Halloween 4: The Return Of Michael Myers (1988)

The poster of Halloween 4: The Return Of Michael Myers (1988) makes me think of seeing it in video store magazines, or seeing it in VHS tape sales in the centre of a strip mall. Being a kid, scared of horror movies but kind of curious, and trying to understand the lore of “Michael Myers […]

Messiah Of Evil (1973)

I was keen to see Messiah Of Evil (1973) as it had often been compared to Carnival Of Souls, a low-budget horror movie that I’ve come to love because of the atmosphere it creates. Like in Carnival Of Souls, a close up on a suspicious, evil person in Messiah Of Evil might reveal bad, cheap […]

Night Of The Demons (1988)

I found Night Of The Demons (1988) a lot of fun even before the demons show up. With a classic horror movie set-up – a bunch of teens decide to party on Halloween night at an abandoned crematorium called Hull House – the characters are all teen cliches archetypes dialled up to cartoonish levels. There’s […]

Dr. Terror’s House Of Horrors (1965)

I’m a fan of Halloween and spending October watching horror movies, and Dr. Terror’s House Of Horrors (1965) was a great place to start – what a title! This British horror anthology film comes from Amicus Studios and naturally stars both Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee. Dr. Terror’s House Of Horrors starts in a train […]

The Guest (2014)

There’s a knowingness that propels The Guest (2014) into a delightful combination of humour and tension. Director Adam Wingard and writer Simon Barrett (the team behind You’re Next) establish patience with their set-up: a soldier, David (Dan Stevens), turns up on the doorstep of a grieving family whose dead son he served with in the military. Straight […]