(1990)
Dir - John Lafia
Overall: MEH
The saga continues with Child's Play 2, the second in everyone's favorite killer doll franchise that edges farther along its ridiculous trek. The director position switched from Tom Holland to the first movie's co-writer John Lafia, though the series' main screenwriter Don Mancini is of course still on board. Speaking of returning to the party, this serves as a direct sequel with Alex Vincent's Andy once again plagued by Brad Dourif's Chucky who of course survives by one of his plastic eyeballs remaining intact enough to let him possess yet another Good Guy doll. The plot plays off of the "nobody believes me" cliche where Andy is the only one witnessing any of Chucky's mischief and there are plenty of illogical details that are to be expected in something with such a goofy premise. Dourif delivers the foul-mouthed, raving menace though and the finale where Chucky endlessly keeps coming back from one toy factory inspired act of destruction after the other is laugh out loud funny. Things would of course go much more off the rails in later installments, but this one wastes very little time delivering the schlocky chuckles and, (for better or worse), is everything such a follow-up should be.
(1992)
Dir - Fran Rubel Kuzui
Overall: MEH
Though not entirely infamous, the movie version of Buffy the Vampire the Slayer is a pretty dopey affair even when not compared to the far superior and enduring television show that followed. Writer/creator Joss Whedon clashed with everything that went on here and ultimately abandoned the production as it continued to go in a much goofier route than originally intended. While there are plenty of horror comedies that work in such a capacity, this one has the grave misfortune of not being at all funny, try as it insistently does. The dialog is pretty atrocious, from the valley girl spoofing lingo to the groan-worthy proclamations made by members of the undead. Plot wise though it is borderline inept, trying and failing to be hip enough to forgive how lazily handled every point A to point B maneuver is. On the plus side, Kristy Swanson is quite likable in the lead, her and Luke Perry have an adequate amount of chemistry on screen, and several other familiar faces do their best with how silly the material is, particularly Paul Reubens' hammy turn as a punk rock blood-sucker. The brand would be redeemed once it was back under Whedon's control, but at least its humble beginnings here are not offensively bad; just very much not good.
(1999)
Dir - M. Knight Shyamalan
Overall: GOOD
An impressive debut that since released has left a lingering aura of mostly unmatched potential for its writer/director, The Sixth Sense put M. Knight Shyamalan on the map and probably remains his strongest work. Bearing either intentional or coincidental similarities to a 1994 episode of Are You Afraid of the Dark? "The Tale of the Dream Girl", Shyamalan definitely takes a sentimental approach to his material in such a setting and it was a bold move to drop a rug-pulling plot twist. Said twist not only served as a mixed blessing for setting expectations throughout the rest of Shyamalan's career, but also largely overshadows what is essentially a story about acceptance and overcoming trauma. The film works even without the effective spooky moments though, due in large part to the lead performances by Bruce Willis, Toni Collette, and Haley Joe Osment, all of whom are quite excellent here and elevate everything to an emotionally impactful level that is rare where horror is concerned. Certainly user friendly in its utter lack of ambiguity and unforgettable because of its Usual Suspects-worthy finale, its meticulously crafted nature holds up and few if any ghost movies have had quite the same pop culture impact.
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