Thinner (2006) #421

In his typical fashion, Stephen King takes an obvious and yet grossly over looked premise and writes a simple story that can carry an entire movie. In this case the premise is about a man who is suffering from the ill effects of a gypsy's curse in the film "Thinner". More camp than scary horror, "Thinner" is a fun movie even if you can't take it seriously. 

The star of this particular film isn't one of the actors but rather the special effects. Defense attorney Billy Halleck, played by Robert John Burke, begins the film as a very heavy set man before slowly but steadily losing weight and becoming deathly thin and frail. The fat suit isn't too obvious in the beginning but becomes so when he is reduced to the actor's actual weight. The special effects for when he continues to lose weight are pretty solid for the time, way back in the year 1996!

For me, the movie really shines in the absurdity of mob boss Ritchie Ginelli, played with cheesy zest by Joe Mantegna. His loyalty to his lawyer is commendable, and the way that he attempts to deal with the gypsies is simply hilarious. It's different, maybe not appropriate for a horror movie, but fun.

The Craft (1996)

"The Craft" was purposely cast with attractive young actors in order to attract a large audience for the box office; luckily the actors were talented as well! "The Craft" is a fun fantasy/horror film that focuses on four young women who practice witchcraft. While none of the actors in the film were standout success stories when the film came out, they did manage to find a spotlight from this movie and others that shortly followed. Both Neve Campbell and Skeet Ulrich appeared in "Scream" which came out later that year, and of course Neve appeared in the sequels and other mainstream films. Fariuza Balk would soon be seen in the awkward "Island of Dr. Moreau" and "American History X". And star Robin Tunney would have moderate success in the years to follow, including a staring role with Arnold Schwarzenegger in the action/horror movie "End of Days".

Sarah is the new girl in school and is having the typical difficulties of trying to fit in. She ends up befriending the group that she was advised to stay away from, three semi-rebellious girls who have difficulties of their own; Bonnie,who is self conscious of massive burn scars on her back, Rochelle, who is bullied by a racist cheerleader type, and Nancy, their goth leader who lives in a trailer with her mom and abusive, drunk step-dad. They embrace Sarah when Bonnie catches her balancing a pencil on it's tip during class. They tell Sarah that they are witches and have been looking for their fourth member to complete their coven. Sarah has natural powers (inherited from her mom, who died during childbirth), and joins the three. They have a breakthrough one night and actually begin casting spells. Bonnie's scars heal, Rochelle extracts revenge when the cheerleader starts losing her hair, Nancy's step-father dies and leaves her and her mom a healthy insurance settlement, and Sarah enchants a cute boy to like her. But Sarah realizes that something is wrong when the three become power hungry and the cute boy becomes obsessed and dangerous. When Sarah tries to leave the coven, she's told that she can either stay or die. Finding her inner strength, she leaves and prepares for the worst....

The Frighteners (1996)

Michael J. Fox was well known for his comedies like "Back to the Future" and "The Secret of my Success" as well as his role on the series "Family Ties". He is an actor that you would never consider starring in a horror film ("Teen Wolf" doesn't count) but here he is, starring in Peter Jackson's "The Frighteners". The film does have plenty of comedic moments but the horror elements outnumber them pretty quickly. Michael J. Fox delivers a great performance and has plenty of help with horror veterans Jeffery Combs and Dee Wallace. This would turn out to be Fox's last major starring role in a movie before he was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease.

It's crazy to imagine the fact that if Peter Jackson had not wrote and directed his ghost story "The Frigheners", he most likely would have never gone on to direct "The Lord of the Rings"! This is because he bought and used so many new computers in order to create the special effects and CGI that appear in "The Frighteners" that he had to figure out what the next project could be that would require just as many effects; a few years later he secured the rights to "The Lord of the Rings" and the rest is history.


Frank Banister is able to see and communicate with the dead spirits around him, those spirits that have not gone through the "Great White Light". He uses this ability to scam the locals of the town he lives in; his two ghost friends go to a house and start "haunting" it and he comes along and exorcises the "bad spirits" away for a hefty fee. He has his fair share of critics, including Ray, one of his most recent customers. But Frank is stunned when he sees a number scratched on Ray's forehead; Ray soon dies of a heart attack. After a rash of unexplained deaths in town, a disturbed occult expert working in the FBI comes to town and investigates Bannister, believing he is the one responsible. The agent connects the death of Bannister's wife and a series or numbers as his main proof. The real killer turns out to be the disembodied spirit of a teenage serial killer named Johnny Charles Bartlett, who has taken the guise of the Grim Reaper and is intent on becoming the most famous killer ever! Only Bannister and Ray's wife Lucy can stop the renegade spirit while trying to deal with the insane FBI agent....

From Dusk Till Dawn (1996)

There’s no doubt that the vampires in “From Dusk Till Dawn” are not your lovey dovey type of bloodsucker; they exist to drink your blood and steal your stuff. This movie presents the perfect situation for several dozen vampires to together and feed while enjoying some great tunes from the undead band. The foul beasts give the wicked Gecko Brother’s a run for the honor of being the most vile and it looks like an even race until Seth kills his baby brother (who’s been turned) and works with the family that he had taken hostage earlier in the film. So the vampires win the honor and prove that vampires can be downright nasty. 

The screenplay was written by Quentin Tarantino who also served as a co-producer and starred as the sick Gecko Brother Richard. The film also boosts a talented cast led by George Clooney and Harvey Keitel, along with Juliette Lewis, Tom Savini, Cheech Marin, and Salma Hayek. Oh, and it was directed by the one and only Robert Rodriguez!

"From Dusk Till Dawn" is about the Gecko Brothers, Seth and Richard, who are racing towards the Mexican border after committing a bank robbery and leaving several people dead in its wake. Things go from bad to worse for the brothers when Richard gives into his violent/perveted tendancies by raping and killing their hostage. With the Law closing in, Seth and Richard kidnap a family of three with consists of a pastor who has lost his faith and his two children. By gunpoint, Jacob (the father) takes the group across the border and to a truck stop where Seth has set up a meeting with a man name Carlos. They decide to spend their time waiting for Carlos inside the truck stop/strip club called "The Titty Twister". And once inside they quickly realize that they may have made the wrong decision after finding out that the truck stop is a front for a nest of sadistic, hungry vampires.

Favorite character - Tom Savini as Sex Machine. Enough said! I love (most) chances to see him on stage as well as his famous make-up creations!

Scream (1996)

By the 1990’s, stalker films had become a joke and the genre was filled with movies that only cared about killing people in more and more unusual ways and forcing a twist or concept that wasn’t very convincing. Somehow writer Kevin Williamson and director Wes Craven came up with the perfect formula that made the stalker/slasher film relevant and entertaining, introducing the sub-genre to a new generation. “Scream” is a smart movie, a movie willing to point out the formula of a horror movie in bullet points and follow each one exactly. “Scream” had an amazing cast filled with young actors that would go on and have impressive careers. “Scream” would also become its own franchise that for the most part remained somewhat clever.

“Scream” is about Sidney Prescott, a teen who has already dealt with tragedy when her mother was killed the year before. Now someone is killed off two of her classmates and comes after her the next evening. She escapes and her boyfriend Billy is arrested because he is caught at the scene of the attempted murder. When his cell phone history clears his guilt, Sidney is still unsure if she can trust him or not. She is attacked once again at the high school, prompting the principal to suspend classes until further notice; the principal is then killed in his office. One of Sidney’s friends throws a house party and there carnage escalates as more people are killed and the mystery of who the killer is becomes more blurred, because at this point anyone (except Sidney) could be the killer.

Favorite death scene – The best death scene in this film is easily the first one which involves Drew Barrymore. What makes this movie great is that the killer is human and sometimes a klutz, so when you hear each moan or see them fall or get hit, it gives a real sense of believability to it. And with Drew, your heart drops because she was so close to getting away but you knew that she woulnd’t….