(plays Grindhouse theme music)
Our first movie tonight is....
From Beyond (1986)
Director-Stuart Gordon
Run Time-86 minutes
I can’t believe it took me this long to see “From Beyond”. Well it was worth the wait, that’s for damn sure. The story hooked me in right from the start and I couldn’t keep my eyes off the screen. And it’s pretty hard when you have a cast like Jeffrey Combs, Barbara Crampton and Ken Foree and excellent special FX created by John Carl Buechler and his crew.
I actually like this film a TAD more then Stuart Gordon’s previous and most popular film “Re-Animator”. The story had me more interested in the events that unfolded before my eyes. John Carl Buechler and his crew deserve some applause for pulling some truly grotesque but totally badass special FX. CGI blows cock compared to the stuff seen in this film. The Dr. Pretorius creature is a sight to see, especially the changes it goes through. Plus Jeffrey Combs sucking the eyeballs out of people’s skulls? Too fucking cool. And to hate a film where Barbara Crampton dresses up in leather S&M gear should be illegal.
The film builds to an exciting finale and the pace is fast so you should never be bored. My only complaint is things get a tad repetitive in the first hour but that’s only a very minor nitpick. If you haven’t seen it, see it right now. Don’t be foolish and wait like I did. Highly Recommended.
8/10
(bathroom break)
Our next movie is....
Cellar Dweller (1988)
Director-John Carl Buechler
Run Time-78 minutes
Sigh, what a disappointment. “Cellar Dweller” sounded so cool. Comic book artist’s creation comes to life and kills people, sounds like my kind of entertainment! But something was wrong. I’ll begin with the stuff I liked. The Cellar Dweller was a cool creature and there were some neat gore sequences. The movie is only 70 minutes without credits, so it’s over before you know it. The cast is also not that bad.
But when you have a short running time make sure you fill it with plenty of monster action and Cellar Dweller lacks in that department. Too much talking and not enough carnage! I wasn’t exactly bored but my interest was only on the Cellar Dweller itself and not the human targets that mostly filled the screen time. The movie needed about an additional 10 or 15 minutes of the Cellar Dweller ripping people apart and I would’ve been pleased. But the thing that really disappointed me was the ending. What a lame cap-off! We don’t get one ending but multiple and each one worse then the last. Director John Carl Buechler sure didn’t know how to end his own film.
“Cellar Dweller” is ultimately a cool concept but the execution is not so good. Cool creature and sweet gore aside, the lack of monster action and the unbelievably lame multiple endings really brought this film down for me. Not terrible but very disappointing.
5/10
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