Five years of watching horror! What movies have stuck with me?

It didn't occur to me until mid-June that my 155th horror review, "Critters," which I posted on May 21 marks five years of blogging about horror movies. I posted my first review, "The Horror of the Zombies" (1974) on May 22, 2018. Knowing how I tend to wain when it comes to keeping things going, I honestly thought I'd lose my steam and this attempt at writing horror reviews would fade. It hasn't yet. 

After writing the news for a local Kansas paper for five years until to 2018, I didn't want to lose that writing drive, nor the talent to write no matter what which I somehow strengthened during my time as a news writer. So, I decided to start 1000daysofhorror.com. Since I also love watching non-horror flicks, I started another blog - dontfastforward.blogspot.com. 

My initial goal for this horror outlet was to watch and write about obscure movies. But I've since discovered that throwing in commentary on the latest horror releases brings in readers. Catching the attention of people out there is a slow process indeed. I had planned to start these 1000 days of horror by working my way through 100 film titles listed in a book called "100 Best Horror Movies" by Gary Gerani, published by Fantastic Press. I was going to start at the 100th movie Gerani recommends called "House of Dark Shadows" (1970). From there I'd search for each movie title in his book beofre looking for additional films to add. It's a great book and discusses some really choice films in the horror genre, and why each film is important in horror. 

Right now, I'm working on a review for the 2023 movie "Cocaine Bear." It'll be my 158th horror review. 

I'm already at the point where I've come across movie titles and can't recall if I've written about them or not. 

Anyways, having been at this for five years now, I'm looking back and reminiscing about which movies I do remember reviewing and enjoying the most. Consider these recommendations. 

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5) Duel (1971) - This Steven Spielberg flick deserves a lot more attention than it receives. It's one of the most edge-of-
your-seat thrillers I've seen. It uses a little to give the audience a lot. 

8) The People Under the Stairs (1991) - This was a favorite horror movie of mine back in my teenage years. It's a unique movie, based on a true story, from director Wes Craven. What's inside the walls? What's behind all those doors? It's an imagination's playground.

10) The Gate (1987) - This is classic 80s horror at its best. It's pure nightmare fuel. The frightening imagery will definitely stick with you for quite a while. While it's lacking in story, with too much exposition, it definitely makes up for in its terrifying scenes and creatures. 

18) Frozen (2010) - No, this isn't the Disney movie. But when it comes to "letting go," this film has something different in mind. The most plausible and realistic horror out there involves scenarios that could really happen. It presents the audience with a scenario they can easily picture themselves in. It begs the question, "what would you do?" This is one such film, and it's done well.  

23) Warlock (1989) - Actor Julian Sands, who stars in this paranormal horror movie, has a domineering presence on screen. And it's best demonstrated in this movie in which he plays a Warlock. Incidentally, Sands went missing in January 2023 while hiking at Mount Baldy, California, in the San Gabriel Mountains. As far as I know, he has yet to be found. My thoughts and prayers go out to his family. 

30) Bloody Birthday (1981) - This kind of movie would have a hard time being made today. Anyone who thinks the kids are alright ought to watch this flick. Such is not always the case. It's a suspenseful, very dark, and alarming film. I recommend it but with a caution.

31) Willow Creek (2013) - Evidently, actor and comedian Bobcat Goldthwait has a keen interest in Bigfoot. So, he directed this film about Bigfoot which is impressively thrilling and an edge-of-your-seat experience. 

37) The Beyond (1981) - Some of the best horror (and food) comes from Italy, like this movie. While it feels a bit slow in its pacing, it definitely makes up for it with its horror and style that doesn't hold back. 

44) The Witches (1990) - Outside of "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" this movie, based on the
book by Roald Dahl, is a great children's movie. The make-up is fantastic, and the premise is even better. 

50) The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920) - Hands down, this is one of the greatest horror movies of the silent era, and one of the best examples of German impressionist style on film. It's one of the greatest and foundation horror movies ever made. 

65) Ghost Story (1981) - "Ghost Story" does drag out, but the story, cast, and a few unnerving and creepy scenes make it a worthwhile watch. 

72) Lake Mungo (2008) - This documentary style movie is a great modern horror that utilizes fear and intrigue. It kept me glued to the screen from beginning to end. 

76) Better Watch Out (2016) - Some of the horror genre's best is set during the Christmas season. This movie is like a loose version of "Home Alone" with a horror twist. It adds realism, trepidation, and gore to the mix. 

78) The Old Dark House (1932) - The psychological horror factor in this classic film starring Boris Karloff makes it a foundational movie for the genre. It uses eccentric characters, religious infatuation, unsuspecting guests, sexual proclivity, and a heavy use of shadows to portray its horror style.

82) Fatman (2020) - The setting of this dark action thriller is a real-world scenario where Santa Claus, played by Mel Gibson, exists. At first, I considered it simply an o.k. movie. Since then, it has grown on me. 

88) Parents (1989) - This movie feels like a mix between "A Christmas Story" (minus the Christmas) and
"The Shining." This is quite a twisted psychological horror that'll probably need more than one viewing. It's an underrated gem. 

92) In the Mouth of Madness (1995) - Horror legend John Carpenter delivers one of the best and most unsettling psychological horror movies out there. This is one major twisted tale. 

93) Tourist Trap (1979) - I'm throwing this title in among my favorites because its director David Schmoeller has filmed some of the creepiest scenes I've ever seen in horror. He has a knack for that in a lot of his flicks. I don't recommend this movie for anyone with a fear of mannequins. 

94) Rent-A-Pal (2020) - I heard of this movie in passing while listening to a podcast about something completely off topic. This flick works well as a thriller, utilizing themes such as loneliness and low self-image.  

100) The Monster Squad (1987) - This classic 80s movie was my introduction to the classic Universal monsters. It doesn't hold back for a kid's movie and is a great movie for Halloween night. Also, Dracula calls a little girl a "bitch." He's evil. What do you expect, an evil bloodsucker who watches his language? So, take that for what it's worth. 

109) Dead of Night (1945) - I included this classic anthology horror in my look at horror anthologies in general. It's unique in the way the stories are tied to each other, with a conclusion that leaves the audience wondering what was real in the movie. 

125) Godzilla (1954) - This is the movie that introduced the world to the King of the Monsters. It's included in my all-series film reviews from last Halloween, which I dubbed Halloween 2022's Godzilla-Maniapalloza Extravaganza begins...For the Love of Godzilla. All Hail, the Monster King! 

142) The Horror of Dracula (1958). I've reviewed a few Hammer horror flicks on here, but this remains a true classic among them. Christopher Lee's Dracula is by far one of the best and most memorable depictions in horror history. This movie has certainly aged well with time and kept its rightful place among memorable horror movies.

154) The Menu (2022) - This black comedy which rips on pretentious foodies and food critics definitely hits the spot. The comedy is ripe. The acting is superb. And the comedy is subtle but strong.  

So, that's 158 horror movies down, and 842 more to go...

158) NEW HORROR RELEASES - Cocaine Bear (2023)

"A bear did cocaine!" 

Director

Elizabeth Banks

Cast
Keri Russell - Sari
Alden Ehrenreich - Eddie
O'Shea Jackson Jr. - Daveed
Ray Liotta - Syd
Isiah Whitlock Jr. - Bob
Brooklynn Prince - Dee Dee
Christian Convery - Henry
Margo Martindale - Ranger Liz
Jesse Tyler Ferguson - Peter


When the trailer for the comedy horror flick "Cocaine Bear" dropped, it looked completely stupid and ridiculous. I remember leaning over to my wife, and whispering, "I wanna see that!" 

Last week, I did. It's just as ridiculous and stupid as I initially thought. And I loved it. 

I planned to see it when it was released back in February and write a review for the paper. Unfortunately, I never made it to see this movie about a black bear fried out of its mind on cocaine. Well, now I have.

The story is loosely based on true events that took place in 1985. Fortunately, the movie is much more entertaining than what really happened.

It begins with former narcotics officer turned convicted drug smuggler Andrew C. Thornton II (Matthew Rhys) tossing out duffle bags full of coke out of an airplane. That part is true. 

He then attempts to parachute out of the plane but accidentally slams his head against the door frame knocking himself out cold just before plummeting to the ground. 

His body is found somewhere in Knoxville, Tenn. While some bundles of cocaine are found, others are still missing. 
Investigating authorities conclude he was carrying coke for Syd White (Ray Liotta), a drug lord based out of St. Louis.

Unfortunately, one of these bundles is discovered by a black bear somewhere in the Chattahoochee–Oconee National Forest in Georgia. The bear eats it, and an intervention is out of the question.  

Now the story has to throw some people into the forest to make it all the more fun.

A teenager named Dee Dee (Brooklynn Prince), who lives with her mom, Sari (Keri Russell), wants to skip school with her buddy, Henry (Christian Convery) and go paint the water fall out in the woods. 

Out on a hiking trail, the two kids find a couple of the missing bricks of cocaine. 

Suddenly, the bear intrudes on their discovery.

Sari gets a call from Dee Dee's school because she's not there. So, she ventures into the woods to find her.

She heads to the ranger's station where Ranger Liz (Margo Martindale) and Ranger Peter (Jesse Tyler Ferguson) go out on the trails with her to find Dee Dee. 

They soon find Henry way up in a tree warning them about the bear. However, Dee Dee is nowhere to be found.

Meanwhile, Syd sends one of his guys named Daveed (O'Shea Jackson Jr.) to retrieve the bricks of coke before the big bosses take their financial losses out on Syd. 

Keri Russell and the bear in 'Cocaine Bear."

Daveed heads out to Georgia from St. Louis with Syd's depressed son Eddie (Alden Ehrenreich) to retrieve the cocaine.

When they get to the ranger station, a group of teen punks known as Duchamps gang try to jump Daveed in the bathroom.

It doesn't go well for them. He forces one of the gang members, Stache (Aaron Holliday) to take Eddie and him to a gazebo out in the woods where the gang stashed some of the cocaine they stumbled upon. 

Police Detective Bob (Isiah Whitlock Jr.) also makes his way into the woods as part of his drug investigation. 

Once everyone is galivanting through the woods, they all have encounters with what Henry calls the "cocaine bear." Some of the interactions are deadlier than others. This bear is insane and unpredictable.

Finally, Syd makes his way into the forest because his drug bosses want their inventory, or else. He's determined to gather every last brick he can.

In 1976, a horror movie piggy-backing off the success of "Jaws" called "Grizzly" was released. It's a disappointing film and a poor imitation of Steven Spielberg's movie that it rips off. If only "Grizzly" had thrown in some cocaine into the mix. 

"Cocaine Bear" is what "Grizzly" needed to be. Unlike that movie, "Cocaine Bear" is not a nature's revenge kind of horror film. Those can be a little too preachy. Rather, it's exactly as the title suggests.

It's a B-horror movie at its best. It knows how insane the premise is, and just goes with it. It also has memorable characters, too, which is a rarity for movies like this. 

The first act of the film is getting everyone into the forest after the bear indulges itself. The rest is their interactions with this crack-addict bear. 

It's as hilarious as it is ludicrous. And it's much better than the true story in which the bear found the missing cocaine, helped itself, and then died. 

Speaking of which. the bear clearly looks CGI in a lot of the scenes. Normally, I'd critique it, but in this case, the bear's expressions performed digitally adds well to the humor. 

Director Elizabeth Banks clearly needed to take a lot of creative liberties, which she did much to her credit. Her creativity certainly works in this comedic horror flick. 

"Cocaine Bear" doesn't fail expectations. The insanity of the situation ends up being hilariously entertaining and horrifically cringy. It's a real trip, and schlock horror at its finest. 

I'm including horror movie trivia into my posts now! That's fun, right? Either way, there it is. The answer will be in my next post...

Who are the only two actors who have faced an Alien, a Predator, and a Terminator? 

*Answer to the question from my last post, "Crawlspace" = Damien Thorn from "The Omen" series.

157) Crawlspace (1986)

"So be it." 

Director
David Schmoeller

Cast
Klaus Kinski - Dr. Karl Gunther
Talia Balsam - Lori Bancroft
Barbara Whinnery - Harriet Watkins
Carole Francis - Jessica Marlow
Tane McClure - Sophie Fisher
Kenneth Robert Shippy - Josef Steiner
Sally Brown - Martha White

I found a copy of the 1986 American slasher flick "Crawlspace" packaged with another horror movie called "The Attic" (1980 which, as you can tell by the title, takes place in a different part of the house. Both films are completely unrelated. The two-movie set is packaged as "Midnight Movie Double Feature" from MGM. By the way, you might be able to guess what film my next post will be about. If you're thinking it'll be "Cocaine Bear," you're right. "The Attic" will probably be after that! 

I found this double feature at a new and used collectible toy shop in Lawrence, Kansas called 1313 Mockingbird Lane (not a sponsor). The proprietor is clearly a horror fan as he has a nice selection of horror movies for sale, most of which lean more towards the obscure. There's also a large stock of horror collectibles and nostalgic movie merch as well. It's my kind of shop. So, I grabbed these movies as part of a trade-in. 

Anyways, "Crawlspace" takes place within an apartment complex inhabited by young beautiful women who are unaware that their landlord isn't as harmless and innocent as he seems to be. 

College student, Lori Bancroft (Talia Balsam) moves into a vacant apartment. The landlord, Karl Gunther (Klaus Kinski) gives her a tour of the complex, telling her the previous woman who lived there disappeared without paying rent. 

While he has a calm and gentle demeanor, Bancroft doesn't know that Gunther is a sadistic, psychopathic murderer. His evil ways stem from his past as a Nazi. 

While she's impressed with the apartment and agrees to rent, he holds his hand over the gas stove as part of some masochistic ritual while Bancroft isn't looking. The film gets much more graphic than that. 

In the building's attic, Gunther keeps his former female tenant locked in a cage. Though he previously cut her tongue out and saves it in a jar of formaldehyde, he keeps her alive "to have someone to talk to." He also keeps several rats up there as well, using them to scare his tenants by secretly letting them loose in their apartments and then watching their reactions from a crawlspace. 

Bancroft becomes another unaware victim of Gunther as he spies on her, and the other women, through the air vent which he silently crawls through. These vents are reinforced so as to muffle the sounds of his movements. 

Every time Gunther murders one of the tenants, he sits at his table and plays Russian roulette with a handgun loaded with one bullet pointed to his temple. He pulls the trigger and if it doesn't cause his brains to splatter across the kitchen, he whispers a phrase to himself - "So be it."   

Later, a guy named Josef Steiner (Kenneth Robert Shippy) visits Gunther after searching for him for three years.

Gunther turns out to be a doctor and was chief resident at a hospital in Buenos Aires.   

Klaus Kinski as Dr. Karl Gunther in "Crawlspace."

Steiner claims 67 patients, including his brother, died under Gunther's care.
He also tells Gunther that he knows about his history with the Nazis. He even shows Gunther a picture he found of him as a child in a Hitler Youth uniform. Gunther doesn't seem too scared, though.

He continues spying on his female tenants regardless. The more he engages in his cruelty without getting caught, the more he starts seeing himself as some sort of God-like figure. He tells himself he can both give life and take it away.

Steiner returns to Gunther's apartment in an attempt to kill him, but those plans don't quite work out as Gunther set up a deadly trap for him.

Soon after, Gunther goes full-on crazy as he dresses as an SS soldier in the attic while watching movie reels of Hitler while posing as the Nazi he is in front of a mirror. 

He paints his face in women's makeup, and then pursues Bancroft as his next victim.

When she returns home one evening, Bancroft finds several rats in her refrigerator. Scared, she then finds Steiner's body submerged under water in her bathtub with a swastika cut into his forehead. 

Gunther is standing behind her in the apartment watching her freak out.

She tries to flee, but the doctor rigs the entire building with various devices to trap her inside.

So, she tries getting her neighbors to help, but finds they've all been brutally murdered. 

The only place left for her to go is the attic, and then into Gunther's crawlspace. 

As far as shock value and uneasiness goes, I'd pair "Crawlspace" with other movies such as "Tourist Trap," and "Alice, Sweet Alice." 

In fact, director David Schmoeller directed "Tourist Trap" as well as the horror movie "Puppet Master" (1989). He has a talent for making movies with uncomfortable and creepy (in the truest meaning of the word) situations, images, and scenarios. Schmoeller can create a horror scene that stays in your mind for years, which your memory will reluctantly comeback to again and again.

Kinski's performance carries all the horror in this film. As hard as it is to believe, despite the subject matter of this slasher flick, it does hold back a lot as far as shock value goes. Some scenes are more gruesome than others, but a lot of the horror depicted is the aftermath of Gunther's heinous actions. 

It's more of a cringe psychological horror than an actual slasher, though it does have its share of gore. 

Even with the sleazy and uncomfortable setting, the story has potential to be a one of those thrillers that audiences would have talked about for decades.

Kinski creates a completely distasteful character, which is what Gunther is supposed to be. Kinski brings the uneasiness that wafts around Gunther immediately. He never relents. 

It brings Anthony Hopkin's character "Hannibal Lecter" to mind. Hopkins somehow manages to present Lecter, a sick and twisted homicidal cannibal murderer, to the audience with a touch of likeability. 

Maybe it's his calm demeanor, or his intelligence, or his sophistication that make audiences want to like him. That's the scary part of Lecter.

Kinski's character also has a calm demeanor, but his background is wrapped in Nazism. He grew up hating and never bothered to get past it. Gunther let it take over for the thrill of being that powerful. 

He creates a character audiences want to hate. He has no redeeming qualities. Kinski is perfect for a role like this. But "Crawlspace" has too much of a lazy feel to it. The rest of the film, and the other performances, are underwhelming and completely predictable. The poor decisions of the characters, such as Steiner walking into Gunther's apartment when he thinks he's not around, give "Crawlspace" its obvious outcomes. How do all these murders take place without any suspicion or police investigation?

Why didn't Bancroft ever call the police when the opportunity presented itself? She didn't seem to try very hard to take him down. 

This is where I'm torn about the movie. Kinski portrays a horrific killer character impressively well. Dr. Gunther's psychological issues and general scariness is on par with other sadistic psychopathic doctors like Dr. Lector or Dr. Josef Heiter (Dieter Laser) from "The Human Centipede" (2009). 

On the other hand, the movie is another typical maniac slasher versus naive damsels in distress kind of kind of movie. These were common in the 1970s and carried on heavily into the 1980s. Some were mindless. Others were strong in their depictions of female protagonists who were anything but weak and naive. Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) from "Halloween" (1978) comes to mind right away. I'm not surprised this character has endured in the mainstream for more than 40 years. 

Even though Bancroft takes down her insane and sick adversary, Dr. Gunther, she does so not through strength, wit, and determination to fight back, but by luck. She manages to elude him for a short while, but when he catches up, she just continues to run until she can't anymore. 

Somewhere hidden in the story is nothing but an attempt to titillate the lower passions of the audience - at least the sickos in the audience, and their sick fantasies. 

Kinski's character, and the psychological issues going on upstairs in his mind, is the only interesting part of this flick. The rest isn't worth the film it's printed on. 

I'm including horror movie trivia into my posts now! That's fun, right? Either way, there it is. The answer will be in my next post...

Which horror film character was born at 6 a.m. on the 6th day of the 6th month? 

*Answer to the question from my last post, "The Boogeyman" = "I Spit on Your Grave."

156) NEW HORROR RELEASES - The Boogeyman (2023)

"Don't let it out!" 

Director

Rob Savage

Cast
Chris Messina - Dr. Will Harper
David Dastmalchian - Lester Billings
Sophie Thatcher - Sadie Harper
Vivien Lyra Blair - Sawyer Harper
Marin Ireland - Rita Billings
Madison Hu - Bethany

🕱 Possible spoilers ahead... 🕱

Horror writer Stephen King's name is back on the big screen. Unexpectedly, too. At least, for me. I didn't hear about this movie until a month or two ago. Director Rob Savage brings a loose adaptation of King's short story "The Boogeyman" to the screen just in time for summer. 

King's short story was originally published in the March 1973 issue of "Cavalier Magazine." It was later published in his first collection of short stories titled "Night Shift" (1978).  

His story focuses on Lester Billings as he visits Dr. Harper's psychiatry office. Billings opens about the deaths of his children who shouted "boogeyman" before they died under strange circumstances. It's a creepy story as it centers on a father's horrific situation that's beyond his control and worse, beyond belief. But, it's true. A monster emerges from the shadows of the closet and claims innocent children as its victims. It's like a retelling of a classic story.

The movie, however, has the monster terrorize Dr. Will Harper (Chris Messina) and his oldest daughter Sadie (Sophie Thatcher) and younger daughter Sawyer (Vivien Lyra Blair) whom the monster narrows in on. 

As the movie begins, the family is grieving and trying to carry on after the death of their mother. Dr. Harper is struggling to cope with the loss of his wife while trying to care for his daughters. 

Lester Billings (David Dastmalchian) visits Dr. Harper without an appointment to seek help regarding the death of his child and this monster that attached itself to his family. Harper has his clinic in his house. While talking to Billings, he excuses himself in order to contact other medical professionals as he thinks this stranger is truly delusional and in need to further help. 

While Harper is on the phone, Billings starts wandering around the house. Finally, Sadie finds Billings dead in her mother's art room closet. Before finding him in there, she heard what sounded like two people fighting.

Soon, the monster starts making itself known to Sawyer in her bedroom at night. Sadie doesn't believe Sawyer's claims of a monster coming into her room, but after a few strange experiences she grows curious. 

She even pays a visit to Billings house where his widow, Rita (Marin Ireland) still lives. She seems to know a lot about this thing, and even creates a plan to draw it out and kill it. 

Sadie witnesses Rita injure the creature in a trap. So, she attempts to take it down herself. 

The actual monster looks more like an alien when the audience is able to get a good look at it. For most of the movie, all we're treated to is beady glowing eyes and silhouettes, with quick glimpses in between. It's also able to mimic voices to fool its child victims. 

Savage manages to take King's retelling of a classic story and turn "The Boogeyman" into a horror movie that I refer to as "daisy chain horror." I talked about daisy chain horror stories in my review of the 2022 movie "Smile." 

In that post I said, "In these sorts of movies, the only way for the main character to dispel or overcome the evil or curse haunting them is to pass it on to someone else. To be rid of evil, they have to commit evil. It's a terrible premise. No one comes out any better. Events go from bad to worse, and then the story is over. It's not really a resolution. It's just an ending." The 2002 movie "The Ring" is a great example of such a horror movie. 

To its credit, "The Boogeyman" does leave the audience with some satisfaction. Still, in true King fashion, that satisfaction is tarnished with subtle uncertainty. 

With "The Boogeyman," the evil seems to infect victims through its own choice, although the scene in which Lester Billings visits Dr. Harper and then dies in his home implies Billings may have intentionally brought the creature to the doctor's family. Or, perhaps, he somehow knew the monster would be victimizing the grieving family, so he tried to somehow stop it. Honestly, I don't know. It's vague.

Sophie Thatcher, Chris Messina, and Vivien Lyra Blair in "The Boogeyman." 

With so many King stories adapted into film, Savage has a lot of competition when it comes to making a memorable King movie. Maybe if the movie stuck to King's original story frame, it may have been more unsettling and scarier than what we got. The premise of a helpless father facing an unimaginable yet real unearthly evil that took his children, and watching how he deals with such a thing, is much more chilling than what Savage came up with. Having an audience put themselves in Billings' shoes would be more memorable a movie experience. Otherwise, this movie feels like the producers were trying to make something different, veering off from King's storyline, only to come up with a horror movie that closely resembles stuff seen over and over again.
As the monster lives in shadow and flees from light, I got the sense that it uses shadows like a highway, travelling from one dark place to another at quick speed even in the middle of the day.
Savage's isn't the first movie adaptation of "The Boogeyman." There's a short film also called "The Boogeyman" from 1982, directed by Jeff C. Shiro. It's more of a faithful adaptation to the original short story. I found a copy of it on VHS, which was one hell of a challenge.
Savage's film is heavy with thrilling suspense as it keeps all things in the dark (literally and figuratively) until the end. And by then, there's still some elements that either need explaining, interpretation, or are just left to stay in the dark. The ending does give a nod to King's ending.

It's not the worst adaptation of a Stephen King story. That "honor" goes to the 1992 flick "The Lawnmower Man." Still, it's far from the best. There's nothing about it that makes it stand out other than King's name attached to it. Otherwise, I've seen this kind of horror movie several times before.

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I'm including horror movie trivia into my posts now! That's fun, right? Either way, there it is. The answer will be in my next post...

Silent film comedian Buster Keaton's granddaughter, Camille Keaton, stars in what controversial 1978 revenge horror flick which was remade in 2010?

*Answer to the question from my last post, "Critters" = Puppet Master.