It’s time for Month of the Living Dead again, so here are the first two entries in what has become a venerable annual tradition:
Return of the Evil Dead (1973) — Those Satan-worshiping undead Templars are back again, as if they were never here!
Hide and Creep (2004) — At last, a rednecks vs. zombies movie that doesn’t leave you wondering which party is smarter. Not that smarts count for much in these things…
#1 by KeithA on October 2, 2008 - 9:05 am
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Hide and Creep really surprised me, coming as it did amid a glut of truly reprehensible DTV zombie flicks. It’s rare that such a film can be described as “charming,” but this one fits the bill. And for once, the “we know a lot about zombie films” self-referential parts didn’t seem like a lame attempt to deflect criticism of how bad the movie might otherwise be. I absolutely love the little scene where Keith comes home and his youngest daughter tells him, “We’ve been killing zombies,” and in that proud parent voice he says, “Well you sure have, haven’t you!” Plus, he has a great name.
#2 by Nathan Shumate on October 2, 2008 - 9:23 am
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Yes, sir. And I really hate that I watched the movie, wrote my review, and then realized that you had already reviewed the movie and said better everything I tried to say.
#3 by KeithA on October 2, 2008 - 12:40 pm
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Pish posh, lad. I feel the same way about sitting down to post a review of Future Hunters or Warriors of the Apocalypse.
#4 by Nathan Shumate on October 2, 2008 - 12:52 pm
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You are a gentleman, if a liar. Our fight to the death for supremacy can wait until another day.
#5 by Blake Matthews on October 2, 2008 - 1:21 pm
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Loved your reviews. Stupid question based on my inherent need for comparisons, did you enjoy “Return of the Evil Dead” more than Fulci’s and Lenzi’s zombie movies?
#6 by Nathan Shumate on October 2, 2008 - 1:39 pm
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Well, Lenzi’s movies aren’t really good for much except a round of home-brewed MTS3K with an Italian accent. And I don’t know if I can compare Fulci and de Ossorio — the latter’s strength really lies in expectant dread, while the latter’s movies never really get started until someone loses an eye.
#7 by KeithA on October 2, 2008 - 3:32 pm
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I always felt the both directors would have made excellent painters, or perhaps directors of silent films. The ability to create truly eerie and effective imagery ranks at the top of any list. Unfortunately, it takes more than images to create a whole film.
#8 by Blake Matthews on October 2, 2008 - 4:13 pm
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Which brings up a curiosity of mine, Keith. When I started reading your site back 2000, you seemed pretty gung ho about Italian horror. I’ve read bits and pieces of comments of yours these days that have given me the impression that they haven’t always aged as well. Is this true?
#9 by Nathan Shumate on October 2, 2008 - 4:20 pm
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Before you turn that big Consistency Gun on me next, Blake, I disclaim anything I wrote more than 18 months ago.
#10 by Blake Matthews on October 2, 2008 - 4:32 pm
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I just get surprised when I see an old review of Suspiria saying it’s one of the greatest horror films ever made and then a comment saying that it’s worse than Hitler. Besides, I’m filling your blog with comments and showing that I care about the stuff you write. 🙂
#11 by KeithA on October 2, 2008 - 9:49 pm
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The worse than Hitler comment was a joke. I still love Italian horror, but that doesn’t mean I’m blind (dead) to the faults it so often possesses. But where as some people consider them the reason the films are so rotten, I consider them the reason the films are so enjoyable. They’re a fun counter-balance to old British horror films I love so dearly and which are so concerned with men of reason figuring things out.
#12 by Blake Matthews on October 3, 2008 - 6:58 am
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Do I have to pay any sort of penance for my consistence gun drive-by? Tally ho!
#13 by KeithA on October 3, 2008 - 8:37 am
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‘ROund these parts, buddy, there’s only one penance: Zombie Lake.
#14 by Nathan Shumate on October 3, 2008 - 9:11 am
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Unless you think you can withstand… [organ sting]… French Cinema. [clap of thunder]
#15 by Blake Matthews on October 3, 2008 - 9:57 am
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“Unless you think you can withstand… [organ sting]… French Cinema. [clap of thunder]”
I survived Jean de Florette, Manon of the Spring, Les Visiteurs, and Ridicule.
#16 by Nathan Shumate on October 3, 2008 - 10:03 am
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I still have my screener disc of I Stand Alone. I use it as a threat.
#17 by Blake Matthews on October 3, 2008 - 10:34 am
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I went back and read that review. Uhhh…yeah. It seems like the type of movie that makes a person consider the advantages of hunting human beings for sport.