Torn apart by critics upon release and bombing at the box office, Robert Harmon's 'The Hitcher' has gone down as one of the greatest horror thrillers of all time. Rutger Hauer gives the performance of a lifetime as a serial killer John Ryder, who terrorizes a Young Jim Halsey (C. Thomas Howell) throughout the desert highway playing a deadly game of cat and mouse. Within the first five minutes of this film, the tension is ratcheted up to Eleven and only increased from there. So remember kids, never pick up a stranger.

​'When there's no more room in hell, the dead will walk the earth.'
Here we go, we're finally talking about George A. Romero's zombie classic that is one of those rare sequels that is better than the original. Released unrated and in various formats, it even spawned unofficial sequels, like Lucio Fulci's 'Zombie'.
So if haven't seen it, what are you waiting for? Grab your things, we're heading to the Monroeville Mall!
I wonder if this took place in the 80's if there'd be a zombie 'Tiffany' or 'Debbie Gibson' and tons of rabid teens. 

Okay, seriously, this movie is getting torn apart like it's 2015's Fantastic Four. We don't think it's nearly that bad, at least there's a full movie here, and there isn't a clear timestamp in the film where the studio took over. If anything, Neil Marshall's Hellboy will end up just like another comic book film that was torn apart at release and now considered by some as a cult classic, Punisher: War Zone. Like it or not, both of these films are the epitome of comic book movies, for better and for worse. Great effects at splash panel moments and questionable effects that are very reminiscent of crosshatched & quickly sketched panels. Plotwise, it's like being thrown into a Hellboy greatest hits compendium, so turn off your brain, and try and enjoy the ride. 
The silver lining to all of this is that due to the reboot's initial failure, Guillermo Del Toro's Hellboy 3 might be back on the table, so in the end, we all may get what we want.

We had high hopes for this Scottish Zombie Musical, which looked pretty entertaining from the trailers, but it ended up being something else entirely. If you didn't know this was supposed to be a horror film, you'd probably turn it off before the 30-minute mark since there are 4 very long musical numbers. Then we get our first appearance of a zombie finally indicating that this is meant to be a horror-comedy and not 'High School Musical 4: Scottish Invasion'. 

Talk about a divisive remake. The new Pet Sematary is wholly split with half of the crowd digging it and the other half wishing it had stayed dead and buried. That's right, from the directors of 'Starry Eyes' comes their take on Stephen King's classic. Does it work? Well, here’s some free advice: stop giving every twist away in the trailers.
Is it true, that sometimes dead is better? Listen to Episode 87 and find out!

​What would you do for your chance in the spotlight? This week, we're taking a look at 'Starry Eyes,' written & directed by Kevin Kolsch & Dennis Widmyer, the directors of the upcoming 'Pet Sematary' remake.
This Hollywood horror was funded partially by Kickstarter & had a slim 18-day shoot, which really just elevates this film to another level, especially when we talk about the effects work & gore. 
Remember kids, the price of fame can cost you more than you ever expected.

​Jordan Peele is back to scare the hell out of audiences with 'Us'! It apparently scared the money out of their pockets as it grossed $71.1m during its opening weekend, which broke a lot of records. 'Us' is now the largest opening weekend ever for an original horror film & for an original R-rated film. It's also the highest opening for an original film since 2009's 'Avatar', so that's really saying something. 
'Us' is a film that is very reminiscent of 'The Twilight Zone' and uses those high concept elements to significant effect. But we have to ask, is this latest film over-hyped, or does Peele deliver a worthy follow-up to 'Get Out'?

PG-13 horror gets a lot of flak from horror fans. Granted the 00’s gave us a lot of tame PG-13 WB/CW led horror films, but back in the mid 80’s when the rating was still in its infancy, things were a little different. You could have faces graphically melt away, and have characters get stabbed in the eye and it was considered okay since early 80’s PG films contained the same if not worse imagery (we’re looking at you, Indiana Jones). So, in 1987, Tibor Takacs gave us just that and introduced us to a young Stephen Dorff in his first film role as Glen in ‘The Gate’. With amazing practical effects and an absurd series of events leading to the opening of the titular gate, this film is a must-see for anyone who considers themselves a fan of 80’s horror. ​

The idea behind this grindhouse inspired film came from special effects legend Robert Kurtzman of KNB EFX Group. When Tarantino was directing Reservoir Dogs he enlisted the services of Berger for the infamous 'ear gag'. Instead of a traditional payment, Tarantino wrote the screenplay for Berger's film idea. Then Robert Rodriguez was brought on to direct this effects-driven film that spawned two prequels & a 3 season TV series. With a cast including George Clooney, Harvey Keitel, Juliette Lewis, Salma Hayek, & Tom Savini (Yes, That Tom Savini), this Vampire/Crime Thriller mashup is packed with enough talent and gore to satisfy almost any horror fan!

Popcorn is one of those films that I'm surprised actually got released. It's production issues were insane, as the lead actress was replaced 3 weeks into production with Jill Schoelen taking over. Then the director Alan Ormsby was also replaced after directing the three films within the film, with Porky's actor turned director, Mark Herrier. Subplots of the film ended up getting cut, one of them involving actual Popcorn (I'm thinking that the popcorn was like cultist kool-aid for the final scene), and famed actor Ray Walston appears for no other reason than to get a montage started. Still, Popcorn is one hell of a fun ride, with some great practical effects and killer throwbacks that any horror fan can enjoy.