Day 19: Return to Sleepaway Camp

I heart the HELL out of the Sleepaway Camp films. I try to watch them every summer and I was really excited to hear that the director/writer of the original, Robert Hiltzik, was bringing back the series. (He also wrote part II and III). After all, it wasn't a remake, and I thought it was a series that had a decent shot of adding another film that would fit in with the first three.

Then it came out - and the word I heard wasn't good. added it to my Netflix and had planned on streaming it forever.

I guess I figured after Halloween II, it couldn't be any worse - and if it really sucked, I figured I'd just turn it off and pick something else.

But I ended up liking it - well, for the most part.

I thought it fit in well with the spirit of the first three films - the kills were weird with a touch of humor, and it was nice to see the return of characters such as Ronnie (Paul DeAngelo) and Ricky (Johnathan Tiersten).
Ricky. Still angry. Still delivering every line like it was poison. I LOVE IT.
We still get cheesy special effects:
That somehow, in a movie like this, don't take away from the film, they just add to the fun.

One thing that's hard for me to review, and that's whether or not the identity of the killer is as transparent as it was to me- and whether or not that's on purpose. Unfortunately I knew a couple of spoilers that made it pretty obvious as to what was going on. We're also thrown the requisite 'red herring' as to who the killer might be - but when you compare that person's body type to the real killer (dressed in black, face hidden) it's painfully obvious that those two are not the same person. I couldn't tell if that was done with a purposeful sense of humor - or just a huge oversight on the part of the filmmakers.

The only real bone I have to pick with the movie is this dude:
That would be Alan (right) played by Michael Gibney. He's the kid everyone picks on - and I do mean everyone - including counselors. I would imagine we're supposed to feel some kind of empathy for this character - as we did for Angela in the first Camp.

But whereas Angela was a sad, withdrawn scapegoat for the mean kids - Alan is just a little creep. He bullies the smaller kids, he sasses the counselors, he plays mean tricks on everyone - and when he's called out on it, he whines and throws a tantrum. In short, he's an Asshole. Which makes it pretty hard to be sympathetic towards him when the other kids (and counselors) give him shit (even though they probably cross the line a couple of times). Was I supposed to hate him? Was I supposed to feel like he was just a misunderstood, socially inept, isolated kid?

Oh well. I still enjoyed the movie and I think it's a good addition to the first three. I see that Sleepaway Camp: The Reunion is being planned for a 2010 release, also written/directed by Hiltzik. No info is given except for this:

Following the events of Return to Sleepaway Camp, "Reunion" focuses on the long-awaited return of Aunt Martha as well as Ricky and Angela Baker.

YES! Aunt Martha ROCKS. You can click on the picture to watch the first ten minutes of Sleepaway Camp (Aunt Martha shows up around 6:15) and revel in her awesomeness:
Goodness, no. That won't do at all!

-Mother Firefly

Day 18 Part II : Halloween II

A part II for movie for a day with two parts, how fitting. It's too bad that I find myself sitting here with only one word on my mind after watching Halloween II: Dull.

Yeah. I spent the film watching the time and hoping the flavor of my gum would last.

I have a confession to make - I am not the biggest fan of the Halloween franchise. I enjoy the first one and I think it's a great film - but for some reason or another, it does not stand out as one of the seminal films of my childhood. Meaning - horror movies I saw as a kid that scared the bejesus out of me. I'm not even sure when the first time was that I saw it - and I do remember very well the first time I saw other films like : Friday the 13th, Carrie, The Omen, The Exorcist, The Howling, Dawn of the Dead....I could go on and on.

At some point in my life (after spending my preschool years and beyond watching all the good classic stuff on TV) there came a point when I started watching more current films - and at some time, there must have been a 'first' for Halloween - but I just don't remember it. However, I remember very vividly the first time I watched Halloween III: Season of the Witch. And I remember watching Halloween II many times with my sister - it being one of her favorites. So go figure.

The truth is, I only bought Halloween on DVD in the last five years. When I watched it, I remembered a lot of it - so obviously I saw it at least once. I loved it. But I still have never seen any of the other films past III - with the exception of H20. I think I saw that one. Couldn't tell you one minute of it.

It's interesting that given the time period I grew up in, I watched the other franchises like Friday the 13th and the Nightmare on Elm Streets. So when the remake of Halloween came about, I didn't have the loyalty to it like a lot of other people - and I was more excited that it was a new Rob Zombie film than anything else.

And I really enjoyed the first half - but I thought the second half dissolved into just being ..... a remake. So I hoped that Zombie would put a whole new twist on this story and take us somewhere really fun - or at least give us something interesting to look at.
But.....uh, not really.



I've heard and read a lot of complaints about his use of Sheri Moon Zombie in Michael's hallucinations or whatever they were. I was actually grateful for her scenes, because at least they were visually more interesting than what else was going on. And although I really want to feel something for Laurie Strode - and I think given all the character has went through, that would be easy - but Scout Taylor Compton really leaves me kind of cold. And kind of annoys me. I was more bummed out when another minor character died than I was ever concerned or worried about Laurie Strode.

Oh well. It wasn't horrible - but if you'd bet me a couple of days ago that I was not only going to like Jennifer's Body, but think it was better than Halloween II, I'd have
said you were nuts. And I'd be giving you some cash today.

-Mother Firefly

Day 18: Jennifer's Body

Wow. I actually........liked it.

I purposely avoided reading any reviews and I really didn't even know much about the plot other than Megan Fox was going to kill some people - I didn't even see the trailer. So I went in with zero expectations - but mildly excited that I was going to see a horror film at the movies in October that wasn't a remake and wasn't Saw Part-whatever-they're-on-now.

I thought it was a fun movie and there were some parts that were genuinely creepy. I think it could have been more disturbing with just a little more gore. I'm kind of surprised the film was rated R - maybe I'm jaded but it seemed like we could have pushed the envelope a little more.

I also enjoyed Amanda Seyfried as 'Needy' - she does a great job on Big Love and I thought she was great in this. Megan Fox - ah well, I suppose she just does what Megan Fox does - I've never seen her before in anything, and I'm sure she's not sweating that, since I'm not really her target audience. Also a nice touch were the additions of Amy Sedaris, JK Simmons - LOVED the cameo by Lance Henriksen.

I think it's really too bad that a R -rated horror movie that wasn't a sequel or a remake did so poorly at the box office - and no matter if you liked the movie or not - you'd still have to admit that it's still better than at least 75% of the horror movies to play in theaters in the last year. And now Saw -Whatever will come out and probably make enough to justify ANOTHER one.

I do have one bone to pick with this film, and it's with the dialogue. How is it that EVERYONE in this film speaks using hip shorthand and clever phrasing? It would have gotten old if it had just been Megan Fox's character - but it's all the teens - and not only them, it's the little kids and the parents too, FOR CRYING OUT LOUD. Some of my most unfavorites included:

-"You're just jello (meaning jealous). You're lime green jello and you don't even know it."

-'Do you have a tampon? I thought you might - you seemed like you were plugging.'

-a character's little sister using the phrase 'penis cheese'

-a character's mother refering to Jesus as 'J.C.'

- and my absolute favorite - a burly police cadet announcing he'll soon be 'on the squad for reals'! FOR REALS????

And that's only the BEGINNING. If you made a drinking game based on every time someone used this kind of 'cute-speak' or whatever you want to call it, you'd never remember the end of the film. Because you'd have FREAKING ALCOHOL POISONING. I don't really have an issue with any of the above phrases (expect maybe the plugging one - especially coming from another woman - which makes it even more insulting) but when Every. Single. Character's. Dialogue seems like they're trying to prove how hip and cool they are - well, you get the picture.

But that's really my only gripe - and my one complaint about Juno as well. Other than that, I like the stories that Diablo Cody is telling - I just hope the next time she writes a script that the dialogue gets a little dialed in.


For reals,
Mother Firefly

Day 17: Frankenstein vs the Creature from Blood Cove

Since I seem to have a trend this month consisting of films that are a tribute to an era long gone, I thought I'd add this one to the Halloween bonanza.

I saw this at Cinema Wasteland a few years ago, and it's the first film I can remember seeing that attempted to recreate the spirit and fun of classic monster movies.

As with the others, I think that you need to have a certain love of that genre to really appreciate and have fun with films like this.

However, this film is a little different from the others I've watched this month (Alien Trespass and Terror From Beneath the Earth) in that it's not attempting to be entirely true to the genre. The film is in black and white, and the title, monsters, and acting style are all tributes to classic horror - but the film takes place in the modern day. There's even a small amount of nudity, and a strip club scene at the end (with cameos by Lloyd Kaufman and Ron Jeremy) that seems to serve no real purpose other than, well, to have a strip club scene.

The movie starts with Dr. Lazaroff and his assistant chasing down something that's just escaped from his lab. The creature escapes into the sea, and before long, it's harrassing a photographer and his crew who are on the beach doing photo shoots. They end up running to the Dr's house for safety, and end up being taken hostage by the Dr for their trouble. You see, the good doctor is only trying to build monsters so that they can be used as assassins - and since monster #1 escaped, he's decided to go ahead and re-animate Frankenstein's monster.

We've got great monsters, monster fights, a few cheesy underwater scenes (yay!), and of course one of the monsters falls in love. Which one? Hint: He just wants a BRIDE.
We even get the ghost of Victor Frankenstein thrown in for good measure.

It's another fun tribute to an era gone by.....(expect for the stripping, of course!)

Take it off,
Mother Firefly

Day 16 - Right at Your Door

Day 16's selection was a movie I've been wanting to see for quite a while - having heard positive things about it - but a little hesitant just the same. I like my horror based in a certain amount of fantasy -and Right at Your Door is, sadly, a film that portrays circumstances that aren't as far fetched as we might like to think.

A husband and wife (Brad and Lexi) start their day just like all their other days - he is a stay at home struggling musician, and she is the breadwinner of the family. Except this particular day terrorists decide to strike......leaving a layer of toxic dust to cover the city. People in their homes are advised to seal off their homes and stay inside.

Brad (Rory Cochrane) faces a dilemma - to seal off the house or wait for his wife to get back? When he is unable to reach her by phone, he has to make a decision - or risk getting exposed himself. Adding to the chaos, the neighborhood handyman Alvaro (Tony Perez) has taken refuge inside the house as well.

Alvaro and Brad set about sealing off the house, and just when they finish, guess who shows up? Lexi (Mary McCormack) is home, covered in dust, and wants back in the house.

If Brad had just let Lexi in the house, we'd have an entirely different kind of movie. But it isn't that simple, and what follows is impossible to watch without asking yourself - what would I do? What would your loved one want you to do? Or - if you were the person stuck outside - what would you want to have done?

It's not an easy film to watch - it's often tense and uncomfortable, and at times, it's downright irritating. But it's still a well-done, thought provoking film - something we don't get often enough.

We're Halfway Through!!!!!!

My official Halloween mascot, Ash, (known in our house as Boo - because he's a black cat - therefore -a Halloween cat - therefore "Boo") hopes you are enjoying your Halloween season.

I am!...and I have a few more Halloween themed events still on the way. I'm planning on a haunted house this weekend, a Dracula play next weekend, and I'm hoping to see a few more horror movies at the theater in the next week. This is more Halloween goodness than I've had time for in the last couple of years.

Halfway there and I've done at least one post every day.......I'm way more ahead of the game than I was last year.
But then again last year, I was balancing 17 credits, a clinical, and studying for the NCLEX. I'm amazed I did any blogs that didn't consist of more than drool and one word: Derrrrrrp.

If memory serves, I had already gotten ready for school, drove to the bus stop, and was on the bus almost at school when my tired ass thought....oh yeah. It's Halloween. Hmmm. Wonder if I can take a nap when I get home today?

Anyway - I sure hope you're supporting all the other wonderful bloggers who are blogging their Halloween - loving hearts out.
Check out the list here:





Also - I'd like to point out some KICKASS Halloween DVD sales:

Amazon:
Movies range in price from 3.99 to ?
The reason I personally like this sale is because of all the offbeat stuff, including many double features from Something Weird. Two movies for 4.99? Count me in! I picked up a lot of stuff from this sale last year that I'm STILL making my way through. Sales go through Oct 31.

Deep Discount DVD
Several sales going on here - you can find all the links on the main page. My favorite is the Fox sale - 2 for 10.00 sale - many double feature Midnite Movies here. Sales end 10/19 - 10/26, depending.

Any others? Let me know....

Day 15 - Grace

This was the fourth of my four movies in four days. The third was 9 - I went out to catch one of the last shows before it left the theaters. And as it was ending its run, it was relegated to one of the smaller venues, as is usually the case. Which just so happened to be theater '6'. And - every theater in this particular chain is lit up with first: the number of the theater, and second: the title of the movie. I'll pause for a moment while you go back and put those two together.

I almost stopped and yelled back at the counter, 'Did y'all do this on PURPOSE??'
This is probably why Plan 9 started 20 minutes late last week - all the kids that work there were probably out back having a smoke and laughing their asses off.

Back to Grace. This straight to video gem is about Madeline (Jordan Ladd) who is pregnant for the third time - and kind of already a little nutty about doing all the 'right things for her unborn baby - avoiding chemicals, eating vegan, finding the right doctor (she finally settles on a midwife who happens to be an old friend of hers). But Madeline has already had two unsuccessful pregnancies, so she's understandably a little paranoid.

But sadly, life takes a tragic turn of events when Madeline and her husband have an accident which leads to the death of her unborn child. Unfortunately, hubby bites it too, and Madeline decides to not let the doctors induce her labor - and decides to carry the fetus to term and give birth.

The birth is painful and sad, and the midwife delivers the stillborn child to Madeline to say goodbye. But after everyone leaves Madeline alone to mourn, they return to find that maybe the baby isn't so stillborn after all......



Madeline takes Grace home to start her life over and celebrate her 'miracle' daughter. But soon Madeline finds out that her daughter isn't quite like other babies - breast milk won't quite cut it. No, it turns out that Grace needs the red stuff to survive.

This movie was directed by Paul Solet and will definitely go on my short list of best horror films I've seen this year. Halfway through the movie I thought I'd figured it out - only to keep changing my mind every five minutes. I still don't know if the story is literal - is this just the story of a child born to drink blood and the lengths a mother will go to make sure her child survives? Or is it a psychological tale of a woman who has been so scarred by tragedy that she creates a fantasy world that takes her deeper and deeper into her own madness?

I'm still not sure. But if you're read my reviews before, you know this is the kind of film I live for - one that makes me think about it for days afterwards - a movie that doesn't have all the lines drawn in. I know I'll still be pondering this one in the weeks to come.

One thing I am sure of is that Jordan Ladd did an outstanding job as Madeline. Ladd, who is starting to build up her horror resume with films such as Cabin Fever, Hostel II, and DeathProof (Shanna Banana!!), makes you want as badly as she does for that baby to just be alive, and even though you know in your heart of hearts that she's not headed to a good place, you still want her to be able to be that mother that she so badly wants to be.

The movie is fairly bloody (can't make a movie about a baby that drinks blood without lots of the red stuff!) but not overly gory. It also reminded me of another film about a baby who needs to drink blood, Grave of the Vampire. Which is a great film as well - but for completely different reasons. Who knows, it may warrant a review later on this month......
Mama F.