Horror by Harrison

  Here we are, the entry that should be the low point of the franchise but unfortunately isn’t. This film has it all; an overly convoluted backstory late into the series, minor characters returning with greater significance for no reason, completely fucking over a beloved character from a previous entry for no goddamn reason.  Baby Paul Rudd. Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers (which I will be referring to as Halloween 6 from here out so that I don’t have to type that ridiculous title any more) was written by Daniel Farrands ( Never Sleep Again ) and directed by Joe Chapelle ( Fringe ). It was made on a budget of $5 million, made $7,308,529 upon opening, and made $15,116,634 worldwide. Halloween 6 received overwhelmingly negative reviews upon release. Halloween 6 picks up six years after the massacre of the Haddonfield police and the disappearance of Michael Myers (George P. Wilbur, A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child ) and Jamie Lloyd (J.C. Brandy, Silk St...

  The Halloween franchise hasn’t gone off the rails quite yet with its fifth entry (we’ll talk about the moment that happens next week) but the writing is on the wall.  Halloween 5: The Return of Michael Myers was written by Michael Jacobs ( Certain Fury ), Dominique Othenin-Girard ( Beyond Desire ), and Shem Bitterman ( Out of the Rain ) and was directed by Othenin-Girard. It was released on October 13th, 1989 to negative reviews. Halloween 5 was made on a budget of $5 million, made $5,093,428 upon opening, and went on to make $11,642,254 worldwide. One year after the events of Halloween 4 , Jamie (Danielle Harris, Urban Legend ) has been admitted to the Haddonfield Children’s Clinic and is unable to speak due to the trauma she experienced. When Michael (Don Shanks, Silent Night, Deadly Night ) awakens from a year long coma, he and Jamie form a psychic connection and he begins to hunt her down once again. Halloween 5 is a decidedly middle of the road entry in the franchise. O...

  It’s inevitable that horror franchises are going to have crappy entries, but that doesn’t necessarily ease the pain of seeing a franchise absolutely shit the bed after two near perfect outings. Alas, here we are on our countdown to Scream (2022) with the bastard child of the franchise, Scream 3 . Scream 3 was written by Ehren Kruger ( The Ring ) and directed by Wes Craven ( Red Eye ) and was released on February 4th, 2000. It was made on a budget of $40 million, made $34,713,342 upon opening, and went on to make $161,834,276 worldwide. Scream 3 received largely negative reviews upon release. Three years after the events of Scream 2 , Sidney (Neve Campbell, Wild Things ) has isolated herself in a remote farmhouse. However, she is drawn out of her isolation when a masked killer begins targeting the cast of Stab 3 and she learns that the new set of killings have a connection to her mother’s previously unknown past in Hollywood. It really is a shame that Scream 3 is such a m...

It’s been about a year since I covered the original Ju-On so it felt like a great time to revisit the sequel. It’s not on the schedule at the moment, but I’ll probably also be covering The Grudge at some point. Ju-On 2 was written and directed by Takashi Shimizu ( Hell Girl ) and was released on August 23, 2003. Ju-On 2 was made on a budget of ¥1.1 billion (roughly $10,120,000 in US dollars) and went on to make $2,705,820 worldwide. Ju-On 2 has received largely mixed reviews. Like it’s predecessor, Ju-On 2 follows the victims of the Ju-On curse in six vignettes which overlap with one another and are told in a non-linear fashion. Ju-On 2 is an interesting film. It’s largely “more of the same” in its relationship with the first film both to the film’s benefit and detriment. In its conversations with the first film, it does feel like a seamless continuation and expansion. However, that does mean that the film can feel a bit repetitive. Luckily, it’s a formula that works so even ...

  I didn’t intend to do two Clive Barker properties in a row (I had this on the schedule before Candyman (2021) was moved), but I’m glad that it worked out this way.  Hellraiser was written and directed by Clive Barker ( Lord of Illusions ) and was based on his novel The Hellbound Heart . Hellraiser was made on a budget of $1 million, made $4,453,232 upon opening, and went on to make $14,575,193 worldwide. Hellraiser was released on Sep. 10, 1987 and received generally positive reviews. Hellraiser follows young Kirsty Cotton (Ashley Laurence, Chill ) who finds herself caught in a bloody battle between her uncle Frank (Sean Chapman, Scum ), her step-mother Julia (Clare Higgins, Small Faces ), and a group of pain worshipping demons known as Cenobites. Hellraiser is a mean, nasty masterpiece. Barker’s direction is sublime, but the real star here is the practical effects. This movie is gory and gross and it is magnificent. I don’t think most people need a lot of convincing...

  After nearly a year and half of delays, we are finally getting Nia DaCosta’s ( Little Woods ) Candyman sequel and, let me tell you, it was worth the wait. The film is gorgeously shot, amazingly acted, and dreadfully tense. It was everything I hoped it would be. Candyman was written by DaCosta, Jordan Peele ( Us ), and Win Rosenfeld ( BlackKklansman ) and was directed by DaCosta. Candyman was made on a budget of $25 million, made $22,001,750 upon opening, and has so far made $54,389,280 worldwide. It was released on August 27th, 2021 to positive reviews. Set 30 years after the events of the first film, Anthony McCoy (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Watchmen ) lives in Chicago with his girlfriend Brianna (Teyonah Parris, WandaVision ). After he hears about the legend of Candyman (Tony Todd, Final Destination , and Michael Hargrove, Chicago P.D. ) and Helen Lyle (Virginia Madsen, Sideways ) he creates an art piece surrounding the myth. After Candyman is summoned, a series of violent killi...