By Geno McGahee

John Travolta usually delivers even if the movie isn’t the best.    OLD DOGS comes to mind.  It was a terrible movie but Travolta tried to make it work and make it watchable.   So, I had never heard of THE FANATIC with Travolta but stumbled upon it for 4 bucks on Blu-ray and said “what the hell?”  I would have most definitely rented it from Blockbuster for the 4 bucks back in the day.  So, even if it sucked, it’d be worth it.

I know a lot of people seeing that this film was written and directed by Fred Durst of Limp Bizkit fame would not give this a chance, but I’m not anti-Durst.  I’m also not anti-Limp Bizkit.  I liked that song “My Way or the Highway” back in the day especially because it was used in the WWE with the Undertaker. I think he was the one that used it.  It may have been Stone Cold.  Whatever the case, it wasn’t a terrible song.  It wasn’t a song that I would listen to now unless Stone Cold and the Undertaker were sitting with me and reminiscing.

It’s pretty obvious that Durst in in film because he loves film.  I kept thinking that he was involved in something that I had seen and he was good in it.  I kept thinking “did it have anything to do with the Undertaker,” but I knew it didn’t.  He was a cop in the underrated movie POPULATION 436 and he was decent in that role.  As a cop, it could be argued that it was his way or the highway. 

THE FANATIC concerns Moose (Travolta), a very likable character with some disabilities, has a fixation on Hollywood and getting autographs from stars.  His idol is the action star, Hunter Dunbar (Devon Sawa), and he desperately wants to get close to him in some capacity.  When a book signing happens, Moose stands in line for an hour, but is shunned when Hunter exits to deal with his ex-wife.  This leads to an altercation between Hunter and Moose where poor Moose gets roughed up a bit.  Travolta is very sympathetic in this role and I kept disliking Hunter for his aggression, but he was dealing with a crazy stalker after all.   So it’s all good.

Moose has a friend, Leah (Ana Golja), and she tries to guide him and help him as much as she can.  She knows he’s got issues and that he is compulsive and he does listen to her, for the most part, but she eventually gives him some information that changes his life and Hunter’s life.  She mentions a map to the homes of the stars app and he is interested and becomes obsessed when he realizes that Hunter’s home address is available.

After showing up at Hunter’s home a few times and being chased off by the star, Moose begins to change and gets angry.  He has had enough and will not be the victim anymore.  He does some really creepy things like breaking into Hunter’s home, using his toothbrush, and then hiding underneath Hunter’s young son’s bed. At one point, he is watching Hunter sleep and even kisses him on the forehead.  My sympathy for Moose began evaporating.

When Leah finds out that Moose posted pictures of Hunter on his social media, things get really crazy.  After burning memorabilia connected with Hunter, Moose heads back to his house for one final statement.   He ties up Hunter to a bed and then terrorizes him using horror themes including FRIDAY THE 13^TH and NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD.  It’s so obvious that Moose isn’t all there and should not have been living alone from the start.  Leah did what she could to help, but he was too delusional and obsessive for this not to be a likely thing.

The final fight between Hunter and Moose is really brutal.  It is difficult not to want to see Moose make it out alive.  I have to give great credit to Travolta for this performance.  I didn’t see him as Travolta.  He became Moose and that doesn’t happen very much when you have such a noticeable and popular actor. 

THE FANATIC is a really good movie that made me think about ONE HOUR PHOTO a lot.  It covers a very real topic with stalkers harassing celebrities, and sometimes, going further.  I really liked this movie and it’s easy to sympathize with Moose, a guy that has nothing and only wants some sort of nod from his idols.  This film does well playing with the empathy of the viewer while testing it the whole time.

John Travolta shows why he has been a consistent start in this film and that he has plenty of life left. Unfortunately, this film really bombed and I can see why.  I had never heard of it.   I don’t think much of the reported 18 million budget went into marketing.  It came out in 2019, so maybe Covid played some role in its failure.

Whatever the case, THE FANATIC is really good, with the exception of the non-ending.  I know the viewer can easily connect the dots, but I prefer confirmation in my assumptions.  Even with that, I highly recommend this one.  I really enjoyed it. 

Rating: 7.5/10   

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By Geno McGahee

Halloween is right around the corner and it is the horror season and nobody says horror as much as Vincent Price.  He is horror movie royalty and one of his classic films is returning in the best way possible, restored and now on Special Edition Blu-ray and DVD from The Film Detective.

As with all releases by The Film Detective, this is a collector’s item.  The focus is on presentation of not only the film but of every other element involved, even adding a great booklet that adds a lot.  I found going through the booklet was very enjoyable and, as a movie fan, a great addition to this release.

The movie concerns a writer that has rented a house in the country and soon finds out that it has a dark past.  A killer known as “The Bat” has left a bloody trail and looms over this film, creating a lot of suspense.   As this is happening, there is some other shady activity and it all comes together slowly and with a lot of mystery.   Vincent Price, as always, is a standout in this film and you can see that he really enjoyed this part.  The new restored version looks great and there is some great bonus material.  This is a must own.

BONUS FEATURES: Full-color booklet with essay, “The Case of The Forgotten Author,” by professor and film scholar Jason A. Ney; full-length commentary track by Jason A. Ney; all-new, original production, The Case for Crane Wilbur, by Ballyhoo Motion Pictures; nine archival radio episodes featuring Vincent Price.  

The Bat will be available on Blu-ray ($29.95) and DVD ($19.95) Oct. 25. Fans can secure a copy now by pre-ordering at: https://www.thefilmdetective.com/thebat  

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By Geno McGahee

Lionsgate has just released the action/thriller INTO THE DEEP.  Jess (Ella-Rae Smith) is living a normal life when she meets Ben (Matthew Daddario) and it breathes some life into her existence.  The two hit it off and everything seems normal until the next day when she awakes on his boat and things begin to unravel.

Things heat up with the arrival of Lexie (Jessica Alexander) and the battle begins with some twists and turns along the way.  The acting in this film is really decent and the cast pushes forward creating this atmosphere of uncertainty and suspense.

INTO THE DEEP is not a perfect movie.  There are a lot of moments that are unbelievable and don’t make the most sense in the world.  Beyond that, this film is enjoyable and entertaining.  There was enough suspense and mystery to keep me watching.  I recommend it.

SYNOPSIS
In this intense action-thriller, Jess (Ella-Rae Smith) is swept off her feet by a mysterious stranger named Ben (Matthew Daddario), who takes her to his boat that’s docked nearby. Dangerously adrift miles from shore, their romance is interrupted when Lexie (Jessica Alexander) shows up, and soon the three get wasted and play sexy games. When the party takes a sudden turn for the worse, it’s clear that either Ben or Lexie is a dangerous liar. In the explosive climax, Jess must decide which one to help…and which one to destroy.

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By Geno McGahee

Lionsgate has just released MID-CENTURY to Blu-ray, Digital and On Demand, featuring the great Bruce Dern and Shane West.  It is a stylish thriller filmed very well with some good things going on and some things that didn’t go over incredibly well.

The film has a message about female empowerment and it’s overbearing at times.  A little subtlety with this topic would have gone farther and not taken away from the story that was being told.  The story mixes some cult aspects and some paranormal stuff but it’s a not really a horror film.  This one is more of a crime drama with some horror elements.

The film is more style than substance in the end but the building blocks of a good film were here.  The set design and cinematography should be appreciated and the cast does their best with this, but the problem lies with the screenplay.  The story was decent, but the dialogue lacked any genuine feel.  There wasn’t a time that a scene hit me.

MID-CENTURY isn’t a terrible film, but it’s not a great film.  It looks pretty, the acting is pretty good, but the lackluster screenplay sinks this one.

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By Geno McGahee

I am a huge fan of THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT, a 1999 film that captured the imagination of the public and still has an impact today.  In 2010, YELLOWBRICKROAD was released and it is now on special edition Blu-ray for the first time and it’s actually the first time I’ve had a chance to see it. I’m surprised that this film got by me, but now, I am happy to say that I’ve seen it and the filmmakers are definitely fans of THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT as well.

Teddy (Michael Laurino), a photographer with hopes to create a book, gets a group together to walk a path in a small New Hampshire town that has a dark history.  In the 1940s, nearly an entire town died as they walked through the wilderness.  It’s a big mystery and Teddy is focused on solving it. 

The group hits the woods and strange things start to happen.  They begin to hear old music and begin to act differently and, sometimes, violently.  The expedition is so deep into the woods, they basically become trapped with each other and the force that is toying with them.

As the days go on, it gets worse and worse and nobody is keeping it together.  They keep moving forward and soon start to discover some really disturbing stuff, including a great scarecrow scene.

The film did drag at times, but when it had its footing, it was good and kept me wondering what the hell was going on.   When Teddy finally completes the mission, he learns all about what’s going on.  The ending scene is really good and creepy.

YELLOWBRICKROAD is really decent and I’m happy to have stumbled upon it all these years later.  There is a lot of bonus material. If you are a fan of THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT and that approach to horror, you will dig this.  I recommend it.

Rating: 7/10

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By Geno McGahee

Lionsgate has just released ROOM 9, an interesting horror flick starring Michael Berryman, known from his role in THE HILLS HAVE EYES.  It also features Kane Hodder of Jason Voorhees fame and brings forth a mystery with some unusual filmmaking choices that will probably be loved and hated, depending on the viewer.

ROOM 9 begins with a married couple and some flashbacks with various filters.  It seemed like the editor was in love with filters and I sort of get what they were going for but they became overwhelming at times considering the overuse.

After several murders, Star shows up to investigate.  Star has inherited the Inn and must now figure out what’s going on and why people are dying.  She doesn’t come into the film until it’s over halfway over and it sort of fumbles its way there.  There seemed to be more focus on showcasing Berryman and Hodder initially and then shifting over to the actual story.  This one definitely needed some work.

The ending isn’t satisfying and that was disappointing.  Usually a movie that is pretty rocky can rebound with a satisfying ending, but it struggled to conclude.  ROOM 9 had some good ideas and wanted to establish a memorable style with the editing, but it missed the mark.  ROOM 9 didn’t do it for me.  It’ll probably be appreciated by horror fans that just like seeing Hodder and Berryman, but it never found its footing with me.

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By Geno McGahee

I’m mostly familiar with the 1978 INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS but had never seen the original, until now, and the approach of the 1950’s when it came to film always focused on the drama and suspense of it.  This is the case with the 1956 INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS, a great suspenseful thriller that keeps increasing the tension minute by minute.

Dr. Miles Bennell (Kevin McCarthy) arrives back home and meets up with his girlfriend, Becky (Dana Wynter) with the hopes of moving on with his life in a good way.  Both he and Becky, both, have gone through divorces and are trying to build the one they are developing together.    As they settle in, little strange things begin to happen. 

Several people in the community are contending that relatives are no longer relatives.  They insist that they look the same, know the same things, but are totally different.  Something has happened.  Bennell doesn’t know what to make of it but when he hears that there are a lot of these instances, he begins to think that something might be off and he’s not buying the mass hysteria explanation that Dr.Kauffman (Larry Gates) gave.

As I watched this, it became pretty clear that THE STEPFORD WIVES was influenced by this, taking various elements from it.  From early on in the film, there is an ominous feeling of dread and I found myself hoping that Miles and Becky just left the town.  Sure, a 20 minute version of the film where the main characters just run away might not be the classic this one became, but the tension was high.

Things get real when Jack (Jack Belicec) calls Miles with an emergency.  When he arrives with Becky, they are greeted by Jack and his wife, Teddy (Carolyn Jones), and before letting them in, they try to prepare them for what they are going to encounter.  Inside the house, lying on a pool table, is an incomplete human.  Jack has no explanation but it fits into the stories that he’s hearing about potential human replacements.  Upon closer examination, the body heavily resembles Jack.  It is Jack’s replacement.

As Miles continues trying to figure it out, he worries about Becky and finds a duplicate of her in her father’s basement.   When he brings the information to the police, they are quick to dismiss and the picture begins to come into focus.  They are all in on it and now Miles, Becky, Jack and Teddy are looking to escape the town, but it won’t be easy.  

The film pulls it into high gear as the entire town starts chasing down the remaining people not taken over.  It is so intense.  I found myself screaming “fucking alien cocksuckers.”  Yes, it is probably not normal to scream that particular term…while alone…but those body snatching aliens weren’t nice dudes.

INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS is incredible.  It is well-written, suspenseful, and constantly cranking up the intensity with characters that are easy to rally behind.  The only thing that I wasn’t overly sold on was the way it ended.   Perhaps the 1978 ending of the INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS made my expectations too high, but despite the less than great finale of this, this film was tremendous and sits with you.

I highly recommend INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS.  It’s a near perfect film. 

Rating: 9/10

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By Geno McGahee

Lionsgate has just released AMERICAN DREAM, now available On Demand, Digital and DVD, starring Michiel Huisman, Luke Bracey and Nick Stahl.  It’s great to see Nick Stahl back.  He’s been MIA for some time and it’s nice to see him resurface in this crime thriller.

We start with Scott (Bracey) and Nicky (Huisman), best friends, with the hope of building an apartment complex in L.A., but they need the funds.  They meet Yuri (Stahl) and he seems to be the right guy.  Both Scott and Nicky are children of Russian immigrants and Yuri is a Russian guy that apparently just wants to help on this project.  Everything is going well until some financial troubles hit and Scott and Nicky try to get out of the deal, leading to Yuri showing his true colors.

The film becomes a rollercoaster ride and is shot incredibly well.   Stahl does a great job as Yuri and his intensity grows as the film goes on as he tries to won Scott and Nicky and extort and threaten them for all they’re worth.   This leads to only one choice for the duo.  They have to stop Yuri at any cost and their dream and lives hang in the balance.

AMERICAN DREAM is a really good flick and the cast fits.  Stahl shows that he still has it and this might be the first brick in the road to his return to consistent work.  I highly recommend this one. It was a slow burn that turned up the intensity as the minutes ticked on. 

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By Geno McGahee

Every day that passes, the stress of the world and this pandemic hits people and you see people fighting all over the place.  Where is the love?  Well, UNHINGED takes a look at what we see quite often with road rage and it’s an intense film that just keeps pushing and pushing the pace and suspense until the very end.

Man (Russell Crowe) is not having a good day.  First, I’ve never seen Crowe this out of shape before, but there’s a lot of people that put on the quarantine fifteen.  He apparently tripled that, but I’m sure he still has no issue getting tail.  As “Man” in UNHINGED, he does have trouble getting chicks and immediately kills his ex-wife and her lover, viciously.  The tone of the film is set.

Rachel (Caren Pistorius) is having issues.  She got fired, her ex is being a pain in the ass, and her young son, Kyle (Gabriel Bateman), is getting punished for constantly being dropped off late at school.  This leads to an altercation with Man.  Man is at a green light and not moving and Rachel lays on the horn.  When Man asks her for an apology, she tells him to shove it, more or less, and now he vows to show her why she should apologize in the most vicious ways possible. 

That saying “one day you’ll fuck with the wrong person” comes to mind and that’s what Rachel did, and the realization when she hits a gas station and he pulls up behind her.  She tells the clerk at the gas station and another customer decides to walk her out to her car and give that man presence to scare off the creep.  That’s what guys do.  You walk women to their cars and try to scare off the bad guys.  It’s a guy thing.  It makes us feel good.  I have done it, but I always make sure that I have a direct path to haul ass should the mother fucker get out with a weapon or if he just looks really really mean.  The dude here fucked with Man and it didn’t go well.   Man crashes his pickup truck right into him and sends him to the promise land.  

I’m surprised nobody called Man fat in this.  There were opportunities.  For instance, the guy that got turned into road kill at the gas station could have said “move your fat ass out of here.”  The cop later on that confronts him could say “they’re going to love your plump ass where you’re going.”  Perhaps one more draft of the screenplay was in order.

Man decides to target family and friends of Rachel after stealing her cell phone and he is very brutal.  He kills her lawyer at a diner in front of a full house, doing it in devastating fashion.  He then goes after Rachel’s brother and his girl.  Crowe plays this role so well.  He is unlikable and terrifying in this. 

Rachel has no choice but to try to stop this maniac in a final showdown and it’s so intense.  You don’t see kids beaten up that much in film, but UNHINGED doesn’t hold back.  Even though he has a backstory of losing it all to an ex-wife, it’s impossible to feel any sympathy for him at all.  I wanted to see him take a fall and for Rachel and her son to make it through the madness, which (spoiler) they do and in dramatic fashion.

UNHINGED is a great film that is intense from start to finish.  It’s sort of like FALLING DOWN meeting JOY RIDE or DUEL.  Russell Crowe does a fantastic job in this as the crushed soul that wants the world to burn and has focused his attention on one woman and one incident.  Pistorius and Bateman do great too as the survivors in this flick.

I highly recommend this one, but it’s intense. There are no laughs here.  This is a thriller that starts out quickly and keeps upping the pace until the very end.   If you like movies like JOY RIDE, this will be very enjoyable for you.

Rating: 7.5/10

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By Geno McGahee

SMILEY FACE KILLERS is a new horror film released by Lionsgate On Demand, Digital, Blu-ray and DVD and is one of those horror films that are “based on true events.”  It starts very dark and then lightens up, giving a unique feel with the ebbs and flows to the atmosphere. 

Jake (Ronen Rubinstein) is a normal college kid and starting to feel that something or somebody is watching him.  The dread that he feels is translated to the audience quite well.  The appearance of a white van consistently and score of the film keeps tightening the suspense.  It’s easy to see what the purpose of the film is.  This is a slow burn horror film and one that you have to invest time in to get the payoff.

Keren (Mia Serafino) is Jake’s only hope as he goes through this.  He’s off his meds, by choice, and is looking to figure things out without it.   There is a guy in a cloak and black gloves going around and apparently singling him out, or it could be all in his mind.  That’s the story of this film. Most of Jake’s friends and his girlfriend are now seeing their friend as paranoid.  Keren desperately wants to help her man, but everything is falling apart.

The film really picks up and the killers are revealed.  Crispin Glover does well as the disfigured leader of the cult killers and there are some brutal death scenes.  Glover is meant for horror with his delivery and look and this is a good usage of his skills and presence.

SMILEY FACE KILLERS is a slow burn horror/suspense that does a lot with creative cinematography and atmosphere.  I highly recommend it.   It was good if you have the patience to go for the ride .

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