Aaron1375

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Reviews

The Amazing Bulk
(2012)

Yes, this is a movie that exists...
If this film was simply a joke that some friends made, never to see a release of any kind I may be forgiving of it; granted, I would have never had to witness it! However, I remember seeing this in a store, for sale. I thought nothing of it, thinking it one of those godawful films made on the cheap to correspond to a major movie's release. Like when Pacific Rim came out, an Atlantic Rim was also released. This was released at a time comic book movies were big and was obviously just a take on The Incredible Hulk, this thing though is so bad. I assume they are playing this thing as a parody, but I could not laugh at the horror I witnessed as I still cannot comprehend a whole movie that is literally just free background software with people inserted into it...

The story, guy turns into a purple big dude that has like two animations tops. One a really stupid stroll and another an bending down and looking one. They do get the relationship of the guy, his girl and the general kind of right, but that is the last compliment it gets. A dude in a castle is firing rockets, the Bulk is running wild and soon the Bulk is sent in to defeat the evil guy in the castle. I made that sound way better than it is by the way.

The whole thing is people moving unnaturally in a prerendered background world. It is like watching some strange Sega CD video game, but that is not fair to the Sega CD games as they never just had what is essentially stock footage throughout the game. The actors are of course, horrible, the jokes are not good because you cannot do comedy with bad actors and the lead guy has the look of a guy who is in constant need of taking a dump...

So, I would suggest staying away from this one. I only saw it because I watch rifftrax and I though it made for a disappointing episode as this thing is just too bad. I have seen a lot of bad films too, so I do not want to say this one takes the top spot, but it is definitely in the top five!

Soulvars
(2022)

I liked the combat, but the story is not really there...
They wanted to make this game look like something from back in the day, but even back in the day the story for an RPG was generally pretty good and developed. The one here is kind of merely hinted at, I kind of know what was going on, but there just was not enough said going through this very much action oriented RPG. The combat was good, but it did dominate the game a bit too much and the game had a relatively short run time too meaning all this stuff you could do and collect seem kind of pointless if you can when the game in fairly short order.

The story, you are some sort of guy who takes jobs fighting monsters or something that come through gates. You get money from an organization that hires you to go out, fight monsters and close these gates. Two other girls join you in this endeavor, but soon it is reveled that the organization you're working for may be doing something sinister and there are these other people you fight along the way, but I just could not tell you who they were. They seemed against your organization, but then one of them was at the end. It was just very strange, like the game may have been a sequel or you were supposed to read a book to go along with the game.

The combat is the highlight, if you have played deck building games you will get the hang of it faster than a total newcomer. I played the Baiten Kaitos games on Gamecube and they were a lot like this one. The combat is fast and fun, but at times I was itching for more roaming around areas talking to NPC characters as it is nearly one fight after another.

So, the game was okay, if they had developed the story more and added more things to do I would say it was a good game, but the thing is just a bit too incomprehensible and battle heavy to be really enjoyable. The graphics are a throwback, but they could have improved those too as I have seen SNES graphics where the characters look better. I did like the fact the game had lots of trophies to earn and I liked building up my characters, I just wish I could say for sure what was going on during their journey.

Creating Rem Lezar
(1989)

5.9, how the heck is the rating for this so high!
There are horror films I have seen that I have enjoyed that have lower scores than this. As are there action films, so many other films that are lower than this. How does kids singing so horribly that it will make your ears bleed, a creepy dude in a mock superhero outfit and a villain with an incomprehensible arc get such a high rating? Perhaps those who saw it were super high?

The story, two kids (a boy and girl) get in trouble because they both fantasize about Rem Lezar who sports a purple mullet and a creepy knack for appearing to the children in their bedrooms. Soon the boy and girl find there shared experience and make their own Rem with mannequin parts and he becomes real, or does he? Soon they must find his chest plate or he will disappear while singing constantly! Fun times... I mean, the Apple has a lower score than this and it is a masterpiece musical compared to this. We also have the villain who is about as threatening as an old time screen saver from the 90's....

The acting is obviously amateurish as the kids cannot sing or act, Rem's voice does not peel paint like their voices do when he sings and the villain is like a living migraine. Not sure what people saw to give this thing such a high score, even as a kid this thing would have had my eyes rolling.

So, you like your superhero's with mullets and whose only power is to constantly break out into song about stuff they are not even seeing (caves)? Well you will just love this! Want to hear two kids sing so horribly and off key that you will wish you could not hear anything? I am not sure why you would, but you are going to love this! Go on now, go create your own creepy child stalker to haunt your kids, create Rem Lezar...

Hangmen
(1987)

Chubby guy and friends battle evil organization.
This is like many action films of the 80's...only, minus the stars. Okay, Sandra Bullock was in it, but she was not a star yet and this was not exactly a breakout performance. No, we get some action here and there, lots of whining and a final finale in, of course, a warehouse! I bet being caught up in a 'B' movie action film finale is one of those dangers many kids do not think of when visiting these buildings.

The story, not sure, at least at first. Some sort of assassination attempt and then a father wanting to reunite with is son. Soon much danger and the father goes into hiding and tells his son to find Dog and Dog then takes son and finds another dude to help, but son gets captured anyway due to a college girlfriend and so dad has to round out more of his crew and get some weapons for a warehouse finale!

The stars are nonexistent as I did not recognize anyone outside Bullock. The dad is a chunky dude who does not look like some ex military elite guy, but then none of his team look elite. The bad guys are so devoid of any actual characteristics that they make the former army men seem highly charismatic by comparison. The son is whiny and Bullock is really not making herself look like a future star in this thing.

So, a couple of good scenes, but nothing too special. The bad guys are so bland the only thing giving them character is the weird robot noise they seem to do when they talk. Like someone speaking into a fan...not sure if that was intentional, or just a result of a bad microphone. A bit of a fun watch if you like bad films, but aside from that, not much going for it.

The Little Shop of Horrors
(1960)

Had some moments, but the humor fell flat for me for the most part.
I will say, I enjoyed this Little Shop of Horrors more than the musical with Rick Moranis, well because, this was not a musical. It had some good moments as Mel Welles did really good as the shopkeeper who knows what is going on, but the fact the shop is doing better makes him turn a blind eye. A lot of the scenes and such though did not seem to belong in the film. The whole dentist segment, the strange interactions with the mother and so on. Then the conclusion was more a focused on a chase than the plant. Still, it was mildly entertaining for what it was.

The story, a shop is not doing all that well and the shopkeeper wants to fire his clumsy worker, Seymour. Well, he claims he has a plant that is new and Dick Miller as a guy who eats flowers (which is what I mean by the comedy falling flat) goads the shopkeeper into giving Seymour a chance. He brings it in, but it is sickly, but Seymour soon learns that the thing needs blood. Unfortunately, it soon upgrades to eating people which Seymour discovers when he accidentally kills a hobo, then he flat out kills his dentist, then a crook gets caught by the plant and finally a very persistent call girl. All this puts quite the damper on Seymour's love life as he tries to woo Audrey.

The acting is all over the place as Welles does good, Miller is alright despite the unfunny quirk and so is Audrey. Seymour has his moments, but too clumsy and idiotic at times. The mother is annoying and the way she is presented makes one think Seymour may feed her to Audrey II, the plant and the two cops are very lame, saying lines that just do not work.

So, the film has some good points, but just too much of the humor is not funny to me. This is a comedy, the horror in the title is nonexistent, but at least this one was not a musical. Too many scenes that really serve no purpose and a very weak conclusion which is something the musical did do better.

For Life or Death
(1996)

Was this a sequel?
When you watch a movie, you want the movie to let you in on the story. Sure, you can be mysterious in a horror film, but I would not advise being so vague in an action film to the point characters who seem like they may be important because they die in a way that makes their death tragic, but you really do not feel much cause they are not really fleshed out at all during the whole of the film. I was going to rate it lower, but at least the conclusion was a bit easier to watch and made sense.

The story, who the heck knows for the most part. It involves a bum, a karate master and a secret sect of dark monks. The end sees the revival of the karate master and a very nice concluding fight and the bum decides to take the karate master's place in the void between life and death.

The actors range from the karate master and his very pretty girlfriend to bum and his pretty girlfriend. How does a bum get such a hot girlfriend? The bum overacts and his portrayal of drinking gets old. So much pouring going on in this one.

So, the film was a bit of a mess. I had no idea what was going on as we had the bum dying and the karate master being dead. It has a nice final fight, but that was not enough to save the film from the bizarre stuff going on.

Sea of Stars
(2023)

A very good throwback RPG.
For those of us who are more interested in having fun playing games rather than looking to see if one can see every pore in a character's skin we get a nice old school turn based RPG. It is rather fun as the game play is great as give me more strategic turn based battles than action any time. I would have given the game a higher score, but it does have a couple of problems. One is the duration, this thing could have been much longer easily; and second, there are a few plot holes here and there. Other than that it is a very fun game with fun characters that I wish was a bit longer in length and what was the deal with a couple of the characters?

The story, two kids learn the ways of the Solstice Warrior to dispense of monsters who if left unchecked will become destructive World Eaters! Zale and Valere are the young warriors and they are tasked on an errand by their master to meet up at an island to perform the latest sealing. They are accompanied by their friend the warrior cook, Garl. Along the way they meet pirates, take on ghosts and end up riding the sea of stars as things have a way of becoming complicated in an RPG game. They will be joined by a ninja, Serai, an alchemist, Resh'an and a very unique character in B'st.

The game play has you exploring, fighting various monsters and solving puzzles. It has the classic top down view reminiscent of the SNES years and I enjoyed the fighting where you could switch in and out characters. Cool combo moves and ultimate attacks in this one. If only all the story threads came together a bit better.

So, yes, I really enjoyed the game; however, considering there is a time traveling arc in this I feel it could have been longer. I was interested in the strange figures that brought the Fleshmancer out, what happened to the one traitorous Solstice Warrior? There were other things that left me a bit puzzled, though some may be answered in the extra ending you can get if you did a bunch of certain tasks. Unfortunately, I missed out because I got all done but the stupid conch shells and that is the hardest one to retrace...

Task Force 2001
(2000)

Keep the dog, get rid of everyone else!
This film is also known as Spy High which is very similar to Sky High or Spy Kids is pretty much a very amateurish foray into direct to video territory featuring no one with the only highlight being a dog who acts circles around the humans in this thing. The plot does not work as one does not need spies, hackers or elite agents to take down a computer gaming companies boss who has like three guards, a simple phone call to the police would suffice.

The story, a villain is creating a game to take over gamer's minds! Gasp! A couple of employees find out, we never find out what happens to one and the girl gets a message out to these teens who are either elite hacker types or people who are inept in every way...the movie has a hard time deciding which. A guy recruits them because they find out the plot and calling the police is too hard despite the evidence. They infiltrate and the girl who was seemingly found out is just kind of wandering around the office building and she has declined to escape because that would be rude? They hatch a plan to get into the old movie trope of a building with the largest vents in history by stealing a key card from the most roomy pinball machine in history where a guy's legs should obviously be sticking out but aren't...did I mention the dog is really good?

The actors are not actors. The dog apparently had more coaching than the rest of the cast as we have obnoxious leader dude, hot older woman he likes, cute younger girl he is going to like by end of film, friend who is either a dork or a genius depending on the scene, agent who crosses his arms a lot, dorky scientist, evil British guy and of course dog!

This film is just bad. Seems they are trying to capitalize on the success of the Matrix as a lot of screens pop up to remind people of that film. The cast is unlikable with the exception of you know who and the plot is just absurd. Seriously, you have to make your villain a bit more cunning because he does not hide what he is doing well so a call to the cops on a simple kidnapping charge would suffice, plus they had enough evidence without going all Mission Impossible.

The Brain from Planet Arous
(1957)

John Agar definitely looked like he was in intense pain...
This film from 1957 and like a lot of science fiction films of the era, it is a bit cheesy. You have your superimposed aliens, models blown up and John Agar who was in a lot of movies like this. Not a great movie by any stretch; however, there is some fun to be had while watching it.

The story has a mysterious light in the distance going towards a mountain with an ominous name. I cannot recall it, all films like this have a place with an ominous name usually with 'death' or 'devil' in the name. Well, John Agar and his buddy go to the mountain, and only Agar returns! He has been taken over by an evil brain, that seems to really want to get it on with Agar's fiance. Soon it reveals itself as Gor, an evil brain who wishes to take over its own planet using us to do it! Then he plans to just let us go about our own business, as far as evil aliens go, he could be worse. Another brain, Vol, has come to stop him and possesses a dog to do so which begs the question, how can Vol defeat Gor when he is going to want belly rubs!

The acting is about what one would expect from a film of this type and with Agar. He does a rather good job portraying the insane alien when it destroys stuff as his eyes are black and he smiles in terrifying glee. He even has tears streaming down his face! Though that is probably because the contacts to turn his eyes that color are causing him physical pain...

So, it has its moments and then it has its moments. That end fight was just very stupid looking as Agar battles the evil Gor with an axe. Still, it is a fun enough time to be had as the alien looks alright and a bit sinister when it is superimposed. If the film did not have some plot holes and a few remaining questions I may have give it a couple of extra points on its score.

Terminus
(1987)

So weird and on the verge of being a good cheesy movie.
Yes, this film could have been a six or seven, but the plot of this thing is so incomprehensible at times that it seems like a film they just started filming without a script. I got the basic gist, but so much stuff happens that goes nowhere or seems a bit out of place and man those lips! Absolutely horrifying! Then there is the fact they got a known actress to be in this and she is so obviously sleep walking through this thing for a paycheck and you have Terminus!

The plot is something along the lines of some sort of game being played. A woman, named Gus and play by Karen Allen from Raiders fame, must drive what looks like part of the vehicle from Damnation Alley to a location without getting caught and if she accomplishes this, she gets her weight in gold. Add a bizarre kid that seemingly is doing something, another kid who hitches a ride, a dude with red hair and who looks messed up, but you do not find out what he is doing, a truck driven by a crazy guy full of what looks like creatures from the film The Dark Crystal and the real hero of the piece a dude with a robotic arm and you have your film! Like I said, I get the gist of the game, but not why they play it or what is up with anything else.

The acting coming from Karen Allen is so obviously just for a paycheck. Everyone else hams it up to the point a bad guy who I thought would be important is killed in rather quick fashion. The lead guy is okay, I guess, playing the part of a Mad Max type lead as he drives this wreck through what is sort of a wasteland, but at the same time nothing like a wasteland. Not sure what is going on in this place as you have medieveil villages complete with castles, rave bars and various other places one normally does not associate with the apocalypse.

So, the film had interesting elements, perhaps had they tried to explain what was going on better or what this world was it may have worked. Had they dedicated more time to the strange guy driving the truck that became invisible or the weird guy with the red hair it could have been a rather cool futuristic film. As it is, you just kind of wonder what the heck is going on.

Soul Hackers 2
(2022)

Awesome game fron the company that brought us Persona.
I cannot believe this thing is only sitting at a 7 here on IMDB. That is a good score for a movie, but for a game it is rather low. Not sure what there was not to like about it if you like cool characters, a very interesting story and you enjoy turn based combat. The only complaint I have is there could have been a bit more variety in the places you explore. I mean, I know Americans like the same things grounded up and presented in a new way, but I figured there would be enough actually people who play these games to give this thing a higher score.

The story, a computer called Aion has witnessed the destruction of the world. It creates two AI people, Ringo and Figue to try to stop this upcoming apocalypse. Ringo finds leads, but ultimately killed before she has a chance to question them so she Soul Hacks them bringing them back to life. They are Arrow, Milady and Saizo...all of them are Devil Summoners so this game fits in to that universe of games. They soon find the cause of the apocalypse in a man named Iron Mask and a mysterious figure he keeps with him called Zohma. There are twists and turns along the way as they group tries to prevent the end of the world.

The game play has you going through town collecting data, buying stuff and, of course, recruiting demons and fusing them. However, it does things differently in that the demons go on recon and find items, clues and demons on your behalf. No treasure chests in this one, which is cool as you never run out of things to find. The combat is turn based, and much like Persona 3 and up you get a nice super attack. Hit a weakness and a demon floats behind you, get everything just right and you can have ten plus and then they do one final attack at the end of your turn that can make it so the enemies get wiped out! Once again, my biggest complaint is that there is not more places to go as the town areas look so nice. You get to build up your soul level with your comrades and this unlocks even more powers. One of those games you can totally get super overpowered in if you work at it.

So, I really enjoyed this game. It is a nice change of pace from the Persona games as those can overwhelm you at times while this is way more straightforward. No times to do this and that and create links, here you just go in the computer and work your way through it to increase your characters levels and skills. The characters are great and all the girls are cute and it is funny to see their facial expressions during some of the cutscenes. A game I really enjoyed, so I guess that is all that matters in the end.

Anderusen dôwa ningyo-hime
(1975)

Kind of your fault there Fritz...
Welcome to the wonderful world of the Little Mermaid, the one that adheres to the original story and is kind of one big bummer. Then again it is a Japanese anime, they do not coddle their children the way we do, which is a bit harsh, but hey, at least they know not everything turns out okay in the end. The animation is not the best, they were not as proficient back then as they are these days so you will see the same character drawn again and again running in an endless loop as the ship begins to sink. They also do not mind showing boobs like we do here in the prude states of America so no seashell bras here. We also get a cat that is evil and apparently there is no real reasoning behind this...

The story, little Marina lives under the sea and is buddies with a dolphin. She comes across a sunken ship and this sparks her interest in going to the surface world. Fritz helps her by blackmailing a whale to get Marina past security as Marina is too young to go to the surface, unlike her sisters. Fritz's decision will doom Marina! In the sunken ship there is a statue of a prince and when she goes to the surface she witnesses his ship going down. She saves him and before he awakens on the beach, she leaves and another girl watches over him. Marina wishes to have legs and go to the prince and the sea witch helps her after fully outlining the drawbacks. She gets legs, loses her voice and unfortunately, she has found the only man in the world that prefers black haired girls to blonds. A cat tries to kill them and sea foam...

Marina is way too young to fall so in love so quickly, someone probably should have told her there are plenty of fish in the sea. I mean, she falls in love with a dork who plays the flute. The cat is just evil, not sure what its motivations are, even looked it up and it is just an evil cat. Fritz the dolphin is kind of annoying, not sure how he did not wind up in the Disney version, I am guessing Flounder edged him out for the role!

So, this one was not bad, but I think they should have done a bit better in areas. I mean, if the parents of the prince could understand the cat, then why couldn't the prince understand Fritz who could have told them that Marina is the one who saved him? Why could the cat speak at all? I thought maybe it was the sea witch, but apparently the sea witch was not evil and they were not the same (yes, I did read all this as the cat had a Wiki!) Still, it is kind of cool to see a more accurate depiction to the story...if only Marina were green...

Le martien de Noël
(1971)

That was weird...
I have seen a French Christmas film titled I Believe in Santa Claus and I have now seen this French Canadian Xmas film and must come to the conclusion that the French like to make really strange holiday films. This thing was just so weird, nothing was really driving this film and what is up with the Martian? What was with the full body fishnet costume?

The story first hears a young man talking about the best day ever and then focuses on two children playing in the snow. In a store a strange man comes in and soon hijinks come as this dude is a Martian and he is flying and soon is the talk of the town! Soon the boy and girl befriend him and try and help repair his ship, steal snowmobiles and plows and fly in a ship that has no windows and only has a horrid video of what they are flying near. What a wonderful day indeed!

The Martian is overly goofy, apparently they are either killers of the human race or act super comedic, there is no in between! The kids do okay, as far as young children go and the rest of the town is even more goofy than the freaking Martian who is named Poo Flower by the way...

So, the thing was not all bad, just has that overacting comedy stuff I do not care for. The kind that almost makes one uncomfortable. The movie looked really good considering it was made in 1971, I was thinking late 70's or early 80's. The effects were not top notch, but I am doubting they were working with a high budget so I will give the film a pass on that front. I will not totally dismiss it, a younger child might enjoy it, but too goofy for my tastes.

The Paradise Motel
(2022)

A film seemingly without purpose...
I am sure this movie makes sense to someone out there...perhaps the writer, the director (who may have written it) the cast even (who includes the director). Alas, it seemed pretty pointless to me. I am guessing they are trying the David Lynch approach or something, but the only true strangeness going on is the very uncanny look of the main actress and Mel Novak. Other than that, it seems to be a movie out of order, with no ending and no reason for being.

The story, well this is going to be hard, seems to almost be nonexistent for the most part. A woman is on the road, trying to get away from her abusive husband, beyond that it is very incoherent. Two hitchhikers are picked up, one strange and one very strange. Both drive with the woman fleeing her husband for a matter of a few minutes before the woman announces she is tired and drops them off. Not sure why she picked up the second one as she had already declared this. She finds the Paradise Hotel, which considering it is the title of the film really does not stand out. Mel Novak as the person running the desk does as the poor man looks greenish, I am thinking his liver may be going out. Woman goes to diner, gets hit on, takes a long shower, stabs girl that was going to stab her I think, things happen before the movie ends with no resolution to anything and nothing really clever to say...

The actors seem very amateur for the most part. Mel Novak I have seen in a few films, you cannot even recognize him from his younger days and he sounds different too. Despite looking ill though, he seems to be chugging along. The only other person I recognize is the lead who appeared in Apex Predators along with Novak, and she looks a bit strange too, but probably due to extensive plastic surgery.

So, I cannot really recommend this film to anyone looking for something suspenseful as this film is not. Looking for a good horror? Well, this one is not that either. Looking for a bad horror? Not sure it can even be classified as a horror, or a thriller or even a parody. However, you may want to watch it out of some morbid curiosity to see just how strange this film is and wonder if there was any meaning behind any of it other than maybe to pass the people who made it days away.

Rad
(1986)

Is this really a Hal Needham film?
When I think Hal Needham, I think of an ensemble cast and a big brawl at the end of the movie whether it is warranted or not. The only star I recognized in this was Talia Shire and the closest thing I got to a brawl is a bike race. I guess I did see two idiots go down a drainage pipe into a lake or river during what was obviously not a warm time of year though, so that is really cool...

The story, well a guy likes to bike, no really! The star of this film was obviously a very good biker. Saw this film as a Rifftrax Live and the star actually showed up and enjoyed the jabs at the movie, but he obviously was also very good and still in very good shape. This think is basically the tale of an underdog who has to compete against professionals with the top guy seemingly being a prick, but who turns out to be okay as it is the crusty old businessman who will stop at nothing to stop the new kid from crashing his course and taking the top prize!

The cast is alright, as the main guy is very charismatic and his friends are cool. I did not care for the girl who played Jessie's girlfriend in Full House as she did not seem like she belonged. Everyone else did as well as can be expected. I honestly did not think the film was all that bad, but not all that good.

So, kind of a bland film with a few good moments like the scene of the main bike dude fleeing from the police officer who seemed like he just enjoyed trying to chase the guy. The romance was clunky and really, really made me cold. Seriously, you can see people's breath in some of the scenes. I may have rated the film higher, but so many of the actual bike races were the same thing over and over as helltrack was a bore. Just seemed to close together and featuring stuff that did not belong in a course for racers. I read here that the original course started out on a higher wall for the racers to go down and they were like 'no way" and shooting was delayed and I cannot say I blame them, that wall that made the cut looked too high and steep to me!

Amityville: Dollhouse
(1996)

Never gift someone a dollhouse you happen to find.
Yes, this is a series that started out promising, with the house with the evil windows that look like eyes. Then it was a killer lamp and in this thing a dollhouse and there have been several other Amirtyville films I have not seen. This one was just kind of stupid, but still entertaining as it was just so absurd. The dollhouse is obviously evil, but the little girl just yells at the thing rather than chuck it in the fire! An aunt and uncle sense it is evil, but would rather do some ceremony than just chuck the thing in the fireplace. You know how they defeat the evil dollhouse...they chuck it into the fireplace!

The story, a new family moves into a house that the father has built himself, so you know any troubles that is caused by evil can be blamed on dad. He has a son and daughter and now a new wife with a dorky son. They are completely not getting along and there is a subplot about the former mother of the husband that is never really rectified, so why introduce it? Well, the daughter is having a birthday and the dollhouse destroys her present, so dad gifts her the dollhouse that he found in a broken down shed he never thought to look in during the construction of his house. Soon wasps go into people's ears, giant mice hide under beds, everyone gets horny and former spouses come back to life and no one thinks to chuck the obviously evil dollhouse into the fireplace until the end...

No one of note really in this film, I did not really recognize anyone except the nerdy little boy. The stepmom was sexy and there are a couple of risque scenes, but nothing quite like that found in the second Amityville film. A couple of good effects here and there, but there is literally only one person killed in this thing and one person seriously burned.

This film was not horrible or anything, but it is frustrating when they make the thing that is evil so obvious! I know they cannot destroy the thing within the first 20 minutes or you have no movie, but come on! You have to be a bit subtle too, as any idiot should have been able to see what was going on, so you make a film where the characters are just stupid. The thing's fireplace starts smoking for crying out loud, during the party and the supposed aunt and uncle can sense evil and felt it. Why not tell the guy his gift to his daughter is evil and just chuck it in the fireplace?

The Outwaters
(2022)

This thing features some creepy imagery...
I had watched Skinamarink and this popped up in the recommendations here on IMDB. I will not say I was too crazy about that film, but I found it very interesting trying to make heads or tails of it and reading posts on the internet trying to decipher it, so I decided to watch this one. I enjoyed this one better than Skinamarink, mainly because there were way more horror elements present. That story was so hard to decipher, while this one I almost get, but at the same time it was fun reading up on the theories.

The story has a group of friends going to the desert to shoot a music video. For the first part of the film, nothing much happens, have not rewatched it yet, so perhaps there are clues to look for. The second part, you see some figure in the desert in red and then the noise starts. Sounds like thunder or perhaps artillery shells. Apparently leaving is not an option, but of course, I do not think leaving ever was an option for the four friends. It is the third night where things fall apart as the strange noises are heard again, and this time when the guy with the camera goes out, we see a stationary man holding an ax...uh oh! Cue lots of screaming, strange bloody imagery, tentacles, self mutilation and the end...

I thought the film was pretty good, way more than Skinamarink which was just looking into the dark and wondering what the heck was going on. I am guessing some time loop thing was going on here, but something supernatural too as things were getting really messed up in the end. Everything we see is on the video camera, so no, this is not imagination. The actors and actresses all did good and I loved trying to figure it out, but not a film for everybody. I was getting impatient at points just watching the smallest light ever barely go over stuff so I am sure people wanting a more standard horror will feel the same.

So, if you like more experimental horror films give this one a try. However, if the idea of deciphering a film is a bit too much, the idea of a very limited lighting budget makes you sigh and if watching something with no real resolution makes you say 'no!', then I suggest you stay away. I keep hoping to find a film like this and Skinamarink that plays out in interesting fashion and though you may not catch all the plot on the first watch, you can catch it in subsequent viewings or someone else has mastered it. This one, did better than Skinamarink, but I think I would have enjoyed it more had I seen more.

Mil gritos tiene la noche
(1982)

Kind of a marriage between a Giallo and American slasher film.
This is not a super good movie by any means; however, it was very entertaining as we get a strange movie that has lots of gore, chainsaws, nudity and also an ending that made absolutely no sense. Not talking about the killer's reveal, that is obvious from nearly the start, no, the very ending where something more supernatural occurs in a film that has had nothing remotely supernatural going on!

The story, a boy is putting together a puzzle of a naked woman which, of course, outrages the boys mother. Nothing more evil than the human body (rolls eyes that we still take such issue with it here in America). Well, this makes the boy upset and he axes his mother. Said boy is also able to convince everyone he is just a scared boy. Well, flash years later and we see a woman get her head lopped off at a college. Seems the boy is now at this college and has gone off his rocker again as coeds begin being chainsawed left and right. But never fear, the cops send in one of theirs as a tennis instructor and recruit a plucky student to help find the killer. Chances are, you will figure it out as they really do not add many suspects to the mix, but once they close in on the killer, you will really get no explanation as to why he started up again...

Christopher George and his wife Linda are both fairly good in this film. The rest of the cast are overdubbed by the same team that dubs everything in Italy as I recognized nearly every freaking voice. The plucky kid was kind of annoying to me as he was bedding everyone he could and though the ending made no sense, at least the oversexed moron got hurt....granted, I would have been satisfied with a bloody nose.

Once again, it is not the best film out there, but it was a fun watch. I kept hoping for a reveal as to the killer's reasons for doing what he did. I know his end game, but why start up 40 years after you axed your mother? I guess I am thinking too much about it, probably more than the filmmakers did when they added a scene of Linda Day being attacked by a karate guy for no reason whatsoever...

Gon-ji-am
(2018)

Creepy stuff!
I have a strange relationship with found footage type films. Some I just do not care for (The Blair Witch Project) and others I enjoy a lot (As Above, So Below). This one is in the latter category as I really enjoyed it. Sure, it took a minute to get going, but once it did, it was really disturbing in places. I enjoyed the setting as I do believe it is an actual location and that is supposed to be haunted and I liked the characters, with the exception of the Captain!

The story has an internet channel devoted to horror locales planning an expedition to the strange asylum where two other people and possibly more have disappeared. Within the walls, it seems, is a room said to be cursed! Well, I am guessing during the meetup scene, there are three people from the actual website and four guests or something? We see them take a trip and go diving in water, then set up camp and have delicious looking ramen before they enter the hospital! We learn that some of it is staged, but soon things begin to get very weird and go very wrong and we have creepy black eyes, rooms full of furniture going on the ceiling and the terror behind the accursed room!

I like the actors as they seemed to be very genuine. The girls were all cute, but then I have a thing for Asian women, to me, they are the most attractive women ever! I would feel horrible terrifying them the way the guys trying to pull the place off as haunted were doing. Though, then things got real and that Captain still was worried about money despite seeing that room where everything started going crazy and the one guy was knocked out cold! He was the only one I wanted to get his, but all the others I felt bad for.

So it was good and creepy, though at times I was wondering if things were supposed to be freezing up or if it was my internet. There were also things that did not make sense, like releasing a drone so far from the place they were going...most of those things have a maximum 30 minute flight time and it really seemed a bizarre inclusion. Still, not as strange as going in the water when it looked like it was rather cold...though not sure how Korea is during October, maybe it wasn't too bad. All the fright was good though and I would enjoy more movies of this sort. I guess I like it when they do found footage where they actually show something of note on screen.

Frightmare
(1983)

The lesson? Never steal a corpse, even if your intentions are good.
This film has an alright premise to it; unfortunately, I think someone pitched the idea and they started making the thing and realized they had no script! The film has its moments, but what it does not have is well thought out characters other than the killer, logistical problems that make you wonder why this thing was not simply one night rather multiple day and nights, confusing powers and pointless padding. Seriously, instead of having that seance and those police scenes, I don't know, maybe you could have fleshed out the teens a bit?

The story, an aging horror star is reduced to commercials and seems like a sympathetic killer; however, that is dashed within mere moments of the opening as he kills the director of a commercial he is working on. He then kills another before he dies. Meanwhile, teens who apparently really liked the guy and who seem to be all about horror decide to get the guy's body and throw a party in his honor where they said they will take him back in the mourning. Apparently not, as nothing happens the first night and the body is found missing and Conrad's widow gets a medium to talk to the dead star and they are able to revive him setting him to kill the teens. A few good deaths and some pretty lousy ones ensue. Once again, why have the whole revive him thing, he should have just risen and taken out the kids in a single night.

The guy playing Conrad is over the top in presenting the character; however, that is fine, that is how he should be portraying the character. The cast of teens, meanwhile, are so bland and interchangeable that two of the guys could have been played by one actor!

So, mildly amusing and it is not all bad, just not very good. I watched another horror film where there were way fewer deaths and was a slow burn, but it kept me intrigued...this one had me checking the run time to see if I was close to the end. I mean there is a scene where a guy is at the house and then he is in the tomb, how? And speaking of the crypt, not sure that you could build one with death traps in it during the 80's...

Porky Pig's Haunted Holiday
(1995)

This game is really 'meh', not sure why so many videos recommended it.
I was looking at videos suggesting scary games to play on older systems since it is the season. I know this was not going to be scary, but a lot of videos recommended this thing saying it was a good platform game. Well, I played it and won it and it was rather blah. Strange inclusions as far as bosses for a 'haunted' holiday and the music is kind of bad for most levels...

The story, apparently, Porky wants to go on a holiday. He is flipping through brochures and then proceeds to fall asleep. He ends up having a nightmare and you must help him have this nightmarish holiday or I guess it is bad?

The game play has you mainly jumping on enemies like Mario. However, during the first stage you also get a basket of fruit; however, I literally only found the one. It is okay though as the fruit flies in such a way you miss most of the time anyway. You get to go through various levels like a haunted forest, a desert that features the moose head with a gun that I actually remember being in a Porky and Sylvester cartoon and Yosemite Sam, who I do not remember ever being near Porky in a cartoon nor being scary. Then you have an Atlantis stage, a dreadful mine stage where you are kind of winging it as far as where to go and fight tweety in his monster mode, then the Alps which are just weird and you fight that snowman that always wanted to cuddle and finally a castle where you face Daffy Duck? What? I mean where is that vampire? That witch? That giant red hairy monster? I know Porky did not ever fight them or appear with them, but this is supposed to be a horror themed game...

So no, not a very good game and I would not recommend it. The music in a couple of stages is alright, but will grate on your nerves most of the time, the graphics are pretty good, but there are very few enemy types and the whole things seems pointless. Disney definitely did a better job making video games for their characters back in the day. The poor Loony Toon gang just appeared mainly in mediocre to bad video games.

Next of Kin
(1982)

A bit of a slow burn, but enjoyable.
Back when I was a child, I remember coming into the room during a scene with a woman building a sugar cube pyramid and I had seen this twice. My parents apparently rented it twice and I caught the tail end of it each time. Well, I have now finally saw the whole thing I finally got the context. This film was actually pretty good, great shots and a rather good cast and the actress who played Linda was very attractive. The film is a very slow burn and it probably would not be as good a second time, but it is a very interesting and good first time watch.

The story, a young woman has inherited her mother's house which has been converted to a mansion. She feels unwelcome, but she does seem to take a shine to one of the patients, Lance. A new patient arrives during a dark and stormy night and soon afterwards, a patient is found by Lance accidentally, drowned in the tub. Strange things begin happening indicating Linda is being followed and that someone is entering her room; however, one of the caretakers, Connie and the doctor of the place try to tell her not to worry about it, this causes Linda to suspect the two of something sinister, but Linda will come to realize that there is something else to fear within the house!

I liked this film, I kept looking and thinking as I tried to come up with what was going on. I came up with the correct answer and if only Linda had done likewise a few more people could have been spared. Then again, if the doctor and Connie had simply told her the truth things may have ended more smoothly too. Instead, we get quite the impressive finale.

So this one was good, not sure if I will watch it again for a while. It may be good if I wait years to watch it again. It is a bit surreal in areas as you begin to wonder what is going on, but the picture begins to get clear near the end and you will have figured it out before poor Linda. Suffice to say though, a nice horror film that is a bit different than other slashers and such.

Splatterhouse 3
(1993)

Stupid time limit...
This game was alright, but it could have been so much more; instead, it is pretty much just a beat em up. The house has several rooms, but forget looking around, gotta get to the boss before time expires to avoid a bad ending. This game would have been so much more fun if they had some exploration, maybe find items to help you progress, clues to get find the boss and other such innovations, but no, beat em up and find the quickest route...to be fair, it is still pretty good though.

The story, Rick is now married with a son. Unfortunately, evil is once again creeping up on them and their very own mansion becomes a Splatterhouse! Rick must once again don the mask and fight hordes of monsters leaving many of us to wonder, how did Rick and Jennifer get a mansion and did they really need a three floored home for just the three of them?

The game play has you basically going from room to room fighting terrible monstrosities and trying to beat the time limit so you can save Jennifer and the son. Though I was confused as it said Jennifer was dead well before the time expired; however, she appeared at the end so I guess she survived. The game could have used a bit more style in places as there is a boss fight with a teddy bear that was cool...wish there were more scenes like that throughout the game.

So, not great, but it was passable. It most certainly had the potential to be way better had they maybe added a few RPG elements. There were weapons here and there, but no shotgun, but the transformation was pretty cool. Not sure if I liked this one or the second one more. That one had more weapons, but at least this one did not feature a super hard final boss fight.

Uninvited
(1986)

A haunted mansion awaits!
This game was first on the PC before being brought over to the NES. It is the last point in click on the NES, but it preceded Shadowgate on the PC. Not sure when Deja Vu came out on PC. Let's just say that Shadowgate was definitely the more polished game even though this came out later on the NES. This one, just had too much stuff! There were numerous things I thought I needed, but absolutely didn't in my quest to find my sister...and that is another thing, who the heck wants to rescue their sister instead of girlfriend?

The story, you have just wrecked your car and when you get out it bursts into flames! Oh no! You realize your sister is missing so you go to the spooky mansion that's doors just opened when you got a mysterious pendant in the mailbox. It is like you have been invited in! Oh wait, the game is called Uninvited...well crap! Inside you must navigate the many rooms of the mansion, looking for your sister, while determining what the heck you are supposed to do. Seriously, Shadowgate had way better clues than this one does!

The game play is point and click. You have so many commands you can do, but do not need to do all that much. I mean, I collected chemicals I did not use, a spider I did not use and so much stuff in the fear I would need it later. However, you need remarkably little of what you find in this game. I do wish the game would have been more haunted rather than the whole wizard war it was seemingly going for and had more kills. I mean, I got killed, but not as much as Shadowgate.

So, it had its moments, but due to the whole things you need not at all it kind of ruins this one. There are many rooms that serve no purpose, you get giant spiders lurking under an alter that you do not even have to bother with. Shadowgate was just tighter than this, there just should not be so much stuff you can pick up and not use in a game!

Samson and Delilah
(1984)

Why do they keep making this film?
Spoiler, Samson pushes columns at the end!!! Oh wait, that is how they all end isn't it? So why keep making the film over and over again? Basically, it is the Middle East version of Hercules, though Samson is not nearly as awesome and he gets strength because of his hair rather than his lineage. Okay, I will admit it, I am an agnostic and do not believe in middle eastern god who seemingly had no knowledge of the people of northern Europe and the people in India or the Far East, or the tribes in North America and South America; in fact, he seemed to only realize what was going on in a small portion of the world, the rest of the people be damned...like literally. Sure they could not have known what was going on because god was focused on like a portion of the world that represents probably less than 10 percent of the land, but hey he is still loving and powerful and he sends people to burn for eternity if they have trouble believing in him when he apparently spoke to people all the time back in the day and we get nothing now except preachers who molest choir boys, evangelist who get rich and the whole Christian religion is more about keeping people in line than anything. Okay, rant over.

So the story, guy with awesome pecks and is totally ripped is going to get married. He totally does not seem all that tough, but he beats a lion to death, a lion that killed one of Delilah's rather big kitty cats. She takes an interest in him and they soon have a romance, she betrays him and cuts his hair and down goes the building! Enough said.

As far as this version goes it does boost an incredible actor in Max Von Sydoy as well as a young Daniel Stern right before he would expose New York to the threat of the Chuds, but the lead is just a big old muscle head, and Delilah is alright...I mean, she would probably be considered gorgeous for the time, but it was the 80's, there were background girls in films better looking than her...

So it had some moments all leading to the crash, but it is such a dull story to me because I know how it is going to end. I mean, for once I would like him to push the columns down and then fight a huge monster before riding off with Delilah in his arms, I mean they change fiction around all the time don't they? Why not here? It was obviously a fable, I mean how many strong men are there in other cultures and you think this one is real because Joel Osteen and others tell you it is as you shovel hard earned money to them, because an all powerful god needs money. Darn, I thought I was done with ranting; oh well, I do believe something is responsible for this world, but I am afraid it is more likely for entertainment purposes only.

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