Why Creature from the Black Lagoon has become more Horrifying with Time

Posted on by Colin McMahon

As part of my recent pandemic-inspired monster movie binge, I turned to Universal’s Creature from the Black Lagoon trilogy, released between 1954 and 1956. The three movies, all of which feature the titular creature, vary in quality. To get the review portion out of the way right here, the casual viewer is better off sticking with the first one: A film that is beautifully shot, has a spectacular soundtrack, and boasts underwater effects that are still impressive today.

Watching the movies, however, I was struck by how horrifying they are. No, the creature is not particularly scary – nor are the films suspenseful. The horror is all in the writing, and the world in which such films were created.

Continue reading Why Creature from the Black Lagoon has become more Horrifying with Time

Ranking Universal’s Classic Invisible Man Series

Posted on by Colin McMahon

Well, here is my first truly COVID-19 empowered post. Like many of you, I have been shut up in my home these past several weeks. Recently, the wife and I decided to do a date night in – watching 2020’s The Invisible Man (it’s pretty good, more on that later). I was so taken by the new remake that I decided to watch the original 1933 film as well.

After that…well…I decided to watch the Universal’s entire series of Invisible Man films…which I have, since I got this gem last year around Halloween when it was on sale. Not something I planned on doing but, you know, as someone who has seen the entire Exorcist, Halloween, Friday the 13th, and Nightmare on Elm Street franchises, this one really wasn’t bad. Let’s dive in, starting at the worst and working our way up:

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Missing GoT Politics? Try…The Dark Crystal?

Posted on by Colin McMahon

Hey remember Game of Thrones…that was a thing. If the success of Netflix’s The Witcher has shown anything, it’s that audiences still have a craving for more adult fantasy with moral ambiguity and political intrigue. That said, while I enjoyed the first season of Geralt’s journey into legend, it felt more like…well, like this:

Not that there’s anything wrong with being the next Xena. Definitely nothing wrong there. Much to my surprise, however, I found another Netflix offering did a much better job of scratching that Game of Thrones intrigue itch. If you want complex characters living in a fully realized fantasy world of political complexities and societal strife, you really should check out The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance, or as I’ve started calling it: Game of Muppets.

Continue reading Missing GoT Politics? Try…The Dark Crystal?