James Rolfe gives an overview of the 1920 classic, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari.
James Rolfe gives an overview of 1922 silent vampire film: Nosferatu.
Halloween starts early on Cinemassacre! Here’s a tribute to MonsterVision, a late night TV monster movie marathon from the 90′s. Also see my history of MonsterVision TV listings.
A tribute to the Crestwood House Monster Series, the books that introduced me to the classic monsters!
Get ready for Halloween! October 1st to 31st. Every day, a monster movie review! Yeah, I’m totally insane. Check out past year’s marathons here: Monster Madness 2007: History of Horrors Monster Madness 2008: Godzillathon Monster Madness 2009
A tribute to the Universal Studios Monsters Classic Collection. Classic monster titles that “monster fans have been waiting to sink their teeth into. Now at a spook-tacular price to die for!” Monster Madness starts October 1st!
This is a compilation of all the 1980′s themed reviews we did previously for Monster Madness “A History of Horror” in 2007.
It’s always midnight in space!
You’ll just have time to scream… before it tears you apart!
If you have guts…HE WANTS THEM!
You’re travelling through another dimension. A dimension, not only of sight and sound, but of mind. A journey into a wondrous land whose boundaries are that of imagination. Next stop, the Twilight Zone!
Mankind vs. the ultimate eating machine!
Not all monsters are scary to people. Not if it’s one fighting crime in the Garden State.
Are you eating it…or is it eating you?
Only he can see it. Only he shares its magic. Only he knows the danger.
Teen Wolf – He always wanted to be special… but he never expected this!
GREMLINS chased you/GHOULIES terrified you/Now beg for your life… the spookies are coming.
A family’s new satellite TV system starts receiving signals from another planet, and soon it becomes the passageway to an alien world.
Humans are such easy prey.
They’re Here and They Want to Meet the Neighbors.
A man conjures up a gigantic vengeance demon called Pumpkinhead to destroy the teenagers who accidentally killed his son.
A box of little toys has just become a gang of little terrors. This is not child’s play…
In Space No One Can Eat Ice Cream!
This year’s Monster Madness kicks off with Cabin in the Woods, a cliche horror archetype with unique twists.
A creepy horror film from the silent era about devil worship and evil rituals, also known as “Witchcraft Through the Ages”.
An underrated slasher film, with a masked killer.
Vincent Price hosts this bizarre sketch comedy show from the 70′s, starring various lovable monster personalities.
An 80′s film that pays tribute to the 50′s. Alien slugs crawl into peoples’ heads and turn them into zombies.
Man-Made Monster is a science fiction horror film released by Universal Pictures. The film stars Lon Chaney, Jr. in his horror debut.
Today we look at the most absurd horror film to feature two actors to win academy awards, Renee Zellweger and Matthew McConaughey.
Today we look at a TV series, Night Gallery. Rod Serling’s sub-par followup to The Twilight Zone.
One of many “Black Cat” movies, based loosely on the Edgar Allan Poe story, from Italian horror director Lucio Fulci. This time, the cat is a killing machine!
It’s Hammer time! From Hammer Studios, comes the first in a horror trilogy about the Karnstein family, a vampire story even older than Dracula.
How does a horror series come back out of the toilet bowl, after the insanely horrible Exorcist II: The Heretic? The answer. Brad Dourif.
Boris Karloff stars as a man brought back to life in a lab, very much like Frankenstein, in this typical horror chiller from the golden age.
Roddy Piper has to lay the smackdown on some alien scum, in this tribute to 50′s B-movies. The X-ray glasses were referenced in the NES game Bart Vs. The Space Mutants.
Time to add some kaiju action in this year’s Monster Madness. We’ve already taken care of Godzilla. Now let’s talk about another important monster from Toho.
A non-perfect, but highly enjoyable stylized nightmarish film from Tim Burton, starring Michael Keaton before he was Batman.
The original giant reptile from stop-motion master Ray Harryhausen. Pre-dates Godzilla by one year!
A highly stylized take on the classic tale, directed by Francis Ford Coppola, starring Gary Oldman, Winona Ryder, Anthony Hopkins and Keanu Reeves. Produced by FRED FUCHS.
The first color horror film!
Today we look at a modern horror film about ghosts and possession. A young boy travels outside his body, leaving himself an open vessel for evil demons to enter.
A minor classic from the Universal catalogue, starring Bela Lugosi. Based on an Edgar Allan Poe story.
An underrated horror flick about scary dummies and a masked killer with an inventive method of murder. Effective, but uneven. Has elements of Psycho and Texas Chainsaw Massacre.
Charles Laughton stars in this overlooked adaptation of Island of Dr. Moreau by H.G. Wells. Bela Lugosi stars in a minor role.
The “so bad it’s good” movie from my generation. The killer doll Chucky is back, and more funny and likable than ever. See our review for the original Child’s Play here.
Rushed out the same year as the original King Kong, this sequel holds up surprisingly well. Starring Robert Armstrong and featuring the same master effects artist Willis O’Brien.
This 3 hour made-for-television movie was aired in two parts. Based on the Stephen King novel, it popularized the idea of the scary clown.
An underrated thriller from William Castle about nightmares. Only available on VHS for unknown reasons.
Quentin Tarantino’s most underrated and misunderstood film about a killer played by Kurt Russell who murders his victims with his car.
Bela Lugosi is absent in Universal’s only direct sequel to the original Dracula. Gloria Holden plays Countess Marya Zaleska, the reluctant vampire who wants to be free of her father’s curse.
A nostalgic Nickelodean anthology TV series from our generation, about kids, the Midnight Society, who gather around a campfire and tell scary stories every week.
One of the great Mel Brooks comedy classics, starring Gene Wilder. A big tribute to Universal’s original Frankenstein trilogy, faithfully emulated in Black & White.
Monster Madness closes this year, with one of few movies to truly capture the real Halloween spirit!
It’s the first day of Fall! Let’s get ready to celebrate the Halloween season, with the 9th annual Monster Madness! This time, it will be another random assortment of movie reviews. Classic horror, New horror, spanning the timeline from 1925-2015. I’ll take care of lots of major league horror titles, and answer many of last year’s requests from the fans. There’s lots of coverage of Roger Corman, George Romero, and also Academy Award winning horror films. There’s a big emphasize on public domain films, as well as unscripted videos with Mike in it. This time, Monster Madness will have a presence on YouTube, for the first time since it’s original incarnation! About a dozen of the videos will be Cinemassacre.com exclusives, but for YouTube, those days will be filled in with reruns and re-edits that have never before been seen on YouTube. So wherever you’re watching, you’ll be getting 31 videos! For now, here’s a video showing the bumpers from all the past years, as well as a guide for newcomers.
James & Mike talk candidly about The Ring (2002) Thanks to Travis from A Pyro Design for the logo!
Public Domain horror film. Today, I bring you one of the early Roger Corman schlock-fests.
James and Mike talk about one of their favorite Troma flicks – Poultrygeist!
Public Domain horror film about a human-eating plant, directed by Roger Corman, with a cameo by Jack Nicholson.
James and Mike talk about one of the most horrific films of recent recollection. When do horror films become in bad taste?
James and Mike discuss what will come of Universal's classic monsters. Will they ever get rebooted successfully?
This year's Monster Madness will be the 10th and the final marathon to include 31 movie reviews.
Hollow Man (2000) Monster Madness movie review!
A special guest on Monster Madness! Joe Bob Briggs.
Cinemassacre's Monster Madness - Psycho series review.
Cinemassacre's Monster Madness - Link 1986 movie review.
Tony and James review one of the most iconic franchises in horror: EVIL DEAD!! It's an American supernatural horror comedy film franchise created by Sam Raimi consisting of four feature films and a television series starring Bruce Campbell as Ash Williams.
Welcome to Monster Madness 2019!! Mike and James review one of the worst movies in William Shatner's career. Incubus is a 1966 black-and-white American horror film filmed entirely in the constructed language Esperanto.
Welcome to Monster Madness 2019!! Kieran and James review one of the best Ernest movies of all time. Ernest Scared Stupid is a 1991 American comedy horror film directed by John R. Cherry III and starring Jim Varney. It is the fifth film to feature the character Ernest P. Worrell.
Welcome to Monster Madness 2019!! Justin and James review one of Robin Williams' best performances. One Hour Photo is a 2002 American psychological drama film written and directed by Mark Romanek and starring Robin Williams. In the film a mentally unstable photo developer targets a middle-class family after his obsession with them becomes more sick and disturbing than any of them could imagine.
Welcome to Monster Madness 2019!! Tony and James review a movie about man's worst friend: this film. Man's Best Friend is a 1993 American horror comedy film, directed and written by John Lafia. It stars Ally Sheedy and Lance Henriksen. It's messy when a genetically engineered dog escapes from the science facility where it was created. A family takes it in unaware of its deadly instincts which soon emerge. The scientist who created the dog tries to find it before its too late.
Welcome to Monster Madness 2019!! Kieran and James review one of James' horror films made 20 years ago. This old-school Cinemassacre horror classic, shot on VHS, edited with two-VCR's. A psychologically disturbed man is haunted by a disembodied dummy head and a mysterious man completely shrouded in black.
Welcome to Monster Madness 2019!! Tony and James review Brazil's first horror film, "At Midnight I'll Take Your Soul," (Portuguese: À Meia-Noite Levarei Sua Alma). It features the first appearance of Coffin Joe (José Mojica Marins) of the Coffin Joe Trilogy. A wicked undertaker whose wife cannot bear children, Joe conspires to impregnate Terezinha (Magda Mei) in her stead. When several people in the small town are found murdered, Dr. Rodolfo suspects Joe's involvement. A gypsy warns Joe of tragedy, but he dismisses her as a fraud -- only to discover that revenge may live beyond the grave.
Welcome to Monster Madness 2019!! Mike and James review both Gremlins films. The Halloween/Christmas/Office classic!! The first film is about a boy who inadvertently breaks three important rules concerning his new pet and unleashes a horde of malevolently mischievous monsters on a small town. The sequel is about the Gremlins coming back, and this time, they've taken control of a New York City media mogul's high-tech skyscraper.
Welcome to Monster Madness 2019!! Justin and James review a classic kid's Halloween film... until they realize it's way worse than they remember. Spaced Invaders is a 1990 American science fiction comedy directed by Patrick Read Johnson and starring Douglas Barr, Royal Dano and Ariana Richards. Dimwitted Martians drop into a little Illinois town on the day that the local radio station happens to rebroadcast Orson Welles 1938 "War Of The Worlds".
Welcome to Monster Madness 2019!! Kieran and James review M, the Fritz Lang Classic. M is a 1931 German drama-thriller film directed by Fritz Lang and starring Peter Lorre. The film was written by Lang and his wife Thea von Harbou and was the director's first sound film. In this classic thriller, Hans Beckert (Peter Lorre), a serial killer who preys on children, becomes the focus of a massive Berlin police manhunt. Beckert's heinous crimes are so repellent and disruptive to city life that he is even targeted by others in the seedy underworld network.
Welcome to Monster Madness 2019!! This is the pilot episode of Cage Match, which might lead to a Rental Review month of other Cage Matches. Justin and James let two Nicolas Cage movies duke it out, today it's Mandy VS. 8mm. Both over the top films where Cage is put to the test. In Mandy the enchanted lives of a couple in a secluded forest are brutally shattered by a nightmarish hippie cult and their demon-biker henchmen, propelling a man into a spiraling, surreal rampage of vengeance. In 8mm a private investigator is hired to discover if a "snuff film" is authentic or not. Who will win??
Welcome to Monster Madness 2019!! Tony and James review Peter Jackson's Braindead aka Dead Alive from 1992. It's New Zealand splatstick zombie comedy film about a young man's mother being bitten by a Sumatran rat-monkey. She gets sick and dies, at which time she comes back to life, killing and eating dogs, nurses, friends, and neighbors.
Welcome to Monster Madness 2019!! Tony and James review all five of the Phantasm movies. Phantasm is an American horror film series that consists of five films. It's about the Tall Man, a supernatural and malevolent undertaker who turns the dead into dwarf zombies to do his bidding and take over the world. The movies consist of: Phantasm (1979) Phantasm II (1988) Phantasm III: Lord of the Dead (1994) Phantasm IV: Oblivion (1998) Phantasm: Ravager (2016)
Welcome to Monster Madness 2019!! Kieran and James Review Rob Zombie's The Devil's Rejects. In Ruggsville, Texas, the police under the command of Sheriff John Quincy Wydell attack the house of the sadistic serial killers Firefly family (a.k.a. The Devil's Reject) and they arrest mother Firefly, but Otis B. Driftwood and Baby Firefly escape from the siege. Tiny is wandering nearby the house and also escapes. Otis and Baby call their patriarch, the mad clown Captain Spaulding and they schedule to reunite at an isolated motel in the desert. When Otis and Baby arrive, they kidnap two families of singers, using sadism and violence against the harmless persons. Meanwhile, Sheriff Wydell promises to capture and kill the runaways, seeking revenge for the death of his brother, the Deputy George Wydell. Stay tuned to the end for a mini Review of 3 From Hell!
Welcome to Monster Madness 2019!! Justin and James review Jacob's Ladder, the 1990 American psychological horror film directed by Adrian Lyne. After returning home from the Vietnam War, veteran Jacob Singer (Tim Robbins) struggles to maintain his sanity. Plagued by hallucinations and flashbacks, Singer rapidly falls apart as the world and people around him morph and twist into disturbing images. His girlfriend, Jezzie (Elizabeth Peña), and ex-wife, Sarah (Patricia Kalember), try to help, but to little avail. Even Singer's chiropractor friend, Louis (Danny Aiello), fails to reach him as he descends into madness.
Welcome to Monster Madness 2019!! Tony and James review Tales from the Darkside: The Movie. It's a 1990 American comedy horror anthology film directed by John Harrison, and based on the anthology television series of the same name. The film depicts a kidnapped paperboy who tells three stories of horror to the suburban witch who is preparing to eat him. The first of three dark tales involves resentful student Bellingham (Steve Buscemi) looking to an Egyptian mummy for help in settling some scores. Then, hit man Halston (David Johansen) is contracted to kill a cat that has terrorized and even killed members of an extremely wealthy family. Lastly, struggling artist Preston (James Remar) witnesses a demon commit a bizarre murder on a city street, but agrees to keep it a secret when the devilish being promises wealth in return for his silence.
Welcome to Monster Madness 2019!! Kieran and James review Monster Brawl, the horror slobberknocker from 2011. In order to discover which film monster is the strongest monster of all time, eight classic creatures battle it out inside a graveyard. Includes Cyclops, Swamp Gut, Frankenstein's Monster, Lady Vampire, Mummy, Witch B**ch, Werewolf and Zombie Man.
Welcome to Monster Madness 2019!! Tony and James review the best horror movie of 2018 Hereditary. It's an American supernatural psychological horror drama film written and directed by Ari Aster, in his feature directorial debut. It stars Toni Collette, Alex Wolff, Milly Shapiro and Gabriel Byrne. When the matriarch of the Graham family passes away, her daughter and grandchildren begin to unravel cryptic and increasingly terrifying secrets about their ancestry, trying to outrun the sinister fate they have inherited.
Welcome to Monster Madness 2019!! Kieran and James review Waxwork from 1988. It's an American horror comedy film written and directed by Anthony Hickox and stars Zach Galligan. It is partially inspired by the silent movie Waxworks. An evil magician creates a wax display of famous monsters and murderers and invites a group of unsuspecting young college students to view the collection. However, when the kids are trapped in the deadly displays, one-by-one they soon discover that the wax models are more than they appear to be.
Welcome to the final episode of Monster Madness 2019!! Justin and James review the first Tales From The Crypt movies, Demon Knight! Ex-soldier Frank Brayker (William Sadler) is the guardian of an ancient key that can unlock tremendous evil; the sinister but charming Collector (Billy Zane) is a demon who wants the key so he can initiate the apocalypse. On the run from wicked mercenaries for almost 90 years, Brayker finally stops in at a boarding house in New Mexico where -- with the help of its quirky residents -- he plans to face off against the Collector and his band of ghouls, preventing them from ever seizing the key. Plus, it has Dick Miller in it!!
James and Mike re-unite (safely) to talk about what they think is the best horror movie of each decade. They cover the 1920's all the way up till today. Join them, in a cave where everything is a skull, and see what they picked! It's Cinemassacre's MONSTER MADNESS!
James and Mike reunite (safely) to talk about which version of famous monsters is the best and their favorite of a variety of monster species or categories. Everything from zombies, to werewolves, to ghosts gets dissected. It's Cinemassacre's MONSTER MADNESS!
Every October, it's a tradition to watch the original John Carpenter's Halloween, but what about the horror movies the characters are watching in Halloween? It's a familiar trope, the movie within the movie, something to compliment what's actually happening in the film. It could be a tribute to the movies the director grew up, but could there be more of a reason why these movies are on the TV? Is there a reason why Carpenter chose The Thing (1951), Forbidden Planet, and Night of the Living Dead specifically, or, was it all at random? That's what I'm investigating today!
Marvel recently put out a surprise Halloween special Werewolf by Night on Disney Plus. Based off of the classic horror comics, it's presented in black and white and has the cozy feeling of an old Universal Monster monster movie. I liked it, but was taken aback a little because it wasn't exactly what I was expecting. So let's get into it!
I just love those Spirit Halloween stores, there was nothing like this when I was a kid. Now, every season, they pop up, just kind of appear out of nowhere... like a spirit. Well what if all of the costumes and animatronics inside it came to life? What if you were locked in a Spirit Halloween and things started attacking? Well it’s now a movie. It’s a perfect concept, but is the execution as good as the idea? Let’s take a look.
First up is the 1960s with The Addams Family - Halloween, Addams Style!
This time, it’s the 70s with Happy Days' episode Haunted!
Cinemassacre's Monster Madness continues into 1980s TV shows with everyone's favorite lasagna eating cat, Garfield!
Cinemassacre's Monster Madness' journey through Halloween TV episodes continues into the 1990s with Family Matters, featuring Steve Urkel's killer doll Stevil!
Monster Madness continues into 2000s Halloween TV episodes with a series that has had a Halloween special since 1990 - The Simpsons!
Monster Madness comes to a close for the year with a South Park Halloween episode that goes full Shining parody when Randy buys a Blockbuster - A Nightmare on FaceTime!
It's Cinemassacre's Monster Madness: A Tribute to Roger Corman! This year we lost the film legend and king of exploitation cinema Roger Corman, so I have a handful of reviews coming this month to honor his legacy. I'm going to focus on his horror and monster films, with a lean towards movies he's directed (and some he produced), beginning with 1959's A Bucket of Blood.
Roger Corman did lots of different kinds of movies over the span of his long career, but in the 1950s he directed many low-budget monster movies. This month wouldn't feel right without featuring at least one of those movies, so today I'm talking about It Conquered the World!
Roger Corman's low-budget answer to Jurassic Park! Directed by Adam Simon of 1990s Brain Dead fame and with special effects and dinosaur animatronics by the legendary John Carl Buechler, Carnosaur would go down as a mockbuster cult classic. I'd never seen it until today, and now I see what I've been missing!
When it comes to Roger Corman horror films, nothing stands out more than his Poe series! Also known as Corman's Poe cycle, Roger Corman directed eight films between 1960 and 1964 based on the works of Edgar Allan Poe (nine if you count The Terror). All of these movies hold a special place in my heart, so I decided to review them all!
After the success of Jaws in 1975, many other films tried to cash in, long before the sharksploitation genre really went into overdrive in the 2000s. Roger Corman was quick to hop on the bandwagon, but instead of going with a BIG SHARK, he went the opposite, with a small type of killer fish: Piranhas!
Happy Halloween! This month we’ve been paying tribute to Roger Corman and remembering all the great films and inspiration he’s given us. Today, I chose something that might seem off the beaten path, but is actually special in many ways. It’s the perfect choice to bring Halloween, horror-marathons and Roger Corman all together, and it’s also celebrating an anniversary. 25 years ago, on Halloween weekend, Roger Corman hosted AMC’s MonsterFest and premiered an exclusive made-for-TV film The Phantom Eye.
James and Mike do a feature-length commentary on the world’s first zombie film! Rereleased 2015-10-26. Originally posted 2011-02-11.
The ORIGINAL Monster Madness from 1993. My obsession with monster movies started when I was young.
Cinemassacre’s Monster Madness returns for it’s 8th year! This time, it’s back to basics, with simple movie reviews and no theme. Instead, a completely random free-for-all, like old times. You’ll never know what to expect! Special thanks to MonsterBuster Entertainment for the kickass stop-motion animation. Stop motion and visual effects - Torey Haas Creature creator and director of photography – Tricia Gaulesky Creature performers – Jay Holloway, Caitlin McPhail and Melissa Oulton Grip – Jackson Baker Also special thanks to Bill Ullo for the awesome animated graphics.
Due to popular request and all the Friday the 13th dates coming up, Cinemassacre will be reviewing all the Friday the 13th movies leading up to February 13th, and then March 13th.
Leading up to February, Friday the 13th, we check out Friday the 13th part 2 today.
Another Friday the 13th is sneaking up on us, coming in for the kill. Watch the rest of the reviews, this week, leading up until Friday (Jason X).
"Crazy, am I? We'll see whether I'm crazy or not." In this next installment of Logos to life, you'll see the creation of the Monster Madness Logo from original artwork to 3d print. So press play and enjoy....if you dare!
For everyone who remembers staying up late to watch horror movies on TV, this is a true re-creation of the classic TNT MonsterVision intro from 1993. Until now, the only videos of it on YouTube were of poor quality, from old VCR recordings. But now, Cinemassacre has gone through the effort of restoring the intro to its full glory.
It's Cinemassacre's Kongathon, a marathon of King Kong reviews leading up to the new film Skull Island. The schedule goes like this: March 3 - The Classic Duology March 4 - The Toho Duology March 5 - The De Laurentiis Duology March 6 - James & Mike Monday March 7 - Peter Jackson's Kong March 8 - Bonus movie review March 10 - Skull Island
The Toho Duology: King Kong Vs Godzilla (1962) King Kong Escapes (1967) Plus plenty of ramblings about Frankenstein and the German titles. Also the lost Japanese Kong films from the 30s.
Today's topic is the pair of Kong films from the Dino De Laurentiis company, both directed by John Guillerman. King Kong (1976) and King Kong Lives (1986). Also I talk about the Universal Studios Theme Park rides (Kongfrontation) and the legal disputes including the famous Universal Vs Nintendo, over Donkey Kong.
A review of Peter Jackson's King Kong (2005).
The hilarious cinematic attempts at cashing in on King Kong.
Cinemassacre reviews the new Kong: Skull Island (2017).
Which Dracula movie adaptation is most faithful to the original Bram Stoker book?? I wanted a definitive answer, so I selected 12 contenders and put them up to the test. This counts theatrical and television, but no sequels, spinoffs, or spoofs. THE CONTENDERS 1922 - Nosferatu "The silent version" 1931 - Dracula "The Lugosi version" 1931 - Dracula "The Spanish version" 1953 - Dracula in Instanbul “The Turkish version” 1958 - Dracula / Horror of Dracula "The Hammer version" 1970 - Bram Stoker's Count Dracula "The Jesus Franco version" 1973 - Bram Stoker's Dracula / Dracula "The Jack Palance version" 1977 - Count Dracula "The BBC '77 version" 1979 - Dracula "The Frank Langella version" 1979 - Nosferatu the Vampyre "The Nosferatu remake" 1992 - Bram Stoker's Dracula "Coppola's Dracula" 2006 - Dracula "The BBC '06 version”
Announcing Cinemassacre's Monster Madness 2019!!! A NEW video EVERY day in October!! What kind of videos? 20 spine-tingling movie reviews 4 spooky James & Mike Mondays 4 blood-curdling Rental Reviews 2 freshly-killed Retail Reviews ...and an AVGN episode unlike anything The Nerd has done before!! That’s 31 videos total staring October 1st.... to quench your horror thirst!!
