DARK SKIES [2013]

There is no method for predicting DARK SKIES. The Barrett family fits the mold of many other American households, facing economic hardship but persevering nonetheless. Daniel has been laid off, and Lacy is a real estate agent in desperate need of promising clients. They have two children to provide for: a curious teenager named Jesse, and an obedient little boy called Sammy. Jesse begins reading stories about the Sandman to comfort Sammy before bed. Almost immediately after, Lacy is awakened to find an anomalistic structure composed of miscellaneous food items and utensils in the center of the kitchen. In the midst of registering the bizarre sight, Sammy meets her in the kitchen and admits the Sandman is to blame. A myriad of unexplained happenings proceed the first encounter. Their home security alarm system malfunctions, Lacy notices an unnatural figure standing beside Sammy’s bed, and three flocks of birds fly directly into the exterior of their house. Lacy searches for answers, only to discover people have had identical experiences, attributing the disturbances to aliens. Daniel refuses to accept her theory, but soon becomes a believer after installing security cameras throughout the house. The parents learn they must fight the relentless snatchers, known as The Grays, if they want to keep their children on earth.

DARK SKIES is a most formidable, out-of-this world feature that will make abduction by extra terrestrials feel like a sincerely real possibility. I’ll be the first to admit that, although I am open-minded about horror, I tend to gravitate towards movies released during the 1970s and ‘80s. However, after recently viewing the trailer for DARK SKIES, I was convinced it was worth a watch. (It IS.) As a Blumhouse film made on a dime, rather than using elaborate special effects and fancy sets, it relies heavily on solid acting and the building of anticipation. Both elements transcend well above the average. Character development is substantial, and every member of the Barrett family is relatable, which greatly heightens the sense of fear and anguish they each endure. Most cliches associated with foreign beings, such as lost time, strange markings, and irremovable implants, are touched on and well-executed. The Grays create an insanely petrifying air of mystery as they vanish just as abruptly as they appear. They are wonderfully simplistic in design, and visions of them will seep through your skull to the very center of your brain. If you’ve been searching for an eerie alien film to intensify your deepest convictions, look no further.

Rating: 9/10
Director: Scott Stewart [LEGION, PRIEST]

Cast: Keri Russell, Josh Hamilton, Dakota Goyo
Country: USA

DERANGED: CONFESSIONS OF A NECROPHILE [1974]

Enter the most lively world of carcasses in the Ed Gein-based film, DERANGED. Ezra Cobbs has spent the last fifteen years as a loyal, committed, loving son, tending to every want and need of his darling, but terribly crippled mother. Unfortunately, love isn’t enough to keep the breath in her lungs, and she perishes in bed with Ezra sitting beside her. Before her violent departure, she sternly advises Ezra to avoid all women, as they are evil, disease-bearing vermin…except for her longtime friend, Maureen Selby. Ezra is reluctant to meet Maureen at first, due to his demented view of females, impaired by his religious upbringing. The agony of loneliness conquers his sanity, and Ezra finally resorts to digging up his mother’s decaying body for company at home. His grave robbing urges only advance as he learns just how comforting the presence of rotting corpses can be. On his quest for further affection, Ezra feasts his eyes on the living; he starts hunting beautiful women to slaughter, embalm, and store in his home, beginning with his mom’s dear friend.

DERANGED is a somber, yet shockingly outrageous telling of notorious serial killer Ed Gein’s morbid crimes. The narrator of the film is an effective touch, introducing the audience to the story and cutting in throughout to provide background information regarding the heinous atrocities. The opening scene offers a crystal clear glimpse of what is to come in the remaining minutes: the whirlpool of raw emotion that death drags its helpless onlookers into, tastefully complemented by nonsensical conversation and a delightfully satisfying mess of blood. As the centerpiece, Roberts Blossom is one of the most believable actors to portray a schizoid on-screen. His mannerisms, facial expressions, and the look of undiluted madness that shines through his piercing blue eyes will certainly linger in your mind. The mournful tone of the film is relatively prominent, but the nuance of comedy undeniably elevates the mood and begs for repeated viewings. His family of decaying, blue-skinned cadavers is certainly a group worth meeting for dinner more than once, thanks in part to make-up effects by Tom Savini. DERANGED is a low-budget treasure, by far, and a must-see for Ed Gein aficionados.

Rating: 8/10

Directors: Jeff Gillen, Alan Ormsby [POPCORN]

Cast: Roberts Blossom, Cosette Lee, Leslie Carlson
Country: Canada|USA

THE HOUSE OF SEVEN CORPSES [1974]

Trespassers beware in THE HOUSE OF SEVEN CORPSES. Beal Mansion is the most conveniently creepy location Eric Hartman could have stumbled upon for the filming of his upcoming horror movie. Although seemingly perfect in appearance, its violent history proves otherwise. Seven members of the Beal family met their demise in the most unforeseen circumstances, permanently tainting the house and all who may enter. The last resident to expire was a woman who practiced witchcraft, further darkening the tenebrous aura of the home. Despite the revolting past of the estate and expressed concern from Edgar, the cryptic caretaker, hardheaded Eric settles inside with his submissive cast and crew. Using the stories behind each death that occurred within the mansion’s walls as basis for the plot of the film only causes affliction. Perhaps the greatest misstep that Eric takes as a director is permitting the reenactment of witchcraft rituals from the Tibetan Book of the Dead. As a non-believer in the supernatural, he has no fear, but his cast feels apprehensive. Unbeknownst to all, as lead actress Gayle recites passages from the evil publication, she is slowly beckoning a homicidal corpse from its grave.

THE HOUSE OF SEVEN CORPSES is a dormant volcano of a horror film. The opening credits instill immense excitement; a gloomy hymn accompanies gruesome shots revealing how each member of the Beal family met their untimely death. Naturally, such heaviness early on could lead one to expect some insanely hair-raising scenes of manslaughter, freak accidents, and (most of all) hauntings. Instead, we are forced to swallow a heaping amount of monotonous build-up, topped off with numerous temper tantrums brought to you by Eric, the severely unhinged director. In all fairness, Eric’s animosity towards his team is more amusing than it is loathsome. It isn’t until the last thirty minutes that the accumulation of slightly bizarre happenings finally transitions to more thrilling events, such as gun slaying and the discovery of an actress hanging in a doorway. However, the hype failed miserably at delivering an explosive finale. The very last scene is the only notable one; the start and stop motion of the camera captures a beautiful closing image while ghostly music romanticizes the mood. In conclusion, you’ll likely fall asleep before the zombie wakes up.

Rating: 3/10

Director: Paul Harrison

Cast: John Ireland, Faith Domergue, John Carradine
Country: USA

SOMETIMES THEY COME BACK [1991]

SOMETIMES THEY COME BACK…for revenge. Jim Norman moves his wife and son from the busy city of Chicago to his slower paced hometown for a teaching job. After a twenty year hiatus, Jim struggles to cope with the foreign territory of unruly high school kids and the all-too-familiar land of his older brother’s resting place. Jim was only a kid when his brother Wayne’s life was ripped away from him. While on their way to the library, Jim and Wayne were confronted by a group of nasty degenerates. Wayne fought back and was stabbed, then left to die as a train roared through the tunnel in which they were taking a shortcut. The gang failed to escape the train’s path, as well, after Jim snatched their car keys. Jim’s mind was permanently altered by the tragedy, and the surroundings of his childhood home exacerbate the pain of his loss. When a couple of his students are mysteriously murdered, further corroding his sanity, two more students are added to his class just as quickly. Jim immediately realizes his new pupils are the living dead, and part of the gang responsible for his brother’s murder. Determined to even the score, the punks have returned to earth to wipe Jim off the face of it.

SOMETIMES THEY COME BACK is a story drenched in undying grief and tossed in horror. The basis of Jim’s childhood turmoil is explained thoroughly and well. His treacherous flashbacks reiterate the salt being rubbed in aged, but oozing wounds, adding a powerful element of emotional investment. The ghost punks, while dead, give the most amount of life to a movie often on the edge of flat-lining. They are perfect in their presentations as over-the-top “bad boys,” almost reminiscent of the tough guys in The Lost Boys and Stand By Me. The use of special effects is light, but the gang’s transformation from lively jerks into grimy zombies is memorable, without exception. There are a variety of supernatural powers at work that remain unexplained, which ultimately leads to more distracting confusion than peaked interest. For example, Jim develops psychic abilities and accurately predicts the location of a dead body. How? Undeniably, SOMETIMES THEY COME BACK feels like the made-for-television movie it truly is, but it’s packed with high tension and seriously grisly images one wouldn’t expect from a low budget motion picture made solely to watch in the living room. While the movie definitely had its moments, my high expectations for this particular Stephen King film adaptation were not reached. 

Rating: 6/10

Director: Tom McLoughlin [FRIDAY THE 13TH PART VI: JASON LIVES]

Cast: Tim Matheson, Robert Rusler, Nicholas Sadler
Country: USA

THE NIGHT FLIER [1997]

Evil travels by darkness in Stephen King’s THE NIGHT FLIER. Richard Dees is a man hardened by his grueling profession as a star reporter for a sleazy news outlet. While facing the gradual decline of his writing career, a major national news story breaks. A blood-thirsty night flier with a lethal set of beastly canines flies into farm towns and malevolently decimates local residents. At the outset, Richard rejects the shovel for digging into the “dime-a-dozen” story of a vampire and suggests passing the job along to an amateur. Katherine, an inexperienced but highly enthusiastic reporter snatches up the opportunity to exhibit her strengths and establish herself as a serious journalist. Soon after, the body count jumps and Richard follows; with more bloodshed comes more juice, and he needs as much as he can get to propel his career back to the top. As Richard tracks the vampire pilot, Dwight Renfield, he is warned to cease his efforts through notes written in smeared blood. He persists regardless. Meanwhile, Katherine diligently pursues the case in a vicious race against her egotistic colleague. The competitors continue on until one drops out…literally.

Stephen King’s THE NIGHT FLIER is a breath of fresh air after drowning in a vastly contaminated ocean of poorly adapted vampire films. I truly didn’t know what to expect when I bought the movie, but I instantly fell in love with the handsome monster elegantly gracing the front cover. I’m very grateful I did. Both the honest acting and the colorful interactions are impressively true-to-life. Miguel Ferrer plays Richard’s part phenomenally as a tight-fisted hardass who fights dirty. Julie Entwisle, as headstrong Katherine, also emoted far beyond the often mediocre acting that comes along with horror films from the ‘90s. Ideally, the cape-donning freak gives the gift of gore before the five minute mark hits. Dwight Renfield is as seductive as he is atrocious and horrid. He skillfully builds panic within his victims and mesmerizes them with fear. Jaw-dropping incidences of sheer terror generate unforgettable anxiety, particularly when Richard meets the enigmatic villain in a blackened public bathroom. The ending begins with an eerie scene of zombie-filled Hell, only to transition into an explosion of graphic, unadulterated barbarism that will leave you feeling elated. Severely underrated, this vampire flick is a must-see.

Rating: 9/10
Director: Mark Pavia

Cast: Miguel Ferrer, Julie Entwisle, Michael H. Moss
Country: USA|Italy