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 Nate Yapp

Review: The Lost Boys (1987)

Lost Boys poster

Another one to mark down for "Things Nate should have reviewed earlier." This glossy teen vampire flick is a staple on cable channels like USA, and is immensely popular amongst disillusioned adolescents. It's the only review request I get with any frequency. I can see why.

It's not that The Lost Boys is a great cinematic masterpiece, one horribly overlooked in the 1987 Oscars. On the contrary, it's more style than substance, more flashy than focused. The whole affair smacks of the touch of director Joel Schumacher (Batman Forever, 8MM). It's not to say the movie is bad either. There's not a thing that annoyed me (beyond the really awful 80s hair and clothing), and I was entertained.(read more...)

The 2000 Caligari's Cabinet Awards

Hello, I'm your presenter for the evening, Nate Yapp. We're here to give the final results of the Caligari's Cabinet Awards, taken from a poll that you, the reader, took part in during the months of November and December. Yes, all the greatest horror films are here tonight, in bated breath to see which are "among the best," which are "the cream of the crop," and what is "the greatest horror movie ever made!"(read more...)

Review: Night of the Ghouls (1959)

Night of the Ghouls

What if I told you that everyone's favorite director of bad films, Edward D. Wood, Jr. directed a semi-decent film? Blasphemy, you say? Well, my brothers and sister in the Cult of Wood...read on about the Great Trashmeister's one odd film out.(read more...)

Review: Tromeo and Juliet (1996)

Tromeo and Juliet poster

Y'know, I only discovered Troma a short while ago, with The Toxic Avenger, and now I think I have a serious addiction. It would be easy to kick it if they didn't keep getting better at what they do. With Tromeo and Juliet, they combine their patented outrageousness with the Bard and a little arthouse style. Actually, it's a bit of a stretch to call this film "horror," but it's a stretch I'm willing to make.(read more...)

Review: The Toxic Avenger, Part II (1989)

Toxic Avenger Part II poster

In my original Toxic Avenger review, I said that if any other Troma films were as tastelessly great as the Real McCoy, you would see a lot more reviews for films from that studio soon. Well, here we are, and unfortunately, I can't say that The Toxic Avenger, Part II quite lives up to the heights of depravity set be its predecessor. It's cheesy, it's fun, and though later viewings may change this, it does not yet qualify for the honored standing of cheesygoodfun (yes, it's all one word).(read more...)

Review: Repulsion (1965)

Repulsion

Roman Polanski is a frickin' genius. First, he made me paranoid with Rosemary's Baby, then he made me laugh in The Fearless Vampire Killers. He intrigued me with the secrets of The Ninth Gate. Now, he's freaked me out, plain and simple... I'm nearly afraid to be a male.(read more...)

Review: The Toxic Avenger (1985)

Toxic Avenger poster

I happened to watch this Troma release under exactly the conditions required for maximum enjoyment. I was hopped up on caffeine and video games, unwilling to think too hard, and it was 2AM, a time when even politics make sense to a sleep-deprived brain.

Melvin, a mopboy at Tromaville's local health club, was "98 lbs. of pure nerd" until a cruel prank sent him crashing out of a window and into a vat of toxic waste. Now he's the Toxic Avenger, a hulking 7-ft. tall mutant who becomes violently enraged when evil is near, even if he doesn't know why a person is evil. When not fighting crime by tearing off a robber's arm or busting a corrupt crimelord's gut, the Avenger finds time to spend with his blind girlfriend and help little old ladies across the street.(read more...)

Review: The Curse of the Werewolf (1961)

Curse of the Werewolf poster

As usual, Terence Fisher and Hammer Studios take a concept already done exquisitely by Universal in the 30s and 40s and make it their own. This film stands out among a long hallmark of werewolf movies, going for the straight dramatic content of lycanthropy rather than the sensationalism.(read more...)

Review: Werewolf of London (1935)

Werewolf of London poster

Though not the grand spectacle of horror that the later Wolf Man would be, The Werewolf of London still stands out as a fine effort from Universal. Then again, what 1930s Universal chiller doesn't qualify as a classic?(read more...)

Ed Wood's Universe

Ever stop to think that maybe, just maybe, Edward D. Wood, Jr., bad movie king, had a tinge of genius? Shudder if you will, but consider it. Modern indie filmmaker Kevin Smith has taken at least one of Wood's narrative devices: a consistent universe.

A consistent universe involves a series of movies that are not sequels, but have at least one recurring character or location. Films contained in a consistent universe do not usually contradict, and may, on occasion, refer to each other. They basically create one world in which all the films are set.(read more...)