Check out the full schedule for our horror movie marathon here.
*The Visitor (1979) – 3/10 – I don’t know if I would’ve liked this in 1979, but it didn’t age very well. The writing is bad, and the music is really hard to take. A kid with telekinetic powers affecting the outcome of a basketball game is even cooler than a firestarter! So it had potential. But she’s not the best child actor they could’ve found. And for every bald alien in this film, there are three awful songs that sound like they should be on the Electric Company or something. There’s a fun ice skating scene (in a mall!) that shows how cool this could’ve been. Look it up on YouTube. The rest kinda stinks.
*Nightmare Cinema (2018) – 6/10 – This is a decent anthology with contributions from Mick Garris, Joe Dante, Richard Christian Matheson, Mickey Rourke, Patrick Wilson, and others. The first segment is a slasher that transitions into a sci-fi creature thing, and it’s my favorite by far (and bumps this from a 5 to a 6). The rest are all fine compared to most modern horror anthologies and feature botched plastic surgeries, Catholic school demonic possessions, etc.
Suspiria (1977) – 8/10 – I saw this was on Tubi and clicked on it, and then we realized my wife had never seen it. However, she fell asleep shortly after it started, so now she thinks it’s just a dumb movie about some weird dancers who fight a lot and argue about money.
Killer Klowns From Outer Space (1988) – 5/10 – My wife didn’t believe that a man could be killed with pies, but then she saw it with her own eyes.
*The Return of the Vampire (1943) – 5/10 – Svengoolie’s weekly film. Apparently this was supposed to be a Dracula sequel, but Universal wouldn’t allow it, so it’s just Bela Lugosi as a TOTALLY different vampire and definitely NOT Dracula. It’s a shame this one wasn’t a Universal Dracula because the story is better than some of the actual sequels.
*Natty Knocks (2023) – 3/10 – This is directed by Dwight Little, who made Halloween 4, a film I love way more than anyone probably should. Plus, Halloween 4’s Danielle Harris is here, along with Robert Englund! One thing we know is that Little can do small-town Halloween, and he does that well again here. But that’s about it. While most of this is average for low budget modern horror, the kids’ ages are the most difficult part to accept. There is a teenage girl who is supposed to be in elementary school (I think), and then there are older teens who (I think) are supposed to be in middle school, all requiring the babysitter, who is in her 20s but in high school.
* = first watch
Snow in Southtown Christmas Podcast 