Horror

Plot? What plot? Oh right: traumatized telekinetic teen accidentally raises Jason from the bottom of the lake. Jason kills folks. That’s about it. But you don’t watch these for the plot --you watch them for the killings. These are, sad to say, relatively restrained, and some of Jason’s tool acquisitions are silly (where did he get that electric hedge trimmer from?). The characters (I use the word loosely) are even more interchangeable than ever, and the continuity goes all to #%&@ in the latter part of the film.i Who’s running where and why? Who knows? There’s some nostalgic pleasure to be had here, but not much more than that.

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Written by Dan Bradley

Jason Voorhees (Kane Hodder) has been about everywhere on earth, including to hell and back. It only seems fitting that his tenth feature takes him not only into space, but into the future as well. With the highest production value of a Jason movie to-date and one of the niftiest extra features I’ve ever seen, Jason X’s futuristic settings, slayings and familiar action feel right at home on DVD.

Nicholas Cage did this film in 1989, long before most of the more famous films he places high atop his resume. He admits this is a film he would not be able to do today but is damn glad he did. Director Robert Bierman was also pretty much a novice when he created this quirky dark comedy.

To be honest I never saw the film when it was originally released and approached the DVD with a lot of skepticism. Most of the performances are way over the top and the cinematography is simple, often resorting to what Hollywood calls "stolen shots" (filming done without any set-up in a public area using real people.) Still, I found a lot to like about the picture. The casting was pure genius, particularly Jennifer Beals' haunting vampire.

Recipe for Hell's Gate:

Synopsis

If you are a fan of the teen slasher movies, popular since John Carpenter’s Halloween began, then the Scream series is a virtual hoot. The first film made fun of the so-called “rules” of the horror film. The second film, of course, covered the obligatory sequel. Scream 3 delves into the horror trilogy. The same cast of characters, led by real-life spouses Courtney Cox and David Arquette, appears in the same goofy roles. Scream is one of the better attempts at satire to appear in cinemas over the last few years. Compared to attempts like “Scary Movie”, Scream 3 is almost pretty darn good.

Synopsis

Sleepy Hollow is certainly not your father’s version of the Washington Irving tale. Sleepy Hollow is enshrouded in patented Tim Burton darkness and rich gothic atmosphere. Johnny Depp continues to amaze... although his performances never appear extraordinary, they are nonetheless almost always wonderful immersions in character. Christina Ricci proves that her inspired deadpan performance in the Addams Family films was no fluke. I think you will find this to be one of the finest contemporary horror films to come along in years.

Synopsis