The_King_of_Cool Reviews

Columbo: Murder in Malibu (1990) Season 9, Episode 6

Not the train wreck described but a very meh episode.

[5/10 · 30 April 2023]

Most of the other reviews positive or subpar more or less summed everything up. What ll add is Murder in Malibu isn't as awful as some reviews cite but it's far from one of the better episodes. Peter Falk not withstanding the acting is quite subpar like many reviews cite. Im not familiar with the cast besides Andrew Stevens. While not a favorite or anything but he's an ok actor. No idea what happened here. It could be me but production values seemed a little less than other episodes. There's a decent twist or 2 but it's still just an ok episode by no means good but not unwatchable either.

DWK.

Suspicion (1941)

About that ending

[8/10 · 26 January 2022]

Looking at some reviews on Suspicion it seems many have sort of missed the point. I've never read the novel it's based on so that won't factor in.

Very briefly on the film. The first 20-minutes or so are more romantic comedy (silly comedy). While not terrible but I can't say I was all that invested either. However, once Cary Grant & Joan Fontaine are married the film begins to pick up and by the end of the picture I really enjoyed it. Despite the semi-rough start, Suspicion is in my top 10 Alfred Hitchcock films.

As for the ending. Any fan of films from this era should be well aware of the Hays Code. There were a lot of restrictions, but the best filmmakers found ways of working around them and made some dark films and sexually charged films. However, certain areas couldn't be worked around. If you're a criminal even if you have morals, aren't cold blooded you still had to go down. Suspicion well, Hitchcock sort of found a way around that. We know Cary Grant is a schemer and when caught he'll lie. When caught in that lie, he'll come up with another lie. His friend played by Nigel Bruce even passes a remark how quickly Grant can come up with a lie.

So in the end when Grant comes clean to Fontaine, how do we know it's actually true? Throughout the entire film he's lied and lied some more so why now should we believe him? And just prior to that it isn't even made clear if Grant is trying to push Fontaine out of the car or save her. So I have to laugh when people complain about the ending. It's left up to the viewer decide if Grant is just a schemer or a schemer capable of murder?

The ending is enough to appease the Hays Code and enough for those that perhaps don't wanna see Grant as a killer. But it's still left totally open. Again despite his explanation the film very much set up that Grant lies and will lie his way out of a lie when caught. While Suspicion as mentioned would make my top 10 Hitchcock films but I think this might have his best ending and I'd go as far to say maybe the best ending for a film during the Hays Code as Hitchcock found a way around it and it's left to the viewer to decide on what's true and what isn't.

So in closing, as I said I found the opening 20-minutes to be very much average at best. Nothing was really gripping me and while watchable it was shaping up to be a decent film but a lesser Hitchcock. But eventually like a master craftsman, Hitchcock really hooked me and by the way it started I never thought by end it would be among my favorite Hitchcock films.

Vampyr (1932)

Odd and compelling.

[8/10 · 21 December 2020]

VAMPYR

*** ½ Out of 5

Tagline-

Release Date- May 6th, 1932

Running Time- 73-Minutes

Rating- NR

Screenplay- Christen Jul & Carl TH. Dreyer

Director- Carl TH. Dreyer

Starring- Julian West, Maurice Schultz, Rena Mandel, Sybille Schmitz, Jan Hieronikko

Released in 1932 Vampyr easily rates as one of the oddest horror films ever produced and was unlike anything that I've seen from the 1930s. The most interesting aspect of the film is it's both a silent film and sound film. There's a few scenes with inter-titles and that's more or less how we learn what's going on, but yet there's also dialogue. However dialogue is generally minimal and the film does for the most part play out like a silent film. Vampyr was the first (sort of) sound picture made by Carl TH. Dreyer and he actually took a couple of years off to learn about making sound pictures, though with that said apparently at one point Dreyer wanted to make Vampyr as a silent. There were a lot of filmmakers that never seemed fully comfortable in the sound era such as F. W. Murnau (Nosferatu, Sunrise) as he only made two sound films prior to his tragic and untimely death, but those two films also had alternate silent versions (which was semi common in the early sound era), but silent films were Murnau's preferred style, though had he lived longer, at some point he would have had no choice except to make the transition to sound. There were reports that even Tod Browning at first felt uncomfortable with sound when he directed Dracula in 1931, which was Browning's 2nd sound film. While Dracula is a great film, but the strongest moments in Dracula are the ones with no dialogue where it almost plays out like a silent film. Though, Tod Browning would get more comfortable in the sound era and direct some wonderful and underrated films. As I mentioned Vampyr is unlike any film that I've seen from the 1930s with the eerie imagery and offbeat nature of the film it's truly a one of a kind film not just for the 1930s, but any era. Vampyr when originally released received mostly negative reviews and was more or less a failure, which isn't really a surprise as Vampyr is so offbeat and odd, I can only imagine what audiences and critics were thinking when this was originally released. But over the years Vampyr has become a cult favorite with some hailing the film as a masterpiece, but with that said it's not a movie for everyone as it's bound to split viewers as there's little plot and the film lacks any logic, but it's like a dream that makes zero sense as it's a little creepy, weird and even a little confusing, but there's just something very compelling about the film with the imagery and camera work. The look of the film is what really elevates it and gives it this surreal dreamlike atmosphere. Despite the acclaim Vampyr has received in the modern era there's also those that just don't quite see why it's held in such high regard and I really can't defend the film from its detractors as I can easily see their point and while I don't hold Vampyr as in high regard as some, but for me, despite lacking any logic and making little sense at times, but again there's just something creepy, unsettling and compelling about Vampyr and it would rate as one of my favorite horror films. I first saw Vampyr on TCM during a very late night showing and while a little tired, I think it actually added to the movie for me and made it a little more bizarre than it already is and it's one of those films I never forgot after seeing it.

The screenplay was written by Christen Jul & Carl TH. Dreyer and it's clear plot wasn't very important to them as there's really very little in the way of plotting and as mentioned dialogue is mostly kept minimal and most conversations are quite odd and brief and more often than not it doesn't always make sense. It isn't until roughly the 40-minute mark that dialogue picks up a bit, but after a couple of minutes it goes right back to little or no dialogue. Vampyr isn't a film that relies on writing as there's an idea in place, but as mentioned nothing really ever makes total sense and what is explained doesn't have a whole lot of depth, but yet in some odd way the screenplay works quite well as it's just so weird.

Director Carl TH. Dreyer was born Carl Theodor Dreyer on February 3rd, 1889 in Copenhagen, Denmark and by many is considered one of the greatest filmmakers of all time. Unlike most filmmakers from the silent era, Carl TH. Dreyer has remained a little more well known than most as quite a few of his silent films are available on home video (as well as some of his sound films). The silent era unfortunately has 75% to 85% (perhaps even more) of the films made now lost with perhaps the most notable lost film London After Midnight (directed by Tod Browning and starring Lon Chaney). The good portion of the films directed by F.W. Murnau are lost or at best a reel or two at most surviving. The good portion of the filmography of Lon Chaney is lost though thankfully many of his better films were preserved (London After Midnight excluded). But Carl Dreyer has faired a little better, which has like I said kept him a little more known than other filmmakers from the silent era. As mentioned Vampyr was the first sound film from Dreyer and oddly enough the beginning of the end of his career as he'd mostly be inactive with long stretches between films. Dreyer, made his first feature film in 1919 with the President and over the next several years he'd direct a number of films, but his biggest success came in 1928 with the Passion of Joan of Arc, which at the time of its release was highly praised and the acclaim continued in the decades that followed. Four years after the Passion of Joan of Arc, Vampyr would be released. Carl TH. Dreyer really does craft a film unlike any other from the 1930s and I really can't stress that enough. Vampyr as I said is weird, offbeat with eerie imagery and an interesting visual style. All these aspects make Vampyr quite an eerie and creepy little film and while Dreyer does make an excellent film, but there are some minor pace issues and the fact certain aspects of the film doesn't always make a whole lot of sense can to some degree make the film a little frustrating. However, the fact Vampyr doesn't always make sense and lacks logic at times, but as mentioned it does give the film an odd dreamlike feel as the film is always a little odd and creepy. While Vampyr does have some pace issues, but generally though the pace is fairly strong as a whole as the bizarre nature of the film almost always keeps it interesting and running at only 73-minutes the film does move along nicely with a couple of lulls here and there, but even with some pace issues, Dreyer crafts a fascinating film. After Vampyr, Dreyer wouldn't direct another film until 1943 with Day of the Wrath and his next film was in 1945 with Two People. After that, Dreyer wouldn't direct another film until 1955 and his next film after that would be in 1964 with Gertrud, which was his final feature film. During the years he wasn't directing films in the 40s and 50s, Dreyer did direct a couple of short films. Carl TH. Dreyer would pass away March 20th, 1968 at the age of 79 in Frederiksberg, Denmark.

Another thing that's interesting about Vampyr is the use of music, which plays throughout almost the entire film with only a couple of gaps. While music and film go hand in hand, but at one point music was limited to the opening and closing credits. It wasn't until a few years later films would have music at different points throughout, so the use of music does make Vampyr an interesting film in film history.

Star of the film Julian West was born Nicolas de Grunzburg on December 12th, 1904 in Paris, France and came from a very wealthy family. West agreed to finance Vampyr in exchange for the lead role and this was his only feature film (that goes for many of the cast members). Julian West would later emigrate to the United States, first to California and than New York where he'd remain the rest of his life. Julian West would go onto work in publishing as an editor for Harper's Bazaar and later editor in chief for Town and Country. West would also serve as a mentor to high profile designers such as Oscar de la Renta and Calvin Klein. Julian West would pass away February 20th, 1981 at the age of 76 in a hospital in New York City.

Overall Vampyr is quite a remarkable film as it's truly unlike any film produced in the 1930s and it isn't difficult to see why Vampyr was a failure upon its original release in 1932. Even in the decades that followed Vampyr has remained an odd film, but has become a cult favorite and is held in fairly high regard. While the plotting doesn't always make a lot of sense, but the visuals give Vampyr an eerie dreamlike feel, which helps elevate the film. Vampyr is one of those films like a dream that doesn't fully make sense, but yet it's odd and creepy and sticks in your head. The strongest aspect of the film is when it plays out like a silent film and too bad a silent version wasn't created. Vampyr is no doubt a film that will divide many, but it's an offbeat and creepy little film and while not perfect, but is mainly effective. Vampyr to me is among the best horror films produced in the 1930s and deserves the acclaim it would later receive.

Prom Night IV: Deliver Us from Evil (1991)

Barley rises to average

[5/10 · 13 July 2019]

PROM NIGHT IV: DELIVER US FROM EVIL

*** Out of 5

Tagline- They Ditched Their Prom for a Private Party. Now It's Their Last Dance.

Release Date- May 13th, 1992

Running Time- 89-Minutes

Rating- R

Screenplay- Richard Beattie

Director- Clay Borris

Starring- Nikki de Boer, Alden Kane, Joy Tanner, Alle Ghadban

Released in 1992 Prom Night IV: Deliver Us from Evil is the 4th and final film in the franchise (excluding the remake). The Prom Night series is sort of an anthology as only 2-3 connect and even those 2 films don't directly tie into each other except the Mary Lou character, any other connection is quite minor and basically you wouldn't need to see the 2nd part to understand the 3rd. While the original Prom Night was a slasher film and one of the first produced in the wake of the success of Halloween, the 2nd film Hello Mary Lou: Prom Night II went in a different direction with the series and owes a bit to the Elm Street franchise. As mentioned outside of Mary Lou, Prom Night III: Last Kiss is its own film, but does continue with the more supernatural. Here with the 4th film, the Mary Lou plot is dropped and this part goes back to the slasher style of the original. The only real connection between all of the Prom Night films is they're all set at Hamilton High. I really can't confess to being a huge fan of the series and while I like the original and to me it's the best of the series, but I don't hold it in as high regard as other slasher fans. Even though I like the original, but it wouldn't be in my top 10 slasher films and I mostly enjoyed Prom Night II. The one thing I do like about the series is the anthology aspect as I like the idea of all these things happening within the high school. Prom Night IV is generally seen as the weakest of the series, though some list the 3rd film. But based on what I've seen, the 3rd would just edge out this one. I can't argue with the negative reviews for Prom Night IV since I don't exactly disagree with them, but I also feel Prom Night IV gets too many poor reviews. Prom Night IV is the very definition of a middle of the road film. I don't think it's as awful as some, but it's also not very good either. But I'm a little surprised at how many negative reviews are out there as this is basically an 80s slasher produced in 1992. You name the slasher cliche, no doubt Prom Night IV has it. Perhaps, that's a reason for the subpar reviews, but many slasher films have copied each other and the first 4 Friday the 13th films are more or less the same with 2 being almost a remake of the original. By the time the 4th Prom Night was released, the slasher film was basically dead. The peak of these films were in the early 80s and while by the mid-80s, the popularity was fading, but there was still enough life left for these films to be produced at a fairly high rate throughout the decade. There were still a few left trying to squeeze out one last cent, but the slasher film was basically dead until Scream was released in 1996. If Prom Night IV had come out a decade earlier I think while it still wouldn't be seen as a slasher classic, but I do think it would be better received.

In 1957 Father Jonas (Carver) murdered two teens on prom night and after that he's locked away by the church and heavily medicated. Flash forward to prom night 1992, Jonas escapes and sets his sights on 4 teens that ditched the prom to have a party of their own at a summer house.

The screenplay was written by Richard Beattie and his first writing credit was in 1987 with Blindside, which interestingly enough was directed by Paul Lynch, the director of the original Prom Night. Beattie would also write No Contest II also directed by Lynch. While most of Beattie's films aren't very well known though some may have a cult following, but his most notable work would be writing a few DTV films, which starred Steven Seagal, such as Maximum Conviction, Force of Execution, Mercenary: Absolution and Cartels. The writing for Prom Night IV is slasher 101 as it seems upon being hired to write the script, Beattie went on a slasher movie marathon as the script is strictly by the books and sticks to every slasher movie convention, which in someways is the scripts biggest issue as everything here has been done before and done better, but for me it does bring a sense of familiarity to the film, which rather than hurt, makes things a little more enjoyable for me. The characters are the standard ones seen in countless other stalk and slash films and aren't strong enough to carry the film during the lulls in action. Father Jonas also seems to have magical powers as simply by waving his crucifix he can start fires and one has to wonder why he didn't just do that to the characters he was after as in that case he would have killed them all. Most slasher films won't often be cited for strong writing with a few exceptions, but Beattie's script is no better or worse than the good bulk of these films released in the 80s even if it doesn't work as well.

Prom Night IV was directed by Clay Borris and if the writing was slasher 101 that best describes the direction as like the script, Borris as director sticks to every single slasher movie convention. The good portion of the films directed by Clay Borris are fairly unknown with really only Prom Night IV being the most notable. He's also directed a number of TV movies and TV shows such as several episodes of Forever Knight. Borris has also worked as a 2nd unit director on the already mentioned No Contest II and he also served that role on Wrong Turn. After a quick start with a fairly well put together death sequence, the film slows down and here Borris really doesn't get much going and while the script also falters a bit as characters are simply not strong enough to carry the picture, but Borris doesn't really set much of a tone and the pace does lag for a good portion of the middle as both the writing and directing rely on the standard slasher tropes, but there's never any feel of a real threat until Jonas shows up and despite a terrific isolated setting, Borris doesn't create enough suspense or tension, but at the very least at least to me, he does keep the film watchable even if never engaging. The good bulk of the action kicks in during the final act and Borris handles these scenes a little better, but again they just suffer from being done before and more effectively.

Overall Prom Night IV: Deliver Us from Evil has its moments, but not enough to make this anything other than an average at best film. While I fully understand the negative reviews, but I also feel it's a little better than its reputation (though not by a whole lot). Nicole de Boer in an early role is solid, but her character is very much the definition of the final girl, but de Boer is solid in her role as is Joy Tanner as she brings a lot of spunk to the role and with de Boer is the main reason for me Prom Night IV remained watchable. The very same year this was released there was another film that has a couple of similar ideas and that would be Happy Hell Night, which despite being released in 1992 was apparently filmed around 1989, but Prom Night IV and Happy Hell Night have similar ideas, only real difference is Happy Hell Night aims for more comedy as the killer is a poor mans Freddy Krueger.

Orgy of the Dead (1965)

Silly fun

[5/10 · 13 July 2019]

ORGY OF THE DEAD

*** Out of 5

Tagline- Come. Let Me Take You in My Golden Arms!

Release Date- June 1st, 1965

Running Time- 92-Minutes

Rating- NR

Screenplay- Ed Wood

Director- A.C. Stephen

Starring- Criswell, Fawn Silver, Pat Barringer, William Bates, Nadejda Dobrev

Released in 1965 Orgy of the Dead comes from the mind of Ed Wood as he's the writer of the screenplay and the novel the film is based off (though the novel was published after the film apparently). Ed Wood of course has been dubbed the worst director (he isn't) and while he wasn't the director of Orgy of the Dead, but everything here is classic Ed Wood material. Orgy of the Dead would fit into the nudie cuties genre and it's also linked with the horror genre and while the structure of the film isn't really horror, but the film is quite horrific! Basically Orgy of the Dead is 92-minutes of topless women dancing in a cemetery. There's no real plot, but only a hint of one and really this film serves no purpose other than to have topless women dancing throughout. The women are all quite attractive, so you won't get any complaints from me, but after awhile it actually does get tiresome, but with Wood's hilariously bad screenplay, the very poor acting, all this makes Orgy of the Dead quite a charming picture. While I'm no expert on the career of Ed Wood, but I have great admiration for him. While he was alive and active, his films really weren't very well known nor were his novels. It was only after his death in 1978, that Ed Wood went onto cult stardom. Ed Wood, never let failure detract him from making films and writing novels and he clearly had a love for what he was doing as he wasn't making any money. Ed Wood had imagination and while his films mostly worked on the so bad it's good level, but I've seen films that have zero redeeming qualities and to be honest Wood's Bride of the Monster wasn't bad at all. It's no worse than many of the low budget horror films of the 50s and had it been released in the 40s, it would easily fit in with the poverty row films.

As I mentioned there's very little plot. The tiny hint of a plot is writer Bob (Bates) is trying to come up with ideas for his latest horror novel, so logically he plans to go to a cemetery at night for inspiration, with him is his girlfriend Shirley (Barringer in a dual role as she also plays 'Gold Girl'). However, after a car accident, the two reach the cemetery and hear music playing, staying out of sight they see the Emperor (Criswell) and the Black Ghoul (Silver) having some sort of bizarre dance party or whatever one would describe it as. Soon however, Bob and Shirley are captured and are next in line to be victims.

That's basically your plot as the script by Ed Wood has zero structure and I'd love to get a hold of the novel, but finding Ed Wood's novels are nearly impossible with the exception of a couple. Orgy of the Dead features shockingly awful dialogue, made even funnier by the awful acting as this is one of the ultimate so bad it's good movies. The script, is meant to be light and fun, but yet the humor still feels unintentional. The very couple of scenes not played light are still quite funny with the silly dialogue. We even get the Mummy (Louis Ojena) and Wolfman (John Andrews) mixed in to add more comedic bits, but the script was already quite hysterical, but these two though help add even more to the silly and extremely absurd nature of the film. Ed Wood made his first feature film in 1953 with the infamous Glen or Glenda, which deals with a transvestite, which was sort of an autobiography, as Ed Wood would dress in drag, which horrified his first wife when she found out, which lead to their divorce. In 1954 Wood directed Jail Bait and in 1955 the already mentioned Bride of the Monster, which featured Bela Lugosi in his final speaking role. While no horror classic, but Bride of the Monster isn't nearly as bad as its reputation and really isn't a bad film. In 1959 Ed Wood directed Plan 9 from Outer Space, which has been dubbed the worst movie ever made, but truth be told, there's far worse films than Plan 9 and while no doubt Plan 9 isn't a well put together film and yes it's s hack job, but you'll be hard pressed to find a film that's more entertaining. Also in 1959, Wood directed Night of the Ghouls, but unable to pay the lab fee, Night of the Ghouls would go unreleased until the early 80s. In 1960 Ed Wood directed the Sinister Urge and after that he would only write as his next directed film wouldn't be until 1970. Ed Wood also worked within the adult film industry. Ed Wood would pass away December 10th, 1978 at the age of 54.

Orgy of the Dead was directed Stephen C. Apostolof under the name A.C. Stephen and this was his first feature film. The good portion of Apostolof's work has been forgotten in time and if anything his most notable work would be those he made with Ed Wood as besides Orgy of the Dead, Apostolof directed Drop Out Wife, the Class Reunion, the Snow Bunnies, the Cocktail Hostesses, Fugitive Girls and the Beach Bunnies with all those films written by Ed Wood. Out of all the films they worked on together Fugitive Girls also known as 5 Loose Women would probably be the best known of all their work together and along with Orgy of the Dead the most known films directed by Stephen C. Apostolof, but even those two films are underground. It's quite difficult to really get into the direction as it's more or less the same scene over and over again only with different women dancing. The bizarre nature of the film keeps it oddly watchable, well that and the silly script, while Apostolof basically delivers a hack job, but yet he also crafts a film that again is oddly watchable and charming, though I'd give more credit to Ed Wood's silly dialogue and the wooden acting, but Stephen C. Apostolof also deserves some credit for delivering a fun bad movie. Stephen C. Apostolof would pass away August 14th, 2005 at the age of 77.

Overall Orgy of the Dead is a fun film that works on the so bad it's good level. The script is while meant to be fun, but as I mentioned it still comes across as unintentional. Orgy of the Dead is 92-minutes of topless women dancing and it does get tiresome after awhile, but like I said Orgy of the Dead is oddly charming.

Friday the 13th: The Series: And Now the News (1988) Season 2, Episode 3

Fair

[6/10 · 19 September 2017]

Episode 3: And Now the News- ***

This time around Ryan & Micki are on the search for an antique clock radio, which a doctor in an insane asylum is using to further advance her career. Overall a fair episode the only issue here is the plot seems a little under developed, but all in all its a good, but not great episode. This episode was directed by Bruce Pittman best known for directing Hello Mary Lou: Prom Night II and sticking with the Prom Night II connection the star of the film Wendy Lyon appears on this episode.

Friday the 13th: The Series: Vanity's Mirror (1988) Season 1, Episode 15

Solid episode.

[7/10 · 17 September 2017]

Episode 15: Vanity's Mirror- *** ½

When an unpopular less than attractive girl comes a across a compact that by shining the light in someone's face will make them fall in love with the person she uses it to exact revenge on her bullies, but then uses it to get the man of her dreams who happens to be her sisters boyfriend. This is one of the more popular episodes of the series and while I enjoyed it I wouldn't rate it as highly as some; it does make for a fun watch and one of the few episodes that was left open at the end. It would be followed up in the episode Face of Evil in season 2.

Friday the 13th: The Series: The Pirate's Promise (1988) Season 1, Episode 22

Fairly good.

[6/10 · 17 September 2017]

Episode 22: The Pirate's Promise- ***

When a man uses a cursed foghorn to call upon the ghost of a pirate, the pirate will give him gold for killing the descendants of his crew. Once everyone is dead he will receive lost treasure. The setting is a small fishing town and while it has a semi-eerie feel the pacing is also a little sluggish and towards the end it does drag on a bit. The episode also seems to draw some inspiration from Carpenter's the Fog. I used to really love this episode, but it doesn't hold up, but despite the sluggish pacing it's fairly enjoyable. This episode only features Ryan and Micki.

Friday the 13th: The Series: The Inheritance (1987) Season 1, Episode 1

Very good start.

[7/10 · 16 September 2017]

Episode 1: The Inheritance- *** ½

Solid Pilot episode; two cousins, Ryan (LeMay) & Micki (Robey) inherit an antique store owned by their uncle who made a deal with the devil that all objects in the store are cursed, but he's killed when he tries to back out on the deal; Ryan & Micki meet Jack Marshak (Wiggins) and when they figure out what's going on they attempt to get the objects back starting with a cursed doll; while slow in some spots it does a good job at the introduction of the characters and concept, which is tough to do in only 45-minutes. While not perfect it's a solid start. Look for an 8-year old Sarah Polley in a vital role.

The pilot episode was directed William Fruet who directed the cult classic Killer Party.

Friday the 13th: The Series: The Poison Pen (1987) Season 1, Episode 2

OK episode.

[5/10 · 16 September 2017]

Episode 2: The Poison Pen- ***

The trio attempts to get back a cursed quill pen that when used whatever is written comes true. Fairly good episode, what works well is the scenes with Ryan and Micki, besides that this one falls a bit flat at times. The one thing that bothers me, while maybe silly is Ryan and Micki go undercover as Monks to get back a cursed pen. How anyone can mistake Micki for a guy is beyond me. Despite the flaws the episode works well and is still setting up the premise and characters.

Friday the 13th: The Series: Cupid's Quiver (1987) Season 1, Episode 3

One of the weaker episodes.

[5/10 · 16 September 2017]

Episode 3: Cupid's Quiver- ** ½

This episode has the trio on search for a cupid statue that when used the person will fall in love with them, but that person then has to be killed. Weak episode, but I'll cut it some slack since its only episode 3 and the concept and characters are still being developed, but this one is mostly boring. The idea was solid, but just doesn't fully work.

Directed by Atom Egoyan who directed the film the Sweet Hereafter, which earned him an Oscar nomination for best director and screenplay for adapted material.

Friday the 13th: The Series: A Cup of Time (1987) Season 1, Episode 4

Average at best.

[5/10 · 16 September 2017]

Episode 4: A Cup of Time- ***

Overall a pretty good episode, which revolves around a cursed tea cup that gives the person using it youth; overall a well-done episode, but my only complaint is Ryan figures out who's behind it a little too easy. But this was a solid episode overall and again still setting up the concept and characters.

Barbara Sachs the writer of this episode was a supervising producer during the 1st and 2nd seasons and was an associate producer on Friday the 13thPart VII: The New Blood & Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan.

Friday the 13th: The Series: Scarecrow (1988) Season 1, Episode 11

One of the best of the season.

[7/10 · 16 September 2017]

Episode 11: Scarecrow- ****

This is when the show started to find its groove after a sluggish start in finding its identity; the first season had some of the weakest episodes, but also some of the strongest and this was one of the stronger episodes. This one has a slasher movie feel with the cursed object being you guessed it a scarecrow. This only features Ryan and Micki and we also get into Ryan's backstory, which plays a large part later in the series. While the pacing can be a little sluggish and the idea isn't fully realized, the small town setting serves up for an eerie feel and the killer scarecrow does provide some nice suspense. Overall an excellent episode and like I said the start of the show fully kicking into high gear. Think of this as a 45-minute slasher film.

Friday the 13th: The Series: Hellowe'en (1987) Season 1, Episode 5

Fan favorite, but I found OK.

[5/10 · 16 September 2017]

Episode 5: Hellowe'en- ** ½

Uncle Lewis (R.G. Armstrong) attempts at coming back to life and it's up to Micki, Ryan and Jack to stop him. Decent episode, but the plot seems to mostly drag; the saving grace again is the characters that keep this one interesting. R.G. Armstrong appears as Uncle Lewis, this was his 2nd of many appearances.

Friday the 13th: The Series: The Great Montarro (1987) Season 1, Episode 6

Subpar, but still finding its identity.

[4/10 · 16 September 2017]

Episode 6: The Great Montarro- ** ½

The trio looks into a magician using a cursed magic box. Overall I found this episode rather dull; while not horrible it just doesn't work in general this was one of the weaker episodes of the season and series.

Friday the 13th: The Series: Doctor Jack (1987) Season 1, Episode 7

Decent episode.

[5/10 · 16 September 2017]

Episode 7: Doctor Jack- ***

A cursed scalpel that belonged to Jack the Ripper falls into the hands of an evil doctor, which by taking a life using the scalpel allows him to save a life in the operating room to gain fame. This episode gets off to a solid start, but begins to run out of steam. It does however feature some good atmosphere at times. Even though a good episode there was potential for more.

Friday the 13th: The Series: Shadow Boxer (1987) Season 1, Episode 8

Fair episode

[5/10 · 16 September 2017]

Episode 8: Shadow Boxer- ***

A boxer gets a hold of cursed boxing gloves, which he uses to win fights. This was an alright episode not spectacular, but not a dud either. The series was still finding its identity, but overall a decent watch.

Friday the 13th: The Series: Root of All Evil (1987) Season 1, Episode 9

Average.

[5/10 · 16 September 2017]

Episode 9: Root of All Evil- ***

Jack, Micki and Ryan set off to track down a cursed mulcher. Micki's fiancé Lloyd (Barclay Hope) shows up at the shop demanding answers from Micki. This was an OK episode, far from the best, but also far from the worst it's simply average. This episode guest stars Enrico Colantoni under the name Rico Colantoni. This was the first of many episodes Rob Hedden would write and he'd also later direct some episodes. Hedden would later write and direct Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan.

Freddy's Nightmares: Freddy's Tricks and Treats (1988) Season 1, Episode 4

Good episode overall

[6/10 · 1 March 2009]

EPISODE 4: FREDDY'S TRICKS & AND TREATS- ***

Writers- Alan L. Katz & Gil Adler (Tales from the Crypt)

Director- Ken Wiederhorn (Return of the Living Dead 2)

This episode is most notable for starring Emmy winner Mariska Hargitay from Law & Order: SVU; this is one of the Freddy episodes and it has him tormenting Marsha (Hargitay) who is a young medical student; the 2nd half has Zack (Darren Dalton) recording Marsha's dreams, but rather than help he's out to exploit her and further his career. This episode was a bit of a letdown seeing as it's a Freddy episode; Mariska Hargitay is one of my favorite actresses, but here she's early in her career and not given a whole lot to work with; decent episode, but could have been better; Shiri Appleby appears as young Marsha.

Freddy's Nightmares: It's a Miserable Life (1988) Season 1, Episode 2

Chew me eat me, you can't beat me

[5/10 · 1 March 2009]

EPISODE 2: IT'S A MISERABLE LIFE- ** ½

Writer- Michael De Luca

Director- Tom McLoughlin (Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives)

Tough episode to explain without giving the plot or what there is of a plot away; this episode is too weird and campy to be called a good episode, but the weirdness and camp factor also save this from being a total waste; Lar-Park Lincoln of Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood stars. That damn Beefy Boy jingle gets stuck in your head.

Overall this really wasn't a very good episode, but not the worst of the series. It was just the lack of any hint of a plot that does this one in

Freddy's Nightmares: Judy Miller, Come on Down (1988) Season 1, Episode 5

Good episode

[6/10 · 1 March 2009]

EPISODE 5: JUDY MILLER, COME ON DOWN- *** ½

Writers- Michael De Luca & Jack Temchin

Director- Tom DeSimone (Hell Night)

Judy Miller (Siobhan McCafferty) unhappy with her life appears on a twisted game show each right answer comes at a cost; the 2nd half has Judy and her husband Tom (John DeMita) enjoying their winnings, but when a maid (Susan Oliver) shows up and claims to be Judy from the future and tells her she has to kill her husband. I actually quite enjoyed this episode the first half is campy and over the top, but a lot of fun; the 2nd half wasn't as good, but still works, but problem is it was sort of pointless with a lame ending. Despite these problems I highly enjoyed this one for the most part. Larry Anderson who plays Sammy Ray played Michael Long who later became Michael Knight played by David Hasselhoff in the pilot episode of Knight Rider.

Freddy's Nightmares: Saturday Night Special (1988) Season 1, Episode 6

Like most episodes a mixed bag

[6/10 · 1 March 2009]

EPISODE 6: Saturday NIGHT SPECIAL- ***

Writers- James Nathan & Don Bohlinger

Director- Lisa Gottlieb (Just One of the Guys)

Gordon (Scott Burkholder) unhappy and alone goes to an agency and makes a video dating tape, but lies about who he is and what he does; he gets a date with the beautiful Lana (Shari Shattuck) and his dream date becomes a nightmare; the 2nd half has Lana's friend Mary (Molly Cleaton) unhappy with her looks and has plastic surgery and than becomes beautiful and now played by Joyce Hysner of Just One of the Guys, but beauty is only skin deep. This episode was fairly good, but the first story while entertaining never really goes anywhere, but still fun; the 2nd half plays out almost like a morality tale of self esteem, but still works for the most part. Not a great episode, but fairly enjoyable. Stu Charno of Friday the 13th Part II appears in a brief role.

Freddy's Nightmares: Sister's Keeper (1988) Season 1, Episode 7

One of the better episodes

[7/10 · 1 March 2009]

EPISODE 7: SISTER'S KEEPER- ****

Writers- Michael De Luca & Jeff Freilich

Director- Ken Wiederhorn

This is the first follow up episode and is a sequel to the pilot episode No More Mr. Nice Guy; this time around Freddy is after Lisa & Merit Blocker (Gry Park & Hili Park) the twin daughters of one of the cops who burned him alive. Freddy is tormenting Merit in her dreams and her sister Lisa doesn't believe her, but soon she learns the frightening truth that Freddy is quite real; Sister's Keeper is in my opinion probably the best episode of the series, while Gry & Hili Park are a little weak with their performances, both girls are likable and sympathetic; this episode is like a lower budget version of the movies only not as good. This episode ends on a downer and pretty much wraps up the story of Merit & Lisa. Personally I would have liked to have seen another follow up as I think Merit was a strong enough character, but I suppose they didn't wanna do too many follow ups and keep it with mostly new stories each week.