Pumpkinhead (1988)

1st View
Format: MGM-HD
Venue: The Great Hall's

One of my horror blind spots rectified! The thing that struck me the most about Pumpkinhead is how b-movie and exploitation-y it was. I was under the impression that the buzz around the film was that it was a legitimately "good" horror flick. While I still very much enjoyed it, Pumpkinhead is super cheesy. I will say it has one of the best practical monsters I have ever seen.


Rating: 6/10 Atkins

Rolling Thunder (1977)

Revisit
Format: MGM HD
Venue: Rivendell

Watched this again in honor of the announcement that it would finally be arriving on DVD. He's an article I wrote about the film for Hollywood.com.  Oh yeah, and that IS my livingroom wall in the pic.

The Abominable Dr. Phibes (1971)

Revisit
Format: MGM HD
Venue: Rivendell

The Good

Powerful revenge horror film with a strikingly modern feel. Vincent Price isn't playing to his typical cartoon ookeyness but rather portraying a deformed, sadistic psychopath with nothing but vengeance on his mind. The performances are great, the cinematography is beautiful, and the story is far more compelling than one would expect from a 40 year-old horror film. I love the use of the biblical plagues as the framework for Phibe's revenge.


The Bad

Not much fault to be found with The Abominable Dr. Phibes although I do find the multitudinous musical numbers a bit superfluous.


The Weird 

The strangest thing about The Abominable Dr. Phibes is his robot band: The Clockwork Wizards. The effect was achieved by using real musicians and covering their faces with bizarre masks that kind of look like tin footballs. Nightmares to follow in short order.

Rating: 8/10 Atkins