The Cry (2007)

I just finished watching, what I can only describe as a cinematic turd. Yes, I try to find something good in just about every film I watch, but it was nearly impossible for me to get through all 80 minutes of The Cry without wishing I could kick a child (which is exactly what the antagonist would want since she’s all about the butchery of kids and making their mothers suffer). Based on the Mexican legend of “La Llorona”, The Cry is a pathetically weak attempt at mixing a thriller with a supernatural twist.

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Ghost Game (2004) – DVD Review

We’ve all seen what can be made on a shoestring budget, and still be incredibly entertaining…it’s called The Evil Dead. Why do I bring up the classic Rami film from yesteryear in a review about a modern film entitled Ghost Game? Well, because the parallels between the two are very, very similar. Yet, where The Evil Dead managed to terrify (as well as scare up some comedy), Ghost Game fails and is nothing more than a low budget film that attempts to follow in its predecessors much larger footsteps.

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The Ghost (2006) – DVD Review

The Ghost, AKA Aatma, is quite a unique film. The Indian horror film comes across as so many different genres, that I’m not quite sure what director, Deepak Ramsay, was going for. Was I entertained? Yes. Was The Ghost good? Not really.

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Seeding of a Ghost (1983) – DVD Review

Seeding of a Ghost is yet another smut-filled roller-coaster of an exploitation film, that doesn’t try to be anything more than what’s printed on the back of the DVD case. That, coupled with the snazzy looking DVD cover is sure to grab some poor schmuck’s attention as he wanders down the rental isle at his local store. Is Seeding of a Ghost worth checking out? Well, the answer is yes and no.

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Re-Cycle (2006) – DVD Review

Certain films do not come fast enough to the US shores, and when they do, we get them in the form of crappy remakes. Somehow Re-Cycle slipped through the cracks, and for this I’m thankful. Actually, I’d heard about this film awhile ago and imported a copy several months ago, and have watched it several times. Finally, Image has released the film in a region 1 format so all of us can finally enjoy what I consider the best Pang Bros. film since The Eye. Re-Cycle deserves all the hype it gets, and is one of the only Horror/Fantasy films that actually works. The Pang Bros. have put together a beautiful film while crafting an excellent story.

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Retribution (2006)

After the experimental but ultimately disappointing Loft (review), Kiyoshi Kurosawa is back with Retribution, a crime thriller with ghostly elements akin to Cure and Kairo. While I won’t tout this as Kurosawa’s return to form, it is a culmination of many of his films previous styles, and once again has a lot to say about the current cultural climate of Japan.

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Kuroneko (1968)

Ghost cat films, based on Japanese folklore, were abundant in the 1950’s and 60’s. Films such as Nobuo Nakagawa’s Black Cat Mansion, Kenji Misumi’s Ghost Cat: Wall of Hatred, and Yoshihiro Ishikawa’s The Ghost Cat of Otam-ag-Ike cemented the genre as effective as well as profitable. So an entry from 1968 may seem little more than a cash-in. But we’re talking about Kaneto Shindo here, director of the fantastic Onibaba. And while Kuroneko is less ambitious in scope than its predecessor, it’s a more focused horror film, and is one of the best of the sub-genre, and among the best classic Japanese horror you’re likely to find.

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