Scarecrow's Blog From the Darkside

 ***/***** Part of the long-forgotten Spanish horror mini-film series, 8 Films to Keep You Awake, “A Christmas Tale” was well regarded by many as the best of the lot. I think so, too, as probably if one were to watch the series, it might recall “The Goonies”, 80s suburban kid adventures, and Stephen King stories. Set at Christmastime, although the setting is perhaps not typical of what one might consider cold and grey (you do see their breath when they talk, so that might be one consolation), kids encounter a pit containing an injured woman in a Santa suit, later discovering from a news report and bulletin that prints in the sheriff’s office that she robbed a bank and is on the lam. The kids could tell the police and turn her in but learning of the money she stole, they decide instead to starve her and wait for her to tell them where the loot is! When she eventually escapes from the pit—after giving them what they requested—the kids must try and distance themselves from her ...

Here’s a quirky post apocalyptic Ferris Bueller Netflix series with inspired casting of Matthew Broderick (perhaps reminding many of “Election”, even) as the square principal of a Glendale high school and Colin Ford as the skateboarder loner, Josh (I know him from an episode of CSI: Miami, titled “Mommy Deadest”), who speaks directly into the camera, narrating what happened when a bomb dropped into the city, before and afterward. There’s the blond, blue-eyed, Sam (short for Samaira), who has the radiant smile and cool personality, that Josh crushes hard for, a tagalong ten-year old arsonist, Angelica (Alyvia Lynd) he babysat a few times (she was a nightmare, always trying to burn something asunder), and letterman jock bully, Wesley (Austin Crute), who turned away from his past of mistreating others, embracing a pacifist life (dressed as a Samurai, opting to follow a code of peace, without violence). Josh lost touch with Sam (who was attending a football game he was late for), ma...

I think by the time most viewers reach or have reached “Attention to Detail” in the first season of Santa Clarita Diet, they are dying to see Joel crack that dick, Dan, who works for the LA Sheriff’s Department and has proved to be a douchebag nuisance who spies on his neighbors, insults them, intrudes upon their lives as if he’s entitled, and even blackmails when he feels like it, over the head with a shovel. If any guy had it coming, it is Dan. Joel, who was already have a rough go of it as of late, just didn’t need Dan’s shit any longer. Dan knows that his wife is having an affair with an oncologist, presenting Joel with another kill in order to keep him and Sheila out of jail for Gary’s death, her lover. We also are made aware when Abby discovers a hidden crawlspace in the wall of the garage along with Eric that Dan is a dirty cop with a cache of money, drugs, and guns! Dan is one bad dude!  The disastrous lone trip to Loki’s apartment (Loki, turned zombie in the previo...

Better times for the young ladies hanging around at Calvin's School Christmas vacation I realized that the last time I watched this was almost ten years ago, December 2009 (the 23 rd ). It was on the mind for a Christmas marathon of various horrors to accompany the usual suspects last year. I just didn’t have the time available but I have been incorporating the lesser Christmas horrors for late November just so I can go ahead and get the viewings in. This was supposed to be the first film, but I chose Black Christmas (2006) instead. Neither will be mandatory Holiday Season viewing going forward. I don’t hate To All a Good Night (1980), a David Hess-directed Santa Claus suit killer flick at a posh sorority /boarding school for young women, but it isn’t the kind of slasher flick that really paces itself well. That middle part of the film, after the first thirty minutes, is a dog to get through…just practically dead space. With interesting characters, at that 35-ish minute...