Possession

Starring:Gwyneth Paltrow, Aaron Eckhart, Jeremy Northam, Jennifer Ehle, Lena Headey, Holly Aird, Toby Stephens, Trevor Eve, Tom Hickey, Georgia Mackenzie, Tom Hollander, Graham Crowden, Anna Massey, Craig Crosbie, Christopher Good, Elodie Frenck, Victoria Bensted, Shelley Conn, Jonty Stephens, Alexi Kaye Campbell
Director: Neil LaBute
Studio: Universal Studios
Product Type: DVD

Amazon.com

Director John Carpenter and special makeup effects master Rob Bottin teamed up for this 1982 remake of the 1951 science fiction classic The Thing from Another World, and the result is a mixed blessing. It's got moments of highly effective terror and spine-tingling suspense, but it's mostly a showcase for some of the goriest and most horrifically grotesque makeup effects ever created for a movie. With such highlights as a dog that splits open and blossoms into something indescribably gruesome, this is the kind of movie for die-hard horror fans and anyone who slows down to stare at fatal traffic accidents. On those terms, however, it's hard not to be impressed by the movie's wild and wacky freak show. It all begins when scientists at an arctic research station discover an alien spacecraft under the thick ice, and thaw out the alien body found aboard. What they don't know is that the alien can assume any human form, and before long the scientists can't tell who's real and who's a deadly alien threat. Kurt Russell leads the battle against the terrifying intruder, and the supporting cast includes Richard Masur, Richard Dysart, Donald Moffat, and Wilford Brimley. They're all playing standard characters who are neglected by the mechanistic screenplay (based on the classic sci-fi story "Who Goes There?" by John W. Campbell), but Carpenter's emphasis is clearly on the gross-out effects and escalating tension. If you've got the stomach for it (and let's face it, there's a big audience for eerie gore), this is a thrill ride you won't want to miss. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews:

I had to wait 24 years to see this movie.......2007-06-25

When I had 5 years old I saw some trailers in 1982 when some guy lose his head and the head run. I can't believe what hapenned and i had about 2 days that I can't sleep well.

I never knew the name of that movie, until talking with an older friend in 2005 he told the name... The Thing. Oh my god !!! I ran to buy this movie. I eliminated all the fears from all this years.

This is a great movie, a great history, Kurt Russel rocks.

Thanks Mr. Carpenter to accept this remake of "The thing from another world" and thanks to give the principal role to Kurt Russel.

U.S. Outpost #31, Antarctica, 1982--Twelve men are commissioned to gather physical and natural science data. It is the dead of winter. With six months of darkness ahead of them, they uncover the find of the century. Of a thousand centuries.

If only they could put it back.

Paranoia Given Flesh.......2007-06-07

It still shocks me that this movie bombed at the box office and very nearly ended John Carpenter's career. The top notch effects, excellent direction and acting, as well as a novel storyline make this a suspense film that eats into your very bones. Kurt Russell and the rest of the cast give soul to the characters who struggle to survive against a foe who threatens to divide and conquer them one by one. The thought behind the thing was mind blowing: an amorphous alien who camouflages itself in order to enter into a group and destroy them from within. If you haven't seen this then you must. You can't be a horror buff without it.

Where's Adrienne Barbeau.......2007-06-02

Where is Adrienne Barbeau in this movie starring Kurt Russell? I guess the review for this would be better if you could get the actors & actresses right

His best movie after Halloween.......2007-05-23

I hope to all that is great that they do NOT make a remake of this movie. You can argue that this was remake but if you read the original story, you will find that this is a closer adaptation of the book than the original movie.

Paranoid at the Pole.......2007-05-23

Making a tautly suspenseful film requires the ingredients of a superbly crafted work such as this science fiction classic. The Thing is not merely a sequence of gore-splashed killings that leaves one wondering who will be the last man standing. Suspense builds, and paranoia grows to fever pitch in this action packed thriller.

Atmospheric conditions of Anarctica and the creepy dark corners in this ice camp provide the canvas for a master to go to work on the nerves. But far worse is in store for the camp dwellers who find themselves out of radio contact with the rest of the world and wondering how they will warn of their horrible discovery. As the story unravels, everyone learns survival has become a game of every man for himself. No one can be trusted in this nightmare at the bottom of the world.

The film opens mysteriously enough. The quiet of the camp is shattered by gunfire from an approaching helicopter. Someone is shooting at what appears to be a fleeing dog. In an unforgiving part of the planet where the pressures are extreme, conclusions are quickly drawn that the helicopter occupants surely have lost their minds. But, the shooter is dropped and the pilot killed in a fiery explosion before questions can get under way. An investigation is promptly mounted and the camp dwellers soon learn from a visit to the neighboring camp that the men in the helicopter were overcome not by insanity but a creature found buried in the ice. But is it soon enough?

Kurt Russell plays the stereotype, no-nonse, machismo hero who ends up leading a struggle to stop "the thing." The cast is populated by a garden variety oddball or two, a few eggheads and the every-man faces that have become customary fare for an alien-eats menu. No character development here. No time for it in this well-paced flick.

The technology is impressive enough that the film's effects hold up even today. This film is gorey by anyone's measure. So, keep a good grip on your popcorn and soda - you're going for a ride.

Average customer rating:

a movie worth a watch
An Awesome Movie That Became An Icon of Horror
EVIL DEAD THE FIRST OF THREE
evil dead
Very good scary movie

The Evil Dead
Starring: Betsy Baker , Bruce Campbell , Barbara Carey , Richard DeManincor , and Philip A. Gillis
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ASIN: B00005R24K
Release Date: 2002-03-05

Amazon.com essential video

In the fall of 1979, Sam Raimi and his merry band headed into the woods of rural Tennessee to make a movie. They emerged with a roller coaster of a film packed with shocks, gore, and wild humor, a film that remains a benchmark for the genre. Ash (cult favorite Bruce Campbell) and four friends arrive at a backwoods cabin for a vacation, where they find a tape recorder containing incantations from an ancient book of the dead. When they play the tape, evil forces are unleashed, and one by one the friends are possessed. Wouldn't you know it, the only way to kill a "deadite" is by total bodily dismemberment, and soon the blood starts to fly. Raimi injects tremendous energy into this simple plot, using the claustrophobic set, disorienting camera angles, and even the graininess of the film stock itself to create an atmosphere of dread, punctuated by a relentless series of jump-out-of-your-seat shocks. The Evil Dead lacks the more highly developed sense of the absurd that distinguish later entries in the series--Evil Dead 2 and Army of Darkness--but it is still much more than a gore movie. It marks the appearance of one of the most original and visually exciting directors of his generation, and it stands as a monument to the triumph of imagination over budget. --Simon Leake

Customer Reviews:

a movie worth a watch.......2007-07-03

i bought the vhs version from a friend because i thought it was a zombie movie. it has somewhat of zombies but the main thing in this movie is an
evil spirit is awaken when 5 teans want to spend a few days in a forest in
a cabin but they find a book that is supposed to awaken the spirit
and the spirit is in the trees. this spirit can also turn the people into
these possesed zombie things that are controlled by the spirit. after a
good hour of the movie only one person is left (if i told you it would be
a spoiler)and that person is trying to kill the zombie things and try and stop the tree spirit. but anyway the movie is surprisingly good and is worth a watch once or twice and the ending couldve been a little better
but that is why there is a sequal i guess. also one more thing is that i wasnt really scared but there are a lot of scenes where something would jump out of nowhere but i like a good scare.

An Awesome Movie That Became An Icon of Horror.......2007-05-03

It may not look like much by today's standards, but for the budget that was used making this movie, it really comes off great. This film is different from the two sequels in a couple of ways, one being that Ash is more of the cowardly co-star and second being that this is strictly horror. Not that it is really scary, but it's intention are in that genre with no real laughs intended. Everytime I watch the movie, I am amazed with how much was able to get done with such a low amount of money to spend and how well the movie comes off. It is just as good as any major film of the same year, you can't really tell the difference between a big budget horror movie and the Evil Dead when it comes to quality.

It is easy to tell that there was talent that was working in front of and behind the camera. Not just Bruce (who would be the only star with any future success in film), but everyone else was equally impressive. The way the entire movie was written, set up and shot is nothing short of amazing for a young director and writer (Sam Raimi). Overall, if you have seen any of the other movies in the series or never have, this movie is a big recommendation. Just know that this is different from the other movies, as I said, Ash isn't the heroic icon he is known for now with the quick one liners. He is more of a side kick who accidentally has to survive his friends turning evil.

EVIL DEAD THE FIRST OF THREE.......2007-04-11

THIS FIRST EPISODE OF THE EVIL TRILOGY IS DEFINITELY THE BEST. IT IS SCARY AND FUNNY. BRUCE CAMPBELL IS GREAT. EVIL DEAD 2 AND ARMY OF DARKNESS WERE ALSO GREAT MOVIES. I RECOMMEND THIS TO ANYONE WHO LIKES SCARY MOVIES.

evil dead .......2007-04-11

the evil dead movie is hit on my part, in my books the movie is second place so far, in 1st the therd movie army of darkness is in first.But i have not seen the second movie.I loved the movie and injoyed it a lot, will they ever die!?!?!?!

Very good scary movie.......2007-01-23

I really love this movie. It is one of my favorite scary movies of all time.

Average customer rating:

A Classic
excelent edition!
Absolute Comedy/Horror Standard
brillant film funny as hell
Groovy

Evil Dead II (Special Edition)
Starring: Sid Abrams , Josh Becker , Sarah Berry , Denise Bixler , and Bruce Campbell
Manufacturer: Starz / Anchor Bay
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ASIN: 6305841861
Release Date: 2000-08-29

Amazon.com

Writer-director Sam Raimi's extremely stylized, blood-soaked follow-up to his creepy Evil Dead isn't really a sequel; rather, it's a remake on a better budget. It also isn't really a horror film (though there are plenty of decapitations, zombies, supernatural demons, and gore) as much as it is a hilarious, sophisticated slapstick send-up of the terror genre. Raimi takes every horror convention that exists and exaggerates it with mind-blowing special effects, crossed with mocking Three Stooges humor. The plot alone is a genre cliché right out of any number of horror films. Several teens (including our hero, Ash, played by Bruce Campbell in a manic tour-de-force of physical comedy) visit a broken-down cottage in the woods--miles from civilization--find a copy of the Book of the Dead, and unleash supernatural powers that gut every character in sight. All, that is, except Ash, who takes this very personally and spends much of the of the film getting his head smashed while battling the unseen forces. Raimi uses this bare-bones story as a stage to showcase dazzling special effects and eye-popping visuals, including some of the most spectacular point-of-view Steadicam work ever (done by Peter Deming). Although it went unnoticed in the theaters, the film has since become an influential cult-video favorite, paving the way for over-the-top comic gross-out films like Peter Jackson's Dead Alive. --Dave McCoy

Description

Ash (Bruce Campbell), the sole survivor of The Evil Dead, continues his struggle with the forces of the dead. With his girlfriend possessed by demons and his body parts runnning amok, Ash is forced to single-handedly battle the legions of the damned as the most lethal -- and groovy -- hero in horror movie history!

Welcome to Evil Dead II: Dead by Dawn, director Sam Raimi's infamous sequel to The Evil Dead and outrageous prequel to Army of Darkness! This unhinged horror classic is now fully remastered in state-of-the-art Dolby Digital 5.1 supervised by THX and packed with extras. So, sit back, strap in and rev up the chainsaw: Evil Dead II has returned...like you've never seen or heard it before!

Customer Reviews:

A Classic.......2007-06-17

This is one of the best films ever made.

I should end the review there, but I guess I'll add a few other remarks, since that line alone would strike many as preposterous. Ok, first I should clarify: this is one of the best films ever made if you like the horror genre (and especially the comedy-horror sub-genre). Obviously if you hate horror films you won't think this is very good. That's fine. Usually when I see those "Greatest 100 movies" type lists, I don't like more than 2 or 3 on the entire list. Everyone has an opinion, and opinions are of necessity subjective. So if you don't like horror... run from this page, run very quickly.

Still here? Great! Anyway, I'm not going to go over all the great stuff in the film, most people have covered that pretty well. There's gore, there's slapstick, there's a ton of sight gags and wonderfully corny lines and catch phrases. It also has some interesting characters, especially the heroic fool Ash. This is just a damn fine movie.

The packaging is certainly... interesting. The artwork inside is nice, though a depiction of the skull on the original cover would have been nice (especially since there are two blank pages). The commentary is great, with lots of entertaining stories, tons of insights and things to watch for in the movie, and some bad jokes (as one would expect). I wish they would have added another commentary or two, as there seems to be (based on what I've read) quite a bit more that could be said about this film, but I guess one will have to do. The other extras were also pretty interesting, with even the picture section (a narrated slide show) being engaging, which is a first.

excelent edition!.......2007-05-29

Hola. Este dvd de evil dead 2 es altamente recomendable para cualquier fan de los DVDS o cualquier fan de EVIL DEAD. Es un lujazo de edicion y se lo recomiendo a todo el mundo.

Absolute Comedy/Horror Standard.......2007-05-23

Allow me to preface this review with a helpful fact. A few years back when Spin Magazine was writing about the films they felt were the greatest of the 20th century, they chose to include Sam Raimi's sequel to his very first film; which was a small independent horror called The Evil Dead. The Evil Dead was a great film in it's own right, however, the editors at Spin wanted to give Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn the recognition they felt it deserved. So they placed it at the top of their list...that's right, they felt that it is, in fact, the single greatest cinematic achievement of the 20th century.

Evil Dead 2 follows Ash Williams and his girlfriend into a small creepy Michigan cottage where they stumble upon some recordings that contain readings from an ancient relic called the book of the dead, and by playing these recordings they unleash demonic supernatural forces that quickly haunt and possess everything from the trees outside and Popeye's lamp to Ash's hand and his girlfriend's severed head. The shenanigans unfold and Ash is more game than perhaps anyone to take on these evil forces as best as he can, but some sort of defeat is consistently inevitable.

As a reader I hope you are not anticipating my rebuttal to Spin Magazine here. I just so happen to concur 100% with Spin's gutsy assertion. On the surface of Evil Dead 2, we are seeing vintage 80s shock horror but it certainly isn't presented deeply enough to qualify amongst the failures within that genre. Evil Dead 2 is microcosmically structured like classic slapstick and macrocosmically it functions as pure satire. In this sense it's budget is used firmly to it's advantage and runs together with the theme of making a select audience laugh, first and foremost. Those who are both distinctly either disturbed by gore or preoccupied by gore as a strength in horror, should take keen note that gore in this film is applied almost exclusively for physical slapstick comedy. Those who hate gore will hate it here and those who love to be immersed in gore may not understand or appreciate it's use in Evil Dead 2.

We get to see a chubby fruit cellar witch's soul-swallowing head extend via shoddy stop-motion effects. We get to see an eyeball pop out of her head and shoot across the room into some chick's mouth. We get so see blood spray humorously and pretty consistently out of the walls and floors of the cottage. We get to see Ash fight his hand, cut it off, and add a chainsaw to where his hand once was. We get to see him kill his girlfriend and fight both her severed head and headless body in a tool shed at the same time. We get to see Ash get clumsily chased around the house by a force of evil we never see. We also get to see the volume of slapstick comedy increase as the film goes on and finally we get to see a conclusion that still makes me kind of wish they never made a sequel (even though Army of Darkness is in and of itself a very good movie).

Evil Dead 2 may require a deeper degree of movie history appreciation, perhaps more specifically to exploitation and horror films. I know I sound like a movie snob saying that but the film does offer some fun and fitting tributes or references to past films. I think it is definitely fair to say that Raimi has a great appreciation for movies in general and we can plainly see that he has so much fun making them. Evil Dead 2 for me is fun, affable, and carefree; it is all the things it shouldn't be on it's surface, and it is perfect for that fact alone.

brillant film funny as hell.......2007-05-07

great film very hard to get on r2 to in uk but was thrilled to find it here the 3rd and final film in the siries gr8 stuff

Groovy.......2007-05-04

The series takes a left turn towards comedy in this sequel to a straight out horror film, not to say there is no horror to be found. There are plenty of scenes that will make you jump if you don't know what is coming, but there is a lot of laughs as well. In one word, the movie is fun. Bruce Campbell carries the film since it really does focus on his character and changes Ash from a quiet person into this explosive action hero that you can't help but cheer on! Every time I think of my favorite scenes, the majority of them involve Ash, which is what makes him such a great character. The big scene I immediately think of is when he fights his own hand, you'll just have to watch to see that for yourself.

A bigger budget was used in the making of this movie, but some B qualities still can be seen in the movie. Such as you can see there is no roof to the cabin when Ash is trying to out run the deadite spirit following him into the house. Another instance being when the eye pops out of the deadite, you can see the little black piece of plastic making the eye fly. Small things like that do not effect this movie, the story is compelling and you will ignore anything that seems cheesy. There is too much good about the movie and will always win over anything bad that can be said about this movie.

People kept asking after watching the first movie, why wasn't Ash every possessed in the first film when all of his friends were? Well, he gets to be possessed in this film in more than one occasion, so it goes to show that even he isn't immune. Overall, this is another MUST SEE! I have watched the movie many times and this is definitely something that will never get old.

Average customer rating:

Theologically Sound!
Intriguing Disappointment...Must be Kevin Smith
Dogma Delivers
hmmm
Dogma

Dogma (Special Edition)
Starring: Betty Aberlin , Ben Affleck , Nancy Bach , Lesley Braden , and George Carlin
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
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ASIN: B000053VAF
Release Date: 2001-06-26

Amazon.com

Kevin Smith is a conundrum of a filmmaker: he's a writer with brilliant, clever ideas who can't set up a simple shot to save his life. It was fine back when Smith was making low-budget films like Clerks and Chasing Amy, both of which had an amiable, grungy feel to them, but now that he's a rising director who's attracting top talent and tackling bigger themes, it might behoove him to polish his filmmaking. That's the main problem with Dogma--it's an ambitious, funny, aggressively intelligent film about modern-day religion, but while Smith's writing has matured significantly (anyone who thinks he's not topnotch should take a look at Chasing Amy), his direction hasn't. It's too bad, because Dogma is ripe for near-classic status in its theological satire, which is hardly as blasphemous as the protests that greeted the movie would lead you to believe.

Two banished angels (Ben Affleck and Matt Damon) have discovered a loophole that would allow them back into heaven; problem is, they'd destroy civilization in the process by proving God fallible. It's up to Bethany (Linda Fiorentino), a lapsed Catholic who works in an abortion clinic, to save the day, with some help from two so-called prophets (Smith and Jason Mewes, as their perennial characters Jay and Silent Bob), the heretofore unknown 13th apostle (Chris Rock), and a sexy, heavenly muse (the sublime Salma Hayek, who almost single-handedly steals the film). In some ways Dogma is a shaggy dog of a road movie--which hits a comic peak when Affleck and Fiorentino banter drunkenly on a train to New Jersey, not realizing they're mortal enemies--and segues into a comedy-action flick as the vengeful angels (who have a taste for blood) try to make their way into heaven. Smith's cast is exceptional--with Fiorentino lending a sardonic gravity to the proceedings, and Jason Lee smirking evilly as the horned devil Azrael--and the film shuffles good-naturedly to its climax (featuring Alanis Morissette as a beatifically silent God), but it just looks so unrelentingly... subpar. Credit Smith with being a daring writer but a less-than-stellar director. --Mark Englehart

Customer Reviews:

Theologically Sound!.......2007-07-01

I love thought provoking comedies. You certainly do not have to be Catholic (in any form..lapsed, practicing, whatever) to get the most out of this movie but it does help. The film abounds with intelligent, provocative dialogue spoken by excellent actors. And it's hysterical!
It takes a skilled director/writer to construct a movie that can make you laugh AND think.
A previous reviewer suggested that the characters are all annoying. I have to disagree. The characters are well rounded. They are all fleshed out by tremendous actors. The performances are believable.
It has also been suggested that this film is irreverent. Well, possibly, but a little irreverence is what makes most smart comedies fly.
Have fun with this movie. Watch and listen to it's keen perception of religion and faith. But most of all enjoy the brilliant comedy, first class performances and captivating plot.

Intriguing Disappointment...Must be Kevin Smith.......2007-05-31

Dogma is not a bad movie, but it's not a good one. It began with some sharp satire, got preachy in the middle (all the arrogant religions only see a little bit of the truth but the humble and wise Kevin Smith sees the whole picture - the standard elephant and the blind men fallacy) and ended like most of Smith's efforts...unevenly. If Kevin Smith was a chess player he would have one of the world's best opening games, a slightly below average middle game and a horrid end game. Oh, and if you are going to make a religious satire, please don't include 3 extended diatribes expounding `correct' pluralistic religious perspective. Satire should preach subversively not didactically.

Dogma Delivers.......2007-05-19

This won't fly with overly sensitive religious people. Excellent humor, this movie is one you will want to share with friends and watch again and again.

hmmm.......2007-03-17

This movie has entertainment value. I say this because if taken seriously, it can be very offensive to many Christians. Another problem I have found is that people who have seen (and loved) this movie tend to start believing and preaching the religious ideas from the movie as thoughts of their own. These people I've noticed don't even seem to realize they are only spewing the filmmakers ideas. The movie, if watched as a movie and nothing else is quite entertaining.

Dogma.......2007-03-16

This is a great movie for those who can take a joke at "God's" expense

Average customer rating:

Angel's Halloween bash
Good movie
Linnea Quigley, Demonized!...
Essential for the Horror Fanatic
Horror Review

Night of the Demons
Starring: Alvin Alexis , Allison Barron , Lance Fenton , Billy Gallo , and Hal Havins
Director: Kevin Tenney
Manufacturer: Starz / Anchor Bay
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B0001ZX0GK
Release Date: 2004-08-24

Customer Reviews:

Angel's Halloween bash.......2007-03-28

OK, so the plot isn't the most original in the world, a kind of "The Amityville Horror" by way of Freddy Krueger-ish wise cracking demon monsters. "Night of the Demons" is about a bunch of likeable (but to the slasher standard unremarkable) stereotypical kids who decide to have a party in an old funeral home. After dancing and drinking for awhile they think it would be fun to have a séance and accidentally unleash the spirits that have lain dormant in the house for so long.

I will be the first to admit there a few logic problems with this movie, the biggest question was how did the monsters become bound to that house in the first place? They aren't ghosts, which would sort of make sense because it's a funeral home, but demons. How did the kids find out about the place? And dose anyone notice that nymphomaniac Suzanne (Linnea Quigley) is quiet a bit older than the other kids (though she's pretty hot in her costume). The acting is pretty atrocious, but what do you expect? The only stand out is Quigley, who was the 1980s reigning scream queen, and shows us things she can do with a tube of lipstick that are pretty wild. Even she is not very convincing.

OK, so far I have been pretty hard on the movie, but there is plenty good about it too. As I said before the kids, while not original, are pretty likable, especially Angela; well, at first anyway. It's the film's sense of humor that's it's redeeming quality. At that time horror movies were taking themselves pretty seriously (despite what you may think), and the script felt pretty light on it's feet. I first saw this movie when I was pretty young, and it scared me to death back then. It is much cornier now, but some of the disturbing images stayed with me for a long time. The gore was pretty impressive too, and that was the selling point to me for this movie. The editing was lean and sharp, and the set design was impressive considering how little money they had to work with.

Pretty good for a Halloween party movie, just don't invite the girl with the lipstick.

Good movie.......2007-03-26

I remember watching this film in the late 80's for the first time on VHS and now again on DVD. I've always been a fan of horror films and say
this is a good 80's horror film watch it.

Linnea Quigley, Demonized!..........2007-03-07

Ah, the 80s! Funny clothes and even funnier haircuts. Still, there is a certain charm about it now. Take NIGHT OF THE DEMONS for instance. It starts out slow and fairly lame, then BOOM! Linnea Quigley (Return Of The Living Dead, Graduation Day) gets possessed and it's party time! Yes, I'm a Linnea loon! She has a way of turning just about any movie into a must see classic! You've all seen or heard about the infamous "Lipstick Disappear-o" scene and Ms. Q's tendency to shed her clothes like nobody's business (praise the Lord). However, she is also great in her demonic persona. She is pretty creepy and menacing for a SoCal gal! Check out her face when she says, "Stop looking at me!" Yikes! I highly recommend NOTD to all LQ fanatics...

Essential for the Horror Fanatic.......2007-02-19

As a child this movie scared that crap out of me. As an adult I found the story and the horrible acting very entertaining. The special effects are great for their time and there are some genuine "boo!" moments that make you jump. Definitely a fun movie to watch and an essential part of a decent horror movie collection.

Horror Review.......2007-02-08

Overall, this is one of those late 80s horror films with cheap actors and low-budget settings. But, the script did not need high-paying actresses like Julia Roberts or Susan Sarandon in order to be successful. The film is trictly about the average horny teenagers who are looking for a cheap scare for the Halloween night at an abandoned parlor home. It was the sight of a gruesome massacre, according to the story. Apparently, the house is POSSESSED and the spirits living inside of it are considered demons. So, here comes the spirited crowd of partiers with a willingness to raise some hell. And, of course, you can predict the storyline as of what happens. The only thing that I can say is useful out of these B-horror films, just as I commented on "Puppet Master" and "Friday the 13th Part 6: Jason Lives", is that these movies provided some hintful ideas for women who might be having some sexual difficulties regarding getting their mates "in the mood" as frequently as they are. If you women are experiencing that problem or would like to spice it up, then pull out your debit card and order some horror flicks mentioned. Some of the best ideas have been pulled out from these films, not Playboy pornography. One peculiar scene is where two lovers are getting it on in a coffin. Out of all the women I have personally dated, maybe only one or two would be possibly open-minded enough to elaborate in some different settings for sexuality. Key word: POSSIBLY!
So, take a glance at some of these horror films. You might catch an idea. But, in reality with all due respect to the fellas, I don't think the majority of us will get very lucky. As my father always said, "Only in the movies!"

Average customer rating:

OPEN THE DOOR TO A TWISTED, DARK WORLD
One of the best horror movies I've ever seen
Where's the uncut version??!!? Uncut Version: 5 stars!!!
"If you cheat us, we'll tear your soul apart!"
Amazing.

Hellraiser
Starring: Andrew Robinson , Clare Higgins , Ashley Laurence , Sean Chapman , and Oliver Smith
Director: Clive Barker
Manufacturer: Starz / Anchor Bay
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Hellbound: Hellraiser 2
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ASIN: 6305972001
Release Date: 2000-09-26

Amazon.com

Having made his reputation as one of the most prolific and gifted horror writers of his generation (prompting Stephen King to call him "the future of horror"), Clive Barker made a natural transition to movies with this audacious directorial debut from 1987. Not only did Barker serve up a chilling tale of devilish originality, he also introduced new icons of horror that since have become as popular among genre connoisseurs as Frankenstein's monster and the Wolfman. Foremost among these frightful visions is the sadomasochistic demon affectionately named Pinhead (so named because his pale, bald head is a geometric pincushion and a symbol of eternal pain). Pinhead is the leader of the Cenobites, agents of evil who appear only when someone successfully "solves" the exotic puzzle box called the Lamont Configuration--a mysterious device that opens the door to Hell. The puzzle's latest victim is Frank (Sean Chapman), who now lives in a gelatinous skeletal state in an upstairs room of the British home just purchased by his newlywed half-brother (Andrew Robinson, best known as the villain from Dirty Harry), who has married one of Frank's former lovers (Claire Higgins). The latter is recruited to supply the cannibalistic Frank with fresh victims, enabling him to reconstitute his own flesh--but will Frank succeed in restoring himself completely? Will Pinhead continue to demonstrate the flesh-ripping pleasures of absolute agony? Your reaction to this description should tell you if you've got the stomach for Barker's film, which has since spawned a number of interesting but inferior sequels. It's definitely not for everyone, but there's no denying that it's become a semiclassic of modern horror. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews:

OPEN THE DOOR TO A TWISTED, DARK WORLD.......2007-06-19

Clive Barker realy caught lightning in a bottle with this movie. With this movie, Clive Barker took a Lovecraftian idea and fused it with his own sado-masachist,pain verses pleasure ideas. the result is a complete new enviroment for horror that still holds up, and i'm sure, will hold up for years to come. I don't like giving spoilers so I'll give a brief overview. Larry and his new wife, Julia are moving into the old family home after his brother, Frank disapeared. To celebrate the occation, Kirsty, Larry's daughter has come. It seems Larry doesn't know that Frank, as well as sleeping with Julia, is involved with the occult. He purchased a puzzle box(the Lament Configuration) with the desire to open a doorway to experiance the threshold of pleasure. What he got was unimaginable pain and torment compliments of Pinhead and the Cenobites. As Larry is moving furniture, he cuts, his hand and the blood spilling on the floor somehow ressurects Frank. This has got to be one of the best parts of the movie!! It's very graphic, but with the symphonic music in the backround, it becomes vey beautiful. After Frank's "resurection" all "HELL" breaks loose. This movie was way ahead of its time and was a relief to all the lame slasher films of the time. Any fan of H.P. Lovercraft and science-fiction horror should check this one out!!!

One of the best horror movies I've ever seen.......2007-03-21

I just watched this movie for the first time in years. When I was a kid, it was one of my favorites, and I'll admit that I wasn't expecting much this time around. After a recent viewing of NightBreed (which I also loved when I was younger), I was prepared to have a similar experience with Hellraiser. Instead, I was surprised at how well this movie has held up over the years. Unlike NightBreed, which comes across as cheesey and poorly acted, Hellraiser is still a good horror movie.

The thing that struck me the most about this movie is how complex the plot was for the genre. Back when it was made, horror was dominated by Jason Voorhies and Freddy Krueger. The average horror movie consisted of a bunch of teen-agers being stalked by the Unstoppable Killer, who would slaughter them all in gruesome fashion for such unforgivable crimes as Smoking, Drinking, Having Sex, and Being Mean To The Nice Girl and/or Bookworm Kid (although the Bookworm Kid would usually die first if he commited the deadliest horror movie sin of all... Wearing Glasses).

Instead of these tired old cliches, Hellraiser brought us something fresh, and much deeper. The plot centers on a love triangle between Larry Cotton, his wife Julia, and his brother Frank. The movie opens with Frank solving the Puzzle Box (and suffering the consequences) in his attic. Following Frank's disappearance, Larry and Julia move into the old house. Julia is reluctant, because being in the house stirs old memories of her affair with Frank. But she relents under Larry's enthusiasm. While they're moving in, Larry cuts his hand on a nail. The blood soaking into the floorboards partially revives Frank, bringing him back to a kind of half-life. Frank then convinces Julia to help him get more blood, so he can become whole again. The interplay between Frank and Julia is very layered for this kind of movie. Julia forces herself to become a seductress and murderer, all while telling herself that it will let her finally be with the man she loves. Frank uses his obvious emotional power over Julia to convince her to do unspeakable things for him, all while looking for his next conquest (Larry's daughter Kirsty).

Although they would become the main characters later in the series, Pinhead and the other Cenobites get comparitively little screen time in this film. I think this gives thier appearance a much greater impact when it finally happens. Later movies would reduce Pinhead to being just another horror movie slasher. But here, when the Cenobites arrive to return the murderous and manipulative Frank to Hell, they almost seem to be instruments of divine (?!) justice. As Pinhead himself says at one point: "We are Angels to some, Demons to others".

Where's the uncut version??!!? Uncut Version: 5 stars!!!.......2007-03-10

I first saw this DVD at my friend's place. I was instantly blown away by this movie. In fact, i consider this one of the best horror movies ever made! But my friend's dvd was completly uncut (he owns the american DVD edition). I wanted to have the same totally uncut version my friend owns,but this new cut version is missing great parts like the full shot of the "Ripped to shreds" scene. Who the hell thought of cutting essential parts of an otherwise awesome movie??? Seems like i must search hardly now for the first UNCUT edition print of this DVD in other areas.

"If you cheat us, we'll tear your soul apart!".......2007-02-11

I've read The Hellbound Heart, but the fresh approach Clive Barker made in directing the film added "uumph" to an already excellent story. What a visual conception! Goobers coming up from the floor, the unforgettable scene of spinal cord meeting the goopy brain, the gelid, slippery goo, the half-formed rib cage - hello vicar!

Larry and Julia Cotton are moving into the house left to Larry (Andrew Robinson) and his wayward brother Frank (Sean Chapman). The house is a mess, with maggots in the kitchen and a makeshift bed and evil shrine in one of the upstairs rooms. The shrine shows evidence that Frank has been and gone from the house.

After cleanup, while moving, Larry cuts his hand on a nail and bleeds heavily onto the bare floorboards of the room which formerly held the shrine. Julia (played by Clare Higgins - her businesslike sexiness was a real turn-on) has been reminiscing in the room over her former affair with Frank.

It turns out Frank had been playing with a very dangerous toy in his room, Lemarchard's Box, which opens the gates to a hellish realm ruled by Cenobites from the Order Of The Gash. Indeed, Frank unlocked the gates to hell itself. Larry's blood on the floor sparks Frank's return from hell, growing his flesh back from goo.

Enter the Cenobites, "Angels to some, Nightmares to others", starring Pinhead (played by Doug Bradley). The cenobites rule the worlds of pain and pleasure (we have such sights to show you). Frank wants to come back from hell, and convinces Julia to bring him more blood in order to fill out his fleshless body.

But she's observed by Kirsty, Larry's daughter, and when Kirsty discovers that Frank is alive in the house, she manages to get the box away from him and inadvertently summons the Cenobites again. Can Kirsty make a bargain with Hell, for Pinhead to accept Frank's return instead of taking her?

This is one of the best horror flicks ever made. Pinhead rocks! He's evil and nasty looking, as are his followers. There's a lot of gore and gross, gooey things in the film, more than enough to satisfy that unnatural taste you have for bleeding flesh. Julia's coldness always drew me to her. I loved it, her elegant, icy demeanor. I also love Kirsty's happy drunk. It reminded me of me. The upside-down Hell-Monster was cheesy-cool, unique and frightening.

If you are a horror aficionado and don't own this movie, then buy it ... it won't disappoint. A 10-Star horror flick. Enjoy!

Amazing........2007-02-01

Clive Barker's directing debut follows the tale of a couple (Andrew Robinson, Clare Higgins) who move into an old house and discovers a hideous creature (Oliver Smith) -- the man's half-brother (and his wife's former lover) -- hiding upstairs. Having lost his earthly body to three demons, the man's been brought back to life by a drop of blood on the floor. Soon, he's forcing his former mistress to bring him human sacrifices to complete his body. A complete masterpeace.

Average customer rating:

Duel
Less is more - let's have more like this please Steven!
Ultimate proof that Spielberg was born to make movies
Duel -Suspense drama
road rage

Duel (Collector's Edition)
Starring: Dennis Weaver , Eddie Firestone , Gene Dynarski , Tim Herbert , and Charles Seel
Director: Steven Spielberg
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B000063UR5
Release Date: 2004-08-17

Amazon.com essential video

This is the TV movie that put Steven Spielberg on the map, shortly before he made The Sugarland Express. Working from a script by Richard Matheson, the film stars Dennis Weaver as a mild-mannered traveling salesman who unintentionally angers the driver of a semi truck. Suddenly, the truck is not only riding his tail but trying to run him off the road. No matter what he does (pulling over, stopping at a diner, calling the cops), he can't get rid of it. Spielberg makes the wise decision of never showing the driver, even as he cranks the voltage on the film's suspense elements. As a result, the truck itself takes on an air of satanic menace--even a personality of sorts--as it seems to hunt its human prey. Spielberg made a lot out of a little, suggesting just how skilled a storyteller he would become. --Marshall Fine

Customer Reviews:

Duel.......2007-07-03

Spielberg's first full length film was for television, but never mind-it's still a grabber. Absent his later big Hollywood budgets, the director's special knack for building tension is still evident, resulting in a spare, ingenious thriller. Weaver is excellent as the rattled David. For God's sake, Dave- stay off the road!

Less is more - let's have more like this please Steven!.......2007-06-22

So here's an irony: Thirty-five years on, the movie audience which Spielberg's later work helped to capture - multiplex consumers of overblown CGI, gross-out, slapstick, and ever-greater explosions - may not "get" this one at all (e.g. see some of its other reviewers here). For anybody else - and this is most certainly not "art-house" either, don't be put off - here's an astounding, must-see thriller. OK, so it's a wannabe western, or Hitchcock (or Beowulf, or Alien, or High Noon) on wheels: None of that detracts from its great premise, which is delivered utterly without frills.

So many reasons to see this:

Spielberg is SO good at doing minimal (seriously, Steve, about time to get back to some of that?): Pared-down music, only natural-sound detail; no human baddie, just a perfectly cast truck as the anthropomorphised "killer". Even the shattering finale is captured on ordinary live film, albeit in one of the most awe-inspiring shots ever taken.

Great raw material: OK, so of course the script dates just a bit, with what dialogue there is sounding TV-ish and a wee bit cheesy to the modern ear; and kids now seeing this film might snigger at the personal styling details and plot's obvious reliance on predating mobile phones; but hey... We're right there for Mann (Dennis Weaver) from the very start, as it's vital that we have to be, because his story is so discreetly and elegantly constructed.

And as a piece of performance: Not just by Weaver, who's entirely credible as the put-upon everyman reluctantly forced to find his inner warrior. The film works because it sustains a gut-wrenching kinetic energy that few others ever reach (woeful comparison with, for example, the new Pirates III, which for all its frantic rushing about, quite fails to draw its audience into the action). DUEL is all the more impressive because the whole movie is shot "for real" - perhaps partly because the frantic pace of its actual production (see below) seems to rub off onto the screen. That it works at all is largely because it's propelled by uncannily perfect pacing of the long road sequences, which (as Spielberg acknowledges) only happens when you perfectly combine the ingredients: obsessive planning of sequences; unobtrusively brilliant stunt driving; then-new moving camera techniques (including a contribution from Bullitt's road unit); and laser-sharp editing. That's not to overlook the out-of-car scenes, which have a gloriously welcome fingernails-down-the-blackboard inner screech of Hitchcockian suspense - best of all in the diner scene ("which one is him?"), complete with some hilariously dark 'red herring' moments; the snake farm; and the old couple who (with pitch-perfect Buchan / Hitchock irony) mistake Mann for an attacker.

Visuals: It's clear from the first frame that, as Fats Waller put it, "the gods are in the house". Details are pin-sharp, not just as to focal clarity, but in their layering up the metaphorical landscape of the story, with every single shot both perfectly framed and constantly informing character and/or building pace; and that's a lot of shots, often complex and kinetic ones. And all set in a serenely beautiful landscape, mocking the petty anxieties and feuds of the men and machines scuttling across it. All the more surprising therefore to find in the bonus material that DUEL was made in less than a month: just 13 days' shooting, including the 3 days of (ultimately unused) "spare plate" shots insisted on by the studio.

This DVD edition is deeply satisfying both for the transfer quality of the movie itself and for a joyous Spielberg interview. Refreshingly modest and candid, the director reveals his debt to a quick-witted PA, to his production team and actors, and how great achievement springs from being young and hungry. It's amusing by-the-by to see Spielberg look back on this period of coming to terms with the public impact of his own virtuosity, coming to realise how a seemingly minor movie shot in 13 days can outgrow its origins to signal his big breakthrough. (Among all the fascinating stuff about how to get a 50-mph lorry to go at 100 mph, he also, touchingly, points out a couple of minor rookie mistakes you might not otherwise have noticed.) Musing on the cultural impact that his astonishing debut piece had, stumbling upon a global audience, he notes that what started as simply a domestic "TV ratings Titanic" became, internationally, a bigger but quite different phenomenon: "Here I was making a roadkill tribute to High Noon and Hitchcock, then the Europeans were reading in all this esoteric abstract symbolism about class warfare in America". It also, so he says, earned him the instant and lasting respect of Fellini (cue archive photo to prove this!).

Hey look, this film is basically an hour of a geeky guy in a little red car being chased up and down the mountain by one helluva scary truck. You can find much more if you want to look for it - Dostoevsky stuff about man and machines, or the 20th century post-feminist crisis of male identity, or the jurisprudential question of whether we need to be able to attribute a motive to evildoing, etc - but, for me, what nails the simple greatness of this piece is that WE ABSOLUTELY HAVE TO FIND OUT WHAT HAPPENS in the end. On that level alone, it won't disappoint.

Ultimate proof that Spielberg was born to make movies.......2007-06-10

Spielberg's DUEL is one of the best Hitchcock movies that Hitchcock did not actually make. And the best thing about it is that Spielberg doesn't overindulge in that massive pile-up of Hitchcock references that Brian DePalma employs - often to the point of parody. A great movie, affordably priced on DVD, and a wonderful warm-up for JAWS. Just when you thought it was safe to drive on the highway. . .

Duel -Suspense drama.......2007-05-15

I was 14 yrs old in 1971, when this movie showed on TV. And when I brought my 1st DVD player I search Amazon to see if they had the "Duel" (the 1st movie Director Steven Spielberg created. Amazon had this movie-I couldnt believe!! Its a movie about road rage! which weird in itself-since thats what is happening now! in 2007(yr). its about a 18 big rig wheeler truck thats, for some really strange reason, trys to kill this man that driving along the california interstate (to see a business client) 200 miles away from his home. Its suspense-bcause you never see whose trying the 18 big rig wheeler truck!!!

road rage.......2007-05-13

Very pleased with the movie and the timely manner in which we received it Thank you

Average customer rating:

Still The Best
Noisy Ghost
Deception Is the True Horror
It knows what scares you...
Great horror film... Creepy book...

Poltergeist
Starring: Craig T. Nelson , JoBeth Williams , Beatrice Straight , Dominique Dunne , and Oliver Robins
Director: Tobe Hooper
Manufacturer: Turner Entertainment
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ASIN: 0792833201
Release Date: 2000-01-28

Amazon.com

What a combo! Tobe Hooper, the director of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, teamed up with family-oriented producer Steven Spielberg to make Poltergeist. The film is about a haunted suburban tract home in a development very much like the Arizona one in which Spielberg was raised. (Because it came out the same summer as Spielberg's E.T., it was tempting to see both movies as representing Spielberg's ambivalent feelings about childhood in suburbia. One was a fantasy, the other a nightmare.) Spielberg also cowrote the screenplay, which taps into primal, childlike fears of monsters under the bed, monsters in the closet, sinister clown faces, and all manner of things that go bump in the night. At first, some of the odd happenings in the house are kind of funny and amusing, but they grow gradually creepier until the film climaxes in a terrifying special-effects extravaganza when 5-year-old Carole Anne (Heather O'Rourke) is kidnapped by the spooks and held hostage in another dimension. Though not nearly as frightening as Hooper's magnum opus, or the original A Nightmare on Elm Street, which came along two years later, Poltergeist is one of the smartest and most entertaining horror pictures of its time. --Jim Emerson

Description

This awesome supernatural thriller stars Craig T. Nelson and JoBeth Williams as a California couple swept up in a wave of horror after sinister spirits invade their home and kidnap their child. Year: 1982 Director: Tobe Hooper Starring: Craig T. Nelson, Jo Beth Williams, Beatrice Straight

Customer Reviews:

Still The Best.......2007-06-23

When this film came out in '82, my mom saw it and said I couldn't see it. I was 8 and my mom had always let me watch PG films, but not this one. I now wanted to see this so bad. Anyway, I went to my dad's that weekend and he asked if I wanted to see it. I said yes, of course, but he said I had to call my mom and ask if it was o.k. with her. I never called her, of course, and told him she said yes. Off we went to what would become the only movie that almost made me pass out.
I was so hyped about this movie and excited, once it began I was sucked in, mesmerized and horrified. Once it got to the scene where the scientist tears his face off, I began to hyperventilate like I was on a roller coaster ride, I was so into the movie. My dad elbowed me and I snapped out of it and came back to reality. I looked around me and everyone was laughing at me. It was GREAT!
The film is exceptionally well acted and directed(whomever directed it-Spielberg or Hooper-is still to this day in question). Excellent special effects for '82 and they still hold up. A great musical score by the late great Jerry Goldsmith, just top notch all the way. The sequels didn't fare as well, they got worse and worse, however, the original is still to this day, the best haunted house/ghost story EVER. Check this film out and have a blast.

Noisy Ghost.......2007-05-19

If your family wants to watch a good scary movie, then Poltergeist is my best recommendation. Poltergeist dose include violence, sex, blood and guts, or drugs. The story in poltergeist goes like this. An ordinary family moves into an extraordinary house with a big problem. Every night at 12:00A.M. The family's daughter, (Carroll Ann), gets up and talks to something inside the T.V. .Now the T.V. is like a portal for the ghost to get in. Every night at 12:00, the daughter gets up, talks to the ghost, and goes back to bed ...then one night. The ghost gets out and captures Carroll Ann, and terrorizes the family. Now it's up to a team of ghost hunters and the family to put the geist to rest while trying to get their daughter back. Can they cast the spirit out or will they be scared out.

I thought this movie was really good because it reminds me of an experience I had once. You see me, my dad, and my step mom were living in this apartment once and I saw a ghost. It was hard to make out what it looked like because it was oozing with ectoplasm. The only thing I could make of it was that it was a boy. He looked like he was from the 18hundreds. The scary thing about this though was that I was somehow able to communicate with it. I said hi to it. It didn't respond it just waved, I asked where he came from and he said he lived in Europe. We talked and talked and talked until he told me to kill myself so me and him kid play and be friends for ever. I told him no and I started crying. Another good thing about this movie was that it was a classic scary movie , and again it was scary with no blood or guts. If your kid wants to watch a scary movie but the ones he or she wants to watch are all rated R or he or she chickened out watching the grudge then poltergeist is the movie for them. I mean the movie isn't that scary but it has it's moments, and it's very entertaining. I'd recommend this movie to children at least six years old. I would not recommend this movie to people who are blood thirsty. Anyways it's up to you to find out if what I say is true. Make it a good movie or not the choice is yours.

Deception Is the True Horror.......2007-04-21

What makes this work of Mr. Spielberg's so great is not so much the ghosts and monsters, but the powerful theme that corruption and deception transcend life and death. We meet the Freelings. While Steve and Dianne have their faults (like smoking pot), they are reasonably good parents. Steve shows himself to be a good real estate agent. (He is effective without being obnoxious or pushy, and he is responsible for most of the sales in the area.) One great thing about this movie is that we have a fair amount of time to meet the family and get to know them before the horror begins. Soon afterwards, we start to see objects in the house moving. (Granted, it is strange that under the circumstances no one seems to have mentioned it before, but a movie only has so long to put together a plot.) While nothing really drastic has happened, we get the impression that these moving objects are just the start of something. Later, Caroline (the youngest of Steve and Dianne's 3 children) disappears. But they can still hear her voice. The skeptical (but desperate) Steve and Dianne go to supernatural experts for help. (Drastic situations will make non believers a bit more open minded!) Well, we see more and more ghosts. (Some of a monstrous nature.) And along with Steve, Dianne, Dana, and Robert, we may be asking: 'Why?' The psychic who comes in may be of some help, but her facts are far from straight. At one point she falsely claims that the house is 'clean.' Respecting those who have not seen the movie, I will not give away the ending. But I can safely say that Mr. Spielberg shows us that these horrors are the result of some real down to earth corruption and deception. (Poor Steve UNKNOWINGLY played a part in it.) It would seem that the genius Mr. Spielberg gives us monsters for show, but then reminds us that our own sins of dishonesty, ambition, and moral games are the true horrors in this world. Thank you Mr. Spielberg for raising this point so well. As the great Shakespeare said in his "Hamlet:" 'Foul deeds will rise, / though all the earth overwhelm them to men's eyes.' ("Hamlet" 1.2.281-282).

It knows what scares you..........2007-01-24

Poltergeist (1982) was the first film I saw in theaters that truly scared the bejesus out of me. I remember the event distinctly, as I tagged along with my friend Martin (we were both twelve at the time), who was a real horror aficionado (he was the only kid I knew who had his own subscriptions to Fangoria and Famous Monsters of Filmland), really having no idea what I was getting myself into...co-written and produced by Steven Spielberg (Jaws, Raiders of the Lost Ark), and directed by Tobe Hooper (The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, Lifeforce), the film stars JoBeth Williams (The Big Chill), Craig T. Nelson (Stir Crazy), and Heather O'Rourke (Poltergeist II: The Other Side). Also appearing is Beatrice Straight (Network), Dominique Dunne (The Shadow Riders), Oliver Robins (Airplane II: The Sequel), James Karen (The Return of the Living Dead), and Zelda Rubinstein (Under the Rainbow).

On the surface the Freeling clan would seem your normal, middle class, American family unit living among the suburban splendor of Cuesta Verde Estates. There's the father Steve (Nelson), mother Diane (Williams), and their three children Dana (Dunne), Robbie (Robins), and youngest daughter Carol Anne (O'Rourke). Life proceeds normally, that is until Carol Anne begins talking to the static that appears on the television once the broadcast day is completed. This is soon followed by strange phenomena (inanimate objects moving of their own accord and so on), all of which seems to be localized within the Freeling's home. It's all harmless enough, that is until the old, gnarled tree outside Robbie and Carol Anne's bedroom window tries to eat a family member, followed by an unseen entity absconding off with Carol Anne into another dimension of reality (while no longer present in a corporeal sense, her parents can still communicate with Carol Anne through the television). Unable to comprehend the situation fully Diane and Steven call in a parapsychologist named Dr. Lesh (Straight) in an effort to get their daughter back, who then, in turn, after witnessing the extreme paranormal activity firsthand, brings in a diminutive, clairvoyant troll named Tangina (Rubinstein), who's something of a cross between E.T. the extraterrestrial and Yoda, only a lot less adorable. Once on the scene Tangina reveals Carol Anne has been taken by an extremely powerful and malevolent spiritual entity, one that covets Carol Anne life force dearly, so much so it has somehow managed to transverse its own plane of existence into ours in an effort to shanghai the cherub faced little girl. A plan to recover Carol Anne is formulated, and is successful, but soon the real nightmare begins as the aforementioned malignant spirit pulls out all the stops to reclaim that which it lost...

As I mentioned earlier, this was the very first film I saw in the theaters that really put a good fright into me (the first film I saw that truly scared the hell out of me was Halloween, although I saw that on video tape). In watching the film last night I thought it odd that the film was released with a `PG' rating (back then there was no PG-13 rating), but apparently it was going to be rated `R' until the filmmakers appealed and got it changed. I do remember there being some public concern at the time that this film was unsuitable for the likes of me and my peers given the frightening nature of the material, said concerns eventually redoubling after the films Gremlins (1984) and Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984) were released, both of which were ultimately responsible for the creation of the `PG-13' rating we've all come to know and love. Regardless, I'm just glad I was in the right place at the right time to see this film in the theater as I did, as it was one of the more memorable experiences I've had during my misspent youth. Watching the film again last night I find I'm able to appreciate it much more than I did when I was younger, specifically in terms of just how well the film was put together. The character development alone is really amazing. The first sequences feature the Freeling household at night, as the family dog wanders the house looking for things to eat. In following the dog, we see all the family members, while they slumber, the last being Carol Anne. Whether we realize it or not, we've just gotten a large hunk of exposition through a relatively simple and efficient visual manner, which is definitely a Spielberg trademark. Spielberg co-wrote and produced the film, but it's also believed by many he was directly responsible for much of the visual appearance, with Hooper basically overseeing the mechanics of shooting that which he was instructed to shoot, by Spielberg. It's also believed Spielberg, who was making the family friendly E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982) around the same time, refused to take more credit than he did specifically because he didn't want people to associate such a terrifying feature with his touching, fantasy/adventure drama. This seems entirely plausible, as I do believe Spielberg is something of a control freak, and if he didn't like the way things were progressing under the helm of Hooper, he most certainly would have intervened. I suppose it doesn't matter all that much as the end result was a truly frightening and memorable film, one that will linger in the recesses of your mind long after viewing it...the special effects, provided by Industrial Light & Magic, were spectacular, and still hold up well some twenty five years later, although I will admit the face removal scene looks a bit goofy now. As far as the performances, I thought they were all wonderful, especially in terms of JoBeth Williams, who provides an incredibly strong female lead. I've read some complaints the performances weren't realistic, but really, who knows how one would react in such a situation? To me, it was all the characters could do to hold themselves together during their ordeal. They knew their daughter was still alive and relatively safe (for the time being), and their focus was on trying to get her back. Everything else here worked for me...Jerry Goldsmith's vibrant and appropriate musical scoring, the level of development of the various characters (both primary and secondary), the pacing, the scares, the revelations, the ominous sense of something malignant, the spectacular finale, it all adds up to a remarkably entertaining feature, one definitely worth owning.

The picture on this DVD release, presented in both widescreen anamorphic (2.35:1) and fullscreen (1.33:1), looks sharp and clean, with minor signs of age present (I did see some dust specks in a couple of scenes, but nothing overly obvious). The audio, available in Dolby Surround 5.1 in English, and Dolby Surround stereo in both French and Spanish, comes across strong. Regrettably, there really isn't much in terms of extras other than subtitles in English, French, and Spanish, along with the original the