Posts by Brandt Sponseller

Review: Demons (1985)

Demons poster
Submitted by Brandt Sponseller on Sat, 2000-09-23 00:00

"Beware of Watching Horror Films!"

I try to approach films impartially and without preconceptions. I certainly don't read any other reviews before I see a film. I avoid articles in the film magazines if I think I'm going to see the film within a few months. I dislike seeing trailers beforehand, so I have the unusual habit (neurosis, my wife calls it) of looking away from the screen, sometimes into my popcorn box, until the trailers are over. When renting, I avoid reading plot synopses on boxes. My ideal scenario when sitting down to watch a film is to know absolutely nothing about it.(read more...)

Review: The Horror Show (1989)

The Horror Show poster
Submitted by Brandt Sponseller on Fri, 2000-09-22 01:00

At turns scary, suspenseful, surreal and saucy, James Isaac's directorial debut, Horror Show, a film produced by Sean Cunningham of Friday the 13th fame, is both satisfying and sadly underrated.(read more...)

Review: Death Becomes Her (1992)

Death Becomes Her poster
Submitted by Brandt Sponseller on Fri, 2000-09-22 00:00

Black/horror comedies notoriously, but sadly, have had difficulties finding audiences. For whatever reason, many people have a problem accepting a comedy about horrific subjects. It's a shame because black comedies are among my favorite types of film, but on the other hand, their rarity makes me appreciate an excellent example of the genre -- such as Death Becomes Her -- even more.(read more...)

Review: Village of the Damned (1960)

Village of the Damned 1960
Submitted by Brandt Sponseller on Thu, 2000-09-21 01:00

Ranging from stark and haunting to just a touch of mild yawn-inducement, Village of the Damned covers a lot of territory in its scant 77 minutes -- most of it rewarding.(read more...)

Review: The Lift (1983)

The Lift poster
Submitted by Brandt Sponseller on Wed, 2000-09-20 00:00

It's hard to believe that the horror subgenre about "Machines/Technology Gone Wild" actually has a subgenre itself of "Evil Elevator" films, but it does, small as it may be. I suppose it's one of the better targets for machine horror, since many of us have twinges of irrational fears about elevators--we fear that they'll suddenly plummet to the bottom of the shaft, we fear being stuck for indefinite periods of time between floors in a semblance of imprisonment and many of us are claustrophobic to an extent.(read more...)

Review: Kalifornia (1993)

Kalifornia poster
Submitted by Brandt Sponseller on Tue, 2000-09-19 00:00

It's going to be tough to convey the experience of watching director Dominic Sena's film Kalifornia any better, and certainly I can't do so more succinctly, than the following--"If Ingmar Bergman had directed Natural Born Killers."

Reading that catch-phrase and seeing my rating, you might guess that I'm not the biggest fan of Natural Born Killers (NBK). That's not the case. I love Stone's work and NBK is one of my favorite films of all time. But Kalifornia is hardly lacking in quality. It just goes to show that there's more than one way to skin a cat. Or a human, as the case may be.(read more...)

Review: Se7en (1995)

Se7en poster
Submitted by Brandt Sponseller on Sun, 2000-09-17 00:00

One of a handful of films that is based on the religious concept of "seven deadly sins," director David Fincher's Seven (or Se7en as the sillier title has it) is an uneven work that contains many excellent elements yet unfortunately drags on as if trying to demonstrate the sin of sloth in a few stretches.(read more...)

Review: The 13th Warrior (1999)

13th Warrior
Submitted by Brandt Sponseller on Sun, 2000-09-10 11:17

The 13th Warrior, John McTiernan's adaptation of Michael Crichton's novel "Eaters of the Dead," was hampered by delays which caused countless release dates to be set over the course of more than a year, and at one time it was actually rumored to be headed for a straight-to-video release. Delays and rumors like that usually denote a film riddled with problems. The 13th Warrior has its share, but it's a much better film than you might guess, offering an engaging period piece about an Arab unwillingly recruited into a Viking warrior band to fight off an "evil force" afflicting their people.(read more...)

Review: Phantasm (1979)

Phantasm poster
Submitted by Brandt Sponseller on Fri, 2000-08-18 01:00

Sure, it may not make a lot of sense for most of your first viewing, and some people might argue that it still doesn't make sense on subsequent viewings, but that's part of Phantasm's charm. It's not supposed to unfold like a textbook on logical entailment.(read more...)

Review: Q: The Winged Serpent (1982)

Q: The Winged Serpent poster
Submitted by Brandt Sponseller on Tue, 2000-08-15 00:00

Q: The Winged Serpent is one of my favorite sleepers of all time. It's full of talent that is severely underrated, and for all of them, it's among their best work.(read more...)

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