Foreign Frights: Goodnight Mommy (Ich Seh, Ich Seh) (2014)

What this film lacks in originality, it makes up for in tone. Writer/Director’s Severin Fiala and Veronika Franz create a tense atmosphere with limited dialogue and striking visuals. The story itself is nothing we haven’t seen before. If you’ve seen A Tale of Two Sisters (2003) or the American remake The Uninvited (2009), then you can see where this film is headed pretty early on. What … Continue reading Foreign Frights: Goodnight Mommy (Ich Seh, Ich Seh) (2014)

A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984 & 2010)

“One, two, Freddy’s coming for you” Those words, that rhyme, has haunted multiple generations of horror fans. In 1984, a character was created and immortalized by Wes Craven and Robert Englund: Freddy Krueger. There was a magic (terrifying magic) in the way Englund played Krueger. So, I would imagine that there was immense pressure on Jackie Earle Haley when taking on that same role in … Continue reading A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984 & 2010)

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974 & 2003)

I’m going to be completely upfront for this one: the 1974 Texas Chainsaw Massacre is one of my all-time favorite horror films. There are a number of reasons why this film is one of my favorites and, unfortunately, the 2003 remake omits several of those reasons. However, I would argue that, when not compared to the original film, 2003’s Texas Chainsaw Massacre isn’t terrible. For … Continue reading The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974 & 2003)

The Evil Dead (1981 & 2013)

In 1981, Sam Raimi burst onto the feature film scene with a film that would go on to spawn two sequels (kind of), a remake, and a television series. Evil Dead was a masterclass on special effects and special effects makeup, and the remake carried this on. The original Evil Dead follows Ashley “Ash” Williams, his girlfriend Linda, his sister Cheryl, their friend Scott and … Continue reading The Evil Dead (1981 & 2013)

The Amityville Horror (1979 & 2005)

In 1979, a house with “evil eye” windows became associated forever with murder and the supernatural, thanks to Stuart Rosenberg’s film, The Amityville Horror. 26 years later, those same windows would appear again in a remake of the classic, directed by Andrew Douglas. Amityville Horror (1979) was a cultural phenomenon. The film, starring James Brolin and Margot Kidder, is based on the book of the … Continue reading The Amityville Horror (1979 & 2005)

Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark (2019)

It is notoriously hard to make a PG-13 horror film that is actually scary and/or creepy. It takes a perfect balance of imagery to push it just to the limit. Director Andre Overdal did just that. It really is impressive. At one point I found myself wondering how the film was pg-13 because it’s so creepy. Which, I then quickly reminded myself that the books … Continue reading Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark (2019)