(1982)
Dir - Damiano Damiani
Overall: MEH
As a follow-up to one of the silliest and in turn most influential hit horror films of the 70s The Amityville Horror, Amityville II: The Possession ups the camp, gore, and unwholesomeness tenfold. Based on the 1979 novel Murder in Amityville and serving as a loose prequel to the events of the first film, (shot in the same house in New Jersey as well), it rather boldly fuses more haunted house trappings with demonic possession ones. Bizarre scenes left and right that are equal parts uncomfortable and unintentionally hilarious, Italian filmmaker Damiano Damiani keeps up a breakneck pace, indulging in some fancy camerawork and arbitrary, freaky visuals. The goofy script by Tommy Lee Wallace chooses not to settle on mere supernatural tomfoolery, but also more unpleasant details. By centering the story on a family who is dysfunctional right out of the gate, we are not only witness to the inevitable massacre, but also get to "enjoy" Burt Young being a physically abusive, scumbag father and an insidious relationship between Jack Magner and Diane Franklin. Over-the-top instead of frightening, the performances (thankfully?) match such intensity and if anything else, the tone is consistently brazen.
(1983)
Dir - George P. Cosmotos
Overall: WOOF
Easily and unsurprisingly, one of the more ridiculous and lame premises for a horror movie delivers ridiculous and lame results. An adaptation of the Chauncey G. Parker III novel The Visitor by George P. Cosmotos, (Rambo: First Blood II, Cobra, Tombstone), Of Unknown Origin would be comical if it was not so one-note and wretchedly boring. Essentially, it is "Guy gets stressed out at work while trying to kill a rat in his house - the movie" and scene after scene after scene go by of Peter Weller getting frustrated as he talks to himself, gets advice from exterminators, sets traps, and finds new things broken every day. Almost literally nothing else happens and how anyone involved thought this was engaging enough material for a horror film is anybody's guess. As a comedy sketch three times shorter in length, maybe it would work in such a context. Instead, even Robocop building his own rat-murdering weapon and trashing his abode while a comically allusive rodent squeaks and scurries away is nowhere near as wonderful as it sounds.
(1986)
Dir - Fred Dekker
Overall: GOOD
Writer/director Fred Dekker's sincere debut Night of the Creeps is the type of B-movie parody made with nothing but the most well-intended care. It exists for the sole purpose of basking in as many horror and sci-fi movie cliches as possible and its only uniqueness comes in the fact that so many tropes are thrown on top of each other that they create their own wacky tone. Zombies, aliens, an escaped mental patient, squishy parasites, naked sorority girls, douchebag sorority bros, jump scares, psyche-outs, the obligatory Walter Paisley cameo from Dick Miller, drive-in movie nostalgia, Plan 9 from Outer Space footage, a dolly zoom; even the characters are given the names of famous horror movie directors in case it was not on the nose enough. Dekker's attempts at humor are hit or miss with Tom Atkin's overtly gruff police detective delivering smart/hard-ass quips like he has some sort of uncontrollable tick. It is mostly lighthearted and easy to laugh with though and the endless genre nods, goofy special effects, occasionally nasty gore, and balls-out silly finale are all rather fun.
No comments:
Post a Comment