After 40 years, I think it is safe to say that “Halloween” is more popular than ever. How can you explain a horror movie making nearly 80 million on opening weekend in October? The reason is almost completely due to the original. The 1978 “Halloween” is one of those movies that even people who haven’t … More Halloween Retrospective
In this era of movie making, certain franchises have a longer shelf life than others. We’ve seen many franchises come and go over the years. Through the wreckage of many forgettable horror series, one stands alone as the lone survivor of the 80s slasher genre – Child’s Play. While Jason and Freddy have had long … More Child’s Play Retrospective (Universal Pictures)
Kids can be very picky eaters and for generations parents have labored to find creative ways to trick their offspring into partaking in meals. The film A Christmas Story involves a memorable scene in which the protagonists little brother Randy refuses to eat dinner. To remedy the situation their mother convinces Randy to show her … More Lunchables, Dunkaroos, & Mooching
Looking at the website of a local paper recently, a headline came to my attention quickly. My local theater chain, Wehrenberg Theatres, which is one of the biggest family owned theater chains in the country, has been sold to Marcus Theatres. The main theater chains in the country, like AMC or Regal Theatres, actually have … More Remembering Wehrenberg Theatres
In my experience, the twin pillars of horror cinema of the 1980s were Friday the 13th, and A Nightmare on Elm Street. In the ranks of all the 80s horror franchises, Friday the 13th was my favorite, but even as a child, I knew it was low-rent. In comparison, the Nightmare on Elm Street series … More A Nightmare on Elm Street Retrospective (New Line Cinema)
As the dog days of summer transition into the cooler, colorful season of autumn, Halloween comes ever closer. Once we get into September at my house, it is pretty much time to start celebrating Halloween, and for me that begins with horror movies. Now I watch horror movies at any time of the year, but … More Horror Anthology Films
When I was growing up, Friday was my most anticipated day of the week. Once school was over on that day, it meant 3 days of freedom. One of the things that became a ritual during those Fridays was a visit to the local video store. The world has changed so much since the video … More Remembering the Video Store
There have always been product placement in movies. It’s just a matter of how those products are shown in the movie. Some products are just an element from everyday life, and are presented as such in the movies, like cereal or soda. Other examples are more blatant, with the audience being assaulted by various products … More The Wizard (Universal Pictures, 1989)
Televisions today are flat panels either mounted on a wall or sitting atop a stand. Owners want it to be large, visible, and yet at the same time they want it to take up as little space as possible. In my younger years TV’s were much smaller in screen size and yet typically much larger and … More Console Television Sets
It turns out money could kill off Jason, but it could also bring him back. The Final Chapter ended up being a huge success for Paramount, so it didn’t take them long to render its title false. What follows is an era of Friday the 13th that straddles the line between the “classic” era the … More Friday the 13th Retrospective, Part 2: The “Undead Jason” Era (Paramount Pictures)
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