Michael Dougherty made a splash in genre circles back in 2007 with his imperfect but highly enjoyable Halloween horror anthology, Trick ‘r Treat (a work he wrote and directed). After a bit of a hiatus, he returned in 2015 and pulled double duty again, this time with a Christmas themed creature feature. Besides the obvious holiday focused approach, Krampus is reminiscent of his previous effort in that it is flawed but still entertaining.
Read MoreReturn of the Living Dead III (1993) #RetroReview
For years, I’d avoided 1993’s Return of the Living Dead III. There was something about the cover art that screamed cash in, low effort sequel to me. Books and covers, I know. I should’ve known better, too, considering I really like the theatrical poster for II but find the actual movie to be merely okay.
Read MoreWinners and Losers of Disney+ Launch (2019)
Disney unveiled its Netlflix-like streaming service to the world yesterday, and, of course, it wasn't without criticism. While I had my reservations, I think it is safe to say that Disney, like usual, has their shit together, and while a lot of us were met with the now-infamous "unable to connect" screen, it wasn't long before we were swimming through an impressive array of content, new and old. The launch included 7,500 episodes of current and concluded TV shows, 100 recently-released Disney theatrical films, and 400 movies from Disney’s exclusive catalog.
Read MoreGwen (2018)
I kept seeing comparisons to The Witch, and I can see why, but Gwen is far from a perfect film. Both movies do have a sense of dread that hangs from start to finish, and Gwen can pass as a decent companion piece, but the finale is far from rewarding and made me, and I’m sure many others, feel as if they wasted a quiet evening in. Don’t get me wrong, the film is beautiful, but, if I wanted to sit in silence for two hours and stare at something pretty I’d just turn on the Planet Earth.
Read MoreSatanic Panic (2019)
Full Disclosure: I know quite a few people who work for Cinestate and Fangoria, the people behind Satanic Panic. My former CineDump colleague, horror writer extraordinaire Preston Fassel, works for the production company and writes a recurring column for Fangoria magazine, “Corrupt Signals.” And to be completely honest, I had no plans to write about this movie at all because of my personal connection to the film.
Read MoreOne Man Dies a Million Times (2019)
Every year I look forward to the “slow cinema” selection at the Oak Cliff Film Festival. As the programmers who introduce the movie usually joke, “Some of you are here because you love this kind of cinema, and the rest are here because you’re hung over.” I happen to fall into the former camp.
Read MoreKnives and Skin (2019)
I caught Knives and Skin at the cozy, sweetly intimate Bishop Arts Theatre Center as part of the Oak Cliff Film Festival, and to be honest, I didn’t even want to see this movie. Having read the blurb describing the film in the program for OCFF, my immediate reaction was, “Fuck. How many movies about murdered girls do we need?” I will spend exactly three sentences ranting before I tell you why you should see Knives and Skin
Read MoreThe Mountain (2018)
After setting a manic, surreal tone with Greener Grass, the Oak Cliff Film Festival dramatically shifted gears with The Mountain, a meditative tale of love, loneliness, and transcendent madness. Starring Jeff Goldblum and Tye Sheridan, The Mountain tells the story of young, desperately sad ice rink employee, Andy. With a mother locked away in a mental institution and a drunken, distant father (Udo Kier), Andy’s life is bland and joyless.
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