Category: Horror films

Really Awful Movies: Ep 263 – An American Werewolf in London

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Welcome to John Landis’ An American Werewolf in London, a very fine (and very timeless) piece of lycanthrope cinema.

Two American backpackers are sightseeing in some far-flung reaches of Yorkshire. Tired and hungry, they come upon a pub called The Slaughtered Lamb, whose denizens are not the most welcoming sort. In fact, our heroes David and Jack, feel like they really don’t belong, and it’s not just a cultural thing. The place is a bit sinister. One of the barflies tells the two young men to “stay off the Moors.” They pay for their drinks and bounce quickly, heading into the dark night.

Suddenly, a creature of the night tears at the them. Jack is mauled down to his flayed skin. David wakes up in a London hospital with quite the tale to tell, yet nobody at Scotland Yard is interested in hearing it.

He does, however, have a friendly ear in nurse Alex (Jenny Agutter). The two hit it off, but David is starting to exhibit strange feelings…especially come full moon.

An American Werewolf in London is one of those rare species of horror film, one with comedic elements that work exceedingly well to complement the bloodiness. David Naughton is exceptional as the wide-eyed American. Rick Baker’s effects are one-of-a-kind.

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Really Awful Movies: Ep 262 – Raising Cain

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This John Lithgow-starring, Brian De Palma-directed thriller is set around Valentine’s day. On this episode of the Really Awful Movies Podcast, a take on this “demented, deranged, deceptive” De Palma flick, Raising Cain.

Lithgow portrays multiple characters/multiple personalities. He is a child psychologist, Dr. Carter Nix, who is kidnapping kids to use for nefarious purposes (not explained, adding to the air of mystery here).

Against this backdrop, a hell of a lot of family infidelity drama, worthy of a Woody Allen film.

Nix’s wife is an oncologist, Jenny (Lolita Davidovich). Jenny is two-timing Nix, having an affair with (of all people) the widower of a cancer patient she’s treating! It’s an insane premise, and if you are a fan of the equally cheesy Netflix series, You, you won’t be put off by the Lifetime Movie fromage on display at times here.

Raising Cain winds an interesting narrative, as Nix is painted into a corner and has to plot schemes to extricate himself, while the police try to get a handle on what’s going on with the missing kids, as well as missing moms.

While hardly peak De Palma (that would be The Phantom of the Paradise, Carrie and The Untouchables(On the podcast, we have yet to talk De Palma, although we did reference The Phantom of the Paradise on several occasions).

Lithgow really embraces the different roles, and shows off considerable acting chops, despite falling into the odd embarrassing / laughable scene.

Raising Cain definitely stands apart as a worthy, intriguing little misfire.

On this episode of the Really Awful Movies Podcast, we watched different versions of the film (there are two, both of which were released on Blu-ray. One was a fan re-cut, and the other was the more incoherent theatrical release).

Do yourself a favor and watch the re-cut. It’s far far superior.

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Really Awful Movies: Ep 261 – 7 Valentine’s Day Horror Films

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On this special bonus episode of the Really Awful Movies Podcast, Valentine’s Day Horror Films.

Today is a day to reignite your passions and tell loved ones they’re loved. But also, there’s no better occasion than to dive into what we love: horror movies! Horrors are oft-known to be set around holidays, whether it’s New Year’s Evil, Silent Night, Deadly Night, April Fool’s Day, etc. And there’s no reason this faux-holiday should be any different. After all, there’s already red liberally spread around, right? How about add some squibs to that, and make things blood spattered?

As the poster tag-line for Valentine says, “love hurts.” While this is undoubtedly true, you can learn to love again. But you’ve only got one life to live, and that’s something to remember when some nasty serial killer is bearing down on your. The Canadian classic, My Bloody Valentine, is called that for a reason.

So tune in, tell your friends to subscribe and join us on the Really Awful Movies Podcast!