Category: Reviews (Page 95 of 120)

Man, I can still remember when this film was originally released: I was just finishing up college, and there was a big ol’ cardboard stand-up in the local theater, proclaiming its imminent release. I was never a horror movie aficionado back then, and, frankly, this just sounded like an excruciating viewing experience, preying on all of my own personal medical nightmares, so I decided to take a pass on checking it out.

What a fool I was.

Not that “Dr. Giggles” is in any way a classic, but as a fan of really awful puns and one-liners, I laughed out loud a dozen times during the course of the flick…and probably groaned at least as often. Anyone who’s guilty of snickering when Arnold Schwarzenegger watches a guy get cut in a half and then says, “He had to split,” will love watching a film with a serial-killing doctor who throws out lines like…

“Get ready to take your medicine.”
“Check-out time.”
“Do you feel any discomfort?”
“If you think that’s bad, wait until you get my bill.”

If you’re one of those folks who likes to have a pop culture timeline, “Dr. Giggles” was filmed in the same time frame when Holly Marie Combs was just starting on “Picket Fences,” Glenn Quinn was just getting the hang of playing Becky’s boyfriend, Mark, on “Roseanne,” and Larry Drake was several years into his stint as Benny on “L.A. Law” but was already trying to make sure it wouldn’t be the only role he was remembered for. (He’d already played the villain in “Darkman” two years prior to this.)

The film focuses on Evan Randell (Drake), whose father was the physician of the small, picturesque town of Moorehigh; Dr. Randell’s wife passed away, and he proceeded to remove the hearts from several townsfolk in an attempt to bring her back, but he was caught and stoned to death. (Gotta love that small-town justice, huh?) Young Evan, who’d assisted his father, managed to get away, vanishing into anonymity, but his natural tendency toward being batshit crazy led him to be institutionalized, and as “Dr. Giggles” begins, we’re introduced to Evan, all grown up, in the midst of performing a decidedly unauthorized operation on one of the suits at the asylum where he’s been held. This opening sequence is pretty sweet, actually, and I couldn’t help but think of Arkham Asylum, from the “Batman” comics. (When is someone gonna get around to adapting Grant Morrison’s graphic novel into a film, by the way?)

As you’ve read, there’s a lot of ridiculously silly humor in “Dr. Giggles,” but it works because of Drake’s delivery. There’s really not as much gore as you’d expect, although there are a couple of scenes worth noting, including one where the good doctor operates on himself; certainly the most disturbing scene, however, comes via the flashback sequence where we discover that Evan made it out of his parents’ house because his father sewed him into his mother’s corpse!

I’m mildly surprised that the film ended in such a way that a sequel is unlikely, but you can’t beat the way it does end, with Combs holding up two sharp knives, saying, “Take two and call me in the morning,” and stabbing Evan to death…though not before he gets in the closing line, “Is there a doctor in the house?”

Not anymore! (Ho, ho.)

The back of the box for “Someone’s Watching Me!” proclaims the film to be “the ‘lost’ John Carpenter suspense classic,” which is a fair description, in that it’s never before been available on either VHS or DVD until now, but what it fails to mention is that it’s actually a TV movie…not that there’s anything wrong with that. It’s just that it feels like a TV movie…or, at the very least, it looks like one. Still, I thought maybe it was just me until I looked up the history of the film and discovered its origins. Apparently, it aired on NBC in November of 1978…and since “Halloween” had opened only a month before and done boffo box office, wow, talk about your major coups! I mean, Carpenter had already directed two other theatrical features prior to “Halloween” (“Dark Star” and “Assault on Precinct 13”), so it’s not like he’d come out of nowhere, but, still, it’s like…well, imagine if NBC had debuted a TV movie directed by Steven Spielberg the month after “Jaws” had been released, and you kind of get the idea…sort of.

Lauren Hutton plays Leigh Michaels, a single and attractive TV news director who moves to Los Angeles for a new start. She gets herself an apartment, finds herself a job at a local station, and even finds a potential new beau named Paul Winkless (played by David Birney), so everything’s looking hunky-dory…until, that is, she finds herself on the receiving end of a stalker’s affections. He’s all up in her business. He’s got a telescope to watch her from afar, he’s bugged her apartment so he can hear every word she says, and he’s got her phone number, so he’s calling her at all hours of the day and night, just to keep her on edge. Thankfully, Paul’s got her back, and her supportive co-worker, Sophie (Adrienne Barbeau), agrees to assist her in fighting back…but will they succeed before things turn deadly?

Sorry. I couldn’t help myself.

Though early in his career, it’s clear that Carpenter already had a flair for suspense. There’s a moment early in the film, not long after Leigh has moved into her apartment, when we get an unexpected glimpse of her stalker rushing out of the apartment that’ll give you the chills, and the POV shots used on various occasions prove extremely effective as well. The film’s climax, much of which takes place on the balcony of Leigh’s apartment, is mostly successful, though the limits of what could be shown on network television in the late ’70s result in a conclusion that’s not as chilling as it might otherwise have been. Still, it’s aided immensely by the work of composer Harry Sukman, whose Hitchcock-inspired sounds do well at upping the tension (and also served as a trial run for the work he would do the following year on “Salem’s Lot”).

In closing, since “Someone’s Watching Me!” was a TV movie and there’s no trailer available for it, I’ll instead offer up the video for Rockwell’s “Somebody’s Watching Me,” mostly because that’s what I typed just about every goddamned time I wanted to type the actual title of this movie.

Damn you, Rockwell…! Damn you all to Hell!!!

Believe it or not, until today, I’d never seen a Stuart Gordon film.

I’m not sure how I managed to make it this long without seeing any of his works, especially given how much praise has been heaped on “Re-Animator” over the years, but, actually, I’m less embarrassed by not having seen that film as I am by the fact that I have Gordon’s film adaptation of the David Mamet play, “Edmond,” sitting right on my DVD shelf and have never managed to put it into the player. I stand chagrined.

Oh, well, as long as I’m just standing around being chagrined, I might as well discuss “From Beyond,” Gordon’s 1986 adaptation of another H.P. Lovecraft short story (“Re-Animator” was based on one as well), was pretty damned good. And creepy. And downright disturbing at times. I’ve never read the original Lovecraft tale, but I’m led to understand that Gordon’s film – written by the same trio who wrote “Re-Animator”: Gordon, William Norris, and Dennis Paoli – essentially adapts the story for the first part of the film, then continues along its own path for the remainder. Whatever the case, it’s fascinating. And complicated. And almost impossible to really wrap your head around. But still fascinating.

Dr. Edward Pretorius (Ted Sorel) and Dr. Crawford Tillinghast (Jeffrey Combs) are a pair of scientists with really awesome last names who are trying to stimulate the human pineal gland and bring forth the so-called “sixth sense” abilities inherent in every person; as part of their experiments, they’ve built a machine called The Resonator. When The Resonator is turned on, it causes the pineal drives of everyone in its vicinity to go hog wild, which results in them being able to see into a parallel dimension which is apparently inhabited by creatures which resemble eels and jellyfish; unfortunately, it works both ways, and as soon as the scientists make a move, the creatures attack. Tillinghast gets bitten on the cheek, and Pretorious…well, he kind of loses his head. (Later, after the police have come to the scene, we see the headless chalk outline, which can’t help but stir laughter.) Freaking out, Tillinghast destroys the machine and narrowly escapes from Pretorious’s house, where they’ve been doing the experiments, but no-one believes poor Tillinghast when he tries to explain what’s happened, and he’s arrested and put in an insane asylum. Dr. Katherine McMichaels (Barbara Crampton) is fascinated by Tillinghast’s claims, and she takes him back to the house – along with police escort Buford ‘Bubba’ Brownlee (Ken Foree) – in order to determine the truth of the situation. She manages to get the machine working again, but the result is that Pretorious re-appears, having been possessed by the creatures from the other dimension, and wants the others to join him.

The film is a unique mish-mosh of scientific mumbo-jumbo, special effects, gore, sexuality, and humor, and it’s enthralling. And, hey, the sexuality isn’t even forced: turns out that when the pineal gland is in overdrive (and you know when it is, because you can see their foreheads pulsating), the scientists find that their libidos are pumping away as well, which results in Dr. McMichaels putting on a black leather dominatrix outfit at one point. Good times. The creature special effects are right up there with John Carpenter’s “The Thing” for truly mind-bending transformations, and there’s at least one gory moment which will have you squirming in your seat.

It’s a shame there’s never been a “From Beyond 2,” given how much territory is left unexplored with this concept, but, then, maybe that’s why this film works as well as it does: because it’s over before it’s outstayed its welcome.

Damn. Now I need to go rent “Re-Animator.”