Our editor-in-chief Nate Yapp is proud to have contributed to the new book Hidden Horror: A Celebration of 101 Underrated and Overlooked Fright Flicks, edited by Aaron Christensen. Another contributors include Anthony Timpone, B.J. Colangelo, Dave Alexander, Classic-Horror.com's own Robert C. Ring and John W. Bowen. Pick up a copy today from Amazon.com!

Posts by Dana Gravesen

Review: Hostel (2005)

Submitted by Dana Gravesen on Wed, 2006-07-19 00:00

Hostel is a film so ridiculous, so filled with unbearable lapses in logic, and so devoid of anything remotely based in reality that it exists in my mind solely as a tawdry blueprint of how not to construct a horror film. The amazing box office popularity of this dreck keeps me up at nights, and the fact that a sequel is on its way to theaters in 2007 is more frightening than anything conjured here by writer/director Eli Roth. Roth crafted the so-so if mildly entertaining Cabin Fever, but with Hostel, he seems intent to outcrap even the likes of Paul W. S. Anderson.(read more...)

Review: Child's Play 2 (1990)

Submitted by Dana Gravesen on Thu, 2006-07-13 17:23

Where Child's Play successfully used tightly wound, slowly released tension to assist an otherwise outlandish premise, Child's Play 2 is content to trim some of its predecessor's cinematic fat and get right to the point (of the butcher knife, of course). I suppose that's because if you buy the idea of a killer doll once, you'll buy it again: little-to-no explanation required. As with other slasher sequels, Chucky's second outing doesn’t approach the depth of the first film, but unlike others of its ilk, this demented dollhouse offers numerous pleasures within its celluloid walls.
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Review: Last House on the Left (1972)

Submitted by Dana Gravesen on Mon, 2006-04-24 00:00

There are many words to describe Wes Craven’s first horror effort: repulsive, jarring, unnerving, even sadistic. All words relative to the film’s content, to be sure, but that’s one of the striking things about Last House on the Left: from a critical standpoint, it is neither here nor there, good nor bad; it simply is what it is -- a macabre exploitation film intended to shock.(read more...)

Review: Child's Play 3 (1991)

Submitted by Dana Gravesen on Thu, 2006-03-30 17:23

It happens to every successful horror franchise: the one film that creators and fans alike wish never found its way to celluloid; a black cinematic hole so deep, even other lackluster entries in a given series can’t approach its awfulness. Friday the 13th fans have A New Beginning, Nightmare on Elm Street aficionados have Freddy’s Revenge, Halloween diehards have Season of the Witch, and those of us who enjoy the perverse pleasures of obscene plaything Chucky have Child’s Play 3.(read more...)

Review: Bride of Chucky (1998)

Submitted by Dana Gravesen on Wed, 2006-03-08 01:00

This may be as hard to believe as a doll come to life, but Bride of Chucky is one of the best horror films of the 1990s. Gory, trashy, funny, and truly entertaining, the film pays homage to the entire genre, is a send-up of its own predecessors, and plays out like a wild & witty remake of Bride of Frankenstein. And after the surprisingly dreary Child's Play 3 and a seven-year hiatus, it's good to see the ol' Chuckster cleans up real good.(read more...)

Review: Hellraiser: Deader (2005)

Submitted by Dana Gravesen on Fri, 2006-02-10 01:00

The Hellraiser saga has been straight-to-video for years. Deader, the seventh entry, illustrates why. The film is stunningly awful. From its absurd premise, shudder-worthy dialogue, and amateurish acting to its disheartening abandonment of the original Hellraiser lore, Deader makes me wonder if future entries even deserve a medium as popular as DVD. Maybe there's hope for a Lifetime movie of the week?(read more...)

Review: Vampires (1998)

Submitted by Dana Gravesen on Mon, 2006-02-06 01:00

Horror master John Carpenter’s 1998 monster mash Vampires is the director’s only commercially successful film of the last decade, and one of his best creature features. Owing a lot to Kathryn Bigelow’s 1987 horror-western masterpiece Near Dark, Vampires is filled with rousing action, stylish cinematography, and more blood than brains. As a twisted fable of the undead, it ranks among the most creative and dynamic of the genre.(read more...)

Review: Dark Water (2005)

Submitted by Dana Gravesen on Wed, 2006-01-18 15:19

There’s dripping water. Leaking water. Spraying water. Swirling water. Flooding water. Even a water tower. And what does it all add up to? Unfortunately, not much. Dark Water is another American remake of a successful Japanese suspense film that barely misses the mark and stumbles over its own intent to thrill. And it’s a shame. Filled with engaging performances, a moody New York atmosphere, and a suspenseful second act, the film completely derails around the sixty-minute mark and clumsily screeches to a halt with a misguided climax. A climax, I might add, that goes on for scene after bungled scene.(read more...)

Review: Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare (1991)

Submitted by Dana Gravesen on Thu, 2006-01-05 17:29

Director Rachel Talalay (Tank Girl) helms the sixth and supposedly final entry in the traditional Nightmare on Elm Street franchise. Amazingly, the film is fairly successful despite itself. The elements that are good — and there are quite a few — are classic components of the most entertaining entries in the Nightmare saga: outstanding dream sequences, the best movie makeup money can buy, and intriguing plot devices. Unfortunately, most of the creative decisions made on behalf of this particular film fall flat: the 3-D ending is a snoozer, the comedy is trite, and the acting (save Robert Englund) is wooden.(read more...)

Review: Child's Play (1988)

Submitted by Dana Gravesen on Sun, 2006-01-01 19:56

I can safely assume that anyone who's ever uttered "dolls aren't scary" did not grow up with a sister who played with dolls. Not Barbie, mind you, but dolls: those of plastic skin, life-like faces, rabid eyes, and ratty hair. The creators of Child's Play understand the unnerving--if a bit absurd--fear of once stagnant eyes slowly moving across a room. Or a plaything exercising its limbs... without any batteries.(read more...)