I've argued in the past that Hammer Films can only seem to make an excellent horror movie when at least one of the Trifecta of Hammer Horror is involved: Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing, or Terence Fisher. They’ve made adequate films, even good films, without the trifecta, but only the trifecta is capable of making the masterpieces.

Apparently, I have lied to you people.

Nightmare, despite the absence of any member of the Hammer Trifecta, is a Hammer masterpiece. From the chilling beginning to the surprising conclusion, this film sets the bar for British suspense. Sharp, haunting, and absolutely timeless, Nightmare should already be on your video shelf.(read more...)

As Roger Corman's Tomb of Ligeia opens, one striking difference between this film and Corman's other Edgar Allan Poe films becomes immediately apparent. Shooting on location, in the honest-to-gosh English countryside, the director has unbound Ligeia from the stagy, claustrophobic studio sets that marked the rest of the series. Indeed, the entire first reel takes place outdoors. Unfortunately, the change is merely cosmetic, and the result is a lackluster ending to a classic cycle of horror movies.(read more...)

Creating a follow-up to the ghoulish spookshow feature House of 1000 Corpses would be a difficult job by anyone's estimation. While House is not without its own particular charms, it contains little of the depth, if you can call it that, of the 1970s grindhouse flicks it seeks to emulate. Writer/director Rob Zombie, however, has learned some lessons since the release of the first film and crafts an interesting experiment in audience sympathies. Whether that experiment is enough to satisfy the hardcore horror fan remains to be seen.(read more...)