I must confess that I have no love whatsoever for the 1989 version of Pet Sematary other than Fred Gwynne’s famous line read of “Sometimes, dead is better.” When I saw it in the theater, it felt paced and read like a comedy when it certainly shouldn’t. For all the movies made from King’s works, it’s not amongst my favorites.

When the new film was introduced and it was continually referred to as a more frightening version — some early views by critics even promised a lot of shocking material — I was interested. I’d enjoyed Kevin Kölsch and Dennis Widmyer film Starry Eyes (not so much the movie Holidays, another contribution to the 2010’s history of ruining the portmanteau genre), so there seemed to be some promise.

Louis Creed (Jason Clark, who was also in the abysmal Winchester) has taken his young family from Boston to the much smaller town of Ludlow where he plans on being a small town doctor, away from the hustle, bustle and violence of the big city.

His wife Rachel (Amy Seimetz, You’re Next) has never escaped the death of her sister, Zelda, who suffered from spinal meningitis and hated her for being healthy. Left alone with her one evening, the sick girl died when she fell down a dumbwaiter shaft.

Their two young children, Ellie and Gage, really enjoy having the huge woods around the house. While they explore, Ellie watches a group of children in animal masks take a dead dog to a cemetery on their land. Jud Crandall (John Lithgow!) meets the young girl and warns the family of the dangers in the woods. If this was ever expanded on — why do the kids have these masks other than it looks creepy and cool? — this would be more interesting.

The story beats are the same, other than one major inversion. A young man dies on Louis’ operating table, haunting him with the barrier between life and death. Church the cat dies and is brought back to life by the spirit of the Wendigo that lives inside the sour ground of the pet cemetery (or sematary, I guess). When he comes back from the dead, he’s not the same, scratching at everyone and killing birds inside at the foot of the bed.

The switch is that Ellie — and not Gage — is killed. That sequence, when the truck’s cargo shoots out across the highway toward her, is really well shot. This is probably the highlight of the film. From here on out, it’s jump scares and revisions of what came before, with a much darker ending that was probably the only other thing I enjoyed about this whole affair.

Multiple versions of the ending were written and several of them were filmed, including the original ending of the book. This one got the best response from test screenings. King proposed an alternate ending, where after all the violence and bloodshed, Gage is walking up the middle of the road as a truck bears down on him. Then at the last second, a woman would yank him out of harm’s way, asking, “Where’s your mommy and daddy?”

I struggle to find a reason why this movie exists. Other than the flip of what child dies — and the daughter being able to be much more sinister than a younger boy — there’s nothing in here that says much more than the original film. It’s not a bad movie by any means, but it’s not a good one either. It’s just kind of there. Life is too short for that. There’s too much to experience, after all.

We checked out director Seth Breedlove’s On the Trail of Bigfoot series a few weeks ago, so we were excited to check out this documentary, which explores hundreds of years of terrifying reports of encounters with massive, winged creatures in the state of Illinois.

From Alton’s man-eating Piasa Bird legends to recent Chicago sightings of a creature said to resemble West Virginia’s infamous Mothman, Terror in the Skies checks out all angles of winged monsters in the skies above The Prarie State.

I love how this film uses both VFX (by SRV Films and Santino Vitale) and animated illustrations by Matt Harris and Brian Serway to tell these stories. It gives the movie a really unique look that helps it stand out from any other paranormal documentaries out there.

There’s also a nice mix of eyewitnesses and experts to tell these stories, whether they’re discussing thunderbirds, giant birds, Mothmen or any other avian cryptids. Much like the previously mentioned Small Town Monsters films we’ve seen, this stands head, shoulder and wings over the competition.

A spiritual sequel to 2017’s The Mothman of Point Pleasant, the Small Town Monsters team will also be putting together the final chapter in their Mothman trilogy, The Mothman Legacy, in 2020.

Terror In the Skies is available to rent or own on Amazon Instant Video, Vimeo OnDemand, DVD and VIDI Space starting June 7.

DISCLAIMER: We were sent this by its PR agency but that has no impact on our review.

Simon is a cynical counselor at a Silicon Valley LGBT crisis center — his first few calls are anything but major issues — finds himself in a life or death situation when Danny calls, threatening to kill three people and then himself. Crisis Hotline is all about how Danny got here — and what he’s going to do about it — told in two timelines.

Originally titled Shadows In Mind, this movie is all about how Danny and Kyle fall for one another and how the latter’s dark and hidden life overtakes them both. Swinging with a couple that pays for Danny’s lifestyle leads to crystal meth, internet pornography and the dreaded Dark Web.

Meanwhile, the counselors are trying to get Danny to stay alive as he threatens to kill everyone involved as he continues to take pills, slowly killing himself.

This isn’t a bad film, per se, but I was waiting for a bigger reveal and connection between the two timelines. It did a great job of setting up the mood, but it didn’t seem like the payoff lived up to where the film felt like it was going. There are some decent performances from the cast, however, and it certainly kept me interested.

Crisis Hotline arrives on digital and DVD June 11.

Disclaimer: We were sent this film by its PR company. That has no impact on our review.

My favorite moviegoing experience happened during the showing of The Intruder that we saw this weekend: as Dennis Quaid’s character finally reveals just how unhinged he really is, he sneaks up on one of the protagonists and a lady in front of me unleashed a full top of the rollercoaster hill scream. People equally laughed and screamed themselves in quick succession, free to express themselves however they felt in the moment. It was awesome.

Scott and Annie Howard (Michael Ealy and Meagan Good, who was in Anchorman 2) have used Scott’s good fortune in his advertising career to buy her dream house in Napa. However, the previous owner, Charlie Peck (Dennis Quaid, reminding you that yes indeed, he is Randy’s brother) is obsessed with the house and ensuring that it remains his.

Writer David Loughery knows how to handle movies like this. After all, he wrote The Stepfather, the very similar Lakeview Terrace and Obsessed, which is a near exploitation film made by a major Hollywood studio (take that as me saying I loved it). He also wrote Star Trek V: The Undiscovered Country, Passenger 57, Flashback and Money Train amongst others.

It’s directed by Deon Taylor, who was behind Meet the Blacks, a parody of the Purge movies. He understands exactly what the audience wants to see — stalking, creepiness and tension that will ultimately be fulfilled in the final ten minutes.

Dennis Quaid is phenomenal in this, a mixture of subtle and over the top somewhat at the same time. Ironically, he’s now playing the opposite side of the fence, as back in the movie Cold Creek Manor, Quaid was the husband with a new house dealing with a psycho ex-owner played by Stephen Dorff.

The Intruder isn’t going to change your world. But on a hot summer night, it’s an hour and forty-two minutes in an air-conditioned theater that provides one hell of an escape.

Jesse Peterson is tired of the abuse. He’s sick of his alcoholic father beating on him and his mom. He’s tired of the bullies. And he’s decided to kill himself on his birthday, telling only his friend Sarah, who he makes a promise not to tell anyone. However, as she prepares to leave on a vacation, she decides that she has to stop him.

Jesse is in a small town with no hope. His sexual identity — imagined or not — offends the small-minded bullies. His father is a lifelong drunk and jobless loser whose wife killed herself when Jesse was six. And when his only friend, Sarah, plans on leaving for college, he feels that this is the one loss he can’t recover from.

Katerina Eichenberger, who plays Sarah, is great in this film, as is Max MacKenzie, who is Jesse. For a $13,000 budget, this movie looks, feels and plays well ahead of its limitations. It emerges as a movie with something big to say.

Just Say Goodbye will debut May 10 — as May is National Mental Health Awareness Month — in select theaters. Want to learn more? Check out the official site.

DISCLAIMER: We were sent this movie by its PR team, but that has no impact on our review.

Joyce is a lonely widow who needs money to keep her home, so she rents out a room. After trying to run a bed and breakfast, she later decides to have an ongoing tenant: a mysterious drifter named Bob.

Soon, she’s making him the object of her deepest romantic fantasies. Yet when Bob falls for one of her younger friends, she decides to finally get everything she ever wanted no matter what it takes.

You may know Lin Shaye from the Insidious films, but here, she’s gripping the spotlight all for herself. There are some great character moments, like when she attacks a gang of skateboarders by kissing one of their members right on the mouth or her flipping out and suffocating a friend with a throw pillow. I get the idea that Shaye is overjoyed to be a bad guy here, reveling in the ridiculous wardrobe and over the top melodrama.

I mean, what other movie will you see where Lin has a near-erotic moment as she brushes her teeth with the toothbrush of Bob, her drug-dealing fistfighting love interest? Or finds a bag of cocaine and does huge handfuls of it before dragging a dead body across her bric-a-brac festooned living room?

I laughed out loud several times during this and even if the ending is a little choppy, it’s a hell of a lot of fun.

Room for Rent opens May 3 in select theaters and releases May 7 on VOD.

DISCLAIMER: This movie was sent to us by its PR team, but that has no impact on our review.

Paul Andolina is back to watch another movie for us. If you like his stuff, check out his site Wrestling with Film. 

Scary Stories is a documentary about the controversial Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark books written between 1981 and 1991. It focuses on the attempts to remove them from school libraries, the impact that they had on future writers, visual artists, and musicians, and Alvin Schwartz’s legacy including his son.

The Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark books were a huge part of some people’s childhoods. I remember seeing them in my school library and I read a few stories but they were nothing more than a morbid curiosity to me.

This documentary explores in depth the controversy that the illustrations in the books caused. Parents thought the books were too graphic for children and attempted to remove them from schools. It also is full of interviews with horror writers, artists, and musicians who were hugely influenced by the books.

The film includes segments with Alvin’s son who talks about his father and the relationship they had. I enjoyed this documentary as I learned a lot about these books of folklore that Alvin threw himself so completely into.

If the books played a part in your life and your love for horror you owe it yourself to give this a watch. Even if you only vaguely remember the covers of the books you should check it out.

NOTE: After a limited theatrical release – which includes Los Angeles, New Orleans, Columbus, and Texas – Scary Stories will be available on VOD May 7 with a DVD release set for July 16. A feature film adaptation of the books, produced by horror icon Guillermo del Toro, is due in theaters this summer.

DISCLAIMER: This movie was sent to us by its PR agency, but that has no impact on this review.

Rosa is a master assassin who is great at poisoning people. Now, she’s set up on a final mission where she is asked to kill a spiritual leader who keeps hacking into cable signals during the news and major soccer matches. However, she might face an even greater threat from those within her own organization.

Soon, Rosa and operative Will Gray have teamed up to sniff and snuff out that leader, but their romance may also get in the way of the mission. This movie has an interesting concept and a great beginning as Rosa slowly works a target to sleep via poison, but when you want it to be filled with action, it really starts to slow down.

This is Jimena Gala first movie and she really does well in it. I’d like to see her in more, as she seemed exceedingly confident despite this being the sole credit on her IMDB page.

You can find this movie after May 7 on VOD and DVD.

Rebecca Clarkson is suffering from demonic attacks after playing with an Ouija board one night. Does anyone not know by now how bad of an idea Ouija is? I mean, Hasbro keeps selling it and movie characters keep dying.

Worried that people will think she’s crazy or lying, she documents her experiences in a vlog over the course of a week. Soon, shadowing figures appear and disappear, violent poltergeist activity occurs and demonic forces begin to take Rebecca closer to death.

Juan Frausto, director of Road Kill and Once Upon a Time in the Hood, tells the story of Rebecca as she attempts to beat the Devil and save her soul or die trying.

This mostly takes place in one room, with check-ins via video blog, as Rebecca goes from normal weirdo girl to possessed weirdo girl, taking everyone in her life along with her. Your enjoyment of this film will depend on how much you like possession and found footage style films. I’m in for the former, not the latter, so I halfway enjoyed it.

However, look out for the face of Pazuzu itself, Eileen Dietz, in a cameo!

The Possession Diaries is available on VOD and DVD June 4, 2019 from Uncork’d Entertainment.

Two estranged brothers find their attempt to rebuild their lives torn apart when martial law is instituted for no reason in their small town. You could say this movie seems unrealistic, but a black helicopter training exercise in Pittsburgh’s Strip District in the late 1990’s was greeted by drunken people emerging from after hour clubs.

This means that the brothers must put aside their differences and join forces to evade the police and government, all while learning whether or not the forces that have been deployed are even US troops.

I really liked the way this film depicted the way the troops casually tore through people’s lives, unleashing sonic weapons and explosions, turning the ordinary family disagreements at the start into a small skirmish compared to the world decimating battle outside.

While this film has a small budget, the filmmakers do a ton with what they have. It really kept me watching and waiting to see what happened next. It’s not perfect by any means, but it’s really well done and I liked the framing sequences. Hey — they made $60,000 look awesome!

Plus, the website in the film, The Fringe Facts, actually points to info about the movie. Well done marketing!

False Flag is now available on VOD, Amazon Prime and DVD on Amazon and at WalMart. You can also learn more at the official Facebook page.