Friday the 13th Part III (1982 film)

Copyright: Paramount Pictures

So, we have here the third installment of the Friday the 13th series, and was one of the earlier films in the short-lived 1980s 3-D boom that took advantage of third installment titling (Friday the 13th 3-D, Jaws 3-D, Amityville 3-D, etc.).  From what I've read, the original idea for the film was to have the survivor from the second film check herself into a mental institution, only to have Jason, who survived his injuries, stalk her through the building, killing anyone in his way.  This was somewhat complicated, though, by the fact that the plot is very similar to Halloween II's, and the fact that the actress, Amy Steele, didn't want to come back.  So, they changed the storyline to focus more on the area around Crystal Lake.

Following the events of the second film (not shown in 3-D), Jason ends up walking through some laundry outside a grocery store near Crystal Lake.  The owner's wife sees him, thinking it's her husband, and calls out for him.  Her husband surprises her, knocking over one of the posts the clothesline is hanging on, then picks it up (giving us our first 3-D trick) and sets it right.  Then, he heads to the store, finds a pet rabbit in the produce and scolds it, then starts opening products and helping himself.  His wife catches him in the act, scolding him for eating more than he should (instead of, y'know, eating the profits from the grocery), then tells him to take the rabbit back to its cage.  The grocer finds the rabbits dead in their hutch, then almost gets attacked by the culprit... a snake strikes.  The guy runs back to the house and straight to... the bathroom?  Needless to say, shortly after this sequence of events, Jason makes short work of the grocer and his wife, then moves on.

The rest of the film is about a group staying at a cabin on Crystal Lake, with the lead girl, Chris, coming back for the first time after two years.  Everyone seems to be having a good time... not realizing that, from a nearby barn, Jason Voorhees is watching them.

As I mentioned, this film has a few of the old 3-D "tricks" that you come to expect.  Stuff comes flying at the screen, or lifted into shot, or just stuff flying or dropping into your face.  We get the laundry pole, the snake strike, some popcorn, some yo-yos and juggling balls, plus a few more macabre items.  The tricks do work, for the most part (though I still sometimes have difficulty with the snake when watching the 3-D version).

This also marks the first occasion that Jason starts wearing his hockey mask.  Before this, we had the "fashionable head bag" (so named in Horror Hound Magazine and I still like using it).  We also get a looks change of a different sort... in the second film, under the head bag, we saw that Jason had a lush, full head of red hair.  Probably realizing that his hair didn't match that of the child Jason we saw in flashbacks and at the end of the original Friday the 13th, they decided to give Jason a bit less hair here... quite a bit less, actually, as he's completely bald behind the mask in 3.  This was also, originally, intended to be the last film of the series, at least until they decided to do an official send-off in part 4.

A pretty fun ride, with some interesting effects, especially considering the 3-D stuff.  I give this one a 4 out of 5.  I'm going to try to bring you Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter next, but I might have to jump ahead to Halloween and come back to that one later on.  Until next time, this is Red Hawk signing out!

A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master (1988 film)

Copyright: New Line Cinema

Halloween's closing in, and we have this year's Nightmare entry.  I believe this was the first Nightmare I saw in the theater, a drive-in in this case.  If you ever get a chance to go to a drive-in, I highly recommend it.  Getting to watch a film in the comfort of your own car is pretty fun.  They're sort of rare nowadays, but if you look, you should be able to find one.

So, on to A Nightmare on Elm Street 4!  This is the second of the Dream Trilogy, with Kristen and her friends from the previous film returning to deal with Freddy, alongside a new group of friends.  The film starts with Kristen dreaming bout the house again, and a little girl drawing in chalk on the front porch.  Going inside, and being trapped there, she calls in Kincaid and Joey for help.  The two, not too pleased with being drawn into her dream, show her that the place is abandoned, and Freddy's furnace is cold.

Unfortunately, their assertions prove invalid, as Kincaid awakens in the trunk of a car in an old junkyard.  Freddy arises from his grave and dispatches Kincaid, then goes after Joey, as well, in his own dream.  Kristen knows what's happening, and tries to warn Alice and the others about the undead killer.  But, with Freddy tearing through the group, can Alice stop his rampage as her own set of dream powers increase in strength?

This film was really good.  It has a nice pool of victims, good special effects, a pretty good storyline, everything worked out for this one.  Patricia Arquette was west to reprise her role as Kristen here, but she had to bow out due to a pregnancy (she had to leave another role in a different film for the same reason).  The new Kristen, Tuesday Knight, did well with the role, showing the right amount of paranoia at times.  She was also in The Fan and The Babysitter.  Playing Alice, the heir to Kristen's experience and Freddy's new target, is Lisa Wilcox.  She's also been in Watchers Reborn, the Fear Clinic series on FearNet, and the recent film The Church.

Another excellent entry in the Nightmare series, and a pretty good entry in my list of articles.  I give it a 5 out of 5.  Next up, I'll be tackling the third and fourth entries in the Friday the 13th series.  Until then, this is Red Hawk signing out!

A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: The Dream Warriors (1987 film)

Copyright New Line Cinema.  Ever notice Freddy's eye always bulges out on these posters?

Before we get into today's article, a bit of an announcement.  My originally schedules Week 4 event (1981 Week: Revisited) is going to be postponed until a later date due to schedule slip.  I am way behind on posting several of my other articles, as well, so I decided to just shift my focus to the month's end.  And so, we go from one slipped schedule over to rectify one from last year!

When I was working out last year's October, I had rewatched this and Friday the 13th 3D in anticipation, but never got around to rewatching the third Halloween.  Even worse, I never posted my reviews of the two films I had watched, which just isn't right.  I reviewed the Elm Street series documentary, at least, but I should have been more on the ball there.  I always pride myself on, if nothing else, keeping my Big Three reviews consistently posted, and I flubbed the ball there last year.  So, time to correct that!

Nightmare 3 follows the story of Kristen who, after a seeming suicide attempt after a Freddy nightmare is locked away at the Westin Hospital.  She's put together with other similar cases, all teenagers having problems with nightmares and seemingly suicidal.  Supposedly safe within the facility's walls, Freddy starts focusing in on the small group, picking them off in ways that look like suicides.  It's up to newly hired therapist Nancy Thompson, a survivor of Freddy Krueger's night time attacks, to help them harness their dreamland abilities and take the fight to Freddy himself as the Dream Warriors.

Returning as Nancy Thompson from the first film is Heather Langenkamp.  She also plays herself in Wes Craven's New Nightmare, and is appearing in an upcoming Hellraiser film, Hellraiser: Judgment.  Patricia Arquette made her film debut as Kristen Parker.  She wouldn't return for the fourth film, but she did go on to star in a lot of other films, including True Romance, Ed Wood, Stigmata and the television series Medium.  Laurence Fishburne plays Max, an orderly at the Westin Hospital.  He's made a lot of movies, including Event Horizon, The Matrix series, Predators, and the television series Hannibal.

This is, to the best of my knowledge, the first time Freddy lets his sense of humor out.  It's sadistic humor, of course, but it helps!  You also get a bit more creativity in the kills.  In the original films, he more or less relied mostly on his glove to kill off someone (outside of the sheet hanging and blood fountain in the first film, of course).  Here, you get puppeteer Freddy, faucet handle Freddy, TV Freddy and the ever-popular Freddy Snake.

This film starts the Dream Trilogy, as I call it.  Three films with an ongoing storyline and characters to tie them together.  After the slight "oddball" that was Freddy's Revenge, it's nice to see Freddy get back to doing what he does best: invading dreams and causing carnage.  I give this film a 5 out of 5.  Next up, we'll be checking out A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master.  Until then, this is Red Hawk signing out!

Don't Go in the Woods (1981 film)

Just don't do anything!  That's the lesson I've gathered from this week.

The last of our Don't Week coverage is a film that I saw at the video stores but never got to see until last night.  I purchased it just so I could review it here, so had no real idea what I was going into, outside of the description of someone stalking travelers in the forest and picking them off one by one.  Boy, did I get my money's worth with this one!

The film starts with an idyllic, perfect shot of a forest stream... the lovely trees, the babbling water, the... submerged camera..., the... screaming girl?  Yes, our first victim comes in within seconds of the start of the movie, and she doesn't last very long at all.  We cut from her to a group of four who are backpacking through the woods.  This is our main group, and we get shots of them interspersed with random other people running afoul of... someone or something that's stalking them.  It soon becomes clear that the woods are not a safe place to be.

This one was an alright time.  The acting could've been a bit better in places.  The dialogue seemed a bit forced at times, there were certain parts where it was hard to tell what was going on, even a couple places where it seemed like someone should've seen an obviously placed dead body.  Another spot was near the end, where, in between shots of the search party sent to find the killer, we get scenes of a  guy in a wheelchair struggling up the hill trails set to wacky music that just made me shrug my shoulders.

The film was alright, the acting not so good, the setting was beautiful.  I give the film a 3 out of 5.  It was a fun time, and I'm tempted to watch the commentary on the DVD soon, but for now, this is the last of Don't Week, and this is Red Hawk signing out!

Don't Go in the House (1979-1980 film)

Can't tell any of the fiery death that awaits in there, can you?

So, here we are, at the second to last article for Don't Week.  It's been an interesting journey, through zombies and madness, but there's a small light at the end of the tunnel.  But is it a light we want to approach, or is it something a bit more dangerous?  We find out here, not all lights are safe!  We meet Donald, a mother's boy with a dark secret.

The film starts at a waste disposal facility, where Donald is watching the flames in one of the furnaces.  One of his co-workers sees him and pulls him away from the open furnace door, warning him to wear his mask, then moves to another furnace and starts raking the coals, not realizing an aerosol can is inside, in the middle of the flames.  As it cooks, it suddenly explodes, coating Donald's coworker with flames.  Donald stands there, watching the flames dance over the asbestos suit, as others run in and put the flames out.  Later, Donald's boss, Vito, grabs him in the locker room and asks him what his problem was, why he just stood there, until Donald breaks free of his grip and rushes out.

Donald leaves, driving home and calling out to his mother that he was home and making her tea.  After putting it all together, he brings her tea up to her room and finds her dead in her chair.  At first, Donald reacts with sorrow, then starts hearing a voice in his head, telling him that he's free, he's now able to do everything his mother would never let him do.  He starts by putting on music and cranking up the volume, then jumping on a chair downstairs in the living room before lighting up a cigarette and putting it out on a small, white statue.  Suddenly, Donald's mother's voice comes calling from up the stairs, scolding him, so he hurriedly puts everything back.  The other voice returns, telling him that it'll protect him, that it'll help him.  He goes back up the stairs to his mother's room with a lighter to burn her... just like she burned him to punish him for so many years.

The film follows him building a special room in the house... a room with metal walls, where he'll take women to burn the evil out of them, just like his mother did to him.  But will his insane plan, born of his trauma, bear fruit, or will he cave under the weight of his madness?

This was an interesting one, and I was glad to add it to my collection.  I saw it in one of my Horror Hound magazines and looked it up online, wondering what the film was about.  When I conceived the idea of Don't Week, this was definitely one of the films in the forefront of my mind.  This was definitely a good addition to my site.

Playing Donald was Dan Grimaldi, and he brought the perfect blend of slight creepiness and insecurity to the role.  This was his first listed film role (he'd done stage acting beforehand), but he's been in a lot of stuff since, including playing the Parisi twins on The Sopranos.

All in all, I give this one a 4 out of 5.  It was entertaining, but it wasn't the best film out there.  For my next article, we'll get kicked out of the last remaining area left after the other titles... Don't Go in the Woods!  See you there soon!  Until then, this is Red Hawk signing out!

Don't Open the Door! (1974 film)

Don't open the door... it could be a creepy shadow!

So, yesterday, we reviewed Don't Look in the Basement.  Today, we'll be seeing a few familiar faces, because Don't Open the Door! was brought to us by the same director, using some of the same actors as before (some directors like to use talent again and again... look at Tim Burton with Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter!).  Out of the three I recognized, two of them get a bit larger roles, while the other only appears in a couple scenes.  So, let's get into it!

The film starts off with a man and woman discussing whether to call "her" or not.  The woman wants to call, while the guy doesn't.  Finally, she leaves and places a call to Amanda to let her know her grandmother's not doing well, and to come back, but not let anyone know.  After an opening credit sequence with a bunch of dolls and doll heads (and a very abrupt music halt), we cut to a flashback to when Susan was a little girl and her mother was murdered.  Thirteen years later, and she hasn't gone back there since.

She arrives to her grandmother's mansion and finds her grandmother in bed, and three men in the house... Judge Stemple, Claude Kearn (a museum curator), and Dr. Crawther, her physician.  Upset over both how her grandmother's been treated and how Stemple and Kearn are both trying to get ownership of the house once she's gone, Amanda orders all three of them out, then calls her friend, Nick, to try to get some help for her grandmother.  Later that evening, however, she starts getting strange, breathy phone calls from an unknown man...

This film was interesting, in how it deals with mental strain and the consequences of it.  The stress of suddenly needing to help her grandmother, plus the repeated phone calls and pressure from the other two to sign over the house to them all drive Amanda to the breaking point.  As for how this happens... well, I can't tell you that, it'd be spoiling!

All in all, a pretty good film, another representative for the Grindhouse style.  Not a whole lot of blood in this film, but a lot of suspense.  I give it a 4 out of 5.  Up next, well... we've been warned not to open the window or door, and not to look in the basement.  Now, we're not even allowed in the building!  It'll be Don't Go in the House!  Until then, this is Red Hawk signing out!

Don't Look in the Basement (1972 film)

Wow, talk about minimal art design!

We're going back even further with today's entry for Don't Week, with a low budget classic called Don't Look in the Basement (aka The Forgotten).  This one's a bit all over the place, especially near the end, but it was an interesting film that keeps you on edge for a while.  I originally watched it on a double DVD set with the William Castle classic House on Haunted Hill, starring Vincent Price.  The film actually stands up pretty well, considering its age and the attention it probably got over the years (or lack thereof).  And so, without further ado, here's my review for Don't Look in the Basement!

The film starts in an old farmhouse where a motley crew of people are living.  It's serving as a home for the criminally insane, the Stevens Sanitorium, where Dr. Stevens has some unusual theories on treating mental illness.  We follow the nurse, Jane, as she makes her rounds, but then she gets threatened by one of the inmates, Harriet, when Jane tries to touch her "baby" (really a doll).  Whether this is just the tip of the iceberg, or the breaking point for her isn't clear, but Jane decides to move on to another pasture.  She goes out to the doctor, who's working with an inmate called Judge who's using an ax to pummel a log.  While the two are talking, Judge turns with the ax and whacks Dr. Stevens in the back.

When this happens, another medical figure steps out of the house.  This is Dr. Geraldine Masters, and she takes charge of the situation rather quickly.  When told that Jane's going to be leaving soon, something weird happens to her...

The rest of the movie follows new nurse Charlotte, who arrives shortly afterwards, and manages to befriend most of the inmates.  But, as she gets closer to them, someone else is watching her, and people end up in a bad way when they get close to informing her of something...

This was a pretty fun movie.  There isn't a whole lot of blood, despite the era it comes from, but the subject matter itself is rather intense.  All of the actors playing the inmates give a LOT to their performances, and it adds to the watchability of the film.  I liked it, and really do recommend it to anyone interested in this period of horror film.

All in all, I give it a 4 out of 5.  It's a good film that keeps you guessing till close to the end, with interesting characters all over the place.  Next, we have a film with a Double Don't title... the way I'm reviewing it, it's called Don't Open the Door, but another title for it was Don't Hang Up.  Until then, take care, and this is Red Hawk signing out!

Don't Open the Window (1974 film)

Don't Open the Window: Whatever's Out There Will Wait!

One of the many ideas I had last year that I never got around to for Happy Horrorween was Don't Week.  I got the idea from the Grindhouse films' fake trailer "Don't," which was, in turn, inspired by many British films that would have a different title when released in the US, often with trailers that didn't have any of the film's dialogue (the belief being that American audiences wouldn't intentionally go to see a film from another country with British-accented English).  As I was thinking about this, I noticed a lot of films with that word, Don't, in the title and thought it would make an excellent subject for a special week.  So, one year later, we're finally starting Don't Week!

Kicking the week off, we have Let Sleeping Corpses Lie!  Now, I know what your thinking, the article title says Don't Open the Window.  This film was released under numerous titles over the years, and in different markets... at least fifteen titles in all.  Don't Open the Window, Let Sleeping Corpses Lie, The Living Dead at Manchester Morgue, Brunch with the Dead... all titles for the same movie!

The film starts with George, an art dealer, leaving his office in the city (filmed in Manchester) and heading for Windermere (complete with glimpses of people wearing masks, shots of pollution in the air, and even a woman streaker running through traffic at a stop light).  Along the way, he stops at a gas station and ends up getting his motorcycle creamed by the car ahead of him.  The wheel's shot on his bike, so he leaves it with the station mechanic and rides with the woman, Edna, who's driving the car and going close to George's destination.

After a brief argument over whose destination to go to first, George agrees to go to Edna's sister's place first.  Getting lost along the way, however, George goes to a nearby field to ask directions while Edna stays at the car.  George stumbles across a farmer and a pair of scientists experimenting with a device that emits "sonar radiation" to wipe out insects and parasites.  Meanwhile, Edna sees a figure walking from the direction of a nearby stream.  The figure stops and turns its blazing red eyes towards her and starts immediately advancing on her...

This film was pretty good.  It works on a lot of suspenseful buildup.  We don't get your typical "horde" of zombies, like you'd see in films nowadays, but there are a few.  Makeup is somewhat minimal, outside of a few wounds and zombie munchings.  Locations were excellent, including a beautiful waterfall Edna's brother-in-law was setting up a photoshoot for.

I first heard about this film from my mother.  She told me about how it was one of the scariest movies she'd ever seen, and about having to walk home alone, at night, after seeing it, past an empty barracks building (she was in the army then).  When we first got Netflix, I made sure this was one of the first films we received.

I give this movie a 5 out of 5.  It's an interesting movie, a fun ride, and I can't recommend it enough to fellow zombie fans.  Tune in next time for another entry in Don't Week.  Until then, this is Red Hawk signing out!

Victor Frankenstein (2015 film)

Copyright: 20th Century Fox

Our final Frankenstein Week post, we have the most recent big budget film, Victor Frankenstein.  A bit of a change-up in this one, as we get a different point of view.  Not from the Doctor himself, not from the creation, but from the traditional assistant, Igor.  In this version, however, we find that the assistant is as intelligent as the Doctor, if not more so at times.

We open on the circus where the unnamed hunchback has been working all his life as a clown.  In his spare time, he's swiped medical books and tried to learn something about medicine, despite his roommate's ridicule.  One night, while the trapeze performer, Lorelei, was doing her act, the trapeze rope breaks and she falls to the floor of the tent, critically injuring herself.  The hunchback rushes to her side, along with a spectator from the audience, a doctor, who assesses her injuries and says there's nothing they can do for her, as her injuries are preventing her from breathing.  The hunchback, not to be balked, asks to see the doctor's watch, as he needs it to help her.  With the doctor's help, the hunchback is about to set both the broken bone and the dislocation, freeing up her airway and saving her life.  The doctor, Frankenstein, helps the other workers take her to the hospital.  Meanwhile, the owner and ringmaster locks the hunchback in one of the animal cages to prevent him from leaving, along with burning his medical books.

A little later, Frankenstein returns and uses a magnet to pick the lock on the cage, then leads the hunchback through an action packed chase through the circus, dodging away from the workers who the ringmaster's sent to try to stop them.  Eventually escaping, Frankenstein takes the hunchback back to his quarters and then assaults him... or so he thinks.  He actually drains the fluid from his back, caused by an abscess, then gives him a back brace he says was originally for "Gordon".  The last thing he does for the hunchback... he gives him a name, Igor, telling him that the name belonged to his roommate, who's disappeared.

The film goes on to show the interactions between Igor and Victor, at first just on a sort of student/mentor relationship (respectively), but when Igor shows his own aptitude towards understanding both how the human body works, and how to manipulate the energy needed towards Frankenstein's work's needs, Victor upgrades their relationship to master and assistant, then to full partner before they reveal Gordon to the school.

This movie was pretty fun.  There was a lot of action in places, and I found the interactions between Igor and Victor, and later Igor and Lorelei after she recovers, really interesting.  Victor was hilarious at places, trying to push his views on anyone who will listen, especially after he's had a little to drink (and after telling Igor not to embarrass him!).  The two actors work off pretty well.  The nemesis to Dr. Frankenstein, Inspector Turpin, was an interesting case, also, sort of like a mix of Inspector Javert from Les Miserables with a witch hunter: he believes in God's righteous fury against those with blasphemous views, and he'll stand at nothing to bring that wrath to whoever he feels holds them.

Playing as Igor is Harry Potter himself, Daniel Radcliffe.  He did a really good job here.  He was also in Woman in Black and Horns, along with the recent release Swiss Army Man.  Playing Victor Frankenstein himself is James McAvoy.  He was pretty funny here, at times, especially when playing the drunk at the party.  He was in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, as well as portraying Professor X in the recent X-Men films from First Class up to Apocalypse.  In a scene, portraying Victor's father, the Baron, was Charles Dance who we saw in last week's Dracula Untold as the Master Vampire.

All in all, a pretty fun movie, one I was happy to watch and review.  I happily give it a 4 out of 5.  Well, with the end of Frankenstein Week, we'll have a different subject next week, but I don't want to let you know ahead of time.  Until then, take care, and this is Red Hawk signing out!

I, Frankenstein (2014 film)

Copyright: Lionsgate Entertainment

Day 4 of Frankenstein Week and we're going a little more modern, with Frankenstein's creation living into the modern day and becoming reluctantly involved in a battle between good and evil, with the fate of humanity hanging in the balance.  But where does the newly christened Adam stand?

The film opens with a brief summary of the original story, ending with the creature giving Frankenstein a proper burial (better than he deserved, according to his narration).  In the middle of covering his creator's casket, he's attacked by several mysterious figures whose features shift into something monstrous. Attempting to capture the creature, he instead impales one of his attackers with their own weapon, causing the figure to up in a fireball that drives into the ground.  This attracts the attention of a pair of gargoyles from a nearby church, who fly over and help dispatch the creature's other attackers before assuming human form and attempting to talk to him.

After "persuading" the creature to come with them (by knocking him out and carrying him), he comes to at their fortress, a cathedral, and meets the queen of the gargoyles, Leonore, who gives the creature the name Adam (since Doctor Frankenstein never gave him a name).  She then tells him of their fight: the gargoyles, who represent the forces of good and light, have been fighting the demons, who represent evil and darkness, to protect humanity at the behest of the Archangel Michael, then ask him to join their cause, and offers hims shelter.  Adam still feels bitter over how humanity has treated him, so turns her down.  The gargoyles let him take some new weaponry from the armory (he takes a pair of bludgeoning staffs over something lighter) and send him on his way... not telling him they also kept Frankenstein's journal, as protection against proof that God is no longer the only one to be able to create life.

The movie follows Adam's attempts to distance himself from humanity, the demons' continued attempts to capture him, and his further existence in the modern day, when he decides to bring the fight to the demons.  But will Adam find what he's been looking for his entire life?

This was my first time seeing his film, even though I received it for Christmas two years ago.  I thought it looked good form the trailers, and I wasn't disappointed.  There was a lot of action, a few scares, and a really good story tying it all together.  Adam's makeup was effective, as was the looks of the demons.  The gargoyles were sort of noticeably CGI, but the effect worked nonetheless.

They had a good crop of actors for this film.  First off, playing Adam himself, was Aaron Eckhart, who brought a suitable mood to the role.  He also played Harvey Dent in The Dark Knight, as well as having roles in The Core, Suspect Zero and Battle: Los Angeles.  Bill Nighy played the Demon Prince Naberius and seemed like he was having a good time with the part.  He also plays Davy Jones in the Pirates of the Caribbean series, Shaun's stepfather, Phillip, in Shaun of the Dead, Viktor in the Underworld series, and Slartibartfast in the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy film.  Playing Gideon, commander of the gargoyles and Leonore's second in command, is Jai Courtney.  He was also in Terminator Genisys as Kyle Reese and Suicide Squad as Captain Boomerang.

I really enjoyed this movie, and thought it was a fun ride.  Lots of action happening in it, a pretty decent storyline, and some really good makeup and special effects work.  I give it a 4 out of 5.  My next article should be coming a little later tonight, to make up for lost time.  Until then, take care, and this is Red Hawk signing out!

Mary Shelley's Frankenstein (1994 film)

Copyright: TriStar Pictures

Day 3 and we're checking out the Francis Ford Coppola produced film Mary Shelley's Frankenstein.  Two years after Dracula proved a hit, they decided to update another literary classic with Mrs. Shelley's book.  A couple years after this one, the Jeckyll and Hyde retelling Mary Reilley was also made, so historical period drama mixed with gothic horror seems to have been rather big.

The film starts in the Arctic, with a ship on a difficult journey, the crew attempting to find a passage to the North Pole.  Following a number of particularly deadly events, the captain has his men trying to chop their way out, despite his first mate's warnings of threats of mutiny.  They hear an unearthly howl from the horizon.  A figure approaches from a distance through the blinding snow, startling the crew watching.  The howl rises again, and the sled dogs of the expedition break loose of their bindings, only to be killed by something unseen.

The man is taken to the Captain's quarters where, upon hearing the captain's goal, compares it to his own past ambitions.  The man introduces himself as Victor Frankenstein and beings to recount his history.  From here, we follow Victor from his childhood, with his loving mother, and introduction to his adoptive sister, Elizabeth, to his teenage years, with his mother's death in childbirth.  This loss is what spurs Victor to try his hand at conquering death.

The film is really amazing, how it interprets the events of the book.  Instead of lightning, Victor uses the electricity from a mass of electric eels, combined with electrodes hooked to various parts of the subjects body (in a version of acupuncture, of a sort).  No neck bolts used in this creation!  We also get to see the creature learning to read and speak from watching over a poor family outside of the town after he's chased from it.  All in all, though, it does follow the formula we know from the original film.

Robert de Niro portrays the Creation, and the makeup used here, again, is rather well-done.  His face does have the look of stitched together skin.  He is, of course, one of the best known actors, with films like The Godfather Part II, Raging Bull, Bloody Mama and Taxi Driver.  Kenneth Branagh pulled double duty here, both as director of the film and playing Victor Frankenstein himself.  He also did several Shakespearean adaptations, as well as Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets and the much reviled Wild Wild West.  Helena Bonham Carter played the adult Elizabeth, Victor's love.  She's been in quite a few of Tim Burton's films, plus the Harry Potter series, Les Miserables, and the live action Cinderella.

I give the film a 4 out of 5.  It was fun, exciting, and mostly pretty faithful to the original Mary Shelley work.  Frankenstein Week's almost over, just two more films to go!  Until next time, take care, and this is Red Hawk signing out!

Roger Corman's Frankenstein Unbound (1990 film)

Copyright: 20th Century Fox

Day 2 of Frankenstein Week, and we're visiting one of the lesser known adaptations of Mary Shelley's work... and it even has Mary Shelley in it!  When I first saw the poster art for the film, I was immediately intrigued.  I knew Frankenstein had pieced his creature together, but I never thought about stitching parts of parts together, as shown with the patchwork eye there, but it works, and it also appears in the film!

The film starts in the future where scientist Joseph Buchanan is demonstrating an implosion weapon on a small model of the Statue of Liberty.  The test is a success, but shortly afterward, a strange cloud appears in the sky.  It seems testing this weapon is causing disturbances, including mysterious disappearances, and the strange clouds, called time slips.  As he returns to his home, he sees some children burying an old bike (the owner just got a new one).  As a time slip opens above the group, Buchanan tells the kids to run for his house, but two run towards the new bike.  Buchanan runs to them, yelling for them to get inside, but then gets caught up in the slip, himself, and pulled through.

Awakening, Joseph finds himself in the middle of a forest with his talking car.  Hiding the vehicle until he knows what's happening, Joe heads for the closest settlement he can find, receiving a few weird looks from the locals for his strange attire.  He heads for an inn, selling a ring for some local currency and buying a meal.  While waiting for his food, he notices a man reading a newspaper and moves closer, trying to figure out where and when he is.  The reader lowers the paper and starts talking to Joe, amazing at his digital watch, especially when he's told it runs on electricity.  Striking up a friendly conversation over science, Joe eventually discovers who his table mate is: Doctor Victor Frankenstein.

The film goes from here, with Joe not only meeting Frankenstein but his creation, as well, plus Lord Byron, Percy Shelley, and the author herself, Mary Shelley (under her maiden name, Godwin).  Joe's ultimate goal is to try to get back to his own time, especially when he sees the time slips have started manifesting here, as well.

This was a fun, interesting film.  The creature makeup is one of the most original I've seen, with the metal neck bolts being replaced with metal fins at his temples, the aforementioned multicolor patchwork eyes, and a rather unhealthy skin tone.  The creature is rather articulate, compared to the Karloff original, though not understanding of certain concepts, at least at first.

The sets were beautiful, with the film being shot in Italy.  There's a lot of wonderful architecture and beautiful forests.  The car that Joe Buchanan drove was interesting, as well, showing self driving and voice capabilities our cars are only now starting to develop.

John Hurt portrayed Joseph Buchanan, the temporal fish out of water who basically ignores the usual time travel prime directive (he even drives down the streets of Geneva in his car, with Mary Shelley riding with him, while people stare or flee).  He was also in Alien, played the War Doctor in Doctor Who, the Harry Potter series, and a LOT of other films.  This man is prolific!  Playing the good Doctor Frankenstein is the late, great, Raul Julia.  One of the best known and loved actors of all time, Julia's mainly known for his work as Gomez Addams in the Addams Family films, as well as M. Bison in the much-maligned Street Fighter opposite Jean-Claude Van Damme.

I give this film a 4 out of 5.  It's a favorite of mine, and I highly recommend it, but there are a few small things that keep me from giving it a perfect score.  At any rate, I liked it, and do hope others look for it to see if they do, too.  Until next time, this is Red Hawk signing out!

Frankenstein (1931 film)

Copyright: Universal Studios

I had a lot of fun with Dracula Week, so let's do it again, this time with one of the other popular Universal monster films, Frankenstein.  I've got a great lineup ready for the week, starting with the classic, Boris Karloff version and leading into the recent Victor Frankenstein.  I've been a little bit behind schedule, but I promise that I've got plans to make up for those lost days.  For now, though, let's get into the action!

The film opens on a funeral, with two uninvited guests watching from behind a nearby stone wall: Henry Frankenstein and his assistant, Fritz (Not Igor... he doesn't come along until the third film, at least, with the spelling of Ygor).  Once the crowd has cleared and the grave digger departs, Fritz and Frankenstein move in and harvest the body from the grave.  Along the way back from the graveyard, the duo also stop to cut down a hanging corpse, while Frankenstein raves about his purpose in corpse collecting: to create a new human, built from the parts taken from the bodies and given life by his machines.

Meanwhile, Frankenstein's friend, Victor, meets with his fiancee, Elizabeth.  Both are concerned over not hearing from Henry in a long while, outside of letters saying not to visit.  After talking to his father, the Baron von Frankenstein, they seek out Henry's professor, Dr. Waldman, who tells them he hasn't seen Henry since he left school, but informs them of Henry's ambition.  Together, the three of them head for where Henry's set up his lab... on a dark and stormy night...

This film is a classic for a reason.  The sets are amazing, the makeup for the monster is rightfully considered some of the best in movie history (heck, almost every rendition of Frankenstein's monster uses some variation on it), the acting was great, everything comes together to make an excellent film.

The good doctor, Henry Frankenstein, was portrayed by Colin Clive.  He'd go on to reprise the role in Bride of Frankenstein, but he didn't do much else, genre-wise, and passed away at 37 from tuberculosis.  Boris Karloff portrays his creation, the Monster.  He'd parlay this role into a very successful acting career, going on to get two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his work in television and film.  He was also, later, the inspiration for Bobby "Boris" Pickett's Monster Mash song (and its various sequels).  The film also features Edward Van Sloane and Dwight Frye, both of whom appeared in Dracula, as Dr. Waldman and Fritz, respectively.

All in all, a good, fun movie, one I'm honored to give a 5 out of 5.  Tomorrow, we'll be jumping ahead to 1990, almost 60 years, for the next film, Frankenstein Unbound, from Roger Corman.  I'll see you there!  Until then, this is Red Hawk signing out!

Dracula Untold (2014)

Copyright: Universal Pictures and Legendary Pictures

We're finishing off Dracula Week with one of the most recent Dracula films to be released, Dracula Untold.  It goes back to Vlad's days and gives us an example of where he might have come from, as well as, originally, setting us up for the Universal Monsters Shared Universe.  But we'll get into that in a little bit.  For now, let's take a look at the film!

It starts off telling us about how Vlad was used as a royal hostage as a boy when the Turks had invaded his lands.  It flashes ahead to Vlad's adulthood, after his days as impaler.  He's now ruling Wallachia, at peace with the Turks and with a wife and son.  While he and his men are patrolling the river, they come across a Turkish helmet and fear it may mean a scouting party is preparing to invade.  Following the stream, Vlad and his soldiers come across Broken Tooth Mountain, where they're attacked by a strange creature faster and stronger than any human they'd encountered.  Vlad loses the two men who came with him, and barely escapes the cave with his life.

Later, the Turks arrive during an Easter feast, demanding their usual tribute... and, in addition, 1000 boys for the Sultan's Janissary troop.  When Vlad goes to the Sultan to request that he have mercy over the country, even offering himself instead, knowing that his skills would make him worth more than the 1000 requested, the Sultan turns him down, then asks for Vlad's son, in addition.  When the emissary arrives to take his son, however, Vlad kills him and the rest of the soldiers, then tells his men to hold up and protect the castle and his wife and son.  Vlad turns towards Broken Tooth Mountain with a plan...

The movie was definitely good, with a lot of action to it and amazing special effects.  Vlad transforming into a flock of bats was always fun to see, and how he used it to his advantage against the Turkish forces trying to kill him and his people was really cool.  A later scene where Vlad used a lightning storm as cover was really well-done, also, as was Vlad's vampire-vision, where he could see the flowing vessels under the skin.

Luke Evans plays Vlad, aka Dracula, in this film, and he plays the part well.  You can get the sense of frustration he gets having to hide his powers from his people.   He's also in the Hobbit trilogy, Fast & Furious 6 and 7, Clash of the Titans and in the upcoming live action Beauty and the Beast as Gaston.  Charles Dance plays the Master Vampire who Vlad has to approach to gain the ability to save his people.  He's been in a lot of movies, including Underworld: Awakening (and the upcoming Blood Wars entry into the franchise), Victor Frankenstein, and the much reviled Ghostbusters remake.  Art Parkinson played Ingeras, Vlad's son, and went on to co-star in San Andreas.

I really enjoyed this one, and give it a 5 out of 5.  It was originally intended to be the opening to the Universal Monsters Cinematic Universe, even having a few scenes added in that could have linked in with the upcoming films, but it looks like Universal's changing the start to be a new Mummy film starring Tom Cruise.  Looking forward to that one, but for now, as always, this is Red Hawk signing out!

Dracula 2000 (2000 film)

Copyright: Miramax and Dimension Films

Wes Craven tried his hand at bringing us a newer, more modern Dracula film in this entry.  It starred a pretty good cast of people that went on to bigger things, as well as a couple of well-established actors, as well.  It went on to spawn a couple sequels, as well, Dracula II: Ascension and Dracula III: Legacy, each with a different actor portraying the part.  But for now, let's talk about Dracula 2000!

The film opens on a shot of the Demeter, the ship that brought Dracula to England, then a shot of him embarking into London from the beach.  From here, it jumps ahead to the modern day, where Matthew, the grandson of Abraham Van Helsing, is perusing a recently acquired crossbow his assistant, Simon, has purchased for Van Helsing's antique dealership, Carfax Antiquities.  Meanwhile, a group of thieves trick their way into the building and find their way into a highly secured vault, looking for what they believe to be an enormous treasure and finding... a silver casket.  Reasoning that it's a bit of a mind game, they decide to take the casket, only for it to spring several traps which kill two of the thieves.  Hearing Van Helsing's approach, the remaining thieves spirit the casket away, leaving Matthew to find their destination.

I don't want to go too much further into the plot, because it would give away a few things that should remain surprises for people who haven't seen this one.  The film was good, though, pretty solid acting all around from everyone involved.  The sets and locations were great, as well.

Christopher Plummer portrays Van Helsing, the antiquities dealer who has to deal with a pending vampire threat.  He has had a very long, very amazing career, including movies like The Sound of Music, plus genre films like Starcrash (with Caroline Munro and Joe Spinell from The Last Horror Film) and Vampire in Venice.  Jonny Lee Miller played Simon, Van Helsing's assistant and apprentice.  He's currently playing Sherlock Holmes on the US series Elementary.  He also played Roger Collins in Tim Burton's Dark Shadows adaptation.  Gerard Butler plays Dracula in this film.  He's done extremely well for himself in acting since (this was one of his two breakout roles, the other was the title role in Atilla).  He was also in Tale of the Mummy, Reign of Fire, Phantom of the Opera and 300.

This was a pretty fun film.  I give it a 4 out of 5.  It's not quite up with the classics, but it does stand on its own as a good possible continuation of the original.  Next up, we'll be finishing Dracula Week with one of the most recent films, Dracula Untold, then we'll be taking a look at a few video games Dracula's appeared in.  Until then, take care, and this is Red Hawk signing out!

Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992 film)

Copyright: Columbia Pictures

Today's entry in Dracula Week is a return to the original story, with a bit of a love story added on for good measure.  I always find it amazing how different the versions of the original story can be so different at times.  Bela Lugosi's film was different from Nosferatu.  Horror of Dracula took the story another direction, filling out the folklore even more, while the films with Frank Langella and Jack Palance playing the role added a bit more tragedy and romance to his backstory.  Each film builds on the back of those that came before it, taking what worked before and refining it, making it, in some cases, better.

With Bram Stoker's Dracula, Francis Ford Coppola took elements from the previous films, and the original book, blended them together, added some of his own inspirations and turned out a very interesting result, one I'm pleased to review for you.

The film starts off with a bit of history.  It shows Vlad the Impaler laying waste to the Muslim Turks that invaded his country in that time period.  It also shows his beloved, Elizabeta, getting news of his death and falling from a high tower to her death.  Upon his return, he's informed that, as she suicided, her soul's lost.  Vlad goes berserk, forsaking and renouncing God as he destroys everything in the chapel that he can.  Blood starts flowing from the stabbed cross and Vlad drinks from it.

From here, it follows much the same as the others.  We see Jonathan Harker, a realtor who replaces the recently mentally incapacitated Renfield, getting the assignment Renfield had, to finish the job of selling Carfax Abbey to Count Dracula.  Through the trip to Transylvania, we get Harker's journal entries (the film, much like the book, is told through journal entries and pieces of news).  On the ride to Borgo Pass, a fellow carriage rider gives Harker a crucifix to protect him.  When Dracula's coach arrives, the Coachman reaches down and lifts Harker up by the shoulder, setting him into the coach before driving off with him.

From here the film is close to the original, with the trip to the castle and the solicitor meeting with the Count.  Some interesting shots take place at the castle, with Dracula's shadow not quite matching Dracula's movements (a result of Dracula's own unnaturalness, along with a few other weird occurrences in the area).  Rather than falling under Dracula's spell as Renfield did, Harker is seemingly caught and captivated by Dracula's brides and forced to go along with Dracula's wishes.  Finally, the day comes where Dracula is set to head to his new home, leaving Harker with the brides.  He's seen Harker's fiancee's picture, and she looks remarkably like Elizabeta...

The film was amazing in its visuals and effects.  The makeup was excellent on Dracula, throughout all of the forms he takes.  The film was shot almost completely on sound stage, and with amazing attention to detail.  Many scenes were shot keeping in mind what sort of technology would be available in the time period, such as in the asylum scenes, or the nickelodeon.

The cast was, for the most part, excellently chosen.  A few people disliked Keanu Reeves's performance as Jonathan Harker, but I didn't really find any fault in it, personally (of course, I was in my teens when it first came out and never really thought much on different accents at the time).  Mr. Reeves was, of course, in Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure and Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey, the Matrix series, Johnny Mnemonic and The Watcher.  Gary Oldman portrayed Count Dracula this time around, and he did excellently.  The different looks he sports throughout the film are amazing, but it's the actor that makes the role, not the makeup, and he was really good.  Mr. Oldman has been in a ton of movies, including the Dark Knight Trilogy, The Professional, The Fifth Element, the Harry Potter series and Red Riding Hood.  Winona Ryder plays Mina Murray, Harker's fiancee who starts to come under the spell of Count Dracula.  She was also in Beetlejuice, Heathers, Edward Scissorhands and Alien: Resurrection.  Anthony Hopkins plays Professor Van Helsing, the eternal nemesis to Dracula.  He's had a very long and distinguished career, portraying Hannibal Lecter in the Silence of the Lambs trilogy (not the first Hannibal Lecter on screen, that honor goes to Brian Cox who played the role (as Hannibal Leckter) in the Red Dragon adaptation Manhunter), as well as playing in Thor, Meet Joe Black, Instinct and Fracture.

All in all, an excellent movie, one I give a 5 out of 5.  Next up, we'll be going a few more years forward to the year 2000.  Dracula 2000, that is!  (At least I'm not covering Dracula 3000, the much-reviled vampires in space film!)  Until next time, this is Red Hawk signing out!

Dracula A.D. 1972 (1972 film)

Copyright: Hammer Films and Columbia-Warner Bros.

A little late in getting this up, but better late than never, I always say!  For years, many have debated over who played the best Dracula.  Some say Bela Lugosi, some say Duncan Regehr of Monster Squad, and some say the man who starred in this film, Christopher Lee.  I originally thought of covering the original Christopher Lee Dracula film, Horror of Dracula (or just Dracula on its British release), but realized it would probably be another retelling of the original story, and I wanted to get a little more variety in my articles.

I can't remember if this was my first Christopher Lee Dracula film, or if I saw another before this one, but I know I saw this one years ago, possibly on one of the premium stations like Encore or Starz.  I do know that I enjoyed it, though I still hold Bela Lugosi as the better Dracula actor, myself.  But, before we get too into that, let's get into the summary!

The film begins with a carriage chase (I thought this was going to be different from the original film!) through Hyde Park, with Dracula fighting Van Helsing, his eternal arch nemesis, on top of it.  As the horses pulling the carriage pull away, due to the pin connecting them pulling free, Dracula throws Van Helsing off the roof, then ends up crashing with the carriage into a tree.  As Van Helsing looks on, Dracula stumbles from alongside the carriage with one of its broken wheels impaling him.  With a mild struggle, Van Helsing manages to drive it in the rest of the way, then succumbs to his own injuries as a man rides up to the scene and watches Dracula waste away to dust.  The new man takes Dracula's ring, and a vial of his ashes, and leaves the scene.

Fast forward a hundred years to contemporary (for 1972) London.  The majority of the film takes place here, as one young man seeks to revive Dracula, with Van Helsing's descendants seeking to stop him.  The film here is amazing to me, I love looking back into the past and seeing the fashions, hearing the music, all of that.  The film came out five years before I was born, so it's nice to connect with my decade.

I did enjoy the film.  Christopher Lee was great in the role, but his role in the film was a bit limited.  He is, of course, a highly respected actor, and rightly so.  Besides Dracula, he also was Count Dooku in the Star Wars prequel trilogy, Saruman in the Middle Earth saga, and, in one of the first roles I remember seeing him in, Dr. Catheter in Gremlins 2: The New Batch.  He also had roles in quite a few Tim Burton films, including Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Dark Shadows.  Playing opposite Mr. Lee was Peter Cushing.  Cushing was another great actor, who played in Tales from the Crypt, Dr. Terror's House of Horrors (with Christopher Lee again), and the original Star Wars.  Caroline Munro played Laura, one of the early victims of the film.  She's had a long acting career, including one film I covered on the original version of the site, The Last Horror Film (filmed during the Cannes Film Festival in France).  She was a Bond Girl (in The Spy Who Loved Me), and was also in an old favorite of mine, Slaughter High.

All in all, a pretty fun film, with a few surprises here and there.  I highly recommend a view, and give it a 4 out of 5.  Next up, we'll have something a little more recent, with Bram Stoker's Dracula, starring Gary Oldman as the eponymous count.  Until then, take care of yourselves, and this is Red Hawk signing out!

Dracula (1931)

Copyright Universal Pictures

Starting off Dracula Week with a true horror classic, the original Dracula film from Universal Pictures.  While not the oldest film I've covered (that honor goes to Nosferatu, the silent adaptation of the same story, which I covered on this site's original incarnation), it is pretty old, yet remains one of my favorites.

A brief story before I go into my plot rundown.  When I was little, one of the local stations ran an all night marathon of five of the Universal monster films for Halloween: Frankenstein, Bride of Frankenstein, Dracula, Wolf Man and The Invisible Man.  This was not only the first time I saw this film (and the others), but also the first time I ever got to stay up all night.  Well, almost all night... I sort of conked out at Invisible Man, waking up at one point to see a pair of pants chasing a screaming woman down the road.

The film opens on a carriage speeding through the Carpathian mountains, trying to make it to a village before sundown.  Among the passengers is one Mr. Renfield, a realtor who is looking to finalize a deal with the local Count Dracula.  At the village, upon hearing Renfield's destination, the locals try to dissuade him from his appointment at Borgo Pass, or at least delay his trip until the morning, but Renfield is adamant about keeping it.

After a rather eventful ride, Renfield finds himself in the mouldering courtyard of a seemingly wrecked castle in the mountains.  Meeting his host, the charismatic Count himself, Renfield's surprised at the dilapidated exterior, but then finds his own quarters to be warm and cozy.  In the course of the meeting with the Count, Renfield cuts his finger, causing the Count to slowly advance on him, staring at the blood on his hand, only to be repelled by a cross Renfield was given at the village.  Only partially rebuffed, Dracula sends his brides in to dispose of the cross, leaving the way clear for him to enthrall Renfield to his power.

I have always loved this movie.  While some of the special effects are a little strange nowadays, I'm sure that they would have been very effective when it first came to theaters.  One thing I came across when researching this movie was the fact that, whenever Dracula's on camera, especially the scenes with him using his powers to influence others, he never blinks once.  There were rumors that Hannibal Lecter did something similar in Silence of the Lambs (not true, he blinks a lot), it just adds that much more to the creepiness of the character.

Bela Lugosi plays the sinister Count Dracula.  This is the first of twice that he played the role, the other time being in Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein.  He went on to play many other vampire roles, and mad scientist types, as well, mostly getting typecast in those roles somewhat due to his natural accent.  Speaking of typecasting, Renfield was portrayed by Dwight Frye, who became known for his raving lunatic roles after this film.  Edward Van Sloan played Professor Van Helsing, Dracula's nemesis in the film.  He went on to also play in Frankenstein, The Mummy, and to reprise the Van Helsing role in Daughter of Dracula.

A true classic, and one of my all-time favorites, I don't hesitate to give this film a 5 out of 5.  Next time, I'll be bringing you a new Dracula film, from 40 or so years later.  Until then, take care, and this is Red Hawk signing out!

Mimic 3: Sentinel (2003 film)

Copyright Dimension Films

Second day of Happy Horrorween, and we finish off the Mimic-palooza with Mimic 3: Sentinel.  Sentinel ups the terror by giving us two Judas Breed bugs, but also restricts one of our main characters to mostly one room.  Yes, it's Rear Window with human-sized killer insects!

The film focuses on Marvin, a shut-in due to health problems lingering from when he was stricken with Strickler's, the disease that was first mentioned in the original film (the disease the Mimic bugs were created to wipe out).  He spends his days looking out his window, photographing the comings and goings of his neighbors, putting together a collage of the people across the way.  When a combination of factors leads Marvin to suspect the Garbageman, a new neighbor, of foul play, the truth he, his sister, Rosy and his new friend, Carmen, discover is much worse...

This film, while not quite up to par with the original, still delivers on some chills and suspense.  Like I said, it sort of goes off of the template of Rear Window, so it has a good set of bones to build off of. The addition of the Judas Breed adds some further suspense to the proceedings, plus the mystery of the Garbageman, as well.  The acting was good, with a couple of then well-known actors, and at least one more who went on to bigger things.

Playing Simone, Marvin's mother, was Amanda Plummer.  Ms. Plummer played Nettie Cobb in Needful Things, as well as having roles in a lot of other films, like Pulp Fiction, The Prophecy, Satan's Little Helper, and Vampire.  Lance Henriksen plays the Garbageman.  He has been in a lot of films, including the Pumpkinhead series, Terminator, the Alien series as Bishop, The Pit and the Pendulum from Full Moon... the list of films he's done goes on and on.  Rebecca Mader played Carmen, the girl Marvin's pining over in the apartment complex.  This was her first film, but she went on to play on Lost and No Ordinary Family, as well as portraying the Wicked Witch of the West in Once Upon a Time.

All in all, I'll give this film a 3 out of 5.  It wasn't really as good as the first two, but it was better than some others I've covered on here.  Tune in next time, when I'll be kicking off Dracula Week: a week of Dracula films from across the years, starting with 1931's Dracula with the late, great Bela Lugosi.  I think it'll be a pretty fun time.  Take care, everyone, and this is Red Hawk signing out!

Mimic 2 (2001)

Copyright Dimension Films

Here we are, at the start of another Happy Horrorween, and I've brought you some more massive, man-impersonating bugs!  I promised this article the day after the last one... which was January 1st.  A little late, I know, but anyone who's seen this site knows that deadlines can sometimes get the best of me.  Nevertheless, I've got a great month planned out for you, so let's kick things off with Mimic 2!

This one shifts focus from Susan Tyler (Mira Sorvino's character in the original) to Remy, her assistant, who is now a science teacher in an inner-city high school.  She's going to need all that scientific knowledge, as well as her experience as an entomologist, as a new member of the Judas Breed focuses in on her.

The film opens, much like the first, with another man running for his life from a cloaked figure.  Reaching the seeming safety of the streets, he's instead attacked and killed.  Later, when the police find him, he's been eviscerated and his face cut off.  The police identify the body and find a connection to Remy, who lives along in an apartment... an apartment where someone, or something, watches over her from outside the window.

This was an interesting one.  While overall, I don't feel it's better than the first, it does have its charms.  Instead of a whole colony of Judas Breed bugs, we largely have just one, and so far as I could tell, not a hint of CGI to it.  The effects worked well, too, and there were plenty of scares to be had.

The main woman, Remy, was played by Alix Koromzay, returning from the original.  When searching for other roles she's played on IMDb, I noticed that her character's name is spelled Remy for the first film, but Remi for the second one.  I went with the spelling from the first, since I figure that would probably override any script name changes.  She was also in 1997's Nightwatch, 1999's The Haunting, and Children of the Corn 666: Isaac's Return (another series I'd like to eventually cover on this site).  Bruno Campos portrays Detective Klasky.  He doesn't have a lot of genre type titles in his resumé, but he was the voice for Prince Naveen in The Princess and the Frog, he had a role on an episode of Ghost Whisperer, and played Dr. Quentin Costa on Nip/Tuck.  Edward Albert played Darksuit, leader of the military unit sent to wipe out the Judas Breed threat.  A well-accomplished actor, he had a major role in the 1980s series Beauty and the Beast, played the Red Ranger's father on Power Rangers: Time Force, and 1982's The House Where Evil Dwells.

When this film came out, the critics weren't too kind to it.  Personally, I really enjoyed it.  I give this another 4 out of 5.  It stands alongside the original film really well.  Tomorrow, we'll see why the third film didn't, despite an excellent cast.  Until then, this is Red Hawk signing out!

Mimic (1997 film)

Sometimes an insect will even mimic its predator. - Susan Tyler

Happy New Year, and welcome to the new start of Happy Horror!  Now, I know, you're probably thinking, "We just had a new start three years ago.  Why are you starting again?  Do we have to get ANOTHER review of the original Friday the 13th, Nightmare on Elm Street and Halloween?"  The answers are: Yes, we did; because I want to get a fresh start; and no, I'm not redoing those.  What I've done previously here stands on its own and I'm proud of that work.

However, every so often it's important to freshen up my work, and I have some major ideas for this place.  I'll detail those ideas as I go, though, because today, I want to bring you an almost forgotten classic in Mimic.  Based off of a short story of the same name, Mimic is the story of a disease called Strickler's Disease that spreads through cockroaches, affecting children.  A scientist from the CDC, Susan Tyler, genetically engineers a new breed of insect called the Judas Breed designed to wipe the roaches out.

Jump ahead three years and we find a priest running for his life onto a rainy roof as something massive pounds on the door behind him.  As the priest's pursuer starts knocking the door loose, the priest himself runs to jump to another building but finds the way too far.  The door busts in and a figure approaches him in the rain, getting closer and closer, finally pushing the Asian priest off the edge of the building and onto the street below to his death.  Meanwhile, a young, possibly autistic, boy observes the prone priest, seeing and naming the make, color and size shoes the priest has on from the view of his upper floor apartment.  As another figure approaches the priest's body, a strange clicking sound can be heard, which the boy imitates with a pain of spoons.  The figure drags the priest's body away as the little boy, Chuy, remarks, "Funny shoes."

The film was a fun ride.  I received it for Christmas in a 3-pack with its two sequels (which I'll also be covering).  The story, about giant bugs that can (barely) pass themselves off as human is an interesting concept.  The effects work well, both practical and CG, and the acting is great.  Mira Sorvino played Susan Tyler, the scientist who created the bugs and is called on when the Judas Breed makes an unexpected reappearance.  Miss Sorvino's first film role was an uncredited part in The Stuff, she also was in The Summer of Sam and The Final Cut.  Her father, Paul Sorvino, played the villain Rotti Largo in one of my favorite movies, Repo: The Genetic Opera.  Charles S. Dutton plays Officer Leonard Norton, a subway cop who initially blocks Susan's efforts to research, but ultimately helps out.  He was also in Alien 3, Stephen King's Cat's Eye, Surviving the Game, Seven and many others.  F. Murray Abraham played Dr. Gates, Susan's superior, who first grasps the danger of the Judas Breed situation.  A long established actor, some of his genre films include Thir13en Ghosts, Blood Monkey and Shark Storm.

I give this film a 4 out of 5.  I enjoyed it a lot, and it was a great start to what was, ultimately, a short series.  In 2010, director Benicio del Toro announced he was working on a director's cut of the film, which he released September 6, 2011.  I haven't seen that cut, yet, but I hope to find it sometime and see how it differs from the original finished product.  Tune in next time, where we'll cover the sequel, Mimic 2.  Until next time, as always, this is Red Hawk signing out!