Retro Cinema: ‘Silver Bullet’

Retro Cinema: ‘Silver Bullet’

How can you go wrong when you mix Stephen King, Gary Busey, and one of the Coreys? Trick question… You can’t go wrong. Plus if you add in a few werewolves, and some campy gore, you’ve got a big bundle of 80s horror known as “Silver Bullet.”

Corey Haim plays Marty, a boy stuck in a wheelchair that’s been dubbed the Silver Bullet. The story is narrated by his older sister, Jane (Megan Follows), reminiscing about the past. But in the present the story’s set in, she pretty much feels that he’s a pain in the butt. That starts to change and they find themselves coming together when people in their small town are turning up not only dead, but ripped to pieces. And the murders are metaphorically ripping the town apart as well.

When Marty’s best friend becomes the latest victim, the townsfolk seek some vigilante justice and want to hunt down whoever — or whatever — is killing people, despite pleas from the local sheriff. Of course, they go out hunting it at night. During a full moon.

Do I really need to tell you how that’s going to end? Yeah.

When Uncle Red (Busey) comes to visit Marty and Jane, that’s when things get really interesting. After Uncle Red builds Marty a supercharged motorized wheelchair and gives him some fireworks, Marty sneaks out in the middle the night to go set them off. Little does he know, this will bring him face to face with the beast that is terrorizing his town. During this late-night confrontation, Marty injures the werewolf, putting out an eye. It escapes, so Marty and Jane go on a hunt around town to find out who has a telltale injured eye. And suffice it to say, it is not the person they expected.

Unfortunately, the werewolf knows that they know, so they have to rely on Uncle Red to protect them when the beast comes to attack the only ones who know his identity.

The movie is based on Stephen King’s short story, “Cycle of the Werewolf.” Many King adaptations tend to turn into more campy fun than horror when they hit the screen, and this film follows that trend. That doesn’t mean it isn’t good… I mean, this is a classic 80s horror film that’s a lot of fun. And I’ve always been really partial to werewolves, but don’t expect any fancy transformation scenes in this one. In fact, I think the werewolf sort of looks like a teddy bear — I’m guessing that wasn’t exactly the effect they were going for.

Of course, there’s a bittersweet element to it now in light of Haim’s early demise, and the living train wreck that Busey has become. This is a pre-“Lost Boys” Haim, before Hollywood tore him apart. And Busey is in his prime here. The film is family-friendly if you’re looking for a film for kids that still appeals to adults.

Although you might have to explain Busey’s line that he’s more nervous “then a virgin on prom night.”

Retro Cinema is a new column that reviews a different retro horror film every Monday. Subscribe at the top of the page for updates on new film reviews, interviews and horror news.

 

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Even Bacon Doesn’t Make ‘The Darkness’ Better In New Horror DVD Release

Even Bacon Doesn’t Make ‘The Darkness’ Better In New Horror DVD Release

There’s a saying in the culinary world that “everything’s better with bacon.” That often applies in the film industry as well, in the form of one Kevin Bacon. But sometimes even Bacon can’t save a flawed plot with the best of intentions.

The Darkness comes out on DVD September 6, and this horror film stars Bacon as well as the fabulous Radha Mitchell as a couple who have a troubled teenage daughter and autistic son. We’re off to a fairly good start there. It’s somewhat cliched, but good talent.

I also love it when a horror film works in some historical facts to back up supernatural events, and including some past Anasazi legends also gave me hope for something really unique and scary in The Darkness. Calling up some kind of ancient evil can be one of the scariest premises in horror, but sometimes it goes a little off track. Unfortunately, The Darkness is one of those films where the train completely jumped the track.

One thing that some horror writers and horror directors don’t seem to understand is that even though you’re dealing with supernatural principles, those fantastical elements still have to make sense. Even in a world where otherworldly events are occurring, they should form some kind of logic. Many of the supernatural elements in The Darkness don’t make sense, and the method of calling up this ancient evil is just too simplistic. Other things were confusing, such as the whole turning on the tap water schtick. Did I miss something that made that logical? Were they thirsty because they were desert-dwelling demons? I don’t get it.

Being logical and believable also applies to characters, and The Darkness does a fairly decent job in that regard, thanks to the talents of the cast, although there’s a pretty big flaw in logic in the alternate ending. But I’ll get to that alternate ending in a moment.

You have to care about the characters, and the teenage daughter was kind of annoying rather than sympathetic with her medical issue that came up during his troubled time in this family’s life. Also, mom likes to hit the bottle, and dear old dad has a history of fooling around in The Darkness. While these flaws might be nothing terribly new, I found it pretty appalling that his boss was hiring fresh meat for more affairs, even though Bacon was trying to be the good guy and fly straight.

Seriously, what is this nonsense? I don’t expect everyone to be perfect, and flawed characters make great tension, but a boss that actually hires people for his employees to have affairs with and encourages it? Oh, please.

Anyway, this film has some great ideas and great actors, but it just doesn’t feel fully fleshed out with those ideas in The Darkness. For some people, that may not bother them in the slightest. For pickier horror fans, that thin plot just won’t fly.

As for The Darkness DVD itself, the Blu-ray has a beautiful high definition picture, and the opening sequences feature some beautiful southwestern scenery at the Grand Canyon. For extras, there’s not a whole lot of added features with this package, so you’ll have to settle for a bunch of deleted scenes that do help explain a few plot elements and developments.

The other special feature and arguably the best part of this DVD packaging of The Darkness is the alternate ending. While I suspect that it wasn’t a fully-polished final edit, being an alternate version, I would definitely argue that the alternate ending would have been the better choice. Although I do take issue with a plot flaw in this alternate ending when the Native American woman helping the family makes a decision not to reveal some key information. Nope, I’m not buying that.

Like many horror fans, I love Kevin Bacon. Stir of Echoes is one of my favorite horror films, and I am a child of the 80s. Likewise, Radha Mitchell has definitely earned her chops in horror, with Silent Hill and Pitch Black. However, hardcore horror fans with high standards had better pass. If you aren’t so picky, see it before picking up The Darkness on DVD.

It pains me to say this, but even though they say everything’s better with Bacon, a turd sandwich is still a turd sandwich, even with Bacon on top.

‘Creep’ 2004: What lurks in the shadows of the London underground

‘Creep’ 2004: What lurks in the shadows of the London underground

Long before The Midnight Meat Train, subways and the London underground have been the setting for horror, like the famous scene in American Werewolf in London. But 2004’s Creep stays down in the dark, with poor Franka Potente finding herself locked in after falling asleep and missing the last train home.

Yeah, I know, who would really sleep through the last train, but just roll with it on this one. Because this little sleeper is definitely one of the better examples of subterranean monsters run amok. Where is Jason Bourne when you need him?

creep 2004 horror poster

After leaving a party, Potente finds herself wishing she had stuck with cocktails and boring small talk. She encounters an acquaintance who tries to take advantage of them being alone, and a homeless couple who she tries to help by paying the young man to help her find the next security guard station.

Emphasis on tries to help, because as you can imagine, this does not end well. Especially for the young woman in the couple, who is an integral part of a particularly gruesome scene for the women watching. Like we don’t hate going to the doctor enough already, thank you.

Instead of just going with a deranged serial killer, Creep twists its monster into some kind of lost boy lost boy born into the London underground tunnel system as a nocturnal creature who has never seen the light of day. And who tries to mimic the adults who “took care” of him with disastrous results.

creep 2004 horror movie

Creep is definitely not a film for the squeamish, but is well worth seeking out despite being fairly rare and a bit hard to find. But isn’t that the fun in discovering those of secure films that none of your friends know about? Then scaring the shift out of them because they have no idea what they’re getting into. That’s what friends are for.

Check out the trailer below for Creep.

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‘The Devil’s Hand’ gets DVD release

‘The Devil’s Hand’ gets DVD release

the-devils-hand

Oh come on… don’t go in there! (The Devil’s Hand)

The Devil's HandWhat happens when you have six girls born on the sixth day of the sixmonth in the same Amish community with deep religious beliefs? Why, a demonic legend surrounding them, of course. The latest creepy devil legend thriller is  The Devil’s Hand, now available on DVD. Is this movie worth buying for your personal collection?

The Devil’s Hand has some scary moments and some great twists, using misdirection to keep the ending in suspense as far as who is the killer. And somewhat suspenseful which one of the girl’s is the “Drommelkind” of legend, destined to become “the Devil’s hand” on her 18th birthday.

The cast is mostly relatively unknown actors whose faces you know if not their names, and young actors, with the exception of Jennifer Carpenter, aka Debra Morgan on Dexter. Unfortunately, Carpenter is tragically underused here, except to scowl and smirk throughout the entire film as the evil stepmother. Sorry, Dexter fans, no potty mouth here as the devout Rebekah.

If the lead actress seems familiar, it’s probably because Alysia Debnam Carey bears a striking resemblance to Taissa Farmiga of American Horror Story fame, and Sarah is portrayed by Leah Pipes, who bears a striking resemblance to Radha Mitchell.

The acting and script are better than average and this is a very respectable horror film, if there are the typical moments when a character does something stupid that hastens their demise (hiding in a well?)

Obviously if you really love the movie you’ll want the DVD for your collection, but sadly, there are no special features to add value, so your decision will come down to how much you love the movie yourself.

Will ‘The Pyramid’ be just another Mummy movie?

Will ‘The Pyramid’ be just another Mummy movie?

Movies that go underground make me claustrophobic, and there seems to be an awful lot of them lately. “The Pyramid” throws in some Egyptian mythology and old-fashioned curses to up the ante, with results that look pretty scary, at least in the trailer.

The ancient wonders of the world have long cursed explorers who’ve dared to uncover their secrets.  But a team of U.S. archaeologists gets more than they bargained for when they discover a lost pyramid unlike any other in the Egyptian desert. As they unlock the horrific secrets buried within, they realize they aren’t just trapped, they are being hunted.

The film is scheduled for a December 5th release and check out the first official trailer below! What do you think? Will it be scary?