Ben Nagy reviews ‘Blackwoods’: Things that make you go Uwe
In the early 2000s, you needed only seven letters to strike fear in the hearts of genre flick lovers (and critics). U-W-E B-O-L-L. Not to be confused with the former first-round NBA pick and legendary Dallas Maverick center Uwe Blab, this is the confrontational German who put out what was widely regarded by critics back […]
Ben Nagy reviews ‘Pyewacket’: Just cause you’re mad at Mom, don’t sic a dang demon on her
The next trip-into-the-woods flick we’re going to take a look at is Pyewacket, which doesn’t fulfill a bunch of the prior requirements I set forth last week about woods flicks, making me look like a hypocritical goof. Mostly that’s because the flick doesn’t start in the woods. Instead, we’re in the suburbs where a girl […]
Ben Nagy reviews ‘The Trees Have Eyes’: Frolicking in the Forest and a Zombie Jubilee
What do you get when four interchangeable alpha-male types (some with facial hair) and one woman who work as bail bondspeople go into the woods? With a title like The Trees Have Eyes, you’d figure that it’d be more like Wrong Turn or, you know, The Hills Have Eyes with a bunch of hulking redneck […]
Ben Nagy reviews ‘Trick or Treat’: This one doesn’t have Ozzy or that guy with the bag on his head in it
This last in my triumvirate of Halloween-themed reviews ended up not quite being as Halloween-themed as the two prior (those two were Mischief Night and Trick). There are a couple appearances of trick-or-treaters, the main character has a Halloween birthday and the Grim Reaper shows up a couple of times as well in Trick or […]
Ben Nagy reviews ‘Trick’: It’s what comes before ‘or’ and ‘treat’
This flick, Trick, starts with a definition. You know what starts with definitions? Middle school oral reports. A lecture in front of the Kiwanis Club. Graduation speeches. The sermon at church on a weekend when the lector just doesn’t have a good one in em but still has to say something to fill the time. […]
Ben Nagy reviews ‘Mischief Night’: It’s What Used to Come Before Halloween
So if you have your Halloween timeline straight and who doesn’t, October 30 is the rainy night where Dr. Loomis and Nurse Chambers go to transport Mikey, but he’s let all the people out of the Illinois mental hospital and is traipsing around with his hiney flopping out of a hospital gown before he hijacks […]
The Last Drive-In | Halloween Hangout
Art by T.J. Denton (@TDenton_1138 on Twitter) About three decades back, the big criticism about the Super Bowl was that what was supposed to be the crowning, ultimate, must-see event of the football season ended up having no suspense and being a less-than-satisfying experience. The game ended up being a blowout, the halftime show didn’t […]
Ben Nagy reviews ‘Spookie Dookie’: Independent Hourlong Halloween Special Screams ‘Watch Me!’
Brian Papandrea, the all-time indy filmmaking shrimp cocktail king (see The Big F, if you don’t believe me) has churned out another flick from his Rock Bottom Films company with a title that could describe what happens about an hour after someone follows up eating four bowls of Boo Berry cereal for breakfast with a […]
Ben Nagy reviews ‘Murder Party’: The Brown Knight tries to survive a Halloween bash and artistic torturers
I was so inspired by Murder Party, the Halloween-themed flick I’m reviewing in this column that I even came up with a song… Ain’t no party / Like a Murder Party / Cause a Murder Party / Is a party with a murder (repeat x3) But before you get all hyped up that Murder Party […]
Ben Nagy reviews ‘ShriekShow’: Anthology Features a Bunch of Clowning in the Woods
Director Brad Twigg, the guy behind Killer Campout about the slasherguy who makes his deadly axe out of street signs (see the review here)and who’s working on getting the finishing touches completed for Killer Campout 2, emailed me over the summer telling me that he had a flick he wanted me to check out. And while it’s taken […]