Stephen King’s ‘Graveyard Shift’ Saved by Genre Fave

Ralph S. Singleton’s “Graveyard Shift” (1990) is the odd duck Stephen King film that was released in a banner year for King adaptations.

Singleton, a veteran television producer marking the one film he directed for the big screen, made a lively, memorably off-putting stinker. Naturally, it has a cult following and was released in a wonderful special edition from the Scream Factory, but seriously, have you seen this thing?

David Andrews (arguably best known for playing Claire Danes’ high-ranking military dad in “T3: Rise of the Machines”) plays John Hall, a newcomer to Gates Falls, Maine. Hall is hired to do grunt and cleanup work at the Bachman Mills (attention King fans, this is the bit where you trip over yourselves explaining that reference to the newbies).

Turns out the mill isn’t just infested with rats but also has unexplored hidden layers where the vermin are the size of polar bears.

“Graveyard Shift” is gross for reasons that aren’t always intentional. Yes, it’s gory, and those rodents look like they’re carrying at least three plagues. Yet, it’s the look of the film itself that has stayed with me the most.

I’ve never been to Maine but suspect it’s far more beautiful than the rundown, fading, rusty, dusty, unsanitary grease pile we get here. Likewise, the actors appear drenched in sweat and grime in every scene, as though there are no working showers in Gates Falls.

If Singleton has a single visual aesthetic here, it’s zero hygiene.

The funny thing about filming rats is that, unless you get a shot of their long, swooping tales, any close-up shot is going to make them look cute. I hate the opening scene, with the rats fooling an unkind mill worker into falling into a machine and providing them with a blood feast.

However, if you have an appetite for so-bad-it’s-good cinema, take a look at how the rodents are filmed: the music is telling you these are little monsters with murder on their minds, but the imagery is informing us that these adorable little critters would love some cheese.

The entire film is like the prologue – full of grimy visuals and “creepy” music, but this could have easily been edited into a comedy.

RELATED: STEPHEN KING’S CAT’S EYE – WHEN AUTHOR RULED POP CULTURE

On the plus side, you have Brad Dourif in an extended cameo as an exterminator. Dourif did this the same year as his (no joke) Oscar-worthy, movie-stealing turn as The Gemini Killer in “The Exorcist III.” This is that era where any film that featured Dourif, Christopher Walken or Rutger Hauer was worth seeing once, no matter how bad.

Some character actors do their job, clock in and out and give only what is needed. Others, like Dourif, leave teeth marks in their scenes and make you wish they were playing the film’s focal point and not just a side figure.

Dourif was a horror genre MVP during this period, particularly for playing the voice of Chucky in the “Child’s Play” franchise but really, anything he does is worth seeing.

Even “Graveyard Shift.”

What did you learn from GRAVEYARD SHIFT (1990)? pic.twitter.com/rVPBJZ2UXe

— Steve Hutchison (@terrorca) June 5, 2024

Another disadvantage I have in writing about “Graveyard Shift” and having never been to Maine is discerning what to make of the accents; whereas the late, great Fred Gwynne’s Maine accent in “Pet Sematary” (1989) is highly regarded (“It’s that damn ruhd. It uses up lots of animals…cats and dogs mostly”), I suspect the verbal gymnastics heard in this movie would not be considered accurate or anything less than cartoonish.

At one point, a character references “Star Search,” the early televised equivalent of “American Idol,” as “stahh serge.”

For the record, I’d happily watch an entire Maine-set season of “stahh serge.”

“Stephen King’s Graveyard Shift” is the film’s full title and the reason why it was able to scrape out the # 1 spot in the box office for a single weekend, before it quickly made its way to video store shelves and cult fandom. Premiering late in 1990, the film seemed like an event after the trailer and poster arrived, and not because King’s 1970 short story is especially popular (though it is disturbing and does the trick of scaring the reader with only a few pages).

The true reason why anyone would buy a ticket for this underwhelming horror fantasy is because it came right before the highly publicized lead up to the ratings success, audience adored and Tim Curry-induced scarring for life that was the ABC miniseries of “Stephen King’s IT.”

A few weeks later came Rob Reiner’s “Misery,” the first King adaptation to win a Best Actress Oscar. “Graveyard Shift” seemed like the opening act for a hit fall season of King adaptations. After seeing it once, most horror fans dismissed it and set their sights on Pennywise the Clown and Annie Wilkes.

Whether one digs the efforts of the cast or the failures of their dialect coach, the movie belongs to Dourif and Stephen Macht as the villainous Warwick. Macht’s work in this especially impresses me because I met him at San Diego Comic Con in 2007, where he was on a panel for his performance as the kind but stern detective father in “The Monster Squad” (1987).

I didn’t recognize that Macht was in this until someone pointed it out to me years later.

The other factor making this a guilty pleasure is the tune that plays over the end credits, one of those early ’90s electronica mash ups where a catchy beat and dialogue sound bites create something resembling a “song.”

I love this closing touch, which allows audiences to walk away to a cool groove, set to those overdone Maine accents, giving us a tune that wouldn’t make the final cut of “stahh serge.”

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Buckle In for ‘Bugonia,’ The Year’s Wildest Ride

It’s bad enough being stuck in a conversation with a conspiracy theorist. What if one kidnapped you and forced you to agree with his worldview?

That’s where “Bugonia” starts, a rollicking affair that swings for as many fences as a two-hour film allows.

It helps to have two A-listers carrying the lumber. Emma Stone and Jesse Plemons make it look easy, while director Yorgos Lanthimos indulges in his wackiest impulses. That’s no small statement from the “Poor Things” auteur.

The results are head-smackingly silly, occasionally cruel and often electric. Just don’t think too hard about the film’s underlying message. It’s as predictable as Hollywood greenlighting a superhero sequel.

Wide-eyed Teddy (Plemons) is convinced a major pharmaceutical CEO is an alien hiding in plain sight. So he and his mentally-challenged cousin Donny (Aidan Delbis) kidnap her to force her to reveal her true nature.

That’s Stone as Michelle Fuller, who spends her days kickboxing and spitting out corporate cliches to underlings. The dopey duo barely manages to subdue Michelle, but when they do they shave her head and force her to confess. 

Or something.

Their plans aren’t exactly clear, nor is Michelle’s connection to Teddy’s ailing mother (Alicia Silverstone). It’s murky enough to avoid any overt attacks on Big Pharma, but the subplot suggests Teddy’s emotional bruises (at least) are all too real.

And the chances that Michelle’s reign resulted in something tragic are shockingly high.

We assume Michelle can quickly outsmart her captors, but Teddy may be more cunning than he appears. And is Michelle too eager to play into his wildest delusions?

Lanthimos deftly blends B-movie antics, social commentary and black comedy. It’s a kidnapping thriller with a twist, and the director’s oddball instincts enhance the material. The laugh-out-loud moments often precede white-knuckle chills, keeping audiences perpetually off balance.

Stone and Plemons are sensational, giving gravitas to a bizarre tale that didn’t require Oscar-worthy performances. It gets them all the same.

Stone’s CEO diva is a complicated soul with a survival instinct that would rival a Navy SEAL’s. Plemons’ Teddy should be a mountain of conspiratorial cliches, but he invests him with an emotional ache that can quickly turn violent.

Teddy’s bond with poor Donny is surprisingly sweet while being overtly domineering. Still, the interrogation scenes with Michelle quickly grow stale and circular.

Good thing “Bugonia” always has a new narrative card in hand.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Lanthimos often wears his progressive thoughts on his sleeve, and that’s certainly true with “Bugonia.” The film suggests humanity deserves little sympathy, from its hunger for conspiracies to a willingness to ignore our expert class.

Imagine that.

The film’s daffy third act doubles down on the lectures, but in a sideways fashion that softens the blow. Or, the story goes so absurdly off the rails that any finger-wagging gets lost in the melee.

“Bugonia” earns plenty of grace for originality and chutzpah. Both matter in 2025, and the film’s fresh nature is often its core selling point. Does any of it make sense? Is it supposed to? Those questions and more nag at us following that frantic finale.

Just know the ride up until that point has been a blast.

HiT or Miss: “Bugonia” is silly and subversive with a moral that’s as crude as a LEGO starter set

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‘Stitch Head’ Is Less than the Sum of Its Parts

Steve Hudson’s “Stitch Head” is a stop-motion animation comedy taking place in a world where monsters are created but instructed to not interact with easily scared humans.

Set in the town of Grubber’s Nubbin, the townfolk live in a simple environment but are aware of that giant castle on the hill where nefarious things are obviously taking place.

The title character, voiced by Asa Butterfield, is a creature with a stitched-together face that resembles a baseball or “Petey,” the dog from “The Little Rascals.” Stitch Head lives in the castle, the setting for “Almost Life,” where monsters are made regularly, then dismissed and forgotten by an overworked mad scientist.

Orientation for the newly created monsters is Stitch Head’s job, as he informs them to “stay hidden, stay quiet, stay safe.” All incoming creatures must live in the castle and never leave.

The story seems patched or, yes, stitched together from bits of “Monster’s Inc” (2001), “Igor” (2008) and any of the “Toy Story” films.

At the midpoint, Stitch Head meets a circus ringmaster who clearly wants to exploit him, a subplot handled far better in Guillermo del Toro’s wonderful “Pinocchio” (2022).

“Stitch Head” is a parable on growing up with a neglectful father and finding your own way in the world. The moments that lean into the emotional connections between the characters are nice, but there aren’t enough of those.

My nine-year-old, who loved this movie, asked me early on, “Is this by Tim Burton?” No, but it certainly looks and feels like it’s trying to merit the comparison. Based on the books by Guy Bass, “Stitch Head” covers material that was handled brilliantly in Burton’s “Frankenweenie” (both the original 1984 live action short film and the 2012 stop-motion animation version).

Hudson’s film is droll and made with skill (no cheap or slapdash animation in sight). The feelings evoked and the message of “letting out your inner monster” are sincere.

Late in the film, there’s a clever bit, better seen than described, with footage shown backwards. However, “Stitch Head” has an eventful but uninvolving second act and feels like it loses its way by the third act. The deadpan throwaway jokes work best, like a villains’ comeuppance that is presented as a visual set to a tune by Air Supply.

There are mild chuckles throughout, but it peaks early and is never all that funny. Of the cluster of newly made monsters, Skater Dog is my favorite, though he needed more screen time.

The songs are just okay – I wanted to embrace the musical interludes, but these are the kind of songs you forget as you listen to them.

A big plus is that, unlike most CGI animated films that aim to recapture the look of stop-motion animation, “Stitch Head” is not frantic and full of pop culture references. Another rarity-it also uses Strauss’ “Blue Danube” waltz for poignancy and not a punchline.

As alternate fare for a movie opening on Halloween weekend, it’s a fine bet for children. Anyone old enough to know the lyrics to “What’s This” may grow impatient.

Nevertheless, in a weird weekend that also sees the rerelease of the it-never-went-away blockbuster “Back to the Future” (1985) and theaters showcasing the likes of “Black Phone 2” and “Shelby Oaks” for horror fanatics, “Stitch Heads” is a good pick for the kids. At least, until they’re old enough to see the movie where Jack Skellington slides down the chimney dressed as Santa Claus and gives a boy a severed head.

Happy Halloween, everyone!

Two Stars (out of four)

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Don’t Let a Man-Eating Tree Scare You from ‘The Guardian’

William Friedkin’s surreal, nasty 1990 horror film, “The Guardian” is not the 2006 movie starring Kevin Costner and Ashton Kutcher as heroic Coast Guardsmen.

It’s a common mistake, though an odd one, as two films with the same name couldn’t possibly be more dissimilar.

The movie I’m thinking about is the one about the man-eating tree, the army of supernatural wolves and, at its twisted center, a diabolical nanny who kidnaps children and can fly. At no point does Ashton Kutcher appear and pull someone out of the ocean and into a helicopter.

“The Guardian” was Friedkin’s highly touted, overtly mainstream-courting return to the genre that, due to “The Exorcist” (1973), catapulted his filmmaking stature. I have a soft spot for “The Guardian,” but it’s worth noting that, decades later, we’re still talking about “The Exorcist” and not “The Guardian.”

Carey Lowell (the Bond girl of the 1989 “License to Kill”) and Dwier Brown (the ghostly dad of “Field of Dreams”) play Kate and Phil, a wealthy couple in need of a nanny to watch over their newborn. They unwisely choose Camilla, a striking, seemingly skilled candidate with an exotic accent.

Camilla is played by Jenny Seagrove (best known for Bill Forsythe’s “Local Hero”), who is so good, the film almost always succeeds.

We learn early on (and before the doomed couple) that Camilla has an insidious plan and dark powers (the latter changes according to needs of the screenplay at any given moment). Seagrove plays the role with such straight-faced sensuality, intensity and feline survivalist instincts, the character works and the threat she embodies is truly unsettling.

The couple take too long to notice that the nanny’s references don’t check out, she doesn’t remain in her living quarters at night and people in their neighborhood are dying. Then, there’s the scene with an evil tree…

The opening sequence, portraying a pleasant family and the nanny who kidnaps their baby while they’re away, is so simple and nightmarish, Friedkin’s clear intent on making this a contemporary gothic horror fable comes across.

A sinister “Hansel and Gretel” pop-up book winds up providing Dad a huge clue as to Camilla’s intentions.
Despite how truly nonsensical it is, particularly in its last half, “The Guardian” deserves a retrospective and is a great deal more stylish, beautifully crafted and scarier than most remember.

I’m not claiming the film is misunderstood. Either the story grabs you or it doesn’t. I always found portions of it to play like camp, but the majority of the horror is potent and visceral.

Now that I’m a parent, I found it much more unsettling than the subsequent, more “realistic” “The Hand that Rocks the Cradle” (1992).

Friedkin did not create another “Exorcist” and let horror fans down by not traumatizing them that way again- he would be accused of this earlier, by not following “The Exorcist” with another genre film but with the initially divisive, career highlight cult favorite “Sorcerer” (1977).

The disastrous box office of “Sorcerer” led to a slew of subsequent films that were widely dismissed (some, like “Deal of the Century,” for good reason). Even after directing the undeniably great “To Live and Die in L.A.” (1985), Friedkin was blessed and cursed with the tag of “from the director of ‘The Exorcist’,” a movie that couldn’t be matched or duplicated (just ask John Boorman).

What doesn’t always work for “The Guardian” are overt supernatural elements that come and go at random times, without any explanation.

Taken as a dark fairy tale that taps into parental fears, “The Guardian” still works, even as its melodrama becomes truly ridiculous. A wolf attack, the chase scene with Camilla flying and her reappearance in the last half (when she appears to be comprised of forest elements) are perfectly nightmarish.

The Guardian (1990, Friedkin) pic.twitter.com/uMqtbP5hkX

— Will (@SilentDawnLB) May 3, 2023

The center piece with the killer tree, however, teeters between being agreeably gruesome and unavoidably campy. A noted set piece, in which a gang right out of “Last House on the Left” (1972) terrorizes Camilla and gets their gruesome comeuppance by an unlikely ally, is so insanely violent, it plays like a “South Park” parody.

It’s a sequence that, for all the tension Friedkin establishes, you can tell he’s pushing too hard. The problem here is that you can sense Friedkin is visibly trying to live up to his standing as a genre groundbreaker.

Sam Raimi was reportedly attached at one point and decided instead to direct “Darkman” (1990). For an idea of what Raimi’s version might have been like, look no further than the film’s final confrontation, in which a chainsaw plays a big part.

In the best way, it’s very “Army of Darkness” (1993).

Comparisons to “The Exorcist” won’t work, and there’s no denying that a few moments intended to shock come across as unintentionally funny.

Keeping in mind the film’s clearly established identity as a modern-day fairy tale, the film plays fair by those standards, though not everyone will go with it. In a similar way that not everyone gets on board with the eccentric visions and genre tweaking whimsies of M. Night Shyamalan, “The Guardian” is easy to laugh at if you question the reality of the scenario.

In terms of adding supernatural horror to universal fears in parenting, it’s not a competitor to “The Exorcist” but a thematic companion piece.

“The Guardian,” works if you accept it as a lucid nightmare and not any way grounded in reality. I’ve always admired this film, despite the killer tree at its goofy center.

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‘Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh’ Made the Monster Matter

Bill Condon’s “Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh” (1995) succeeds in a different way from its predecessor, specifically how it is about the monster, not the ones investigating him.

The sequel, which arrived three years after the groundbreaking original, is underestimated, stronger and more flavorful than most remember.

A murder takes place not long after the events of the first film. The death announces that the urban legend of the Candyman is alive and well, but also that a young woman named Annie (Kelly Rowan, who later became a regular on “The O.C.”) is not only connected but may even have family roots tied to the title character.

As always, a handy mirror and chanting the Candyman’s name is a means of either conjuring him, weaponizing his arrival or both.

In the aftermath of the initial and doomed investigation into the life, death and supernatural legacy of Daniel Robitaille, the “Candyman” (Tony Todd), Condon doesn’t rehash the original as much as expand the scope and explore other perspectives. Most significantly, Robitailles, who is still scary but a far more (dare I say it?) fleshed out and developed figure this time around.

Set in New Orleans, the backdrop is entirely different from the Cabrini Green-based location of the first film. The colorful new setting is a welcome contrast, though I could have done without the onslaught of on-the-nose “Naw-lins” references like catfish, crawdads and gumbo.

A mention is made of Virginia Madsen’s character from the prior film but not enough is made of this. A smarter film would have brought her back, dealt with the shocking nature of her character from the climax of the original or both.

Instead, there’s a welcome reference, then the story quickly moves past it. Only Nia Di Costa’s terrific 2020 “Candyman,” both a franchise reset and a proper sequel, found a way to incorporate Madsen into a latter installment.

It took me a while to dig Philip Glass’ iconic score, which I found jarring the first time I saw the original. Now, I can’t imagine the character without it. Once again, Glass gives a distinct feel of dread and reflection with his recognizable compositions.

The film’s jump scares try too hard, and the story spins its wheels, especially when Rowan’s character draws focus, which shouldn’t happen as often as it does.

Rowan’s character is underwhelming but Todd, who makes Robitaille a romantic figure as much as a sinister one, brings a layered richness to his interpretation of a character that in lesser hands could have just been a mad slasher.

The film’s best, most powerful sequence depicts how Robitaille was once a human. We witness the gruesome incident that ultimately gave him the Candyman name.

Based on the Clive Barker short story but not written by Barker (who wrote and directed the great “Lord of Illusions” the same year this was released), the story isn’t consistently compelling. Instead, we have a movie of moments, though they are tremendous.

In addition to the aforementioned sequence of the Candyman’s origin (it’s the most powerful set piece in the entire franchise), you have every stolen scene by Veronica Cartwright. Consider a jewel of a moment where the film’s most annoying character is tossed out of a police station window and the spectacular, all-stops-out grand finale, which offers a bigger and more satisfying finish than the original.

Yet, director Bernard Rose’s far more controlled approach to the original and the manner of Barker’s story being a mystery make the original better. Nevertheless, while I underestimated “Candyman – Farewell to the Flesh” in the ’90s and still find it uneven, it’s a riveting follow-up.

Condon went on to make the fantastic “Gods and Monsters” (1998), but also got his first time with monsters right with this one. The Candyman is more Dracula and Phantom of the Opera than Freddy or Jason. He’s a ferocious killer and a spirit who lives in the mirror, but his story is tortured and suave.

That theatrical nature put him in the realm of Bela Lugosi.

What Todd does here is remarkable. His passion and commitment alone is enough to revisit this underrated second chapter.

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Is ‘Anniversary’ Anti-Trump … or Just Confused?

“Anniversary” is an MSNBC (MS NOW?) screed that leaves out the bogeyman, presumably on purpose.

The dystopian drama imagines a political movement that shreds democracy in short order.

It’s superficially compelling but silly, a rant that refuses to acknowledge hard truths while revealing a mite too much about the modern Left.

Diane Lane and Kyle Chandler play Ellen and Paul, a couple celebrating 25 years of wedded bliss. They have four beautiful, adult children who have gathered for the big day, along with their son’s new squeeze.

That’s Phoebe Dynevor as Liz, who is a mite too familiar to Ellen. The matriarch is a Georgetown University professor of some note who had a negative experience with Phoebe, a former student.

The young woman’s anti-Democratic leanings scared Ellen at the time, and Phoebe has only grown more authoritarian since then.

Liz pens a best-selling book dubbed “The Change,” which argues for a one-party government to replace our current model. How would that work? Why is that superior to the current two-party system?

The film takes a, “don’t ask, don’t tell” approach to Phoebe’s handiwork. “Anniversary” is either too cowardly to share more, or we’re meant to assume it’s some far Right plan.

Wink-wink? Orange Man Bad? The Change does love a tweaked version of the American flag and tradition.

Nudge-nudge?

Either way, “The Change” swiftly engulfs the culture, and the film captures what happens over the next few years. It’s like someone attended the No Kings rally and wrote a screenplay based on its most unhinged marchers.

At the very least, the story should share what’s so compelling about The Change, right? Mafia movies depict incredibly evil souls, but they also illustrate why someone would be seduced by the criminal lifestyle.

The Left/Right comparisons appear inevitable. Ellen swears she’s neither liberal nor conservative, a line meant to send a message to the audience. Your stand-in is not a partisan, so swallow the rest of the story accordingly.

Yet the early scenes scream the opposite. Ellen argues with a colleague that today’s university culture isn’t radically far Left.

Sure, Jan.

ScreenRant presents an exclusive clip from #Anniversary, a provocative and timely thriller starring Diane Lane, Kyle Chandler, Phoebe Dynevor, and Dylan O’Brien. The movie arrives in theaters on October 29! pic.twitter.com/9KTECRT8C1

— Screen Rant (@screenrant) October 22, 2025

The family’s children appear uniformly progressive. Zoey Deutch’s character is a lawyer battling Big Oil over Climate Change fears.

Sibling Anna (Madeline Brewer) is like an even less funny Chelsea Handler, screeching progressive talking points without a hint of humor. If the film didn’t label Anna as a comedian, we’d never know that’s her gig.

Liz soon marries Josh (Dylan O’Brien), the family’s ne’er-do-well son, who finds purpose with her political movement. His evolution highlights the film’s Big Message, and to his credit, O’Brien shifts from befuddled to cruel in slick fashion.

The film’s hair and makeup team also captures the small physical changes that occur to the characters over time. Too many films can’t bother with such production details, and this is a welcome exception.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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The creators behind “Anniversary” are either mocking the modern Left or don’t realize their story often does just that. Several family members are seen attacking US flags or taking down “Change” placards as if they were the heroes, not free speech deniers.

A Thanksgiving dinner sequence comes the closest to our current political divide. It’s just what you expect, loving family members who can’t put politics aside for the sake of, well, family.

“Anniversary” never comes close to decoding Liz. Is she a monster, plain and simple? A misguided soul who stumbled upon the latest dictatorial plan to make the world a better place? It’s nearly as frustrating as the vagaries surrounding The Change.

Other issues plague the story. Why doesn’t the family leave the country, in the grand Rosie O’Donnell tradition? The screenplay leaves plenty of questions unanswered, just as it fumbles the family’s descent into chaos.

The film’s trailer and promotional material hide the film’s bigger purpose. In a way, “Anniversary” does as well, a far bigger problem.

HiT or Miss: “Anniversary” offers a cautionary tale, but we’re left in the dark about what we’re supposed to fear.

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How ‘Motel Hell’ Outdueled ‘Texas Chainsaw 2’

Both Roger Ebert and Joe Bob Briggs raved about Kevin Conner’s “Motel Hotel” (1980), which is why it went on my radar at a young age.

It wasn’t the only time that Ebert, the Pulitzer Prize-winning movie critic and one half of the most famous movie critic duo ever, and Briggs, host of various drive-in movie specials for decades, agreed on something.

Yet, one can’t help but be curious when two highly accomplished and always enjoyable film authorities both circled their wagons around a movie with the infamous movie poster tagline, “It takes all kind of critters to make Farmer Vincent’s fritters.”

Farmer Vincent is played by Rory Calhoun and Nancy Pearsons plays his sister, Ida. They run the Motel Hello, a rundown but serviceable little place out in the middle of nowhere. When we meet them, they seem stuck in the life they live, as the childlike Ida has fallen asleep wearing pajamas while watching a fire-and-brimstone preacher on television and Farmer Vincent watches the road, patiently, with a tinge of loneliness and anxiety.

A telling early detail that surfaces: Farmer Vincent’s meats “are only distributed within a 100-mile radius.”

Conner’s film is self-aware of how outrageous this all is, but he and the cast play it straight. The film has it both ways, emerging as a clever dark comedy and a real-deal challenge to the gag reflex.

FAST FACT: Conner recalled his initial disgust with the very first page of the “Motel Hell” script in a 2023 interview, including a reference to a sex toy in plain sight. The studio agreed with his critiques, rewriting the project to emphasize the dark humor aspects of the finished product. 

Another major asset is Lance Rubin’s surprisingly beautiful, rich score and the skillful cinematography by Thomas Del Ruth, the filmmaking veteran who got his start as an assistant Director of Photography on films like “The Sand Pebbles” (1966) and “Planet of the Apes” (1968), then later filmed movies like this, “The Breakfast Club” (1985) and Stand by Me” (1986).

Rubin and Del Ruth give this a classy sheen that immediately counters expectations.

Conner followed “Motel Hell” with the interesting, Japan-set ghost story, “The House Where Evil Dwells” (1982), a far less successful film, and mostly worked non-stop for decades afterward making TV movies.

“Motel Hell” feels more like a response to Tobe Hooper’s “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” (1974) than a rip-off. It manages the tricky feat of being gross and shocking but avoids explicit gore and mostly implied violence. Its best scenes are as funny as they are grotesque.

In addition to a wild premise and the sheer joy everyone seems to be having in playing their roles, you also get a cameo from Wolfman Jack, in a funny sequence involving a swinger couple with no idea of the danger they’re in.

There’s also the horrific reveal of Farmer Vincent’s “secret garden” and, not to be outdone, a climactic chainsaw battle that is as suspenseful as it is burly and thrilling in its staging. I’m unsure if it’s a better chainsaw battle than the one in the climax of “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2” (1986) but I’m still giving Farmer Vincent the win in that category.

Another nice aspect of “Motel Hell” is that there’s no sequel, as the wrap-up scenes give this a proper conclusion without forcing a follow-up.

Every time I revisit “Motel Hell,” I’m always struck by how funny and atmospheric it is, in addition to how its premise is told like a scary cautionary tale about trusting seemingly benevolent public figures and not just an excuse for cheap thrills.

Whether viewed as a farce about how old timers and outsiders view one another or just taken straight as a laugh and gasp fest, “Motel Hell” just gets better with each viewing. Happy 45th birthday, Farmer Vincent!

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‘This Too Shall Pass’ Is Unlike Most Teen Comedies

“This Too Shall Pass” is a name better suited for a snooty drama than a throwback teen comedy.

It’s your first clue that writer/director Rob Grant has made something different than a “Porky’s”-style affair.

The ’80s teen comedy is remarkably restrained, focusing on a young Mormon’s quest to delay another summer under his father’s thumb. It’s agreeable and sweet, filled with the kind of angst sure to make audiences wince.

Those adolescent memories never fade, but Grant and co. recall them with heart and humor. Adjust your expectations, and “This Too Shall Pass” becomes one of the year’s most pleasant surprises.

Young, conflicted Simon (Maxwell Jenkins) lives under the strict rules of his Mormon family in their Syracuse, N.Y. home. He’s a good kid who just pines to be bad, if only for a spell.

So he impulsively follows a pretty girl to Ottawa where she’ll be spending the summer.

Simon brings his loyal troupe of friends for a trip that starts off on the wrong foot and only gets worse.

• Barfights
• Scary motels
• Rejection on steroids
• Misunderstandings
• Robberies

You name it, and it goes south for the lads … until they meet some Canadian girls curious about their southern neighbors.

It’s all captured from the back seat of a cop car. A bloodied Simon narrates the story with a dash of fourth wall demolition.

A tip of the cap to Ferris Bueller? You bet.

“This Too Shall Pass” makes frequent references to ’80s comedies, a running gag that doesn’t overstay its welcome. Nor does the film go overboard with Reagan-era kitsch, although we get some groovy, decade-appropriate needle drops.

Screened “This Too Shall Pass” tonight.
The story of a 1980s Mormon teenaged boy who resists his lifestyle & strikes out one night with his friends. 80s music, John Hughes references – wow.
As my kid said: “Jeez Dad, whoever gave you this had clairvoyance.”
Watch for my review. pic.twitter.com/VB1aI6HEjM

— ‘CAPTAIN’ J. KIRK (@capjkkirk) October 18, 2025

One big possible error? The film is set in the late 1980s, but 1989’s “Say Anything” plays a prominent role in the plot. We’ll assume the story’s precise time period is post April 14, 1989 – that film’s theatrical release date.

Jenkins plays Simon with his beating heart on his sleeve. He’s aching to be like every other kid, but each time he tries he feels like a duckling taking its first, tentative steps. The actor’s emotionally naked turn is balanced by his on-screen chums.

That includes Tim (Ben Cockell), who sports Robert Smith’s eye mascara and a dour disposition. James (Jaylin Webb) is the group’s happy-go-lucky type, and his black skin allows the screenplay to touch on race without overdoing it.

Grant’s screenplay flirts with the social issues many ’80s era films ducked, but it does so in a way that doesn’t kills the story’s sweet momentum. No lectures? Phew.

Even better is a possible love connection between Simon and a streetwise Misty (Katie Douglas, “Clown in a Cornfield”).

Grant’s story seems predictable on the surface, but every time we get comfortable, the narrative hits a speed bump. It’s enough to keep audiences on their toes and remind us that teen sex comedies can take any direction they please.

Some, like “This Too Shall Pass,” are all the better for those creative detours.

HiT or Miss: “This Too Shall Pass” isn’t your Daddy’s teen sex comedy. It’s a fresh take on a genre that needed a facelift.

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Last Days Movie Review

Director Justin Lin fled the “Fast & Furious” franchise in the nick fo time.

The blockbuster auteur never had to send Dom into space or deal with metrosexual villainy. Instead, he took a step back and found a story worth his while.

That’s the tragic life of John Allen Chau, a Christian missionary determined to spread the Bible to the furthest reaches of the globe.

Literally.

Lin’s version isn’t perfect. Some creative choices feel too pat for such a messy yarn. Still, this is the kind of complicated storytelling that treats its subject matter seriously. It’s infectious, raw and relatable.

Sky Yang stars as John, an idealistic Christian hungry for something … more. He’s curious about the life of a missionary, but he isn’t initially sure he’s the kind of person to live it. His family prods him to pursue medicine, but that path doesn’t feed his soul.

Sharing the word of Jesus Christ? That matters most of all.

So he begins traveling the world despite his father’s protests, meeting fascinating new friends in the process. He slowly realizes he must do something big, a profound gesture to embrace his faith and share it with others.

He’ll travel to the North Sentinel Island to bring the Bible to its isolated people. It’s dangerous and foolhardy, but nothing will stop him from trying.

That’s the main story, but Lin tells Chau’s saga from a fractured narrative. We’re told early on that Chau disappeared during his quest along with a storytelling feint to keep us off balance. 

We’re also introduced to a determined Indian police inspector (Radhika Apte) searching for Chau or, at the least, his remains.

That “B” story adds a detective element to the film and showcases the varied perspectives Lin pursues. Chau isn’t a saint. He was likely a fool, one who didn’t process the implications of his quest.

Some suggest films demand a “perspective,” a lens from which to view the material. That’s often important and/or helpful, but “Last Days” embraces an all-encompassing look at the young man’s life.

And, wouldn’t you know it, it’s likely the best path forward given the source material. We’ve already had a documentary closeup on the matter. 

This is deeply personal and, at times, profound.

“Last Days” is beautiful to behold, with sprawling vistas that capture the wonder of the lands Chau saw during his short life. Performances are strong across the board, but Yang’s Chau is a minor revelation.

Whatever flaws persist in the script are flattened by his quiet magnetism. It’s impossible not to see his bruised humanity, the hurts left by his imperfect parents and the immature hunger to make life worth living now, not later.

Some creative choices aren’t as successful as others, and the police investigation threatens to overwhelm the main story at times.

Those risks ultimately pay off. Chau’s life was anything but traditional, and Lin’s unorthodox take on it feels just about right.

HiT or Miss: “Last Days” is a fascinating look at a young man’s eventful life and tragic death.

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Few Movies Love Horror More than ‘Popcorn’

I once attended a retrospective screening of the original “Friday the 13th” where the audience was sprayed with “blood.”

The theater also arranged for a man in a hockey mask to stalk the aisles every 30 minutes. It was a midnight showing at the legendary Mayan Theater in Denver, and no one seemed to mind that they were being spritzed with water containing red food coloring.

Nor that “Jason” didn’t even appear in the movie we were watching. It was an awesome way to watch an awful movie.

The shenanigans by the managers of the Mayan clearly wanted to evoke the late, great William Castle, who used to jerry-rig selected movie theaters with gimmicks to lure audiences.

Castle famously made movies where the audience was encouraged to scream their heads off (“The Tingler”), dread bed sheets that stood in for ghosts (“13 Ghosts”) and sign pre-screening wavers in case of death during the movie (he did this a lot for many of his titles). The movies themselves were crude but made with affection and unintentionally hilarious C-rate drive-in thrillers.

I miss guys like Castle, though there are still filmmakers who exude that kind of showmanship (John Waters and Lloyd Kaufman are prime examples).

“Popcorn,” a 1991 horror film with an adoring cult following, knows all too well how cool this kind of gonzo night at the movies is. It shares an affection for Castle’s films and is strikingly similar to Joe Dante’s 1993 masterpiece, “Matinee” (that is, if “Matinee” weren’t a coming-of-age high school comedy but a shot-in-Jamaica teen slasher film).

Nineties Scream Queen and genre veteran Jill Schoelen stars as Maggie, a college film student who is plagued by bizarre nightmares. Her film club stages an elaborate fundraiser: they renovate a movie theater, dress it up with jerry-rigged props and interactive gags and oversee (in costume and in character) a B-movie triple feature.

The three movies (fictional works we’re offered glimpses of, titled “Mosquito!,” “Attack of the Amazing Electrified Man” and “The Stench”) play on a night when the monster from Maggie’s dreams appears to be making a reappearance in the theater.

While this is stronger as an ode to ’50s horror than a consistent slasher/whodunit, the villain has a cool mask and a Gaston Leroux-like pathos. Genre pro Dee Wallace Stone, Tony Roberts and especially Ray Walston are very good in small roles, but the movie belongs to the plucky Schoelen and a memorable character turn by Tom Villard.

The film had a rocky beginning: Weeks into the filming of “Popcorn,” Alan Ormsby was replaced as director by “Porky’s” actor Mark Herrier, who does well to inject style when necessary and keeps the pace moving.

Schoelen was a replacement for Amy O’Neill (best known as the eldest daughter in “Honey, I Shrunk the Kids”) and extensive reshoots took place. Evidence of a troubled production are in the wobbly tone, which is cheerful and jokey one minute, cold and sadistic the next.

A scene involving Stone, a supernatural marquee and a monster loose in a darkened movie theater, is stylish but nonsensical.

Popcorn (1991) pic.twitter.com/8LaWJuX6bm

— Jeanne Loves Horror (@1carolinagirl) May 22, 2023

There’s also the question of how much money the film club was allotted for the central event. Overseeing the triple feature, utilizing large-scale physical effects and extensively dressing up a movie theater appears to be more expensive than any imaginable college funds could allow. Yet, “Popcorn” appears as concerned with logic as “Mosquito!,” which is somehow fitting.

How’s this for showmanship? We get three B-movies within this B-movie. It manages to always be entertaining and exude a warmth for old-time movie magic, even when it gets dark and violent. The genuinely freaky experimental films we witness and the initial unveiling of the villain (both are by far the scariest things in “Popcorn”) are old-school thrills.

This is a junk food gourmet, not a feast of cinema history, but it can be fun to see cheesy late 20th century film tropes gel with effective recreations of ’50s monster movies, ’60s art cinema, ’70s and ’80s horror tropes and the much older, classic works. This odd synergy of cinema history resonates in a crass but clever line early on, when a film student compares Bergman to “Police Academy 5.”

Like the post-modernist horror films that emerged later in the decade, the characters of “Popcorn” seem vaguely aware that they’re in a horror film. Maggie scoffs at her boyfriend’s sexual advances early on, declaring, “This is the age of safe sex.”

She and the movie follow suit. There is no sex or nudity in “Popcorn.”

Schoelen revealed in a recent Fangoria interview that Bob Clark ghost-produced the film. Clark is the Canadian wunderkind who directed the crucial 1972 “Black Christmas,” the classic “A Christmas Story” (1983) and the surprise smash “Porky’s” (1981).

Clark’s influence seems to be present, as moments suggest a gentler fusion of his teen sex comedy and highly influential horror movie. Alas, there is not a trace of Ralphie or his Red Rider BB Gun.

“Popcorn” is certainly corny, but it’s always fun and reminds genre fans how much fun movies like this (or “Mosquito!”) are, especially if you see them in a movie theater.

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‘In the Mouth of Madness’ Is John Carpenter’s ‘Misery’

John Carpenter’s “In the Mouth of Madness” (1995) was immediately dismissed in theaters, as its brief theatrical run was met with empty theaters and bad reviews.

Naturally, a new perspective was in order, as horror fans who eventually saw it weren’t just delighted by Carpenter’s especially playful, funny and jolting commentary on fandom and pop literary figures.  They recognized it as a career high point for “The Master of Terror.”

Sam Neill stars as a professional skeptic who investigates author Sutter Cane’s sudden disappearance, which is noted to coincide with the author’s new book hitting the shelves. Cane’s publisher (played with charm and a wink by Charlton Heston) reveals that Cane’s vanishing isn’t a stunt, while the author’s publicist (Julie Carmen, star of “Fright Night Part II”) reminds everyone that Cane is the real deal, as he “outsells Stephen King.”

The opening credits are of a printing press, piecing together paperbacks of Cane’s latest, while theme music that very badly wants to be Metallica’s “Enter Sandman” blasts over the soundtrack.

Carpenter’s film explores the way the Horror genre, either in print or on film, affects its audience. Call it “John Carpenter’s New Nightmare.” Like Wes Craven’s brilliant satire/fright fest from the year before, this offers a satirical, self-reflective commentary on horror artists and their work.

Just as crucial is how effective this is as a jolt inducer, as “In the Mouth of Madness” is one of Carpenter’s most frightening films, containing some of the scariest imagery of his career.

“In the Mouth of Madness” has a knowing take on fandom, acknowledging the point that affection can cross the line into obsession.

RELATED: WHY JOHN CARPENTER’s ‘THE FOG’ DESERVES YOUR RESPECT

Movie buffs can be an intense crowd, particularly when they’re camping out in line for tickets, waiting hours (or days) to get into the theater and grab the best seat in the house. There is no getting in the way of a fan who is living for the next installment of a series or artist they can’t get enough of.

It’s no different in the literary world.

Proof of this came to me years ago, when I once attended a Harry Potter book release event at a Barnes & Noble store. It was midnight, but there were children everywhere, many in costume, all waiting in a long line, tickets in hand to exchange for the latest, hefty volume of J.K. Rowling storytelling.

An image I’ve never forgotten was a little girl, dressed like Hermione, who was the first in line, bought a copy of the book and pressed it lovingly against her chest, sort of hugging it. She then walked across the room, sat down in an unattended aisle and furiously began reading.

It was quite the spectacle, seeing dozens of kids, obsessed with the unveiling of a new book and unable to keep themselves from reading the moment they had a copy in their hands.

Being a lifelong King reader and present at a few bookstore releases of his work, I’ve been a part of that kind of fandom, too. I can’t say I ever literally embraced a brand-new copy of “It” but when the desire to read a new book is like the burning need to scratch a fuzzy itch on your back, bookworms can become ravenous.

Carpenter’s “In the Mouth of Madness” takes this even further, as fans of Sutter Cane become Darwinian monsters after reading his latest novel.

In the Mouth of Madness (1994) dir. John Carpenter pic.twitter.com/hCafKyODjO

— cinesthetic. (@TheCinesthetic) March 23, 2022

Only Carpenter would select such a colorful, seemingly mismatched but cleverly assembled ensemble, which includes John Glover, David Warner, Jurgen Prochnow (as Cane) and, again, Heston! Frances Bay is especially unsettling as the seemingly innocent Mrs. Pickman, Prochnow (with a mop of hair) makes Cane genuinely spooky and in the lead, Neill conveys the fear of a cynic who becomes a believer.

The screenplay by Michael De Luca (who, at one point, became the head of New Line Cinema, the company that distributed this film) is witty and fiendishly imaginative. Cane appears to be an unholy combo of Stephen King, H.P. Lovecraft and Clive Barker and, among the many titles in his catalog, a few that stand out are “The Basement’ and “The Feeding.”

While Cane’s origins are never fully revealed, a sci-fi explanation is teased.

DeLuca’s screenplay has a wicked sense of humor (note Neill’s intro line: “Sorry about the balls! It was a lucky shot, that’s all!”), but not every audacious touch works. On occasion, Carpenter’s low-budget background hurts him: gun fire squibs are cheaply replaced by flashes of light, and some of the monsters are barely visible.

The last scene is a clever but failed attempt to break the fourth wall. It might have been kind of fun in movie theaters, but the closing scene is the lone moment where De Luca and Carpenter think big but can’t quite reach as high as their aim.

Some of the visuals reminded me of “The Thing” (1982) and the comparison is favorable. There are also thematic ties to Carpenter’s later “The Ward” (2010), which also questions the point of view of the protagonist’s sanity.

This is one of several Carpenter films depicting horror in small, very American town – Carpenter’s own 1995 remake of “Village of the Damned,” likewise, explored this and arrived a few months later; like “In the Mouth of Madness,” Carpenter’s “Village of the Damned” also failed initially to connect with audiences and critics.

Carpenter has stated “In the Mouth of Madness” is the third in his “Apocalypse Trilogy,” coming after “The Thing” (1982) and “Prince of Darkness” (1987). There’s no missing the connective threads, as well as noting that Neill, in his second Carpenter film after the overlooked “Memoirs of an Invisible Man” (1992) appears to be having a grand ol’ time.

The film cheekily comments on the publishing mania that still exists between the publishing house and the readers. Everything from the early editions of “The Hunger Games,” “Fifty Shades of Grey,” “Twilight” and anything from Rowling, and the way their distributors turn their works into bestseller frenzy events, applies to the notion that Cane is enabled by his handlers as well as his readers.

The best, most disturbing scenes of “In the Mouth of Madness” play on a demented loop, repeating a cycle of events until the fear is maximized. Neill’s initial reading of Cane’s novel, a night drive to Cane’s fabled Hobb’s End and the failed escape attempt that winds up in the same spot, are among Carpenter’s most brilliant set pieces.

While the creator of “Halloween” (1978) has made better movies, this is his scariest.

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How ‘Truth & Treason’ Differs from Most Nazi Dramas

We’re still learning about the heroes who stood tall against the Nazi regime.

The latest yarn ripped from the history books is “Truth & Treason,” an impeccably produced tale steeped in faith. Google the real story, and the ending won’t come as a shock. It’s still an enthralling tale filled with the kind of nuance missing in some Nazi-era stories.

Young Helmuth Hübener (Ewan Horrocks) is the prototypical “good German” during World War II. He’s young and talented, and he’s eager to use his intellect to help the Third Reich. He loves his homeland, after all, and local news reports cover up the truth about, well, everything.

That changes when a Jewish friend disappears under mysterious circumstances. Helmuth also finds a radio that allows him to hear forbidden broadcasts from outside the Nazi bubble. He quickly learns the true nature of the war and yearns to fight back.

He starts mass-producing leaflets that share the truth about the Nazi regime, spreading them across his neighborhood with the help of two dear friends. His persuasive writing makes the leaflets all the more effective, drawing the ire of local officials.

No one knows about his campaign, not even his parents. Can he stay under the Nazi’s radar long enough to make a difference?

“Truth & Treason” embraces its hero’s faith and how it intersects with his dangerous mission. What Christian could sit by and watch his country crumble under Hitler’s boot? The film is never preachy, but it directly connects our hero’s faith with his actions.

That nimble touch often eludes filmmakers. Not here.

Director/co-writer Matt Whitaker establishes Helmuth’s friend circle with care, capturing moments that make the characters more than historical stand-ins. Horrocks brings a youthful enthusiasm to the part, and when his character strikes up a romance with a co-worker, it’s heartbreaking.

We know this relationship is doomed, but Whitaker lets it play out for our consideration. This is just part of what the lad gives up by refusing to stay silent.

It’s equally hard to watch Helmuth’s father decry his son’s quest for the truth.

This isn’t a thriller by any definition, but a few scenes crackle as Nazi soldiers chase Helmuth down after handing out his latest leaflet.

One voice against the silence of fear. Helmuth Hübener risks everything to speak the truth.
Watch Ewan Horrocks as Helmuth Hübener in Truth & Treason in theaters October 17 pic.twitter.com/PN3WiLvM6b

— Angel (@AngelStudiosInc) October 5, 2025

It’s easy to demonize German officials for their complicity in the Nazi nightmares, but “Truth & Treason” gives grace to the film’s ostensible villain. Rupert Evans plays Erwin Mussener, the Nazi officer tasked with squeezing young Helmuth hard enough to give up his co-conspirators.

Erwin’s family gets a brief, and harrowing back story that fleshes out his character. And when things look grim for Helmuth, Erwin’s reactions prove achingly human. Evans plays those contradictions perfectly.

That element, along with our hero’s assured faith, makes “Truth & Treason” one of the best WWII films in some time.

HiT or Miss: “Truth & Treason” delivers powerful lessons on faith, resilience and heroism in the darkest hours.

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‘Tremors’ – The Perfect Comedy-Horror Hybrid

The key to why Ron Underwood’s “Tremors” (1990) works so well is that it never forgets it’s a comedy.

Yes, there are giant, worm-like creatures in the ground that pull you under and lots of scary moments, but this sci-fi/horror comedy-contemporary western hybrid never loses its sense of humor and forgets what it is.

Fred Ward and Kevin Bacon star as Earl and Valentine, two good ol’ boy repairmen who live out in an isolated desert town. Earl and Valentine are a real piece of work: these guys literally sleep in their pick-up truck, eat “bacon and beans” for breakfast, always wear jeans and flannel shirts and are, in the nicest sense, a couple of knuckleheads.

They’re known for being a rascally but dependable team for the town of Perfection which, if I counted right, has about a dozen people living there. The townfolk are warm, surprisingly diverse and share a family dynamic. The setting and look evoke a Western feel that is just right.

When Perfection’s citizens are randomly appearing to be sucked underground, Earl and Valentine are the first to discover in full what they’re up against: hungry, fast and vicious creatures that someone helpfully names “Graboids.”

In the same way “An American Werewolf in London” (1981), “Ghostbusters” (1984), “Tucker & Dale Vs. Evil” (2010) and “The Cabin in the Woods” (2011) are all comedies but have the bite of a scare fest, “Tremors” is that rare, enjoyable two-headed beast that also has it both ways.

The monster movie that breaks new ground.

On this day in 1990: TREMORS, starring Kevin Bacon, was released. pic.twitter.com/DP6K4r7CBB

— FANGORIA (@FANGORIA) January 19, 2025

I’ve never met anyone who saw “Tremors” and didn’t love it, which is why the film’s brief run in the theaters has always puzzled me. I saw it on opening week (on my birthday, no less) and remember the packed theater at the Wharf Cinema Center going nuts over it.

The screams and laughter were loud and in equal measure from start to finish, but “Tremors” wasn’t a success for its studio until it gradually became a cult favorite.

Part of the film’s undeniable charm comes from its cast. It’s harder than it looks to play “dumb,” especially when the actors in question are Ward and Bacon, two of the most interesting, hardest-working actors of their generation (it’s especially amazing to note that, after this, Ward played Henry Miller in “Henry & June” the same year).

They both fully invest in the endearing nitwits they play, creating a comic duo that is so rich, it could have sustained another movie.

The great Victor Wong and future “Jurassic Park” star Ariana Richards are also in the supporting cast, but the real surprise is seeing Michael Gross (fresh off playing the father on “Family Ties”) and Reba McIntire(!) portray gun-toting survivalists.

Their big scene, in which the sound of gunfire trailing off, then returning, has some of the biggest sustained laughs in the movie.

Yet, even when “Tremors” threatens to become utterly goofy and more of a spoof than a horror movie, it tightens the suspense and keeps us on edge.

The premise could have been a disaster in the wrong hands, but director Ron Underwood (whose follow-up was the 1991 blockbuster comedy “City Slickers”) gets the story right and creatively stages the attack scenes.
The ground-level POV camera work is an obvious ode to Sam Raimi’s most famous shots from “The Evil Dead” (1983). Though Underwood is working with a budget barely more substantial than what Raimi had on his early films.

The key is to makes audiences squirm and tuck their legs over their knees and off the ground, in fear that something will pull them down. “Tremors” still has that quality, in which wide open spaces in an isolated mountain town feel like a threat, not a place of solitude.

The forgotten “Blood Beach” (1981) tried an early version of this concept and failed to get it right (it also lacks entertainment value and any reason to exist). “Tremors” gets the B-movie thrills it’s going after and, unlike a lot of horror movies, it’s intentionally hilarious and gets better every time you see it.

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Jacob’s Ladder Remains a Can’t Miss Horror Classic

Adrien Lyne’s “Jacob’s Ladder” (1990) will be too much for most audiences, even the most hardened horror movie watchers.

From the opening scene, Lyne is warning us – don’t get too comfortable, as this is just the beginning.

We meet Jacob Singer (Tim Robbins) as a soldier in Vietnam. He’s having a lighthearted moment with members of his platoon before enemy gunfire breaks out. The story then jumps ahead years later, with Jacob now living in New York, working as a postman and sharing an apartment with his beautiful girlfriend, Jezzie (Elizabeth Peña).

Jacob seems haunted but comfortable with his new life, until the day he is locked in a subway tunnel and begins to have visions of demons in the midst of the city.

Only Jacob’s chiropractor (Danny Aiello) offers him any verbal comfort. The more Jacob seeks to grasp his state of mind, the more his visions flare up. Is it a conspiracy or is Jacob truly seeing angels and demons in New York City?

Bruce Joel Rubin’s screenplay for “Jacob’s Ladder” was famous for being one of the most beloved but unproduced screenplays in Hollywood. Big-name directors and actors were lured to the project, then abandoned it, believing what Rubin created was brilliant but would never translate to the big screen.

Rubin’s story, of a man haunted by daily glimpses of demons and monsters in his everyday life, offered a straight-faced, no-nonsense exploration of matters both spiritual and secular. The story was bold, challenging and, on paper, easy to read as a tonally difficult project.

Enter Adrian Lyne, the director of slick, well-crafted films such as “Fatal Attraction” (1987), “Flashdance” (1983) and “9 1/2 Weeks” (1986), who believed (correctly) that, in order for Rubin’s screenplay to work as a movie, the imagery of angels and demons in a modern setting needed to made interpretive, not literal.

By making Rubin’s Dante-esque notions of Hell and Earth and the struggle for salvation more grounded and less f/x-heavy, “Jacob’s Ladder” became accessible and relatable, though no less impactful.

The tortured journey of Singer is all the more harrowing because we genuinely like him. As played by a young, boyish Robbins, Singer is a sweet, long-suffering veteran who genuinely does not deserve the relentless onslaught of anguish and mental torture he faces.

“Jacob’s Ladder” was a turning point for Robbins, who was primarily known for comedies like “Bull Durham” (1988), “Erik the Viking” (1989) “Cadillac Man” (1990) and a well-known flop called “Howard the Duck” (1986). He brings neither movie star bravado nor a comic distance from the material.

In fact, Robbins is so utterly vulnerable, sweet and relatable as Jacob Singer, I can’t imagine the film working without him. He gives himself to every scene, committing to moments that would be challenging and painful for any actor.

The film’s other secret weapons are Robbins’ co-stars, Peña and Aiello. Pena, as Jacob’s girlfriend Jezebel, cannily portrays a dual nature to her mysterious character and is no less than sensational. The late Peña, who excelled in comedies and dramas, gave her best work here.

This may sound like faint praise, but I don’t mean it that way – Aiello is playing the most sympathetic, father-like chiropractor in cinema. His intimate therapy session scenes with Robbins are moving and a necessary break from the more grueling passages.

“Jacob’s Ladder” is full of great scenes throughout that are mini masterpieces, in both ambition and execution: a late-night walk through an empty subway station, the horrifying dance party transformation, the moment with the tell-tale penny shifting on the ground, the journey on the hospital gurney and Peña’s chilling close-up near the end, all fantastic.

Yet, the most extraordinary passage involves a bathtub and, what we hope, is the reveal of Jacob waking from a nightmare to be with the ones he loves. This portion, which features a pre-“Home Alone” Macaulay Culkin, is the emotional core of the movie, and it’s a real heartbreaker.

I missed seeing this in the theater when it was released during the fall of 1990. Decades later, I caught a revival screening of “Jacob’s Ladder” in Denver. It made me extremely grateful to have missed seeing it in a movie theater when I was 13 years old, as I wouldn’t have been prepared for it.

Few movies have scared me as much as this one, and the demands it makes on the audience (both the attention that must be paid and the scenes that are to be endured) will be too much for some. Yet, a film this terrific is easy to recommend, as it rewards our patience with a tale that, when all is revealed in the end, proves to be uncommonly compassionate.

“Jacob’s Ladder” can be brutal, but few films are this deeply committed to expressing the value of being present and grateful for life’s most irreplaceable moments. Horror films aren’t usually described as beautiful, but this one most certainly is.

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Here’s What Made ‘Fright Night’ Unforgettable

Tom Holland’s “Fright Night” (1985) has held a steady presence with horror fans and vampire movie aficionados alike.

William Ragsdale stars as Charley Brewster, a high school kid who is too shy to initiate third base with his girlfriend (Amanda Bearse) and especially on edge when he discovers that his new neighbor is a bloodsucker. The man next door, Jerry Dandridge, played with humor and great presence by Chris Sarandon, warns Charlie to keep quiet about his discovery.

The undead charmer toys with Charley, threatening to kill him and his mother if he can’t keep his mouth shut.

Charlie’s last resort, after the police and his friends don’t believe him, is hiring movie star Peter Vincent (Roddy McDowall) to get rid of the bloodsucker.

Vincent is the host of a horror movie TV series that showcases many of his old movies, boasts cheap production values and is bookended by the host talking directly into the camera. I grew up with shows like this. I used to watch “Creature Feature,” which showcased movies like “Godzilla 1985,” and I was (and remain) a huge fan of Elvira, Mistress of the Dark.

These inexpensive shows, which relied heavily on cheesy effects (particularly a busy fog machine), cornball one-liners and (most importantly) a lively “undead” host, still exist but barely. Like drive-in movie theaters, they’re out there.

On occasion, I still watch “Svengoolie” in MeTV and old episodes of “Movie Macabre with Elvira.” There’s something delicious about the airing of a B-movie, hosted by someone who is either a “monster” or a “monster hunter” (Sybil Danning’s “Adventure Video” intros fit into the latter).

The concept of Holland’s “Fright Night” suggests that the horror host hamming it up on TV is the most astute protection you’d need from the vampire living next door to your home, because they’ve seen all the same movies you have and know how to protect themselves and you.

The horror film “Fright Night” was released in theatres today in 1985. #80s pic.twitter.com/Hi9x87I2m6

— LandOfThe80s (@landofthe80s) August 2, 2025

Ragsdale and Bearse are too old to pull off high schoolers, though the film’s comic relief, Stephen Geoffreys (as “Evil Ed”), is believably youthful and appropriately annoying. Far better are Sarandon and McDowell, both terrific.

Holland does a fine job of building the tension by allowing the stillness of the atmosphere to creep in.

The quiet suburbia where Brewster lives, as well as the small town around it, seems more sinister than All-American. While not the full-bodied mix of horror and humor that “The Lost Boys” would prove to be two years later, “Fright Night” is a sly throwback to classic horror films (making it an anomaly in the age of Jason Voorhees and Freddy Krueger) and as scary and funny as it needs to be.

One sequence, set in an improbable nightclub (seemingly out of place in a small town), showcases the MTV-ready soundtrack and feels like teen audience bait. However, since the scene in question allows Sarandon to be so sexy and play up the seductive nature of the vampire, the movie gets away with it.

“Fright Night” is vampire-lite, compared to the likes of the subsequent Kathryn Bigelow’s “Near Dark” (1986) and Francis Ford Coppola’s “Bram Stoker’s Dracula” (1992). Nevertheless, while those movies are heavier with their violence and intensity, it’d be wrong to overlook how “Fright Night” and even “The Monster Squad” (1987) were distinctly old school in their depiction of vampirism poisoning the American bloodstream.

Richard Edlund’s visual effects, created a year after his milestone work for “Ghostbusters,” are no less impressive. Holland’s “Child’s Play” (1988) and “Psycho II” (released in 1983, which Holland wrote but didn’t direct) are much scarier, but he should be proud of “Fright Night.”

It pays loving homage to the creaky spookfests that came before it, provides genuine jolts and, unlike most horror films released in 1985, it’s such a treasure chest and spooky, cob-webbed coffin of fun.

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‘After the Hunt’ Tackles Woke Culture Head On

Better late than never?

The same Hollywood that bowed to the woke mind virus is finally confronting it on screen, albeit in halting fashion. Think “Dream Scenario” (2023), “Tar” (2022) and, now, “After the Hunt.”

The previous films nibbled around woke’s toxic edges. “After the Hunt” goes for the jugular, but director Luca Guadagnino isn’t sure what he wants to say about it.

He’s fashioned an intriguing op-ed about ego, academia and privilege, both the white variety and less acknowledged models. It’s dull before it grabs us by the collar, but even an unexpected coda feels too conflicted to land a cultural haymaker.

Julia Roberts shines as Alma, a Yale professor who seemingly has it all – a handsome husband (Michael Stuhlbarg), a devoted fellow professor (Andrew Garfield as Hank) and a rising star who sees her as a mentor.

That’s Maggie (Ayo Edebiri), a lesbian PhD student who accuses Hank of sexually assaulting her after leaving Alma’s house party one night.

Is Hank guilty? Will he get a fair chance to defend himself? Should Alma stand by Maggie through a very public accusation, one that rocks Yale’s storied traditions?

The plot suggests a juicy, eight-part Netflix series, but Guadagnino and screenwriter Nora Garrett immerse us in academic culture before any questions can be answered. Early scenes are laborious in nature, letting us observe upper-middle-class life in all its insufferable glory.

It’s a chore to connect with anyone on screen.

Maggie’s social justice warrior pose feels off-putting yet accurate. And what if she’s telling the truth about Hank? Why won’t Alma rush to her side, rather than navigate a system where justice isn’t the prime directive?

“After the Hunt” offers a slow-burn approach to the culture wars, and Roberts is the perfect vehicle from which to observe the muted fireworks. Alma wants to do the right thing, but she craves tenure more than she cares to admit.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Garrett’s screenplay touches on privilege, pronouns and other woke flourishes. At times, those elements plug effortlessly into the story. A few scenes feel stripped from a college paper on restorative justice.

Late in the film, we hear a news snippet tied to DEI’s recent decline. No filmmaker of Guadagnino’s status should lean on such narrative gimmicks.

One sequence mimics “Tar’s” viral clip, where Cate Blanchett’s character excoriates a woke student. Roberts handles the moment beautifully, with Guadagnino’s camera capturing both Alma’s rage and the reaction from her startled students.

The Alma/Hank dynamic reminds of how good Garfield can be when handed challenging material. Their bond gives the third act its undeniable firepower, and the actors brilliantly work through an encounter that could have descended into parody.

The film’s discordant score, courtesy of Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, veers from a relentless ticking clock to more conventional notes. We’re uncomfortable from start to finish, an appropriate match for the material.

If “After the Hunt” is the director’s attempt to address the culture wars, it’s not always clear what he wants to say. One undeniable message? Get uncomfortable. That’s where growth happens, be it in a classroom or elsewhere.

It’s why “After the Hunt,” as messy as it may be, is the kind of thought-provoking tale we need.

HiT or Miss: “After the Hunt” features a bravura performance by Julia Roberts and mixed messaging about the dying woke revolution.

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