Amando de Ossorio's Return of the Evil Dead (aka El ataque de los muertos sin ojos), the sequel to the writer-director's 1971 zombie film Tombs of the Blind Dead (La noche del terror ciego), might be more appropriately named Knights of the Living Templars. That's not quite accurate either, however, because the Templars, those eyeless, sword-wielding, slow-motion skeletal warriors, are certainly more dead than living. However, for all punny intentions, it certainly captures the spirit of Ossorio's movie, which is very much like a cover of George A. Romero's zombie classic Night of the Living Dead performed by a Spanish tribute band.(read more...)

Before writer-director Adam Green's Hatchet, I couldn't tell you the last time I walked out of a slasher movie smiling like an idiot, or when I last said, "That is so cool!" during an expertly realized gore scene. I have never wanted to hug a director before, but I want to give Green a big bear hug now. Plainly stated, seeing Hatchet was the most fun I’d had with a slasher flick in a long time.

Critically, of course, "fun" is hard to quantify. You can go on the world's biggest roller coaster and then go gibbering to your friends about the time where "the coaster went around this freaky bend" and then "it went upside down twice," and come off sounding like a complete spaz. You're describing the motions and not the experience, the plot of your ride and not the joy.(read more...)