Review: OUT FOR JUSTICE (1991)

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Released right before Steven Seagal hit it big with Under Siege (1992), Out For Justice (1991) is considered by many to be one of his weaker efforts. I disagree. While Steven Seagal has always been an acquired taste, fans of american action movies from the 80's and 90's know that Seagal is the real deal, and it can't get any realer than Out For Justice. The film has one of Seagal's better performances, as a cop with mafioso roots caught between being the good guy and unleashing his darker side, while the plot is original and the writing much better than expected. Add some thrilling fight sequences and a mesmerizing performance by William Forsythe as a coked-up spree killer, and you got one helluva an entertaining action pic from the Golden Age of Hollywood action movies.

N.B. The film's choppy editing and slightly uneven pace is a result of studio interference during post-production, as studio executives reportedly wanted a shorter, faster film than the one Seagal and co. presented with their original cut.

Text © Ahmed Khalifa. 2016.

Review: TWIXT (2011)

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When Francis Ford Coppola announced that he was making another horror movie, his first since 1992's Bram Stoker's Dracula, many rejoiced, including myself. When released, Twixt (2011) proved to be a polarizing effort. On the one hand, in terms of technique, it's mostly unpolished, with the Hi-Def cinematography looking occasionally drab, while the editing and pacing are on the uneven side.

On the other hand, this is Coppola the master filmmaker enjoying the freedom of making a low-budget movie, and one that is both fiercely atmospheric and surprisingly personal (the plot touches upon the tragic death of Coppola's son in a boating accident). As for the plot (a washed out horror novelist investigating a mystery involving vampiric murders in a sleepy little town), it's basically fodder for creating some striking Gothic visuals and playful performances by all involved, especially Val Kilmer and Bruce Dern. And then there's the ending: a haunting, confusing, scary final touch that caps a horror film that is flawed, ambitious, and a welcome return to a genre that Coppola obviously loves.

N.B. The plot, especially the ending, bears some minor similarities to author Richard Laymon's masterpiece, The Stake (1990).

Text © Ahmed Khalifa. 2016.

Book Review: BLOOD OATH by Christopher Farnsworth

Highly readable horror-action/thriller centering on Nathaniel Cade, an ancient vampire working for a secret branch of the US government to protect the world from "The Other Side", the place were monsters, demons, and other creatures of the dark come from. It's a fast-paced, fun read, with a good sense of humor. But it's also over-plotted, and at times reads more like a screenplay for a summer blockbuster than a novel. Nothing special, but it's energetic and diverting enough.

Text © Ahmed Khalifa. 2016.

Review: OUTCAST: SEASON 1

Outcast: Season 1 (2016) is, in my humble opinion, the best horror show of the year and the best new show of the summer. Based on Robert Kirkman's (The Walking Dead) horror comic-book series of the same name, it deals with Kyle Barnes, a troubled young man with a dark past, as he deals with his newfound ability to exorcise demons out of possessed humans.

But this is not your typical demonic possession/exorcism tale, with Catholic trappings and over-the-top exorcism sequences, as Kirkman and co. have something else in mind. This is a show that is all about mood, deliberate pacing, and dark imagery that lingers in the mind. There are jump scares and "demons" aplenty, but the emphasis here is on grounded horror, gritty, blue-collar characters, and devastating violence, both physical and psychological, especially child abuse and its long-lasting effects on the psyches of the victims.

While the overly ambiguous nature of the evil/antagonist of the story can be frustrating, especially in the season finale, which asks more questions than it answers, this is a richly textured, subdued horror show, that is clever, moving, and horrific. Highly recommended.

Highlights: The compelling pilot, directed by Adam Wingard (The Guest, You're Next), and the pen-ultimate episode, "Close to Home", a horrific, disturbing hour of television that is even more powerful than the somewhat disappointing season finale.

Text © Ahmed Khalifa. 2016.

Flashback Review: POLTERGEIST III (1988)

Lambasted upon its release and basically disowned by its director, Gary Sherman, Poltergeist III (1988) is the black sheep of the trilogy that began with the Steven Spielberg-produced original. Upon first look it's easy to see why this movie is perennially criticized: The story is incoherent and the characterization almost nonexistent, while the film also has a detached, cold mood that makes the film sporadically uninvolving. Then there's the ending; a messy, rushed set-piece that is very underwhelming.

But that's not the whole story. Poltergeist III, despite the myriad faults, also has a few things going for it. Thanks to Gary Sherman's insistence on practical/live effects, the film is mainly one big haunted house ride, with one dazzling magic trick after another taking place right there on the screen, most of which involve mirrors or reverse cinematography. Add to that a quick pace and some memorably creepy visuals, and you get a sequel that, though flawed, manages to be original and at times frightening.

Even though it will always be remembered as the final film of child actress Heather O'Rourke, who tragically died before the ending could be completed (which led to numerous post-production problems, including a hastily shot finale using a double for O'Rourke), Poltergeist III is worth rediscovering as an underrated, entertaining, and stylish horror film from the late 1980's, and a daring attempt to do a horror film that relies on live effects and camera tricks rather than opticals.

Text © Ahmed Khalifa. 2016.

Flashback Review: A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET 2: FREDDY'S REVENGE (1985)

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The Nightmare On Elm Street (NOES) series is, arguably, the finest horror movie series ever made. Yes, most of the sequels have uneven plotting and plot-holes galore. Yes, some of the effects haven't aged very well. But in terms of sheer imagination, visual style, and atmosphere, the NOES series trumps all.

But, for the most part, A Nightmare On Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge (1985), the first sequel to Wes Craven's groundbreaking original, is reviled and avoided by most fans, mainly because it wreaks havoc with the mythology that Craven established with his original. It is true the NOES 2's plot doesn't make a hell lotta sense, but the film is rife with subtext, the performances are earnest, and the visuals teeming with fascinating psycho-sexual symbolism and imagery (fire, heat, and sweat are in almost every scene). And the film deals with the teen protagonist's sexual frustration in a disturbing yet compelling manner that was somewhat ahead of its time, especially considering that the film's protagonist is arguably gay or bi-sexual, a point of argument among many fans and even the filmmakers themselves.

Add Jack Sholder's stylish direction, Jaques Haitkin's rich cinematography, and some truly scary hallucinatory sequences, and you've got a horror film that demands to be watched again and again; since, aside from Craven's ingenious New Nightmare (1994), this is thematically the richest sequel of the whole franchise. Highly recommended.

Text © Ahmed Khalifa. 2016.

Book Review: THE LEFTOVERS by Tom Perrotta

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Stephen King described it as reminiscent of The Twilight Zone. Well, not quite. The premise of an unexplained mass disappearance of millions of people around the world (the Biblical Rapture, more or less) and how it affects the leftovers, or those who were are behind, is endlessly intriguing, and Perrotta gives us a cast of interesting, if not fascinating, characters to follow. And while his portrayal of religious cults is interesting and the overall atmosphere of the novel somber and hypnotic (his prose is lean and highly readable), there are passages that are annoyingly pretentious, and the hugely anti-climactic ending is a major disappointment. Still, this is an original tale, well-told, even if it's ultimately a bit underwhelming.

N.B. The novel is the basis for the HBO series of the same name, though the series continue the story past the events of the novel.

Text © Ahmed Khalifa. 2015-2016.