Throwback Thursday - Is Physical Media Dead rant

note: This was written for Grindhouse Purgatory a few years ago. I'm not sure that I still agree with eveyrthing that I wrote below but at the time this is how I felt. It was also intended to generate conversation about the death of physical media and how that made collectors as well as general film fans feel. It was successful then and I hope will do that here again. 

 

Is Physical Media Dead?

by John Shatzer

Normally on the pages of Grindhouse Purgatory I write reviews about Blu-Rays that have been released and whether it is worth double dipping on them. I came up with the idea of reviewing new releases on Blu-Ray because of all the conversations I’ve had about it with other fans. Eventually it also got me to thinking a bit more about the idea of purchasing movies again on new format and if that was something that I wanted to do. I’ve gone from VHS to DVD and then to Blu-Ray with some dabbling in Laser Disc along the way. Each change provided better quality, more material, and generally an improved experience. What they all had in common is that they involved having something in your hands. With the internet and new technology that isn’t always the case now and I found it very interesting how my own views on the subject have changed over the years.

To answer the question I posed in the title we must first look at the alternatives to physical media. There are really two legitimate options that spring to mind. One is the ability to stream thru services like Netflix, while the other is to purchase a digital copy from a source like iTunes. Both have advantages and disadvantages which we should look at. For the record I currently use Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Shudder for streaming. To purchase digital copies, I use iTunes and Amazon Prime. I mention this because much of what I’m going talk about is influenced by my personal experience with these particular services.

Streaming is an interesting way to consume movies. With the advent of high-speed internet it has become very convenient to use it to watch movies from the comfort of your own home. You don’t have to go to the video store to browse the shelves for that new release or old favorite. Instead you just flip thru the catalog of available titles and hit the play button. No more “they are all checked out” nonsense making you fight over getting the hot new release on Friday night. You want to watch a movie and they have it on the service, you watch it. All of this is available for one monthly payment instead of a rental situation. Want five movies or fifty movies in a given month, it doesn’t matter. This has also had one noticeable effect on my movie watching.

Streaming has allowed me to find some obscure movies that I would likely have never checked out. I watch a lot of crappy movies, but even I have passed up spending money on something that looks unappealing. With streaming I still have the option to check it out. If I don’t like the movie, I shut it off without feeling guilty about spending money on it. The most recent example of this is when I caught a flick called Slice. I wasn’t sold on the plot synopsis and would likely have put it right back on the shelf if I were in a traditional setting. But it wasn’t so I gave it a shot and really enjoyed the movie. Here a case can be made that this sort of service allows the consumer to take a chance on something that normally we wouldn’t. The big disadvantage to this is the availability to movies changes as the various services update their catalogs. Things are added and removed on a monthly basis, so you can’t always count on it being there when you want to watch it. That can be annoying if you are in the mood to watch a movie and can’t find it anymore.

          Purchasing digital copies mitigates this and is also convenient if you are waiting for a new release. I’m a huge nerd when it comes to checking out the latest horror or science fiction flick. Do any of you remember the guys that would be waiting at the big box stores on new release day with their list of what was coming out that week? Well I was one of them! I knew what was scheduled and of those what I wanted. If it wasn’t something likely to be hitting the local store, I had it preordered and ready to ship the day it was released. That took a lot of time and honestly was a bit silly. Sometimes it took me weeks to get to a movie that I just had to have the day it came out. Let me give you an example of how it works now. Puppet Master: The Littlest Reich came out a few months ago. I was really excited to check it out, but the weekend it was released I was busy with family stuff. No big deal because I knew I could pop online and order a digital copy to watch whenever I had time. The process from purchase to opening credits took no more than five minutes. See the difference? I can add any new movie to my collection with a few clicks, so I never have to worry about them selling out or not being in stock at a later date. The idea that I could be missing out on something if I’m not in line the day of release is totally gone.

While I understand that not everyone is as obsessed with this as I used to be the point is that digital copies make it really easy to purchase and watch any movie you want at almost any time. The biggest downside to this is that in theory if the company that you purchased the movie from ever goes out of business you could lose your access to what you have purchased. That used to bother me until I realized that Amazon and Apple aren’t likely to go anywhere anytime soon. The one thing that does bug me is the cost of these digital copies. They cost almost as much as the actual DVD or Blu-Ray would! Considering that they don’t have the manufacturing or shipping cost it seems like a cash grab.

I’ve made the case for streaming and digital copies but what are the arguments for owning physical copies of your favorites? Like many of you I’m a collector at heart. The very idea of owning a movie meant that I had it in my hands or at the very least sitting on my shelf. It needed to be available for me to pop on anytime that I wanted to. Want to watch that obscure zombie movie? It is sitting right there ready to go. Want to see hours of special features on your favorite horror flick? Again, it is sitting right there on the super-duper new Blu-Ray that in many cases I’ve recommended here before! These are things that can’t be provided consistently from streaming sites.

But wait. We can always purchase a digital copy to watch anytime that we want. Some of those even come with the special features you can get on the DVDs and Blu-Rays. This is almost the same as owning a physical copy. Theoretically a combination of streaming and digital could replace all of our collections. I have been shocked at the obscure stuff that took me years to collect suddenly showing up on these streaming services. Hell, there are movies that used to be a nightmare to track down suddenly on YouTube for free. Damn it I just made another argument against physical media.

If I’m to answer this question with my head and not my heart the days of collecting thousands of tapes, DVDs, and Blu-Rays is likely coming to a close. You only have to look at the stores to see this reality coming to pass. The media sections in every big box retailer is shrinking as the sales dwindle and the valuable real estate is reclaimed for merchandise that moves quicker. Most of these stores sell iTunes or Amazon Gift cards where the shelves of movies for sale used to be. Then is the answer to the question yes?

            At my age I’m not fond of change, especially when it comes to my hobbies. A few years ago I would never have said this but streaming and digital are decent ways to find and enjoy movies. The times they are a changing and I’m willing to go along for the ride. Recently I sold off more than sixty percent of my collection. I had neither the space to store them nor the energy to move them. I still have over two thousand movies in my collection and with that comes the last point that I want to make. You don’t have to get rid of any or all of your stuff. I still have DVDs and Blu-Rays of my favorites or movies that I know I will revisit on occasion. I still upgrade old DVDs with new Blu-Rays that have special features I’ve not seen before. The collector in me is still alive as I have multiple versions of Killer Klowns from Outer Space and Dawn of the Dead on both DVD and Blu-Ray. I’m never going to toss or sell the stuff that I love. But that doesn’t mean I have to run out and buy a copy of the latest horror movie that comes out not knowing if I will like it or not. If I want to watch a movie, I can get a digital copy or check it out when it hits a streaming service. If I really like it, I can buy a copy for my collection. This happened last year when I caught The Void and dug it so much, I went out and bought a copy.

It is sad to see the hobby changing. I loved having my own version of a video store in my house where I could sit surrounded by movies. But if you really think about it there are some huge advantages to where things are headed. Waiting for stuff to hit a streaming service is much cheaper than buying a bunch of DVDs that you will likely not watch more than once. Not having to worry about getting a copy of a popular horror release on the day it hits the stores is another. These are just a couple of the many reasons I think as fans we should embrace this new world. My final advice to you is enjoy what you have and take advantage of the technology. It’s the best of both worlds.

Back to the question I asked at the beginning. Is physical media dead? The easy answer is no. There will always be a market for Blu-Ray and whatever new format comes along to replace it. Though I do see a world where that will be a niche market as most everyone moves onto easier and more convenient ways to watch movies. That isn’t a bad it’s just different and I’m okay with it. Hopefully I haven’t rambled on too much and bored you to death. I’ll see you next time where I’ll let you know what Blu-Rays have the best new stuff on them… just in case you still want to buy something you can hold in your hands. As always feel free to email me at gutmunchers@gmail.com to let me know what you think about this or anything else.

© Copyright 2023 John Shatzer

My top ten movies of 2022

It is time for me to take a look at what I thought were the best movies of last year. I thought I'd start off with some honorable mentions. Bingo Hell was an excellent independent movie with a great bad guy and a diverse cast of characters that I could root for. Let us In! is a true low budget gem from director Anthony Moran that blew me away with how ambitious it was as well as how well they managed to bring it to the screen. Finally Crabs! was a silly bit of nostalgic monster movie fun that I enjoyed immensely. All three of these movies were on my top ten list but were bumped as the year went on. All of them are worth checking out. Now onto my top ten of 2022.

I might as well stop at the bottom so that I can keep the suspense going. My number ten movie of the year is Deadstream. When this popped up to stream and I read that it was about a disgraced YouTuber who tries to get his followers back by visiting a haunted house I was more than a bit disinterested. I hate the social media influencer thing and watching a found footage movie about one of them held zero interest for me. But I'll be damned if this isn't a great movie. Cleverly written with decent scares I was pleased. 

My number nine movie is Antlers. This was a creepy and cool horror flick. I love the ending and the fact that it wasn’t Hollywood. The creature effects are simple but work perfectly and the entire idea behind it is more than a bit spooky. The kills are also disturbing in a subtle way that I promise will stick with you long after the end credits have rolled. 

Movie number eight is an absolute silly blast that is sort of hard to explain why it is so awesome, but trust me it is. I'm speaking of Psycho Ape. There are several independent movies on my list this year. Director Addison Binek knocked it out of the park with this totally absurd romp in the vein of The Kentucky Fried Movie with a bit of Benny Hill tossed in. This was one of the funniest things that I watched all year and I needed some laughs so it was much appreciated. 

Onto the seventh spot on my list. Sometimes you don't need a ton of locations or production value to make a great movie. Though I never thought I'd see such a well made Lovecraftian inspired gem like Glorious done on such a small scale and budget. Set in a rest stop bathroom this movie relies on just a couple actors and lots of speaking to tell an epic "save the world from Eldritch doom" story. It was fantastic and worth checking out. 

Number six is another movie that I would never have guessed I was going to dig. I'm not a Dave Grohl but I'll be damned if Studio 666 was a hell of a lot of fun. I can’t believe that I liked this movie, but it was funny, and the gore delivered the goods. There is a great cast. Overall, I can’t complain about anything with this one. It is a blast and I highly recommend it. Really who knew that Grohl was so damn funny?

Number five is a prequel to one of my favorite franchises ever. Prey tells the tale of an early visit to Earth by the Predator aliens. God Damn it they made a good Predator movie! This one is all about the gore and action. There are so many great kills that I can’t pick just one. I also enjoyed the throwback to the original with the “if it bleeds” line. I had very low expectations with this movie but had a blast. 

Movie four has me looking at another independent movie, Hell Van. I was able to do a set visit a couple of years ago for a magazine article and could tell that something special was happening on set. Director Jorge Delarosa knocked it out of the park with this one. Shot on a low budget over many weekends this labor of love checked a lot of boxes for me. The effects are great including his decision to go old school with miniatures in the finale with the drive-in.

They say that you can't go back again but movie three proves that wrong. Beavis and Butthead Do the Universe is a perfect example of nostalgia done right. This felt exactly like it did back in the nineties when I was watching the original series on MTV. I was cracking up… the old jokes still land. Then again maybe I'm just immature and haven't grown up. Either way I loved this one and recommend you check it out. 

Before I get to movie number two we need to talk. There is a huge difference between a zombie movie and an infected movie. It bugs the shit out of me when someone lumps a flick like 28 Days Later into the zombie genre. Why am I mentioning that? Because while I love The Sadness it isn't a damn zombie movie! It is awesomely twisted, bleak, gory, and unrelentingly nasty in all the best ways. It was nice to see something that kicked my ass like this movie did. As a jaded horror fan that is a rare thing. 

So what was my number one movie of 2022? Last Night in Soho completely blew me away. I was completely drawn into the plot and characters. The plot twists and turns were amazing and fun to navigate. I’m also very happy to see that one of my favorite actresses, Diana Rigg, got to end her career with a wonderfully meaty part. This is a perfect movie that I will watch again. I've always loved the work of Edgar Wright and this may be his best yet. It is a great movie. 

So there you have it. These are the best movies that I watched last year. Many great movies were watched and many awful ones too... I'm looking at you Suburban Sasquatch! All in all I had a blast and hope to come back at you in January of next year with another awesome list of new or new to me movies that I caught this year. 

© Copyright 2023 John Shatzer

Featured Post - Charlie Chan, Mr. Wong, and others

Time to have an uncomfortable chat. As part of my current murder mystery review marathon, I’m going to be covering some older movies that have issues. I was going to say for a modern audience, but even when they were made it wasn’t okay. For obvious reasons Hollywood of the ‘30s and ‘40s kept casting white actors in the roles of Asian characters. When I say obvious reasons, I really mean racism. Whether it was real or imagined the studios, both big and small, thought that a Charlie Chan or Mr. Wong movie starring an Asian wouldn’t sell to the public. Then again when Karloff left the Mr. Wong franchise and they tried to continue it with Keye Luke, the response was so poor from theaters that the studio canceled any more movies. That isn’t an excuse it just shows that perhaps the studios were correct in their assumptions about the American audiences at the time.

As uncomfortable as I am with many of these movies, especially the heavily accented performances of the actors playing Charlie Chan, I felt like I had to cover them when I tackled the mystery movies in this current marathon. Many of them are well made and enjoyable. I also don’t want to overlook the fact that these franchises while casting a white actor in yellowface also feature many Asian actors in supporting roles. Like the previously mentioned Keye Luke, we also get some great performances from Sen Yung in the Chan series (which also starred Luke in many early entries). Movies like this kept many young minority actors working and in the business, which needs to be appreciated. I’m glad that Luke could pay his bills and be around for some of the amazing stuff he did later in his career.

And if I’m going to mention the Chan movies, I suppose I should also acknowledge that many folks have problems with African American actor Mantan Moreland performances as Birmingham Brown. Though I disagree with that and say he was playing the fool no different then Lou Costello or Curly Howard. And in fact, did it as well as either of them, which is saying a lot since they are the gold standard of that sort of thing. But I’m getting off topic.

I’m going to cover these movies as the entertainment that they were intended to be. They aren’t mean spirited or overtly racist. Rather they reflect the times in which they were made. Again, let me stress that isn’t an excuse. You can’t watch any of these movies without acknowledging that it isn’t okay to put a white actor in makeup and have him play into racial stereotypes. And I really did struggle with my choice to review them. But some of these are good movies with great performances from Luke, Yung, and Moreland. In many cases they carry the movie as the mystery is less the focus and instead the comedic hijinks are the highlight. The old saying “make sure not to throw the baby out with the bathwater” comes to mind here. Is it better to ignore these movies or should we still talk about them? I’m choosing to talk.

If you really hate these or just want to ignore them, I totally understand. I’m not here to try and tell people to get over it, or that it was okay back then and you can’t judge them with a modern sensibility. Neither of those positions hold water in my opinion and these movies deserve some of the scorn that they get. Despite the issues I still think there is some value here and hope that you can see it as well.

-John

 

© Copyright 2022 John Shatzer

My best movies of 2021

Now that we have finally put the finishing touches on the year that was 2021, I thought it was about time I posted my best of list. I keep a running list of what I think are the best movies that I've watched so some of them get bumped as the year goes along. I was also shocked by how many movies that I enjoyed that came out this year. But before we get rolling I need to say one additional thing. These are the best new to me movies that I watched. Some of them came out a year or two ago, but I’m just now checking them out. I know that annoys some folks but it’s my list so what can you do? So without further delay lets jump into what I think are the top ten flicks of 2021.

Number ten is a movie that I caught very late in the year. I’m Dreaming of a White Doomsday is an interesting flick. Basically, it is a Christmas movie set at the end of the world. There is a family hiding in a basement. We see the dad in flashbacks but by the time the main story takes place it is just mother and young son. Some awful things happen and then Santa shows up. I’m not going to say anything else other than you need to check this one out. Though be warned it is awfully bleak.

My number nine movie of the year was another independent flick called Force to Fear. This is a creative mashup of slasher and action movie. Normally I cringe at such things as they never seem to work well. But here the cast, director, and writer all do a wonderful job telling a familiar story with a fun twist. I also wanted to note that the action sequences might be the best I’ve ever seen from a low budget movie. Outstanding job!

Nic Cage has been hitting it out of the park in the last couple of years. So, it shouldn’t be a surprise that he ended up on my best of list in the number eight spot with Prisoners of the Ghostland. This movie is completely bonkers and, in some ways, makes no sense. But seeing Bill Mosley dressed as a slim Boss Hogg with both Cowboys and Samurai henchmen is quite simply awesome. Plus, they blow one of Cage’s characters testicles off because he is attracted to our female lead. Bonus points for that.

Werewolves Within is at the seven spot. Werewolf movies always seem to be a mixed bag, never quite hitting the mark. When someone described this flick to me as a quirky character driven comedic werewolf movie I cringed. But this movie is a blast. I loved the characters, the story is fun, and when we finally see the werewolf, it is decent. Check this one out if you get the chance.

Time for my sixth best movie of last year. This is a movie that I was ready to dislike. I thought we were going to get another rehashed haunted house movie filled with repetitive jump scares. But The Deep House threw some twists at me that I didn’t see coming. First up the house is underwater, and our characters have scuba dived to it. This adds a claustrophobic twist that really set this one apart. Instead of jump scares we get tension and atmosphere. I dug this one a lot.

Halfway thru the list and I’m dipping back into the independent movies. My number five is an amazing follow-up to one of my favorite indy movies of the last ten years. I’m referring to Caroushell the 2^nd. This little gem continues the story of the killer carousel unicorn as he now deals with his past as well as the son born of his activities of the first flick. Yeah, it is weirdly awesome that way. Toss in some Nazi’s and you have a fun flick.

Number four has a familiar face popping back up. Willy’s Wonderland has Nic Cage blowing into town, getting a flat tire, cleaning a Chuck-e-Cheese style family restaurant, doing battle with some demonic animatronic mascots, and playing some pinball. If what I just mentioned doesn’t make you want to watch the movie, I don’t know what to tell you. There are some fun kills, a neat twist, and a sharp looking car to boot. And if you thought this would be the weirdest movie on my list, please let me introduce you to my third favorite movie of the year.

Benny Loves You is your classic boy meets stuffed animal and keeps him into adulthood until the world beats him down and he tosses all his toys thus bringing Benny, the stuffed animal, to life to commit murder. It’s a family movie really. This movie is crazy in all the best ways and is a fantastic watch. The filmmakers do a wonderful job bringing the puppet to life on the screen and the kills/gore are done very well on a budget. You need to check this one out.

Number two surprised me. Nobody is a fantastic action movie starring Bob Odenkirk in a Death Wish style story. Well, I guess not since he is a retired killer and not a doctor getting revenge for his wife. Basically, he is trying to be a good guy when some people mess with his family and everyone thinks he is a coward because of how he reacted. This leads him back to his old ways and that is very bad for the criminals who crossed him and threatened his kids. Nobody reminded me a lot of the action movies of the ‘80s I grew up loving.

My number one favorite movie of the year is a bit of a cheat. The Fear Street movies on Netflix tell one giant story and feel like a long movie so I’m counting them as one. For those of you who haven’t seen it the story is set in the distant past with some Puritans, as well as a ‘70s summer camp, and today… if today was the ‘90s. There is a lot of nostalgia and they filmmakers do a wonderful job of capturing the setting. There are some brutal deaths, some character twists that I didn’t see coming, and in the end, they leave you wanting more. I certainly hope we get it.

There you have it. I’m sure that I missed some movies that you might like more than the above. This was a great year for movies, and I had a hard time bumping movies like Boss Level, Shadow in the Cloud, Mortal Kombat, and Boys of County Hell. But this wasn’t my top fourteen list and I had to make some tough choices. If you have movies on your list that I’ve not mentioned above drop me an email using the box to the right side of this post and let me know. I’m always looking for something new to watch and I might have just missed it. Now it is time for me to start building my list for this year. Catch everyone later.

-John

 

© Copyright 2022 John Shatzer

The Movies I watched in 2021

I watch a lot of movies in a given year. Some new and others are old favorites. But I've never kept track of what I watched in a given year before. I thought it might be fun to do so this past year. I got a kick out of it and also had fun revisiting this list as I was getting this post ready for the site. I watched some great movies this year and also forced myself to sit thru both the Witchcraft and Camp Blood franchises. So I guess it is a mixed bag. Now excuse me as I head off to start my 2022 list. 

Movie 1 - Aenigma (1987)

Movie 2 - The Barge People (2018)

Movie 3 - The Jungle (2013)

Movie 4 - The Skull (1965)

Movie 5 - Camel Spiders (2011)

Movie 6 - Body Melt (1993)

Movie 7 - Hard Boiled (1992)

Movie 8 - Rampage (2018)

Movie 9 - The Predator (2018) 

Movie 10 - Scalps (1987)

Movie 11 - Wolf Creek 2 (2013)

Movie 12 - Journey 2: The Mysterious Island (2012)

Movie 13 - Hot Fuzz (2007)

Movie 14 - Demonia (1990)

Movie 15 - The Reef (2010)

Movie 16 - Suicide Squad: Hell to Pay (2018)

Movie 17 - We Can Be Heroes (2020)

Movie 18 - Eyeball (1975)

Movie 19 - Hatchet for the Honeymoon (1970)

Movie 20 - Shadow in the Cloud (2020)

Movie 21 - Wolfman’s Got Nards (2018)

Movie 22 - The Bermuda Triangle (1979)

Movie 23 - The Bloodstained Butterfly

Movie 24 - The Red Queen Kills Seven Times (1972)

Movie 25 - The Shed (2019)

Movie 26 - Mikey (1992)

Movie 27 - Nightmare Symphony (2020)

Movie 28 - Game of Death (2017)

Movie 29 - Cruel Jaws (1995)

Movie 30 - The Case of the Bloody Iris (1972)

Movie 31 - Camp Blood (1999)

Movie 32 - Camp Blood 2 (2000)

Movie 33 - Camp Blood 3 (2005)

Movie 34 - Camp Blood First Slaughter (2014)

Movie 35 - Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970)

Movie 36 - Psycho Goreman (2020)

Movie 37 - Camp Blood 4 (2016)

Movie 38 - Camp Blood 5 (2016)

Movie 39 - Camp Blood 666 (2016)

Movie 40 - Camp Blood 7: It Kills (2017)

Movie 41 - Ghost of Camp Blood (2018)

Movie 42 - Camp Blood 8: Revelations (2020)

Movie 43 - Children of Camp Blood (2020)

Movie 44 - My Bloody Valentine (1981)

Movie 45 - Almost an Angel (1990)

Movie 46 - Cowgirls vs Pterodactyls (2021)

Movie 47 - The Relic (1997)

Movie 48 - Finding ‘Ohana (2021)

Movie 49 - Harbinger Down (2015)

Movie 50 - The Night Sitter (2019)

Movie 51 - Sharkman (2005)

Movie 52 - Tammy and the T-Rex

Movie 53 - Cat O’ Nine Tails (1971)

Movie 54 - Bloodbath at the House of Death (1984)

Movie 55 - Into the Dark : Tentacles (2021)

Movie 56 - Spare Parts (2020)

Movie 57 - Ghosthouse (1988)

Movie 58 - The Sleepover (2020)

Movie 59 - Steel Frontier (1995)

Movie 60 - National Treasure (2004)

Movie 61 - The Conjuring (2013)

Movie 62 - Truth or Dare (2017)

Movie 63 - Monster Hunter (2020)

Movie 64 - Dinosaur Valley (1985)

Movie 65 - The Shark Hunter (1979)

Movie 66 - Playing with Fire (2019)

Movie 67 - The Sum of all Fears (2002)

Movie 68 - National Treasure: Book of Secrets (2007)

Movie 69 - Save Yourselves! (2020)

Movie 70 - Irresistible (2020)

Movie 71 - The Mummy (1999)

Movie 72 - Strange Behavior (1981)

Movie 73 - The Hearse (1980)

Movie 74 - King Solomon’s Mines (1985)

Movie 75 - Hysterical (1983)

Movie 76 - The Perfume of the Lady n Black (1974)

Movie 77 - Lords of the Deep (1989)

Movie 78 - Shooter (2007)

Movie 79 - Enola Holmes (2020)

Movie 80 - Boss Level (2020)

Movie 81 - The Flight that Disappeared (1961)

Movie 82 - Saturday the 14th Strikes Back (1988)

Movie 83 - Transylvania Twist (1989)

Movie 84 - Destination Inner Space (1966)

Movie 85 - Shark in Venice (2008)

Movie 86 - The Fantastic Journey (1976)

Movie 87 - Stay out of the F**king Attic (2020)

Movie 88 - Death Promise (1977)

Movie 89 - Demolition Man (1993)

Movie 90 - Creed (2015)

Movie 91 - The Conjuring 2 (2016)

Movie 92 - The Golden Age of Horror Comics part 1 

Movie 93 - The Block Island Sound (2020)

Movie 94 - Night School (1981)

Movie 95 - Space Ninjas (2019)

Movie 96 - The Pyx (1973)

Movie 97 - Beaks: The Movie (1987)

Movie 98 - Zach Snyder’s Justice League (2021)

Movie 99 - The Last Blockbuster (2020)

Movie 100 - American Murder The Family Next Door (2020)

Movie 101 - Unacknowledged (2017)

Movie 102 - Triggered (2020)

Movie 103 - Ghostbusters (1984)

Movie 104 - Shark Attack 3: Megalodon (2003)

Movie 105 - San Andreas (2015)

Movie 106 - Intersect (2020)

Movie 107 - Grand Theft Auto (1977)

Movie 108 - Corvette Summer (1978)

Movie 109 - The Severed Arm (1973)

Movie 110 - Eyes Behind the Stars (1978)

Movie 111 - Shoplifters of the World (2021)

Movie 112 - G.I. Samurai (1979)

Movie 113 - Gargantua (1998)

Movie 114 - Godzilla vs. Kong (2021)

Movie 115 - Witchcraft (1988)

Movie 116 - Witchcraft II: The Temptress (1989)

Movie 117 - Witchcraft III: The Kiss of Death (1991)

Movie 118 - Run Hide Fight (2021)

Movie 119 - Witchcraft IV: The Virgin Heart (1992)

Movie 120 - Serial Mom (1994)

Movie 121 - Witchcraft V: Dance with the Devil (1993)

Movie 122 - Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No! (2015)

Movie 123 - Witchcraft VI (1994)

Movie 124 - Yeti: Giant of the 20th Century (1977)

Movie 125 - Witchcraft VII: Judgement Hour (1995)

Movie 126 - Witchcraft VIII: Salem’s Ghost (1996)

Movie 127 - Stuff Stephanie in the Incinerator (1989)

Movie 128 - Witchcraft IX: Bitter Flesh (1997)

Movie 129 - Benny Loves You (2019)

Movie 130 - Thunder Force (2021)

Movie 131 - Witchfinder General (1968)

Movie 132 - Witchcraft X: Mistress of the Craft (1998)

Movie 133 - Witchcraft XI: Sisters in Blood (2000)

Movie 134 - Cemetery of Terror (1985)

Movie 135 - Witchcraft XII: In the Lair of the Serpent (2002)

Movie 136 - Witchcraft XIII: Blood of the Chosen (2008)

Movie 137 - Infra-man (1975)

Movie 138 - Witchcraft 14: Angel of Death (2016)

Movie 139 - Mother’s Day (1980) - Joe Bob Briggs

Movie 140 - Witchcraft XV: Blood Rose (2016)

Movie 141 - Witchcraft XVI: Hollywood Coven (2016)

Movie 142 - Walking the Edge (1985)

Movie 143 - The Mutilator (1984)

Movie 144 - Nobody (2021)

Movie 145 - The Gingerweed Man (2021)

Movie 146 - Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins (1985)

Movie 147 - Fleshburn (1984)

Movie 148 - Shark Lake (2015)

Movie 149 - Macabre (1958)

Movie 150 - Tremors (1990)

Movie 151 - Ooga Booga (2013)

Movie 152 - Mortal Kombat (2021)

Movie 153 - Raw Force (1982)

Movie 154 - The Cyclops (1957)

Movie 155 - Target Earth (1954)

Movie 156 - The Atomic Submarine (1959)

Movie 157 - Bride of Re-Animator (1991)

Movie 158 - The Ghost and Mr. Chicken (1966)

Movie 159 - Alien 2: On Earth (1980)

Movie 160 - Ape vs Monster (2021)

Movie 161 - Boys from County Hell (2020)

Movie 162 - King Dinosaur (1955)

Movie 163 - Preppies (1984)

Movie 164 - Soul Brothers of Kung Fu (1977)

Movie 165 - World Without End (1956)

Movie 166 - Dr. Black Mr. Hyde (1976)

Movie 167 - Ginger Snaps (2000)

Movie 168 - Letters to Satan Claus (2020)

Movie 169 - From Hell it Came (1957)

Movie 170 - Black Samson (1974)

Movie 171 - Moon in Scorpio (1987)

Movie 172 - Invasion of the Blood Farmers (1972)

Movie 173 - Why? (2019)

Movie 174 - Hand of Death (1962)

Movie 175 - Ants! (1977)

Movie 176 - Mandy (2018)

Movie 177 - Torso (1973)

Movie 178 - Not of this Earth (1957)

Movie 179 - High-Ballin’ (1978)

Movie 180 - Sand Sharks (2012)

Movie 181 - Fighting Mad (1976)

Movie 182 - Dogs (1976)

Movie 183 - Back to the Future (1985)

Movie 184 - The Goonies (1985)

Movie 185 - Army of the Dead (2021)

Movie 186 - Those Who Wish me Dead (2021)

Movie 187 - Night of the Cobra Woman (1972)

Movie 188 - Web of the Spider (1971)

Movie 189 - Fulci for Fake (2019)

Movie 190 - Grave Robbers (1989)

Movie 191 - Scarecrow (2013)

Movie 192 - Train to Busan (2016)

Movie 193 - Rush Hour (1998)

Movie 194 - Greenland (2020)

Movie 195 - Angels and Demons (2009)

Movie 196 - Deep Blood (1990)

Movie 197 - On the Trail of Bigfoot: The Journey (2021)

Movie 198 - Sledgehammer (1983)

Movie 199 - Things (1989)

Movie 200 - Flash Gordon (1980)

Movie 201 - Wrath of Man (2021)

Movie 202 - Gutterballs (2008)

Movie 203 - The Lost Continent (1951)

Movie 204 - Supervan (1977)

Movie 205 - Alligator (1980)

Movie 206 - The Last Chase (1981)

Movie 207 - Kung Fu from Beyond the Grave (1982)

Movie 208 - Evilspeak (1981)

Movie 209 - Sudden Impact (1983)

Movie 210 - Blood Frenzy (1987)

Movie 211 - The Prey (1983)

Movie 212 - The Devil Below (2021)

Movie 213 - Little Shop of Horrors (1960)

Movie 214 - Humanoids from the Deep (1980)

Movie 215 - The Ninth Configuration (1980)

Movie 216 - Death Rink (2019)

Movie 217 - Redwood Massacre (2020)

Movie 218 - The Superdeep (2020)

Movie 219 - Macon County Line (1974)

Movie 220 - Honky Tonk Freeway (1981)

Movie 221 - Thing from Another World (

Movie 222 - The Fly (1958)

Movie 223 - Moonshine County Express (1977)

Movie 224 - Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter (1984)

Movie 225 - Willy’s Wonderland (2021)

Movie 226 - Sharkwater Extinction (2018)

Movie 227 - Trailer Park Boys the Movie (2006)

Movie 228 - In Search of Bigfoot (1976)

Movie 229 - The Crawlers (1993)

Movie 230 - The Tomorrow War (2021)

Movie 231 - Tom Clancy’s Without Remorse (2021)

Movie 232 - The Willies (1990)

Movie 233 - My Bloody Valentine (1981)

Movie 234 - Gettysburg (1993)

Movie 235 - My Science Project (1985)

Movie 236 - The Sky Dragon (1949)

Movie 237 - Castle in the Desert (1942)

Movie 238 - Special Bulletin (1983) 

Movie 239 - Shoot (1976)

Movie 240 - Cleopatra Jones (1973)

Movie 241 - They Live (1988)

Movie 242 - Predator (1987)

Movie 243 - Fear Street part one 1994 (2021)

Movie 244 - Werewolves Within (2021)

Movie 245 - Aquarium of the Dead (2021)

Movie 246 - Fear Street part two 1978 (2021)

Movie 247 - Allan Quartermain and the Lost City of Gold (1986)

Movie 248 - Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (1961)

Movie 249 - Deep Space (1988)

Movie 250 - The Hunt (2020)

Movie 251 - Dire Wolf (2009)

Movie 252 - Pacific Banana (1980)

Movie 253 - Gunpowder Milkshake (2021)

Movie 254 - The Condemned (2007)

Movie 255 - Fear Street part three 1666 (2021)

Movie 256 - Faces of Death (1978)

Movie 257 - On the Trail of UFOs: Dark Sky (2021)

Movie 258 - They Came From the Swamp: The Films of William Grefe (2016)

Movie 259 - Carry On Screaming (1966)

Movie 260 - Water War (2014)

Movie 261 - Sharktopus (2010)

Movie 262 - Jungle Cruise (2021)

Movie 263 - A Quiet Place (2018)

Movie 264 - A Quiet Place II (2020)

Movie 265 - Jack Reacher (2012)

Movie 266 - Beyond Fury (2019)

Movie 267 - The Devil’s Sword (1984)

Movie 268 - Zillafoot (2019) 

Movie 269 - The Suicide Squad (2021)

Movie 270 - Hot Tub Time Machine 2 (2015)

Movie 271 - Black Friday (1940)

Movie 272 - Death Falls Lightly ( 1972)

Movie 273 - Naked Girl Murdered in the Park (1972)

Movie 274 - Spasmo (1974)

Movie 275 - Death on the Nile (1978)

Movie 276 - Great White (2021)

Movie 277 - Sherlock Holmes Faces Death (1943)

Movie 278 - Friday the 13th part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan (1989)

Movie 279 - Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday (1993)

Movie 280 - Tremors (1990)

Movie 281 - Extreme Prejudice (1987)

Movie 282 - Blood Red Sky (2021)

Movie 283 - Sherlock Holmes and the Deadly Necklace (1962)

Movie 284 - Pizza Girl Massacre (2014)

Movie 285 - The Mummy’s Revenge (1975)

Movie 286 - Time After Time (1979)

Movie 287 - House of Horrors (1946)

Movie 288 - The Fist of Death (1982)

Movie 289 - A Dark Song (2016)

Movie 290 - The Last Mercenary (2021)

Movie 291 - Dam Sharks (2017)

Movie 292 - The Mad Hatter (2021)

Movie 293 - The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard (2021)

Movie 294 - The Wrecking Crew (1968)

Movie 295 - Beyond Dark Dreams

Movie 296 - War of the Planets (1977)

Movie 297 - Force to Fear (2020)

Movie 298 - Watchers (1988)

Movie 299 - Moonstalker (1989)

Movie 300 - Kung Fu Hustle (2004)

Movie 301 - Alienator (1990)

Movie 302 - The Curse of Nostradamus (1961)

Movie 303 - Giant Spider (2021)

Movie 304 - CarousHELL 2 (2021)

Movie 305 - Genesis II (1973)

Movie 306 - Elvira: Mistress of the Dark (1988)

Movie 307 - House on Haunted Hill (1959)

Movie 308 - Repossessed (1990) 

Movie 309 - Beyond Terror (1980)

Movie 310 - Demonwarp (1988)

Movie 311 - Grave Secrets (1989)

Movie 312 - Slaxx (2020)

Movie 313 - Skinwalker: Howl of the Rougarou (2021)

Movie 314 - Night of the Lepus (1972)

Movie 315 - Return of the Living Dead part II (1988)

Movie 316 - The Thing from Another World (1951)

Movie 317 - The Fly (1958)

Movie 318 - The Thing (1982)

Movie 319 - The Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954)

Movie 320 - The Bride of Frankenstein (1935)

Movie 321 - The Fog (1980)

Movie 322 - Zombie (1979)

Movie 323 - Seance (2021)

Movie 324 - Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum (2018)

Movie 325 - Here Comes Hell (2019)

Movie 326 - Prom Night (1980)

Movie 327 - Sharks of the Corn (2021)

Movie 328 - My Bloody Valentine (1981)

Movie 329 - The Prowler (1981)

Movie 330 - The Beast Must Die (1974)

Movie 331 - Terror Train (1980)

Movie 332 - Tales of Terror (1962)

Movie 333 - Twice Told Tales (1963)

Movie 334 - The Gate (1987)

Movie 335 - House (1985)

Movie 336 - The Cat and the Canary (1939)

Movie 337 - School Spirit (2019)

Movie 338 - Hubie Halloween (2020)

Movie 339 - V/H/S/94 (2021)

Movie 340 - Halloween H20 (1998)

Movie 341 - Night of the Demons (1988)

Movie 342 - Invasion of the Saucer Men (1957)

Movie 343 - The Legend of Boggy Creek (1972)

Movie 344 - The Legend of Hell House (1973)

Movie 345 - 10-31 part II (2019)

Movie 346 - Chompy and the Girls (2021)

Movie 347 - The Body Snatcher (1945)

Movie 348 - Muppets Haunted Mansion (2021)

Movie 349 - Day of the Dead (1985)

Movie 350 - Halloween: Resurrection (2002)

Movie 351 - Sharkenstein (2016)

Movie 352 - Slumber Party Massacre (2021)

Movie 353 - Grave Intentions (2021)

Movie 354 - Terror from the Year 5000 (1958)

Movie 355 - The Cabin in the Woods (2011)

Movie 356 - It! The Terror from Beyond Space (1958)

Movie 357 - Shock Waves (1977)

Movie 358 - Hot Moves (1984)

Movie 359 - Cooties (2014)

Movie 360 - The Party Animal (1984)

Movie 361 - The Evil Dead (1981)

Movie 362 - Evil Dead II (1987)

Movie 363 - Screwballs (1983)

Movie 364 - The Black Scorpion (1957)

Movie 365 - Prince of Darkness (1987)

Movie 366 - Critters (1986)

Movie 367 - Killer Klowns from Outer Space (1988)

Movie 368 - Tremors (1990)

Movie 369 - Night of the Living Dead (1968)

Movie 370 - Return of the Living Dead (1985)

Movie 371 - Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse (2015)

Movie 372 - The Tingler (1959)

Movie 373 - Waxwork (1988)

Movie 374 - Waxwork II: Lost in Time (1992)

Movie 375 - Halloween (2018)

Movie 376 - Halloween Kills (2021)

Movie 377 - Dawn of the Dead (1978)

Movie 378 - Fright Night (1985)

Movie 379 - Army of Darkness (1992)

Movie 380 - Halloween (1978)

Movie 381 - Swim (2021)

Movie 382 - The Other (1972)

Movie 383 - The Deep House (2021)

Movie 384 - Hobgoblins (1988)

Movie 385 - Hold that Ghost (1941)

Movie 386 - Who Done It? (1942)

Movie 387 - Treasure of the Amazon (1985)

Movie 388 - New York Ninja (2021)

Movie 389 - American Rickshaw (1989)

Movie 390 - The Golden Eye (1948) - Charlie Chan

Movie 391 - Docks of New Orleans (1948) - Charlie Chan

Movie 392 - Bigfoot vs Megalodon (2021)

Movie 393 - The Lost Continent (1968)

Movie 394 - Robo Vampire (1988)

Movie 395 - Red Notice (2021)

Movie 396 - Miss Fisher and the Crypt of Tears (2021)

Movie 397 - Poltergeist (1982)

Movie 398 - Free Guy (2021)

Movie 399 - Thankskilling (2009)

Movie 400 - Black Friday (2021)

Movie 401 - 47 Meters Down: Uncaged (2019)

Movie 402 - Prisoners of the Ghostland (2021)

Movie 403 - Cemetery High (1988)

Movie 404 - The Lady Vanishes (1979)

Movie 405 - Dreamscape (1984)

Movie 406 - The Return of Charlie Chan (1972)

Movie 407 - You’ll Find Out (1940)

Movie 408 - Secret of the Blue Room (1933)

Movie 409 - I’m Dreaming of a White Doomsday (2017)

Movie 410 - Krampus (2015)

Movie 411 - Jack Frost (200)

Movie 412 - Jaws (1975)

Movie 413 - Venom: Let there be Carnage (2021)

Movie 414 - Ic Cream Man (1995)

Movie 415 - Die Hard (1988)

Movie 416 - It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)

Movie 417 - Ten Little Indians (1965)

Throwback Thursday - The Decline of the Genre Podcast

Note: I originally wrote this for my old website twelve years ago. I just found it while digging thru my archives and thought I'd post it here at the new site. Why? Well being a consumer of podcasts as well as a creator of them my points are still if not even more valid today. I also want to make sure that everyone understands that I do this to help out my fellow podcasters from falling into traps that will destroy the interest in their shows. So now lets get onto it.

Disclaimer:  Let me be very clear that this is in no way an attack on any particular podcast or website.  This is more my take on the rise and eventual decline of podcasts dedicated to the genre movies that we all love. 

Like many of you I was really into the horror podcast scene of several years ago.  This is even before I thought for a second about doing my own show.  We all had our own favorites, but regardless of what shows you listened to the experience was the same.  Personally, I looked forward each week to downloading the shows and listening to fellow fans talking about the new releases and discussing their memories of growing up the warm glow of the television while watching the late-night horror show or a favorite VHS tape.  For a guy like me it was a Godsend because I lived in an area where there wasn't a community of fans for me to connect with. 

But then something changed.  At first, I thought it was just me getting old and jaded.  Then I started having one conversation after another with fellow fans on the net and at conventions.  It seems that I wasn't alone in suddenly losing interest in the podcasting scene both as a contributor thru the Gutmunchers podcast and as a listener.  What happened?  I have some ideas that I'm going to share in this article. 

Before you start recording ask yourself some questions.  (aka. What the hell am I doing here?)

Before you ever record a second of a show you need to ask yourself what your goals are.  What kind of show do you want to do?  What sort of content do you want to provide?  Can you pull it off?

These might seem like obvious things to sort out before you do a show.  But I’ve listened to podcasts that are put together by people who are in love with the concept of a show but haven’t put any thought into it.  When I started the Gutmunchers podcast I knew that I had a specific set of goals.  Heck I even had a mission statement (like the on the front page of the website).  I wanted to review a couple movies in each show.  These would be movies that either myself or my co-host liked.  I didn’t care if it was a new release or not.  My goal was to turn other fans onto the movies that I liked. 

The other big goal of mine was to interview interesting people who worked in and around the movies we all loved.  Some of them had done other shows and some of them hadn’t.  One of our first interviews was with Carol Speed who a lot of fans and promoters thought was dead (I’m not kidding guys).  This was the kind of person that I wanted to talk to and share with others. 

Now I’m not trying to say that this was the only way to do a show.  There are a lot of different approaches to podcasting.  When the shows first started it was all new and people put a lot of thought into what they wanted.  Especially since in the early days the editing tools and hosting weren’t necessarily free people it caused put effort into it.  Then things got cheap and even free sometimes so that everyone piled on without thinking about it.  This of course leads to my next point.

Too many podcasts (aka. The good ones got buried quickly)

I think that the combination of free tools for editing and free hosting options lead to everyone and their brother starting up a podcast.  This is further complicated by the ease in which you were able to get it added to iTunes and therefore delivered to anyone that had an iPod.  When this first happened, I thought it was amazing to be able to reach so many individuals with so little effort.  And it really was.  But that also caused a fatal reaction for the podcasting scene.

With all the free services that were available you could literally decide to do a show and have something “live” in just a couple of hours.  And this was with some basic editing.  So what happened is that suddenly everyone had a podcast and the market was saturated.  Not only that but since it so easy most of the shows were put together terribly.  The editing was lousy, there was dead air, and no one put any effort into the content.  I could go on, but I’ll talk more about this later.  Bottom line was that the one show that put the work in and sounded somewhat professional got tossed in with the fifty others that were garbage. 

I know you are asking yourself what is the harm in friends recording stuff and being goofy?  If it was just a hobby like when my friends and I used to make “shows” with my old cassette recorder then no harm no foul.  But that isn’t what happened.  Those involved acted much like the independent filmmakers that run around the woods over a weekend with a camera and call it a movie.  They started to promote their “shows”, fought for listeners, started tearing each other down, and went to companies to try and get screeners.  Now personally as a fan I got so burned out with the feuds (to be fair I was part of one) and the hosts constantly bitching about one another that I stopped listening.  I don’t think that I was the only one either.  As a former podcaster, it was also embarrassing to tell anyone that I had a show because I didn’t want to get lumped in with this crowd.  Hell, I always lead off with the website and never mentioned the show until I was established with them. 

You just aren't that interesting! (aka. Fart jokes just aren't that funny after the 20th time)

This one is simple.  I've sampled so many different podcasts that I lost count a long time ago.  One of the observations that I made along the way is that far too many podcasters want the show to be about them.  In some kind of attention-grabbing desperation move they want their personality to be the central focus of the show.  Sorry guys but even Howard Stern got boring after a couple of years of listening to his radio show uncensored and I personally think he is a genius.  What chance do you have in holding an audience?  The answer is not much.

In my humble opinion, a horror podcast or really any movie podcast should be about the flicks and not about some goof talking about how much his farts smell or calling his co-host names for two freaking hours.  Guys you need to understand that the movies are your content and are why your audience is "tuning" in for each episode.  When we were doing the Gutmunchers podcast I tried hard to focus on what was important, the DVDs that we were covering and the interesting people that we were interviewing. 

Too many people half doing half assed work.  (aka. Watch some damn movies!)

This one just kills me.  I was listening to a show that I won’t name here.  They were doing a best of show where they discussed all the horror flicks from a particular year.  Only they hadn’t seen or couldn’t remember half of them!  This is just lazy and shows a total lack of respect for your audience. I might have sucked as a podcaster, but I always watched the movies and did the work for the show.  If you don’t have the time to do your research, then chose a different direction for that particular show.  Maybe the professionals can just wing it but you can’t.  If you could then someone would be paying you to do this instead of you recording it in your bedroom. 

This leads me to another point about doing the work.  Would it kill you to have a script?  I’ve listened to shows that had no focus and wandered all over the place.  The hosts didn’t know what they were trying to do or in what order they wanted to do it.  You need to know what the plan is before you ever record a damn thing.  There is nothing so annoying as dead air. Podcasting isn’t a visual medium, so you need to keep things rolling along. Nothing will bring a show to a screaming halt faster than not having a script.

Wrap up (aka. Yes, I probably pissed off some people)

These are my thoughts on what happened to the podcasting scene.  When I first started writing this I approached it as a how to for podcasting.  You know so I could pass on my experiences and encourage other budding podcasters.  But the more I got into it the more I realized that I didn’t want to encourage anyone to become a podcaster.  Trust me the work you put in will never be worth it.  The online horror community is vicious.  You are either going to do a lousy show and add to the crap already out there, or you will be good at it and then incur the wrath of those that are jealous of your success.  Instead of spending hours editing and tracking down interviews I’d recommend just chilling out and watching some movies. 

Agree with me?  Disagree with me?  I don’t hide behind a screen name, and I put my contact information right out there.  Either way you should feel free to email me at gutmunchers@gmail.com with feedback.  This isn’t meant to be a shot at any podcaster or show in particular and shouldn’t be taken as such. 

 

© Copyright 2021 John Shatzer

Support Independent Magazines

I know that I have mentioned some of the magazines that I write for in various tweets and posts here at Crappy Movie Reviews before but I wanted to do so again. I grew up reading mimeographed fan magazines that I picked up in various record and comic stores. That moved into photocopied magazines which itself with the advent of publishing software and home computers became the beautiful creations we can put our hands on today. I get that the internet is an easy source and free, but there is nothing quite like having an actual magazine in your hands. 

Before the accusations start please let me say that I don't get paid and that no one is making their living at publishing these, much less getting rich. All of the magazines that I write for are labors of love, which is why I participate. Whether it is my old friend 42nd Street Pete's Grindhouse Purgatory, Eric and Angie's Midnight Magazine, or Edwin's Gravely Unusual all of these creative people are putting things in print for the love of creating something. I think that is pretty cool. 

If you could possibly take a look at the links below and purchase yourself a copy of one of these publications I would be eternally grateful. And it isn't like I'm asking you to kickstart something with the promise of maybe getting your money's worth. When you support these with your hard earned cash you are guaranteed to get a product in your hands. One that is already done and just waiting on you. Thanks for reading this. 

- John Shatzer aka. The Crappy Movie Reviewer

Gravely Unusual can be picked up at the below link. 

https://gravelyunusual.bigcartel.com/

Midnight Magazine is available at the below link

https://midnightmagazine.bigcartel.com/

Grindhouse Purgatory can be picked up at Amazon or better yet if you would like to get in touch with 42nd Street Pete directly and cut out the middle man just email him at Grindhousepurgatory@gmail.com

The Ten Best Genre Movies of 2018

Last year I had just started the blog and hadn’t really had time to let things get established, but I had always intended to do a best of list. One of the advantages to doing a blog is that it forces me to watch new horror. When I’m not working on a project like this or my old website I tend to stick with favorites and watch them for the umpteenth time. Now I can’t get away with that as you always have to be on the lookout for movies that people might not have heard of and there is nothing better than finding a new movie to turn fellow fans onto.

With that in mind I thought it was a good idea to put together a top ten list of the best horror movies that I’ve seen in 2018. Be warned that I considered movies that might lean more towards thriller and sci-fi then they do horror. But they all have a healthy dose of the scares and gore that we enjoy as fans. Another rule that I enforced on myself were that they had to be released this year. There were a couple that came out in 2017 that I didn’t catch until this year. I decided to disqualify them for my list. If I’m going to say this is the best of 2018 it has to be movies that came out this year. With this in mind let’s take a look at my list.

The other thing that you might notice is that I only have eight entries on my top ten list. Since I limited myself to movies that actually came out in 2018, I had a couple that snuck in at the bottom that while fun were flawed. I had to decide if I wanted to include them because I needed to make some sort of obligatory number or if I wanted to just list the best genre movies of the year. Clearly, I decided to just include those that I thought were worth checking out. So here are the top eight movies of the year in order from lowest to highest.

8. Big Legend (2018) – I picked this one up as an impulse purchase at my local big box retailer. I normally don’t blind buy DVDs anymore, but this was a Bigfoot movie and I was bored. I ended up really digging the movie and loved the slightly different take on the legend. Plus, the fact that they attempt to setup a connected universe where the main character could return to fight different monsters was a blast. Oh and Lance Henriksen showing up at the end was a nice added bonus. Can you make a Bigfoot movie without him? I think it might be against the law to not have him in the cast.  

7. Happy Death Day (2018) – Honestly, I would have never watched this movie if we hadn’t covered it for the Bloodbaths and Boomsticks podcast. Each one of us picks a movie and then we all watch them to discuss on the show. I purchased a digital copy on iTunes and begrudgingly sat down one Friday night to watch. This is a great little movie with an interesting premise of mixing Groundhog Day with a slasher flick. I wouldn’t call this a serious horror movie, but I’ll be damned if it isn’t entertaining. As an added bonus my wife watched it with me, and she enjoyed it as well. Considering that she isn’t a huge horror fan that means it has some crossover appeal and could be a decent date night choice. I’m looking forward to the sequel coming out in 2019 and hope it makes my list next year.

6. Blood Fest (2018) – I saw the trailers for this one and knew that I had to watch it. I even took note of when it would be available to purchase, and the day of release downloaded my digital copy. I loved the idea of an amusement park/festival for horror fans that hid a dark secret. I’m concerned about great concepts failing to be executed but this movie hit all the marks. The different settings inspired by slashers, zombies, and yes killer clowns are all done well and are a lot of fun. Watching the characters deal with the crazy situation is amusing and the movie never misses the chance to drop a funny line. Heck there is even a cameo from Zachary Levi as himself. Spoiler… it doesn’t end well for him. This is an amusing horror comedy that put a smile on my face.

5. Tremors 6: A Cold Day in Hell (2018) – I was lucky to stumble over the original Tremors in the theater. I was wandering thru the mall one day and saw the poster went in because I had nothing better to do and fell in love. I’m a sucker for this franchise and watching Burt Gummer do battle with more Graboids, this time in an arctic setting, will always get my money. I was waiting for this to come out and the day it was available I purchased a digital copy and watched it right away. The movie didn’t disappoint, and I had a blast.

Interesting side story about Tremors 6. This movie also spawned my most frustrating movie related conversation of the year. I was talking about it online and someone responded that they hate the Tremors franchise and when they watched Tremors 6 it sucked as badly as they thought it would. Seriously? If you know you hate the franchise, why did you watch the latest sequel? There is no way you were going to like it! Sometimes I really don’t like horror fans…

4. You Might be the Killer (2018) – This is another movie that snuck up on me. I saw it pop up on Shudder as an exclusive and watched it that very first night. I won’t lie that what sold me on it was the fact that Alyson Hannigan being in it was a big selling point. I’m a huge Buffy fan. Right from the first scene I knew that this was something different. Basically, they take the tried and true slasher movie formula and flip it around. We know who the killer is but don’t know why he is murdering everyone. What is fun is that neither does he and we watch from his point of view as he tries to solve the mystery. Why is he killing everyone? Can he be stopped? Does he have to die by the hands of the “final girl”? Hannigan isn’t in the movie with the rest of the cast but instead serves as his expert on the phone giving him advice and referencing other horror movies. I normally hate this sort of character and self-aware attitude in horror movies, but she is great, and the dialogue is solid.

Before I continue, I need to interrupt my list and mention something. Between this movie and the introduction of Joe Bob Briggs marathons in 2018 you really need to give Shudder a try. For five bucks a month you get access to all sorts of horror goodies. I’ve been signed up for months now and always am finding new stuff to watch. They have been doing a bang-up job finding hidden gems, as well as classics for their lineup. Hit up their website and take a look.

3. Overlord (2018) – This is the second-best movie that I’ve watched in the theater this year and it was part of a double feature with another movie on this list. I had a really good day watching movies! This is a flat-out blast of gore, violence, and over the top action the likes of which I’ve not seen in many years. Part war movie and part zombie movie Overlord is a great bit of horror that rivals anything that came out in the crazy days of the ‘80s. Sadly no one went to see this in the theater. Next time you are complaining about Hollywood never making anything good anymore remember this one and how it was abandoned by fans. Sure, the studio did it no favors by releasing it after Halloween when many fans are burnt out with horror, but we need to support it when they give it to us!

2. Puppet Master: The Littlest Reich (2018) – Much like my number 6 pick this movie is part of a franchise that I’ve always loved. Though I’ll be the first to admit it is a huge mess. Don’t even get me started on trying to explain a timeline for the Puppet Master movies. Here the franchise was taken out of the hands of Charles Band and rebooted by some new filmmakers. Normally the “R” word isn’t allowed here at the Horror Dude Blog, but I was surprised by how well it was done. We get the same fun puppet action with an entirely new story that makes sense. Filled with funny gags, gore, great dialogue, and much puppet homicide The Littlest Reich was a blast. I mean who does an Anne Frank joke and makes it funny?

1. Halloween (2018) – I did not see this coming. I waited until the last weekend that the movie was playing in my area before finally breaking down to check it out in the theater (this is the second movie I saw the day I went to see Overlord). I had no expectations and in fact expected to hate the movie. But I’m not the kind of guy that will complain about a movie without taking the time to see it. Plus I wanted to see this in the theater, even it we were already well into November by the time I did.

As much of a mess as the sequels to Halloween are the idea that I was supposed to ignore everything after the first one while watching this entry annoyed me. But I loved this movie. Jamie Lee Curtis is amazing in the role and plays the traumatized Laurie Strode perfectly. The idea that they made Michael the killing machine without motivation again was another perfect choice. For the first time since I first saw Halloween II (the original not the Rob Zombie abomination) I felt like the filmmakers understood what made the original Halloween such a great movie.  

There you have it the best movies that in my opinion came out this year. There are a couple omissions that I know probably confused people. Mandy has shown up on a lot of lists but if I’m to be honest I didn’t like it that much. You get some beautiful visuals and the second half of the movie does have a few great Nic Cage being crazy moments. But there are a lot of slow spots and at times the movie is far too artsy for its own good. Hereditary is another movie that critics and some fans seem to love. Unlike Mandy, where I can see the appeal, I though this one was garbage. It is a boring mess with giant plot holes and a twist ending that was pointless and quite simply dumb.

I’m sure that there are others that people think I missed. Please feel free to email me using the box on the upper right-hand side of this page. Or you can leave a comment on this post using the tool at the bottom. The beauty of lists is that they create discussion and debate between fans. I love hearing from other fans and talking movies. Hey, you might also point out a flick that I missed so again I’d love to hear from you. Now if you will excuse me, I need to start watching some movies and working on my best of 2019 list.

© Copyright 2018 John Shatzer