At least one positive emerged from the heavy-metal hysteria of the ’80s: We got a pretty goofy movie satirizing the whole thing — albeit at featherweight — in Trick or Treat. Directed by actor Charles Martin Smith (1987’s The Untouchables), the schlocky Dino De Laurentiis production centers on the kind of misfit teen Smith became … Continue reading Trick or Treat (1986)
In 1985, when I was a 14, all I wanted for Christmas was Stephen King’s Skeleton Crew, then fresh in hardback. I got it, and the cold winter nights were perfect for reading “The Mist,” the eerie first of 22 stories in the collection. But really, what were the Weinstein brothers thinking in releasing Frank … Continue reading The Mist (2007)
Let’s not kid ourselves: In this age of Netflix algorithms and Amazon recommendations, who in the hell wants to consult a book — ewwwww! — for suggestions on movies to watch? You can’t see it, but my hand is raised, and high. I trust people more than math. Amid Mike Watt’s Movie Outlaws and The Collinsport … Continue reading Trash Cinema: A Celebration of Overlooked Masterpieces
Recipe for a Long Weekend? Easy! • Ingredients: one bickering married couple. • Place in: car for road trip to Australian beach. • Add: some really pissed-off wildlife. • Serves: ’em right! In this well-regarded, man-vs.-nature chunk of Ozploitation, Peter (John Hargreaves, Sky Pirates) and Marcia (Briony Behets, 1980’s Nightmares) attempt to repair the shambles of … Continue reading Long Weekend (1978)
As the first film presented by the Dread Central website, Zombieworld would be expected to be a full-fledged horror film. Instead, it’s a collection of about a dozen shorts, most of which existed prior to this project, not to mention an outright comedy. That’s not a bad thing — just something its packaging takes great pains … Continue reading Zombieworld (2015)