Final Women

The Signalman The 1976 episode of A Ghost Story for Christmas was the first episode not to be based on the work of M.R. James. Instead, The Signalman is based on Charles Dickens's most famous ghost story outside of A Christmas Carol. The episode stars Bernard Lloyd (who would appear as Marley's Ghost in the 1999 A Christmas Carol adaptation with Patrick Stewart as Scrooge) as a traveler who befriends a railway signalman, played by beloved character actor Denholm Elliott (Marcus Brody from the Indiana Jones movies). The signalman tells Lloyd's character (simply billed as "The Traveler" in the credits) about a recurring apparition that appears every time a tragedy is about to occur on the railway. The first time he saw the apparition, a nasty wreck occurred in the nearby tunnel, costing many people their lives. The second time, a woman soon leapt to her death from the train right in front of him. The signalman is concerned because the apparition has recently begu...

From 1971 to 1978, the BBC produced the informally linked A Ghost Story for Christmas series, with one episode airing each year around Christmas time. This year, in keeping with the season, I am issuing a two-part review of this exemplary series, which is worth a watch for any British horror fan. The Stalls of Barchester This first episode, premiering Christmas time of 1971, is adapted from a short story by M.R. James and concerns a cleric of Barchester Cathedral who, after growing tired of waiting for the current Archdeacon to retire or pass of old age, resorts to murder. After he apparently rigs a stairwell to cause the old man a fatal accident, he succeeds in becoming Archdeacon, but in the process also becomes haunted. It begins with him hearing voices in his house when alone at night. Then a large black cat begins stalking him. Eventually creepy hooded figures deliver the deacon to his just rewards. I've seen people complain that this (as well as other episodes of the se...

I'd actually previously viewed Prom Night IV but honestly remembered little to nothing about it, which could have had to do with the generic plot, or maybe I fell asleep. Since it is currently free on Amazon Prime, I decided I'd give it another shot. The extended opening sequence takes place in 1957 and concerns Father Jonas, a priest who sets out to punish "the sluts and the whores" in the name of the Lord, starting by killing two teenagers getting busy in a car outside of their high school prom. Despite the name of the film and the fact that the school is referred to as Hamilton High, this fourth entry in the Prom Nigh t franchise is unrelated to both the first film (starring Jamie Lee Curtis) and the previous two entries (which revolve around the ghost of poor Mary Lou). After his murders, the demented man of the cloth is discovered by his fellow priests at St. Basil's seminary where he apparently lives. The priests decide to send him to St. George's, a...

Okay, I haven't been writing much lately, but I'm back and hopefully in it for the long run, so I thought I'd start afresh with briefly reviewing a few films I've watched recently. The Witch in the Window One of the spookiest movies I've seen in years, this wonderful haunted house movie is marred only by what to me seemed an overly sentimental ending. That being said, my boyfriend was not perturbed by the ending in the least, so maybe that complaint only pertains to me and my occasionally black and bitter heart. Otherwise, I thought The Witch in the Window was the best horror movie I'd seen in quite some time. I don't want to give away the plot here, as a lot of the fun lies in figuring out exactly what is going on. I will tell you though, if you watch this, keep a sharp eye out. In the earlier parts of the film, the titular crone pops up when you least expect it in silhouettes and reflections that are easy to miss. And when she does show her face, she...

I've been away for a while, but now I'm back and have several reviews coming. For now, I just want to say, everyone needs to go check out You Might Be the Killer. Seriously, stop whatever you're doing and go watch it right now. Unless you're currently driving, operating heavy machinery, or performing surgery, in which case please finish what you're doing first. Seriously though, it's pretty amazing. Starring the incredibly talented Fran Kranz (Cabin in the Woods) and Alyson Hannigan (Buffy), it's a hilarious love letter to horror fans. You Might Be the Killer is currently available for free if you have Shudder streaming. Check it out!

Upon hearing that there is now a Mexico Barbaro 2, I thought it might be a good idea if I finally got around to seeing the first one, which has been sitting at the top of my to-watch queue for a while. Like most anthologies, this one turned out to be a mixed bag, but I was overall impressed with the grotesque beauty of many of the segments. Tzompantli Laurette Flores At first I thought that this opening segment might be some sort of wrap around, mostly due to the vagueness of its plot. And due to an aimlessness of the early part of this story, I still feel it might not have been the best choice for the opening segment of the film. Still, it's far from the weakest entry, and it's brutal, gory ending is an effectively abrupt and visceral sucker punch in the gut. Jaral de Berrio Edgar Into The second segment of Mexico Barbaro is easily one of the most beautifully shot, and I was captivated by it's surreal, fairytale feel and dreamlike atmosphere. The s...