Vacillating between moments of excellence and moments of extreme mediocrity, Cujo is enjoyable but ultimately a bit disappointing.

Dee Wallace (who plays a fine genre mom -- she was the mom in E.T., also) is Donna Trenton (no she doesn't have a New Jersey-ite accent or hairdo), wife, mother and philanderer. She has a twinge of uneasiness about her. Whether she is under or overreacting to philanderer guilt is debatable. It could also be indigestion.(read more...)

The Crazies deserves wider recognition. Known primarily to hardcore horror fans, and in particular George A. Romero fans, this solid 10 is one of the better films of the 70s.

In the same vein as societal breakdown stories such as Fahrenheit 451 and Soylent Green, every aspect of The Crazies conveys claustrophobia, panic and confusion. Romero creates this not only through the plot and dialogue, but from the pacing of the dialogue, the pacing of the edits, rapid fire edits in some places, an opening that begins in confusion, an excellent score, etc.(read more...)

I have to say that I was almost dreading watching this movie. Not only had I heard bad things about it from other people, but I watched C.H.U.D. 2: Bud the Chud - the horror film that currently holds my "worst of all time" title - less than a week before. What a difference! C.H.U.D. is a great film.

The story, as might be expected, concerns "Cannibalistic Humanoid Underground Dwellers" - or mutant bums, affected by toxic wastes illegally stored in abandoned tunnels deep beneath New York City. While the premise might sound ridiculous, it is no more absurd than the basis of just about any comic book hero. C.H.U.D. is actually an atmospheric, engaging film.(read more...)

One abundant well that can provide objects of horror is the bond of trust that we often adopt towards others - often without much justification. The receivers of this trust range from strangers we pass on the street to workers of various jobs that require them to come into close contact with us- doctors, repair persons, etc. The Carpenter hinges on one such bond - that of giving construction workers access to our homes in a way that borders on an invasion of privacy.(read more...)