"A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET" - 40 Years Of Keeping Us Awake (RETRO REVIEW)

The first reported death from SUNDS, aka Sudden Unexpected Nocturnal Death Syndrome, was in 1977. The fatalities occurred after the Refugee Act of 1980 resettled many Hmong refugees from Southeast Asian countries. This strange disease has been investigated by the Center for Disease Control at length, but no satisfactory answer has ever been provided. When Wes Craven was asked to write a third horror film, these unexplained ailments caught his attention. He would go on to create an overnight sensation that would add a new face to the horror genre the fans would never forget.

"INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE" Turns 30 (RETRO REVIEW)

30 years later, does Anne Rice’s “INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE” still haunt the screen as much as it did the page?

"THE BEAST OF WALTON STREET" (2024) Juxstaposes The Harsh Reality Of The Unhoused With A Malvolent Werewolf (REVIEW)

If you’re familiar with Skid Row, the unhoused community that occupies a section of downtown Los Angeles, then you are aware of the real-life “horror” it represents. Travelers who poured in with big dreams were met with disappointment and were left to find their way on the streets. Introduce drugs into the mix, as well as a growing number of people with mental health issues who were dropped off within the “contained” area, and you create a community that society deemed as “undesirables” who are left to fend for themselves. Many people within the LGBTQ community have felt pushed out and alone, and after seeing a documentary on Skid Row, writer/director Dusty Austen was inspired to create her own story on the homeless community - and throw in a werewolf.

"SAW" (2024) - 20 Years of Torture & Gore (RETRO REVIEW)

In 2004, Saw quickly became an overnight sensation, immediately becoming the new face for Halloween season. Over the next seven years, fans would get more torture devices and victims, and just when we all thought it was over, the series was revamped in 2017’s Jigsaw, which led to 2021’s Spiral, and then Saw X in 2023. If that’s not enough, we can expect an eleventh installment possibly in 2025. But looking back at these films, we need to go back to that grungy bathroom where it all began, as this was the idea of two young men fresh out of film school. What they would create would change the horror genre game forever.

Movies, ReviewsGuest UserOctober 31, 2024Author: Shannon Bushmann, Review, Movie, Saw, James Wan, Leigh Whannell, Cary Elwes

"ALIEN COUNTRY" (2024) Invades With Family Friendly Sci-Fi Fun (REVIEW)

Remember when Orson Welles had a radio show in the 1930’s retelling “War Of The Worlds”, and scared so many people he had to publicly apologize? Well, Boston McConnaughey and Renny Grames’ first feature film “Alien Country” is nothing like that!! It’s fun, adorable, and action-packed for the whole family to enjoy.

Movies, ReviewsGuest UserOctober 28, 2024Author: Shannon Bushmann, Review, Movies, Alien Country, Renny Grames, K.C. Clyde, Sci-Fi, Family Friendly

In "LITTLE BITES" (2024), Parenting Can Suck The Life Outta You (REVIEW)

Parenthood can be a scary thing, especially for a mother. She gives up her body to nurture, she feeds the child before she has her next meal, and she will do anything to protect her young, even if it means sacrificing her own needs. In Spider One’s Little Bites, the story explores this in a frighteningly heightened metaphor. It’s both dark, creepy, and tense.

RETRO REVIEW: "WHEN A STRANGER CALLS" (1979) - 45 Years Later And We Are Still Scared Of Picking Up The Phone

Being alone in a house can be unnerving, especially at night. Every noise seems to be more relevant than danger is nearby, such as the ice machine, or the family pet suddenly jumping up from out of nowhere. Put yourself in someone else’s house where you're not too familiar with your surroundings and you're responsible for tiny humans, and that danger can seem heightened. Add a dangerous entity actually trying to cause harm, and you get When A Stranger Calls.

RETRO REVIEW: "REAR WINDOW" (1954) - 70 Years Later

Shannon Bushmann revisits the 1954 Hitchcock classic "REAR WINDOW" as it celebrates its 70th anniversary. How do its themes and narrative hold up today?

Reviews, MusicGuest UserSeptember 18, 2024Author: Shannon Bushmann, Reviews, Movies, Rear Window, Alfred Hitchcock, Retro Review