The running time for The Unliving (2004) aka Tomb of the Werewolf is 95 minutes; however, if you fast forward through what Wikipedia calls “adult sex scenes bordering on softcore pornography,” you can watch it in, I’m estimating, no longer than 75 minutes. First, if these scenes “border” on soft core, what does it take…

Since I’m not a Rob Zombie aficionado, I can’t compare 31 (2016) to House of 1000 Corpses (2003), The Devil’s Rejects (2005), or The Lords of Salem (2012.) However, having seen his versions of Halloween (2007) and Halloween II (2009), I can tell you that it is not as brutal as those two. Don’t get…

Despite it appearing on almost every list of zombie movies, I don’t consider 28 Days Later (2002) to be one of them. Sure, there are ferocious, zombie-like creatures, but they aren’t raised from the dead. They’ve been transformed by an equally ferocious virus. It’s about humankind’s reaction to the virus itself and whatever conditions it…

The only Bollywood movie I’ve seen is a three-hour-and-44-minute-long historical drama/musical about the game of cricket that came on two videotapes. Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India (2001) was wonderful! Now, I’ve seen a second. You might call 24 (2016) “the Back to the Future of India.” It’s not as perfect as that, but It’s a funny, sweet, exciting, time…

The Number 23 (2007) is the dark underbelly of yesterday’s movie, 2:22. That one featured a character with an obsession for a specific time (2:22) and ended with a profound revelation. This one features a character with an obsession for a specific number (23) and ends with a grim resolution. 2:22 nourishes the soul. The Number 23 destroys it. However, both…

2:22 (2017) is in a category of film I used to love and for which I seem to still have a soft spot. It’s all about destiny or fate and cosmic circumstances that bring two people together in ways they don’t understand until the emotional climax. This is the type of movie that won’t crack a…

21 Days (2014) is a found footage movie about a supposedly haunted house that doesn’t cover any new ground seven years after Paranormal Activity and near the end of its sequels that were still being made. It’s competent enough and has some scares, but the only thing unique about it is a trio of despicable filmmakers that you…

Row 19 (2021) demonstrates the reason it’s important to stay seated with your seatbelt securely fastened on an airplane flight. If the plane makes a sudden drop and you’re standing in the aisle, you’ll be thrown to the ceiling, then slammed down on the floor, likely left unconscious. If such imagery disturbs you, or that…

With the exceptional quality of horror movies independent filmmakers are churning out these days, it must be tough going for creators in other genres. I imagine it’s harder to get good actors that can deliver the material while making it seem… genuine. Also, counterintuitively, it must be more difficult for simple settings to look and…

Time travel movies sometimes raise the question if the person who claims to have travelled is instead suffering some type of mental breakdown. In these cases, we, the audience, usually know the truth. In 12 Monkeys (1995), though, I was not convinced that James Cole (Bruce Willis) wasn’t in the middle of his own delusion.…