matildawoodworm Reviews

Lady in White (1988)

Beautiful Coming Of Age Horror/Fantasy

[9/10 · 29 April 2022]

Lady In White's whimsical storytelling style will make this a perfect horror film for young children wanting to dip their toes into the horror pool. It's got just enough thrills and chills, but even more gripping fantasy and coming of age elements. A really beautifully put together movie.

Ghost Story (1981)

Worth It For The Cast

[6/10 · 29 April 2022]

An all-star cast of elderly veterans come under attack by a vengeful ghost from their past who wants to lure them all to a slightly earlier grave. A few great effects and uncanny moments don't make a great horror film unfortunately and Ghost Story has a hard time being consistently unnerving and scary.

Dolls (1986)

Short and Fun Ride

[8/10 · 29 April 2022]

If it weren't so gory, Dolls would probably make an enjoyable family film. As is, it's excellent for those of us that are young at heart and like a little extra side of gore with our family films. The doll effects are terrific!

Society (1989)

Eye Opening

[7/10 · 29 April 2022]

The concept here might be stronger than the execution, but Society does overcome several of its flaws with the wild effects-heavy final act featuring several things I hope you've never seen before.

Burnt Offerings (1976)

Slow At First

[7/10 · 29 April 2022]

If you can get past the slower first part of the film, you'll be rewarded with one insane finale. The all-star cast do a good job of keeping your attention up until that point and there's a nice, hazy 70's mood to latch on to.

Happy Birthday to Me (1981)

A Little Bloated

[6/10 · 29 April 2022]

So much is going on in Happy Birthday To Me and many of the characters are interchangable that it makes some of the slower scenes drag more than necessary, but the murder payoffs are inventive, clever, and not easy to forget. The last 5 or 10 minutes are really something else.

Alice, Sweet Alice (1976)

Gets Deep Under Your Skin

[9/10 · 29 April 2022]

Alice, Sweet Alice has many elegant moments, but there's a gritty low budget atmosphere that drips from every frame that makes it all the more memorable. You're never sure who'll end up impaled with a knife or thrown down a flight of stairs next.

The Sentinel (1977)

Scary At Times

[7/10 · 29 April 2022]

Cristina Raines plays a model who's being called upon to watch over the gates of Hell which are located in a charming NYC brownstone filled with a variety of quirky character actors. It's a fun game of playing "who's that actor?" and there are two or three scenes that are truly blood-curdling.

Creepshow 2 (1987)

Two Solid Segments

[8/10 · 29 April 2022]

This sequel suffers from more limited involvement of Romero and King, but it improves somewhat after the dreary and predictable first story. The animation interludes in between aren't great, but they don't harm the film as much as some would say they do.

Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983)

Four Great Directors

[8/10 · 29 April 2022]

Four of the brightest minds in horror/sci-fi filmmaking join together to pay tribute to one of the greatest TV shows of all time and it's got good parts and bad parts. The first two stories are the weakest of the bunch and the last two are the strongest and most imaginative.

Dead & Buried (1981)

A Forgotten Classic

[8/10 · 29 April 2022]

Eerie fog-drenched small town streets get a lot of screen time here in this creepy tale of zombiefied townspeople who kill any trespasser and add them to their own happy town. The Stan Winston effects are jaw dropping as is the final twist.

The New York Ripper (1982)

A Gore-Filled Showroom

[6/10 · 29 April 2022]

You won't get any fancy morals or life lessons in a film like The New York Ripper. It's all glass bottles being shoved inside of women's private parts, throat slashings, and some good old fashioned razor blades being shoved into eyeballs. The effects work is startling and impressive, but without interesting characters or a more intricate plot, it gets boring after the 2nd or 3rd slaying.

Deranged (1974)

Another Ed Gein Story

[7/10 · 29 April 2022]

Serial killer Ed Gein becomes the inspiration for yet another film about a psychotic mama's boy who kills women and turns their skin into material to play dress up. This is more character driven than Texas Chainsaw Massacre, but has a moment or two just as frightening as anything out of that movie.

You Don't Nomi (2019)

Good If A Little Dry

[7/10 · 29 April 2022]

This exploration of what makes Showgirls such a great cult film is at times interesting, but with one main speaker on the subject, it can feel a bit like attending someone's lecture about this in a film school hall. No idea how prohibitive that would have been, but more input from some of the people who helped bring it to life would be interesting.

Your Vice Is a Locked Room and Only I Have the Key (1972)

A Watchable Giallo

[6/10 · 29 April 2022]

An abusive author and his wife are both charmed by the sexy Edwige Fenech during a series of nasty murders. Not the goriest or sleaziest of the Italian horror films from this time, but its plot is better constructed than most.

X (II) (2022)

Something Different

[7/10 · 29 April 2022]

Ti West's nod to cheap exploitation horror films from the 70's and 80's is a breath of much needed fresh air. It has a little something to say without taking itself too seriously and all the major exploitation landmarks like sex, nudity, and gore are well accounted for.

Strait-Jacket (1964)

Not Just Camp

[9/10 · 3 August 2021]

Though it's usually thought of as one of Joan Crawford's late stage camp classics, Strait-Jacket is much smarter and more effective than its reputation would have you believe. And why wouldn't it be when it was written by Psycho's own Robert Bloch? Crawford's performance is delicate and even moving on occasion.

Black Christmas (1974)

The Classic Slasher Film

[10/10 · 3 August 2021]

The phone calls. The characters. The atmosphere. Black Christmas is the original (and probably best) slasher film. Featuring characters you actually care about, death scenes that chill you to the bone rather than shock you with how gory they can get, and an ending that will stay with you for days after.

Cherry Falls (1999)

Sex Doesn't Always Equal Death

[7/10 · 3 August 2021]

A serial killer resurfaces from a small town's dark past and begins killing the town's virginal children. It's a good hook for a slasher film since the subgenre is usually known for its "sex=death" mindset and Cherry Falls have some very high points including a spirited performance by Brittany Murphy and a creepy killer. The tone is a little all over the place and it's painfully obvious that just about every scene of violence was torn up by censors.

Sleepaway Camp (1983)

Cheap, Shocking, Unforgettable

[9/10 · 3 August 2021]

Sleepaway Camp might be many things - sickening, in poor taste, cheesy...but one thing it's not is forgettable. On the surface, you have yet another "killer takes on a summer camp" storyline, but Sleepaway Camp goes out of its way to make many of its characters odd and memorable creations. Between shy Angela, evil sisters Meg and Judy, creepy Aunt Martha, and the various sleaze balls who operate and work at the camp, there's never a dull moment.

StageFright (1987)

Slash With Extra Style

[8/10 · 3 August 2021]

A bunch of actors are locked in for the final rehearsal of a stage play and discover there's a killer among them.

The Italians sure do know how to liven up the place and Stage Fright is no exception. They take a well-worn, by the numbers slasher set up and inject it with as much style and energy as they can muster. The final results have a few flaws (some characters aren't as developed as they should be and there are a few idiotic choices the characters make), but it's hard not to get sucked into the world the filmmakers have created.

Intruder (1989)

Delivers the Gory Goods

[6/10 · 3 August 2021]

In spite of some excellent special effects (if you see the uncut version) and inventive camera angles, Intruder is by the numbers when it comes to the script and the lead character and/or actress doesn't make as much of an impression as she should. If you're able to look around that, Intruder does deliver with the murder set pieces.

The House on Sorority Row (1982)

The Pool Hides Many Secrets

[8/10 · 3 August 2021]

A group of sorority sisters are killed one by bloody one after they accidentally kill their party-hating house mother, stick her body in the murky pool out back, and go ahead with their graduation party anyway.

It's a simple, slasher film setup that's delivered with unexpected style by director, Mark Rosman. With most of the murder sequences, he holds off on a lot of elaborate gore and gives us more suspense instead. It gives the film a more refined and Hitchcockian quality when compared to the other films being made at the time. A grand orchestral score by Richard Band elevates the film even further and most of the performances are believable.

Witchboard (1986)

Beware the Ouija

[7/10 · 3 August 2021]

A young woman gets possessed by an evil spirit after her ex-boyfriend brings a Ouija board to a house party and she becomes obsessed with it. Her current boyfriend has to team up with the ex-boyfriend (who also happens to be an estranged friend from days gone by) to help her before it's too late and the spirit takes control of her completely.

Witchboard uses old school techniques to build suspense and scares rather than gore and jump scares which will put off a lot of 80's horror fans looking for a splatter fix, but people who like their horror with a side of character drama will enjoy it a lot.

The Invisible Man (I) (2020)

Pretty Great

[8/10 · 7 October 2020]

It gets a little silly towards the end, but it does end on a really effective and cathartic note that, quite frankly, we need in this day and age. There's one scene mid way through that made me gasp so loud that my cat leapt up and ran out of the room. Moss is wonderful in the film as well and supports the entire thing on her shoulders.