Gingerclown (2013)

I cannot believe that it has been almost a week and I am still fighting off the last parts of this stomach bug. I have no idea what it was, but damn, it has been knocking me out. During this time though I have had a chance to catch a few flicks, one of them is the 2013 cheesefest Gingerclown.

Plot/ To impress the girl of his dreams, Sam enters an old amusement park, where torturous monsters roam the grounds.

Growing up in the 1980s, I have seen my share of big-boxed horror cheese, and honestly, this one fits right it with those. With that being the case, if you do not love that era of straight to VHS schlockfests, this movie will definitely not be for you. Gingerclown is in no way a perfect movie, in fact, it is likely one of the cheesiest, and cliché riddled flicks to come out in some time. Couple that with bad animatronic effects (classic 1980s cheese) that make SyFy Channel CGI look impressive, and it is easy to see where we are headed. Yes, it does have some decent actors doing voice work for the animatronics (Tim Curry and Lance Henriksen) and it does create the feel that it was made in the 1980s, but those are about the best parts. In the end, this movie is bad, but it embraced that realization by trying to recreate one of the best eras of low budget horror. Definitely not for everyone, but if like me you want taken back to your youth and love 1980s schlock (minus the boobs), suspend all reality for a while and give it a shot…

Body Parts (1991)

After a long day of crazy weather prevented me from finishing what I had planned, it was definitely time to relax to a movie. Having finished my homework, I decided to see what was available on one of the movie channels I pay for. In the end, I decided on the 1991 thriller Body Parts.

Plot/ After losing his arm in a car accident, a criminal psychologist has it replaced with a limb that belonged to a serial killer.

It had been a long time since I saw this one and I could tell last night that age was not kind to this one. Originally, it did not have quite the B-Movie feel that it has today, but after two decades that is likely to happen to many films in the genre. The acting is uneven, the story somewhat cliché and the pacing is unbalanced. Yes, there is some gore in the final parts that at least make it fun, but that is about it. In the end, this does have some entertaining and interesting moments, but nothing truly original. If you love movies from the 1990s, give it a shot; it is not great, but not terrible either.

Curse of Chucky (2013)

After watching Amnesiac last night, I decided that I wanted to venture into some classic horror characters for the rest of the night. After some debate inside my head, I figured that I could give Chucky another shot. Sure, some of the sequels were horrid, but that character has always been awesome. With that in mind, I decided on the 2013 entry Curse of Chucky.

Plot/ After her mother's mysterious death, Nica begins to suspect that the talking, red-haired doll her visiting niece has been playing with may be the key to recent bloodshed and chaos.

For the longest time, I was convinced that the Child's Play model and Chucky had run its course. However, after watching this installment, I was wrong. This movie is one of the best in the series and one that should have received more attention. The storyline was interesting, the soundtrack spot on, the atmosphere is heavy and Chucky is at his best. The special effects are notably good, as they allowed for a tremendous of depth inside many different kills. Yes, some of the acting may have been too rigid to make this a perfect flick, but it is all rather good. In the end, this may be the best installment of the series since the original and makes some of the duds even more forgettable. Sure, this entertaining flick is not for everyone, but it should be. Check it out!

Death and Cremation (2010)

I wanted to keep watching flicks that centered on serial killers or something from the slasher genre. Of course, there are many choices out there, especially when hitting our local Family Video Store. What did we find this time?  The 2010 romp, Death and Cremation.

Plot/ In a typical American suburb filled with middle class morals, a lonely 59-year-old, Stan, contributes to society by offering cremation services from his basement. In fact, Stan murders neighbors he perceives to be social bullies. Jarod, a fatherless 17-year-old high school outcast, lands an after-school job in Stan's cremation house and the two develop an unusual working relationship that quickly evolves into a partnership. As detective Matt Fairchild puts together clues from local disappearances, Stan must decide if protecting his newfound trainee is worth killing for.

This was an interesting little flick. Then again, usually anything with Brad Dourif can be at least a little creepy. The acting was decent, the storyline (while a bit light) was creative, and some of it was truly believable. Yes, there was no characterization, the script was a bit flawed and the direction could have been tighter. In the end, this one is far from perfect, but it was somewhat entertaining. Sure, it has some slow moments, but it is still worth watching.