Directed by: David R. Williams, Tilke Hillruntime: 83 mins The struggles of being a creative… Not creating takes so much out of us. Sometimes the stars just aren’t aligned for our visions to come to fruition. That can lead to various forms of depression, and some visceral trips to dark places. But creating isn’t always … More Review: Rust Belt Driller (2022)
The Merits of Sin…The Book Spook du Jour alum and oddball cinema connoisseur Brennan Dortch has published his first book, which is a mighty doozy mind you, and so I figured it would behoove me to say a few words: There’s a shit ton of heart and a severe lack of narrative control which is … More The Merits of Sin…The Book
It’s 1987 and slasher flicks are nearing the end of the boom period. Various killers and horny “teens” have met and all sorts of sharp objects have done ungodly things to human flesh. It’s been done. That is why I can forgive people for brushing off Twisted Nightmare. Young(ish) folks head to a camp and … More The Merits of Sin: Twisted Nightmare (1987) (USA)
At the time of this writing, kids are back in school, the oppressive summer heat has backed off, and the pools have closed. fall has unofficially begun. What does that mean besides Mountain Dew releasing a spooky new flavor? It means Halloween-set movies are in season. We can have our pumpkin spiced everything, and haters … More Fresh Cuts: Candy Corn (2019)
“I hadnt realized what an obnoxious bitch you really are, Karen!” Take 1986’s RAD, replace the BMX bikes with snowmobiles, meddle it with a DEMON WIND reduction, and serve it in Wisconsin. You’re watching THE CHILL FACTOR. It starts like a made for TV movie, shows us some sick snowmobile hangtime, and then introduces us … More Schlock du Jour: The Chill Factor (1993)
We’ve all spent time with dumb movies. As horror fans we are some of the more adventurous moviegoers out there and hunting down that hidden gem usually comes with our fair share of sitting through idiocy. I’ve numbed my brain throwing my time into hours and hours of dumb. I’m not complaining, I like dummies…it … More The Merits of Sin: The Backlot Murders (2002) (USA)
Oh Andreas Schnaas, you knew what you liked and you never stopped doing it. Familiarity has been known to breed contempt but it can also feel like slipping into a toasty pair of underpants on a particularly cold day. Schnaas is warm underwear, gore soaked but still nice and toasty. In 1002 A.D. a brutal … More The Merits of Sin: Nikos the Impaler (2003) (Germany)
I’ll make a quick confession right at the start; out of all the eighties horror flicks to follow in the wake of the Slasher boom, Sleepaway Camp is my favorite. It gets thrown in with the subgenre although it has never really felt like one to me. The setting may be what breeds familiarity but … More The Merits of Sin: Sleepaway Camp (1983) (USA)
Liam Gallagher once sang “Back beat. Word is on the street that the fire in your heart is out.” If he had said “Blood Beat” I would still be writing he and his brother hate mail. Blood Beat’s heart is burning with fire. The kind of fire brought about by a handle of cheap whiskey … More The Merits of Sin: Blood Beat (1983) (USA)
I have no issue with the absence of subtitles and a minimal (most times nonexistent) understanding of the language being used in a film. Now, I also comprehend the fact that I am a weirdo and the majority of the film viewing public has no interest in making their way through a film and being … More The Merits of Sin: La Muerte del Chacal aka The Death of the Jackal (Mexico) (1984)
Spook du jour 