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The horror present in the film comes from the horrific nature of humankind using superstition and folklore to justify their injustices. The film is full of brutality. I was honestly shocked at the extent of the violence shown. During scenes of persecution, so much is on display. The executions of witches end so abruptly, in a concise, brutal punctuation. Vincent Price is excellent, leaving the campy, fun horror persona usually present behind in exchange for a cruel, unforgiving bastard. A nasty, nasty film.

Watched via Youtube
UK

From the beginning this film had me. The film, which sees a dark presence begin to hold sway over a 17th century town is a somewhat slow burn. It builds from one person losing their mind, to murders and outright worship of a dark creature by the end. The journey to this point was utterly creepy and uncomfortable. I think what made the film for me was this central idea that the old ways of worship and folkloric horrors lie merely below the surface of society and our subconscious, just waiting to re-emerge back onto the scene.

A Vietnam War movie that isn't really set in Vietnam. The film is shot on location in the bayous of Louisiana and uses locals on order to get a naturalistic feel that really pays off. Despite the effectiveness of the set, some stand out moments, and a gripping final act, the film tends to feel "samey" towards the middle. After reading actors recounting their experiences, I do have a lot of respect for the process of the film, I just felt like there was some parts that were kind of forgettable.

What is essentially (yet another) re-telling of Yojimbo is elevated by the film's aesthetic. The costuming, set design, feels so natural and lived in. The injection of Norse mythology and belief systems are easily what makes this film for me. The film shows what are essentially damned religious people questioning why their gods hate them. Utterly full of sorrow, and easily an under-appreciated and under-seen classic.

Watched Via Youtube
Iceland, Sweden

The film is extremely dated, and drags on with several dull parts, but there is something about this film. Perhaps it is the lavishly crafted sets and costuming, swashbuckling fight scenes, and multicolored lighting gels that make the film feel so nostalgic. They don't male movies like this anymore.

The Western and its influences have come full circle with this film. The film is blending elements of samurai, classic westerns, and Spaghetti westerns into something so uniquely stylized. Takashi Miike, with his focus on the bizarre and gore, was the right director to helm the film. There really isn't a dull moment, it was a lot of fun.

The fight choreography of the film is especially impressive for this one . The combat scenes are both brutal and beautiful, sometimes appearing as more of a dance than martial arts (Though I feel some may argue that martial arts and dance are in the same camp) It was interesting to see how each of the disabled protagonists in the film are able to rise from the ostracism that they face and overcome their difficulties in order to defeat their common enemy. This keeps the film fresh despite a pretty of-the-time plot.

The film's atmosphere is its biggest success. The film uses ancient gates, smoke machines, and early on shows the sacrifice of a young girl in ancient times to build this foreboding feeling that permeates the film. The shooting location of a remote Greek isle really helps build the weird feeling of the film. The film isn't without its problems, however. Though I think that the folk horror concept of this monster is really cool, I think that the prop used of the monster was not the best. It was essentially a glorified sock puppet/glove. The main characters really have nothing to do in the story as well. They meander around without having any real impact on the story, while the secondary characters further the plot. This is a case, however, where I feel that the atmosphere and folk horror concept/plot outweigh the negative aspects of the film.

Watched Via Amazon Prime
UK, Greece

The title definitely fits the film. It plays into the 3D craze of the early 80s, with nearly every other scene focusing on some crazy object jumping out at the camera. Despite the heavy lean on this Gimmick, I still enjoyed the film. It was an enjoyably gritty, visually interesting western that mythologizes the American West into a brutal and unforgiving hellscape that pits evil men and larger than life heroes in a constant struggle.

Watched via Amazon Prime
USA, Italy, Spain

a swashbuckling adventure full of awesome sets and swordplay. The film comments on the corruption of the upper class. It is pretty of-the-time in of its plot structure, which was a little bit of a letdown. However, there was plenty to like about this one, namely the large-scale battle towards the end of the film.

Watched via The Criterion Channel
Egypt

The film follows the trend of modern-day characters being thrown into a fantasy world. While I am not a big fan of this type of fantasy film, I did have some fun with this one. The battles in the film are fun, and it is full of goofy little moments that are entertaining. The only problem is that between these little moments are long, boring segments. John Saxon is way too good for this movie, and he acts circles around everyone else.

Watched via DVD (Mill Creek Entertainment)
UK

It's an Innoffesnive, decently fun film. The biggest issue that I have with it is that it feels pretty predictable and derivative of other mid-late 2010's East Asian movies.

Watched Via the Criterion Channel.
China

Honestly, this was the Ator movie that entertained me the most so far. This film thankfully retcons the first two movies, including the creepy marrying his stepsister subplot. The cinematography was surprisingly visualy interesting. The film never lets up in of action, there are constant perils, with brutal swordfights. These aren't the delicate, swashbuckling rapier fights of Princess Bride or Robin Hood; they are sweeping, heavily telegraphed slug fests, to the point where the cheaply constructed metal blades begin to visually chip. I wouldn't call this a classic of the sword and sorcery genre, but it certainly was entertaining.

Watched Via Blu-ray (Scorpion Releasing)
Italy

My partner said that this was very derivative of Disney Channel Original Movies. Though I haven't seen any personally, I have to agree based on only the snipets that I've seen of then. Its gets to be a little long for my tastes, focusing on certain plot beats for far too long. However, the practical effects are honestly better than they have any right to be.

Watched via Amazon Prime
USA

This is always a delightfully goofy fantasy film. Knights in shining armor, evil wizards, and dragons all make an appearance. Everything in the movie feels so cozy. The film has the thrills, chills, and adventure that makes it an undisputed classic in my eyes!

Watched Via Blu-ray (Kino Lorber)

Fantasy films from this era feel utterly quaint. Though you know the characters will triumph over evil in the end, it is the journey through beautiful cinematography, expertly crafted sets, and the use of hundreds of extras that makes the film so exciting to me.

Watched Via Youtube
USSR (Russia)

While the story is a bit more straightforward than the previous Kolditz film that I've watched, this one is less exciting. The plot crawls at most points. That isn't to say that the film is not visually interesting. They manage to capture the quiet, cold loneliness of outer space quite well, but the film kind of falls flat.

Watched via Blu-ray (Deaf Crocodile)
East

A story of oppressive class struggle and colonization. The film is filed with groovy 70s retrofuturism and oddball sci-fi gadgetry. I enjoyed a lot of the aesthetic aspects of the film. The set design and costuming are all excellent. The ending of the film is not a happy one and is ambiguous at best. it's an interesting film, but I feel that some streamlining could have occurred.

Watched Via Blu-ray (Deaf Crocodile)
East

Boy Howdy do I hate the plot of a film when a protagonist is in a relationship with a woman and a second woman gets the protagonist to cheat on his partner with her. Of course, by the end of the film one of the two women dies so the protagonist isn't burdened by the stress of having to choose between two women who want him. And don't worry, they don't care that you were sleeping around! Its just annoying when the protagonist is such a douche. The film opens incredibly, but there's little to no explanation to back up anything by the end. The random villain from the beginning just appears and does random evil stuff until the final act fight scene... The villain isn't even named by my recollection... It's just a bummer when two thirds of your main characters are utterly unlikable...Like the main character gets the ick watching his partner doing what she loves then sneaks off to go on a date with the random girl he'd met a day ago.

Watched Via Blu-ray (Vinegar Syndrome)
Hong Kong

A film with a fittingly run-down atmosphere. Everyone in the film feels miserable and miasmic as the swampland their characters inhabit. The monster effects are decent for the budget, and the film is inoffensive enough at barely over an hour. Some decently enjoyable drive-in fodder for a Sunday evening.

Watched Via YouTube
USA

Finished the Miniseries on 2/27/2025
My top five episodes of the miniseries are as follows:
1. EP. 26 "Superweapon R1": An episode that comments on destructive weapons and arms races. It's shot beautifully to boot.

2. EP. 08 "The Marked Town": The most beautifully shot episode. An unconventional Alien invasion that causes humans to destroy each other through mistrust.

3. EP. 42 "Ambassador to the Nonmalt": Kind of a lame kaiju featured in the episode, but the plot is interesting, suggesting that Humans are the invading Alien force.

4. Ep 03. "Secret of the Lake": The first awesome kaiju centered episode. The electric Eel Kaiju Eleking is iconic!

5. Ep 06. "Dark Zone": The episode is a bittersweet triumph over the Alien forces, as the alien civilization that was destroyed was only trying to defend itself from crashing into Earth.

This is a weird film that tries to speak on topics of racism, corruption, greed, and exploitation of natural resources while having a subplot about a mutant sheep hybrid beast rampage around a run-down historic bonanza town. With a crazy premise like that and a shoestring budget, what isn't to enjoy about this one? While I enjoyed a lot of the weirdness that was present, the bizarre atmosphere dipped into surrealism at points, I wish that the titular godmonster was more front-and center and we got a little more out of his rampage.

Watched via Blu-ray (AGFA, Something Weird Video)
USA

The Heisei Godzilla films that I have watched are not exactly my cup of tea. So I am so happy to say that this one was pretty refreshing. It has a lot of that dark, brooding energy that the Heisei films were trying to capture, but it also has a lot of fun elements that harken back to the goofiness of the later-stage Showa films. The Suitmation in this particular film is crazy, The Kaiju are blasted by all kinds of beams and the notably sleeker second-generation Mechagodzilla is more than a match for the combined efforts of Godzilla and Rodan.

Watched Via Blu-ray (Sony Pictures)
Japan

The film is basically a collection of weird scenes that occur one after the other. Sometimes The Blob appears, other times the scene just happens, leaving you speechless or howling with laughter at the absurdity of what is occurring on screen. It should be noted that the monster effects are pretty nice, but a giant slime monster is pretty hard to mess up in of its effects. There is some interesting camera work present as well. By the final act of the film it switches gears from oddity to what is basically a remake of the final act of the original blob. Honestly I'm kind of disappointed that it didn't keep its weird energy up until the end.

Watched Via Amazon Prime Video
USA

This is probably the most shameless Gamera movie, solely for its insane use of stock footage. Easily 10-20 minutes of the film is just un-edited stock footage re-caps of the monster fights and scenes from the past three films in the franchise. They even use clips from the original Gamera film, which is shot in Black and White, without bothering to re-color the scenes. The Kaiju fight at the end feels pretty tacked on as well. I think Viras is a Cool looking kaiju, I don't think its fight scene is all that remarkable, save for being able to pierce Gamera's shell. Its one of the Gamera films that gives the series its infamy.

Watched via Amazon Prime Video
Japan

This is probably the best Showa-era Godzilla film released post "Destroy All Monsters". The film is a lot of fun and the introduction of one of the most memorable kaiju in cinema, Mechagodzilla. The final act of the film is a battle between Godzilla and Mechagodzilla, with Godzilla getting some assistance from King Caesar, a personal favorite Kaiju of mine. This final battle is an explosive one, and a technically impressive one. The film pulls absolutely no punches as the literal living weapon Mechagodzilla rains hell upon Godzilla and his giant golem ally with every weapon he's got. While the Kaiju action is sparse during certain stretches, it makes up for it with the final battle and it is still full of intrigue and science fiction fun when the giant monsters aren't on screen.

Watched via Blu-ray (The Criterion Collection)
Japan

Noir through the eyes of a child is such an interesting premise for a film, and this one doesn't disappoint. The film is excellently shot, utilizing moody, shadowy lighting in order to create a foreboding atmosphere, which is expected in noir, but this film makes outstanding use of it. The final act of the film is where this use of lighting really shines. There is an extremely surreal and creepily inventive dream sequence that makes the film for me early on, and kept me invested the entire way through.

Watched via The Criterion Channel (Argentinian Noir)
Argentina

I think that the film was trying to be a combination of a Harryhausen-esque Fantasy film akin to "Clash of the Titans" and a space opera similar to Star Wars. That makes it an interesting piece of film, as it is bridging the gap between two generations of genre cinema. The problem that I have with the film is that despite having some insane stand out moments (Hercules throwing a bear into orbit comes to mind), it really has nothing going on between these crazy scenes. I think it was far too ambitious for its low budget.

Watched via Amazon Prime Video
Italy, USA

This is an unbelievably strange cinematic experience! It blends Indiana Jones-style action and adventure with the horror of East Asian Black magic films in order to create such an insane, no holds-barred film. People being sacrificed to ancient martial arts mummies, little deformed critters chewing people's guts out, and booby-trapped Buddha statues is just a sampling of what the film has to hold. The set design was very effective and the effects were a mixture of both goofy and horrifically, violently effective. I had a lot of fun with this crazy movie!

Watched Via Blu-ray (Vinegar Syndrome)
Hong Kong

The film is a far cry from other Hammer horror films in of its villain. Christopher Lee's performance as Rasputin is unlike any other performance that I have seen from Lee. He is a force of Nature, and a monster that is just as scary as Dracula. The film is shot beautifully. It has that Late 60's-Early 70's gothic extravagance that Hammer always masterfully executed.

Watched via Blu-ray (Shout Factory (Scream Factory))

UK

This is one of the classic early Godzilla films, and naturally, makes commentary on the use of nuclear arms. This time, the film shows the destruction of Nuclear testing on a small island, the island where people worship Mothra. The film also makes commentary on billionaire greed and corruption. In the film the people are commodifying kaiju. The film makes use of impressive miniatures and great kaiju suits. Godzilla fighting Mothra may seem like a one-sided fight, bit to her credit Mothra seems like she is able to put up a pretty good fight against Godzila.

Watched via Blu-ray (The Criterion Collection)
Japan

I grew up watching this one a lot, so I do have quite the soft spot for this one. While I do concede that this is not a good movie, it was the perfect t movie for a Godzilla/Monster obsessed kiddo to watch. It's got plenty of monster fights, which are (mostly) stock footage from previous godzilla films, but as a kid I didn't care. I don't think that this is a good film by any stretch of the imagination, but it's about an hour and twenty minutes of goofy fun.

Watched via Blu-ray (The Criterion Collection)
Japan

I wanted to like this a lot more than I did, but it feels like the Kaiju are fighting for screen time in an overloaded script about time travel. The Kaiju action is good and the set design and suits are incredible, but it barely saves a very long film.

Watched via The Criterion Channel (Heisei-Era Godzilla)
Japan

The cinematography of the film is beautiful, evoking a grungy, decomposing American Wild West. Both a brutally violent and poetic film, with the lines between who is good and who is evil blurred in true New American Cinema fashion.

Unfortunately, despite the film having an awesome monster (I love ooze/blob monsters.) I wasn't too blown away by the final product of the film. I do think that The film succeeded in creating an atmosphere at points, with scenes taking place around Mayan ruins looking incredible. I did find the idea of the monster arriving to attack people just after they began robbing Mayan graves interesting. I saw it as possibly a commentary about colonization/snatching artifacts from graves, but I am not sure how intentional this was. The monster was cool, but the monster effects are a mixed bag. Sometimes the giant amorphous ooze monsters look decent, and it has some pretty crazy gore effects for 1959, but other times the monsters are obviously just towels covered in oil. The film also has a huge portion in the middle devoted to a crazy person running around killing people after the monster caused him to lose his mind, instead of focusing on the story about the giant, prehistoric amoeba.

The film takes an interesting genre swap from relatively straightforward neorealist narrative to moody noir thriller. the main character, Kenawi is generally pretty unlikeable. He often stalks, and eventually preys upon the woman that he has been pining over. However, I do not think that Kenawi is supposed to be a likable character. Generally speaking I think that most characters in the film are supposed to be unlikable, or at the very least a complex character with several flaws. At its core, the film is about class struggle at the time, but despite (obvious) cultural differences, it feels poignant nearly seventy years later. The finest moment of the film of the film focusing on a group of musicians partying on a train, with the penniless main character watching them, separated by the distance of only a window, though the distance might as well be miles.

Watched vis The Criterion Channel
Egypt

Two Human-like aliens Crash land on a prehistoric Planet Earth, tangle with some "dinosaurs" and attempt to escape the planet before the Asteroid that killed the dinosaurs takes them as well.
This movie feels like it is trying very hard to punch above its weight, but it is not anything special. It's an inoffensive enough, rather predictable film. The human story was actually decently executed, Adam Driver is still putting in effort in what is a "weightless CGI" heavy modern sci-fi film. The dinosaurs in the movie are horribly ugly, and are more like nasty crocodilian lizard cats than actual dinosaurs. I am not sure if this was some sort of reference to the "Slurpasaurs" of days past, but the dinosaur effects left me disappointed and grossed out more than anything.

I think that this film is what really gave the Gamera films a bad rap. Most of the goofy, but fun, monster fight scenes are intercut with children screaming "Gamera! Dont give up!" I know that this was present in the previous films watched, but it really wasn't as grating as it was in this one. The Newest monster, Jiger has far too many weird powers and looks dopey, even by Gamera standards.

Some sailors manage to capture a monster off of the coast of Ireland and take it back to London to show if off in a circus. The Mother of the monster surfaces, and begins a rampage to rescue her baby.
I think that this movie is too often dismissed as "Just another Godzilla ripoff", as it is a pretty decent monster movie (It also has more in common with King Kong, anyway). It isn't without its flaws, though. The film is extremely dull at points, especially when the human characters are on screen, debating what to do with the monster that they have captured. The film is really saved by the monster sequences. Any time that the monster appears, it is easily the most exciting parts of the film. The Monster suit looks great, and the miniature sets are incredible for the time. The scenes of city destruction are terrifying, and look almost apocalyptic, with a red hazy sky, lit up by fires and the constant bombing of the monster by the military, and filled with the angry roars of the mother monster.

A group of space travelers land on a planet in order to investigate the fate of scientists stationed there. they discover that only a doctor, hos daughter, and an invisible monster remain.
The film is truly other worldly. The matte paintings, effects and soundtrack all work in tandem to create a foreboding mysterious alien world. The soundtrack really put in the work, with its eclectic synth sounds blending with the soundscape to provide a one of a kind audio experience. The effects are very nicely executed as well, with both the iconic Robby the Robot and the monster effects being extremely impressive for the time. The film has some things to say about the base subconscious of humankind, suggesting that no matter how civilized we become there's a primitive monster lurking underneath. It is a very pretty movie with very little substance in of the story, honestly, though it is still a very fun time.

Two young boys who are obsessed with aliens and space get transported to a far-off planet. Gamera follows them and, upon arrival, does battle with the Knife headed Gurion.
There is a sharp drop in quality between this Gamera film and the last one I have watched, "Gamera vs Gyaos". Despite this, I was still able to have some fun with the film. The human story is ridiculous and uninteresting, but the Kaiju scenes are totally fun. Guiron is a cool monster! He is a living weapon, using his literal knife-head to dice up monsters, which is on full display when he kills a Gyaos, who was the big bad from an earlier film. Guiron isn't clinical about it either, the dude laughs with glee as it murders a fellow monster (At least he loves his job, I guess.) in brutal fashion. The fighting is super cartoony, even for late 60's Kaiju standards, but it's fun in an over the top manner.

Watched Via Amazon Prime Video
Japan

After several loggers are kidnapped and forced to work in sulfur pits the sons of the loggers set out on a journey to rescue their fathers, summoning Daimajin on the way.
"Wrath of Daimajin" tells a different style of story than the previous two Daimajin films. Instead of following a similar formula, this one is an adventure film that is generally pretty solid. It follows a group of children trying to traverse a harsh environment that adults would struggle to survive in. Utilizing both beautiful locations and impressively crafted sets to create the dangerous yet gorgeous environments. The unfortunate part of the film is that when Daimajin appears, it is easily the weakest executed Daimajin sequence of of the trilogy. They seemed to rely on bluescreen more, and the effects seemed lower quality than the two previous films in the series. It also made it pretty evident that Each time the Daimajin appears, its scenes are essentially a remake of the first two, almost shot-for-shot. Aside from this, it is still a good film.

Watched via Blu-ray (Arrow Video)
Japan

Robin Hood, while dodging the sheriff of Nottingham, is hired by a noble to assassinate an anonymous person. After Robin Hood's identity is discovered he escapes, and vows to investigate this plot further.
They don't make movies like this anymore. Everything in the film is practical and handcrafted, every inch of the movie feels absolutely real and lived in. The set design is easily the best aspect, it is utterly gorgeous to look at and feels so authentic. The swordplay present is an exciting, sweeping, swashbuckling foray. Every piece of the film has some form of visual intrigue or action, the film has such a tactile quality to it that I loved. It is utterly quaint, as if pulled straight from the pages of a long forgotten fairy tale.

Watched Via Blu-ray (Twilight Time)
UK

A giant prehistoric monster, Gyaos emerges from a mountain, awakened by recent volcanic activity. Gamera, drawn to the volcano combats Gyaos at every turn in a giant monster smackdown.
Gamera vs Gyaos is an improvement over the previous Gamera film. It has all of the aspects that I enjoyed from the last movie, and it cut out a lot of what I didn't like. Gyaos is a creepy kaiju. Instead of just randomly destroying cities, Gyaos actively seeks out people to devour, and is able to mess Gamera up pretty badly. The film looks nice too. The color choice pops, and it has that old school tokusatsu feel. The miniature sets were really well done! It is in no way a complex film, but you gotta love a giant turtle and mutant screeching Bat beating each-other senseless!

Watched via Amazon Prime Video
Japan

The smuggling of a gemstone into Japan becomes disastrous when it is revealed that the gem is actually the egg of a monster known as Barugon. Gamera, returning to Earth from space is Japan's only hope when Barugon hatches.
I appreciate the Kaiju scenes in the film. Barugon is such a weird monster with ice breath and a "death rainbow" that he shoots from his back! The kaiju combat in the film is also super gritty and brutal, with the monsters bleeding and taking massive clobberings in the duel. the monsters feel like they weigh tens of thousands of tons. The biggest problem that I have, however, is that these awesome scenes are so few and far between. any time that there is a monster on screen it is a fun film. However, most of the movie is just committees arguing on how to defeat the monster, instead of focusing on the monsters.

Watched via Amazon Prime Video
Japan

After his family is slain and he is kidnapped by barbaric Chudes, Aigin a young Sami boy, is forced to show the barbarians the path to more of his people in a harsh and unforgiving wilderness.
Pathfinder is at times a brutal, tragic, and violent coming of age story about a young man who fights against the elements and his fellow man to avenge his family and protect his people. But the film is at all times a beautiful film, shot in the stark snowy landscape of Scandinavia. This film is also extremely culturally important, being the first film ever to be in the Sami language and telling a thousand-year-old Sami legend, and giving several insights on Sami spiritual beliefs. This was a powerful and effective historically significant film.

Watched via The Criterion Channel
Norway

An expedition to Antarctica is interrupted when a helicopter crash lands in a crater untouched by time. The people in the crash find themselves trapped in a primordial world, and must escape.
Where the film fails in of the plot, it makes up for it twofold with both goofy dinosaur effects and an actual effective atmosphere. The dinosaur effects are really goofy, ranging from two actual lizards trying their hardest to kill one another to slow moving animatronics and grotesque suit effects. The suits in the film are so unnerving in appearance that they border on surreal. But where the film really succeeds is the atmosphere. The set design full of tall prehistoric trees and misty, sulfur-infused lakes gives the film such a primal, antediluvian atmosphere that stirs wonder and something primal in human kind, though I may be looking too deeply into a pretty subpar "lost world" film.

Watched via Blu-ray (Kino Lorber)
USA

A cowardly laundryman becomes the target of a deranged killer known as "White Tiger". After his friend is slain by the killer, the laundryman swears revenge.
When it comes to Hong Kong martial arts films, they are all extremely physical films, with the comedy, action, and set pieces demanding a lot pf physical acting. This one was probably the most physically demanding Hong Kong action film that I have seen. There is a Lion dance fight sequence that absolutely blows me away, the characters had to leap onto stools and staircases, dodge fireballs, and fight all while acting in a Nian suit. It was insane and easily one of my favorite martial arts sequences that I have recently watched. The Villain of the film was utterly brutal, dicing up his opponents with shards of mirrors, or his bare hands like a slasher villain.

Watched via The Criterion Channel
Hong Kong

A corrupt and evil clan of Samurai attack two peaceful clans. These peaceful clans summon the Mighty Daimajin to protect them and crush their oppressors.
This sequel is essentially a remake of the original "Daimajin". This one has a much heavier focus on bloody conflict and battles between opposing groups of Samurai, though. The cinematography was incredible in this one, it led to a pretty poetic view of the conflict. The set design has that perfect old school feel that I love so much. Daimajin again does not appear until the final act of the film but it worth the wait. The film begins to become otherworldly and super surreal after Daimajin's appearance. The destruction of a small village at the wrathful hands of the monster rules, the miniature work is great, a scene where Daimajin is framed behind some buildings and the negative space of the sky was Easily the best shot of the whole film. Such a solid film.

Watched via Blu-ray (Arrow Video)
Japan

After WWIII, war is outlawed. The world settles its differences by pitting two robots against each other. The film follows the recent conflict between two countries as they settle who gets possession of Alaska.
The film feels very long despite it being less than an hour and a half, which is a shame since the premise was interesting and the robot effects were executed really well through a combination of miniature models and stop motion animation. It just falls into the low budget late 80s rut that so many movies did at the time. I never thought I would say that the climactic robot battle at the end went on a little too long.

Watched Via Amazon Prime
USA

A collection of folk horror films curated by Severin Films in an awesome boxed set. My thoughts added as I watch them.

• Woodlands Dark and Days Bewitched: A History of Folk Horror
• Eyes of Fire

  USA
  feels like a North American take on "Agirre, The Wrath of God" but with more 80s horror sentiment. It's both one of the better examples of folk horror and the weird west subgenres.

• Leptirica

  Yugoslavia (Serbia)
  While the film is somewhat primitive in its execution of horror tropes, it is notable for being one of, if not the first Serbian horror film. It is interesting to see Serbian folk traditions on screen.

• Witchhammer
• Viy

  USSR (Russia)
  Viy is a visually interesting, crazy little film. While the film mostly takes place in one location, it feels like a constantly changing hellish environment.

• Lake of the Dead

  Norway
  The film has some creepy moments, the highlight of which is a extremely surreal dream sequence. It's interesting in that it combines supernatural horror with Scandinatian revival surrealism.

• Tilbury

  Iceland
  Pretty short and semi effective horror film that highlights an impish Icelandic creature. While most of the film is hit-or-miss, the ending is easily the most grim and effective and worth the ride.

• The Dreaming

  Australia
  A brutal film about colonization and ancestral trauma. The mystery that unfolds draws the viewer in, as horrifying truths are uncovered.

• Kadaicha
• Celia

...plus 10 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

• To Fire You Come at Last
• Psychomania
• The Enchanted
• The Legend of Hillbilly John
• The White Reindeer
• Edge of the Knife
• Born of Fire
• Ieoh Island
• Scales
• Bakeneko: A Vengeful Spirit

...plus 12 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

Using the power of a bargain bin "Drive in" movie boxed set, I will watch 50 public domain exploitation movies in an attempt to come to some kind of understanding about exploitation cinema.
movies with a description are the films I have watched so far..

• Prisoners of the Lost Universe

  While I am not normally a fan of the premise of "Modern characters explore a fantasy world" I was actually kind of charmed by the goofiness of the film. The fight scenes are actually pretty fun too!

• Rattlers

  A real nothing kind-of-movie in a way only a film from the 70s could be. There are some extreme ups and downs in of its highlights however. There is a scene where a random army guy bursts into a half-naked sleeping couple's tent and unloads his gun into snakes that have snuck into it. The last act of the movie actually starts moving, but the rest of the film is quite tedious. I kept saying to myself "Something has to happen". And yet nothing really did happen...

• Absolution
• Beast from Haunted Cave
• Street Sisters
• Blood Mania
• Breakout from Oppression
• The Satanic Rites of Dracula
• Country Blue
• Craze

...plus 40 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

My 2025 list of the best first time watches from each month. The finished list will have 12 entries; one for each month. The notes explain the month and reasoning.
(The list is subject to change during the month.)
(Mostly just for myself.)

• Pathfinder
• Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II
• Kashchey the Immortal

For the month of March, I will be exploring the world of Soviet and Eastern European cinema. Ordered from most to least favorite.

• In the Dust of the Stars

  East
  The film is super groovy. The film's costume design, set design, and worldbuilding are all incredible. I enjoyed the Oddball sci-fi gadgetry.

• Signals: A Space Adventure

  East
  The film is interesting in of its visuals, but falls flat in of its plot. It crawls at an extremely slow pace, some condensing of the story or quickening kf the pace was needed.

Using the power of bargain bin sci-fi movie boxed sets, I will watch 100 public domain sci-fi movies in an attempt to come to some kind of understanding about science fiction movies.
movies with a description are the films I have watched so far.

1. The Manster

   The Best of the bunch so far. A novel Setting and some decently effective monster effects for the time/ budget are really what made me enjoy this one. Unfortunately, the protagonist who begins transforming into the titular "Manster" is so unbelievably detestable. Even though this loathsomeness is due to said transformation, it really isn't shown that he isn't a piece of filth before he begins transforming, so for all I know this guy has always been a bastard. Really a decent film weighed down by the protagonist being more of a lumpy turd than most 50's monster movies protagonists. (And that's saying something in some cases!)

2. The Crater Lake Monster

   A fairly typical monster run amok story is nestled in some small town goofiness and crime. While the execution of the film leaves LOADS to be desired, its monster effects are surprisingly decent and as a whole is a fairly fun time.

3. Raiders of Atlantis

   Easily one of the more watchable films on the list, though it does overstay its welcome a little. The Raiders of Atlantis has everything that you might want in an Italian exploitation rip off of Mad Max. The film is actually pretty entertaining. If you like gunfights, people being blasted with flamethrowers, mad max, decapitations, and other burtalities (in movies, that is...not in real life of course) then this would be a good option to put on. However, there is a big downside in that the film makes very little sense. What's going on? Why is Atlantis rising from the ocean? Why are random people killing other random people? Why are some people insane and others aren't? The film tries to explain these questions by dumping exposition into our laps, but it is not at all effective. 

4. Hercules and the Captive Women

   I have a soft spot for sword and sandal movies (sorry, "peplum films"). And this movie has some fun fantasy moments. Bareknuckle boxing shape-shifting monsters, the lost city of Atlantis, Super Soldiers, vats of acid. The epitome of trash entertainment!

5. The Day Time Ended

   A largely incoherent Sci-fi microbudget film. The film doesnt really explain much, but then attempts to sloppily explain everything (without explaining anything) at the end. The film is crazily enjoyable with the insane antics on display. Crazy special effects, surprisingly effective stopmotion, I honestly would have enjoyed the film more if it just allowed the insane UFO antics, little green men, and monster fights just randomly occur with no explanation. The film is actually quite enjoyable up until the very end where it tries, and fails to explain itself. 

6. Gamera vs. Guiron

   Gamera vs Guiron is a fun goofy time that doesn't take itself seriously. This goofiness helps the film, making it pretty tolerable compared to the rest of the films watched so far on the list.

7. The Amazing Transparent Man

   I wouldn't call this film good. However, this film actually has a plot that is being driven forward by events that are occurring, and is attempting to make a statement about something. No matter how cliche the plot or the message, it is still more than what can be said for many of the films that are on this list. The film is visually interesting at points, and definitely a able Sci-fi flick to watch if you have a spare hour. I feel that Edgar G. Ulmer's artistic eye, direction, and inspired cinematography lead the film to be more enjoyable that many of the other films on the list.

8. Gamera, the Giant Monster

   A typical kaiju film of the era. The film does not compare at all to Gojira, which is likely what Studio Daiei was attempting to cash in on with this film. However, where Toho's Gojira franchise began as a dark, brooding excursion into the horrors of nuclear annihilation, and then devolved into more campy adventures, the original Gamera begins campy and has very little redeeming qualities as a serious film. Still kinda entertaining though.

9. Gamera vs. Viras

   Not the best Gamera film. The film is more concerned with re-using stock footage rather than telling an original story. Viras is a pretty underwhelming villain as well.

10. The Galaxy Invader

    It's hard to hate the films of Don Dohler because dear god, the poor man tries. He has essentially re-made the same film multiple times and The Galaxy Invader is no exception. A rubber suited monster crash lands in Maryland and makes a nuisance of itself. The film is extremely predictable, and there really isnt much to say about the film substance-wise. However, the film is actually quite entertaining in a goofy, rubber-suited monster kind of way. 

...plus 90 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

Since I have been watching nothing but Kaiju Movies in January, I decided to make a list! This is every Kaiju Movie I watched in January, Ranked.

1. Daimajin
2. Return of Daimajin
3. Wrath of Daimajin
4. Gamera vs. Gyaos
5. Gorgo
6. Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah
7. Gamera vs. Guiron
8. Caltiki, the Immortal Monster
9. Gamera vs. Barugon
10. Robot Jox

...plus 3 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

When you watch a bunch of weird movies, you start to realize that a lot were shot in or around Bronson Cave. Every time I watch a movie with Bronson Cave featured, I'll add it to the list!

• The Sword and the Sorcerer
• The Cyclops

Movies I've watched the feature a Wilhelm Scream.

• Them!

  Wilhelm scream when a dude gets chomped by an ant.

A little bit different than my "Best of each Month '24" list. This is my favorite movies watched in the year 2024 for the first time, ranked.

1. Out of Darkness
2. Johnny Corncob
3. The Mysterious Castle in the Carpathians
4. The Company of Wolves
5. Conquest
6. Savage Hunt of King Stakh
7. My Name Is Pecos
8. And God Said to Cain
9. The Head Hunter
10. Rope

My 2024 list of the best first time watches from each month. The finished list will have 12 entries; one for each month. The notes explain the month and reasoning.
(The list is subject to change during the month.)
(Mostly just for myself.)

• Panic in Year Zero!

  JANUARY
  Moody and beautifully shot, the film is an exploration into how easily the breakdown of society can occur when faced with a devastating event. It's a lot darker than I expected.

• Out of Darkness

  FEBRUARY
  Harkens back to a time when the Earth was cold and dark, and when the monsters we told of in stories were very real. Shot beautifully and about as grimdark as you can get.

• Johnny Corncob

  MARCH
  While the film is not all that complex, it is an utterly beautiful, psychedelic visual experience. Probably one of the most beautiful films, animated or otherwise, that I have ever watched. I adored this one!

• Prophecy

  APRIL
  Was easily the most fun I've had with a straight horror movie all year. It was utterly insane. But it was also scary and awesome when it needed to be! Not high art, but highly entertaining.

• The Black Cauldron

  MAY
  Surprised with how Dark a Disney movie got. Many of the "un-Disney" like aspects of the film really vibed with my dark fantasy fondness. Any film that has an army of shambling skeletons is alright in my book!

• Endgame

  JUNE
  Joe D'Amato takes the postapocalyptic subgenre of sci-fi and cranks it up to eleven. Extreme action, gunfights, and brutality make the film extremely entertaining!

• Conquest

  JULY
  Utterly bizarre in the best possible way. The film is by no means a good film, but it overflows with atmosphere and utter insanity that has made it one of my favorite films of the year.

• The Company of Wolves

  AUGUST
  Wildly whimsical fairytale and twisted dark fantasy mingle in this surreal werewolf film. The film is so bizarre I can't help but love it! In of its monster effects and dreamy atmosphere it cant be beat!

• The Mysterious Castle in the Carpathians

  SEPTEMBER
  A delightfully bizarro science fantasy-gothic horror parody in which several delightful little moments crescendo into a gloriously wonderful finale. The film is full of maximalist gadgetry and great visual storytelling, what's not to love?

• Island of Lost Souls

  October
  Totally freaky and pushes the boundary for the time it was created.

...plus 2 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

My Blu Ray Collection, Organized Alphabetically.

• The 7th Voyage of Sinbad

  Indicator Films

• The 8 Diagram Pole Fighter

  Arrow Video

• Adela Has Not Had Supper Yet

  Deaf Crocodile

• A Dog Called... Vengeance

  Severin

• Aguirre, the Wrath of God

  Shout Factory

• Akira

  Funimation

• Assault on Precinct 13

  Shout Factory (Scream Factory)

• Bad Day at Black Rock

  WB Archive Collection

• The Barbarians

  MGM

• Barbarella

  Paramount

...plus 163 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

As a fan of goblins I decided to compile a list of movies with Goblins in them. Simple as that.

• The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

  Goblins are featured in the "Mines of Moria" segment of the film. They are creepy wall-crawling archers, and cruel murderous raiders. The most memorable moment they're featured in has the part where the one goblin's eyes get really creepily wide thanks to CGI.

• Labyrinth

  Labyrinth is an absolute delight of a film. The film features varied, chaotic hordes of goblins, and is honestly one of the quintessential depictions of goblins!

• Mandy

  While there are no goblins in the actual film, the main character watches a commercial featuring a goblin puppet known as "Cheddar Goblin". He is pretty typical in his depiction, save for the fact that he vomits gallons of macaroni and cheese. Easily a highlight of the film.

• Legend

  The main villain's henchman is a goblin named Blix, and is easily one of the most creepy and grotesque depictions of goblins ever.

• The Spiderwick Chronicles

  One of the formative movies of my childhood. Goblins feature prominently as minions to the main villain. The film made me love chaotic little critters and made me and my friends go on real-life goblin hunts in the woods near our house.

• The Gate

  While the film's antagonists are actually demons, the creepy, scuttling little creatures featured in many scenes are goblin enough to make this list.

• Troll

  While the villain of the film is a troll, he creates little grotesque goblinoid creatures. Goblins (Or creatures resembling goblins.) Appear in several scenes. The nasty little effects and goblin-songs that they sing make me very happy!

• The Descent

  I don't know if the film technically can be considered a "goblin movie", (My dungeon master might be showing, but the creature act more like Grimlocks.) but the blind, carnivorous monsters featured prominently throughout are definitely goblin-adjacent.

• The Black Cauldron

  There is one goblin in this, and he is a conniving, mischievous little bastard. Wouldn't have it any other way...

• The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

  The Hobbit film classifies Orcs and Goblins as two distinct species. Goblins are featured prominently in a scene set in "Goblin Town" that includes a cancerous, heavily overweight Goblin King. While the Goblins and scene they are featured in is mostly a CGI mess, I do get some goofy enjoyment out of it.

...plus 5 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

A ranked list of the natural horror films watched in April in honor of Earth Day!

• Prophecy

  A bit in-your-face with its environmentalist message, but man was it a fun monster romp. The film goes from pretty chill to full on insane in mere moments. A lot of fun was had with this one.

• Alligator

  Part atmospheric mystery, part monster run-amok schlock. The practical effects were surprisingly good! Was a fun monster movie!

• Orca

  A very dumb movie about a vengeful serial killer whale. Morricone's score is far too good for this film. The unique final confrontation really stood out too.

• Island Claws

  The film was very slow, but did get rolling once the giant killer crab appeared. The monster effects were fun, and the film has this weird atmosphere that was worth the watch.
  (Also it was written by Ricou Browning, A.K.A. The Creature from the Black Lagoon)

• Ticks

  Despite the film beinga fun creature feature, the 90s whiny teenage drama really brings the film down for me. The film was way less fun than I expected.

• The Cat Creature

  This is probably more supernatural horror rather than natural horror. but it is a movie about a killer housecat, so I couldn't resist. Its kind of a nothing movie, its biggest problem isn't that it isn't good. its biggest problem is that it is just "Meh".

• Alligator 2: The Mutation

  Basically an inferior remake of the original Alligator. Everything that made the original fun was watered down or terribly executed in this one.

• Killer Elephants

  Barely counts as a natural horror film. Filled to the brim with meaningless action scenes and very little Elephant attacks. Not really worth a watch unless you're a diehard fan of obscure Asian action cinema.

• Killer Crocodile

  Bad plot, bad effects, bad everything. I don't want to put any kind of effort into this one. It just feels like a big "screw you".

A ranking of the Criterion Channel's Postapocalyptic Sci-fi collection

1. Escape from New York
2. Mad Max
3. Panic in Year Zero!
4. Dead End Drive-In
5. Threads
6. The Quiet Earth
7. The Bed Sitting Room

   Some of the humor in this comedy anthology hits, other parts miss. unfortunately the film had some more misses than hits. It also doesn't help that the film is pretty aimless.

8. Escape from the Bronx

   Saw it as an improvement over the original "Bronx Warriors" film. By no means a good film, its entertainment value comes from the endless supply of senseless action and explosions.

9. The New Barbarians

   Its always awkward and unneeded when there are SA scenes in films. This one is no exception.

10. The Day the Earth Caught Fire

    I found it interesting due to the flawed main character and the sense of scope that the film had despite its evident low budget. but the film is more or less just people reacting to different apocalyptic events happening, or reading about them happening.

...plus 4 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

My ranking of the Criterion Channel's 70s Sci Fi Collection.

1. A Clockwork Orange

   Easily the best of the bunch. I mean it's A Clockwork Orange. I don't really know what to say about it that hasn't been said. Exploration of depravity and free will.

2. Mad Max

   A film about agents of violence and the nessesary violence needed to keep the peace, Mad Max is one of the best dystopian films ever made. Full of incredible action sequences and stunts, as well as being one of the films solely responsible for pushing the boundary for Australian film and also being one of the founding films of the "Ozspolitation" movement within the Australian New Wave, it is safe to say Mad Max is very important to cinema, as well as being a great film.

3. Soylent Green

   If you know the ending, you know the ending. the production design of this film is easily one of the best in the whole collection. its a grunginess that you can feel through the screen. Overpopulation is an issue tackled by a few films in this collection, but "Soylent Green" does it the best.

4. Dark Star

   The feature film debut of John Carpenter. Feels like a response to films like "2001: A Space Odyssey" in that instead of a future consisting of higher society of intelligent thinkers and engineers we get a bunch of dumb stoners in a spaceship that doesn't work correctly.

5. Logan's Run

   Logan's Run is the perfect example of a dystopian utopia film. The production design is incredible, from the underground utopia to the postapocalyptic surface it looks incredible.

6. God Told Me To

   Completely bonkers, but that is what's to be expected of Larry Cohen. combines weird science fiction ideas with a pretty standard detective story to create a twisted final product.

7. A Boy and His Dog

   The film is entertaining when it is using its postapocalyptic setting in the first act, but gets immediately boring when the setting switches to an underground society of "civilized people". It really uses its bizarre ideas to the fullest though, which for the most part saves the film.

8. Westworld

   Decently entertaining entry. The film can be viewed as an entry into the "Weird West" subgenre. I don't really feel that the film is high art, but it is a fun film!

9. Death Race 2000

   Very goofy by todays standards, but I feel that the film is so enjoyable because of the campy nature of it. Discusses violence in media while being a piece of over the top violent media.

10. The Omega Man

    Pretty Middle of the road, though I do find myself enjoying it a little more each time I watch it.

...plus 8 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

Ranking all of the Ray Harryhausen films.

Harryhausen's effects and the quality of the film are the two factors where the film's lie on the list.

• The Golden Voyage of Sinbad
• Clash of the Titans
• Jason and the Argonauts
• The Valley of Gwangi

  This is honestly probably my favorite Harryhausen film. I am a huge Dinosaur nerd, so I feel that my placement of "The Valley of Gwangi" may be a little skewed. However, You cannot deny the fun of cowboys attempting to lasso and battle dinosaurs. The Human story is very strong as well, so during the human scenes you aren't just waiting around for the dinosaurs to start attacking again. After years of crafting creatures for some fun, interesting stories where the focus was less on the monsters and more on the story telling, it is fun to see Harryhausen animate another Monster-on-the-loose story! Highlights include A fight between the titular Allosaurus, Gwangi and a Styracosaurus, as well as a fight Between Gwangi and a circus elephant.

• The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms

  Harryhausen's original work as the sole effects supervisor really cannot go without its praise. It is easily one of the most important monster movies of all time. The creature inspired the look of Godzilla, as well as Allowed Harryhausen to truly become a titan of special effects. While I feel that many of Harryhausen's early films are a little slow, the storytelling in this one is genuinely very good. Highlights include the monster rampaging through New York City.

• The 7th Voyage of Sinbad
• One Million Years B.C.

  This is the first Harryhausen film that I had ever seen, and boy, was I blown away with the film. The film is a little short on story, but it makes it up with several incredible dinosaur effect sequences. Despite the story being lacking, and almost completely nonverbal, it is interesting to watch the evolution of the main character Tumac, from a ruthless, animalistic killer, to an emotional lead, with the help of the other lead, Luanna, played by Raquel Welch. However, where the film succeeds is the Dinosaur sequences. Its super inaccurate (Dinosaurs and humans did not live together. Nor did many of the dinosaurs pictured together live at the same time.), but I really find it just an enjoyable film. Highlights include a fight between a Ceratosaurus and Triceratops, and Tumac, doing battle with an Allosaurus!

• First Men in the Moon

  Though Harryhausen's creature effects are a bit few-and-far-between in this one, I feel that it is the quality of the effects and not the quantity. The creatures such as the moon calf are as inventive and interesting as the film itself. I am quite a sucker for Victorian science fiction, and this film certainly scratches an itch in my brain. Aside from the effects, the production design is so interesting and original as well. Highlights of the film include a battle with a giant caterpillar monster.

• Mysterious Island

  Easily one of the mor weird films on the list. I did enjoy this one though it feels a little low on substance, and has a bizarre plot development in the final act. Though it feels like most of the film is doing its best to try to connect the monster scenes together, I did enjoy this one. I think it was weird and random to the point where it was genuinely anejoyable. The Monster Island angle really works well! Highlights include a run-in with a terror bird, and fighting a giant crab, whose armature was supposedly crafted by using a real crab shell!

• 20 Million Miles to Earth

  This is one of Harryhausen's Monster-on-the-Loose films. The nameless Venusian monstrocity (Referred to as the Ymir by fans) sets itself apart from other early Harryhausen-animated creatures like the Octopus from "It Came from Beneath the Sea" and the Rhetosaurus from "The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms" by being most of a scared Animal that wants to be left alone rather than a simple-minded rampaging monster. This is the first Harryhausen movie on the list that I would call genuinely a good film.
  The highlight of the film is The Ymir's rampage through Rome towards the end.

...plus 5 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

10 best movies I watched for the first time in 2021.

1. The Sacrifice
2. Aguirre, the Wrath of God
3. Meek's Cutoff
4. The Holy Mountain
5. Lost Highway
6. The Thin Red Line
7. Steamboat Bill, Jr.
8. The Last Movie
9. Son of the White Mare
10. Bad Day at Black Rock

The ten best films I watched for the first time in 2020.

1. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
2. The Lighthouse
3. Parasite
4. 12 Angry Men
5. L'Argent
6. The Juniper Tree
7. Samurai Rebellion
8. Tampopo
9. Samurai III: Duel at Ganryu Island
10. Once Upon a Time in the West

These are the 10 best films I watched in 2019 for the first time. My opinion alone, not any kind of definitive list.

1. Marketa Lazarová
2. Tokyo Drifter
3. Ugetsu
4. Ivan's Childhood
5. The Devil's Backbone
6. Easy Rider
7. Cure
8. Hour of the Wolf
9. Smithereens
10. Fight, Zatoichi, Fight

Every film in the Showa Godzilla era ranked based on my opinion.

1. Godzilla
2. Godzilla vs. Hedorah
3. Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster
4. Mothra vs. Godzilla
5. Destroy All Monsters
6. Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla
7. Godzilla vs. Gigan
8. Terror of Mechagodzilla
9. King Kong vs. Godzilla
10. Godzilla Raids Again

...plus 5 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

My ranking of the "Lone Wolf and Cub" series, Merely my opinion.

1. Lone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart at the River Styx
2. Lone Wolf and Cub: Sword of Vengeance
3. Lone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart in Peril
4. Lone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart in the Land of Demons
5. Lone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart to Hades
6. Lone Wolf and Cub: White Heaven in Hell