Recent content by Bob McLaughlin

I loved this and my 9-year old daughter was absolutely fascinated! Between this set and the Cinerama series she is turning into a classic film aficionado!

OK, here are my "best of"' categories: Weirdest: "Uzumaki" & "Taxidermia" (tie) Goriest: "Mum and Dad" Most creepy: "Absentia" Best Foreign: "Sleep Tight" Best-looking: "The Woman in Black" Best Family Horror: "Frankenweenie" Best Throwback: "Malevolence" Best Comeback: "VHS 2" Most Fun: "Juan...

34. The Witches Witches at an annual convention concoct a plan to turn all children into mice, but a curious boy (with the help of his grandmother) try to foil their plan. Roald Dahl, the author behind dark children's tales such as "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory", "James and the Giant...

32. The Revenant (FTV) Hilarious movie! A soldier killed in combat is shipped home and buried, but he comes back to life. Problem is, he's rotting and has a craving for human blood. This is a buddy movie and at times feels like an American version of Shaun of the Dead, but it really has its...

31. Citadel (FTV)A widowed father with agoraphobia is haunted by visions of his wife's killers, who may be more than what they seem. Better-than-decent entry to the "hoodie horror" genre, so if you liked "Them/Ils", "Eden Lake", or even "Attack the Block", you'll enjoy this one. This one...

30. The Tunnel (FTV)Investigative journalists venture into the labyrinthine system of tunnels beneath Sidney Australia, seeking a story about the homeless and the water supply, but something in the darkness finds them instead. Although done on the cheap as yet another "found footage"...

27. Maniac (FTV)Elijah Wood: migraine-prone loner, mannequin refurbisher, serial killer. The gimmick here is that nearly the entire movie is done in first-person so you get to see things through the killer's eyes. If that sounds like it could be potentially tedious or dizzying shakey-cam...

26. Poltergeist Poltergest took the musty old haunted house tale and turned it into a white upper-middle-class suburban effects-driven thrill ride, peppered with feel-good New Age occultism and yuppie angst. It's easy to see why Poltergeist was so successful and became a part of 1982...

25. Taxidermia Strange, dark tale of three generations of oddball Hungarian men: a perverted groundskeeper ruled by a tyrannical ex military man, a world-class competitive eater, and a taxidermist who raises show cats the size of St. Bernards. This is more of a transgressive fantasy tale (in...

24. The Shining (1980) Isolated hotel caretaker loses his marbles while his psychic son dodges the ghosties. I saw this in a full-sized theater screen with a packed audience last night and it was an incredible experience. Not only one of my all-time favorite horror movies, but one of my...

I've been keeping up with my daily viewing but have gotten a little behind on writing up my reviews. 22. Eye of the Devil (first-time viewing) A wealthy baron must return to the old country when his vineyards are failing. When his wife discovers her husband's family roots are paganistic, she...

20. Naboer (Next Door) (first-time viewing) Norwegian thriller where two seductive neighbors start messing with the mind of a man who just broke up with his girlfriend. At a mere 76 minutes this was a short nasty little story, but frankly the plot is so thin it could have been made even...

19. Blood and Black Lace (first-time viewing) Crime, statuesque Italian fashion models, and an ever-increasing body count, "Blood and Black Lace" is generally regarded as the first giallo and the precursor to the modern slasher. I've been a Mario Bava fan for years but the lack of a good print...

18. The Awakening (first-time viewing)Cynical 1920's British ghostbuster (and WWI widow) is hired to investigate paranormal activity at an isolated boarding school. All the elements are here: beautiful settings, creepy kids appearing in blurred photos, vintage ghost-detecting equipment, dark...

17. Juan of the Dead (first-time viewing) Viva los zombies! A Cuban petty thief and his band of misfit pals decide to make the best of a zombie outbreak by starting their own zombie extermination business. This is the funniest zombie comedy I've seen since Shaun of the Dead. Full of...