Reed Alexander

I honestly can't understand why this movie didn't get just as much recognition as The Exorcist (X1). It wasn't as graphic or controversial as X1 so perhaps that's why it didn't get the notoriety? The thing is, The Changeling is every bit as good. It's got a fantastic cast, with our old friend George C. Scott, and even the venerable Melvin Douglas. So the acting solid and matched by a great character driven plot with solid dialog. The over arcing premises of the plot is clever, and it was the first of it's kind at that time. The story was brilliantly plotted, tho a bit poorly paced. And while there are a few questions sort of just left to interpretation, the plot is strongly devoid of holes.

Rob lost the fucking plot. Plain and simple. House of 1000 Corpses (HO1kC) was a rare and special moment, and this sequel just didn't know what to do with its damn self. It's like Rob forgot who the characters were. Baby Firefly from the first movie was a deranged infantile psycho. This movie has her as a boring bully. Yeah she still has the childish lean, but it's almost too mature from the daffy character I loved from HO1kC. Otis Driftwood was a god damn artist (at least in his own mind). This movie paints him as a mindless brute, a simple thug with a level of ruthless efficiency. Hell, he gets rapey. He wasn't rapey in the first movie. Maybe a bit perverted, but not rapey. Captain Spaulding was the only one who got his fucking character right.

I really think it's important for my fans to read my review of The Taking of Deborah Logan (TTODL) first to understand why this movie is so much better, regardless of the fact that TTODL had a better plot and even better actors. Check out that review at the link below.

Swinging in to dethrone Shaun of the Dead for my all time #1 horror comedy is Lupita Nyong'o with Little Monsters! The closest thing I can compare this avant garde, absurdist comedy to is Death to Smootchy (2002). I don't review non horror comedy, but if I ever did, it would be Death to Smootchy, which is easily my #1 all time comedy.

Dreamscape was the k-mart A Nightmare on Elm Street (ANOES) that was rushed to the theaters a couple moth before. So TECHNICALLY it predates ANOES, but in the same way Leviathan predates The Abyss. Back in the days, little studios would catch wind of what the big boys were doing and try to head them off at the pass with quicker productions and cheaper budgeting.

I've always wondered to myself why Event Horizon isn't higher on my list of top 10 horror movies. It's not that I don't firmly stand by my current position for it at #6. It's just that I never considered why it wasn't better as I haven't bothered to go back since I started reviewing movies. So, by this day, November the 13th, year of our lord 2019, eight years after having started my career as a movie critic, I returned to one of my all time favorite movies to give it a closer look.