Scarecrow's Blog From the Darkside

 *½ Jeff Burr, the sequel directing machine, stepped up to the plate to direct a couple films for Charles Band’s Full Moon and the Puppet Master franchise. Gordon Currie is robotics genius trying to figure out artificial intelligence, his work connected to Biotech company where two brilliant scientists (played by wasted Felton Perry and Stacie Randall, both of whom deserved to be stars in Full Moon pictures if anything) are visited upon by elaborate creature figures called totems (their murderous path possessed by demons in this underworld where the secret of life animation originates). Currie is, Rick Myers, caretaker of the Cliffside resort, Bodega Bay (I was glad to see the franchise return to this location, although its presence isn’t as pronounced as the first or second films in the series), and uses the space (which just seems limited unlike the first two films where you felt the killer puppets had so much room to go about their devilish business) to conduct his lase

* Warwick Davis was well known to me prior to this awful series of killer Lep films as Willow and as an Ewok. Later he returned to quality films in the Harry Potter series. Under heavy makeup and in a green costume, Davis offers cringe-worthy quips and might call to mind Chucky, the killer doll, considering this was around the time Child's Play was on the mind of slasher fans. Jennifer Aniston (obviously) has disowned the film. I reckon all actors of some considerable stature have that early film best not to mentioned when looking back over their career. Aniston would move on to far better things than Leprechaun. All in all, though, she’s not too bad in the film. She is the damsel in distress always trying to stay one step away from annihilation as Lep pursues her with bad intentions. Lep has lost his crock of gold and is freed from a case holding him. Meanwhile Aniston, Ken Olandt (Amy Steel’s beau in “April Fool’s Day” (1986)), Mark Holton (of “Teen Wolf” and “Gacy” noto

Oh, yeah, and December is right around the corner. Honestly my two favorite months are October and December. Lots of horror should show up on the blog this year once December rolls around. I really like November, too, but after Thanksgiving the remaining days kind of get in the way. I'm ready for my many versions of A Christmas Carol and Black Christmas. Many don the Santa suit, as well, with ax in hand. I'm debating when exactly to watch BC and the Silent Night Deadly Night this year. I've been all over the place with these movies during the month in years past. This year I plan to finally review a film i think is quite great, Christmas Evil. Good times ahead!

Caution: Erotic content **1/2 Admittedly a **1/2 might seem a bit high for some low budget Wynorski smut, but I was a bit taken with a few minor moments in what was just Joe Souza playing a lucky guy who happens upon a cabin in the mountains where fake-breasted porn stars reside as the witches of the title. Souza brings along his squeeze, Monique Parent, and the two are participants in a host of seductive shenanigans, not as much besought or besieged by as voluntarily involved with them. Mainly seeing my favorite softcore star, Parent, involved in two major scenes one of which is outdoors with Joe, as he adds a bit by undoing her clothes methodically, using his teeth on her panties. He was a pro at showing how to handle the ladies, smooth and aware of working their bodies and his expressions. He makes you envy his situation by showing you how swell his character has it with the bevy of wanton witches offering their bodies to him. I know the stance many of my internet friends f

Also known as "Shut In" ** Woman with agoraphobia, losing ailing brother to pancreatic cancer, is unable to leave her home, having to deal with intruding hoods looking for loot willed to her. The film eventually reveals that she and her brother were behind something quite unsavory, tied to their father. The home invaders soon realize that Anne isn't a feeble and easy mark to undo (she was expected to be at her brother, Conrad's funeral.)  Instead she aims to flee but her agoraphobia halts her safe passage out of the front door. The trio of intruders are expectedly despicable and wholly unappealing so any actions against them would be most welcome and rewarding. The film tries to throw the monkey wrench into what looked like your garden variety home invasion / fight for survival flick, with resilient and resourceful agoraphobic persistently avoiding doom by outsmarting and outwitting those needing to silence her due to seeing their faces and knowing their pr

*** I haven't watched this actually since it was in the theater. The purposed single take technique got a lot of attention at the time. It was, for the most part, praised by many who watched it in its initial run. I think I took it for granted in the theater. It particularly becomes an inventive technique when the film goes into psychological and hallucinatory territory as the ending draws near and "Sophie" has greater definition.  Elizabeth Olsen was in her early twenties and coming off Martha Marcy May Marlene so she was just tapping into her talents at this point. She's right at that wonderful age of young adulthood beauty and the camera couldn't follow a lovelier face almost exclusively. The repressed memories and daddy's true abhorrent nature certainly turned stomachs. The film finds creative ways to unveil past horrors and work them into Olsen's present. Little legs hanging off a pool table, and daddy's voice talking her into Pol

* “Hmmm, well whatever turns you on.” “Praise the Lord.” Gotta dig the 70s, man. Quite far out. Gosh, my internet buddies just love “Blood Freak”. I watched it a few years ago just because it made the rounds as a reputed stinker that needed to be seen to be believed. Every decade has its turkeys. The 70s sure as hell had its share. The casting is “Blood Freak” can be summed up in one word: wretched. I’m talking agonizing to the eyes and ears. That alone is something bad movie fans seem to enjoy. That the plot has a lot of preaching from the bible could probably stun many watching all the more. That considering what the film also contains. A biker gives a ride to a lady in hot shorts who takes him to a party where the scene has folks snorting drugs and crouched legs-crossed comfortably on the living room floor. The biker is interested in what the preacher has to say, circumventing her sister’s efforts to fondle and caress him (!), listening to how one cannot hate