One Movie Punch

NARRATOR: “Welcome back to Reign of Terror 2019! 31 straight days of horror movie reviews and interviews. Today’s episode will be a classic horror movie review from our... let’s call him a hero, Joseph for Herk Hervey’s 1962 cult classic, “Carnival of Souls”.”

NARRATOR: “Before the review, however, we’ll be running a promo for Sponsor Sundays. If you like what you’re hearing, and want to support future projects, head over to patreon.com/onemoviepunch to support the podcast. All sponsors get to force Joseph to review a movie of their choice, with just a few exceptions. You’ll also find exclusive content, including part one of an interview with Johnny Daggers, about 2016’s ‘Blood on the Reel’, and many related topics.”

NARRATOR: “The interview will be publicly available for a limited time. At least until Joseph makes it back home. If he makes it home. Will he? Let’s turn out attention back to the fate of our host, in Part Two of “WORLD WITHOUT COLOR”.”

SCENE: Desert

NARRATOR: “Joseph had been walking for what felt like days, but he couldn’t tell. The scrubland around him, as he walked away from the cemetery, turned quietly into a dried, hardpacked desert. Eventually, everywhere he turned, he saw the same, flat, black and white landscape, with heat shimmers rising up.”

JOSEPH: “I must be hallucinating.”

NARRATOR: “And in a sense, he was. As he walked, he imagined the scenes he had seen before. At one point, he thought he saw and heard a car...” 

NARRATOR: “And at another point, he thought he saw a familiar wooden house in the distance. And at yet another point, this one right now in fact, he thought he saw, and heard, a calliope.” 

JOSEPH: “Oh no. Not again. No more clowns or circuses or carnivals.” 

NARRATOR: “Joseph turned away from the carnival, but behind him he saw it again, this time closer. Every time he turned away, it appeared closer, through the heat shimmers, until finally, he was at the gates.”

JOSEPH: “Well, I need to get out of this sun.” 

NARRATOR: “He walked into the carnival, and it was indeed filled with souls, but very particular souls. He saw spectral versions of the podcast team of critics, discussing in one corner, and ran over.” 

JOSEPH: “Guys. Guys!”

NARRATOR: “But it was to no avail. They could neither hear nor see him, nor could he hear what they were saying, although they were talking quite frantically.” 

NARRATOR: “Joseph turned his attention to the others around him. He recognized some of them, from earlier in this bizarre adventure, and there were entirely new faces. Each person was talking with others, then heading off into an attraction, or over to play games, all going about their business entirely oblivious to him, and disappearing when they reached their destination.”

JOSEPH: “This must be some kind of crossroads. I bet if I follow one of these groups, I can get back somewhere that can take me home. But who do I follow?”

NARRATOR: “It was a decision he wouldn’t entirely get to make on his own. A new figure, definitely not spectral, had appeared, rushing people towards one attraction or another, before taking a look at Joseph, raising his finger, and running after him.”

JOSEPH: “Yeah, that can’t be good.”

NARRATOR: “Joseph turned the opposite direction and began running. The other souls were heading into different attractions. He spied a large group of people ahead, entering into an Egyptian-themed attraction, and merged with the group.”

JOSEPH: “Safety in numbers.”

NARRATOR: “The figure reached the edge of the attraction, then stopped, as if prevented from crossing into it. Joseph breathed a sigh of relief, and turned into the attraction, wonder where he was heading next. And you’ll find out tomorrow, in Part Three of “WORLD WITHOUT COLOR”, when we’ll be joined by the cast of Dice Tower Theater, who will be reviewing the 1932 classic horror film, ‘The Mummy’, starring Boris Karloff. And we’ll see how this particular story... wraps up?”

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Today’s movie is “Carnival of Souls” (1962), the horror mystery feature-length film from Herk Harvey, written in collaboration with John Clifford. The film follows Mary Henry (Candace Hilligoss), a woman drawn to a mysterious abandoned carnival after a major accident. The film saw a revival in the early 1990s and has periodically been featured around the world at various film festivals.

Spoilers ahead.

Who’s Herk Harvey? I know I asked that question when this film appeared on my radar. Harvey worked for Centron Films, involved in writing, producing, and even starring in a series of short films made for industry, schools, government, and general documentaries. Chances are if you grew up between the 1970s and 1990s, you have probably seen one or more of his shorts. And on a trip back to their base in Lawrence, Kansas from Salt Lake City, Utah, he was drawn to an abandoned carnival, and returned to work with John Clifford to pen a film utilizing the location.

“Carnival of Souls” (1962) is an incredibly well-composed and well-connected film. Mary Henry’s character as a professional organ player connects the film to the full organ score by Gene Moore, moving between lofty church hymns and eerie carnival dirges. The Saltair Pavilion was almost ready-made for the story, needing only extras with makeup and clever camera work to accentuate each scene. The sound editing feels very much like a radio drama, and the visual editing is a mix of neat special effects (at least for the time) and tributes to silent movie montages, particularly the final scenes, including the stinger at the end.

Perhaps the most incredible thing about this film was that it was placed immediately into public domain in the United States, because the initial print failed to include a copyright. It made it fair game for anyone to find and broadcast, which meant Harvey and his investors were cut out of their $33,000 investment, and that local stations could acquire, cut and broadcast the film as they wished, royalty free. But perhaps this worked to the film’s advantage, as its audience grew over time, building acclaim until an official home release was developed, so at least Harvey knew his work was appreciated, and I believe would see how influential it really was. 

“Carnival of Souls” (1962) is a once forgotten, now universally acclaimed horror mystery film, serving as possible muse to more than one director. It may have been Herk Harvey’s only feature-length film, but it is spectacular, especially given its budget and its limited initial distribution. Fans of old ghost stories, or fans of cult films in general, should definitely check out this film, and hopefully you’ll be as surprised with it as I was.

NARRATOR: “Welcome back to Reign of Terror 2019! 31 straight days of horror movie reviews and interviews. Today’s episode will feature Niall Cooper of the Assassinations podcast, who will be reviewing the 1959 cult classic, ‘Plan 9 From Outer Space’. A promo will run before the review.”

NARRATOR: “But now, let’s turn our attention to the fate of our host Joseph, in Part One of “WORLD WITHOUT COLOR”!” 

SCENE: Cemetery.

NARRATOR: “When we last left our hero...” NARRATOR: “Yikes. And yet, somehow, Joseph was still alive, although he was no longer in the less spacious trunk of a car, but had been placed in a much smaller, much more confined space.” 

JOSEPH: “Now where am I?” 

NARRATOR: “Joseph was able to maneuver one of his arms up, feeling the length of the wooden box, first with his hands, then with his feet. The exploration was first calm, then became more frantic, until he began to hear voices.”

NIALL: “We are gathered here today to celebrate the passing of Joseph Dobzynski (DAHB-ZIN-SKI), Jr. He was a good man, but only a fair-to-middling podcast host…” 

JOSEPH: “Hey!”

NARRATOR: “Sometimes the truth hurts.”

NIALL: “...but he will always be remembered for his ill-fated attempt to complete 31 days of horror movie reviews and interviews, disappearing weeks before the event.”

JOSEPH: “LET ME OUT!”

NIALL: “Even now, I feel like I can hear his voice...”

JOSEPH: “I’m not dead yet!”

NIALL: “...quoting Monty Python in the worst of circumstances. He has survived two trunk rides, a bus ride, two haunted houses, and an encounter with two alien species. But he couldn’t survive a car crash. Not even with...”

NARRATOR: “The voice stopped, as if remembering something.”

NIALL: “...but has anyone tried it?”

JOSEPH: “Tried what?”

NIALL: “No. No, I don’t believe anyone has.”

JOSEPH: “Tried WHAT?”

NIALL: “But could it be...” 

JOSEPH: “TRIED? WHAT?” 

NIALL: “Could he survive... PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE!”

JOSEPH: “What?”

NIALL: “I said... PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE!”

JOSEPH: “What the hell is Plan 9 From Outer Space?”

NIALL: “Maybe, if I just take this random prop, and pretend to alter it enough for the camera...”

JOSEPH: “Cameras? What cameras?” 

NIALL: “...it will resonate with his pituitary and pineal glands, causing him to...” 

JOSEPH: “What’s happening?!”

NIALL: “Yes, I think it’s working. Now if we remove the cover. He’s alive!” 

NARRATOR: “Joseph’s eyes immediately closed against the bright white light from outside the coffin, even while gulping in fresh air and pulling himself up and out of the grave. It wasn’t until he opened his eyes that he noticed three things. First...” 

JOSEPH: “Everything is in black and white!” 

NARRATOR: “...and it was true, as if all the color had been pulled out of the world, leaving only various shades of grey. And turning to the source of the voice, he saw a roughly humanoid figure, wearing a particularly cheap and corny mask made to look alien.” 

NIALL: “It has worked! He has risen! And now, I must go!”

NARRATOR: “And that lead to the third thing, which was a giant flying saucer, seemingly made from similarly cheap materials. Joseph watching the masked figure ascend the steps, waiting for the prop to fall apart, but it didn’t.” 

NIALL: “Now keep going, Joseph, and see if your stupid, stupid mind can survive the final trials ahead of you.” 

NARRATOR: “Smoke began to erupt from underneath the craft, as the loading ramp retracted into the structure. The door sealed, and the craft slowly began to rise, in defiance of all physical laws, various definitions of sanity, and every matter of good taste. And then, suddenly, it disappeared.”

JOSEPH: “What the hell is going on now?”

NARRATOR: “What indeed? All Joseph knew was that he had survived the grave, and now he was in a graveyard, located in the middle of a scrubland. Every direction was the same.”

JOSEPH: “Well, I can’t stay here.”

NARRATOR: “And Joseph began walking, away from one grave, but was he heading towards another? Find out tomorrow in Part Two of “WORLD WITHOUT COLOR”, when we’ll be running Joseph’s classic review of “Carnival of Souls”. Yes, Joseph. That’s right. More calliope.” 

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Today’s movie is “Plan 9 From Outer Space” (1959), a shlock sci-fi horror exploitation flick written, produced, and directed by Edward Davis Wood, Jr. Infamously one of the worst motion pictures ever committed to celluloid, we witness an alien race reviving the dead in San Fernando, California. 

An old man stands at the graveside of his recently departed wife. He sheds a tear. We feel for him, and for a moment - the briefest moment - we ask ourselves: Is this movie going to be any good? We are soon disabused of this silly notion. For while the old man, played by iconic actor Bela Lugosi, offers us a moment of pathos, “Plan 9”quickly gets into the spooky schlock for which its writer/director Ed Wood was notorious. I won’t bother you with the plot beyond what I’ve already said: aliens + undead = spooky nonsense. In my view the best - the very best - line of dialogue is: “Why is it that so many thoughtful people on Earth are scared of those who cannot think - the dead.”

If we are being kind, we might note that there are some allegorical messages about nuclear weapons and government secrecy. But let’s not try to make whole cloth from such thin material. Rather, the best part of this film is the story behind it. “Plan 9”was supposed to be called “Grave-Robbers From Outer Space”. And in fact, this title is used in the film’s opening monologue. However, bizarrely, the movie was financed by members of a Southern Baptist Church, who opposed this title as being too ungodly. So “Plan 9”it was. And why not?

The cast is made up of a motley crew of Ed Wood regulars and associates, including actor/wrestler Tor Johnson; celebrity psychic Charles Criswell King; socialite drag queen Bunny Breckinridge; and television’s first lady of fright, Vampira. More than anything else, “Plan 9”shows just what can be achieved in Hollywood with grit, determination, and a plucky attitude. Not much.

“Plan 9” is bonkers. The special effects are crummy. The dialogue is risible. Most of the acting is hammy. And yet this is a film with heart. Wood never let the limitations of budget or talent get in the way. He pressed on with his vision regardless, and he could rally people around him to bring that vision - however imperfectly - to life. His projects were veritable islands of misfit toys, with a strange array of the weird and wonderful, the has-beens and the never-weres, coming together. This is what attracted director Tim Burton to make his wonderful 1994 film, called “Ed Wood”, in which he lovingly portrays this unconventional family as they make their way through the unglamorous world of Hollywood B-movies.

The film has in recent years become a cult camp classic amongst retro sci-fi and horror fans. If you don’t watch “Plan 9 From Outer Space”- and I wouldn’t blame you if you didn’t - then please, please do watch Burton’s take on the remarkable men and women behind it. 

Rotten Tomatoes: 67%

Metacritic: NR

One Movie Punch: 3.0/10

“Plan 9 From Outer Space”is available through Amazon, iTunes, and the Retro Movie Theater app.

Thanks, One Movie Punch, for letting me review this cult classic. And next time you’re in a graveyard in San Fernando and you see a flying saucer, stop awhile and think of Ed Wood.

NARRATOR: “Welcome back to Reign of Terror 2019! 31 straight days of horror movie reviews and interviews. Today’s episode will feature Ryan L. Terry, occasional contributor to One Movie Punch, who will be reviewing the 1997 slasher film, ‘I Know What You Did Last Summer’. His promo will run before the review." 

NARRATOR: “But now, let’s turn our attention to the fate of our host Joseph, in Part Four of “FOUR MORE STOPS”!”

SCENE: Bayou Road 

NARRATOR: “When we last left Joseph, he was walking down a road in a bayou, having just escaped a bus full of hatchet sharpening children. He had seen and heard nothing but the sounds of the bayou and his footsteps on the ground.” 

JOSEPH: “The humidity is awful. And not a single crossroad. At least I’m walking, though, and not running.” 

NARRATOR: “Joseph had done enough running today, most of which was being chased by something or another. Now he just wanted to lay down and finally rest, but with all the creepy crawly things off the road, that wasn’t happening.”

JOSEPH: “Oh hell no!”

NARRATOR: “So, he walked. He walked until he finally heard a car approaching.”

JOSEPH: “Oh, thank goodness!”

NARRATOR: “The car was approaching on the opposite side of the road. He leaned out a bit, waving his arms, and the car flashed its lights, letting Joseph know he was seen...”

JOSEPH: “Finally! Help!”

NARRATOR: “... and just before veering to hit Joseph.”

NARRATOR: “It ended up being a glancing blow, as Joseph stumbled at the last minute, and fell just out of the way. The car came to a quick stop and opened up.” 

RYAN: “Oh, don’t worry guys, it was just an animal.”

JOSEPH: “Ryan?”

RYAN: “No one’s alive here. We can keep going.”

JOSEPH: “Actually, I think I’m fine, let me just try and stand up...”

NARRATOR: “Ryan returned to the car, threw it into reverse, and backed up, hitting Joseph again in the process.”

JOSEPH: *worse for wear* “Ryan, it’s me... I need...”

RYAN: “Nope. Nothing here again.”

JOSEPH: “Come on, Ryan! I just need...”

NARRATOR: “But Ryan was already returning to the car. Joseph pulled himself up to his knees, then stood up, as the car was getting ready to pull out.”

JOSEPH: “Ryan!" 

RYAN: “What? I don’t hear anything?”

NARRATOR: “Said Ryan from the car, reassuring his passengers that everything was fine, even as Joseph reached up for the hood.”

JOSEPH: “Ryan, I...”

NARRATOR: “But Ryan was spooked seeing Joseph there, and gunned the accelerator, which ran Joseph up on the hood of the car, blocking Ryan’s line of sight.”

NARRATOR: “Joseph was screaming.”

JOSEPH: “AAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!”

NARRATOR: “Ryan was screaming.”

RYAN: “AAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!”

NARRATOR: “Even I was screaming!”

ALL THREE: “AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!”

NARRATOR: “Joseph was still barely conscious, thrown to the side, but heavily bruised and bleeding out. He could only hear snippets of what Ryan was saying.”

RYAN: “Whew! Everyone okay?”

RYAN: “What?! No, I don’t think we hit anything that time, either.”

RYAN: “Well, it might have looked like a guy on the hood.” 

RYAN: “Oh, you mean THIS guy!”

JOSEPH: “Ry... an...” *delirious*

RYAN: “No, no, I have no idea who this is. But we can’t leave him here to be found... I mean, we should take the body to the hospital. You get the ankles. I’ll grab the wrists. Trust me, he’s not hurt that bad. It looks a lot worse than it seems.” 

NARRATOR: “And they picked up his body, still barely breathing, and placed him within a much less spacious trunk, closing the door, the glow-in-the-dark escape handle being the last thing that Joseph saw before fully passing out.” 

NARRATOR: “What would be the fate of Joseph? Find out tomorrow in Part One of “WORLD WITHOUT COLOR”, when we’ll be joined by Niall Cooper of the Assassinations Podcast, who will be reviewing Ed Wood’s 1959 flop turned cult classic, “Plan 9 From Outer Space”. Joseph certainly needs a plan if he’s going to survive.”

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Happy Halloween everybody!

While many horror movies take place around Halloween, other holidays have their own share, including “Black Christmas”, “My Bloody Valentine”, and even The 4th of July’s “Jaws”. While I love to watch “Jaws”, I also enjoy re-watching today’s movie right around the 4thof July, the quintessential 90s slasher “I Know What You Did Last Summer”. Written by “Scream”co-writer Kevin Williamson, directed by Jim Gillespie, starring a then all-star cast including: “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”’s Sarah Michelle Gellar, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Freddie Prinze Jr, and Ryan Phillippe. 

Last summer, a group of four partying teenagers accidentally struck a fisherman in the middle of the road. But instead of alerting the police, they dumped his body in the ocean to cover up their crime as they all go their separate ways after high school. This summer, one of the friends receives a letter confronting them with the crime — I know what you did last summer. While tracking down the author of the letter, one of the secret-sharing group of friends is ironically run over by a man with a meat hook. The terror only increases from there, as the killer with the hook continues to stalk the rest of the friends.

It’s been more than 20 years since “I Know What You Did Last Summer”convinced us to pay attention to the roadway at night or else risk the wrath of a meat hook handed slasher, and this is consistently one of those 90s horror movies that is either loved or despised. Won’t find much middle ground here, folks. Personally, this ranks highly for me when talking 90s horror. While this movie has not seen the legacy and timeless influence that “Scream”has, there is still a lot to like, especially if you are a slasher fan or simply enjoy the excellent chemistry in our lead ensemble cast. For instance, we would not have “Scary Movie” if it wasn’t for “I Know”and “Scream”, we may not have the Hash Slinging Slasher from “Spongebob Squarepants”, and we wouldn’t have the real-life love between still-married Gellar and Prinze Jr, both of whom were in the campy, self-aware melodramatic classic “Cruel Intentions”. So perhaps the wide-reaching influence of this movie is indirect, and thus gets overlooked. 

Despite the R-rating, the violence is quite minimal in this movie, and that’s what I want to highlight here. One of the quintessential elements of most 80s/90s slashers is the entertaining, explicit, and even campy gore! Surprisingly, you won’t find a prolific amount of gore and violence in “I Know” but the implied violence works very well to drive up the tension and suspense as we try to solve the mystery of the identity of the hook-handed slasher before all the friends meet their demise. When on the one hand, it should be easy to dismiss this movie as a “Scream” rip-off, the movie saves itself from being completely dismissed because it knew precisely what it was, and unapologetically rocked it.

Believe it or not, there is a hidden strength in the story that rarely gets talked about. It’s a great psycho-social commentary on perception as reality and the cognitive development of a young adult. Moreover, “I Know”’s real genius is in how it confronts each of the lead cast with questions that all of us ask ourselves, such as simply knowing who we can trust, fight or flight, and varying degrees of self-centeredness. It functions very well as a study of every individual teen’s mental state. Just like the characters in the movie, we (the audience) are wondering exactly whocan be trusted. Sure, if you think too much about the movie, the plot falls apart, but isn’t that the case with many slashers? Everything from the twists and turns, to the suspense, to the red herrings, a murderer screaming “you’ve got no place to hide”, not to mention the classic horror score, deliver a movie that is fun to watch, highly entertaining, and even rewatchable. 

Rotten Tomatoes: 42

Metacritic: 52

IMDb: 5.7

One Movie Punch: 6.0/10

You can find “I Know What You Did Last Summer” streaming on most major streaming outlets.

NARRATOR: “Welcome back to Reign of Terror 2019! 31 straight days of horror movie reviews and interviews. Today’s episode will feature the DC High Podcast, who will be reviewing the 2006 independent horror film, ‘Hatchet’. A promo will run before the review.”

NARRATOR: “But now, let’s turn our attention to the fate of our host Joseph, in Part Three of “FOUR MORE STOPS”!” 

SCENE: Charter Bus / Bayou

NARRATOR: “When we last left Joseph, he was watching his daughter fight off the classic horror monsters, lucky enough to be hauled aboard the school bus now driving into a bayou.” 

D: “Excuse me. Excuse me. Can I have everyone’s attention?” 

C: “Quiet on the bus!” 

NARRATOR: “Joseph immediately turned towards the two mysterious voices, one of which had a clipboard, the other a whistle around their neck.” 

D: “We’re going to do a little roll call here. Make sure we didn’t forget anyone. I know you’re all excited for the haunted swamp tour that’s next.”

C: “Ben? Is Ben here?” 

NARRATOR: “Joseph raised his hand, then felt stupid, and simply called out...” 

JOSEPH: “My daughter was left back there.”

D: “Sir, please wait your turn. Do you hear anyone else interrupting?”

NARRATOR: “Joseph turned, and did not see anyone else interrupting. Or anyone at all.”

C: “Marybeth Dunstan? Marybeth?" 

JOSEPH: “There’s no one on the bus!”

D: “Sir, clearly that’s not true. You’re here, obviously. Please wait.”

C: “Marcus? Marcus?”

JOSEPH: “Shouldn’t you have done this BEFORE leaving the haunted house back there?” 

D: “Sir, do you want to be the field trip chaperone?” 

C: “Victor Crowley? Victor?”

JOSEPH: “Crowley? Wait a minute... did you say haunted swamp tour?”

D: “Sir, quiet!”

C: “Misty? Shawn? Jenna? Doug Shapiro?”

JOSEPH: “I think that last one is made up." 

D: “Sir?”

C: “Joseph?”

JOSEPH: “That’s me!” 

C: “Permatteo?”

JOSEPH: “Wait, nevermind.”

C: “All right, that’s everyone. Anyone we missed?”

JOSEPH: “Yes!”

D: “Oh yes, the annoying one.”

C: “What’s your name?”

JOSEPH: “Joseph Dobzynski, Jr.”

C: “I’m sorry, you’re not on the list.”

JOSEPH: “I know. Neither was One Movie Spawn.”

D: “Driver, stop the bus.” 

NARRATOR: “The bus came to a swift stop, throwing Joseph into the deceptively unpadded seat.”

JOSEPH: “Ow!”

D: “Off the bus, sir. I don’t know what kind of freeloader you are, but we’re taking these kids on a haunted swamp tour. You’re lucky we don’t call the police.”

JOSEPH: “Actually, please do!” 

C: “Off the bus, sir. You’re scaring the kids.” 

JOSEPH: “I don’t see any...” 

NARRATOR: “But as he turned around, he did see children. Ghostly looking children, all quietly staring at him, all quietly sharpening spectral hatchets.”

JOSEPH: “Oh, well... well, I probably should be leaving.”

D: “I think so.”

NARRATOR: “He paused at the door, reconsidering his options, looking at the bug-infested bayou outside, then back at the bus, where the driver and the two chaperones were also the same ghostly consistency.” 

ANDREW: *meek child voice* “Help me!”

JOSEPH: “I’m out. Good bye!”

NARRATOR: “Joseph stepped off the bus, and watched it pull away, slowly turning ghostly and disappearing into the mists rising from the swamp around him. He took one look at the bayou.”

JOSEPH: “Not going in there." 

NARRATOR: “Then turned the opposite direction the bus had gone, and started back towards the way he had come. Where would he end up next? Find out tomorrow in Part Four of “FOUR MORE STOPS”, featuring our own Ryan L. Terry, who will be reviewing the 1997 slasher classic, ‘I Know What You Did Last Summer’." 

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C: “Today’s movie is ‘Hatchet’ (2006), the slasher film directed by Adam Green and written for the screen by Adam Green.”

D: “The premise of this film is following the legend of Victor Crowley (Kane Hodder) based out of the ol’ bayous of Louisiana.”

C: “It follows a group of unsuspecting tourists, who come together in forces to try to survive a deadly legend.” D: “Spoilers ahead!”

C: “This movie is the epitome of the classic slasher cult film. It has plenty of gore, jumps, and giggles to keep you intrigued for the duration of its less than modern effects. The movie has plenty of Easter Eggs of great horror icon faces scattered throughout as well. You will see appearances from the dream master himself, Robert Englund; the man with the hook for a hand who responds to 3’s and loves his bees, Tony Todd; and of course, the big, the bad, the machete wielding Kane Hodder in a couple of roles.”

D: “Kane Hodder delivers another perfect 10 performance and held his title of Horror Icon King in my opinion, by playing another well commenced, larger than life, serial killer. He envelops himself completely in his roles, even to the point that he refuses to speak to the other actors before filming. He is also the main influence of the style of the kill scenes. The movie was filmed in the classic cult style. Plus, it has great comedy hidden in it as well portrayed by some comedian faces you will recognize with their overly cliché portrayals of slasher victims.”

C: “The movie has plenty of the blood-splattering, jump-out-of-your-seat, shiny gut moments that happen every time you turn around. It picks the team away while giving you a new killing experience for every victim. The pure strength and drive of the portrayed killer is enough to make you cringe. Hope your ready to troll through the swamps and Crowley’s woods because your next!” 

D: “So, the long and short of it is that this film is well thought out with the talent and the writing in order to keep even the most picky of horror film enthusiasts happy. With guts, jumps, and giggles, how could you go wrong?”

Rotten Tomatoes: 52%

Metacritic: 57

One Movie Punch: 9.0/10

D: “’Hatchet’ (2006) is rated R for strong bloody violence, sexual content, nudity, and language, and is available on Amazon Prime, Vudu, iTunes, and Tubi!”

Hi everyone! 

Welcome to Reign of Terror 2019! 31 straight days of horror movie reviews and interviews with yours truly, our team of critics, and a host of other podcasts. That’s pretty much it. I’m sure since we’ve pre-loaded this episode back in September that nothing has happened to me, or that I’ve been kidnapped, or have fled from aliens, or have been shot out of a circus cannon. That would just be silly. 

Because otherwise, I wouldn’t be able to say how excited I am to feature today’s review of “Blood on the Reel”. This no-budget documentary film covers the independent, microbudget horror film scene, whose subjects are just as interesting as the evolution of the documentary itself. Whenever I connect with someone online, I always like to check their filmography, so when Johnny Daggers followed the show, and I saw this documentary in his credits, I just had to reach out. I was stoked when he said yes, and we sat down for over two hours, talking about his career, early Hollywood films, the independent horror scene, along with his recent and current projects. Speaking of which, be sure to check out Johnny’s website at officialjohnnydaggers.com for more information on all his work, including his most recent film, “The Noctambulist”, and his recent illustrated children’s book, “Neverlasting”. 

We’ll have a bit of a format switch for today. Instead of the usual trailer segments, we’re going to run the whole trailer audio for “Blood on the Reel” prior to the review. Throughout the review, I’ll be including segments from our interview where appropriate. And if you want to hear the full interview, it will be available in two parts in October as another pair of Patreon exclusives. Unless someone has accidentally made all our Patreon media free and I am unable to find my way back to our podcast headquarters.

We will be publishing weekly exclusive content going forward, which you can only get by signing up with a monthly donation at patreon.com/onemoviepunch at any level. You’ll also be invited to request one movie review from yours truly, as long as we haven’t reviewed it yet, with just a few exceptions. All support goes to paying our expenses and to help us grow with our audience. 

Here’s just a taste of what you’ll be missing:

JOHNNY: “And there’s so much I could have talked about. Like, for instances, one of my pitfalls was being watched under a microscope while you’re still learning your trade. 2010, make a short film, don’t expect anyone to see it, then it goes to a film festival. Next thing you know, I’m getting a phone call from magazines, because I had just started ‘Caustic Zombies’, which was very pre-production, and they’re like, ‘Oh, we want to have you on for an interview.’ And then it was just like, immediately I was thrust into this media spotlight, and I’m like, ‘I don’t even know what the hell I’m doing yet.’ You know, even with ‘Caustic Zombies’, I don’t know what the hell I’m doing. I’m just a guy that started making a film because I love it.”

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Here we go! 

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Today’s movie is “Blood on the Reel”, the low-budget documentary directed by Johnny Daggers and written in collaboration with Craig Everett Earl. The documentary covers the independent microbudget horror film scene, a how-to guide to making your own films, and a healthy collection of cautionary tales about filming with very little money and even less hope for success. The film was produced by Daggervision Films, Johnny’s film company, and distributed by SGL Entertainment.

No spoilers. 

The horror movie scene really took a turn in the 1970s. Coming out of the Golden Age of Hollywood, the industry saw the rise of independent filmmakers, with a categorical disregard for rating systems and production codes, willing to tell stories deemed too risky for the major studios, and finding more and more commercial success. Low-budget films like “Night of the Living Dead” (1968) and “The Texas Chain Saw Massacre” (1974) (Episode #035) would be produced on shoestring budgets and would largely redefine horror for their respective subgenres. Films weren’t being made for the largest possible audience, but for smaller, more intentional audiences. 

Towards the end of the decade, and especially in the eighties, came the rise of the slasher films, but also the camcorder, which would put the tools for filmmaking within the reach of some middle class homes. Another burst of independent filmmakers hit the scene, producing pictures with this new technology, and finding their audiences at the growing conventions and film festivals, and home video sales would open up new opportunities for filmmakers, especially as the jump from cassette tape to DVD brought production costs even lower. It was a time period that Johnny Daggers knew well. 

JOHNNY: “Now, the problem with conventions, and I’ve been going to conventions since ’98? Because I’m going to be fifty soon, so I’ve been in this for so long. So going back, being the cranky old man... back in the nineties there was convention out in Pennsylvania where I’m originally from. It was called the Monster Bash Film Festival. It was the very first one in the nineties. At that particular point in time, I was publishing a fanzine that reviewed independent films and goth musicians and so forth, and I had a press pass to go to the Monster Bash.” 

JOHNNY: “Where Gunnar Hansen was there, who was Leatherface in ‘[The] Texas Chain Saw Massacre’. Lon Chaney, Jr. was there. Sarah Karloff, which was Boris Karloff’s daughter, was there. You could just literally just walk right up to somebody. Gunnar Hansen, I mean, this is going back to the nineties, I didn’t even recognize him without his Leatherface mask on. He was just this older gentleman with white hair and a big white beard, and he was sitting at a booth with a little stuffed cow, and I just thought, ‘Wow, this is Leatherface?’ Sarah Karloff and Lon Chaney, Jr. and Bela Lugosi, Jr. were there. They all signed autographs for free. Posed for pictures.”

It was a great scene, until the money got involved... 

JOHNNY: “As far as being an independent filmmaker at a convention, it’s hard to compete against all the big celebrities that the convention have nowadays. And the big celebrities are charging astronomical fees for autographs and merchandise and photos. When people have a fixed or limited income, let’s say you spend twenty or thirty dollars to go to a convention, just to get in. And then you have to account whether you’re getting a hotel room and you’re staying there for the weekend, that’s an added expense, plus food and drinks while you’re there. Then you want to save up for autographs from your favorite celebrities, and pictures, and their merchandise. After that’s all said and done, most of the people that stop at an independent booth, will look at your products, but they don’t really want to spend the money because they don’t really have the money left.” 

Even the independent conventions have ballooned into nothing more than fan-centered advertising, which we see nowadays in large scale events like San Diego Comic Con. Conventions where you would go to discover new properties were now filled mostly with established artists hawking their wares. Even some film festivals have become prohibitively expensive and crowded. The great irony now is that it is cheaper than ever to make a film, and it’s the hardest thing in the world to get recognized in the vast ocean of the Internet. So, where does one go to take a look at the current microbudget independent horror scene? Well, aside from Twitter, you can check out “Blood on the Reel”, which came from an unexpected trove of stories from independent horror filmmakers.

JOHNNY: “I put out on Facebook that I was in the process of making a documentary called ‘Blood on the Reel’. Before I knew it, I had... I had ninety filmmakers, from all over the world, blow up my inbox, saying, ‘We have stories we would love to share. Like, we would love to be a part of your documentary.’ Okay, wow... this has just taken on a whole new life of its own. What was meant to maybe be a bonus feature release, or a re-release for ‘Samhain’ has now turned into this big thing. And I started thinking, ‘Wow, we have something here, because we can compare... maybe indie filmmakers in another country have it better than we do here, because as we all know, in Europe they’re a little bit more supportive of the arts and the funding of the arts, so maybe they don’t face the same tribulations and pitfalls that we do in the US. So, I thought this is really cool.” 

The concept for “Blood on the Reel” is categorically brilliant. In a world where anyone with a smartphone can now film and produce a movie, there are more filmmakers than ever, producing everything from YouTube shorts to feature-length films. And with the power of the Internet, we can produce and share content faster and easier than ever before. Johnny was getting gigabytes of content, but also quickly realizing it wasn’t as great as it seemed. 

JOHNNY: “A lot of footage that was sent, you can imagine, with that many filmmakers, there was a plethora of different film formats sent to me, both for audio and video. Some filmmakers took time to properly light their set. Other filmmakers used no lights at all, so the lighting was off and looked terrible. Some people have a professional audio guy record their sound while others just used whatever equipment that they had.” 

JOHNNY: “So, it literally in that aspect, kind of turned into a nightmare, where I really had to weed it down to not only who had the best stories, but who had the best-looking footage that I could possibly use.”

Microbudget filmmakers don’t always have the equipment to make the crisp videos on display in high budget documentaries. You can see the stark differences in production quality throughout the film, which impacts the visual cohesion. You can also see the stark differences in how each person presented themselves, everything from relaxed videos on the couch to a full suit and tie presentation from Troma veteran James Balsamo. Eventually, you need to take stock of what’s possible and also what’s appropriate for the subject. 

JOHNNY: “I literally couldn’t go there with my cameras and do the cinematography. To me, it was just kind of just someone back in the eighties sitting around, putting a compilation cassette tape together. Like, I was just kind of taking compilation video footage and throwing it together and saying these are our stories, and I didn’t have full control, and I have OCD and I’m a bit of a control freak, so it kinda really bothered me that I couldn’t have control over so much of the film.”

JOHNNY: “So, when I was thinking about how I wanted to put the documentary together, I thought, ‘You know, I could polish up some of this raw footage that people sent me, but this is about the nitty gritty independent low-budget horror films. And, I kind of went with the idea of, I want this to be a film that, back in the day, if you went to your local video store, that had the section for independent horror filmmakers, which I was blessed to have a couple video stores like that around where I come from, where you can find the cheesiest, most b-bizarre-films that you could possibly find. I wanted it to be one of those movies, that you might not even realize was on the shelf of your video store, but it was on the bottom shelf and kind of, somehow, fell to the floor, and you tripped over it while you were walking out, and you were like, what’s this? Oh, this looks interesting. If you overpolish it, and it’s about indie films, that’s going to lose that aesthetic of like, the true grit.”

And that’s what it is. It’s probably the best version of that documentary, given the finances and the resources, the spirit of the subjects being spotlighted, and its intended audience. The independent horror fan in me absolutely loves the spectrum of creators on display, even if some of the content needs all the trigger warnings. The creator in me appreciates the concept, the approach, and the style. But the critic in me can’t ignore the lack of cohesion, or the somewhat overbearing presence of Johnny Daggers throughout the film, which was a necessary inclusion.

JOHNNY: “It was not my intent to be in the documentary as much as I was. I was surprised, and maybe it’s because I’m an archivist, but like, I archive everything. If I like something, not even from my own work, but if I love a band, I will get every vinyl that they’ve ever released. I just archive everything. I love to be an archivist. When it came time for the ‘Blood on the Reel’ documentary, I reached out to these filmmakers, and said I want to hear your stories about the trials and tribulations, but I want to hear your success stories, and I want you to send me footage of premieres, and screenings, and send me video footage that you have of certain events or conventions. I honestly didn’t think anybody was going to give me any footage other than what I had on my own films. Because nobody had anything! Literally, out of all the filmmakers involved, I only had two say, ‘I actually have recorded footage of a screening or a premiere or...’ I couldn’t believe it! I was just like, you know, I thought everybody did.” 

Even with all its flaws, however, there is still plenty to appreciate about the documentary. “Blood on the Reel” doubles as a how-to guide for independent cinema, in the tradition of “The Anarchist Cookbook”. Each creator talks openly about their trials and tribulations, with some stories that are truly depressing. I could definitely identify with their feelings, and their financial pain. I had a concert promotion go very sour in the early 2000s, where we lost a great deal of money. But it’s not all horror stories and cautionary tales. 

JOHNNY: “I was just trying to show that you can have success. You can get on the radio and you can get on television and have screenings at actual movie theaters and get a distribution deal. The one thing I’m thankful for with ‘Blood on the Reel’ is that it not only landed me my first distribution deal, but I would say that fifty to sixty percent of the filmmakers that were in ‘Blood on the Reel’ got a distribution deal with SGL Entertainment because they were seen in that documentary. I was happy that ‘Blood on the Reel’ got other filmmakers signed.” 

“Blood on the Reel” is a low-budget, independent documentary about low-budget, independent horror films. Johnny Daggers compiles and arranges the trials and tribulations of the microbudget horror scene to deliver a visual mixtape of independent creators. If you like microbudget cinema, and you love independent horror films, then this film is truly for you! 

Rotten Tomatoes: NR

Metacritic: NR

One Movie Punch: 6.5/10

“Blood on the Reel” (2016) is not rated and is available for streaming on Amazon Prime, or by visiting the SGL Entertainment website at sglmoviestore.com.

Thanks once again to Johnny Daggers for his participation. I really enjoyed our conversation. And you can catch the full interview coming up on Patreon in the next two weeks.

See you tomorrow! 

I hope?

NARRATOR: “Welcome back to Reign of Terror 2019! 31 straight days of horror movie reviews and interviews. Today’s episode will feature One Movie Spawn, aka Eileen Dobzynski, from One Movie Punch, who will be reviewing the cult horror classic, ‘The Monster Squad’.”

NARRATOR: “However, before the review, instead of a promo for One Movie Punch, we’ll be running a promo for the Two Views Movies podcast, hosted by Garrett Wright, an occasional contributor here at One Movie Punch, and his co-host, Carson Graff. A promo will run before the review. 

NARRATOR: “But now, let’s turn our attention to the fate of our host Joseph, in Part Two of “FOUR MORE STOPS”!” 

SCENE: Another haunted house.

NARRATOR: “We return to the story with our rightful narrator, after ditching the imposter from last episode. Ha ha!  Unfortunately, this left Joseph alone within a haunted house, full of classic movie monsters. And suddenly, he felt everything shift.”

JOSEPH: “That can’t be good!”

NARRATOR: “It certainly wasn’t good. The horror monsters, having finished their backward movement, were suddenly free to act, and to growl, and unfortunately for Joseph’s sake, to hunt.” 

JOSEPH: “Time to get out of here! Wish I could just disappear like Shane!”

NARRATOR: “But he couldn’t, and therefore, he had to run.”

NARRATOR: “He hadn’t bothered to run up the stairs, but he did begin running in the opposite direction of the party. Crashing doors and animal sounds erupted from behind him, as the swiftest predators headed towards him first.”

JOSEPH: “I... hate... running...”

NARRATOR: “He ran through dining rooms, observatories, bedrooms, sitting rooms, billiard rooms, conservatories, and the rest of the rooms you will find in a standard game of Clue. Some sounds began to fade, but others... others were getting closer.

JOSEPH: “Not the Wolfman...”

NARRATOR: “He finally made it into a kitchen, surprisingly far away from the party room, and tried the door. Of course, it was locked.” 

JOSEPH: “Damn it.”

NARRATOR: “The wolf noises had lessened in intensity, but were gaining in volume, until the form of a werewolf appeared, with ripped clothes, thick, luscious hair rippling down his body, as saliva dropped from his jaws, where a low, hungry growl began.” 

JOSEPH: “Oh no. This is it.” 

NARRATOR: “Or he thought it was. When the door opened behind him.” 

ONE MOVIE SPAWN: “Step aside, Dad.” 

JOSEPH: “One Movie Spawn?” 

NARRATOR: “There was his daughter, wearing a full body worksuit, strapped with monster fighting weapons on all kinds. Ancient weapons like silver daggers, garlic, and crucifixes, along with more modern weapons, like a holy water supersoaker.” 

JOSEPH: “Don’t you hurt her!”

NARRATOR: “He screamed at the werewolf, who growled back at him, but they both stopped when they heard Eileen laughing.”

ONE MOVIE SPAWN: “Hurt me? ME?! I got this.”

JOSEPH: “One Movie Spawn, no..." 

NARRATOR: “The werewolf stared at One Movie Spawn in disbelief, as she calmly walked up to the werewolf, drew back her foot, and planted one steel-toed workboot directly into the werewolf’s groin, causing him to double over in pain, whimpering like a mere dog.”

JOSEPH: “How did you...”

ONE MOVIE SPAWN: “Like you taught me all those years ago. Wolfman’s got gnards.” NARRATOR: “He looked down with pride at his daughter. He had taught her the deep magic as he had been there when it was written. Err, viewed. Whatever.”

ONE MOVIE SPAWN: “Come on. I have a bus waiting outside that can take you to safety.”

JOSEPH: “What about you?” 

ONE MOVIE SPAWN: “What? You think I can’t handle myself?”

NARRATOR: “Joseph could tell from her eyes that he had been asked a very dangerous question. One he didn’t want to answer.” 

JOSEPH: “Lead the way!”

NARRATOR: “They ran from the house, to a school bus that was started up and waiting for them, beginning to pull away.” 

ONE MOVIE SPAWN: “Go! I’ll fend them off!”

JOSEPH: “But...”

ONE MOVIE SPAWN: “Will you hurry up? I don’t got time for this and neither do you. More help is on the way.” 

NARRATOR: “Joseph ran once again, picking up the pace as the bus began to accelerate faster and faster. He grabbed the door just in time to be lifted onto the bus and placed into a seat.”

NARRATOR: “Looking back, he saw his daughter, facing down thirty or so classic movie monsters, in a flurry of activity. A stake through the heart there, a silver dagger to the heart there, and a Molotov holy water cocktail there. Every move was precise and true, and... was Joseph crying?”

JOSEPH: “Happens whenever I watch her fight. She’ll be fine.”

NARRATOR: “And she would. But would Joseph, who hadn’t even bothered to look at the people on the bus? Find out in two days, in Part Three of “FOUR MORE STOPS”. And be sure to tune in tomorrow for a pre-recorded review from Joseph of 2016’s “Blood on the Reel”, with special interview clips from writer/director Johnny Daggers. 

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Today’s movie is “The Monster Squad”, directed by Fred Dekker and written for the screen in collaboration with Shane Black. In 1987, Count Dracula returns to the world seeking a magical amulet that has, for some reason, been hidden near Baton Rouge, Louisiana. As he gathers the other classic movie monsters together, an unlikely group of children come together to stop them, forming... THE MONSTER SQUAD!

No spoilers! 

My parents love a lot of movies from the 1980s. Some of those films are pretty good. I have enjoyed watching “Ghostbusters”, “The Empire Strikes Back”, and I guess “Die Hard” too.

JOSEPH: “You better.”

Some of these films aren’t so great. And just between you and me, I think they use me as an excuse to see if their memories of these films holds up. Like in the case of today’s film – “the Monster Squad”.

“The Monster Squad” is almost like a rough draft of a B-Grade “Stranger Things”, which I really love the show and all, but there are too many places this film falls short for me. The film embodies a lot of the classic 1980s film feel that you find in “The Goonies”, which was released two years prior, and all the other light-hearted but secret plot twist child ensemble adventure pictures that followed. It even has a cheesy ending that almost make my dad cry because he grew up with it, but makes me roll my eyes. Like, I get it, but COME ON. 2000s cinema is better 9 times out of 10. 

Part of that classic 1980s film feel always includes some awkward story choices looking back at that decade of films. The children who make up the Monster Squad are endearing enough as characters, but their dialogue and actions often get in the way of good character design and development. The film has a lot of bullying, gay bashing, and fat shaming, which might make this time period appropriate, but that humor doesn’t hold up today. One of the main character’s older sister gets oversexualized throughout the course of the film, which added nothing to the plot but a bunch of bad jokes. Man, no wonder my parents are messed up, they grew up with this crap!

For all its problems, though, there are some really great parts. Dracula’s overall character design is corny, but I really liked all the other monsters. And thematically, there are some really strong parts. The surprisingly humanizing story arc of Frankenstein’s Monster is hard not to appreciate, unless you are absolutely dead inside. And the neighbor who survived the Holocaust was tastefully blended into the film, making a very important point about what makes someone or something a monster.

“The Monster Squad” is a fun childhood adventure movie featuring classic horror monsters. While the film has some very dated dialogue and themes, it also has some very strong assets. Even though there have been two failed attempts to remake the film, it still remains a strong remake candidate. Come on Netflix, we’re waiting. Fans of 1980s adventure films, or classic movie monsters, should definitely check out this film.

Rotten Tomatoes: 67%

Metacritic: 61

One Movie Punch: 7.2/10 

“The Monster Squad” (1987) is rated PG-13 and is currently streaming on Amazon Prime, Hulu, and Epix. 

Now, time to save Dad.

Again.

NARRATOR: “Welcome back to Reign of Terror 2019! 31 straight days of horror movie reviews and interviews. Today’s episode will feature Julie Swearingen from the How I Met Your Friends Podcast, who will be reviewing the cult horror musical classic, ‘The Rocky Horror Picture Show’ with her co-host Kathleen. A promo will run before the review. 

NARRATOR: “But now, let’s turn our attention to the fate of our host Joseph, in Part One of “FOUR MORE STOPS”!”

SCENE: Sewer drain.

JULIE: “What we last left Joseph, he was crawling his way out of the sewers, as the former narrator was boring everyone with his fake New Zealand accent.”

NARRATOR: “Rest assured, everyone, I am still the narrator, and this is an authentic accent.”

JULIE: “But he was no longer the narrator, and no one believed him about the accent.” 

NARRATOR: “Now, see here!” 

JULIE: “In fact, Shane Hyde, if that is in fact his real name, suddenly appeared next to a sewer pipe, the same one from which Joseph was just now exiting.”

JOSEPH: “Oh, hello there. Who are you?” 

SHANE: “I’m the narrator!” 

JULIE: “But he wasn’t."

SHANE: “Yes I am!”

JOSEPH: “Okay. You sound awfully familiar, though?” 

SHANE: “It’s me, Joseph. Shane Hyde.”

JOSEPH: “Shane, is that you? I’ve never actually met you in person. Kinda thought the name was fake, to be honest.”

SHANE: “What is going on here?”

JOSEPH: “I’ve been asking myself the same thing.” 

SHANE: “Oh, I know. You and your questions.” 

JOSEPH: “What?”

SHANE: “Nevermind. I just need to find a...”

JULIE: “But there was no time to find whatever it was that he was looking for, because they found themselves outside... a haunted house.”

SHANE: “We’ve already done the haunted house.”

JULIE: “BECAUSE... THEY FOUND THEMSELVES... OUTSIDE... A HAUNTED HOUSE...”

SHANE: “Fine.” *as if you are faking not knowing* “Oh look, Joseph! A haunted house.” 

JOSEPH: “Another one? This one looks way more... Transylvanian. Is that a word?” 

JULIE: “It was the perfect word. Much better than the former narrator. Joseph and Shane found themselves walking towards the house, where they began to hear the sounds of a raucous party. The front door had been left open, and when they pushed it open...”

SHANE: “I don’t think we’ve even walked over yet." 

JULIE: “WHEN THEY PUSHED IT OPEN, they saw a host of individuals, dressed in aesthetic adornments, beautiful batwings, cute, curvy crones, and much more in that den of depravity. Elegant entertainers...” 

SHANE: “Are you going through the entire alphabet?”

JULIE: “I just might if you don’t shut up. Before them was a collection of classic movie monsters and characters, but dressed in the most revealing of ways. One could not help but look. Vampires, mummies, werewolves, zombies, and men reanimated from the dead.”

SHANE: “You mean Frankenstein?”

JOSEPH: “Actually, you mean Frankenstein’s monster.”

JULIE: “Joseph was correct. The so-called monster, and his beautiful bride, stared at Joseph, letting out a low groan that was either a threat or a call.”

JOSEPH: “I can feel my innocence slowly slipping away.” 

SHANE: “I’d quit staring. You’ll only encourage them. Look, get something to eat or drink. I’ll find us a way out of here.”

JULIE: “The guests turned their attention to the newcomers. Shane bolted for a nearby wall, feeling around as if looking for something that might help them. Joseph finally looked away, blushing slightly, and was surprised to find a phone charger on a table.”

JOSEPH: “Well, that’s convenient.”

JULIE: “It certainly was. The dumb phone displayed the battery charging icon, and as Joseph looked up, he saw more and more of the crowd staring at him. He waved meekly, and they began slowly walking toward him.”

JOSEPH: “Uh, Shane?” 

SHANE: “Just a second, mate. I’ve just about found it.”

JOSEPH: “They’re getting closer. Why can’t I move?”

SHANE: “Their powers of seduction. I told you to stop staring.”

JOSEPH: “But they’re so beautiful.” 

JULIE: “Oh, they were, in fearful, frightening, free-spirited, free-thinking...” 

SHANE: “Found it.” 

JULIE: “Shane flipped a switch, which caused the party attendees to start slowly walking back. Joseph watched as Shane walked over to him.”

SHANE: “Come on, before they make us start dancing.”

JOSEPH: “Dancing?” 

SHANE: “It’s complicated. Let’s keep pushing into the house, and we’ll see what else we can find to fix this.”

JULIE: “Shane and Joseph opened a side door, as the monsters continued their slow backwards walk to their original positions. Followed only by the sound of the new narrator’s voice. Once through, Shane turned and locked the door, then noticed a panel on the wall.”

SHANE: “Excellent.” 

JULIE: “He walked over to the panel, and reached out to press an unmarked button. Once pressed, it...”

JOSEPH: “Do you hear something?” 

SHANE: “Not anymore. In fact, this is where we part ways, I’m afraid.”

NARRATOR: “And just like that, Shane began to disappear, leaving Joseph all alone, within a house full of monsters. Would anyone come to save him? Find out tomorrow in Part Two of “FOUR MORE STOPS”, where we’ll be joined by One Movie Spawn with a review of 1987’s children’s horror classic, “The Monster Squad”.”

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 JULIE: “Today’s movie is “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” (1975), the musical film directed by Jim Sharman and written for the screen by Richard O’Brien and Jim Sharman. While driving to their former professor’s house, Brad Majors (Barry Bostwick) and Janet Weiss (Susan Sarandon) stumble upon the home of Dr. Frank Furter (Tim Curry). Inside they find the most unusual host and party guests they’ve ever encountered.” JULIE: “Spoilers ahead!”

KATHLEEN: “’The Rocky Horror Picture Show’ is a weird and wild ride and because of that many people either love it or hate it. We are firmly in the love camp. Julie was introduced to the movie by her uncle, who has a framed poster from the movie, and a vinyl copy of the soundtrack. Kathleen first watched it in her early 20s. We both love the costumes, the androgynous beauty that is Tim Curry, the songs you can’t help but sing along with, and the campy plot.” JULIE: “This is a movie with some major twists and turns, from Frank’s creation of Rocky, to Brad and Janet’s relationship, to Eddie’s entrance and sudden exit, to the revelation that Frank, Magenta, and Riff Raff may not be from this planet. But Frank is keeping more than that secret as he seduces his new guests, makes plans for his life with Rocky, and shocks everyone at Rocky’s birthday dinner by revealing a dead body under the tablecloth. He also has a machine that can turn people into marble statues.”

KATHLEEN: “Even if you’ve seen the remake with Laverne Cox, you must give the original a try. Several of the stars, including Susan Sarandon, Tim Curry, and Barry Bostwick had only been acting professionally for a few years. Seeing them give their all in this ode to B-movies, incorporating sexual innuendo and double entendres along the way, shows great acting and skill. Tim Curry is absolutely fantastic as Frank, showcasing his beautiful singing voice and musical talent.”

JULIE: “When ‘Rocky Horror’ originally came to theaters, it was panned by critics. But within a year, it was a cult classic with showings at theaters in New York City, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and beyond. And now, more than 40 years later, it is still a Halloween classic with theater troupes, volunteers, and audience members singing, acting, and reacting along with the movie. If you’ve never been, we highly recommend finding one in your area. It’s a truly interactive experience.”

KATHLEEN: “Fun Facts about Rocky Horror: It’s based on the theater production The Rocky Horror Show, written by Richard O’Brien, who plays Riff Raff in the movie and on stage.” 

JULIE: “Susan Sarandon developed pneumonia on set because it was a real castle, and she wasn’t wearing a lot of clothes.”

KATHLEEN: “This was Tim Curry’s feature film debut.” 

JULIE: “In the opening sequence, outside the church, Frank, Riff Raff, Magenta, and Columbia are the church caretakers who sing along with Brad and Janet.”

KATHLEEN: “The lips in the opening sequence are Patricia Quinn, who played Magenta.” 

JULIE: “We think ‘The Rocky Horror Picture Show’s status as a cult classic is well-deserved and see no indications of that status wavering.”

Rotten Tomatoes: 80%

Metacritic: 58

One Movie Punch: 10/10

JULIE: “’Rocky Horror Picture Show’ (1975) is rated R and is available on Amazon Prime, YouTube, Google Play, Vudu, and iTunes!”

NARRATOR: “Welcome back to Reign of Terror 2019! 31 straight days of horror movie reviews and interviews. Today’s episode will be a classic horror movie review from our... let’s call him a hero, Joseph for 2017’s ‘It’, the incredible adaptation by Andy Muschietti, Gary Dauberman, Chase Palmer, and Cary Joji Fukunaga.”

NARRATOR: “Before the review, however, we’ll be running a promo for Sponsor Sundays. If you like what you’re hearing, and want to support future projects, head over to patreon.com/onemoviepunch to support the podcast. All sponsors get to force Joseph to review a movie of their choice, with just a few exceptions. You’ll also find exclusive content, including part two of an interview with Kerry G. Fleming, about 2017’s ‘Rock, Paper, Scissors’, written with Victor Fleming of the ‘Friday the 13th’ franchise, and directed by Tom Holland, director of the original ‘Child’s Play’.”

NARRATOR: “Can’t wait to check out that second part while it’s publicly available for a limited time. At least until Joseph makes it back home. If he makes it home. Will he? Let’s turn out attention back to the fate of our host, in Part Four of “FOR YOUR AMUSEMENT”.”

SCENE: Sewers.

JOSEPH: “Oh god...”

NARRATOR: “It smelled. Bad. Like, really bad.”

JOSEPH: “The... saur... us...” NARRATOR: “Like every visit to every bathroom in your life at once.”

JOSEPH: “Huuunnghhh...”

NARRATOR: “Like opening a wet bag of garbage that’s been sitting out in the sun.” 

JOSEPH: “Shut... Up...”

NARRATOR: “Like a pile of offal outside a rendering plant, filling the nostrils with the most putrid of substances.”

JOSEPH: “Bad... is... fine...”

NARRATOR: “It got worse... but then it got better, as he came out into a standpipe, housing the discarded and flushed remnants of a town called...” 

JOSEPH: “Derry? But that’s a fictional place.”

NARRATOR: “Fictional or not, it was very real at the moment. He landed on a makeshift raft, grabbing a pole and pushing his way across the water.”

JOSEPH: “I guess I can float down here.”

JOSEPH: *clown voice* “Oh, you’ll float down here, Joey!”

JOSEPH: “Oh God.”

JOSEPH: *clown voice* “God can’t help you now!”

JOSEPH: “I don’t want to die like this.”

JOSEPH: *clown voice* “Oh, you’re going to die, Joseph!” 

JOSEPH: “In a sewer of all places.”

NARRATOR: “It was in that moment that a rush of wind blew in, bringing with it the stench of the sewer in full concentration.”

JOSEPH: “Huuuuunnnghhh..”

JOSEPH: *clown voice* “No, don’t do that.”

JOSEPH: “I... huuuuunnnnnn...” 

JOSEPH: *clown voice* “No, if you start, then I’ll... hunnngh...”

JOSEPH: “Hunnngh..." 

JOSEPH: *clown voice* “Hunnngh...”

NARRATOR: “Back and forth it went, each daring the other one to let loose, until the second evil clown this adventure began projectile vomiting. With each explosive heave, his body mass began to decrease. It was only the paralyzing state of shock that kept Joseph from joining in the expulsions, until the clown fell into a floppy pile, much like a deflated balloon.”

JOSEPH: “Yuck. I need to get out of here.”

NARRATOR: “He looked at the two pipes big enough to take him out of here. The pipe he came in, and a pipe on the opposite side.” 

JOSEPH: “I wonder which way.”

ANDREW: *meek child voice* “Help me!”

JOSEPH: “That settles it.”

NARRATOR: “And so Joseph took the sewer pipe less traveled, and he was all the better for the decision. Or was he? Join us tomorrow, for Part One of “FOUR MORE STOPS”, when we’ll be joined by Julie and Kathleen from the How I Met Your Friends Podcast. I’m sure Joseph could use a few friends.” 

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Today’s movie is “It” (2017), the Warner Bros and New Line Cinema horror film directed by Andy Muschietti and written for the screen by Chase Palmer, Cary Fukunaga, and Gary Dauberman, based on the first half of Stephen King’s classic novel, “It”. The film follows a series of child disappearances in Derry, Maine, a town with a dark history, and a group of children over one summer who come together to form the Losers Club. After each of them begins to experience what appear to be hallucinations, they decide to track down and face the creature, named Pennywise (Bill Skarsgård). 

Spoilers ahead. 

In the early days of the Internet, many of us set out to find other people who shared our interests, especially those of us with eclectic taste in the smaller subcultures either not recognized or not welcome in rural America. One of those communities I ended up finding was called SKEMERs, The Stephen King E-mailers, and in a daily newsletter that worked like the letters pages in a comic book, we would read other people’s letters, then submit responses. It was a curated mailing list, and it spawned a huge community who met annually in Maine, and regionally every now and again. I went to two separate gatherings, one in Chicago, another near the Quad Cities, and each time I enjoyed being able to talk King with folks in person, and keep in touch via the newsletter after that. Of course, online communities come and go, and while the group is now defunct, its members are still out there, and I keep in touch with more than a few of them to this day. So, when I saw that they were remaking “It”, after a fairly decent (for the time) television version, I was suspicious, until I saw the critical response, and by then I had missed it in theaters. So getting to finally see it as part of getting caught up was such a treat.

“It”, as a novel, was told with two interweaving storylines: when the Losers Club were children in the mid-1950s, and when the Losers Club were adults in the mid-1980s, moving effortlessly back and forth. The latest adaptation, however, has decided to split the narrative chronologically, and bring both time periods forward about thirty years. It’s a bold and smart move for three reasons. First, there is simply too much source material for even a three hour film, and this first part comes in at a solid two hours and fifteen minutes. Second, you only need half the cast for each film, and don’t need to spend too much time on trying to manage the two versions of each character. And finally, moving the time period up makes the story more relatable to modern viewers, and cuts down tremendously on dealing with anachronisms while filming. We also get to use the entire vocabulary of Stephen King, with the R-rating, and yes, I mean all the swear words and content, which Finn Wolfhard clearly had an absolute blast with throughout the film.

In fact, I thought the whole cast was great, and not just the seven members of the Losers Club. The supporting cast was also excellent, especially with some of the deeper and darker content, like Beverly Marsh’s disturbing father, or Eddie’s Munchausen syndrome. Pennywise is excellent, with high marks for Bill Skarsgård’s performance, and with equal credit given to the amazing effects artists that made the shapeshifting realistic, despite its fantastic origins. I was captivated from the start, and more than a few scares made me jump or cry out, even knowing the story. And the comradery of the children reminds me a great deal of “Stand by Me”, especially how King can capture adolescent boy behavior, from the most innocuous to the most evil. And I was happy at the end, to see “Chapter One” appear, and then excited for next year’s sequel, which will continue the story.

“It” (2017) is easily one of the best Stephen King adaptations I have ever seen, capturing that unique mix of childhood nostalgia, small town feel, and in this case, neo-Lovecraftian horror. The ensemble cast is top notch, and the story is well told, from start to finish. Stephen King fans have already seen this film, and have either loved it or hated it, although not too many in the latter camp. Any other horror fans who have yet to check it out should definitely do so, then get in line for tickets to the sequel.

NARRATOR: “Welcome back to Reign of Terror 2019! 31 straight days of horror movie reviews and interviews. Today’s episode will feature Erik Kosnar and Aicila (Eye-Sil-A) Lewis of the Bicurean Podcast, who will be reviewing the intense horror allegory, ‘It Follows’. A promo will run before the review.”

NARRATOR: “But for now, let’s turn our attention back to the fate of our host, Joseph, in Part Three of “FOR YOUR AMUSEMENT”.”

SCENE: Tall grasses. 

JOSEPH: “So... sick... of... running...”

NARRATOR: “Joseph was running from two threats, a small child’s voice...” 

ANDREW: *meek child voice* “Help me.” 

NARRATOR: “...and whatever else was chasing him from the circus tent. It wasn’t so much that he was tired of running, but just sick of it. You could only move so fast through the grass, until suddenly...”

NARRATOR: “Just as Andrew said, Joseph came to a parking lot. An abandoned one, of course, complete with two rusted out cars, and two strange figures, standing around and talking.” 

JOSEPH: “Hey!” 

NARRATOR: “The two turned towards Joseph, and waved him over, going immediately back to their conversation while he approached.”

ERIK: “I think this whole leader/follower paradigm is insane.”

AICILA: “I agree. Does someone have to follow and someone have to lead? Can’t we just work together.”

JOSEPH: “Hello there.”

ERIK: “Oh, hello there.” 

JOSEPH: “I have a problem I could use some help with.”

AICILA: “You’ve come to the right people.”

ERIK: “We specialize in finding insightful solutions to many problems.”

JOSEPH: “Oh, good, because I have two people following me.”

AICILA: “Ah, see! It’s like he was meant to stop by!”

ERIK: “Tell me. Are you leading them?”

JOSEPH: “No, this is more of a being chased situation.” 

AICILA: “What exactly is chasing you?”

JOSEPH: “Well, the one sounds like a child, but is probably a monster.”

ERIK: “All children are monsters. Go on.” 

JOSEPH: “The other is... I think a psychopathic clown.” 

AICILA: “Morphing into bizarre creatures or typical slasher variety?” 

JOSEPH: “Slasher variety, I think. Definitely likes his blades.”

ERIK: “Yes. Well, the first thing I would do is to stop leading them.”

JOSEPH: “How do I do that?”

AICILA: “I’d throw them off the scent. Maybe consider an alternate route.” 

JOSEPH: “Such as?” 

ERIK: “How do you feel about sewers?” 

JOSEPH: “Ummm, not if I can help it?” 

AICILA: “How do you feel about sewers as compared to monsters or stabby clowns?” 

JOSEPH: “Not so bad, when you put it that way.” 

ERIK: “Well, if you look down, you’ll see a manhole. I’d drop down there, and let them get lost looking for you up here.” 

NARRATOR: “He didn’t have much time to think, but between a monster and a knife in the gut, the sewer really didn’t seem so bad.”

NARRATOR: “Joseph moved the manhole cover, assaulted immediately by the rank smell of the sewer.” 

JOSEPH: “On second thought...”

AICILA: “I think you may be out of time.”

NARRATOR: “Joseph took one look back towards the field, then one back down the sewer, then took his last breath of fresh air before climbing down and pulling the manhole cover over him.”

ERIK: “Do you think we should have told him about the clown in the sewer?” 

AICILA: “No. Otherwise, ‘It’ wouldn’t follow for Joseph.” 

NARRATOR: “Now that’s how to do a movie pun.” 

NARRATOR: “Where would Joseph end up? Find out tomorrow in Part Four of “FOR YOUR AMUSEMENT”, when we run Joseph’s classic review of 2017’s “It”, and part two of Joseph’s interview with Kerry Fleming will be available on Patreon. Let’s see if Joseph floats, shall we?”

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ERIK: “Hi, I'm Erik.”

AICILA: “And, I'm Aicila.” 

ERIK: “And we are from the Bicurean podcast.”

AICILA: “And we hope you'll come and have a conversation with us. We love to talk about everything from politics to geek culture to horse racing. And find the points of connection in traditionally polarizing topics.” 

ERIK: “We also seek to be the change that we want to see in the world. We would love to teach our audience the ways in which they can be better at critical thinking and understanding of what other people are experiencing in their lives.”

AICILA: “So, we hope you'll come and join us. ... We're at bicurean.com/podcast. Or you can find us all over social media and on pretty much any podcasting platform.” 

AICILA: “Today’s movie is “It Follows” (2014), this horror film is written and directed by David Robert Mitchell. Maika Monroe plays the lead character, Jay, a young woman who contracts a sexually transmitted supernatural stalker after she sleeps with her boyfriend.

Spoilers ahead! 

ERIK: “So when this movie came out, I saw the trailers for it, and I had no idea what to expect. It looked like there was definitely going to be the creeping factor of something chasing after the characters and creating a world in which the terror was never ending. But I saw jump scares and things like that that they made into the trailer, and boy, was I pleasantly surprised to see a well-crafted movie. Very Carpenter-esque. And for those unfamiliar with Carpenter movies, that's everything from the original “Halloween” movies... He had a specific style in the eighties, even down to the music. And ‘It Follows’ really had that kind of magic.”

AICILA: “So I don't come from a horror film background. And Erik actually really wanted me to see this movie. And I was pretty reluctant overall to see any horror films. However, I found this one to be just the right amount of creepy without being gross I guess.”

ERIK: “Yeah. I can't actually think... there is a little bit of blood and gore towards the end, but not actually over the top. And not in like the gore porn type of movie that is so prevalent these days. It was dramatic. There's a scene in the end when the swimming pool is filling with blood because they've damaged this entity in some way. And it's creepy. It's not gory.”

AICILA: “One of the things that I've been getting out of my horror introduction education, that informally that you've been leading me through, is the ways in which it's such an intense metaphor for the different kinds of fear that we have. And so that fear of, you know, being intimate with someone and the consequences of that. Like this creepy supernatural stalker may not happen, and yet, you have trails of things after you're intimate with someone that stay with you. And that can feel like they're bringing you down or hurting you.”

ERIK: “Absolutely. And an interesting aspect to this, that I absolutely found added another layer to it, was that when they realize that Jay, the main character and her friends realized that, she has this stalker coming and that it was from her sexual encounter, with who is somebody who ends up essentially being a stranger. But they find him, and they talk to him. And this stalker will continue to follow the last person in line. So, if Jay dies, it's coming back after him again. And assumably it would go after whoever he slept with and got it from. And so, the reality is even if you get rid of it, it's not gone. And that was a whole other layer to it that I found really intriguing in this.”

AICILA: “He went to the trouble of, after he infected her essentially, explaining to her how to avoid it. And then you realize like, oh, he wasn't being altruistic necessarily.” 

ERIK: “No. He was entirely self-serving.” 

AICILA: “He was helping her because it's in his best interest to help her. Which is enlightened self-interest. Which is what our country is built on. Look it up.”

ERIK: “Yeah. That is true. But yeah, just in general I highly recommend this movie for somebody who wants to kind of see what horror movies were meant to be twenty years ago. But you know and thirty years ago actually. You may watch something like the original ‘Halloween’, and it's not gonna grab you the same way. At the time it was terrifying. And so, they've taken that style of movie making in this and really made it work in a modern way. And it's evidenced by the fact that it is so highly rated by all of the critics that ever saw it.” 

AICILA: “Yes. As part of the research for this show, I had to look up the Rotten Tomatoes. And it was at 96. I mean, that just doesn't happen.”

ERIK: “For a horror movie? I mean you assume that they're gonna get a fifty percent at best. And then you may or may not like it depending on what kind of a horror movie fan you are. But ‘It Follows’ is a genuinely good movie that happens to be in the horror genre.”

AICILA: “Yeah, I would second that. And the acting, I felt like the actors all gave really solid performances. I don't think anybody was, like, phoning it in. And the characters were pretty well fleshed out. There was a feeling of genuine connection to the people. I know that that's one of the things that I both like and dislike in scary movies, is I do get connected. And when I do it's really a harder watch. But that was absolutely what happened for me in this was I did get connected to the characters. And so, then when they were threatened, I was quite upset about it.”

ERIK: “What's interesting about that, is I feel that that is an aspect of movies just in general, that we don't see as much, which is character development. And this has that. And it's almost shocking because you're like, ‘Wow, I care about these characters and it's not a drama or a rom com.’ You know most action or horror movies you get a maybe some basic information to their motivation. Why they're in the situation they're in. And then that's it. But this we really learn about the characters. We learn that one of the guys running around in the crew has had a crush on Jay forever. But Jay has obviously had a crush on other people. And he's so willing to sacrifice for her. And it comes up in the movie in different ways. So, yeah you really start to feel for them. And meanwhile you're also kind of filled with this dread of when this thing that's chasing them is gonna show up again.” 

AICILA: “Right, because it doesn't follow them consistently. And one of the things that the guy who infected her told her was never go into a room that has only one door.”

ERIK: “Yeah.” 

AICILA: “Or one exit I guess. And he said something like and it moves slowly.” 

ERIK: “Yeah. But it's always coming.”

AICILA: “But it's always coming. And so that, and there's something about that set up as well. I don't know why. Cause that was right at the beginning, that was really chilling for me. I guess because it was so practical.”

ERIK: “Right.”

AICILA: “And it just was like, ‘Whoa, wait a minute. That's horrible.’ And the ways in which Jay, unlike him and you know, potentially other people, had a huge group of people supporting her. ... Although there was that moment that was kind of like hard to watch, and you didn't even see it. Where she'd been running and running and running. And her friends and her family were helping her. And she could see that it was just having this huge issue. And so she swims out to this boat.” 

ERIK: “Yeah.”

AICILA: “And it's a boat with a you know, she's like in her maybe early twenties. And it's a boat with these older guys. And the next thing you know, there's this like older guy supernatural thing coming after her.”

ERIK: “Yeah.” 

AICILA: “And you're like, oh I just know what happened and it was so creepy.” 

ERIK: “Yeah.” 

AICILA: “And disgusting.”

ERIK: “For sure, yeah. So to summarize...”  

ERIK: “’It Follows’ is a solid horror film with a unique kind of terror. Even if you are squeamish around horror like Aicila is, you might likely enjoy this one.

Rotten Tomatoes: 96% (CERTIFIED FRESH).

Metacritic: 83 (MUST SEE)

One Movie Punch: 9.0/10

AICILA: “’It Follows’ (2014) is rated R and available on Amazon Prime, iTunes, Vudu, and PlayStation to rent.”

NARRATOR: “Welcome back to Reign of Terror 2019! 31 straight days of horror movie reviews and interviews. Today’s episode will feature our very own Andrew Campbell of One Movie Punch, who will be reviewing one of the BILLION Stephen King adaptations from this year, entitled ‘In The Tall Grass’.”

NARRATOR: “However, rather than running a promo for One Movie Punch before the review, we’d like to instead run a promo for our friends at the Ocho Duro Parlay Hour. Every week, they cover a variety of sports, gaming, comics, and movie news, plus much more. The promo will run before the review.”

NARRATOR: “But for now, let’s turn our attention back to the fate of our host, Joseph, in Part Two of “FOR YOUR AMUSEMENT”.”

SCENE: Tall grasses.

NARRATOR: “Joseph found himself running through another grass field. He hadn’t had great luck with grassy fields so far.”

NARRATOR: “But if he had arrived by a grassy field, he figured he would have to cross one again on his way back, and besides, the setting was far too convenient to match up with today’s review to do otherwise.”

JOSEPH: “I hope this isn’t the same field.”

ANDREW: *meek child voice* “Help me.”

JOSEPH: “What’s a child doing out here?”

ANDREW: *meek child voice* “Help me.”

JOSEPH: “Do you need help?”

ANDREW: “Joseph!”

JOSEPH: “Andrew, is that you?”

ANDREW: “Sort of. Listen, I can only speak to you right now.”

JOSEPH: “Are you going to look like Michael J. Fox, too?”

NARRATOR: “It was a poorly crafted callback. One Andrew would clearly not understand.”

ANDREW: “What? No. Listen. Do NOT help that child out.”

JOSEPH: “But it’s a kid.”

ANDREW: “Trust me. It’s a trap.”

JOSEPH: “Quiet, Admiral Ackbar!”

NARRATOR: “Now that’s a callback! From the last crossover, even!”

ANDREW: “Look. We’re close to finding you, but whoever’s doing this hasn’t made it easy.”

JOSEPH: “What do you mean?”

ANDREW: “Just keep moving forward, and don’t follow that voice.”

ANDREW: *meek child voice* “Help me.”

JOSEPH: “Yeah, but...”

ANDREW: “Just keep going until you hit the parking lot. Remember, they can’t hurt you, if...”

NARRATOR: “But, of course, Andrew’s voice was suddenly gone, leaving the rustling of the grasses, and what sounded like footsteps, and, of course.”

ANDREW: *meek child voice* “Help me.”

JOSEPH: “Well, if the child voice is there, and the footsteps from whatever’s following me are there, then I should head in this direction. As fast as possible.”

NARRATOR: “And run he did, away from both sounds, checking every now and again to ensure he had the optimal path of strategic retreat, until... you join us next time for Part Three of “FOR YOUR AMUSEMENT”, where we’ll be joined by Erik Kosnar and Aicila (Eye-Sil-A) Lewis of the Bicurean podcast, where they’ll be reviewing the intense horror allegory, “It Follows”. And in Joseph’s case, it definitely follows.”

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Hello film fans!

Andrew here. It’s been a minute, but I’m glad to be back for my first of two entries during the Reign of Terror. Fantastic Fest 2019 wrapped up a couple weeks ago and after watching nearly 30 films during the course of eight days, it wasn’t easy getting back in the groove of normal life. Of course, it was all worth it as I have reloaded with a full slate of amazing motion pictures, big and small, to bring your way in the months ahead. The films ran the gamut from character dramas, biting satires, out-there comedies and, of course, plenty of horror.

Today’s film is “In the Tall Grass”, written and directed by Vincenzo Natali and based on the novella by Stephen King and Joe Hill. The film made its world premiere at Fantastic Fest just two weeks before hitting Netflix last Friday. Cal (Avery Whitted) and his very pregnant sister Becky (Laysla De Oliveira) are traveling across the country when a roadside stop next to a field of, how do I describe it, tall grass, derails their journey. When a lost boy calls out for help from within the field, they venture in and find themselves lost, prevented from leaving by some outside force. They soon learn they are not alone and so begins their journey to understand what is holding them and their struggle to escape.

No spoilers.

“In the Tall Grass” features a milquetoast cast performing serviceable work. The lone standout is the only actor you are likely to recognize, though you might not be able to name him – Patrick Wilson. For years, I saw Wilson as a bland actor playing mostly smug or entitled characters, opposite a young Ellen Page in “Hard Candy” or portraying Nite Owl – the stand-in for Batman in the “Watchmen” film. Only in recent years, have I begun to appreciate his talents, popping up in a guest role on Lena Dunham’s “Girls”, anchoring the “Conjuring” franchise along with Vera Farmiga, and portraying State Trooper Solverson on the second season of the “Fargo” anthology series. And, most oddly, as the main villain Ocean Master in “Aquaman”. His talents are not wasted here. He’s the only compelling member of the cast, doing his everyman thing with a deceitful undercurrent.

The real star of this film is the grass. Stalks and stalks of the green stuff on-screen at all times. Once we head into the grass, it’s clear we are going to stay here until this entire ride comes to an end. The grass starts out as a welcome backdrop of which director Natali takes full advantage, with interesting camera angles and lighting tricks. Yet, as the story builds, the background starts to become monotonous and claustrophobic, though perhaps that’s what the filmmaker intended. This shoot must have been an itchy nightmare.

The somewhat silly plot and the tedium of grass is broken up well by the occasional humor, including the pregnant and panicked Becky reciting some raunchy lyrics to stay within earshot of her brother. It cuts the tension and is exactly the kind of screwball dirty-old-man stuff that Stephen King readers will recognize from nearly all of his works.

What makes “In the Tall Grass” fantastic? Readers of Stephen King are legion in number and voracious in appetite. I appreciate that Natali took the core story and significantly changed the direction of the screenplay to ensure that fans of the original work would appreciate the adaptation, yet still find some new twists along the way. Unfortunately, the broader plot only serves to pad the run-time. The story may have been better off compressed into an episode of the “Creepshow” TV series that’s releasing weekly episodes right now on Shudder – a show which already delivers separate stories from both King and son Joe Hill. But we live in the era of the Stephen King renaissance and every story he’s ever committed to the page is in some stage of development for the screen, so it’s no shocker they stretched this one out to feature length.

“In the Tall Grass” (2019) delivers a fun premise that struggles to fill an entire film, although the cast and the director do solid work in wringing out all of the potential. Fans of sci-fi/horror escape films such as “Cube” or 2017’s “Mayhem” will enjoy this one.

Rotten Tomatoes: 44% Metacritic: 48 One Movie Punch: 6.4/10

“In the Tall Grass” is not rated and is now streaming on Netflix.

Hang tight, Constant Listener, you’ve got some outstanding classic and cult horror films still to come this month, presented by a diverse and passionate group of podcasters. I’ll be back in two weeks for “Tigers Are Not Afraid”, a Mexican horror film that boasts a strong social message and a 97% Certified Fresh rating. You don’t want to miss it!