Horror by Harrison

Happy Alien Day! For those who aren’t aware April 26th is Alien Day in honor of LV-426, the planet where the crew of the Nostromo first discover the derelict spaceship and the terror waiting inside (as such, it’s also the main setting of the sequel). In light of that, what other film could I cover this week? Alien was written by Dan O’Bannon ( Return of the Living Dead ) and directed by Ridley Scott ( Blade Runner ). Alien was made on a budget of $11 million, made $3,527,881 upon opening, and went on to make $106,285,522 worldwide. Alien was released on May 25th, 1979 to initially mixed reviews. However, over time the film has received acclaim from audiences and critics alike and is considered a classic in both the Horror and Science-Fiction genres. Alien follows the crew of the Nostromo , a space freighter, who intercept a mysterious signal. While investigating, Kane (John Hurt, The Elephant Man ) is attacked by a parasitic creature. Eventually (as I’m sure you already know), a...

  “He has his father’s eyes.” Let’s get this out of the way here at the top. This is a well-written and well-directed film, there’s no getting around that, but that’s the last I’ll be saying about the writer or director. He won’t even be getting a mention in the production history part of this review. The reason why should be pretty obvious, but if you aren’t aware the information can easily be found. Rosemary’s Baby is based on a novel by the same name by Ira Levin ( The Stepford Wives ) and was released on June 12, 1968. Rosemary’s Baby was made on a budget of roughly $3.2 million and went on to make $33.4 million at the Box Office (as always, some of these older films are a little more difficult to get exact numbers and breakdowns for). It received positive reviews upon release and is today considered a classic of the genre. The film won Ruth Gordon ( Harold and Maude ) an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. Rosemary’s Baby follows Rosemary Woodhouse (Mia Farrow, Th...

  Yes. It’s “the gay one”! I made my husband watch this one with me (he doesn’t care for horror films) and we made several knowing glances toward one another at several points during the film. Though the troubled history of the film is well-known and the intention behind the homoerotic overtones are debated, it’s hard for me to believe that they weren’t intentional. A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge was written by David Chaskin ( The Curse ) and directed by Jack Sholder ( The Hidden ). It was made on a budget of $3 million, made $2,865,475 upon opening, and went on to make $29,999,213 worldwide. A Nightmare on Elm Street 2 was released on November 1st, 1985 and received mixed to negative reviews. Through the years it has seen a bit of a revival as a cult classic. Five years after the events of the first film , Jesse Walsh (Mark Patton, Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean ) and his family move into Nancy Thompson’s house. Jesse soon finds himsel...

  Over the last few years we’ve seen something of a Stephen King adaptation renaissance. Some of these adaptations have been hits ( Gerald’s Game , Doctor Sleep ) and some misses ( The Dark Tower , Pet Sematary , The Stand ). Nothing sums up that dichotomy of quality as the It duology with its very well received first part and its… shall we say, less than well received sequel.  It was written by Chase Palmer ( Biopunk ), Cary Fukunaga ( Beasts of No Nation ), and Gary Dauberman ( Annabelle ) and directed by Andy Muschietti ( Mama ). It is based on the popular novel of the same name by Stephen King ( Salem’s Lot ) and was released on September 8, 2017. It was made on a budget of $35 million and was a box office smash, making $123,403,419 upon opening, and going on to make $701,796,444 worldwide (roughly twenty times its original budget). In addition to its success at the box office it received positive reviews from critics and audiences alike.  It is a coming-of-age ...