Reviews

Reviews, anecdotes, and the like related to Halloween, horror, sci-fi, fantasy, or the bizarre.

[Reviews]

A Taste of Texas Part 6

The year was 1990. I was excited walking into the theater to watch Leatherface: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre III on its opening night. I avoided all media coverage about it (which was just Fangoria at the time), though I had seen a few promising photos. I wanted to be surprised. Would it live up to

[Reviews]

A Taste of Texas Part 5

Watching the 1986 Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 was not like watching the original for the first time. Gone was that sense of realism, and absolute terror was not the norm throughout the film. It was, however, its own special kind of beast, and it was one I thoroughly enjoyed. The sequel had moments of terror.

[Music]

October Mood Music 2019: Part One

Tuesday, October 1st: Creepshow OST (1982) Recommended track for a Halloween Party: ANY! Composed by John Harrison, this album means a lot to me as it’s the score for one of my favorite films, my father and I used to try to learn riffs together from it, it helps keep me pumped and focused when

[Reviews]

A Taste of Texas Part 4

Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2. The year was 1986, and it was coming. My first indication of it was not Fangoria, surprisingly enough. I used to devour each issue as it came out, but for some reason the only store near me that carried it was getting shorted its copies or not getting it at all,

[Reviews]

A Taste of Texas Part 3

Note: If you have not read parts one and two of this column, please do so here and here first. Now I had my very own VHS copy of Texas Chainsaw Massacre. My Holy Grail of horror films. It was mine to keep forever. To say I was in Heaven was an understatement. The fact

[Reviews]

I Love Creepshow

The title really says it all, but I’ll elaborate. I must have been 11 or 12 when I first watched Creepshow. My grandmother had rented some scary movies for me in early October of that year and most of them were classics I’d seen before. One film in that stack though was new to me,

[Reviews]

A Taste of Texas Part 2

Terror in the Aisles. That was the film which pushed my obsession with Texas Chainsaw Massacre into a full-blown case of fanaticism. Released in 1984, Terror in the Aisles was a horror documentary of sorts. Donald Pleasence and Nancy Allen took audiences on a tour of the best parts of horror movies, all while talking

[Reviews]

A Taste of Texas Part 1

When asked about my favorite films, one always comes to mind. I feel it changed American cinema, and it definitely influenced my horror writing. That film is none other than the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre (using the more common spelling of the title). It is a movie I can watch multiple times and find something

[Reviews]

Cujo

As a novel, Cujo works. There is some clutter to it, sure, but overall it keeps the tension ratcheted very high and has a satisfying end. For a story that is essentially about a woman and a child trapped in a car it sure packs a punch. Even the film did a fine job, getting

[Reviews]

Burial Ground

Burial Ground (1981) could not get more Italian if it tried. I recently revisited the film by watching Severin’s remastered Blu-ray of the classic, and it is exactly how I remember, though it looks far better than it did on the VHS tape I originally watched it on decades ago. If you have not seen