My Review of Beetlejuice (1988)

 

Written by Michael McDowell And Warren Skaaran And Larry Wilson

Directed by Tim Burton 

Betelgeuse: "These aren't my rules. Come to think of it, I don't have any rules."

With a certain sequel making the rounds, I thought it was time I got back to the original before seeing it. Has it held up after 36 years? Of course it has. This was always one of Tim Burton's finest movies.

You've got nice married couple Adam (Alec Baldwin) and Barbara Maitland (Geena Davis) who died at the start of the movie. Instead of moving into the afterlife, they find themselves stuck in their home and are determined to ensure that no one moved in to their humble abode.

What they didn't anticipate was the arrival of the Deetz clan. A family that included Charles (Jeffrey Jones), Delia (Catherine O'Hara) and goth daughter, Lydia (Winona Ryder). It also didn't take long for Lydia to be able to see Adam and Barbara and form a connection with them. Considering that Charles and Delia aren't the greatest parental figures, it's not to see why Lydia would gravitate towards a ghostly couple instead.

Of course, there's also the title attraction of this movie itself. Before he became Batman, Michael Keaton really excelled as the chaotic "bio exorcist" Betelgeuse. Initially he was meant to help the Maitlands with their human problem before he ended up being a bigger problem himself for everyone involved.

Betelgeuse enjoyed toying with the Deetz and their eccentric friends, including Otho Fenlock (Glenn Shadix), the latter being something of an amateur exorcist himself. Otho even proved to be a right danger to Adam and Barbara until Lydia brokered her own deal with Betelgeuse to save them.

Now, I'll admit Betelgeuse's determination to marry Lydia might be the creepiest thing about the movie, but like most of his plans, it's not quite a success and soon enough, he's hoisted by his own petard. As for Lydia, she got to save her surrogate parental figures and co-existence between the living and the dead was achieved. 

- There's a great from Sylvia Sidney as case worker, Juno and a funny last scene where Betelgeuse's attempt of skipping the queue resulted in a shrunken head.

- An animated series came hot off the heels of this show and ran for four seasons. It was loosely based on the movie.

- A sequel called Beetlejuice Goes Hawaiian almost happened before Tim Burton lost interest in the idea.

- Would be titles for this movie included House Ghosts and Scared Sheetless. 

- Standout music: Dayo (The Banana Boat Song) for obvious reasons.

- Chronology: The movie's set in Winter River, Connecticut with the Deetz being from New York City.

Beetlejuice is an extremely fun movie, affectionately playing on the usual haunted house tropes and subverted them. Everyone gave a fantastic performance with both Michael Keaton and Winona Ryder being the obvious stand outs. Now I'm ready to watch this sequel.

Rating: 9 out of 10 

My Review of Wrong Turn 2: Dead End (2007)

 

Written by Turi Meyer And Al Septien

Directed by Joe Lynch

Jake: "Nice ride. You want to take it for a spin?"

Nina: "Why not? It's the least this fucked up family owes us."

In a surprise move, you've got a first sequel that might be somewhat better than the first movie. Don't get me wrong, this still ain't a great franchise but there's a degree put behind the characters this time that the first movie didn't necessarily going for it.

It's also funny because taking a leaf out of Halloween: Resurrection, this movie decided to down the reality TV route with a Survivor influenced show focusing on six celebs being put through their paces by Colonel Dale Murphy (Henry Rollins). Surprisingly, he's a far better character than expected.

Anyways the contestants in question included Kimberly Caldwell (as herself), former football player Jake Washington (Texas Battle), lesbian war vet Amber Williams (Daniella Alonso), skateboarder Matt Jones (Steve Braun), lingerie model Elena (Crystal Garcia) and graphic artist Nina Paps (Erica Leerhsen). Of course, Kimberly's an open kill and got quickly replaced by the similarly unfortunate Mara Stone (Aleksa Palladino).

With these characters, there's something of an effort to try and make them a bit more dimensional and it mostly. Except for Elena, who really was just vacuous and fame hungry but the rest, there's that effort, so I have to give the movie it's due on that front.

It's also interesting the pairing choices. The somewhat immature Matt being paired with the more serious Amber as he comes to respect both her and the fact that she's a lesbian. Then there's the romantic undertones between Nina and Jake as the two of them bonded over tragedy while Dale himself seemed to actually care about the contestants lives to the point where he endangered his own to save them.

Even the inbred hillbillies in this one seemed to have a bit more going for them as characters. They were still picking off the contestants, one by one but there was an effort to explore their disturbed family dynamics. In particular, the creepy Ma (Ashlea), Pa (Ken Kirzinger), Brother (Clint Carleton) and Sister (Rorelee Tio), who were the main threat in this one.

- Three Finger was played by Jeff Scrutton this time while Patton Oswald had a voice cameo.

- Adding to the disturbed scenes, we had that hillbilly baby sucking on a human finger while being bottle fed toxic sludge.

- Original ideas included using both Jessie and Chris from the first movie as well as having Eliza Dushku play herself for the opening kill.

- Chronology: Still set in West Virginia and not long after the events of the first movie.

Wrong Turn 2: Dead End does show that when there's more effort on character, you can get a pretty decent sequel. That's the film's biggest strength, and even the reality TV idea was better handled. I liked this one.

Rating: 6 out of 10 

My Review of Wrong Turn (2003)

 

Written by Alan B. McElroy 

Directed by Rob Schmidt 

Scott: "We are never going into the woods again."

A few years ago, I watched, reviewed and generally did not care for the reboot movie. I'm not going to lie and say that this is a franchise I hold a lot of reverence for either but I'm going to watch the remaining movies and try to be as fair as possible.

I mean for a first entry, this was actually a pretty good start with enough familiar faces and a premise that mostly lifted from both Deliverance and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. It also contained a cast of people from some popular shows and movies at the time, including one actor that I really miss seeing in things these days.

The protagonists of the piece included a friends group. This comprised of engaged couples Scott (Jeremy Sisto) and Carly (Emmanuelle Chriqui), other couple Evan (Keven Zegers) and Francine (Lindy Booth) and the recently dumped, Jessie (Eliza Dushku). As characters, they're fairly by the numbers and fresh victims for the terror of their new surroundings.

Add into the mix a man named Chris Flynn (Desmond Harrington), whom the friend group crashed into and you've got six characters ripe for the picking. One by one as they try to get help, they find themselves being hunted and picked by a group of feral cannibals. 

The villains then of the piece were the likes of Odets, which included Three-Fingers (Julian Richings), Saw-Tooth (Garry Robbins) and One-Eye (Ted Clark). They're not greatly developed characters but their lack of development doesn't get in the way of their ability to cause maximum damage to our protagonists as Jessie and Chris are the only ones to barely escape.

I'll admit these type of horror films don't connect with me that much and I prefer my villains to have something a bit more to them that cannibal hillbillys on offer here. Fortunately though they're at least competent villains, who despite getting a deserved comeuppance do show their own endurance to setbacks.

- A mid credit sequence did show that Thee-Fingers survived as he attacked a deputy sheriff by the side of the road.

- Apparently Eliza Dushku's character was named after the protagonist in the Stephen King novel Gerald's Game.

- The characters originally were supposed to be in their late twenties before being aged down to appeal to younger audiences.

- Chronology: The movie's set in the woods in Virginia. A couple who were rock climbing ended up being killed at the start of the movie.

Wrong Turn does get this franchise off to a decent start and probably is the best in a slew of uninspired sequels. The leads are good, there's some serviceable dialogue and the gore isn't too over the top. It's a diverting watch at least.

Rating: 6 out of 10 

My Review of Bride Of Frankenstein (1935)

 

Written by William Hurlbut And John L. Balderston

Directed by James Whale 

The Monster (to Pretorius/the Bride): "We belong dead."

Yes, I'm reviewing the middle part of a trilogy first but I do promise to get to the other movies at some point. I just really wanted to watch this one first. For a film that's drawing close to it's 90th anniversary, there was plenty to enjoy here.

First of all, the Monster (Boris Karloff) himself might have survived the events of his first outing but he's still the village pariah and he's still being hunted and feeling lonely. Yes, there's sympathy to be had for the Monster during the movie.

Then there's also the man responsible for all the mess the Monster had made. It turned out that Henry Frankenstein (Colin Clive) also survived the events of the first movie, regretful of his actions while reunited with his fiancee, Elizabeth (Valerie Hobson). However his hopes of staying away from his creation weren't meant to be.

In this movie, the Monster had made an ally in Doctor Pretorius (Ernest Thesiger). Pretorius who had a professional rivalry with Frankenstein and forced the latter into aiding him and the Monster by holding Elizabeth prisoner. What was the big plan? Oh, a partner for the Monster of course.

Going by the title of the movie, a bride (Elsa Lanchester) was the order of the day and she appeared almost at the last minute. Of course she wasn't best pleased with the idea of the Monster as a potential mate and their match came to something of a fiery ending. 

- Elsa Lanchester pulled double duty here as she also played Mary Shelley at the start of the movie, recounting the Monster's story.

- Boris Karloff was against the Monster speaking in this movie but not the character getting over his fear of fire by enjoying smoking.

- Henry's referred to as Baron instead of being a doctor in the movie.

- Chronology: Not after the events of Frankenstein (1931).

Bride Of Frankenstein certainly was a triumph of a sequel. While the title character did show up much later than expected and was almost too quickly done away with, she did leave quite an impression. Then again, so did the Monster on his second outing. 

Rating: 9 out of 10 

My Review of The Devil Rides Out (1968)

 

Written by Richard Matheson

Directed by Terrence Fisher

Duc de Richleau: "You will also remember, Simon, what I said to you about the Angel of Death once being summoned..."

Simon: "...cannot return empty handed."

For my horror reviews for the next two months, I will alternate between the current day stuff as well as a dive into older ones. Anything with the word "devil" will definitely get a closer look and this movie was on my radar for a bit.

Christopher Lee, the horror icon he is. Well, I think this might be one of his greatest performances in the genre. In this occult themed movie, he's playing the role of the erudite Nicholas, Duc de Richleau. He's one of a few protagonists but by far the most charismatic of the bunch. 

Anyways Nicholas and his friend, Rex Van Ryn (Leon Greene) find themselves having to rescue corrupted rich boy, Simon Aron (Patrick Mower) from a devil worshipping cult and neeedless to say that wasn't a fun task. It also didn't help that Simon didn't exactly want to be rescued to begin with before he realised the real danger he was in.

Usually with these films, there's also a bit of a love story attached and it's with Rex falling for another cultist who was actually named Tanith Carlisle (Nike Arrighi). It's not the greatest element of the movie but nor did it distract too much from proceedings. Needless to say, the cult in question really don't like having their members snatched away from them.

The cult being devil worshippers led by the threatening enough Mocata (Charles Gray). He does prove to be a decent thorn in Nicholas's side, especially when he adducted the daughter of Nicholas's niece, Marie (Sarah Lawson) and Richard (Paul Eddington). Of course the great plot from Mocata doesn't strictly pan out the way he wanted to. 

Yes, there's a few attempts of ritual sacrifices, characters falling under demonic corruption and of course, a resolution that involved time travel. It's certainly a way to solve the main issue while at the same time, offering a suitable comeuppance to the villain in question.

- This movie was based on a book of the same title by Denis Wheatley that was released in 1934.

- The US version of this movie is titled The Devil's Bride, which does work a little better as a title.

- Mocata does seem to be blatantly based on famous occultist Aleister Crowley. 

- Chronology: Set in 1929 in both London and the South of England. May Day factored into the movie.

The Devil Rides Out might feel tame by today's standards but there are some nice moments that do provide some good scares. Great performances from Christopher Lee and Charles Gray also help elevate a lot of the material too.

Rating: 8 out of 10 

My Review of Jennifer's Body (2009)

 

Written by Diablo Cody

Directed by Karen Kusama

Needy: "You know what? You were never really a good friend. Even when we were little, you used to steal my toys and pour lemonade on my bed."

Jennifer: "And now, I'm eating your boyfriend. See? At least I'm consistent."

Another movie that was on my to rewatch pile was this late entry from the 2000s that had two very charismatic leads and was a highschool story involving two very unlikely friends that became a right horror show.

The unlikely friends being between popular colour flag spinner Jennifer Check (Megan Fox) and the nerdy Anita "Needy" Lesnicki (Amanda Seyfried). It's a friendship that's even pointed out by other characters, like Needy's boyfriend Chip (Johnny Simmons) as being off and that shouldve been a red fkag about Needy and Jennifer.

That as well as the fact that this movie actually began with Needy in a prison where she's rather violent towards a new staff member trying to help her. Anyways back to the setting of the story, there was an indie group named Low Shoulder, led by Nikolai Wolf (Adam Brody) and said group had designs on Jennifer.

Yeah, the band turned out to be devil worshippers and falsely assumed that Jennifer was a virgin. An assumption that initially worked to their advantage but also saw something of a ravenous transformation in Jennifer herself. She might not be able to eat a rotisserie chicken without vomiting but a taste for human flesh certainly seems to have an entirely different effect on her.

Needless to say, Jennifer's whole new demeanor and zest for life saw her very indifferent towards fellow students being killed in a fire when she wasn't devouring poor Colin (Kyle Gallner). Then there was trying to snack on Chip. Whatever friendship Jennifer and Needy had definitely went out the window by the end of the movie.

The friendship between Jennifer and Needy was the driving force behind the movie with both Megan Fox and Amanda Seyfried delivering immensely on that front. There's an underlying tension between both characters that certainly transcended friendship as Needy's action beyond their dynamic certainly attested to.

- In a post credit scene, Needy avenged Jennifer by killing Low Shoulder in their hotel room.

- J.K. Simmons had a very funny part as teacher Mr Wroblewski. Chris Pratt even pops up as a cop who Jennifer was fooling around with.

- Standout music: Black Kids I'm Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How To Dance With You, Foreigner's Urgent and Florence And The Machine's Kiss With A Fist.

- Chronology: The movie's set in the fictional town of Devil's Kettle, Minnesota.

Well, I had a lot of fun with Jennifer's Body. An excellent teen comedy with the right amount of horror, a good commentary and excellent performances from both Megan Fox and Amanda Seyfried. Some of the dialogue also really packed a punch. 

Rating: 8 out of 10 

My Review of Heathers (1988)

 

Written by Daniel Waters

Directed by Michael Lehmann 

Veronica: "I just killed my best friend."

J.D.: "And your worst enemy."

Veronica: "Same difference."

I fancied a bit of a black comedy and I went with this one from the late 1980s. It's been on my list to watch for a bit now and honestly, I do wish I had watched it earlier.

To say that Heathers wouldn't go on to influence the likes of Mean Girls and Scream Queens would be an understatement. Everything you like about those, this movie did it first and a tiny bit better. Notably with the title itself.

Yes, you've got Heathers - three of them in fact. These included the leader, Chandler (Kim Walker) and her put upon sidekicks Duke (Shannen Doherty) and McNamara (Lisanne Falk). The three of them set the tone at their highschool and in the mix was a Veronica Sawyer (Winona Ryder), who's become increasingly disillusioned with the callous tone set by the Heathers at school.

Meeting with the somewhat psychotic J.D. aka Jason Dean (Christian Slater) saw Veronica getting corrupted by his influence and it wasn't long before Heather Chandler ended up being the first victim. Veronica did feel a bit bad for killing her best "friend" but J.D.'s bloodlust became a massive problem as the movie progressed.

Veronica might not have approved of her boyfriend's action but J.D. definitely had no problem in making two idiotic football players, Ram (Patrick Labyorteaux) and Kurt (Lance Fenton) look like a suicidal gay couple. Then there was the murderous pair turning on each other to boot. All because Veronica developed a conscience. 

As the remaining Heathers went opposite ways in character development, suicide became a teen trend and then there was both Veronica and J.D. in one explosive showdown. Let's just say the prom didn't get cancelled and Veronica found alternative means to spend her time.

- The suicidal passages were from The Bell Jar and Moby Dick as they couldn't use The Catcher In The Rye.

- There was an idea for a sequel involving a President Heather and yeah, I wish that had happened.

- Standout music: The uses of Que Sera, Sera by Syd Straw (start of movie) and Sly And The Family Stone (end of movie) as well as Teenage Suicide (Dont Do It) by Big Fun.

- Chronology: The movie is set in Ohio during the 1980s.

Heathers certainly set a tone to some later dark teen comedies and TV shows and it's a delightfully macabre look into the corruption of youth. Genuinely biting lines, funny scenes, great performances and so on, I had immense fun with this.

Rating: 8 out of 10 

Wonder Woman - Episodes 56-59 Reviews

My final blog and it's been a very fun two months watching this show in the longest time and going over each episode. 

Episode 56: The Boy Who Knew Her Secret: Part 2

The second part had two problems for Wonder Woman. The first one being the invading alien race in question trying to force her to stay out of their business by making her forget she was Wonder Woman but that one kind of didn't last too long when a forgetful Diana interacted with Skip and "Wonder Woman". The other being Skip being aware of Wonder Woman's true identity and the latter's attempts to make her forget not working. Yeah, even Diana got duped by the power of a tape recorder. Oh and there was a choice bit of dialogue that was very relevant to the next episode. 8/10

Episode 57: The Man Who Could Not Die

This was the last episode to be filmed for the show and also should've been the last one that aired. I say this because this episode served as a prelude to what a fourth season would've looked like had the show not ended. Gone was Steve Trevor and Washington and instead you had Wonder Woman relocate to California where she got a new boss, a precocious wise cracking kid sidekick, an invulnerable monkey and a former football player turned computer scientist turned invulnerable man named Bryce Candell (Bob Seagren), whom Wonder Woman had decent chemistry with. It's very much a pilot episode for Season 4 and while I definitely would've written out the kid sidekick, this could've potentially worked had things gone differently for the show. A shame we'll never know. 7/10

Episode 58: Phantom Of The Roller Coaster: Part 1

Yeah, for a series ender, I'm not sure this two parter was the best idea. It's almost like this whole two parter should've aired before The Boy Who Knew Her Secret because it's pretty much just a spoof off The Phantom Of The Opera throughout with a disfigured and generally sympathetic man named David Gurney (Jared Martin) who generally "haunted" the rollercoaster. There's also Leon Gurney, also played by Jared Martin too, so you do get a bit of a dual performance in this one. 6/10

Episode 59: Phantom Of The Roller Coaster: Part 2

The last ever episode and it's mostly to round off this fairly middling two parter. There's a nice reunion between both David and Leon as they work with Wonder Woman to stop a foreign spy ring threat but compared to the three episodes that preceded this two parter, it's not a very engaging ending for the series. Saying that, ice enjoyed the catch up in the last eight weeks and Lynda Carter really did cement herself as an icon for this career defining role. 6/10.

Well, that's my series rewatch of Wonder Woman complete. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did.