Written by happywax March 8 2012 For details see video review below in Episode # 15 of The Doomgoryum Report ! Enjoy !
Hi there all you Poltergeist Loving Paranormal Freaks !! Hap , Karl & Jimmy here with a little treat for you from the vault ! It's an Oldie but a goodie !!! The Frighteners !! Check out this review and tell us what you think ! Karl's filling in for Axe , while he's down in Mexico helping to Quell the recent Uprising of the Undead ! So enjoy , and remember to subscribe to our You Tube channel if you like what you see !
Hey Guys Happys back with a KICK-ASS flick for our August of the apocalypes Month. A post-apocalyptic, spaghetti western, rock-n-roll Samurai film? Yep. That pretty much sums up SIX STRING SAMURAI. It's quirky. It's B-movie all the way. It's wonderful.
What we have here is a film shot on weekends on a minuscule budget in and around Death Valley, California. It also pays homage to many films; every Clint Eastwood spaghetti western ever made, Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome, Night of the Living Dead and, of course, The Wizard of Oz, just to name a few.
The movie was dubbed giving it a hokey spaghetti western feel that matched the production values perfectly (very low). "The Kid" in the film was a complete carbon-copy of the mangy little guy that follows Mel Gibson around in Beyond Thunderdome. There's a family of cannibals and "The Windmillers" who represent the slow brain functions from Night of the Living Dead. And then there are the multiple references to The Wizard of Oz ("Just follow the yellow brick road").
The story's focus is on Buddy (Jeffrey Falcon), a six string carrying, Samurai sword wielding bad ass who wants to be the new "King" of "Lost Vegas." But first he has to get there. Traveling across the desert wasteland of the post-apocalyptic world, Buddy (who looks remarkably like Buddy Holly) has to slash, punch, and scratch his way toward The Emerald City (another Wizard of Oz reference that we see, Lost Vegas looking very much like the gateway to Oz's hometown). Along the way Buddy picks up "The Kid", a young boy who's mother was killed by humans resembling troglodytes. The Kid doesn't speak (initially) and only screams/moans whenever he wants Buddy's attention. But The Kid is good with mechanical objects (cars, motorcycles, bicycles) and the two form a grudging relationship as they travel together. The only issue between them is Buddy's priceless guitar which he nurtures more than The Kid ...in the beginning. But Buddy can play his six string as potently as he can don his sword, giving him a good shot at becoming the King of Lost Vegas.
On Buddy and The Kids' tail, however, is Death (represented as the four horseman of the apocalypse ...but without their horses). Death wants to be/remain the King and kills anyone who gets in his way, leaving a lot of rock-n-roll wannabes as corpses. And in front of Buddy and The Kid is the Russian Army (Oh! Did I forget to mention that the USSR took over the U.S. after it nuked us in 1957?) After much bloodletting, Death and Buddy have their day on the sand. First comes a guitar duel (Death wields a wickedly good six string himself!), then the sword. But what will happen if Buddy wins? Can he be a true father-figure to The Kid? And what would happen to The Kid if Buddy died? Would Death take the little tike, too? There are A LOT of well choreographed fight sequences (you can never have to much Ass-Kickin). The camera work was done with an eye toward professionalism, never being herky-jerky. The acting was okay. And the story was so ridiculous that suspending disbelief was quite fun. The dialogue often set the tone for the entire production, giving us some great bits like...
Death: "You have failed me for the last...hey, nice shoes." Then we watch Death kill the men wearing the shoes and walk away with new footwear.
The musical score is also pulled off well. The Red Elvises leant their music and themselves for the production (they are the ones with the nice shoes mentioned above). Their musical numbers reminded me very much of The Stray Cats.
If you don't mind low production standards but enjoy spoofs with a good, if somewhat ridiculous, script, then slip this little B-flick into your DVD player and bask in its foolishness. You won't be disappointed.
Written by Axemaster July 28 2011
Rating 8.5 out of 10
Director - Tim Burton
Cast
Johnny Depp - Ichabod Crane
Christina Ricci - Kristina Van Tassel
Miranda Richardson - Lady Van Tassel/Crone
Micheal Gambon - Baltus Van Tassel
Casper Van Dien Brom Van Brunt
Christopher Walken - Hessian Horseman
Christopher Lee - Burgomaster
Okay all you lovers of the "Classic" tales of Ghosts and Ghouls from yesteryear !! Axemasters in the Dungeon with a cool one for you tonight !! ............... Sleepy Hollow !! As a kid I can remember waiting all year till Halloween rolled around for the Walt Disney cartoon version of Washington Irvings , "The Ledgend Of Sleepy Hollow" to be aired on TV ! (Yeah , I'm that old okay !) I just couldn't get enough of Old Ichabod , riding to beat the devil ! Or in this case ..... The Headless Horseman ! So naturally , back when this flick came out , I was there !!
"Captain Jack Who !!??"
This being Tim Burtons take on the tale , in my opinion made it even better !! Here's the story line in a nut shell ..........................
Its the year 1799 and the American revolution is only twenty years gone . Not too far from memory for most anyway . However , the folks in the town of Sleepy Hollow , are reliving part of the revolution every night after dark !! The Headless Horseman part !! (Gulp !) The opening scene shows a regal old carriage racing along a dark misty road . The regal looking old passenger is Peter Vangharrett . He's delivering some important papers to New York . (Its a long ride to the city I guess !! ) The night turns suddenly stormy ! Lightening flashes and thunder crashes , and out of no where , we hear a different kind of thunder , hoofs beating the ground !!!
We hear the ring of cold steel as a sword is drawn from a scabbard !! Old Peter is freaking out big time in the back of his carriage !! (Wouldn't you !?? Sheesh !) We hear the sword slice through the air and old Peter shoves his head out of the carriage for a peek ! His driver has lost his head !! (There are a lot of decaps in this flick!! Gotta love Tim Burton !) Old Peter Bails out and takes a midnight jog through a
"I Said Double Expresso Dam You !!"
corn field . He stops in front of a creepy (Burtonish) Scarecrow , and
well , he runs into the same blade that just got his driver !! Off comes Old Peters head , paper work undelivered !
Cut to a scene of New York city , when it really was New ! Constable Ichabod Crane , is pulling a body from the river . (Yes in this version Ichabod is a cop , not a school teacher !) Ichabod is a believer in scientific evidence ! A man well before his time ! Kind of like a seventeenth century CSI guy ! Naturally , he gets some flack from the other cops and judges , as they think , he's a nut ! So it is that he is handed the case of three decapitations in the town of Sleepy Hollow . The Burgomaster (Christopher Lee !) challenges Ichabod to head to Sleepy Hollow , and solve the case with his special , new methods !! Ichabod excepts the challenge and heads off ! He arrives in the small village and discovers everyone in fear of an avenging Headless Horseman , riding the dark roads in search of fresh heads !! (Christopher Walken !! You Gotta love it ! )
He begins to slowly unravel the Mystery of the Horseman and Sleepy Hollow . The tale that Burton crafts is a great one I think . I will say no more about the plot , as I don't want to give it away .
However , I will add the story that Baltus Van Tassel tells Ichabod about the origins of the Horseman that is haunting Sleepy Hollow . I thought it was a cool part of the flick .
" I thought I was supposed to pull the
sword from a stone !?? Not a tree !"
The Horseman was a Hessian Mercenary , sent to these shores by German princes , to keep Americans under the yoke of England . But unlike his compatriots , who came for money , The Horseman came for love of carnage . When battle was joined , there you'd find him . He rode a giant black steed named Verden . He was infamous for riding his horse hard into battle , chopping off heads at full gallop . He'd filed his teeth down to sharp points to add to the ferocity of his appearance . This Butcher didn't finally reach his end until the winter of 79 not far from here , in our western woods . They chopped off his head with his own sword . Even today , the western woods is a haunted place , where brave men will not venture . For what was planted that day was a seed of evil ! And so it has been for twenty years , and now .......... The Hessian Wakes ..
"What do you Mean ... Headless !!??
Huh smart guys !!?"
Bbrrrr !! If that doesn't break out your goose flesh , your as dead as the Horseman for gods sake !! Okay , okay . For those "Purists" who can't get the Disney cartoon version out of their heads , this flick might be hard to take . However , Burton does add a couple scenes that pay homage to Disney's version . I won't tell you ...........
You'll have to watch this one to find out !!!! Ha Ha !
Okay , thats all I've got for you tonight , so Pop some corn , Grab a Soda , and see if Ichabods faster than the Horseman !!
And Remember ........... Tonight , as you're going home ......
If you should hear hoofbeats in the night ...............
Get in your Car and get the hell Out of there !!!!!!!!
Written by Axemaster July 27 2011
Rating 7.5 out of 10
Director - Frank Marshall
Cast
Jeff Daniels - Dr . Ross Jennings
Harley Jane Kozak - Molly Jennings
John Goodman - Delbert McClintock
Julian Sands - Dr. James Atherton
Brian McNamara - Chris Collins
Stuart Pankin - Sheriff Lloyd Parsons
Hey there all you Creature Feature Freaks ! Axemasters in the Dungeon tonight with an Oldie , that kinda Moldy , but its still a Goldy !! .......... Arachnophobia !! ( Ffffffew ! Thank god I never got that word at the spelling Bee !! ) You know , I can hardly believe that twenty years has gone by since this flick came out ! Its a fun sort of dark comedy like flick , and its still worth watching ! Here's the story line in a nut shell ..............................
"Wait a minute ! I Said Whiskey In A jar !! "
The flick opens in the jungles of Venezuela . Dr. James Atherton is a Bug collector , specializing in Spiders !! (Eeew!)
He's on a university funded expedition to find new and more exciting , er , Bugs , and Spiders ! (Yawn ! Wouldn't this guy be the life of the party !!???) He brings along photographer Jerry Manley , (who's not so Manly really .. kind of a whiner !)
to document the trips findings on film ! They travel to a remote bluff in the rainforest that has a two thousand foot deep sinkhole in the center of it ! The jungle at the bottom is undisturbed and Atherton is hoping for a new find ! (he won't be disappointed !) Their guide , a local Indian , won't go any further than the rim of the sinkhole ! Does this stop them ??? You Bet It Doesn't !
"WOW ! Look at the Venom Bags on That !"
They enter the sinkhole and smoke out an entire section of the forest . Shortly afterwards , all the Bugs and creepy crawlers that lived in the Canopy , drop into their awaiting specimen jars ! Manley goes to take a picture of one very large Arachnid , and the bugger jumps at him ! This sends thrills down Athertons spine as he discovers his "New" Species of spider ! (Yuck !) Very aggressive and of course , at least ten times as
"Oh Roseanne !!?"
poisonous as Black Widows ! They take back two live specimens and two dead ones ! The one they take back in Manley's back pack however .... They don't know about !! For Manley , this is real bad news !! Back at base camp , he opts for some sack time , and lies down for a nap . We see a rather large bulge , travel up his body , and then ...... ZING !!! He gets bit !!! (Ouch Dam !!) Well , the venom works very rapidly and Manley will never get a chance to be Manly again !! Atherton and the rest of the party think that he's kicked the bucket from a case of fever that has been dogging him , and wrap him up and ship him home in a coffin with a hole in it ! Through the hole , our friend the Super Spider , enters and hitches a ride stateside !! Manley's body travels back to his home town of Canaima California . When the boys at the funeral home open the coffin , they find that Manley is as dry as a raisin !! As the undertaker talks on the phone , a Big Fat Bloated Spider crawls out of the coffin , and out the window ! Its picked up by a crow and flown for a bit , and then the spider bites the bird and they drop right down in the front yard of Dr. Ross Jennings !
"I'm Not really That Dumb ! I'm Dumber !! "
Dr. Jennings has moved to the peace and quiet (Not for long !) of Canaimas country setting , leaving San Francisco and his practice behind . Canaimas only Dr. , Sam Metcalf has promised his practice in town to Jennings . However , he gets cold feet on the Idea of retiring and changes his mind !! This leaves Jennings scrambling for patients ! He finds One , in Margaret Hollins . She's tired of Metcalf and his pill pushing old ways ! Jennings gives his one patient a physical , finds she's as healthy as a horse and takes her off of old Metcalf's pills . She likes Jennings so much , she throws him a Welcome to town party . It goes real well and afterward , it looks like some of the towns folk , might give the new Doctor in town a chance , but after everyone leaves , Margaret dies in the night , and Metcalf blames Jennings ! (Sheesh ! Old Bastard !) While all this is going on , that big old Super Spider , has gone into the Jennings barn and mated with a normal spider !! (Gross !! Spider Love !) The resulting Hybrid Arachnids begin to bubble out of the barn and take Canaima by storm !! Jennings soon finds himself the only Dr. in town as Metcalf succumbs to the Arachnid Horde !! Its up to Jennings to prove that the sudden unexplained deaths in Canaima are do to a new kind of bug , and not his medical service !!
"Okay Roseanne ! I'm ready to clean
your shorts !! "
Everyone is soon fighting the Arachnid Antagonists , including the towns , Rambo like Exterminator , Delbert McClintock ! Portrayed quite well by the always Robust .. John Goodman !
Arachnophobia is a campy , fun old flick and worth a watch on a dark night ! Hey , if you suffer from a bit of Arachnophobia yourself , then this flick could be out right Horrifying for you !! They are Gross little buggers for sure !! So pop some corn and curl up on the couch ! You won't be disappointed !
And Remember ........ Things that live undisturbed for thousands of years
in the Rain Forests .................. SHOULD STAY THERE !!!!!!!!!!!
Written by Axemaster July 26 2011
Rating 7 out of 10
Director - William Malone
Cast
Geoffery Rush - Stephen H. Price
Famke Janssen - Evelyn Stockard Price
Ali Larter - Sara Wolfe
Taye Diggs - Eddie Baker
Chris Kattan - Watson Pritchett
Peter Gallagher - Dr. Blackburn
Hey there all you Haunted House Hellions !! Axemaster's got a little diamond in the rough for you !! Its campy , with a real Saturday afternoon Horror flick feel ! There's jumps , Bumps and Gore Galore in this one ! .............. House On Haunted Hill !! Here's the story line in a nut shell .........
"Can we have your Liver Then !?"
The Flick opens on a scene in the 1930's at Vannacutt Asylum . A state of the art mental health facility , or so people thought !! Dr. Richard Vannacutt is enjoying some evening surgery , with out putting the patient under !! (Yikes!) It seems that old Vannacutt is really kind of a butcher , passing himself off as a caring Doctor ! (His nursing staff look like Ghouls too ! Yuk !! ) This evenings surgery session is cut short however , by an all out revolt of the patients at the Asylum ! They rip almost all of Vannacuttts staff to shreds and set the place on fire ! (No loss there !!) In the first three minutes of the flick , we have a gory blood bath on our hands ! Great !
"I feel a little grey today !"
After the fire , the police discover what a house of horrors the place really was and it becomes a local legend . Only five of Vannacutts staff make it out .
Jump to present day ......... Millionaire Stephen Price , who runs amusement parks specializing in Creepy thrills and chills , rents out , Yup , you Guessed it ! The House On Haunted hill , for his wife Evelyn's birthday bash ! (Oh what a Bash it is !) Evelyn and Stephen have a Hate , Hate relationship , with a bit of a Murder , Murder relationship thrown in for good measure !! So the former Asylum turned into a creepy house is a perfect place to celebrate for these two ! Evelyn (famke Janssen RRrroww !) Gives Stephen a list of guests ! Stephen promptly shreds it , and makes his own guest list ! (Nice !) he leaves his office , and we see that the list he's typed up on his computer , deletes itself , and a new list pops up on its own !! (Creepy or What !! I Know !!)
The Prices end up with only five people at the party on the guest list , and the current owner of the place Watson Pritchett . Pritchett is in a real hurry to get paid and get the hell out !! (Gee , think he knows something they don't !!? ) Before he can though , the place goes into "lockdown" mode ! All the windows and doors are sealed shut for the duration , with giant plates of steel ! This kind of dampens the party hardy mood , but since the Host is Stephen Price , and he has offered anyone who can last the night , a Million bucks !! They stay !! (what choice do the have really !??)
"Ah hand guns are so much better than
Cocktail weenies !!"
Evelyn is naturally pissed as she knows none of their five guests and makes it clear that she hates everyone and will rip their heads off if they try to mess with her !! ( Gotta love that Famke !! Rrrrrrow !!)
From here on , we enter the "One by One "phase of the flick !
This is one you'll want to give a try . Like I said , it has that campy feel , but there are some really creepy scene as well . The atmosphere is dark throughout , and the sets are all well done , and Eerie ! The tale isn't too bad either !! Will the gang Last the Night !?? Will the house get them all !??? I'll Never tell !!!
So Fright Fans !! Get some Popcorn and curl up on the couch , and turn out all the lights !! I think you'll jump a couple times despite yourself !!
"This will help your sinuses !"
"Every Homebuyers Dream !"
Until we meet again , in the Darker Places ............
Happy Canada Day Everyone, you old pals got a little treat for you today, this is propably one of my favourite Good vs Evil battling angels movies, now I'm not really a big believer in Christianity or the Bible, but I found this movie to be very good. Christopher Walken, Eric Stolz, and Elias Koteas gave especially good performances. Walken plays Gabriel. The notorious angel of death who goes against god when he becomes afraid of getting replaced by "talking monkeys". He opposed Lucifer once, but now seems doomed to become just like him. Despite being the "killer of first borns", he does have a tender side. When it all comes down to it, he only wants his creator's love and he'll do whatever it takes to be the one loved above all. Selfish, but for good reason.
Our heroes are Simon [Stolz) and Thomas Dagget (Koteas). One of them is a good angel who opposes Gabriel, even though they were good friends before the war. The other, Dagget, is a failed priest-turned-homicide detective who has lost his faith in the word. Rounding it out, we have a school teacher, possessed native american child, and a suicide victim being kept from his death. The upsides to the Prophecy is a fast paced story where a lot of things happen. The characters are all good. The film is well directed. The score has it's cool points. It has a lot of good humor. And it has a moral to the story that could possibly turn someone back on to Christianity....not me, but probably someone else. For a religious person, this film could be either offensive or a senti-mental favorite. We also have Lucifer appearing...the best version of Lucifer I've seen on film. Pacino comes close.
The downsides is that the film is unbalanced. Much happens in the first half, but the second half seems to drag. BUT , i'm gonna say take a chance and watch it , its worth it, I mean its got Chriptopher Walkens in it ,so you know its gonna be FRIGGEN AWSOME...................HAPPY CANADA DAY !!!!!!!
Hey all you Titty Twister vampire lovin Maniacs Happys got another one of my all-time favs for you tonight!!!!!!!!!! As most psychotronic-film fans already seem to know, Robert Rodriguez's "From Dusk Till Dawn" is a picture that cleaves fairly evenly into two discrete sections. In the first, homicidal bank robber/kidnappers Seth and Richie Gecko (George Clooney and Quentin Tarantino), while on the run in Texas, abduct a lapsed minister (Harvey Keitel) and his two kids (Juliette Lewis and, in his film debut, Ernest Liu) and force the family to smuggle them into Mexico in a gas-guzzling RV. This is a hard-boiled, suspenseful, oftentimes amusing segment, which abruptly shifts gears as the quintet fetches up at a biker bar in the Mexican wilderness, only to find that the club's habitues are nothing less than bloodsucking, zombielike vampires! And then the fun really begins!
Oh, how I love this movie; let me count some of the ways. (1) George Clooney, easily stealing the show here with what is practically an Oscar-worthy performance, as Seth; a relatively sane (when compared to his psycho sex maniac brother, at least!), totally unflappable, wisecracking, tough-as-nails, oddly likable wildman. (2) A crackling, imaginative script by Tarantino, clearly on a roll here after the success of "Pulp Fiction," that is loaded with big laffs, pays homage to both classic hostage dramas AND grisly horror flix, and is liberally sprinkled with "F bombs". (3) Some energetic direction from Mr. Rodriguez, whose love for genre filmmaking is evident in every scene in the film. (4) The aforementioned humor, which leavens the drama, the gore and the grue; for example, try not to laff when Seth calls the Juliette Lewis character "Gidget"! (5) A rocking soundtrack, comprised, appropriately enough, of such staggering Texas-based artists as Stevie Ray and Jimmie Vaughan and ZZ Top.
(6) Cheech Marin's spiel in front of the biker bar; truly, a classic, hawking come-on for the ages. And honestly, how cool is it that Cheech plays three separate roles in this film, a la Peter Sellers and Alec Guinness? (7) Salma Hayek as Santanico (NOT Satanico, as widely written) Pandemonium, whose snake dance, with the sounds of Tito and Tarantula performing "After Dark" in support, may well be the most awesome scene in motion picture history. Well that might be a tad much, but as you all know your Old Pal Happy does have a fondness for the ladies!!!!!!
(8) The sight of Clooney, Keitel, FX legend Tom Savini, and blaxploitation hero Fred Williamson battling four vampire chicks...action heaven!
(9) The coolest crucifix ever shown in a vampire movie; the one Harvey improvises from a baseball bat and a pump-action shotgun! (10) Some extraordinarily clever violence and carnage, as the hundreds of massed, repugnant-looking vampires are wiped out in dozens of clever ways. I could go on and on, but you get the idea: This movie really is Awsome from start to finish. Thinking back on this film afterward, I could only echo Seth Gecko's words, regarding Santanico's performance: "That's what I call a Fucking show!"
Written by Axemaster June 7 2011
Rating 7 out of 10
Director - Adam Simon
Cast
Bill Pullman - Dr. Rex Martin
Bill Paxton - Jim Reston
George Kennedy - Vance
Nicholas Pryor - Man In Bloody White Suit
Patricia Charbanneau - Dana Martin
"Jeeze Laweezz ! I said A LITTLE off the top !"
Hey there all you Psychological Thriller Seekers !! Axe is back with a cool one for you !
Brain Dead !! If you like Eerie imagery and Surreal Thrills , then grab your Corn , get it popped and plug this one in ! Heres the story line in a nut shell ...........
"No My name Is NOT VADER !!!"
Dr. Rex Martin is a top Neurosurgeon and , well , old Rex .. He likes .... Brains !! In fact , He's got a whole whack of Brains !! Hundreds to be honest ! He's a humble researcher , who dreams of being able to pinpoint the defects in the human brain that cause psychological disorders of all kinds . He's good too ! So good that he attracts the attention of Eunice Corporation !! (Whoo ! Well hello Mr. Fancy Pants !!) Eunice Corp. wants Rex to have a peek at a certain mental patient named Halsey ! See Halsey was a brilliant Mathematician who worked for Eunice Corp. before he flipped his lid , and he has company secrets buried in that Juicy brain of his that they want back real bad ! So they send in Jim Reston , an old school friend of Rex's who works for Eunice as well ! (Paxton isn't as bad in this flick as he usually is !) Jim convinces Rex that Eunice Corp. could give him a chance to do some testing of his "Brain picking " Techniques on a living subject ! (Illegal ........ You Betcha !!) Old Rex is an ethical guy , but in the end , he gives in to temptation and says okay ! (Did you really think he wouldn't !?) .
"Acting School !? I've already been there twice man !!"
Rex meets Halsey a couple times to get the gist of his problems . Halsey is paranoid and delusional . He blames all his trouble on a guy named Ed Conklin . He sees Ed Conklin everywhere . Ed ruined his life!! Ed Screwed his wife !! and so on . Long story short , Rex talks Halsey into having a bit of experimental Brain surgery to get to the root of his problems !! ( A sane decision I'm sure !)
The surgery takes place , in a Eunice facility , behind a plate glass window so that all the Big Wigs can watch front row center ! (Business Ethics !?? HHmmm ?? ) Rex unscrews the top of the screwballs head , and the procedure goes like a dream ! Rex actually cures Halsey's psychosis and he can become a useful Eunice employee again !
However ............. as the operation is ending , and the Big Wigs are applauding his work , Rex , out of the corner of his eye , see a strange sight . He sees ................ The Man In The Bloody White Suit !!!
(Dun Da Da DUUNNNN !!!!!!!) Rex is the only one who can see him . Rex is perplexed ! (I Know I would be !!) This where Rex's world starts down a ..... stranger path than the usual calm days playing with his Brain collection !! Will Rex figure out the riddle behind the Man In The Bloody White Suit !??
"I HATE DECAF !!!"
Will he keep Reality separate from Delusion !!?? ............ I"ll Never Tell !!! You'll have to watch this one and find out for yourselves Fright Fans !
Director Adam Simon (The Haunting In Connecticut) Does a good job with this flick . The Mood is dark . A lot of the scenes are as well . He really puts a paranoid fell into the film . The Twighlight Zone vibe comes from none other than writer Charles Beaumont , who wrote many of the Classic Zone episodes !! So , if you're feeling like you might want to ...... Pick Some ones Brain !! Then give this old classic a chance !
And remember ........... If you have a collection of Hundreds of Brains ............
Cast
A. Michael Baldwin- Mike
Reggie Bannister- Reggie
Bill Thurnbury- Jody
Heidi Marahout- Jennifer
Bob Ivy- Demon Trooper
Angus Scrimm- The Tall Man
Ok all you Phan Phans , Happys here once again and with me i bring the final review for what I think is the greatest horror series ever made.What makes this series so consistent and awsome is the fact that the same writer/director, Don Coscarelli, is responsible for all four entries. Some phans prefer the second film for its tendency to lean more toward being an action film, while others like the cartoonish, over-the-top aspects of the third entry. Personally, I think this one (IV) is the best sequel. I love the fact that it is more in the moody, psychological vein of the original, which is by far the best in the series in my opinion. IV uses some beautiful locations- a rocky beach, a desert with intricate rock formations, and a completely unpopulated downtown Los Angeles (I'm assuming that's what city it is). These serve as really interesting backdrops for Mike, Reggie, Jody and the Tall Man (all the original actors returned, too). All this is beautifully shot by D.P. Chris Chomyn, who did a great job. The plot is not completely clear, but also not complex. The Tall Man is after Mike with the intent to turn him into another "Tall Man" sort-of undertaker. Meanwhile there's a subplot where Reggie encounters a beautiful female on the road (as he does in both other sequels). The dialogue is sparse and much of the meaning is implied. One of the most impressive things about the film is the way they were able to incorporate so much unused footage from the original (19 years earlier) into the story. Despite the time difference, the new film and the old footage work together perfectly, and that is a really cool thing to behold. The film actually ends with a flashback- a poignant and subtle scene that is unlike the endings of the other three movies, leaving the series with what could be a perfect close. But if Coscarelli and Co. want to come back and do another one, what Phantasm phan is gonna dispute it?! Not me!
