(1990)
Dir - Tommy Lee Wallace
Overall: MEH
ABC's partially inconsistent adaptation of Stephen King's massive, cocaine-fueled novel It is a frustrating view. Originally even longer in length to accommodate the intimidating source material, George A. Romero was set to be behind the lens and did a considerable amount of pre-production work on it before scheduling issues forced him out and John Carpenter collaborator Tommy Lee Wallace in. Given a hefty budget for a miniseries, Wallace and his production crew stage some creepy and fun set pieces and for his role as Pennywise the Clown, Tim Curry created one of the most memorable horror movie bad guys of all time. Elsewhere though, the highly condensed script comes off more silly and plot hole-filled than anything. Though there is a campy charm to the sterile television presentation at times, it is certainly less frightening than it otherwise could have been. Most troublesome of all though is the weak ending which jumps from a goofy looking spider monster to a level of sugary, sickening sap that would even make Stephen Spielberg embarrassed.
(1993)
Dir - Kenny Ortega
Overall: WOOF
The incessantly obnoxious kiddie horror film Hocus Pocus is quite the mangled effort. The original script by Mick Garris was heavily re-worked to tone down its more gruesome elements, but the resulting plot is a slapdash mess that barely keeps its ill-conceived rules together if it does so at all. Even for a cutesy Disney product, it is quite bombastically joyless. The concept of Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy either bellowing, screaming, or mumbling their, (very), unfunny dialog like an embarrassing imrpov version of the Three Stooges grows old immediately and only gets more impossible to stomach as it goes along. None of the other characters or performances come off any more amusing and without any exceptions, every attempt at a gag would only make someone laugh who does not know what comedy is. Some people may have miraculously fallen under its antithesis of charm over the years, (lord help them), but this is far too annoying to be enjoyable even in a trainwreck capacity and is probably more logical to be avoided like the plague. Clearly just watch Tim Curry sing "Anything Can Happen on Halloween" from The Worst Witch instead.
(1996)
Dir - Peter Jackson
Overall: GOOD
Just before venturing into Middle Earth for several years, Peter Jackson made his to date final comedy/horror hybrid The Frighteners. Jackson and partner Fran Walsh initially put the script together on Robert Zemeckis' insistence as a possible feature-length entry to the Tales from the Crypt series. The resulting film, (which was shot in Jackson's native New Zealand though set in the American Midwest), is far more commercial than the director's early, independent, degenerate splatter movies, yet it is still bombastic in an almost Sam Raimi pizazz sense. Jackson's always hyper-fueled pacing is in full swing with Danny Elfman providing his usual deafening and persistent score. Michael J. Fox is highly likeable in the lead while Jack Busey, Dee Walace, and especially Jeffrey Combs crank it up to eleven in supporting roles. Jackson's newly formed Weta Digital company has a field day with the cartoony special effects, some of the most elaborate and time-consuming to produce at the time. While the script fails to connect some of its intricate pieces, the movie is still a highly enjoyable bit of popcorn ready, dark humor fun.
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