Session 9, One of the Best Horror Films You’ve Probably Never Seen

Session 9 centers around a group of asbestos abatement professionals looking to make a hefty bonus on a bid if they can complete a monster job in a week.  The job?  Get the notorious Massachusetts Danvers State Hospital clean and ready for renovation. The team is a group comprised of old friends Gordon, Phil and Mike (Peter Mullan, David

The Amityville Horror – Truth Never Stands in the Way of a Good Story

“I just wish that … all those people hadn’t died here.  I mean … ugh!  A guy kills his whole family.  Doesn’t that bother you?” “Well, sure, but … houses don’t have memories.” The Amityville Horror (1979) caused quite a stir at the box office in the US the year it was released.  People flocked to

30+ Years On, Stanley Kubrick’s Masterpiece The Shining Still Mesmerizes

Struggling to turn his life around in the wake of alcoholism and the abuse of his child, writer Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson) agrees to take a 5 month long off-season caretaker position at The Overlook Hotel.  Completely isolated and left to his own devices, Jack’s young son, Danny (Danny Lloyd), begins seeing things thanks to a

Descend Into the Pits of Hell on Jacob’s Ladder

Struggling to come to terms in the wake of his child’s death, a veteran of the Vietnam war finds himself in the middle of a series of inexplicable events.  Plagued by chronic injuries sustained in the war, Jacob Singer begins to confuse reality with dreams and nightmares.  He hallucinates.  He can’t sleep.  His health, what’s

Paint It Black with Kevin Bacon in Stir of Echoes

“You’re awake now, Daddy.” Tom and Maggie have just finished moving their growing family into a new house in a working class Chicago neighborhood.  Musician-turned-telephone lineman, Tom, asks his sister-in-law Lisa to hypnotize him at a block party.  A little drunk and more than a little puffed up, Tom thinks nothing will happen.  After all,

The Anticipatory Dread Effect of Paranormal Activity

When my nephews first approached me a few years ago after having first seen Paranormal Activity, they were literally terrified of the subject matter.  Not the film, per se, but the idea that someone (or some thing) might be watching them when they sleep.  The fear is not without grounds, although, as far as I can

Prepare Your Tinfoil Hat, Here Comes The Signal

The day before New Year’s Eve, the residents of Terminus concern themselves will the day-to-day.  Some of them are preparing to throw end of the year parties.  Others, find themselves embroiled in extramarital affairs.  As all telecommunication devices begin to transmit the same, enigmatic signal – watch here, if you dare – its effects seem

Will Antiviral Get Under Your Skin?

Imagine a world in which celebrity infatuation has reached a fanatical new extreme.  Do you find yourself obsessing over your favorite actress and want nothing more than to be close to them?  Search no further – the Lucas Clinic has what you desire.  For a price, you can have yourself infected with their ailments –

Is Alien Ridley Scott’s Masterpiece?

When a Weyland/Yutani towing vessel receives an order to investigate a signal of unknown origin on a nearby planet, the crew of the Nostromo are wakened from hypersleep.  Touching down on the planet from which the signal appears to originate, a search party comes into contact with an alien lifeform, one of whom attaches itself

The Omen – Instilling Fear of Children Since 1976

“When the Jews return to Zion / And a comet rips the sky / And the Holy Roman Empire rises, / Then You and I must die. / From the eternal sea he rises, / Creating armies on either shore, / Turning man against his brother / ‘Til man exists no more.” Originally advanced screened