The Horror Guru

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‘The Curse of El Charro’ left me feeling let down and cheated

Mia Hoyos in 'The Curse of El Charro'
Mia Hoyos in ‘The Curse of El Charro’

[rating=2]Starring: Andrew Bryniarski, Mia Hoyos, Philip Boyd, Heidi Androl, Matt Prater, Kellydawn Malloy, Kathryn Taylor, Lemmy, Danny Trejo (voice)
Director(s): Rich Ragsdale
Writer(s): Ryan Johnson

When I read about The Roost, I thought I would end up liking it to some degree, but all it led to was the feeling of being let down and cheated. The opposite happened after I watched Rich Ragsdale’s The Curse of El Charro. I expected complete idiocy, and wound up watching a mildly decent slasher.

The only trouble is, that only occurred in the final 15 minutes of a 90 minute film!

Read more‘The Curse of El Charro’ left me feeling let down and cheated

George A. Romero’s iconic 1968 ‘Night of the Living Dead’ changed horror forever

The zombies walk in 'Night of the Living Dead'
The zombies walk in ‘Night of the Living Dead’

[rating=4]Starring: Duane Jones, Judith O’Dea, Karl Hardman, Marilyn Eastman, Keith Wayne
Director(s): George Romero
Writer(s): George A. Romero and John A. Russo

Very few movies have the distinction of being known as seminal, genre-influencing films. If the world of horror films were an interstate, the on-ramp would be 1931’s Dracula, and the first major interchange would come with Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho (1960). The next major interchange would be none other than George A. Romero’s cult-classic Night of the Living Dead in 1968.

Read moreGeorge A. Romero’s iconic 1968 ‘Night of the Living Dead’ changed horror forever

Bruce Campbell is genius in Sam Raimi’s ‘Evil Dead II’

[rating=4]Starring: Bruce Campbell, Sarah Berry, Dan Hicks, Kassie Wesley, Denise Bixler
Director(s): Sam Raimi
Writer(s): Sam Raimi, Scott Spiegel

Bruce Campbell returns in this remake/sequel, 'Evil Dead II'
Bruce Campbell returns in this remake/sequel, ‘Evil Dead II’

The “King of B-Movies”, Bruce Campbell, returns in this half-sequel/half-remake of The Evil Dead. Sam Raimi returns as director and co-writer, Rob Tapert reprises his producing duties, and Campbell joins the behind-the-scenes crew in this film as co-producer.

How can a film be both a remake and a sequel, you ask? Well, Evil Dead II was originally intended to be a straight sequel to the original, but when Raimi was unable to secure the rights to footage from the first film, he attempted a quick and simple re-hash of what went down previously. So, the five original characters became just Ash and Linda… Linda is played by a completely different actress (Denise Bixler)… and the 80-plus minutes of the first film are condensed into about the first 15-20 minutes here.

Read moreBruce Campbell is genius in Sam Raimi’s ‘Evil Dead II’