Horror > B Horror

Overblown and gothic fun

Advantages: Brilliant performance by Gary Oldman
Disadvantages: Terrible performance by Keanu Reeves

Bram Stoker would have been amazed if he knew that the stories his mother told him while he was sick in bed, would grow into one of the biggest myths and moneyspinners of the 20th century. Coppola's film is a gothic, sumptuous and rather overblown version of the novel. As for 'faithful' - I don't remember a bit where Lucy runs through the garden wearing a red curtain only to be shagged senseless by a bison. Or the bit at the beginning where Vlad ...
...- faithful to the book my arse! Never mind. Gary Oldman is fabulous as Dracula - sexy, anguished, and with an accent you can't place but somehow it sounds ancient, steeped in grandeur and blood. He's quite stunning in the role and you do feel for him. (Not like the book at all really where the Count doesn't actually appear that much and when he does, he's a red-eyed stinky breathed monster). Dracula comes back to England because he sees a picture ...

Janeyboo 07.05.2008 · Read full review
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Review of Bram Stoker's Dracula (DVD)

Bubba Ho-Tep review

Advantages: Original story, good chemistry between the actors
Disadvantages: None

Bubba Ho-Tep is a comedy horror movie directed by Don Coscarelli (who also directed all four "Phantasm" films) and stars the legend that is Bruce Campbell! Campbell plays Elvis, the actual, real Elvis. It seems he switched places with a look-alike (also played by Campbell) because he got bored of all the glitz and glamour and wanted to get back to his roots. Unfortunately the contract he drew up was destroyed and he had an accident that threw out ...
...back, and now spends his day in an old folk's home. He teams up with Jack (Ossie Davis), a fellow resident who believes that he is John F. Kennedy and that his skin was dyed black. Together they investigate the recent spate of deaths in their home, and find out it may be to do with an ancient Egyptian mummy, as you do. As no-one else believes them these two old codgers have to take on the entity themselves, regardless of their capabilities. A good ...

Walter_Kovacs 29.01.2009 · Read full review
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Review of Bubba Ho-Tep (DVD)

33 years old but terrifying

Advantages: will genuinely terrify; good plot; a cut above most horror films
Disadvantages: the extras were not as good as the film itself

I bought this just around the holiday season last year because the 2006 remake was out at the time and after many bad experiences watching remakes of classic 1970s/80s horror films, I was not eager to go through another. Tipped as "the original stalk and slash movie," whilst watching this film you can see where the inspiration for 'Scream' and 'When a stranger calls' in particular came from. However, the fact that this has a consistent festive theme ...
...in turn ultimately gives 'Black Christmas' a more eerie and uneasy edge over its successors. I was a bit skeptical at first because most horror films today follow the 'stalk and slash' format but I was extremely surprised. Considering this film is over 30 years old, it really creeped me out and I felt quite uneasy watching it, which is a rarity for a horror film fanatic like me. The acting may not be academy award winning (though Margot 'Lois Lane' ...

d_w86 16.08.2007 · Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Black Christmas (DVD)

And Acid For You...

Advantages: Very quick on its toes
Disadvantages: Very Bad Dubbing

I believe this was the third Lucio Fulci film I watched, and have revisited it frequently over the years. Filmed in New Orleans (without permission, but they had fast cars) and Rome The Beyond centers around a young womans Hotel Inheritence, where many years earlier a Warlock (alledgedly) was crucified, beaten with hefty metal chains and melted with acid. Unaware of its gresome past Liza (Catriona MacColl) spends time and money renovating the house ...
...staff. During the run up to the opening a carpenter falls from a roof after seeing some scary eyes, and Joe The Plumber gets a thumb stuck in his head by a nasty demon in the basement. After a visit to dress Joes corpse his wife Martha partakes in a little Acid Bath (it does not do much for her complexion) needless to say its all kicking off now. If your new to the horror world the gore in this may be a little bit much, if your considering a dog ...

sghawken 01.11.2005 · Read full review
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Review of The Beyond Uncut (DVD)

Blood, Guts & Gore I'm Back On Track

Advantages: A phenomenally good film
Disadvantages: Shop around there are better versions out there.

...A woman's Skin, Don't Torture The Duckling, The Return Of White Fang and arguably his most well known work Zombie Flesh Eaters. On entering horror terrain Fulci had fund his niche audience, and although he tried to venture into other area's Lucio Fulci will always be known as the master of modern horror. The Beyond is a tale of witchcraft, sorcery and the undead. As the film opens we are transported to Louisiana in the early 1900's. An artist known ...
...him kicking and screaming to the basement. On arrival he is nailed to a wall through his wrists and burnt to death with pots of acid. For the locals the unfortunate events that have recently occurred in the town are at an end. 1980 and single business woman Liza has inherited this same hotel from a distant relative. Fed up with her life back in the city she decides to re-open the hotel and make a life for herself in a small backwater. She immediately ...

sghawken 24.01.2006 · Read full review
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Review of The Beyond Uncut (Wide Screen) (DVD)