(1990)
Dir - William Friedkin
Overall: MEH
On paper, The Guardian is notable as being William Friedkin's full-length return to horror, his first go at it since making the most lauded film of all time in the genre with The Exorcist. Judging by this movie's relative obscurity and lukewarm at best reputation, obviously it is remarkably feeble in comparison. Part of the reason may be that Friedkin only came on board after Sam Raimi dropped out to make Darkman, Raimi having previously constructed it as a part comedy as he is wont to do. The end result here bares no such qualities, at least intentionally. Another issue could be the production problems and on-set script reworkings, further muddling the affair. Friedkin pulls off some jump scares and goes for nudity and nasty gore once or twice, but any attempted atmosphere is botched by a bland, TV movie-esque presentation. Wooden and/or hammy performances, obvious ADR readings, and pedestrian dialog give it an unintended camp quality, which is unfortunately about the only "compliment" the movie really deserves. It is probably best just to forget this one was made and move on accordingly.
(1995)
Dir - Bill Condon
Overall: MEH
The second theatrically released film from director Bill Condon as well as the second installment in the Candyman series, Candyman 2: Farewell to the Flesh is a typically unsatisfying sequel. The story switches everything from Cabrini-Green Chicago to New Orleans and plays upon similar, impoverished racial conflicts as well as classicism. Sadly, it does this in a far less clever and engrossing way than the first film did, using its Cajun setting more for accented gumbo and Mardi Gras references than anything substantially potent. This is empathized by an obnoxious radio personality narration that comes up nearly every time there is a location change. Condon makes the movie a schlocky, loud mess, criminally indulging in what feels like hundreds of jump scares, each one of which is accompanied by a deafeningly loud screechy noise. The only moments of silence are right before such boisterous cliche abuse as Philip Glass' choir-heavy score barely ever shuts up as well. Campy and rushed with a script that is pedestrian at best and nonsensical at worst, it makes the all too common mistake that half-baked horror films do. This is that it plays itself way too dark and serious to justify its many ridiculous attributes.
(1996)
Dir - Andrew Fleming
Overall: MEH
Hot Topic - The Movie...I mean The Craft was one of a handful of teenage-centered horror films produced in the 1990s. Similar to how Joel Schumacher made vampires undeniably hip nine years earlier with The Lost Boys, director Andrew Fleming attempts the same thing with witches here. He essentially achieves this, at least in a schlocky, B-movie type way. The script by Fleming and Peter Filardi is rather predictable and plays on the standard "high school outsiders" cliches long established for such films. It also does not treat its supernatural magic any more or less seriously than say Buffy the Vampire Slayer would, per obvious example. As far as the cast is concerned, this and Scream released the same year arguably solidified Neve Campbell as the decade's premier scream queen, (no pun intended), but Fairuza Balk and her textbook, Goth-girl features make the most naturally sinister of the four leads. Besides the conventional structure which is easy to only half pay attention to, a bigger drawback is the awful alt-pop soundtrack that gets off to such a start with one of the worst Beatles covers ever done in Our Lady Peace's "Tomorrow Never Knows". The clear feminism angle is charming enough and there are some fun, dark set pieces scattered throughout, so as an occasionally inconsistent bit of Gen X camp, it suffices.
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