Perhaps our shiny new century's first significant horror trend was sparked by the cult success of a Japanese film entitled Ringu. Its decidedly non-conventional approach seemed to hit a new and different horror nerve. When the Americanized remake (2002's The Ring) became a colossal international hit a surge of interest in East Asian horror films ensued, allowing US audiences to sample their diverse and fascinating output. The subject of this review, Ju-on: The Grudge, presents a modern ghost story that dispenses almost completely with certain horror elements codified in the US while focusing on others with laser like intensity. This mixture creates a film that is a stylistic breath of fresh air that also happens to be one creepy experience. (read more...)

From 1965 to 1973, Max J. Rosenberg and Milton Subotsky's Amicus studios unleashed a string of high quality anthology films that were inspired by the macabre morality tales found in the pages of E.C. Comics. It's a format in which the company would excel, as many of these features are now considered classics. One of the studios finest portmanteau efforts is director Peter Duffel's The House That Dripped Blood. The film is extraordinary from start to finish thanks to its exceptional writing, a star-studded cast, and a crew that enlivens what is, for the most part, a stage-bound production.

The story begins as a police inspector is called in to investigate the disappearance of Paul Henderson, an actor who had moved into a house with a history of strange occurrences. From there the film fractures into four tales which are related to the inspector by the homes real estate agent. They go as follows:(read more...)

The mere prospect of a Nazi zombie evokes dread filled imagery and an almost overwhelming sense of terror. With that being said, it's rather amazing that although this mini sub-genre has been around in one form or another since the 1940's, there are very few films within this particular niche that have the ability to frighten an audience. In fact, many consider most of these films (i.e. Zombie Lake, Oasis of the Zombies) to be of such poor quality that they are difficult to sit through, let alone admire. One exception to this generalization is director Ken Wiederhorn's Shock Waves, a film which manages to impress on various levels despite being straddled with a meager budget.

The premise of Shock Waves is quite basic -- a group of tourists find themselves shipwrecked on a remote island with a former SS officer (Peter Cushing) who hides a terrifying secret.(read more...)