1987’s THE CALLER is far beyond being a horse of a different color, this funky filly is a kaleidoscope of hues I’ve never even laid eyes on before. My biggest question may be why isn’t it much more notorious? Madolyn Smith portrays a nameless young woman who occupies an isolated... The post Recently Viewed:: Vol 2 first appeared on kindertrauma ..read more

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I’m not completely sure Oz Perkins’ new supernatural serial killer movie LONGLEGS comes together in a completely satisfying way but one thing is for sure, it’s creepy as all get out. It’s quite the juggling act to make something both so hyper-grounded that it resembles a documentary at times but also so wacked out bonkers that it borders on a deranged comedy skit. I’m not sure it even plays fair, it’s almost as if every loose end is shrugged off with explanations of unknowable dark magics at work. But in the end, the performances are so strong all around (Nick Cage delves into his deepest wel ..read more

The year is 1985, John Parr’s “St. Elmo’s Fire (Man in Motion)” is roaring up the charts, VHS is alive and kicking, Tipper Gore is making a hero out off Dee Snyder, Angeline is gracing billboards and the world (particularly Hollywood) is a low tech un-Disney-fied, glowing, glorious, albeit perilous place. Star-eyed Maxine Minx is trying to put her dark past (which includes both porn and murder) behind her by auditioning for the sequel to a successful fictional horror film ironically titled THE PURITAN. Unfortunately, a shadowy figure with a brimmed hat and strangle-ready gloves is trailing he ..read more

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I need help with two movies that I watched as a child in the 1970s. The first one is about a family who moves out of their house. The son appears to be against it or the parents die. He stays in the house alone. When the new owners move in, he takes refuge in a secret room underneath or behind a staircase. Eventually the owners realize that there is an intruder living among them. In the final scene, he is dragged away in handcuffs by the police. The second is a movie about a mad scientist. Most of the time he out and about seeking victims or rather patients. The experiment is seemingly about ..read more

I realize reading about the latest “game gone wrong” horror movie may be about as appealing as watching it or writing about it, so my apologies in advance. I just feel compelled to leave a written bread crumb trail for my future self because on a few occasions I have excitedly googled a movie only to find out I had written about it previously and had completely forgot about it. So here I am, leaving this flag in the sand to let myself know that TAROT though not without some merit, is mostly a vaporous generic slog. Although its plot isn’t that different from last year’s excellent (and surpris ..read more

In the back (and front, and side) of my mind I’ve been dreading Mother’s Day this year because my own mother recently passed away (two days before my birthday, no less). It has now become clear that I didn’t fully appreciate the amount of covert comfort my ma’s mere existence provided and now I keenly sense I’m working without a net and pretty much feel like the world’s oldest orphan. I’ve never been good with death and this is the one death (besides perhaps my own) that I’ve feared the most and for the longest amount of time. Luckily, this Isn’t my first square dance with the grim reaper and ..read more

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How much fun could a movie about a group of mostly dopey criminals being trapped in a mansion with a rampaging child vampire with a penchant for ballet be exactly? Well, tons of fun, obviously. Even if done poorly, I’d venture this particular set-up is fool proof entertainment but happily in this case it is executed by folks with true love and knowledge of the genre ( Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, the talents behind READY OR NOT and the last two SCREAM flicks) and showcases an absolute dream team cast playing characters so contrasting and sharply carved you can almost imagine them ..read more