Charles W Jones

Come to daddy. Frank Hellraiser (1987) is the first adaptation of Clive Barker’s novella Hellbound Heart; he’s also responsible for the screenplay and direction of the film. The dark eroticism of this film and the original story is what draws me to this world. Once inside, the terror of what is happening kicks in, and I no longer want to be in the beautiful box. It’s too late, though, and I must accept my fate. (Gladly) Christopher Young holds as much responsibility for how this movie feels as Clive. Without the chilling soundtrack to go along with the visuals, the film wouldn’t be as riveting. Each element intermingles, making me feel something extraordinary that I don’t often feel from movies. The effects are exceptional, everything from the blood seeping into the wood floor to the detail of the Lead Cenobite’s make-up (hold on, I’ll talk about that in a second). Frank has this rough trade kind of sexual attraction to him while his brother Larry is opposite with his brutal blandness,...

Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers (1995) unveils who the Man in Black is in the previous movie and this one, and what happened to Michael and Jamie. I like the explanation of why Michael does what he does, it’s a really fucked up way, but it makes sense; the power of Thorn. But that’s not to say everything was resolved for me, they also added another sick question. Is Michael the father of Jamie’s baby? And where did the mark of Thorn come from? I don’t remember it in any of the other films. I liked how they brought back Danny from the first two episodes, it added a nice tie in and closure. That is until the end, I’m not going to say it, but of course they had to leave it open. The gore hits a good level for me and is not overdone. The screams are good and the uncomfortable feelings of finding Michael outside in the shadows watching are always my favorite bits in this series. This is also the last movie with the original Dr. Sam Loomis, because he died in real life. I give thi...

Wishmaster (1997) is the first and the best in the four movie franchise, probably because Wes Craven made this one, but not the others. There’s some great cameos and supporting roles by actors from other horror movies, which was fun to see them in different roles, though it’s always strange to see Robert Englund in any role but Freddy Krueger. I’m not going to say much about this one, because I did really like it. The story is pretty solid, the effects good, and acting better than some movies in this genre during the late 90s. I give the first Wishmaster installment 4 out of 5 Stars; you’ll enjoy it. Wishmaster 2: Evil Never Dies (1999) continues the series, starting with an art gallery being robbed, and there’s a shoot out with the thieves, one of which gets shot and the other shoots and kills the guard. During the gunfight, a statue is hit by a stray bullet with the opal in it. Of course, the thief takes it, and escapes. There are some strange inconsistencies like when the boyfriend...

Today is Madonna’s birthday, so I figured I’d throw together some reviews of a few of her movies. I hear the question in your mind, How is a horror author and fan a Madonna fan? The answer is simple. She’s fabulous. Inspiration comes from so many places, adding to the strange and interesting facets of who I am. Then again, no one should be surprised by what I like or don’t; I’m a huge Doris Day fan, too. Now, on to the Madonna Movie Marathon. I think my problem with Desperately Seeking Susan (1985) when it came out was that it was touted as the Madonna Movie. That never made sense to me since Madonna was in very few scenes, which disappointed the fuck out of me. Thirty-plus years later, I’ve finally let that go, making this film much more satisfying and enjoyable. The story revolves around mistaken identity because of a jacket with a pyramid on the back that belonged to Jimmy Hendricks or Elvis Presley depending upon whom you ask. Roberta buys the jacket, and that is where the fun be...

Taking this journey of finding a classic horror movie to share with you each Thursday has been one exciting adventure. I came across Spellcaster (1992) in the listing for Comet TV, and having never heard of it, I did a bit of digging to find out what it was. To my dismay, there is very little information, even on Wikipedia; they don’t even have a cast list, but at least IMdb had that. I did learn with the bits of knowledge that it was made in 1987, but due to financial shortcomings it wasn’t released until 1992. It’s obvious that this was made in the 80s based on the style, hair, and it is quite evident from the opening scene of a weird 80s music video of Cassandra Castle (Bunty Bailey) promoting her new song. The next thing I know, I hear a man’s voice that I instantly recognize from SiriusXM, and sure enough it’s Richard Blade playing Rex the VJ. I didn’t have any expectations that I’d be surprised or shocked by what came in the following scenes, but to my delight they actually spent...

The second Clive Barker story I read was Cabal (I still have the 1 st Edition Hardcover I bought when I was in college), and to my delight in 1990 Nightbreed was released on the big screen. It is the first movie that I’m conscious of seeing that was adapted from a book; with Hellraiser, I saw it before I read it. The creatures in Nightbreed are amazing in their own way, and they translated nicely from print to screen. The antagonist, while one would think are the creatures hiding in the catacombs below a cemetery, is unexpected to the characters but as a viewer/reader it isn’t as unexpected, which I don’t mind not having a big secret and I think that is why this was a such a popular book with many in the LGBT community at the time, and the fact that the author is gay probably contributed as well. Nightbreed hits the top 5 of my favorite Clive Barker stories (it’s #3, Weaveworld is #1), and I give this movie adaptation 4.5 out of 5 Stars.

Lord of Illusions (1995) is a strange one indeed. While it carries a few of the characters from Clive Barker’s short story The Last Illusion, that is it, but it doesn’t stop me for enjoying both equally. Besides, it’s not like Hellraiser is an exact translation of Hellbound Heart. The story follows Harry D’Amour’s investigation into the death of Philip Swann, thirteen years after he imprisoned the Puritan. Since I try to stay away from spoilers, even with older movies, that is all I’m going to say about the storyline. I find it interesting that the stuff pinned to the board in D’Amour’s office is linked to The Great and Secret Show, but nothing else is every mentioned, and we definitely didn’t get a movie for it or Everville. At the time of it’s release, I wasn’t sure about Scott Bakula being cast for D’Amour, because of his role in Quantum Leap. My mind quickly changed, the first time he appeared on the screen. The graphic effects in this movie are very cool and not overdone as many ...

After not seeing The Evil Dead (1981) in a while, I’d forgotten that it was a low budget horror film, but that doesn’t matter because Sam Raimi utilized everything he had available to him to make this an extraordinary masterpiece. As I watch it for the n-th time, I get to go back in time and see a young Bruce Campbell in his nerdy role of Ash Williams. The pictures in the book still give me chills, as does the freaky dagger. The effects are better than one would expect from 1981, and they utilize stop-motion animation; I’ve seen worse from films with larger budgets from the same year. The make-up is gross and creepy, so they didn’t do too bad. I love Cheryl’s over-dramatic scene in the woods when they discover the bridge is out; the trees having their way with her is awesome, too. Of course, everything only gets better from there. Based on the ending of The Evil Dead, back in the day, I wasn’t sure that a second one would be a thing, and then six years later came Evil Dead 2: Dead by D...

I don’t know about you, but I’m excited about the upcoming Pet Sematary remake, and I’m not a big advocate of remakes. However, they do serve the purpose of getting the story out there again; I wonder if the hope is that viewers will find the original and watch it too. Well, in preparation I’m watching both movies, and telling you my thoughts; I’ve never seen the Two, so this should be interesting. Pet Sematary (1989) has always been a favorite of mine, and I’ve seen and read the book a few times over the years. The simplicity of the story is probably one of the biggest reasons it hits the top of my list. The fear of death and what happens after we die is the main topic, swirled with the dark wish to never lose the ones we love. Just remember, sometimes dead is better . I cringe every time I see Gage chasing the kite string into the road…it’s probably one of the most emotional, heart-wrenching scenes that I’ve ever read or seen. Gage is just as creepy before he dies, though, his voice ...