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June 1, 2025

A Binge too Far #52: Report from the 10th Horrorant International Film Festival - Fright Nights

Posted by Christos Mouroukis

The 10^th Horrorant International Film Festival – ‘Fright Nights’ that primarily took place at the prestigious Elize theater of Athens, was a great success on all fronts, including the quality of the program that this year focused on Asian horror and the many filmmakers that visited Greece in order to provide generous Q&A sessions with the audience. Unfortunately, due to my busy schedule I was able to attend only a few screenings, and here are my brief thoughts on them.

Play Dead (2025)

Alison (Paula Brasca) awakens in a dark basement among a handful of dead women, when she realizes that a masked maniac is lurking in the surroundings. She decides to play dead (as per the title) until she can think of an escape plan. Hailing from Spain, but efficiently dubbed in English, this slasher directed by Carlos Goitia [Horrorant had previously screened his The 100 Candles Game: The Last Possession (2023)] may be a bit formulaic and even feel dated at times – it is echoing several classics from Saw (2004) to The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974) – but where it lacks in inspiration, it delivers on execution, resulting in an utterly enjoyable experience, so much that I can’t remember since when I was that enthusiastic for a serial killer picture.

Dead by Dawn (2025)

A proposed high-art stage play assembles a group of actors in the villa of a mysterious and wealthy family that is rumored to practice the occult, when a serial killer is stalking them on the grounds, and is killing them one-by-one with a variety of creative ways.

Hailing from Poland, writer/director Dawid Torrone’s debut may sound like your standard slasher, but it is very far removed from the hollow genre standards, and what it presents is a stylish manifesto for the senses, an artistically stunning work of celluloid full of nods to the best moments in Dario Argento’s body of work. Kinetic and intelligent, this benefits both from its many complicated set-ups for the camera and the choreography, as well as its brutal gore. This is a modern masterpiece that you cannot miss.

Deviant (2024)

Javier (Alain Hernandez) is suffering from boredom resulted from a thankless job and a sexless marriage, leading him to eye his daughter’s teenage friends. One day, and after pressure from a colleague, he signs in a kinky dating app and starts chatting with a girl. When a meeting is arranged in her house, Javier doesn’t find a willing lover, but rather a grotesque fat man (Fernando Albizu) and his ailing and wheelchair-bound mother (Itziar Aizpuru) who is suffering from dementia. The protagonist is soon held captive at the perverted duo’s basement and is expecting sexual torture with a variety of sex toys, after the tormentor is finished with taking care of a pedophile priest (Patxi Santamaria).

As writer/director Daniel M. Caneiro told us during his very entertaining Q&A session that followed the screening of this horror-comedy, his inspirations include Sam Raimi and Gene Wilder. But with brilliant – if subtle – commentary on religion, family values, and even the dangers of technology, this is much more than a simple torture film presented as a Christmas movie. It may be a bit too provocative, or sexually humorous to guarantee a larger audience, but everyone in the packed theater in which I saw it seemed to have a very good time with it.

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April 30, 2025

A Binge too Far #51: The Firestarter duo (1984 – 2022)

Posted by Christos Mouroukis

Drew Barrymore as Charlene in Firestarter (1984)

Stephen King’s Firestarter (1980) horror novel about a young girl with the rare ability of pyrokinesis is one of the best examples of his early work, and it was adapted for the big screen as a blockbuster film in 1984, a mini-series in 2002, and a bombastic remake ensued recently, in 2022. For this article we give a brief look to the two theatrical releases, while the mini-series will be tackled in the next instalment of the more appropriate Static Age column.

Firestarter (1984) poster

Firestarter (1984)

While hippies in college and desperate for money, Andrew McGee (David Keith) and Vicky Tomlinson (Heather Locklear) participated in a medical experiment that involved a dodgy hallucinating drug. Most of the participant had horrible side-effects, but the protagonist couple gained the power of telepathy. What’s more, years later, their daughter Charlene (Drew Barrymore) inherited a variation of the power, in the form of pyrokinesis. Now the government (specifically a team lead by Geoge C. Scott) is after the young girl and her ability to set things on fire.

Looking like a John Carpenter film all the way through (and the horror legend was indeed attached to the project early on), this 1980s horror classic was instead directed by Mark Lester [a masterful craftsman who in the next year would offer us the last word on action cinema, in the form of Commando (1985)], and while it is a bit slow during its first half, the finale becomes a spectacle like no other, with real fire special effects dominating the proceedings (the generous $12 million budget allowed the film to look big and rich). It’s a pity that it didn’t set the box-office at fire though, as it grossed a mere $18.9 million in worldwide rentals.

Firestarter (2022) poster

Firestarter (2022)

Andrew McGee (Zac Efron) and Vicky Tomlinson (Sydney Lemmon) participate in a medical experiment involving a hallucinating drug that ends up giving them the powers of telepathy and telekinisis. As a bizarre result, their daughter Charlene (Ryan Kiera Armstrong) ends up with the power of pyrokinesis, and is now the most wanted person by the Department of Scientific Intelligence (DSI) that wants to study and use her ability to set the world on fire, literally.

Produced by Jason Blum and Akiva Goldsman (for Blumhouse Productions and Weed Road Pictures) on a comparatively generous $12 million budget (that cannot explain the terribly CGI fires on display) and with director Keith Thomas [The First Omen (2024)] at the helm, this plays like a standard modern horror programmer, that is never scary, nor atmospheric. The score by John Carpenter (who finally got involved with this), Cody Carpenter, and Daniel Davies is much better than the actual film. It was hated by critics, and it grossed a mere $15 million, but audiences caught up with it on Peacock.

April 1, 2025

A Binge too Far #50 - Singing and Dancing with The Blues Brothers duo (1980 – 1998)

Posted by Christos Mouroukis

John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd in The Blues Brothers (1980)

The Blues Brothers (1980)

Recently-released from prison Jake Blues (John Belushi) is reunited with his brother Elwood (Dan Aykroyd) and in order to find enough dough to save the catholic orphanage in which they grew up, they re-assemble their old blues band, resulting in adventures with the law and the Nazis.

Written by John Landis (who also directed) and Dan Aykroyd (developed from the same-titled sketch that originally appeared on NBC’s Saturday Night Live) this fun musical comedy is full of wild (but safe, within the limits of its R rating) humour and spectacular musical numbers by a variety of Blues legends, including James Brown, Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles, and John Lee Hooker.

Made on an excessive $27.5 million budget, it was distributed by Universal Pictures and went on to gross a stunning $115.2 million at the box-office, and following positive reviews from critics and enthusiastic word-of-mouth from audiences it also became a VHS phenomenon too, essentially one of the most iconic films of the 1980s.

Featuring car crashes and shootouts, as well as a fascinating cast (Frank Oz, Carrie Fisher, John Candy, Paul Reubens, Charles Napier, Twiggy, Steven Spielberg, and Steve Lawrence), and a R&B soundtrack for the ages, this is classic Hollywood at its best.

Blues Brothers 2000 (1998)

Recently-released from prison where he was serving for 18 years for the felonies depicted mostly in the finale of the first film, Elwood Blues (Dan Aykroyd, who also penned the screenplay with the film’s director John Landis) and with his brother now dead, he must re-assemble his old band for a new “Mission from God” that will result in new adventures with the law and even communists.

Produced by Dan Aykroyd, John Landis, and Leslie Belzerg on a massive $30 million budget that went to a spectacle that is featuring car crashes, shootouts, a large cast of extras, and some terrible CGI, this is essentially a rehash of the original and it was indented as a comeback project for its director. It delivers the most fun you could possibly have at the movies in the late 1990s with entertaining singing and dancing that is giving you the feel and magic of R&B, but you shouldn’t be expecting the greatness of the first film. It grossed a disastrous $32.1 million.

February 28, 2025

A Binge too Far #49: The Hot Shots! duo (1991 – 1993)

Posted by Christos Mouroukis

Charlie Sheen in a promotional shot for Hot Shots! (1991)

Nowadays people get their laughs from Instagram reels and get entertained by stand-up comedians, but back in the 1990s the comedy genre was still cinematically big enough to guarantee blockbusters such as the Hot Shots! (1991 – 1993) duo to be made.

Hot Shots! (1991) poster

Hot Shots! (1991)

Topper Harley (Charlie Sheen) is a fighter pilot who falls in love with the force’s psychiatrist (a very sexy Valeria Golino), who will try to put some balance in his unstable life, but things get trickier when the protagonist will participate on a suicide mission.

Written by Jim Abrahams (who also directed) and Pat Proft (who also executive produced), this is a big budget (Bill Badalato produced on a $26 million and the film was distributed by 20^th Century Fox) parody of the then-recent Top Gun (1986) sensation (we tackled it on a previous post), but it also satirizes iconic scenes from other mainstream pictures of the time, including 9½ Weeks (1986) and Superman (1978). Nobody did surreal and wild comedies like Abrahams back then and even those who did never had his success, and Hot Shots! (1991) went on to gross a stunning $181.1 million, guaranteeing a sequel.

Hot Shots! Part Deux (1993)

Topper Harley (Charlie Sheen) is now a Rambo-like soldier on a mission to save war prisoners from Iraq that is under the dictatorship of Saddam Hussein (Jerry Haleva), but in the meanwhile he has to put his personal life in order as he is romantically desired by his old girlfriend Ramada (Valeria Golino) and a C.I.A. sex bomb (Brenda Bakke).

Written by Jim Abrahams (who also directed) and Pat Proft (who also executive produced) this bombastic sequel (it was budgeted at $25 million) is also funnier than the original, as it parodies the plot structure and main characters of Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985), but also incorporates many scenes that satirize then-recent hits such as Basic Instinct (1992). It grossed $133.8 million, so it’s surprising that we didn’t see more of the same.

January 31, 2025

A Binge too Far #48: The epic Conan duo (1982 – 1984)

Posted by Christos Mouroukis

Arnold Schwarzenegger in Conan the Barbarian (1982)

Despite his limited skills as an actor and mostly with dialogue, Arnold Schwarzenegger was undeniably star material, and with very few lines to deliver he employed his otherworldly posture in order to become Conan, in a couple of films that were successful enough to guarantee the second coming of the ‘sword and sandal’ genre.

Conan the Barbarian (1982)

Upon seeing his people suffering genocide and the beheading of his own mother, a kid is growing up to become Conan the Barbarian (Arnold Schwarzenegger) and fight for revenge, using his god-like strength and his skills with the sword.

Based on Robert E. Howard’s same-titled ‘down and dirty’ comic book character that was devoured by fans of pulp fiction, and turned into screenplay format by none other than Oliver Stone (of all people) and John Milius (who also directed, mostly competently enough and often with loads of inspiration), this may not be as risky as its source material, but you still get enough nudity and beheadings to justify its R rating. Produced by Rafaela De Laurentiis on a $20 million budget, it became a phenomenon as it grossed a stunning $79.1 million, singlehandedly spawning the second wave of the ‘sword and sandal’ genre. It greatly benefits from a cast that includes James Earl Jones and Max Von Sydow, but its true power is the game-changing soundtrack by Basil Poledouris.

Conan the Destroyer (1984)

Evil Queen Taramis of Shadizar [Sarah Douglas from Superman (1978)] is testing the strength of Conan (returning Arnold Schwarzenegger) and his (comic relief) sidekick Malak [Tracey Walter, later in Batman (1989)] and once that is proven they are assigned to aid her niece, Princess Jehnna [Olivia d’Abo, later in Point of No Return (1993)] to a journey gain back a precious horn jewel.

Based on Robert E. Howard’s comic book, this time the story was turned into a screenplay by Stanley Mann, while directorial duties went to Richard Fleischer, who is handling the material with the same gusto dictated by the original outing. Its sensibilities however are approached in different manner, and while there are a few beheadings on display, the nudity is notably absent and a ‘safe for all’ PG rating resulted. This sequel is not as lively, but it is also not entirely soulless, mainly due to the excellent work of composer Basil Poledouris. It was once again produced by Rafaela De Laurentiis on an $18 million budget, but it grossed a mere $31 million and the sequel promised on the end credits never materialized.

Afterword

Robert E. Howard’s works were also the inspiration behind the similar Red Sonja (1985), also featuring Arnold Schwarzenegger. Conan was the subject of several 1990s animated series, as well as an ill-fated live action series that lasted a mere one season. In the 2000s Conan fans were treated to a few video games featuring their favourite barbarian, but it was in 2011 that we saw him returning to the big screen in live action form with Conan the Barbarian featuring Jason Momoa in the title role.

January 22, 2025

PSYCHO APE MOVIE REVIEW

Posted by PeggyC

Despite the vitriol I spew in many of my reviews here at CHC, I do actually enjoy watching indie horror films. Sure, there are a lot of shit piles to dig through to find that one perfect undigested kernel of corn. And though that can be exhausting, it makes it worthwhile if I can find a film that’s entertaining and done well, despite budgetary and talent pool limitations.

This is not one of those films.

Psycho Ape is a ridiculous story about an ape wearing tennis shoes that, 25 years ago, escaped from the Detroit Zoo and went on a murderous rampage. For some reason, he homes in on a slumber party of a half a dozen young women and he kills all of them except for Nancy, the ape enthusiast, who faints with delight at the sight of the beast.

The zookeeper/animal psychologist, Dr. Zoomis, who is trying to track down the ape, loses its trail, thus beginning his decades-long obsession with the animal.

25 years later, the ape has been continuing its murderous ways. Even though it has a house and built a good life for itself, it just keeps killing. Eventually, the ape finds the long-disappeared Nancy, and they get along great. In fact, she even encourages the brutal beast to slay people who annoy her.

But don’t worry. Dr. Zoomis catches up to them and captures the ape. After ANOTHER 25 years, the creature escapes AGAIN, hooks up with Nancy, and a final fight up the Empire State Building (a la King Kong) ensues. Dr. Zoomis is thrown off; the ape is thrown off. Nancy survives only to be joined by a somehow no longer dead Dr. Zoomis, and they walk off into the sunset, holding hands.

WHAT.

THE.

FUCK.

FOR.

REAL.

Don't hate me because I'm beautiful.

Now, to clarify, this is a comedy/horror. It is meant to be farce, silly, ridiculous, over the top, absurd. I know that because the inconsistencies in story and editing and sound and continuity and quality cannot convince me otherwise. Even one of the beginning title cards says this movie is, “the dumbest, cheapest one of them all.”

And I can appreciate that honesty.

I have to admit that I really did enjoy the kills. Death by banana was a fun gag, though not the only way the psycho ape killed people. The f/x was a mix of absolute shite CGI and practical stuff. They were…meh.

I did chuckle a couple of times but most of the humor was a big miss. Nearly every scene had elements or was in its entirety some kind of parody of a larger, more well-known franchise. After a while, that loses its impact and becomes quite tiresome. And don’t get me started on the ten-minute filler scene of two trick-or-treaters arguing about what the best animated film is, or whatever the FUCK they were talking about, while the crew decides to stop filming and join the conversation.

Like, what the hell was that? I actually tuned out and stopped watching the movie until the scene changed and someone either died or started yelling. I honestly don’t remember.

Open wide for my beautiful banana...

And perhaps the explanation of what characters were doing after the events of the film was meant to be funny, considering most of them died at some point. But it honestly just felt like a cheap cop-out and lazy writing. Though it did open it up for Psycho Ape 2.

WHYYYYY though? Who asked for that??

Anyway, though there was obviously passion and fun built into this movie, I cannot recommend it for any sane person to watch. Even someone like me, who is secretly a twelve-year old boy, can only tolerate so much in one sitting.

.5 hatchet out of 5

January 1, 2025

A Binge too Far #47: The Twister duo (1996 - 2024)

Posted by Christos Mouroukis

Helen Hunt and Bill Paxton in Twister (1996)

Happy New Year! For me New Year’s Eve is always about changes and setting new goals. Well, for starters, I thought I’d change the way my posts work in Cinema Head Cheese. You’ll still be getting one post per month by yours truly but for 2025 you’ll have only one Static Age installment (that will essentially make the television column annual and will be published in December, in order to wrap things up on the small screen front), and for all other months (January to November) you’ll have A Binge too Far installments (most of them covering a duo of films, or even a trilogy). In other words, every eleven A Binge too Far posts, will be followed by one Static Age post. I decided upon this new arrangement in order for Static Age to grow even bigger and include more content each time (I’m thinking more than 3,000 words and more than twenty series or forty subjects overall tackled per post), while of course A Binge too Far will remain pretty much the same, featuring a special each time that’ll included a couple reviews of a duo of films or a trilogy. Got it?

Twister (1996) poster

Twister (1996)

A couple on the verge of divorce (a tornado expert meteorologist played by Helen Hunt and television weather forecaster played by Bill Paxton) has to overcome its differences and tensions in order to work against a combination of tornados by employing a recently-invented device.

Backed by Warner Bros, Universal Pictures, and Amblin Entertainment, with a lavish $92 million budget, this studio project ensured that director Jan de Bont [Speed (1994)] would have everything at his disposal in order to create a bombastic blockbuster; which is exactly what he did, as a perfect combination of surprisingly believable CGI and practical havoc is blended perfectly and results into a fascinating picture, much more enjoyable than its subject matter would have you expect. It made $495.7 million at the box-office and it became the second highest grossing film of 1996.

Twisters (2024) poster

Twisters (2024)

Traumatized by the death of her colleagues many years ago, meteorologist Kate Carter (the gorgeous Daisy Edgar-Jones) moves to New York in order to approach science in more conventional manner, but when the chance arises she returns to Oklahoma to chase tornados, where she meets local twister wrangler superstar Tyler (Glen Powell), only to create a completion between their two teams.

Directed by Lee Isaac Chung, this belated standalone sequel to the mid-1990s blockbuster is a sensation in itself, featuring bombastic tornado scenes – mostly rendered with surprisingly believable CGI – and a country rocking soundtrack, as well as a great cast. It is very enjoyable and an overall better film than the original. It was budgeted at $155 million and it grossed $369.7 million.

December 21, 2024

Christmas Capsule Reviews 2024 - Part III

Posted by PeggyC

Well, hot damn, I did it. I set out to write up three lists of capsule reviews of the Christmas horror flicks streaming on the services I can access and here we are on list 3. Now, I didn’t watch EVERY available flick on each platform because, let’s be honest. I don’t have the patience for that shit. Plus I’ve already seen a bunch and didn’t want to revisit them here.

This list includes the movies you can watch on SHUDDER.

Carnage for Christmas 2024 (A transgender holiday film - that was specifically noted on the opening title card so I figured I’d mention it)
A true crime podcaster returns home for Christmas and gets wrapped up in the tale of a historic murderer who may have returned.

Kind of a standard trope of a story line. Nothing innovative. The acting is less than stellar except for the actress playing the podcaster, Lola. A lot of the murders and some flashback scenes are edited with artsy lighting and flashing/color changing lights. Which just infuriates me to no end (if you’re not new here, you should not be surprised but this.) And while the practical blood/gore effects are appreciated, they are terribly cheap and cheesy looking. You’re not missing much if you skip this one.

Christmas Bloody Christmas 2022
A local toy store’s robotic Santa goes haywire and starts killing everyone.

So apparently these Mall Santas are being replaced with robots built with military grade technology. But…why though? That makes no sense. The acting is better than most indie films for sure. And the kills are pretty freaking epic, practical effects and everything. But it does take a while to get there. About 30 minutes before the first kill. Some of the banter between the two main characters drags on too long and then the final boss fight is basically a rip off of The Terminator. This really could have been better as a short film.

It’s a Wonderful Knife 2023
After saving her town from a psycho killer a year earlier, Winnie finds herself in a parallel universe where, without her, things are much worse.

Kind of interesting spin on “It’s a Wonderful Life” story but much darker. High production and better acting in this. A few more recognizable name actors in this, too. I didn’t realize that going in. Justin Long was excellent! Not sure they fully explained how this alternate reality was possible because the whole implied control or something but whatevs, I guess. Or how a character from the alternate reality could remember the alternate reality once back in the regular timeline…again, whatevs. Still pretty enjoyable.

The Christmas Spirit 2023
A man has a the Spirit of Christmas trapped in his head ever since his sister’s death 20 years prior. He must kidnap a teen girl and sacrifice her in order to save Christmas.

I liked the idea of the story even though the execution kinda missed the mark. I fast-forwarded through a lot of this to just get it moving. And the climax was taking WAY to long (amirite, ladies?) But the acting is decent, the practical effects are fun, and it did get me crying at one point. So it must have plucked at least one good heart string.

The other flicks available on Shudder are:

A Creature was Stirring
Rare Exports
“A Ghost Story for Christmas”Looks like a series but not sure if they’re all Christmas related or not
Body
Day of the Beast
The Gingerdead Man
I Trapped the Devil
The Sacrifice Game
Black Christmas (OG)
SNDN 2
Holidays
Apology
A Christmas Horror Story
The Advent Calendar
All The Creatures Were Stirring
Creepshow Holiday Special
Bunch of JoeBob stuff
Deadly Games
Christmas Presence

So there you have it. 2024’s Christmas Horror offerings (on just a few of the streaming services available.) Maybe next year I’ll just pick one service and watch everything there, or just keep doing reviews this way. I guess we’ll find out in 2025.

Hope everyone has a wonderful holiday and happy new year!

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June 1, 2025

A Binge too Far #52: Report from the 10th Horrorant International Film Festival - Fright Nights

April 30, 2025

A Binge too Far #51: The Firestarter duo (1984 – 2022)

April 1, 2025

A Binge too Far #50 - Singing and Dancing with The Blues Brothers duo (1980 – 1998)

February 28, 2025

A Binge too Far #49: The Hot Shots! duo (1991 – 1993)

January 31, 2025

A Binge too Far #48: The epic Conan duo (1982 – 1984)

January 22, 2025

PSYCHO APE MOVIE REVIEW

January 1, 2025

A Binge too Far #47: The Twister duo (1996 - 2024)

December 21, 2024

Christmas Capsule Reviews 2024 - Part III

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