Kontroversial Reviews

Lovecraft Country (2020– )

Misleading title

[1/10 · 12 March 2021]

Lovecraft Country has nothing to do with H P Lovecraft other than slandering him for his alleged racism. This is yet another show that focuses on racism - a theme that really has overstayed its welcome in entertainment - only only works to further divide the country. Avoid this garbage.

Ghost in the Shell (2017)

It ruffled some feathers...

[7/10 · 4 January 2021]

All the crybabies here be like "boo-hoo, whitewashing", however none of you hypocrites have a problem with blackwashing.

For ticking off the right people it gets extra points from me.

Otherwise this is a PG-13 Hollyweird remake of a Japanese anime. One clearly sees where most of the attention (and money) went into - the visuals are amazing.

It's got Takeshi Kitano in it - hence 7 out of 10 from me (there is no bad Kitano film!).

Scarlett Johansson is a looker. Can't say she's the best actress for this role, but she did deliver.

The PG-13 hurt the film however, as the (anime) original is bloody and violent, this feels very watered down. When people get shot and there just is not a drop of blood I can't help but think, there is something missing!

If one can look past this issue, then this is at least entertaining.

Rogue (I) (2020)

6 spanking monkies out of 10

[6/10 · 30 August 2020]

I'm giving this a 6 because Megan Fox made me drool through the entire movie. That's a lot of drool!

Hellraiser: Judgment (2018 Video)

Uhm... nope.

[1/10 · 10 July 2020]

The HELLRAISER franchise is dead. Bury it. Let it rest in peace. Unless Clive Barker directs a film based on THE SCARLET GOSPELS and hires Doug Bradley to reprise his role as Pinhead it's best not to touch any of these "films" anymore. Gary Tunnicliffe, who was responsible for the superb makeup effects of HELLRAISER: BLOODLINE, stars as the main cenobite here. He also directed. Paul T. Taylor makes for a better Pinhead than the atrocious performance of REVELATIONS' Stephan Smith Collins, at least from a certain angle and a certain light he bears some resemblance to Doug Bradley's Pinhead, while Collins looked nothing like him. Still, Taylor cannot hold the candle to Bradley. Bradley IS Pinhead. JUDGMENT's story is pretty lame. It does not feel like it fits into Barker's universe. The low budget also shows. To make up for it, the movie is drowned in blood. But blood & gore don't make a bad movie good.

Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh (1995)

Great sequel to the best 90s slasher

[8/10 · 10 July 2020]

CANDYMAN: FAREWELL TO THE FLESH is a rare example of a sequel done right & well. No, it's not excellent, and no, it's not a must-own either, but unlike the third entry, you won't regret buying this one. Arguable FAREWELL TO THE FLESH is a mere rehash of the first part, with much more gore and a higher body count, but the setting (New Orleans), a superb Tony Todd and the back story of how the Candyman came to be make it worthwhile. While the original relied more on the psychological horror, the sequel is more of a visceral experience and one of the few R-rated movies that will actually satisfy gorehounds as well.

Damien: Omen II (1978)

Unnecessary sequel

[4/10 · 10 July 2020]

1976's THE OMEN is one of the best 70s horror movies dealing with satanism. Richard Donner's direction was superb and I actually liked it better than THE EXORCIST. DAMIEN: OMEN II however is a totally unnecessary sequel. Damien is now a teenager at a Military Academy and is up to his old shenanigans of killing people that come between him and his Antichrist mission. Everybody is oblivious of his actions until it's too late. The violence is a bit more with a nod to Alfred Hitchcock's BIRDS, but for the most part unimpressive. William Holden - Damien's uncle - is good, but I did not care much for the actor of Damien (Jonathan Scott-Taylor ). Neither did I care much for the story which is basically a rehash of THE OMEN I with a teenage Damien. Definitely not as effective and eerie as the original!

Hellraiser: Inferno (2000 Video)

Not bad at all...

[7/10 · 10 July 2020]

HELLRAISER: INFERNO is a welcome return to the original concept of the Hellraiser series. Pinhead is more effective as a sideshow rather than the focus and Freddy Krueger type villain, while Craig Sheffer makes a believable anti-hero on the path of damnation. The story itself is not bad at all either. It's more of a psychological horror film than a slasher film, which does not mean there are no visceral (un)pleasantries to marvel. Blood and gore are well-dosed and not gratuitous. The cenobites are creepy and well done, too. By far not the best in the series, but certainly miles away from the worst parts (them being parts III, VI, VII, VII and REVELATIONS). Yes, III (HELL ON EARTH) I count among the worst.

Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth (1992)

Hellraiser PARODY - how Pinhead became a joke

[2/10 · 10 July 2020]

I rank HELLRAISER III: HELL ON EARTH as one of the worst Hellraiser movies, along with HELLRAISER VI, VII, VIII & REVELATIONS (in no particular order). I know a lot of people love it, but I just thought it was atrociously bad. First off we have Pinhead, whom the producers wanted to be more like wise-cracking Freddy Krueger. This does not fit the character at all. Sure, his monologues are catchy and some scenes are... interesting - because of Doug Bradley's superb performance - BUT this is not Pinhead. The effects are cheap and terrible (the exploding head at the beginning eg does not look real at all). The new cenobites look laughable and pathetic rather than shocking and gruesome.I spent more time laughing AT this movie then anything else. The movie focuses more on non-bloody special effects with multiple explosions, the "Boiler Room Massacre" is laughable at best. This is not at all what a Hellraiser massacre should look like. HELLRAISER III: HELL ON EARTH is a 2 out of 10 for me. It's even worse than BLOODLINES. If this wasn't included in all the Blu-Ray boxes as a trilogy I never would have bought this garbage again.

Hellraiser: Bloodline (1996)

Torn between "great" and "bad"...

[6/10 · 10 July 2020]

I've been a Hellraiser fans since I was 15 years old, my all time favorite in the series being the amazing HELLBOUND: HELLRAISER II. The nightmarish trip to hell with the fascinating vision of hell and the theatrical staging was just marvellous. Add in the bombastic soundtrack and it ranks as one of the top 3 horror movies of all time, surpassing even the original HELLRAISER. HELLRAISER III: HELL ON EARTH was total garbage. They attempted to make Pinhead a wisecracking anti-hero like Freddy Krueger - and that was just so out of character. HELLRAISER (IV): BLOODLINE attempts to go back to the roots, exploring the origins of the box and was literally butchered by the f#kin producers, which led to the director (Kevin Yagher) withdrawing his name from the project and it became one of those imfamous "directed by Alan Smithee" movies. The movie takes place over 3 time periods, the past, the present and the future. In my opinion they should have scrapped the future plot - Pinhead's excursion to space - it's just ridiculous and absurd and does not fit into the Hellraiser universe. Also HELLRAISER: BLOODLINES was chopped down to a meager 85 minute runtime and feels rushed. A lot of scenes were cut out on behest of the producers which keeps the film from being a great entry into the series. If they had ditched the "Pinhead goes to space" scenario and focused more on the past and present this movie could have been FAR superior. It still is not nearly as terrible as HELLRAISER III, VI and all the successors, but it is wasted potential here. Not all is bad though: the makeup effects are superb, the sado-masochistic scenes are among the best in the series and the cenobites don't look like the clowns of HELLRAISER III (except for the twins. They're just weird). Also, the past "segment" of the film drips with atmosphere. Overall, this could have been a 9 out of 10, but the space opera drags it down quite a few notches.

Phantasm IV: Oblivion (1998)

Ruined by explanation and stupid ideas

[5/10 · 27 June 2020]

I love the first 3 PHANTASM philms, the first 2 being my favorite horror movies of all time. PHANTASM III made a few mistakes with some bad design choices (slapstick humor, the kid). PHANTASM IV: OBLIVION unfortunately continued that trend: there are some really stupid ideas that should have ended up on the cutting room floor, the demon cop being the worst offender here, the sphere boobs being another. A lot of scenes take place in the desert in broad daylight which ruins the atmosphere. And finally, OBLIVION tries to explain too much, which demystifies the franchise. Bad choice, Don Coscarelli, BAD choice! On the plus side is unused footage from the original PHANTASM and the return of the best horror movie trio in history: Reggie Bannister, A. Michael Baldwin and Bill Thornbury as well as Angus Scrimm as the iconic Tall Man.

Phantasm III: Lord of the Dead (1994)

Some great ideas - and some downright bad ones

[8/10 · 26 June 2020]

I'm a phan of the PHANTASM philms, especially the second one which is my personal favorite. PHANTASM III was the first in the series I saw in my teens. I loved the theme and the characters. Unlike most horror films these are not disposable characters, the three friends, Reggie, Mike & Jodi are just as much part of the film series as the Tall Man is. Each of them is well-developed. PHANTASM III has a lot of great ideas, I like the horror/sci-fi/road movie mix, the Tall Man is phantastic in this one, delivering some really good one-liners without coming across as a Freddy goofball. Unfortunately PHANTASM III adds some elements that are really bad, too. First off, the slapstick humor. Totally out of place here. Secondly, the gunslinger kid Tim. Yes, the actor did well, the character is so over the top, it's cringe-worthy. Thirdly, Rocky. She is annoying as hell. All these gripes can easily be neglected though by the superb finale in the mausoleum which is the best part of the film, which is why I still will give it an 8 out of 10.

Vlad the Impaler (2018)

turkish propaganda film

[1/10 · 25 May 2020]

Like "Valley of Wolves" just another turkish trash propaganda film best avoided. What this boils down to is

• invading genocidal turks good, defending Romanians bad
• islam good, Christianity evil

What remains is an ottoman FANTASY film that has nothing to do with history or reality.

Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)

Should not be titled "Mad Max"...

[3/10 · 21 May 2020]

... but rather "Furiosa & Sidekick Max: Furyosa Road". This no longer is Mad Max. No Gibson. No Australia. Instead you get Mad Maxine and Africa. No impressed.

Tombs of the Blind Dead (1972)

One of the best zombie movies ever...

[10/10 · 25 October 2019]

...Yes it really is! The zombie templars look genuinly creepy and are very original and very different. Blood looks actually real and not like the orange paint used in US movies of that era (Dawn of the Dead, I'm looking at you!). Tombs of the Blind Dead was definitely ahead of its time. I love the eerie atmosphere that this movie has, thanks to the excellent score and scenery. The zombie templars riding on horses in slow motion or slowly rising from their tombs - just brilliant! Definitely a must own for any serious zombie fan absolutely one of the very best in this genre.

The Punisher (2017–2019)

This is many things - but not PUNISHER

[1/10 · 23 February 2019]

After seeing the movies with Dolph Lundgren, Tom Jane and Ray Stevenson, I was looking forward to seeing the new series. I liked Jon Bernthal in the few things I saw with him (THE WALKING DEAD and WIND RIVER) and I really don't see anything wrong with his portrayal as Frank Castle aka the Punisher. However, this is NOT the Punisher. First of all, it drifts off to many times that I asked myself was I still watching the Punisher? Or was is The Super Agent Madani Show? Secondly it got overloaded with SJW crap. A few examples: the female lead is a muslim Iranian Special agent Dinah Madani from DHS, investigating how the "forces of evil" - namely the CIA and the US Army - tortured and killed a poor muslim in Afghanistan. There's an NRA fanboy who is your perfect liberal portrayal of an NRA member: old, white, fat, all talk, no balls, constantly on about the Second Amendment and how our rights are slowly being taken away, but in the face of confrontation he is a coward. Yeah. The plot drags on and is really predictable. Suspense? nuh-uh. Not here. Action? I remember some in episode 1 and 5. Hey look, I like a good thriller and conspiracy thriller - but I like my Punisher like the two later movies, stick to the action, the tragic figure and keep out your SJW BS. We've got enough Hollycrap movies for that.

Get Out (I) (2017)

FUEL FOR THE SJW HATE MACHINE...

[1/10 · 23 January 2019]

GET OUT is just that - fuel for the "liberal" (nothing liberal about them really) SJW hate machine: all white people in this film are racist scum, all black people are good guys and victims. No good white people, no evil bad people. Apart from this issue we are served a below average horror film that is not scary at all and was simply hyped for political reasons. Avoid this. Except of course if you are a SJW in which case you probably already own this film and no doubt hate everyone who does not love this film.

Adrenochrome (2017)

Stoners should keep to drugs and not make movies!

[1/10 · 30 September 2018]

A senselessly stupid MTV clips of drugs and gore with absolutely no substance and sense. Some Anti-American propaganda mixed in there, anti-soldier propaganda (Tom Sizemore trying to be Marlon Brando) and failing miserably. No actor is any good in here, except a girl in skull face paint (looks awesome) and Larry Bishop, spending most of his on-screen time with his face in some girl's ass. Best thing one can do in this crap movie. At times it seems writer/director wanted to make a sort of NATURAL BORN KILLERS / LEAVING LAS VEGAS, but either way he failed miserably.

Inside (I) (2016)

WORST REMAKE EVER

[1/10 · 24 June 2018]

Take A L'INTERIEUR, the 2007 French horror film, one of the most violent movies of all time, because it has zero humor and a truly horrifying ending. And of course a lot of gore, because the French are not wussies when it comes to movie violence - unlike most other countries. The movie was notorious enough to draw the interest of Hollywood - who by now have completely run out of ideas and only are able to mass produce horrible remakes, sequels, prequels, reboots and superhero movies. Needless to say that the Hollywood remake would be tame in comparison with the original, thanks to the MPAA and the studios' self-imposed censorship that shuns NC-17 ratings like a vampire sunlight. But what the studio's done here takes the icing of the cake: released MPAA UNrated the doors were wide open for a gruesome remake which could have rivaled the original without the dreadful R-rating restrictions, the final result could have easily passed as PG-13! No gore, even the ending was changed to a Hollywood-typical non-shocking happy rainbow fart ending! An audacity and an insult to fans of the original. INSIDE the remake only has one place in this world: the garbage can!

The House by the Cemetery (1981)

The creepiest part of this movie are the two kids

[6/10 · 5 November 2017]

THE HOUSE BY THE CEMETERY is part of Lucio Fulci's infamous 7 Gates Trilogy next to THE BEYOND and CITY OF THE LIVING DEAD. Of the three parts I found this to be the weakest entry as it succumbs to be more or less a simple slasher film. By far the worst part of the film are the two child actors (Giovanni Frezza and Silvia Collatina), both butt-ugly, creepy and annoying at the same time. Both could have easily been edited out completely without hurting the "story" (or better, plot) at all, instead they are given way too much screen time. The character of Dr. Freudstein is creepy and well done, the murders are bloody and should satisfy gore hounds out there, although the effects are really dated. Honestly, some editing would have done this film some good, the ending is good, the atmosphere is really good (Fulci is a master in that field), but as I said, those kids should have gone.

Aliens (1986)

Good, but not nearly as great as Alien or Alien 3

[5/10 · 29 September 2016]

Aliens has been officially called one of the very few sequels to be deemed better than the original by critics. Sue me, but I liked the original Alien movie and Alien 3 a lot better.

Don't get me wrong, I really liked Aliens, it's a good movie... but it somehow lacked the tense atmosphere and isolation of ALIEN and ALIEN 3. Aliens is The Terminator of the Alien franchise- directed by no one else but Terminator's own James Cameron - and it is definitely more action-oriented. That is not necessarily bad, and I can understand why some people might prefer this, I however didn't.

Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) reprises her role with equal brilliance as in Alien, and there is no doubt, without her there wouldn't have been a Terminator 2's Sarah Connor and probably no Buffy the Vampire Slayer or Xena Warrior Princess. Ripley is a genuine action hero and a role model for female heroines.

Apart from the stereotypical marines, performances are quite good, first and foremost Lance Henrickson and also Michael Biehn.

The 1990 special edition (director's cut) offers more depth to the characters, but at a run time of almost 3 hours is a bit long, the theatrical version is paced just perfectly.

The aliens are more numerous and serve as cannon fodder rather than posing a serious threat at times. Some of the prolonged action scenes in the DC are tedious and I can understand why they didn't make it into the theatrical cut. I prefer the isolation and near powerlessness of Alien and Alien 3 to the more action- and SFX- oriented Aliens.

Aliens' outstanding visual and sound effects won Academy Awards. Unlike many other movies, these Oscars are well deserved. The aliens look outstanding and far better than some of today's CGI BS. Like Terminator 2, Aliens was a landmark for SFX.

Alien 3 (1992)

My favorite ALIEN movie

[10/10 · 28 September 2016]

I never could understand all the hate that ALIEN 3 received. But then again I never could understand the top ratings for ALIENS and TERMINATOR 2: JUDGMENT DAY, two of the most overrated movies ever.

ALIEN 3 returns to the roots of the ALIEN franchise: it is not as action packed as ALIENS but it has more atmosphere, is more claustrophobic and darker, which I prefer.

David Fincher delivers one of his best films here, next to SEVEN and FIGHT CLUB, I love his style, it's a huge enrichment to the ALIEN franchise. He gives the movie a very Gothic look which adds to the dark and unsettling climax. ALIEN 3 has a very somber and depressing mood with a shocking surprise right at the beginning of the movie. And it doesn't stop there. The ending is incredibly bleak and very untypical for Hollywood.

The acting is superb, right on par with the original, but Sigourney Weaver delivers an even better performance here, as her character is tougher, more developed and gets to do more. Another great actor, Charles Dance also gives a superb performance, especially in the scenes he shares with Weaver, the two work well together.

The 2003 Extended Cut/Special Edition improves the film even more adding approx. 30 mins of extra footage and is well worth the upgrade.