodic and overwhelming in complexity. The vocals soar and there are few singers out there that have Tony Kakko's range. There's only ten tracks on the album, but they are all great. Not much you can say bad about this group, except they didn't include their cover of Depeche Mode's "World Through My Eyes" on the disc. It can be found on the cd-single for "Don't Say A Word" and it's worth the cost of the cd by itself. Another oustanding album from an outstanding band. Reckoning Night aces it at ***** out of *****.

Book Review: Sandstorm by James Rollins

James Rollins knows how to write an action adventure story. His books are always filled with harrowing escapes, devious villians, heroic leads and that ever present nemesis...the locale. Rollins has a knack of putting his characters in some of the most hostile climates on the Earth. In Sandstorm, the action takes place on the scalding sands of Saudi Arabia. It's impressive to note how much research Rollins puts into his novels. His attention to detail is mindboggling. The action follows Scientist Safia al-Maaz and her group of co-horts as they try to stop a disaster of gigantic proportions in a race against time and a group of killers. There's much more to the plot, but it gets very detailed and intricate as the story goes along. Unfortunately, the story get harder and harder to believe as it goes along too. It was a little over the top toward the end, but then again, what action books or movies don't? All in all it was an entertaining read, not his best, but not the worst either. I give Sandstorm ***1/2 out of *****.

DVD Review: Decampitated

Troma...a name symbolic for low budget films and boy are they! However, when I sat down to check out Decampitated, what I got was a true laugh riot. Forgotten was the poor quality video transfer, because I was laughing too much to care. The unknown actors put forth their over-the-top best here and the soundtrack is pretty intriguing as well. The movie is a spoof of teenager slasher films and it's a rare spoof that's actually funny. The plot follows a bunch of friends that take a camping trip and one by one meet up with the killer in hilarious fashion. Do yourself a favor and check this one out. Troma did it right with this one, and despite the low budget, the direction is rather good. If you're in the mood for a good laugh, look no further and get Decampitated! I give it **** out of *****.