MONTH OF TV SHOWS - 2021!

Finally getting caught up on some of my writings for the end of 2021!  As has been the case with most people, I was too busy dealing with the holidays but also most importantly with the growing concerns over the pandemic and the latest variant.  This did not stop me from my watching habits as October was my Month of TV Shows!  Just to put everything into perspective, I was only able to view nine series during the month, but they were a mixed bag indeed.

 

Let’s start off with the animated series that I viewed.  I was finally able to catch up with the Pacific Rim spin-off series Pacific Rim: The Black (Season 1), which was better than I expected.  The series managed to bring the fun and adventure of the live action films to an animated series that is post the events of the films.  This series opens the world that was only hinted at in the films and will appease both fans of the films and fans of more mature animation. 

Next up was my viewing of the final season of the amazing Castlevannia (Season 4), which is one of my favorite animated series from Netflix.  I’m glad this series was able to be given a proper send off and able to close out the story.  I’m not a fan of vampire stories and I haven’t played the original game in decades, but this series was directed and executed like a live action film with some of the best cinematography I’ve ever seen.  I’m sad to see the series come to an end but I’m glad that the series was able to see a proper finish.  The next series on my list was the first chapter in the Transformers: War for Cybertron trilogy “Siege” which was a blind watch as I had never heard of the series and knew nothing about it before I watched it.  (Again) Based on a video game (one in which I have never played) I really enjoyed this series and thought it was immensely better than the live action films and had a better (and more cohesive) story.  The final series that I watched was Genndy Tartakovsky’s Primal (Season 1), which I learned quickly was not for young audiences but nevertheless is one of the best animated series I’ve seen in the last decade.  It was a brave and innovative series in terms of story and animation style.  This month ended up being a very good month for me to view animated series!

 

In terms of live action series let’s start off with Black Summer (Season 2).  I loved the first season of the show and there is a lot to enjoy with this show especially with the winter setting but for the most part it still has the same flaws of the initial season which are the characters do too many dumb actions and decisions and the jumping back and forth in time does not benefit this zombie themed show.  The best episodes were those that focused on a small selection of characters.  The other thing that might deter some viewers is that The Walking Dead has done a lot of the things in this show better despite the fact that this show has fast moving zombies.  Next up is the limited series The Five based on the novel by Harlan Coben.  Coben’s work is a hot commodity with Netflix and this is one of the better adaptations.  Although I think they could have cut an episode or two this was still an enjoyable mystery thriller that will delight and appease Coben fans.  Last up is the dramatic period show Downton Abbey (Season 6).  I’ve come to this series late and have binge watching the entire series as it is truly a phenomenal ensemble series with a diverse group of characters.  It is also having some amazing writing and directing but most importantly the cast is one of the very best in an ensemble series. 

 

The last two series that I managed to view were of the comic book variety (as there seems to be plenty of these on offer from generally everywhere).  Since I’m not particularly a fan of MCU shows, I look to the DCEU for inspiration through Doom Patrol (Season 2).  I was trying to catch up with the series since the third season was just released.  This is one of the very based comic book series currently produced as it is made up of a diverse group of characters that don’t even want to be heroes; they are just trying to survive from day to day, which is one of the best aspects of this series.  Unlike the MCU shows (where every character seems to have to have a need to be a hero) these characters are misfits and a dysfunctional family.  The last show I will mention and was part of this month’s viewing is the exceptional Amazon series The Boys (Season 1), which I started on a whim, and which became another instant favorite.  This show features the very worst in super powered characters where the vigilante humans are the real heroes.  This show displays a different type of world where being a superhero is nothing more than profit points and popularity.

 

Since October, I’ve finished all of Downton Abbey and The Boys and Part 2 of the War for Cybertron series.  I’m hoping to see future seasons of Primal and Doom Patrol and even Black Summer, since I did like the way, this season ended and am looking forward where they will take the series from where it ended (if the series is given that chance).  Unfortunately, there are just so many series on offer out there, and I hope to catch up with a lot more that I managed to miss this year in 2022!

BEST OF 2020: TV SERIES

Now this list has been a long time coming and its now July and I’m just now getting around to posting this.  Hey, I’ve been very busy.  As part of my 2020 television watch during the year of COVID I can honestly say that my taste were all over the place.  There was no particular genre that interested me more than any other and 2020 actually allowed me to catch up with a lot of material that I just hadn’t had time to watch.  To be honest there is just too much content out there and with the explosion of original streaming content there is just way to much to choose from. 

To put everything into perspective, I watched 153 seasons of TV.  The episodes per season can range from as little as four to as many of twenty-two (or more).  Traditional network shows usually have about twenty-two episodes but streaming series have no particular number of regular episode count.  I watched a ton of streaming series especially on Netflix and Shudder so many of the series will be familiar to people who are fans of those services.

This being said let me get started!

 

OLDIES BUT GOODIES:

To start off, I’d like to name a few series that either haven’t been on the air for a long time or recently wrapped their final seasons.  I finally finished Arrested Development Season 4 (Fateful Consequences) and 5.  I loved this show but watching the re-edit of the 4^th season took me a while to get through which is why getting to S5 took extra-long.  I also have to say that I watched all five seasons of Bates Motel and finally got around to finishing Scare Tactics (Season 4-5), Weeds (Season 7-8), Zoo (Seasons 1-3), Wayward Pines (Season 2), Warehouse 13 (Season 1-3), Newsroom (Season 2-3), Disjointed (Part 1-2), Homicide: Life on the Streets (Season 6-7), Homeland (7-8), Friday the 13^th: The Series (Season 2), Knight Rider (Season 1), and D.C. Follies (Season 2).  This is a lot, I know, and from all different eras.  There are always shows that are on my list to watch that I’ve never had the chance to actually sit down and enjoy but these are but a small sampling of what is on my “watch list.”

 

I was especially glad to finally get around to finishing Newsroom and Homicide: Life on the Streets while I was disappointed by Bates Motel and Weeds and Zoo, which got worse with each season, which I’m afraid is my view on Warehouse 13 but I’ll have to wait until I get to the final season of that show.  Scare Tactics and Friday the 13^th: The Series were both pretty damn bad.

 

THE LIMITED SERIES:

One of the things I enjoy the most is the Limited Series which I watched my fair share of those both old and new.  Some of these titles may also be shows that don’t say whether or not they are a limited series or not or were cancelled after one season but I still watched them anyways.  Some of these titles are – Ares, Betaal, Chernobyl, The Pharmacist, The Code, Daybreak, The Devil Next Door, Surviving R. Kelly (Season 1-2), Dracula (2020), Don’t F**k With Cats: Hunting an Internet Killer, Ghoul, James Cameron’s Story of Science Fiction, Robert Kirkman’s Secret of Comics, The Innocent Man, Jinn, Challenger: The Final Flight, Cursed Films, Killer Inside: The Mind of Aaron Hernandez, Nightflyers, October Faction, Paranoid, Harlen Coben’s Safe & The Stranger, Supermax, TIME: The Kalief Browder Story, The Trial, Trial 4, The Trials of Gabriel Fernandez, Unabomber: In His Own Words, V-Wars, Waco, and Wild Wild Country.  

 

Most of these were crime series as I think Netflix has some of the best and way more than any other streaming service.  I also took some chances with a lot more international shows like Bataal and Ghoul.  The very best was Chernobyl and Waco while the ones to completely avoid were Jinn, Bataal, and Nightflyers.  Supermax is violent and an acquired taste while V-Wars and Dracula had great ideas that fell short so I’m not surprised they were cancelled after a single season.  I would’ve liked to have seen additional seasons of October Faction and Daybreak.  The crime series are a mixed bag as some I thought needed to be shorter while other longer than they were.

 

THE ANIMATED SERIES:

I caught up with a lot of animated series last year, probably more than any previous year and I hope that this is the start of a very good trend.  Many of my friends have given me a list of shows I need to watch so I’m glad to say that I’ve finally got around to some of them.  I also took a chance of some newer titles as well.  Some of them were Beetlejuice: The Series (Season 1-3), Blood of Zeus (Season 1), Castlevannia (Season 3), Cyborg 009: Call of Justice, Dino-Riders, Disenchanted (Season 1-2), Dragon’s Dogma, Fish Police, Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045 (Season 1), RoboCop: The Animated Series, and Ultraman (2019, Season 1). 

 

I especially loved Blood of Zeus, Dragon’s Dogma, Ultraman, and Disenchanted.  Beetlejuice and Dino-Riders were great reminders of my childhood and this gave me the chance to watch the episodes in order for the first time!  This was I first time watching Fish Police and RoboCop (finally) as I found those on You Tube of all places.  Castlevannia is one of my favorite ongoing series and I can’t wait to watch the new season!

 

SUPERHERO STUFF:

Now, I just need to say this first, but I’m getting a little tired of all the superhero shows, movies, etc. and for me they’ve kind of over saturated pop culture to the point where I’m not even bothering with most of it.   This being said, there is plenty that I did watch last year and tons that I didn’t care anything about.  The shows I did watch and/or finish are Agent Carter (Season 2), Heroes: Reborn (Season 1), Gotham (Season 1), Jessica Jones (Season 3), The Punisher (Season 2), Swamp Thing (Season 1), The Tick (Season 1), and The Umbrella Academy (Season 1-2), and Krypton (Season 2).

 

Surprisingly, I enjoyed most of this sampling except Heroes: Reborn (too many new characters not remotely interesting), The Tick (at least it was better than the first season), and Krypton (I’m sad that it ended prematurely).  The true stand out were The Punisher, The Umbrella Academy, and Agent Carter (a show I surprisingly really enjoyed).

 

THE GAME SHOWS:

Now, the thing that surprised me the most last year was just how many reality shows (aka game shows) I ended up watching.  Being on lockdown meant it was easier for me to fall down a rabbit hole after watching the first one.  Some of the shows I got to where The American Barbeque Showdown (Season 1), Blown Away (Season 1), Dragula: The Search for the Next Drag Supermonster (Season 2), Crazy Delicious (Season 1), Floor is Lava (Season 1), Million Pound Menu (Season 1-2), The Movies That Made Us (Season1), The Great British Baking Show (Season 1) & Holidays (Season 3) & Masterclass (Season 3 & 5), Sugar Rush (Season 1-3) & Christmas (Season 1-2), The Toys That Made Us (Season 1-3), The Big Family Cooking Show (Season 1-2), and Zumbo’s Just Deserts (Season 1-2).

I love Blown Away and The Great British Baking Show, while Sugar Rush and Zumbo’s Just Deserts are just plain entertaining as hell.  Floor is Lava is a show I’d love to take part in while The Toys that Made Us is just plain entertaining and educational.

 

ONGOING SHOWS:

Now there are tons of shows out there that are ongoing.  There are just too many to really watch but here are some of the ones I decided to either take a chance on or were shows I regularly watch.  Show of my regulars are American Horror Story (Season 8-9), Black Spot (Season 1-2), Brooklyn Nine-Nine (Season 7), Criminal: UK (Season 2), Deadwind (Season 2), Fear the Walking Dead (Season 4), Good Girls (Season 2), The Kingdom (Season 1-2), The Kominski Method (Season 2), Westworld (Season 2), Lost In Space (Season 2),  The OA (Season 2), Ozark (Season 3), The Rain (Season 3), Sex Education (Season 2), and The Walking Dead (Season 8).  Some of the shows that I took a chance on are Another Life (Season 1), Bloodride (Season 1), Brotherhood (Season 1), The Confession Killers (Season 1), Creepshow (Season 1), Fargo (Season 1), Goedam (Season 1), Into the Badlands (Season 1), Into the Night (Season 1), Eli Roth’s History of Horror (Season 1), Ju-On: Origins (Season 1), Locke & Key (Season 1), Marianne (Season 1), Reality Z (Season 1), Super Force (Season 1), Unit 42 (Season 1), War of the Worlds (Season 1), The Witcher (Season 1), Wolf Creek (Season 1), and The Woods (Season 1). 

 

A lot of these shows I will continue to watch but the one show I detested was the new version of War of the Worlds.  I just thought that was god awful and still surprised it got a second season.  I hope that Into the Night, Super Force, Bloodride, and Ju-on get additional seasons whereas I’m already watching additional seasons of Into the Badlands, Fargo, Wolf Creek, and Creepshow.

 

Here lies the complete list of TV shows that I managed to get through for 2020!  It was an immersive list that I’m sure I won’t be able to duplicate since we are now closer to normal times and I have a lot less time on my hands. 

 

If you’ve managed to see some of the shows that I have, I would love to hear your thoughts!

Film Review: BURIED ALIVE (1990)

The telefilm Buried Alive (1990) is directed by Frank Darabont who would later craft The Shawshank Redemption (1994), The Green Mile (1999), and The Mist (2007), not to mention bringing to AMC the hit television series The Walking Dead.  This just so happens to be Darabont’s debut feature film after having directed the Stephen King based short story The Woman in the Room (1984).  This being said, this is not the type of film you might be expecting from Darabont.

Clint Goodman (Tim Matheson) is happily married to Joanna (Jennifer Jason Leigh), who unbeknownst to him is having an affair with Cortland Van Owen (William Atherton).  It seems that Joanna has had a tough time adjusting to her new life in the country and wants to stop the charade with her husband.   Cortland has hatched a plan that would allow them to get away from it all as long as they murder Clint to collect the insurance money.  Joanna thinks she kills Clint but only puts him in a deep coma.  After he is buried alive Joanna and Cortland think they have it made only Clint has managed to awaken from his coma and dug himself out of his own grave.  Realizing that his wife has masqueraded his death, Clint decides to hatch an elaborate plan to get even with his wife and her lover.

Although very much a product of “90s TV movies the film relies on the performances of its three leads which is where Matheson excels.  He starts off as your typical small town architect whom everyone loves and slows descends into vengeful madman due to his wife’s infidelity.  It is to Darabont’s assured direction that you get to see the slow metamorphosis of Clint and you believe that his reaction is the most logical one.

The film is hampered by it being a TV film but the build up to the ending is totally worth the wait and it shows the skill in film making that would aid Darabont in his future films.  This is definitely an older film to look out for as it possesses a lot of great elements that will still entertain to this day.

"Rants & Ravings About Horror" - Week 22: “The Best Horror of 2014!”

Week 22: “The Best Horror of 2014!”

I know its 2015 and we’re seeing some great horror films coming out this year – i.e. It Follows, Insidious: Chapter 3 and What We Do in the Shadows – and there are plenty more on the way but I was reading a recent issue of the magazine Fangoria (one of my favorites by the way) and in issue #339 (the one with the amazing article on the music of John Carpenter) they had the ballot for the 2015 Fangoria Chainsaw Awards which they do every year honoring the best of the best in terms of horror films from the previous year as chosen by their readers (and not a bunch of people in suits).  Reading this article got me thinking about what some of my favorite horror films of last year were as well as made me realize how many more I missed out on and still need to see.  So, I’ve dedicated this week’s article on going through this ballot and seeing what I come up with.  So if you want to vote for this year’s event go to their website (at www.fangoria.com) and see if you can still vote.

BEST WIDE-RELEASE FILM

(As Above, So Below/Dracula Untold/Godzilla/Oculus/The Quiet Ones)

Hands down, my favorite offered in this category is Oculus.  This was an amazing film superior to all the other films in this category.  I got to view them all on the big screen and this film played extremely well with its clever and smart script and amazing art direction and cinematography.  My second choice would have been Dracula Untold which was better than I expected.  I not being a fan of the vampire film this brought something new and interesting to the over-told tell of Vlad the Impeller.  Godzilla was a great movie that suffered from having too many amazing actors having nothing to do other than stand around with their jaw dropped and the fact that whenever Godzilla wasn’t on the screen I wanted to fall asleep.  As Above, So Below gets points for being one of the more original ideas for a found footage horror style film but it also loses points for being a found footage horror film.  I don’t know why The Quiet Ones even made the list as this was a film with a great set up that falls apart half way through due to bad choices by the characters and a third act too dependent of mediocre CGI.

BEST LIMITED-RELEASE/DIRECT-TO-VIDEO FILM

(The Babadook/The Battery/Housebound/The Sacrament/Under the Skin)

Hands down the best film of this category and of all horror films released last year in general is The Babadook.  This was a refreshing original horror film that hand something to say and didn’t pander to audiences.  It’s smart, well executed and has two amazing performances – one by a child actor.  There was no film that could compare.  I loved the subtle slow burn of both The Battery and The Sacrament which are both amazing films about two completely different things done in two completely different styles.  The Battery breathed new life into the zombie genre while The Sacrament proved that a found footage style film can work if in the right hands.  Unfortunately, at this time I’ve yet to see Housebound or Under the Skin although both are at the top of my list.

BEST FOREIGN-LANGUAGE FILM

(Big Bad Wolves/A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night/The House at the End of Time/The strange Color of Your Body’s Tears/Witching & Bitching)

I regret that for the first time ever since I’ve been following the Fangoria Chainsaw Awards I’ve not seen a single film that was nominated.  Every one of these films are on my must-see list but I’ve yet to sit down and view any of them and I must apologize to my readers for this.

BEST ACTOR

(Liar Ashkenazi/Nick Damici/Jake Gyllenhaal/Jared Harris/Daniel Radcliffe)

I’ll have to abstain from this one since I’ve not seen Ashkenazi’s performance in Big Bad Wolves, nor Nick Damici in Late Phases nor Jake Gyllenhaal in Enemy.  Enemy is the one film I hadn’t heard about until now and Damici was phenomenal in Stake Land (2010) and Mulberry St (2006) and he even has a role in The Sacrament, so, I’m sure his performance in Late Phases is just as good if not better.  Jared Harris steals The Quiet Ones for the most part but I’ve seen him in better and Daniel Radcliffe gives another great performance in Horns (as is par for the course with him since leaving the Harry Potter franchise).

BEST ACTRESS

(Essie Davis/Alexandra Essoe/Scarlett Johansson/Marta Milans/Tilda Swinton)

This is a tough one even though I’ve yet to see Johansson’s performance in Under the Skin not Alexandra Essoe in Starry Eyes nor Marta Milans in Devoured.  Tilda Swinton’s performance in Only Lovers Left Alive sees her at top form (as usual) because this woman never does wrong.  She usually steals every film she’s in but this film she is the star and she gives a performance that shouldn’t have been overlooked even by The Academy.  This being said, Essie Davis came out of nowhere with her performance in The Babadook as a broken mother taking care of a “special” child that drives her over the edge.  Davis’ performance sends chills down my spine every time which is why she springs to the top.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

(David Asavanond/Tzahi Grad/Gene Jones/Michael Parks/Noah Wiseman)

Again I’ve missed three of these actors’ performances including Asavanond in Countdown, Grad in Big Bad Wolves, and Parks in Tusk.  Jones does give a great turn in The Sacrament but he is easily overshadowed by Noah Wiseman’s stellar performance in The Babadook especially coming from a child actor.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

(Olvia Cooke/Anne Ramsay/Katee Sackhoff/Rima Te Wiata/Mia Wasikowska)

I missed Ramsay in The Taking of Deborah Logan and Wiata in Housebound.  Cooke was good in The Quiet Ones which was, unfortunately, such a mediocre film and Wasikowska (whom I usually love in everything) is over shadowed by all the other great performances in Only Lovers Left Alive, so Katee Sackhoff in Oculus goes home with this one this year.  Her performance in this film is a far cry from her other performances and worth taking a look at.

BEST SCREENPLAY

(The Babadook/Housebound/Life After Beth/Oculus/Proxy)

I should abstain from this one as I’ve only seen two of the three films.  As I’ve said before Housebound is on my must-see list as is Life After Beth and I’ve since added Proxy to that list.  Unfortunately, for me, my favorite two horror films of last year are up against each other but I have to go with Oculus because the film hinges on the suspense of all the time jumping and visual jumps that pull you into the film and never lets you go.  The Babadook also has a great script but it is the performances by the actors that keep your eyes glued to the screen.  

BEST SCORE

(Big Bad Wolves/Oculus/Only Lovers Left Alive/Starry Eyes/Under the Skin)

I’ve not heard the score for Big Bad Wolves (Frank Ilfman), Starry Eyes (Jonathan Snipes) or Under the Skin (Mica Levi) but Oculus has an amazing score by The Newton Brothers as does Only Lovers Left Alive, with music by Jozef van Wissem and SQURL. It is only with Only Lovers Left Alive in which the music itself is a character in the film and the score creates a very lush atmosphere and mood.

BEST MAKEUP/CREATURE FX

(Afflicted/Dead Snow 2/Horns/Late Phases/Starry Eyes)

I’ve not seen Starry Eyes (Hugo Villasenor & SOTA FX), Late Phases (Robert Kurtzman & Brian Spears) or Afflicted (Tamar Ouziel) but it doesn’t matter because I love the zombie and bloodshed and chaos of Dead Snow 2 (Steinaar Karstein & Mike Elizalde)! Gregory Nicotero and Howard Berger’s work in Horns was amazing but Dead Snow 2 was one of the most entertaining zombie-war films ever made with excellent makeup FX and visual FX and mayhem that once started never stopped.  This was an amazing display of independent film making where quality was never sacrificed. 

BEST TV SERIES

(American Horror Story: Freak Show/Hannibal/Penny Dreadful/True Detective/The Walking Dead)

Right now, of this list Hannibal is my favorite show but I’ve not watched the current season on any of them.  Unfortunately, I’m a Netflix and bindge watcher so I watch the entire season once it has aired.  I’ve yet to see True Detective or Penny Dreadful but I’ve only heard great things about them.  In my opinion, The Walking Dead is a pale comparison to the comic book series and you never know what to expect from American Horror Story from season to season (which hasn’t stopped me from being addicted).

BEST TV ACTOR

(Hugh Dancy/Josh Hartnett/Andrew Lincoln/Matthew McConaughey/Mads Mikkelsen)

Hartnett (from Penny Dreadful) and McConaughey (from True Detective) are out of the running since I’ve yet to watch their shows (but I will).  The best thing about The Walking Dead is the acting so you might think that Lincoln would be in the running but the show (for me) is inconsistent and not always strong, whereas both Dancy and Mikkelsen are amazing in Hannibal.  It’s hard to determine who is better as Dancy is the unhinged police detective whereas Mikkelsen is the more subtle and refined Hannibal.  It I had to make a choice it would be Dancy as he is given so much more range and levels to play off of than Mikkelsen.  Dancy also easily replaces William Peterson and Edward Norton in the role whereas Mikkelsen is good but he’s no Anthony Hopkins (yet).

BEST TV ACTRESS

(Nicole Beharie/Eva Green/Janet Montgomery/Anna Paquin/Sarah Paulson)

I should abstain from this one as I’ve never seen Sleepy Hollow (Beharie), Penny Dreadful (Green), Salem (Janet Montgomery) or True Blood (Paquin) and I’ve not seen Paulson in the latest American Horror Story: Freak Show.  Unfortunately (for everyone else in this group) I’m voting for Eva Green!  She is currently one of my favorite actress’ and I’m sure she outshines everyone else by a mile like she does in everything she does.  I look forward to the day (soon) when I can binge watch all of Penny Dreadful.

BEST TV SUPPORTING ACTOR

(David Bradley/Zane Holtz/Rory Kinnear/Norman Reedus/Finn Wittrock)

 Just like the previous category, I’ve not seen Bradley in The Strain, Kinnear in Penny Dreadful, or Wittrock in American Horror Story: Freak Show but Holtz is fantastic as Richie Gecko in From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series and Reedus…well, is Reedus in The Walking Dead.  The Walking Dead has yet to erase my opinions based on the comic book series but From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series easily is superior to the original film and this is partial because of the stellar cast.

BEST TV SUPPORTING ACTRESS

(Gillian Anderson/Madeleine Martin/Melissa McBride/Billie Piper/Deborah Ann Woll)

I’m very familiar with Anderson in Hannibal and McBride in The Walking Dead but I know nothing about Martin (in Hemlock Grove), Piper (in Penny Dreadful), and Woll (in True Blood) but because I love Anderson more in her other show The Fall, I have to give this one up to McBride who since the start of the show has elevated her character further than anyone else has.  She’s one of the reasons I continue to watch the show (when I bother to).

BEST TV MAKEUP/CREATURE FX

(Hannibal/Penny Dreadful/The Strain/True Blood/The Walking Dead)

One last time, I get to say I’ve yet to view Penny Dreadful (Nick Dudman), The Strain (Steve Newburn & Sean Sansom) or True Blood (Todd Masters & Dan Rebert).  The Walking Dead (Gregory Nicotero & Howard Berger) has some of the most amazing makeup FX on television but doesn’t hold a candle to what crazy monstrosity will show up next in Hannibal (Franchois Dagenais) which never ceases to amaze me by being clever and original and contributing to the story at the same time. 

WORST FILM

This category they let you put down your own film.

The worst film of 2014 was The Pyramid!  This is a monstrosity of a found footage film that breaks all the rules for no reason and has extremely subpar special visual FX not to mention a cast of characters that do the most dumb things from moment to moment to moment.  It was the first film in decades that I almost walked out of at the theatre it was so bad.  Avoid like the plague.

***

Well, there you have it.  A look into the great horror films of 2014 (as given to me by the 2015 Fangoria Chainsaw Awards!  I hope you enjoyed this list and feel free to drop me a line and tell me what you chose.

Film Review: THE SUPERNATURALS (1986)

I love zombie movies and stories (long before AMC’s The Walking Dead made it popular to) and The Supernaturals (1986) is a film that’s always been on my list of films to look out for but with the demise of the video store it was nearly impossible to find (unless you wanted to pay top dollar for VHS copy).  I finally came across a copy of the film and to my delight I actually enjoyed the film (but not necessarily for the reasons that you might think). 

After a brief intro during Civil War era, we cut to modern day times with a group of soldiers during military games in the exact location of the opening of the film.  Lead by Sgt. Hawkins (Nichelle Nichols), the soldiers are given live ammo and tasked with surviving the weekend as if in real combat.  Unbeknownst to them the place is under a curse and dead union soldiers begin to rise turning the games into real life combat.  The black sheep of Sgt. Hawkins’ group Pvt. Ray Ellis (Maxwell Caulfield) soon discovers a connection to a strange woman that just shows up amidst the chaos.  Now he must discover how he fits into what is going on while also trying to save his friends before they are all killed.

This is a very bare bones zombie film as the zombies don’t really show up until the last third of the film.  This film is more concerned with the soldiers’ story and their desecration of the cursed land not to mention their inadequacies as actual soldiers.  There is nothing truly horrifying or suspenseful in the film (even for a film in the late ‘80s) and for the most part it trudges along at a very slow pace.

What truly interests me about the film is that it has an early appearance by future Star Trek: The Next Generation star LeVar Burton!  So this is a film with two Star Trek Hall of Famers!  The film is also co-written by Joel Soisson (who would go on to write a slew of crappy sequels like The Prophesy 3: The Ascent, Highlander: Endgame, Mimic 2, Hellraiser: Hellworld, Hollow Man II, Pulse 2: Afterlife, Children of the Corn: Genesis, and Piranha 3DD, to name a small few) & Michael S. Murphy and directed by Armand Mastroianni .  Other than that the film is easily forgettable and has little else to recommend (so much for finally seeing a classic cult film).