Return of the Living Dead: A Modest Proposal

After Night of the Living Dead, co-writers George Romero and John Russo eventually went their separate ways, and both continued different branches from the Night of the Living Dead tree.

Romero made his own series of sequels - Dawn of the Dead, Day of the Dead, Land of the Dead, Diary of the Dead, and Survival of the Dead. Russo wrote a novel, Return of the Living Dead, which he planned to adapt to film himself, although eventually, Dan O'Bannon wrote and directed The Return of the Living Dead.

Evil Dead (2013)

When it comes to the 2013 remake of Evil Dead, I'm reminded of Wayne Campbell's quote regarding Star Trek: The Next Generation: "In many ways, it's superior but will never be as recognized as the original."

I don't know anyone who was lining up for an Evil Dead remake, especially when the satirical Cabin in the Woods seemed to steal its thunder by blending splatter horror with a cynical, self-aware edge. Also, how do you replace Bruce Campbell, the iconic star who played series hero Ash?

Well, it's fair to say Evil Dead 2013 caught people off guard by being better than it had any right of being. They avoided the last question by simply not having Ash in the story. That may seem like sacrilege to horror fans, but considering the direction director Fede Alvarez and company go in, it's probably for the best (and I would have pitied the poor actor cast to hoist Campbell's chainsaw).

Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon

Ever notice when you're watching a slasher movie, the same elements reappear? The windows won't open, the cars won't start, and the bodies of the heroine's dead friends pop out in extremely convenient locations to scare her.

Can anyone picture Jason Voorhees or Michael Myers rigging little touches like? Why go to all the trouble if they just want to kill everyone? Well, apparently, they have more in mind.

Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon shows us the method to the madness. What we've longed believed were contrived formulas was actually elaborate, carefully plotted plans. The killers spend weeks, even months following their intended targets, cataloging every behavior, so when the night of horror arrives, they foresee every possible action and plan everything accordingly. Those of you who consider Jason a mindless brute are mistaken.

DEATHGASM

In DEATHGASM, the following exchange occurs between two teenage metalheads after they kill one's demonically possessed father.

"Y'know, it's weird, but I think he would have wanted to go out like this."

"His eyes ripped out, face grinded off, and then head mounted under a car engine?"

"Totally.” Ignites his lighter. “For whom the bell tolls, old man."

These metalheads – Brody (Milo Cawthorne) and Zakk (James Blake) - later fight off Brody's possessed aunt and uncle. They need weapons, and in the bedroom of the holier-than-thou Christian aunt and uncle, who think heavy metal is an abomination, Brody and Zakk find some sex toys.

You know, every movie should strive to show something you've never seen before. I have never in my life seen a couple of headbangers use dildos to fight off demons. Now I have. On that front, DEATHGASM must be considered a success.

Frenzy

A London serial killer is strangling women with a necktie. All evidence points to Richard Blaney (Jon Finch), a recently fired barman last seen near where his ex-wife was raped and murdered, and he's got a bad temper and a drinking problem. The problem: he didn't do it. The real killer is a friend of Blaney's, Bob Rusk (Barry Foster), a market salesman with a warped sexual compulsion beneath his charming personality. 

Frenzy, a wickedly entertaining and morbidly funny film, finds Alfred Hitchcock drawing on the man wrongfully accused trope, but instead of concentrating on the man-on-the-run elements like in previous films, he revels in the delicious irony of all the clues pointing to an innocent man while nothing incriminating is tied to the real criminal.

Swiss Army Man

Shipwrecked Hank (Paul Dano) is about to kill himself out of loneliness and despair when he sees a washed-up corpse (Daniel Radcliffe) on the beach. Using the corpse's explosive flatulence, Hank manages to reach to another shore, closer to potential rescue. But the usefulness of the corpse, whom Hank dubs Manny, continues. Manny’s erection always points where they need to go, and soon, Manny begins talking. Hank teaches Manny, who has no memories, about what life has to offer, the good and the bad.

God bless Daniel Radcliffe. He probably could find work in normal movies, but he chooses these weird little goblin roles, and the world is a better place for it.

Ex Machina

Caleb (Dohmnall Gleeson) is a programmer for a mega-company in the near future when he wins a contest to spend the week with the company's owner, Nathan (Oscar Isaac), at his home for a top secret project. The project is Ava (Alicia Vikander), a robot. Nathan wants Caleb to determine if Ava is really a sentient A.I. or merely a responsive program. Caleb is intrigued if somewhat uneasy, but as the test continues, he begins to question the true reason he's there, especially once Ava tells him discreetly that Nathan cannot be trusted. And what's the deal with Nathan's mute servant Kyoko (Sonoyo Mizuno)?

Many science fiction movies today are big on scale and small on ideas. Ex Machina, the directorial debut of Alex Garland, is small on scale but big on ideas. There are no explosions or the spectacle of overwhelming special effects, and the drama is mostly confined to one location with four characters, one of whom never speaks.

Yet, the film is about nothing less than the nature of consciousness, the evolution of artificial intelligence, and self-determination. But a dry science and philosophical lecture the movie is not. It is a character-driven story about manipulation and hidden agendas that really turns the screws and forces the viewers to question everything they see and hear.