Serialized Novel Alert

Over the coming days and weeks, I'll serialize a wiggy horror adventure I wrote. Expect at least a chapter a day. I hope you enjoy. Here's a mood board of sorts to whet the appetite. And -- happy new year!

Star Trek: The Motion Picture

*(this review originally appeared on Cinema Sentries)* Upon its release in 1979, Trekkies greeted Star Trek: The Motion Picture as an Event. Green-lit by Paramount in a sprint to cash in on the Star Wars craze for all things sci-fi, the movie came in at a $44 million budget and opened to bad press. In…

Scream 2

*(this review originally appeared on Cinema Sentries)* I doubt the horror movie was ‘dead’ before Wes Craven’s Scream (1996) came out. Hadn’t The Silence of the Lambs (1991) had a revolutionary impact on the genre? Ah, but some of you might consider Lambs a thriller. I digress, though. Scream was novel, in at least one…

The War of the Worlds (1953)/When Worlds Collide

*(this review originally appeared on Cinema Sentries)* Producer George Pal’s thumbprint on science-fiction and fantasy films was big. A new limited edition, two-disc set from Paramount Pictures joins two of his best films, The War of the Worlds (1953) and When Worlds Collide (1951). It’s a lovely tribute. The War of the Worlds (dir. Byron…

Poltergeist (1982)

*(this review originally appeared on Cinema Sentries)* Director Tobe Hooper is most famous for Poltergeist (1982) and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974). Chainsaw’s a sick, stone classic of the horror genre. And Poltergeist, a slick Steven Spielberg production, is creepy, top-tier fun; but it’s a different, tamer beast. In a sleepy California suburb, sweet-pea Carol…

Universal Classic Monsters: Icons of Horror Vol. 2

*(this review originally appeared on Cinema Sentries)* Halloween is over, but we can celebrate it all year long—am I right? I’m always in a mood to watch ‘scary movies.’ And the new Universal Classic Monsters: Icons of Horror Vol. 2 collection—which presents, in stunning 4K Ultra HD, four old Universal Pictures—is close to Halloween and…

Blue Hawaii

*(this review originally appeared on Cinema Sentries)* When did Elvis Presley’s decline start?  From the cradle. I’m no Elvis scholar (I’ve listened to dozens of his albums and read only the first volume of Peter Guralnick’s praised Presley bio), but I suspect that’s the answer. Col. Tom Parker, his manager, was not the cause. (Parker…

A Christmas Story

*(this review originally appeared on Cinema Sentries)* A Christmas Story (1983; dir. Bob Clark) is a charmer—a sweet and funny yuletide gem that’s never too cute for its own good. With this movie, the deceased Clark—the guy who gave us the terrifying Black Christmas (1974) and the raunchy Porky’s (1981)—yet again showed his range. He…

The Polar Express

*(this review originally appeared on Cinema Sentries)* The Polar Express (2004; dir. Robert Zemeckis; rated G) is a weird, dark flick that should be darker. A motion-capture adaptation of the beloved children’s book (written by Chris Van Allsburg), the movie starts well—then it loses steam. This doesn’t sap my enjoyment. The product is both sinister…