(1981)
Dir - Patrick Regan
Overall: WOOF
This D-rent crud rock about the two worst kid actors in film history who also have psychic abilities is the only directorial effort from Patrick Regan, who otherwise made a career in a second unit or assistant capacity throughout the 80s and 90s. With a sufficient exploitative title like Kiss Daddy Goodbye, (Revenge of the Zombie), and a singular enough premise about children who have the telekinetic ability to make their recently murdered dad come back to life to either fool people into thinking that he is still alive or to reap vengeance on the biker assholes who killed him, one would think that the results would not be so unprofessionally drab. Chalk it up to Regan's inexperience from behind the lens in a solo capacity then because "unprofessionally drab" is exactly what this is. The pacing is dreadful, the cinematography is consistently forgettable, everybody on screen seems to be sleepwalking through their lines, the sound design is atrocious, and the script, (which has four credited screenwriters mind you), is equally as amatuerish as everything else transpiring. Even fans of scream queen Marilyn Burns should be warned to stay away from whatever was attempted here.
(1986)
Dir - Stephen Herek
Overall: MEH
The filmmaking career of Stephen Herek, (Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure, Mr. Holland's Opus), began with the horror comedy Critters. Lacking in originality from top to bottom, it is yet another in a horde of both "aliens invading a small redneck town" and "tiny creatures that look like demonic stuffed animals" films, adhering to most of the tropes of both. Predictably, the only enjoyment comes from the title monster's wacky, destructively adorable behavior, biting any and everything and having their own language where they drop F bombs. Two shape-shifting, alien bounty hunters fare less humorously, only really providing some flat, fish-out-of-water moments. This is the general problem with the movie in the fact that despite its handful of wacky components, it still comes off more dull than funny. Slag pacing does not help either, taking until the halfway point for any real critter carnage to commence and even after that, watching a bunch of country bumpkins and a distressed family try and deal with the problem is consistently snore-inducing. There are a few chuckles to be had, but they are a few that are also too far between.
(1988)
Dir - Tommy Lee Wallace
Overall: GOOD
Following up one of the best vampire films of the decade is a risky endeavor. On that note, Tommy Lee Wallace does an adequate job with Fright Night Part 2, all things considered. Opening with a brief recap of Fright Night, this one starts on shaky ground, hinging itself on the lame premise that Charley Brewster has spent the last three years in therapy convincing himself that he imagined everything that happened in the first movie. This "all in your mind" cliche would be more of a detriment if not for the fact that the film plays it and everything else more for schlocky laughs than anything else. Upping both the comedy as well as the sex angle, the results are occasionally awkward though a few fun moments are scattered about. There is a vampire on roller skates, an undead bowling montage, Jon Gries plays a werewolf for the second time in as many years after The Monster Squad, Brian Thompson eats bugs, the fog machine budget had to have been through the roof, and it has a sleek, stylish production design. The script is generous with the plot holes and the angle of a vampire performance artiste is weak, but thankfully these are mild complaints in the end.
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