One of my all time favorite movies.
Tag: Horror
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Review and Haiku: A Nightmare on Elm Street 4
A master of dreams
Protecting souls from Freddy
Guiding them safely
Freddy, he’s menacing once again with some great one liners that are sharp and funny and fit the moment perfectly. Robert Englund says this is his favorite portrayal of Freddy. Makes sense when you watch because you can see the joy in Englund’s performance. Freddy also looks great again too. The burn effects are better in earlier entries but he still looks like a menacing dream demon. Props to the effects department for making him look so grotesque and evil.
Lisa Wilcox, when she gets the chance to be the final girl she’s solid in her role and very believable. I like how her character goes from frumpy and skittish and jumping at every shadow to this bad ass fighter taking on Freddy with all these dream powers. Lisa handles this duel role solidly. Tuesday Knight, great singer, is solid as Kristen, but Patricia is severely missed. It’s jarring not having her in this movie. If you don’t watch Part 3 and Part 4 back to back then it’s not as noticeable, but watching 3 and 4 back to back shows the difference. Patricia is just a better actress and more convincing. Hope that doesn’t offend anyone when I say that but it’s the truth. Kincaid and Joey – solid again like they were in part 3, thankfully not recast, and the rest of the new cast is good too. No standouts other than Lisa but the new cast handle their roles effectively enough.
Renny Harlin’s direction is on point. This feels like a Renny Harlin film with a lot of the tropes you get when you watch his movies and he keeps the film moving forward at a quick pace. It never lags or drags.
The end battle inside the church. Like the way that set looks. Gore is minimal but there are plenty of kills to be had. I don’t like the fact that Freddy doesn’t use the glove as much, starting to drift towards Part 5 and 6 with the kills, and that’s a negative because his glove is a formidable weapon. He should have used it more, but in place of the glove, he finds clever ways of dispatching teens like the roach motel segment, which is a standout kill in any of these movies. Also, I like the soul food diner scene. Looked great and it gave me a chuckle.
This movie also has a great score from start to finish. The music fits each scene and even the non lyrical music is spooky and intense. Always forget how good the score is for Part 4.
All in all, this was a solid revisit, but it’s starting to show some rust as the years roll on. Parts of this movie don’t work at all, like the kung fu fight with invisible Freddy, and bringing Freddy back with dog pee, not the best the franchise has given us, but the resurrection did look awesome. Great practical stop motion effects.
And those are my thoughts. What are your thoughts about A Nightmare on Elm Street 4? Love it, hate it, favorite sequel, let me know all that in the comments.
See the video here:
A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master: Movie Review and Haiku
https://youtu.be/DTS95z3cBF8 -
Review and Haiku: A Nightmare on Elm Street 3
The dream warriors
Using their skills and powers
Fighting to survive
Freddy looks awesome in that sweater and that hat and the burned effects on Robert are top notch. Freddy’s also mean. Evil and dark with some of the all time best one liners in this franchise.
“Welcome to prime time bitch!”
Amazing line right after Freddy slams Jennifer face first into that TV.
And speaking of kills.
The puppet Freddy looks awesome, the effects in that scene as Phillip is walked down the hall to his death still look great and hold up extremely well for a movie this old. Another kill that holds up, and still looks great, one of my favorite kills in this franchise, when Taryn gets the life “literally” sucked out of her with those Freddy fingers as needles. He jams those fingers right into her arms with wounds that are pulsing and sucking and just looking nasty. Good stuff. Freddy snake is another highlight and even more effects that hold up perfectly.
Heather Langemkamp is great in her role. One of the all time final girls. Might be my favorite final girl. Robert once again brings so much life to Freddy. He just knows how to make that character shine and John Saxon even in a limited role is still great. Craig Wasson is solid too. Patricia Arquette also shines bright in this movie – incredible scream – up there with Mark from Part 2 in this series. I wish she would have returned for Part 4 because she gave it her all in this movie and she is missed in Part 4. Very jarring not having her there.
And if there weren’t enough great actors in this movie, you’ve also got the pill guy, Morpheus himself, Lawrence Fishburne. It’s a stacked cast through and through.
Direction. You just can’t beat a Wes Craven directed movie. You just can’t. He knows how to get all he can out of each actor and each scene. Story and script are strong. It’s also got some really great spooky moments. The stuff with the nun, Freddy’s mom, creepy. Very supernatural. Digging that.
You also get music by Dokken and you can’t go wrong when you are Rocking with Dokken.
What are your thoughts about A Nightmare on Elm Street 3? Favorite sequel. Not your favorite sequel. What is your favorite sequel if this one isn’t it? Let me know all that in the comments.
See the video here:
A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors: Movie Review and Haiku
https://youtu.be/2Wv2Nx6_DiU -
Review and Haiku: Freddy vs. Jason
+++++++++ Haiku
Two horror icons
Freddy and Jason battle
One will reign supreme
+++++++++ Mask History
First up, the history of Jason’s Mask used in F vs. J, and this comes from horror.fandom.com,
It states:
In this film, Jason’s mask appears similar to the one in Part III down to the three red triangles, but it now appears to be cream-colored rather than white and it is notably missing it’s signature axe mark.. Throughout the movie the mask goes through some noticeable changes; primarily claw marks from Freddy’s glove and soaked blood.
+++++++++ Review
This movie is better than it has any right to be. Up there with some of the best sequels in either franchise.
Ronny Yu, who directed it, did a great job behind the lens. He kept the movie moving at a good pace and kept the fight scenes cohesive and easy to watch – you could see what was going on the whole time. Mark Swift and Damian Shannon, who wrote the script, also deserve a lot of credit, probably the most credit. They found a way to put these two titans together into one film, somehow combining locations, back stories, history, etc., and making it all work like all of that belongs in one film.
Freddy looks amazing. He’s wise cracking and doing his best at being the nasty dream demon we’ve all come to know and love. A little pervier in this one but there’s always been a bit of that in this character. I do wish they would have used that demon thing he turns into when he jumps out of the water a little more. I hate it was only in that one scene. He looked nasty and maybe the most evil he’s ever looked.
Jason, he’s big, he’s hulking, he’s monstrous, and looks great too. I wish Kane Hodder would have been in this role, yes, I am one of those people, but I like what Ken Kirzinger brought to this character.
Fights are top notch. A bit over the top at times but it’s Freddy battling Jason, that’s to be expected, especially when Freddy is involved. Effects are top notch too. Gore is nasty as well. When Freeburg got split in half in that one scene that was an all time kill in either series and so was the bed kill when Tray gets butchered badly and then folded up. Nasty stuff.
Monica Keena, the final girl?. Solid in her role and so is the rest of the cast. No complaints with the acting in this movie.
All in all, this film should not have worked as well as it did but it did and I am glad for that. I always enjoy revisiting it.
What are your thoughts about Freddy vs Jason? Who truly won? Who were you rooting for? Let me know all that in the comments.
See the review here: Freddy vs. Jason
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Review and Haiku: I Know What You Did Last Summer (2025)
Deadly accident
Time to bury the truth
Someone always knows
+++++Spoilers +++++
I liked this movie, more than most it seems, but it does have a heap of problems, and let’s start with what I think is the biggest problem, the third act and the reveal of the killers. Ray being one of them doesn’t make a lick of sense.
I get the trauma aspect, the bad divorce aspect, being close to the other killer aspect, the woman he works with aspect, things like that, but this reveal is terrible for all the past movies.
In the first one he was kind of clueless but likeable, a good guy, and a decent guy, and in the second Freddy put a little more gusto in the role and became kind of a badass, which I liked a lot. So to see him turn into a killer was kind of heart breaking. It really ruined a great likeable character who seemed like a really nice guy.
Julie James wasn’t used enough but I liked seeing Jennifer back again. It sort of works and sort of doesn’t. The rest of the cast is solid too. No standouts but they read their lines very well and don’t distract you with bad acting.
The movie was also about 10 minutes too long. You could have shaved some time off some of these scenes and you wouldn’t have missed that time.
There were stupid character moments even for a Slasher movie, which I can look past most of the time but this one guy going to check the gate and while in the process of checking the gate he walks right past a full on person dressed in a fisherman outfit. Are we supposed to believe they have mannequins in this place dressed like fisherman – bit of a stretch – but the surprise stab in the back was nice and jarring. Stupidity led to a good kill.
The throw away scene at the end of the movie with the two girls on the beach – not sure about that or the lead up to it with that dialogue after the hospital. All of it seemed too casual for the subject matter they are discussing.
And I could go on with even more negatives, but let’s stop the hate train and put some positivity into the episode and dive into one of my favorite parts of the movie.
The dream sequence with Sarah Michelle Gellar. Might be the movie’s biggest highlight and it actually worked, probably shouldn’t have, but it did. Good use of CGI and the deaging was better than it is in most movies. It probably helps that Sarah still looks young and it didn’t take much to deage her unlike some of these older actors.
Gore was decent. Kills were nothing spectacular but I did like when they hung the father and son up like fish at the dock. That was a nice finish to that double kill but if you are looking for insane amounts of gore this movie isn’t for you.
I also liked how they incorporated old sets and things like that into the set pieces – like the parade float from the original I know what you did last summer. That was a nice touch. Good way to add in some nostalgia.
Fisherman/Fisherwoman looked great. I always liked the look of this killer and the weapon he or she uses. Lots of carnage to be had with that weapon.
Mid credit scene was good too with Brandy and Jennifer – and if there is a movie to be had with them chasing down this killer then sign me up. Don’t care if it doesn’t make a lick of sense I would still watch it and what would the title of it be.
Comment with your titles?
Mine would be this. I know what you did last summer and since you did this thing last summer we are going to kill you for that thing you did last summer – rolls of the tongue, right?
Overall, the first two acts were solid, but it is in the third act where this movie has the biggest problems and that’s where you don’t want to have them. Okay to start slow or slightly off and course correct as you move through the film. But you got to close strong. Leave the audience wanting more.
That’s it. What are your thoughts about I know what you did last summer? Did you enjoy it? Does Ray as the killer work for you? Let me know all that in the comments.
Take care. Have a good one and be safe on those dark roads at night.
See the video for this script:
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Review and Haiku: Friday the 13th (2009)
Sister is missing
Brother is on the hunt
Jason roaming free
The History of Jason’s Mask for this remake, according to horror.fandom.com:
In this film, Jason acquires his mask after his burlap sack is removed after a brief fight with Donnie. It appears similar to the one from Part III, although the eye holes are shaped slightly different and are closer together. It is also more dirty and worn-out, and the triangles are peeling off.
There you go. Brief, but that gives you an idea of what the mask looked like in this movie, which is a great remake. This came out at the tail end of the remake boom and it’s a highlight from that time and space. Probably Top Ten Remake, of all the remakes that came out, but I still think, though it needs a revisit, haven’t seen it for a bit, Dawn of the Dead is the best in that remake era. Comment if you agree or not?
Back to this remake, Friday the 13th, simply put, it works from start to finish. Are there flaws? Sure. It’s horny. Is that a flaw? Not sure but the horniness is so abundant that it almost gets annoying at times. Characters are constantly talking about sexual things. Even the sex scenes are probably the most gratuitous we’ve ever gotten in this franchise. Part 9 and 5 also had their fair share, but this one might have the most. Again, comment if you can think of hornier Friday the 13th movies than Parts 9 (jason goes to hell), Part 5 (a new beginning), or this one?
Jason looks awesome in that burlap sack or in the iconic hockey mask, and he looks like a beast too, nothing to screw around with, tall and muscular, easily could do some permanent bodily damage. Derek Mears did a great job in this role.
Cast is good enough. They read their lines well. Jared Padelecki though did do a fine job as the lead but the cast is mostly there for nudity and kills which are solid. When blonde douche bag dude gets pinned to the back of that truck and driven off to points unknown – series highlight. I was also partial to the boat kill. When the guy driving the boat gets that arrow through his eye. It was unexpected and jarring. And there are plenty of other good kills and lots of gore throughout the movie. If you go into this one for kills or gore you will not be dissapointed.
Movie is also shot good enough by Marcus Nispel. It’s a bit hurky jurky at times, fights are not always cohesive, but direction is mostly on point throughout the film.
Overall, I think this one is up there with some of the best in the series. That’s it. What are your thoughts about the Friday the 13th Remake? One of the best in the remake era? One of the best Friday the 13th movies? Let me know. Take care and have a good one.
See the video for this script.
History of Jason’s Mask, Haiku, and Review for Friday the 13th (2009)
https://youtu.be/Ywd4vTC1LLk -
Review and Haiku: I Still Know What You Did Last Summer
A contest is won
Secluded island awaits
Fisherman returns
Solid.
That’s the word that kept coming to mind while watching this sequel to I know what you did last summer and I realized while watching it that I haven’t visited this sequel nearly enough throughout the years
Gore is 90’s horror movie gore, Post Scream gore, just enough splatter to let you know somebody died but not enough to desensitize you, which may not be a bad thing. You get the point and you know that person is dead. Time to move on to the next victim.
Even with the minimal gore though, there are still some solid kills throughout. Jack Black, his character, had one of the toughest to watch because he seemed like a nice enough easy going guy, a bit annoying, but he just liked his weed and wanted others to enjoy that vibe too. Nothing wrong with that. His death was tough because Jack really sold it.
Fisherman looked great, again. I always liked the look of this serial killer with the slicker, the hat, the hook, the thing covering his or her face. A good costume to keep the villain disguised and to keep you guessing.
Story, script, directing is good too. I like what they did with this story and putting them up on the island during a storm. Works well for a slasher movie. No where to run. No where to hide. And I liked the twist at the end with father and son tag teaming the kills. Made a lot of sense. This series has lived in the shadow of Scream for many years so why not take a page from it and have two killers. Worked extremely well.
The score was what you’d expect from a movie like this. Good enough. Plenty of late nineties sounding music sprinkled throughout
And finally, acting, honestly, better than a movie like this needs to be. Jennifer Love Hewitt. Solid in her role as the final girl, question mark. Great screaming once again. Up there with Mark Patton from A Nightmare on Elm Street 2 for best horror screamers. Brandy was good in her role and so was Freddy. Played the tough guy better than I thought he could and the rest of the cast is solid too. No complaints.
All in all, I am glad I dove back into this sequel, and it’s one I will revisit from time to time.
That’s it. What are your thoughts about I still know what you did last summer? Did you enjoy it or not? Let me know all that in the comments below.
See the video here: Disembodied Screams
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Review and Haiku: Terrifier
The Miles County Clown
Creeping through the dark city
Slaughtering with glee
Gore and Effects: The main reason to tune in. There’s plenty of blood to be had. The sawing the girl from crotch to head scene alone is gory enough for more than one movie. It’s intense and disturbing. Then you throw in the girl getting shot to death, the guy getting his face obliterated, Art peeling a woman’s body a part so he can dress up in her hair and skin, and on and on it goes. If you tune in for just the gore then you will not be disappointed.
Story and Script are not to be found in this one. Those two elements only exist to give Art a place to play. That’s it.
Directing, despite the lack of story and script, Damien Leone does a fantastic job behind the lens. The movie isn’t dull. Keeps you watching. Keeps your interest. I’m never bored watching it.
Acting, Catherine Corcoran does a solid job in her role and she is the standout actor, next David, who has brought so much life to Art the Clown, a basic slasher villain on the page that David has given so much life too, but Catherine has some solid acting abilities and I hate to hear about what she endured on this set. In rewatching this movie, she’s hung upside down for a while and topless, breasts on full display. If her safety and nudity concerns were not met. She does have a reason to sue and to seek damages. It seems like she gave her all to that scene and should be rewarded for it.
Score, it’s another highlight and it adds a lot to this nice Eighties low budget slasher grime that is all over this movie.
Killer, Art the Clown, he’s already iconic. He’s already becoming the next big villain in horror, up there with Jigsaw, Freddy, Jason, Michael, Chucky, Lestherface, etc. etc. etc. I foresee this villain having many movies to play in for many years to come.
That’s it. What are your thoughts about Terrifier? Love it. Hate it. Let me know in the comments below. I personally am starting to like this one a lot. There’s just something so simple about it that Part 2 and 3 don’t have. Sure 2 and 3 have better stories but this one has a certain old school low budget charm that I like. Maybe that’s just me. Take care and have a good one.
See the video here and my other videos on the Terrifier Series. Part 2 coming soon: Terrifer Videos on YouTube
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Haiku: Sand Demons
This was a video I made for my YouTube Channel Disembodied Screams. Lots more over there if you enjoy it.
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Review and Haiku: A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge
Freddy needs new flesh
Jesse will be his vessel
A chance for rebirth
A big highlight for Nightmare 2. Freddy. He’s dark, menacing, evil, less jokey, intense, fierce, grotesque, and very burned. It’s some of the best make up effects they have ever created for this villain. Robert Englund is great once again as Freddy. He added a bit of swagger to the dream demon this time, which I liked, and he had great one liners too – You’ve got the body, I’ve got the brain, followed by an amazing scream from Jessie played by Mark Patton who knows how to scream. Some of the best screaming I have ever heard in a horror movie. Mark did a great job in this role. You felt this character’s pain and torment and you sympathized with him because of the great job Mark did bringing this character to life. Rest of the cast was solid too – no complaints.
Minimal gore but gory enough when needed. Standout kill, one of the best in the franchise, one of my favorites. It’s when Freddy slams those knife fingers into Grady’s chest, quick cut to the other side of the door and you see the bloody tips burst through, and then a quick cut back to Freddy as he happily drags those knives ever so slowly down Grady’s dying tormented body. And that kill took place after some amazing special effects when Freddy tore himself out of Mark’s body. Just a whole gruesome set of events in that scene. And there are some other good kills too and some solid special effects sprinkled through this movie – Freddy dogs – nightmare fuel.
Story, script, and directing – solid work in those departments. Great score and I also liked seeing the Elm Street house again. Also liked how they tie this movie into the first one with the journal even though we don’t see Nancy writing in that journal. It’s plausible enough and it helps to keep Part 1 and 2 linked. This movie may be an outlier like Halloween 3, but don’t sleep on it. This is a great sequel from start to finish. Scream at me if you want to for that but it should get more love than it does.
Have you seen A Nightmare on Elm Street 2? Is it a terrible sequel or not? Is Mark one of the best horror screamers of all time? Is it one of your favorites in this franchise, if not, which one is? Drop your thoughts about all of that in the comments.
Take care and have a good one.
Video for this script on YouTube.
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Review and Haiku: Jason X
This is one helluva a fun watch from start to finish. One of my favorite Friday the 13th movies. Jason looks great in either version. OG Jason has a cool mask and rotten look while Uber Jason looks menacing and large and terminator like and invincible. Kane Hodder does an amazing job playing either version of Jason. Brings a lot of life to the character. Cast is solid. Effects too even if the movie has a Sci Fi original movie tone to it at times that still doesn’t hurt it.
Kills are bloody, fierce, and mean – especially that cryo frozen face slam. Disgusting and there’s a great virtual reality throw back scene to the original 80’s movies that works extremely well. Wish they would have stayed there longer. Directing is solid. The movie doesn’t lag or drag. Keeps moving forward at a steady pace. Needless to say, this is a fun watch, and one I always look forward to revisiting. There’s also a cameo by David Cronenberg who gets killed by Jason at the start.
Moving on, here’s information about the mask from Jason X – thank you horror fandom.com – link in the show notes. That site states that In this film, Jason’s mask appears far more angular, and lacks the round nose from previous installments. Once again, it only has the forehead triangle, and once again retains the axe and motorboat damage, though these are much more subtle. When Jason is transformed into Über-Jason, he once again wears a hockey mask, but it is composed of a metallic alloy and conforms around his face. The holes are also positioned differently, and it appears to have nostrils.
Source: https://horror.fandom.com/wiki/Jason_Voorhees%27_hockey_mask
There you go. A brief bit of history on both masks and some overall thoughts about the movie. That’s it. What are your thoughts about Jason X? Love it, hate it, want to send it through the air lock and let it die in deep space. Let me know all that in the comments. Take care and have a good one.
See more and hear more here:
YouTube Horror Channel: Disembodied Screams
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Review and Haiku: Weapons
SPOILERS – PROCEED WITH CAUTION
SPOILERS – PROCEED WITH CAUTION
Let’s start at the top and the reason why this movie works, writer and director Zach Cregger. I don’t know how he kept this story from falling apart with everything going on. Cutting between multiple points of view and tying them together seamlessly without a burden of showing too much repeated content. And his direction, especially at the end of this movie, amazing. That end chase has a lot of funny moments but also a lot of great shots too.
Julia Garner and Josh Brolin are amazing in their roles. I bought into everything they were meant to sell in this movie and Cary Christopher, the main kid actor, the only kid left in the class, top notch acting from him.
Rest of the cast is solid too but big kudos go to Amy Madigan for playing an all time villain in Aunt Gladys. Amy put so much life into that character. Creepy and intense and powerful. Someone you truly want to root against.
There are also a couple of great jump scares. The one with the person on the ceiling got me to scream the most. Dream sequences are spooky with some great nightmare vibes. There’s also a really great mystery that keeps you guessing until the very end.
Did I mention the score? That’s great too. Fits every scene and every moment perfectly and there is some gore especially Gladys’s kill. She got torn apart like a character in a zombie movie – a very worthy death for that villain.
I could go on and on but I will stop here. This is a great movie from start to finish. One of the best of 2025.
What are your thoughts about Weapons?
And if you want a deeper dive the Dead Meat Podcast went deep into the story on this one. Finding things that I never thought to look for. Check them out if you want to explore this movie further.
Take care and have a good one.
Email: songlinesandtanlines@gmail.com
YouTube Nature Channel: Verse of Nature
YouTube Horror Channel: Disembodied Screams
Save the Manatees: savethemanatee.org
Podcast: Disembodied Screams
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