Movie Monday: Classic 80's Horror Flicks and Hit Men

Last Monday, while browsing my unwatched DVDs, I noticed I had several movies that were released in the 1980's. Being a child of that decade, I figured I would pay tribute an watch a couple of the movies I missed out when I was younger. Then, over the weekend, my buddy Matt invited me to join him at the movie theaters, with other friends, and I happily accepted. So what was going to originally be an 80's themed blog has changed. I will do an 80's one someday soon, since I have several that I need to watch.

Now, onto the reviews!


Poltergeist



A family living in a quiet suburban neighborhood has their lives turned upside down when their five year old daughter makes contact with invisible beings through the television. She is kidnapped by the poltergeists but remains somewhere in the house. The family contacts specialists to help rescue their daughter before they lose her forever.

You know, for Stephen Spielberg to go from E.T. to Poltergeist seemed like a perfect transition. One of the first things I noticed when watching this, aside from the first scene, is the amount of Star Wars merchandise located in the kid's bedrooms. I thought that was pretty sweet. I have a slight fear of clowns, so the life sized one in the bedroom creeped me out. I was very pleased with Robbie when he covered the clown's face, but got creeped out at the end when he was dragged under his bed by it. The kitchen scenes, especially the one where all the chairs were stacked on top of the table, reminded me of parts of The Sixth Sense (for the record, Poltergeist did better on the creepy factor). This is one horror movie that I enjoyed how well it was made visually as well as how scary it was. Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

A Nightmare on Elm Street



1, 2 Freddy's coming for you... 3,4 Better lock your door... 5,6 Grab your crucifix... 7,8 Better stay up late... 9, 10 Never sleep again. A group of teens are under attack by a man haunting them in their dreams. One of the teens, Nancy, quickly realizes what she needs to do to avoid death but has trouble convincing others that she is right. When she discovers the story behind Freddy Krueger, she is determined to bring him out of the dream world and end his killing spree.

It's because of movies like this that make horror scary and enjoyable at the same time. The deaths were brutal and graphic (as they should in this genre).When Nancy nodded off in the bathtub and Freddy's hand emerged from in between her legs, I cringed. That was way too close to a vagina for my comfort (and I recalled instinctively protecting mine for the remainder of that scene). Oh, and Nancy's Mom needs to learn how to cut the apron strings. I thought my Mom was bad and now I have gained perspective on the matter. When compared to another classic horror film, John Carpenter's Halloween, I consider this one of the best. I just think Halloween is scarier. Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

The Mechanic



A hit man (Jason Statham) is doing his job flawlessly, until one assignment hits him on a personal level (killing his mentor). He then finds himself training a new hit man (Ben Foster), who was the son of his latest assignment. Before either of them know it, they are wrapped up in a world of lies and are the ones avoiding their own demise.

Well, for the first movie I saw in theaters this year, I definitely picked an action packed movie for guys who like movies (or movie geeks like myself). The story was easy to follow, but had just enough side story to help blend things together. The action sequences were hardcore. Between explosions, subtle and violent deaths, and a car chase, I got my fill of visual stimulation. I got the "creeper" vibe from one of the targets, a self proclaimed evangelist. He was flirting with an 18 year old girl and it just sent bad chills down my spine. It was one of those times where I was pleased to see the druggie creeper removed from the fictional world. I loved how Ben Foster has developed as a actor. His role in this film was the best I've seen from him and I hope that he continues to move forward in the future. Overall, this was a pretty good action movie that I would recommend for others to see. Movie Rating: 4 out of 5 stars