I don’t know why I never got around to seeing the THE CROW sequel from the director of SIX-STRING SAMURAI. Always was curious. Still took me 19 years. Lance Mungia’s THE CROW: WICKED PRAYER, just like the previous one, was meant for theaters, but I think it only played somewhere around here? Wiki(dprayer)pedia says its theatrical run was only in Seattle and only for one week, and I do remember seeing an ad for it and being confused, but I was thinking it was in Eastern Washington. Anyway, I didn’t go.
Two Halloweens ago we discussed Tobe Hooper’s first masterpiece. This is his second. He didn’t even want to direct it at first, sort of got pushed into it, but damn did he rally. In many ways THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE 2 is the Tobe Hooperest movie ever made.
I don’t blame you if you’re skeptical during the opening scene where two obnoxious “senior boys at Wheeler High” calling themselves “Buzz and Rick the Prick” drunkenly drive a Porsche, fire guns, and harass the K-OKLA request line until they receive a drive-by chainsawing on a bridge that must’ve been built by the same people who made that endless runway from the climactic chase in FURIOUS 6. (read the rest of this shit…)
I gotta confess coming to this one from a place of cinematic ignorance. I’ve seen the original Godard movie, but I don’t remember jack shit about it. I thought it was pretty good, I believe. That’s about all I got. Still, I’m sure less people could tell you anything about the remake than everything about the original. So this makes me smart. (read the rest of this shit…)
These last couple weeks have been tough on my mental facilities. I reviewed that great new “ULTIMATE” edition of the original TEXAS CHAIN SAW MASSACRE, I also revisited parts 3 and 4 in that original series, then on Thursday I reviewed the new prequel to the remake. So by that point I’d studied and written about pretty much every angle to the whole Texas Chainsaw deal. You’d think I’d be done with it by now, but there is one final chapter: the one spinoff of the original movie that achieves its own level of True Greatness. I am talking about Tobe Hooper’s 1986 sequel, THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE 2. It’s been available on DVD for a couple years in a bare bones edition (get it, that is a pun because of all the skeletons they have) but Tuesday it comes out in a much deserved special edition with new commentaries, featurettes and deleted scenes. (read the rest of this shit…)
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Recent commentary and jibber-jabber
Aktion Figure on The Smashing Machine (2025): “Seriously, WTF does your selling of your blood have the fuck to do with anyone else? Oh, I know what…” Oct 18, 18:59
Aktion Figure on The Smashing Machine (2025): “What a hell of a thing. Weapons was really cool though.” Oct 18, 18:24
Aktion Figure on The Smashing Machine (2025): “Well… “I cannot sanction your buffoonery.” Comes to mind. I’d never come at someone for feeling like shit sucks. I…” Oct 18, 09:52
CJ Holden on The Hitcher (2007): “I have the DVD since it came out, but never watched it. But I remember that back then nobody was…” Oct 17, 22:40
Mr Majestyk on The Hitcher (2007): “No, it’s pretty bad. I always remember how, in the finale, the filmmakers utilize the endless visual possibilities of the…” Oct 17, 17:46
Skani on The Hitcher (2007): “Yeah, it occurred to me that, rather than asking, I could just read the original review that you surely wrote.…” Oct 17, 17:00
Skani on A Nightmare On Elm Street (remake): “Holy shit, that was some comment thread. Ban threats. RRA, AsimovLives, the director jumping into the thread. The only thing…” Oct 17, 16:55
VERN on The Hitcher (2007): “What I hate about the ELM STREET remake is that it’s incredibly dull! They made the choice to deal with…” Oct 17, 16:28
Skani on The Hitcher (2007): “I have never seen this and am stoked at this positive recommendation. I see this is on Peacock, so, I…” Oct 17, 15:47
A.L.F. aka Abigail on The Smashing Machine (2025): “Hello, This, most likely, will be my last posting on this forum. Vern and I obviously feel completely differently about…” Oct 17, 12:00
Andreas on I Know What You Did Last Summer (2025): “I was actually really looking forward to this sequel — I have fond memories of the original and have always…” Oct 16, 23:14
Skani on I Know What You Did Last Summer (2025): “Great review, Vern, and I’m on board with you that I liked some of the weird swings and choices they…” Oct 16, 16:47
Toxic on I Know What You Did Last Summer (2025): “Oh we got those too in France. I think there’s also one with a FIVE NIGHTS AT FREDDY character, and…” Oct 16, 15:43
Two Halloweens ago we discussed Tobe Hooper’s first masterpiece. This is his second. He didn’t even want to direct it at first, sort of got pushed into it, but damn did he rally. In many ways THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE 2 is the Tobe Hooperest movie ever made.
Boys, boys, boys–
