Frank Moraes
Content Editor at HotDog.com. Fan of weird (psychotronic) films but especially horror. Runs PsychotronicReview.com.
Joined Oct 2022
@tirebiter73 Great! I hope the human pops more as you go along. To be honest, I found the loser brother hilarious throughout. But that could just be me! Another excellent Irish horror-comedy is Extra Ordinary, which also features Will Forte.
It was quite good. And the sequence with the box and the finger was magnificent.
Based on this, I'm watching From the Dark (2014) by the same writer-director. It's not a comedy but does seem to be about a vampire.
@CriticalCupcake Hard to say. Both curious characters. But with my background, probably Feynman.
Capsule review of Let the Wrong One In (2021)
Some Irish gals on a trip to Transylvania get turned into vampires. Back at home, they turn the no-good brother of Matt, a fine young man who lives with his mother and works at a grocery store. Poor Matt has to thread the needle and fight the vampire hordes (and hunters) while respecting his familial duties.
Funny/sweet horror-comedy.
Streaming for free all over including Tubi.
Capsule review of Knife + Heart (2018)
Many excellent films attempt to recreate the Giallo, But few succeed. This one does. In fact, you could be forgiven for thinking that the film was made in 1979. It features exceptional and horrific gore as well as lots of lesbian and (mostly) gay sex that tends toward softcore but is often hilarious. It is only available in French, which isn't surprising -- it's probably a bit much for most Americans.
Free with library card: https://www.kanopy.com/en/sonomalibrary/video/5743161
@th3j35t3r AI is over-blown -- even the name itself!
But crows are great. They are certainly very smart individually. But they are especially impressive in terms of their community intelligence -- even if it does mean they squabble more than my family!
Capsule review of Oh, God! You Devil (1984)
I really wanted to see this film because I think Andrew Bergman is the best comedic screenwriter of his generation. But this was tough to get through. Horrible direction. And Burns? Ugh.
But if you still want to watch it, there is a good print on Archive for free:
Capsule review of Hatchet for the Honeymoon (1970)
D: Mario Bava
The head of a wedding dressmaker kills his models when they leave to get married. He uncovers more of a boyhood trauma with each murder.
This one is fun enough. But to be honest, I’m not as fond of Giallos where we know the murderer at the start. But as always there is something very compelling about this direct storytelling.
Stream free: https://archive.org/details/HatchetForTheHoneymoon
Stream with public library card: https://www.kanopy.com/video/hatchet-honeymoon
I just watched Ticket to Paradise (2022). I feel like I met it on its own level. But there's a connection between writer and viewer that misses here. The script is far too predictable. And it has less emotional depth than Pyramus and Thisbe. Soulless professionalism.
I love film but most of all, I love horror film. And Guillermo del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities is the best thing I've seen in a long time. I've now watched 6 of the episodes and 2 of them are outstanding. Three are excellent. One was well-made but ill-advised. It is the only good reason I know of to subscribe to Netflix.
Stuart Margolin, better known as Angel on The Rockford Files, just died at the age of 82. I think of him more as a director. But I did see him in a lot of stuff. He had "that guy who was in that thing" aspect to him. His death was related to pancreatic cancer, which had had suffered with for the last 10 years.
I just watched the first episode of the original Fantasy Island TV show. And it was... pretty good! There are lots of things you could criticize like predictable plots. But it works quite well. Even had some effective horror. Tubi has all 7 seasons!
@NoraCharles666 It's very silly. But my speed. Here's the trailer...
@NoraCharles666 Another film Thom Eberhardt directed that I love is Without a Clue (1988). It's a Sherlock Holmes spoof starring Michael Caine and Ben Kingsley. But mine is a minority opinion for some reason!
I just watched Night of the Comet (1984) for the first time in a long time. What a wonderful film! It is exactly what it attempts to be. And features an absolutely perfect script. I watched it on Shudder, but it's available for free on Tubi
https://tubitv.com/movies/432267
My capsule review from before
Capsule review of A Comedy of Horrors, Volume 1 (2021)
Very good film by the crew who brought you The Night Watchmen.
https://psychotronicreview.com/short-takes/c/#comedy-of-horrors
@kay_dub One thing that's hard, and probably why I hate the films so much, is that it looks so bad in color. But even in B&W, the comedy is too broad. I still watch and enjoy old episodes of The Addams Family. So it isn't like I have extremely refined taste or anything!
@oogieboogie I admire him more than like him. He's under-appreciated as a visual stylist. But most of his films leave me flat on the story level. I think I'll pass for now, especially since I just got the unrated DVD of The Devil's Rejects. More my style
Capsule review of The Aftermath (1982)
This is a weird one. I can't say whether I'm alone in finding it charming. It's just so damned earnest. But also kind of cool. And it features Forrest J Ackerman!
Frank Moraes
Content Editor at HotDog.com. Fan of weird (psychotronic) films but especially horror. Runs PsychotronicReview.com.
Joined Oct 2022