(1990)
Dir - Frank Henenlotter
Overall: GOOD
Exploitation schlock filmmaker Frank Henenlotter's Frankenhooker is if not the most ridiculous of his movies, could fairly be called the most deliberately silly and arguably the best. With a title like that, you get exactly what you expect yet somehow even more. The only complaint one can lodge at it is that James Lorinz' constant narration of his own life becomes far too annoying. Though just when it comes close to ruining the film, his screen time takes a break and the title character, (a hilarious real life Penthouse Pet Patty Mullen), gets to let loose in the final act which appropriately escalates the movie into classic trash status. Similar to how other excellent horror comedies such as Dead Alive or Re-Animator become even more memorable as they ski-rocket into over the top terrain, Frankenhooker also excels in this arena with an ending that is as laugh out loud funny and preposterous as can be. Movies like this have proven to be remarkably tricky to pull off, (such as the work of Troma which is too distractedly amateurish in their production), or oodles of other horror films that are not funny enough and insist on throwing too much seriousness in them as well. Neither is the case here though and it is a gem because of it.
(1993)
Dir - Trey Parker
Overall: MEH
Released the year before South Park debuted and filmed while studying at the University of Colorado at Bolder, Cannibal! The Musical is ground zero in the filmmaking career of Trey Parker and Matt Stone. Comparing it to all of the duo's further work, there is plenty to make their fanbase gleeful, (including gross-out humor, crud sex jokes, gore, jabs at religion, and of course ridiculous songs), but it is also predictably weak being a debut and all. Parker's performance is fine, (as is Matt Stones though in a smaller role), but the writing and particularly the pacing is not quite up to snuff. Honestly, the movie's downright boring most of the time which could be partially to blame on the subject matter. The real life story of Alfred Packer getting snowbound in the Colorado mountains and reverting to cannibalism is not quite dealt with in a ludicrous, jacked-up enough manner to make the western/musical/semi-horror parody work. Still, for something that is basically a student movie, it logically should be more uneven than it is and there is enough of Parker and Stone's future greatness on display that giving it a single viewing at some point in your life is certainly fair.
(1997)
Dir - Paul W.S. Anderson
Overall: MEH
Paul W.S. Anderson has made a career out of hokey, sci-fi and/or horror action films such as Mortal Combat and several in the Resident Evil franchise so not surprisingly, Event Horizon eventually succumbs to such B-movie silliness. Primarily designed as a haunted house film in space which is a solid idea, Horizon bottoms out in its final act, kicking up the schlock value tenfold and undermining all of its interesting and creepy intent. The fact that nearly all of the plot points are reminiscent of numerous genre tropes that we have seen before, (there is a distress signal, a mysterious vacant ship, a rescue mission with a crew of badasses, etc), it gives the movie a rather boring foundation. Yet the psychological elements borrowed from Solaris and The Shining and hellish dimension ones resembling the work of Clive Barker are an intriguing enough mix in parts. Typical even today, the sets are more impressive than the awful CGI, but the overall look still does not come off unique enough to distinguish itself from pick any Alien film per example. The dialog is also mostly poor and cliche ridden, ("The ship won't let you leave", "The dark inside me from the other place", etc), and it is all a too popcorny and generic as a whole to achieve anything beyond being another mildly amusing, missed opportunity horror vehicle.
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