Bluray Tuesday: Featuring Poltergeist Sequels, Parents and Boo! Madea's Halloween

January 31st 2017

The Final Bluray Tuesday of January arrives. Many releases to end the month. Scream Factory starts it off with collector's editions of Poltergeist 2 and 3 loaded with new bonus material and new 2k scan. New collector's series from Vesteron Video releases Parents and The Lair of The White Worm, both look interesting and I'll blind by these for sure. Tyler Perry Fans get a double dose of Madea this week with Boo! A Madea Halloween and his new stage play Madea on The Run. I missed Boo! in theaters and did wanna check that out. 80's cult slasher film Don't Answer The Phone hits shelves for the first time on Bluray from Vinegar Syndrome. This one is a highlight of this week as well. For the rest of the week 1940's Disney's Pinocchio is released from the Disney Vault as a part of their signature collection line. Best Buy will carry an exclusive lenticular slip cover for this release and Target will have an exclusive story book packaging. Jack Reacher's new sequel is the biggest budget film released today titled Jack Reacher: Don't Look Back. Best Buy is carrying an exclusive steelbook packaging for its edition as well. So what will you be buying, renting or just skipping this week? Let us know in the comments. Happy Blusday, until next week!

Poltergeist 2: Amazon - $22.19

The Freeling family settles into a new home following the annihilation of their former residence by terrifying visitors from the netherworld. But the spirits of the dead are still hell-bent on luring the family's clairvoyant daughter Carol Anne to "the other side"!

 

Poltergeist 3: Amazon - $22.19

They're back...again! And they're still looking for Carol Anne, who has been sent by her parents to live in a Chicago high rise with her aunt, uncle and cousin. Now Carol Anne must face demons more frightening than ever before, as they move from invading homes to taking over an entire skyscraper.

 

The Lair of The White Worm (1988): Amazon - $24.99

On a farm owned by Eve Trent (Catherine Oxenberg) and her sister Mary (Sammi Davis), young archaeologist Angus Flint (Peter Capaldi) discovers a large and inexplicable skull, which he soon deduces belonged to the D'Ampton Worm, a mythical beast supposedly slain generations ago by the ancestor of the current Lord D'Ampton (Hugh Grant). The predatory Lady Sylvia Marsh (Amanda Donohoe) soon takes an interest in both Flint and the virginal Eve, hinting that the vicious D'Ampton Worm may still live.

 

Parents (1989): Amazon - $24.99

Ten-year-old Michael Laemle (Bryan Madorsky) senses that something is not quite right with his family. Sure, his mother, Lily (Mary Beth Hurt), is the perfect 1950s housewife, and they have a comfortable life in the suburbs, where his dad, Nick (Randy Quaid), works at a mortuary. But what's with the enormous cuts of meat that his father brings home every night? What, or whom, do they come from? Michael takes his concerns to a school counselor (Sandy Dennis) who decides to come over for dinner.

 

Jack Reacher: Never Go Back: Amazon - $19.99

4K: Amazon - $29.99

Investigator Jack Reacher (Tom Cruise) springs into action after the arrest of Susan Turner (Cobie Smulders), an Army major accused of treason. Suspecting foul play, Jack embarks on a mission to prove that the head of his old unit is innocent. After crossing paths with the law, Reacher must now go on the lam to uncover the truth behind a major government conspiracy that involves the death of U.S. soldiers.

 

 

Steelbook: Best Buy - $29.99

    

Pinocchio: Amazon - $22.99

A living puppet, with the help of a cricket as his conscience, must prove himself worthy to become a real boy.

 

Lenticular Slipcover: Best Buy - $22.99

 

Digibook: Target - $24.99

  

Don't Answer The Phone (1980): Amazon - $17.99

Vietnam War veteran and sometime photographer Kirk Smith (Nicholas Worth) is stalking women in their Hollywood, Calif., homes and strangling them to death. While Lt. Chris McCabe (James Westmoreland) begins a rather unsuccessful investigation, psychologist Lindsay Gale (Flo Gerrish) starts getting disturbing phone calls from Smith. Eventually, the psychotic Smith starts going after Gale's patients, killing them one by one. The stakes get even higher when Gale herself is kidnapped.

 

Masterminds: Amazon - $19.99

The film tells the hilarious true story of David Ghantt, a half-brained driver at an armoured car company who is led astray by his flirtatious work crush Kelly. Kelly and her buddy Steve convince David to do an inside job, and to everyone's surprise he manages to pull off one of the biggest bank heists in US History! With Steve conspicuously flashing the cash and the FBI closing in on them the plan starts to go south, then further south. Meanwhile Ghantt is hiding out in Mexico awaiting the money and Kelly, but an unexpected guest arrives in her place. With everyone out for themselves, things quickly start to fall, stumble and slip apart...

 

Queen Of Katwe: Amazon - $22.99

Living in the slum of Katwe in Kampala, Uganda, is a constant struggle for 10-year-old Phiona (Madina Nalwanga) and her family. Her world changes one day when she meets Robert Katende (David Oyelowo), a missionary who teaches children how to play chess. Phiona becomes fascinated with the game and soon becomes a top player under Katende's guidance. Her success in local competitions and tournaments opens the door to a bright future and a golden chance to escape from a life of poverty.

 

Boo! A Madea Halloween: Amazon - $19.99 

Trying to win the approval of her friends, 17-year-old Tiffany sneaks out of the house to go to a Halloween bash at a fraternity. The fun soon ends when police and the cranky, fast-talking Madea (Tyler Perry) arrive to crash the party. Unhappy with this sudden turn of events, the vengeful collegians decide to scare Madea and her cronies with a series of pranks. She soon finds herself under attack and on the run from an assortment of ghosts, ghouls and zombies on the scariest night of the year.

 

Madea On The Run: Amazon - $14.99

On the run from the law, Madea hides out at Bam's house, thinking she will lie low.
 

 

Blood Mania / Point of Terror: Amazon - $22.99

Blood Mania: A doctor's daughter (Maria De Aragon) plots to kill him to speed her inheritance, unaware he's left it all to her sister.

Point of Terror: An aspiring rocker dumps his lover and starts a tawdry affair with a music publisher's wife.

    

-The Impostor 

Screenings in the Bay (Monday to Friday): Rings, 28 Weeks Later, SF Indie Fest

It's the beginning of another great week for movies in the bay area! Following the Shudder exclusive premier of Sadako vs Kayako, this week we're getting another installment of the Ring franchise with Rings. This is also the first week of the San Francisco Indie Film Festival, with screenings starting Friday. Before that all starts up, you still have time to check out We Are the Flesh at the Roxie Theatre. Read on to see what else is screening!


Opening This Week

Rings (2017)

Early Screenings Thursday Feb 2nd (

Opens Friday 3rd

Drama/ Horror (IMDB)

A young woman finds herself on the receiving end of a terrifying curse that threatens to take her life in 7 days.

Alamo Drafthouse

Terror Tuesday

28 Weeks Later (2007)

Tuesday 28th @ 10pm (1hr 40min)

Horror/ Sci-Fi (RottenTomoatoes)

Six months after the rage virus was inflicted on the population of Great Britain, the US Army helps to secure a small area of London for the survivors to repopulate and start again. But not everything goes to plan.

Weird Wednesday

Julie Darling (1983)

Wednesday 1st @ 10:15pm (1hr 40min)

Drama/ Horror/ Mystery (RottenTomatoes)

This sombre European melodrama was also released as Julie Darling. A teenaged girl witnesses the rape and murder of mother. Because she hated her mom, the girl feels responsible for her death. Later on, her dad remarries. Despising her stepmother as much as she did the original article, Julie begins plotting her new mom's demise. Anthony Franciosa and Sybil Danning also star in Daughter of Death, but the bulk of the film is in the hands of newcomer Isabelle Mejias. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Balboa Theatre

Super Shangi-La Show Presents
Medusa Madness with The Gorgon


The Gorgon (1964)
Wednesday 1st @ 7:30pm (1hr 23min)
Horror/ Suspense/ Sci-Fi (RottenTomatoes)
When a professor is mysteriously killed by a legendary Gorgon in an Austrian town, it is up to his son Paul (Richard Pasco) and Professor Meister (Christopher Lee), to discover the cause of his death. While the local townsfolk refuse to talk, Paul struggles to discover the true identity of the deadly creature.

Landmark Clay Theatre

Midnight Madness

Alien (1979)

Friday 3rd @ @ 11:55pm (1hr 56min)

Horror/ Sci-Fi (IMDB)

After a space merchant vessel perceives an unknown transmission as distress call, their landing on the source moon finds one of the crew attacked by a mysterious lifeform. Continuing their journey back to Earth with the attacked crew having recovered and the critter deceased, they soon realize that its life cycle has merely begun.

New Parkway Theatre

Mars Attacks (1996)

Friday 3rd @ 10:30pm (1hr 46min)

Action/ Comedy/ Sci-Fi (RottenTomatoes)

Earth is invaded by Martians with unbeatable weapons and a cruel sense of humor.

Roxie Theatre

We Are the Flesh (2016)

Monday 30th & Tuesday 31st @ 8:45pm (1hr 20min)

Wednesday 1st @ 9:15pm

Thursday 2nd @ 8:45pm

Horror/ Sci-Fi/ Fantasy (RottenTomatoes)

After the end of the world, a young brother and sister roam an apocalyptic city looking for food and shelter. They take refuge in the dilapidated lair of a strange hermit who makes them a dangerous offer to survive. He puts them to work building a bizarre cavernous structure, where he acts out his insane and depraved fantasies. Trapped in a maddening womb-like world under his malign influence, they find themselves sinking into the realms of dark and forbidden behavior.

SF Indie Fest

The Train Driver's Diary (2016)

Friday 3rd @ 7:15pm (1hr 25min)

Comedy (IMDB)

Statistics show that during their career every railroad engineer working unintentionally kills 15 to 20 people. This is a story about the innocent mass murderers and their lives.

Dark Seduction (2015)

Friday 3rd @ 9:30pm (1hr 21min)

Comedy/ Fantasy/ Horror (IMDB) 

A hard-boiled love triangle between a private eye and two bloodsucking dames.

-Huntress

Overlooked Crowd Funding: Moggy Creatures

Hey guys! It's been a long time since I've done one of these articles and I could't think of a better reason to resurrect it than the Indiegogo campaign for Moggy Creatures! By now, we're pretty familiar with the father of these hand-made movie monsters, Scott Frazelle, as he's been a featured guest of ours several times. After our chance meeting at Monsterpalooza, Scott has spoken in depth about his passion project with KillDozer during a Digging Up the Dirt interview, and then again on an episode of The Overlook Hour, where he Skyped in to give us all an update. It was during that interview that he mentioned plans for a crowd funding campaign, to be launched in January. 

Two of the stars of Moggy Creatures; T-Rex (left) and Sadie Katz (right)

Moggy Creatures is an indie horror movie that is being made with practical effects, mechanical cats, and a little hairless cat named T-Rex. You can follow him on Instagram here! This is the synopsis found on the movie's site:

"Michael and Anna are leftovers of the Hollywood dream; he was once a promising actor, she an aspiring photographer. They cling to their artistic dreams, but their bond has thinned over the years and a devastating loss. Their new fixer-upper, far from the Hollywood Hills, offers some solace when they bring in a stray cat and it has kittens. Anna loves the new pets, finds a rewarding job, and turns back to Michael, who also finds a new opportunities. But as the kittens grow at a shocking pace, they begin influencing Anna and testing Michael. Anna's behavior becomes tortured and irrational, the now grown cats more intelligent, and Michael can no longer tell where reality lies - until one final growth spurt reveals what they are, and what he must do."

-MoggyCreatures.com

Want more? Here's the trailer:

As a lover of cats and monster movies, I personally can't wait to watch this finished film, but in order for that to happen sooner, let's get some backers for the film's Indiegogo Campaign! Let's take a look at some of the perks:

Affordable: 

• $15 bucks is not that far off from a movie ticket, for one person. That's also the price of a digital download of Moggy Creatures, and a thanks in the credits. Add another ten bucks for a t-shirt on top of all that.

Under $100:

• If you can't get enough of those scary hairless cat creatres, why not get a poster with your movie? for $50 you will get the digital download of Moggy Creatures, as well as a signed movie poster.

• $85 may be a bit steep price for a coffee mug, but that's not all you get with this perk! Not only is this the mug to end all mugs, shaped like the head of a mutant hairless cat and made of unbreakable material, it also comes with a digital download of the movie and a thanks in the credits. Each mug is limited and numbered.

• Another one of the most exciting perks that Scott mentioned on the podcast was the Moggy creature action figure, which can be yours for $100! It's limited and numbered, and can be posed to look great sitting in your collection. 

Breaking the Piggy Bank:

• The Ultimate Litter Box is the perk for the indecisive. For $200, you get a DVD of the finished film, a t-shirt, the limited action figure, the limited cat head coffee mug, and a huge thank you in the credits! This actually works out best if you have your eye on a couple of the bigger perk items. 

You can find the rest of the campaign perks at the the Moggy Creatures Campaign page.

Find out more about Moggy Creatures and follow their monstrous growth at their Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter! 

-Huntress

Screenings in the Bay (Friday to Sunday): Creepy KOFY Movie Time Party, Noir City Film Fest, We Are the Flesh

What's everyone got planned for this weekend? Because there are some cool events going on in the city that you may want to consider (if you're not going already that is...). First we have the release of the final installment of the Resident Evil series coming to theatres today. Rivaling it, We Are the Flesh will start a short run at the Roxie Theatre that will go into February. And that's what most of the Overlook creatures are more interested in. This is also the weekend of the last Creepy KOFY Movie Time Party at the Balboa Theatre. We were sad to see the show end; Creepy KOFY used to make our Saturday nights. And it brought a lot of pride, being one of the only horror hosted Midnight Movie show in the bay area. If you're a fan, come out to the Balboa Saturday night!
One last highlight from this weekend is the orientation for anyone interested in joining the Peaches Christ volunteer army for 2017. It will happen Saturday morning at the Oasis SF, from 11-1:30pm. You can RSVP and get more info at the Peaches Christ Volunteer Orientation page. Hope to see some of you guys there!

Opening Today

Resident Evil: The Final Chapter (2017)

Opens Friday 27th (1hr 46min)

Action/ Horror/ Sci-Fi (IMDB)

The human race's last hope against apocalyptic obliteration is super soldier Alice (Milla Jovovich), but she's been stripped of her psychic powers. She must form alliances and rally survivors in Raccoon City for the climactic battle against the Umbrella Corporation and its ravenous hordes of the undead. This sixth installment of the video game-inspired franchise is directed by Paul W.S. Anderson (AWP: Alien vs. Predator). 

Balboa Theatre

Creepy KOFY Movie Time Party!

The Giant Gila Monster (1959)

Saturday 28th @ 8pm (1hr 14min)

Horror/ Sci-Fi (IMDB)

In The Giant Gila Monster, most of the plot is given over to a group of hot-rod enthusiasts, headed by nice-guy Chace Winstead (Don Sullivan), who sometimes breaks into song. Before long, the titular gila monster, which is just that -- a real gila monster -- is lumbering about on miniaturized sets terrorizing the community, killing at random, knocking over trains and barns, and in general making a nuisance of itself. When the monster threatens to devour Chace's kid sister, he attempts to dispatch the beast with a hot rod full of nitroglycerin. The Giant Gila Monster was originally released on a double bill with The Killer Shrews.

Castro Theatre

Noir City 15

Blue Collar (1978)

Friday 27th @ 7:15pm (1hr 54min)

Drama/ Crime (IMDB)

Three guys, two African-American and one Polish, work on the production line in a Detroit automobile factory, and they are fed-up with the conditions. It dawns on them that their workers' union is doing them no greater good than their screwed-up bosses. So the trio pulls off a clumsy robbery at union HQ, in which they only gain access to some suspicious documents that point to union links with organized crime. Suddenly they're out of their league: violence, paranoia, rivalry, and recrimination erupt around them.

-with-

Straight Time (1978)

Friday 27th @ 9:30pm (1hr 54min)

Crime/ Drama (IMDB)

Paroled criminal Max Dembo is compelled to withstand the calculated cruelties of parole officer Earl Frank. The more Max tries to go straight, the more he is defeated by circumstance. It eventually becomes clear that neither Hoffman nor his fellow ex-cons will be able to survive looking for legitimate work.

Charley Varrick (1973)

Saturday 28th @ 1:30pm (1hr 51min)

Action/ Crime/ Drama (IMDB)

A man, his wife, and their friend, stage a bloody bank robbery, unaware they are stealing money from the Mob.

-with-

The Brink's Job (1978)

Saturday 28th @ 3:45pm (1hr 44min)

Comedy/ Crime/ Drama (IMDB)

On Jan. 17, 1950, a group of unlikely criminal masterminds commits the robbery of the century. Led by Tony Pino (Peter Falk), a petty thief fresh out of prison, and Joe McGinnis (Peter Boyle), who specializes in planning lucrative capers, the gang robs Brink's main office in Boston of more than $2 million. However, things begin to go awry when the FBI gets involved, the cops start cracking down on the gang and McGinnis refuses to hand over the loot.

Sexy Beast (2000)

Saturday 28th @ 7:15pm (1hr 31min)

Crime/ Thriller (IMDB)

Brutal gangster Don Logan recruits "retired" safecracker Gal for one last job, but it goes badly for both of them.

-with-

The Aura (2005)

Saturday 28th @ 9:10pm (2hrs 18min)

Action/ Arthouse/ Drama/ Suspense (RottenTomatoes)

A lonely taxidermist with a photographic memory dreams of committing the "perfect crime" in Nine Queens director Fabián Bielinsky's deliberately paced existential thriller. Espinosa (Ricardo Darín) is an epileptic fortysomething who makes his living by stuffing creatures for the natural history museum in Buenos Aires. It is there that Espinosa meets friend and fellow taxidermist Sontag (Alejandro Awada). After picking up their paycheck at a nearby bank, Sontag kindly invites the lonely Espinosa to join him in the forests of southern Argentina for a brief hunting getaway. Soon after checking into their hotel, Sontag and Espinosa take to nature in hopes of bagging a buck, but their voyage takes a dark turn when, in the grip of another seizure, Espinosa accidentally shoots and kills hotel owner Dietrich (Manuel Rodal). Though his suspicions that Dietrich was involved with some shady dealings seem little more than a means for justifying the tragic turn of events, Espinosa soon realizes that he may be onto something when a pair of thugs named Sosa (Pablo Cedron) and Montero (Walter Reyno) come searching for the missing proprietor. As all of the elements quickly fall into place, it begins to appear as if Espinosa may finally be prepared to execute the crime he has always dreamt about.

Before the Devil Knows You're Dead (2007)

Sunday 29th @ 1pm & 6pm (2hrs 3min)

Thriller/ Indie Film (Google)

Philip Seymour Hoffman, Ethan Hawke, Albert Finney, and Marisa Tomei star in director Sidney Lumet's thriller concerning two brothers who hatch a plan to rob their parent's jewelry store. When the job goes awry, the entire family is set on a collision course with tragedy. Andy (Hoffman) is an overextended broker in desperate need of some cash. His brother, Hank (Hawke), isn't much better off, so when Andy hatches a plan to rob their parent's modest jewelry store, it seems like a foolproof way to make a quick buck. But Andy's trophy wife, Gina (Tomei), is secretly sleeping with libidinous younger brother Hank, and when the robbery proves a complete disaster it isn't long before loyalties start to shift. Now Andy and Hank's father, Charles (Finney), is determined to make the unidentified robbers pay for their crime. What's a father to do when he discovers that the ones he loves have become his worst enemies? ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

-with-

Victoria (2015)

Sunday 29th @ 3:20pm & 8:20pm (2hr 20min)

Crime/ Drama/ Romance (IMDB)

A young Spanish woman who has newly moved to Berlin finds her flirtation with a local guy turn potentially deadly as their night out with his friends reveals a dangerous secret.

Roxie Theatre

We Are the Flesh (2016)

Friday 27th & Saturday 28th @ 9pm (1hr 20min)

Sunday 29th @ 8:15pm

Horror/ Sci-Fi/ Fantasy (RottenTomatoes)

After the end of the world, a young brother and sister roam an apocalyptic city looking for food and shelter. They take refuge in the dilapidated lair of a strange hermit who makes them a dangerous offer to survive. He puts them to work building a bizarre cavernous structure, where he acts out his insane and depraved fantasies. Trapped in a maddening womb-like world under his malign influence, they find themselves sinking into the realms of dark and forbidden behavior.

-Huntress

The Overlook Theatre Reviews: Sadako vs Kayako

8 of 8 viewers "Liked" "Sadako vs Kayako" (2016, Japan)

(Released Exclusively on Shudder January 26, 2017)
Here's what the creatures had to say:

Lord Battle - "Kôji Shiraishi is a name to fear, with films under his belt like Grotesque and my personal favorite Noroi: The Curse (which is the best Japanese found footage film!!). It quickly became obvious to me why I loved Sadako vs Kayako; pace, mood, and mythology were all handled masterfully in this clash of cultural curses. Don't expect these ghost girls to engage in a Marvel-esque slugfest, but rather enjoy the crossroads of two popular urban legends. I am very open about my deep enjoyment when it comes to Freddy vs Jason and also about my disgust with Aliens vs Predators. Both previous "VS" films had created human protagonists that merely ended up at the wrong place at the wrong time... except that they turn out to be heros and end up interfering with exactly what the audience paid to see. Now without spoiling anything I'll say that the human protagonist in Sadako vs Kayako are victims desperately seeking a way to break a curse.  Sadako vs Kayako also feels paced much like Ringu, unlike FvJ or AvP, which felt like horror films conjured by a spell comprised of a gallon of Hollywood polish and the stench of Monster energy drinks." - 5 Stars

KillDozer - "Just when you though it was safe to watch VHS tapes and explore cursed houses!! Since the early days of horror cinema, monster kids around the world have waited to see their favorite icons collide in battle on the silver screen. We have been lucky enough to see this trend return in films like Alien vs Predator and with great excitement no matter how the finished product turned out. I was thrilled to hear rumors that 2 of the most iconic tortured and vengeful souls might be going head to head after a long hiatus. You can imagine the amount of nostalgia that took place as the first few minutes rolled on bringing us all back to the dark corners of weathered house in Japan where only a cat can be heard crying from inside, and not much later our eyes are wide, looking at a battered VHS tape whose curse is only known and feared by us, setting the stage for a battle of evil vs. evil. The story plays out beautifully in a way that both excites and entertains. The plot is straight forward but still throws something new into the mix by means of a "Constantine" like character and his sidekick. The look is classic and will make any fan of these franchises smile with delight as they watch these ghosts do what they do best, not only to the innocent but to each other as well. I was extremely glad to see the film was not dubbed in english and in my opinion did not cheat me out of the scares we know and love these franchises for. I believe this title will sit nicely in my collection next to Dracula vs Frankenstein and Freddy vs Jason." - 4 Stars (collection and franchise worthy!)

Dabbles - "As always I was scared and anxious but from what I saw this was awesome! It brought back all the feelings and anxiety from watching the original movies, and had the fun of a super fight round against heroes. It was a bit slow but the pay off was well worth it. Dabbles approved!" - 4 Stars

Trash - "I’ve seen my fair share of horror villain mash-up movies, and when I heard there was a new one pitting Ringu’s Sadako against Ju-on’s Kayako I was pumped. I’ve always been a big fan of Japanese ghost movies, as they tend to actually scare me and I love being scared. Yet bad guy v. bad guy films, albeit conceptually fun, rarely deliver the insanity you want from slapping two established characters together. Guess what? Sadako vs Kayako does it right and gives you everything you want from both the creepy Asian ghost genre and a horror mash-up. The smartest thing about this movie is the filmmakers know the stronger story is the cursed video tape. It’s not that Kayako is weak, so much as the mythology surround Sadako is more interesting. So, the movie focuses on the scares of the Ringu mythology, while giving the very unsettling Kayako and her Cat Boy the kills. And man, the dynamic could not work better. An extra layer of clever playfulness comes through its characters, between scenes of dense atmospheric eeriness they deliver hammy lines with the understanding that you already know this world. This extra spark keeps the movie fun, while it totally nails the tone. And man, the ending is weird and scary and exactly the level of crazy I was hoping for." - 4 Stars

Speed Demon - "Two evil cursed characters combined in one film, both extremely creepy in there own way. Damn what a great idea! The build up for their showdown was pretty impressive. Everything you would expect to happen happens though. You can basically call the movie play by play. Likable characters. Creepy awkward moments. Super fun atmosphere. Definitely worth a watch. I'm almost positive it will not disappoint you." - 4 Stars

Clark Little  - "Overall, I enjoyed this story. Compelling new characters thrown into an all too familiar world. The big selling point here is humor. Funny and peculiar moments propel this film forward more than the scares. However, the film's title is slightly misleading. Yes, we get a match between the two. Kind of. But the journey to get there was far longer than the payoff. An interesting and entertaining film that I will probably never see again." - 3 Stars

The Ascendant - "Looking back at Hideo Nakata's (ground-breaking) 1998 film, Ringu, it's impossible to ignore the sheer influence it had on horror filmmaking in Japan, as well as in surrounding countries. Nineteen years later, its murky fingerprints can be seen in a myriad of films that followed it such as Inner Senses (2002), The Eye (2002), One Missed Call (2003), Pulse (2001) and Dark Water (2002). Not to be outdone, Takeshi Shimizu's Ju-On: The Curse (2000) and its sequel Ju-On: The Curse 2 were Direct-To-Video successes, spawning 7 sequels and 2 American remakes in a nineteen year time-frame. Helmed by Koji Shiraishi (Grotesque), Sadako vs Kayako (2016) plays directly to both fans of J-Horror as well as those faintly familiar with the tropes Nakata & Shimizu's films unleashed onto world years ago. Oddly enough, Shiraishi's film felt the strongest when it had the audience (deep) in the mix with its slew of silly characters such as a College Professor obsessed with Urban Legends (Masahiro Komoto), an Exorcist with psychic powers (Masanobu Ando) and his trusty blind sidekick (Mai Kikuchi). This alone changes the experience of the film, making it a little more cohesive, compared to a film like Freddy vs Jason (2003). Sadako & Kayako's curses are always around the corner but at least we as an audience possess some level of care about what happens in between. Although the entire film's plot is a (hilarious) lesson in conveniences, the only (real) issue I had with the film stems from how Sadako, Kayako & Toshio are portrayed visually. Although multiple actresses & actors have played the characters through each of their respective series', I feel incredibly attached to their visual iterations in Ringu (1998) & Ju-On: The Grudge (2002). Their iterations here feel just a hair above cosplay. Sorry Rintaro Shibamoto, you are #notmycatkid. Not a bad way to spend 98 minutes. Stay for the (nutty) finale." - 3 Stars

Huntress - "Sadako vs Kayako managed to incorporate just about everything I like in my horror movies into one awesome final product! It went from lighthearted to intense in a graceful instant so the progression felt natural and compelling. The characters were all great - even the ones who weren't great people - and a lot of the shots totally creeped me out. Nothing felt rushed and the fight couple have gone either way for me, but I absolutely loved how the movie ended! I love it more the more I think about it!" -4.5 Stars

The Overlook Theatre Final Rating*

(Below is for after you've seen the film)

Sadako vs Kayako couldn't feel less like Freddy vs Jason or Alien vs Predator but with the insane marketing Japan did to build hype for this feature, you would have guessed it to be a shallow slugfest of ghastly proportions. Below I've selected my 5 favorite related videos to the phenomenon that is when 2 curses collide. If you enjoy these videos jump into YouTube and fall down the very deep rabbit hole or check our Facebook in a couple days and I'll share the playlist I'm currently creating.

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This first video is my personal favorite as Sadako and Kayako bring the grudge match to the diamond in Hokkaido. The best part of this video is how they were intro'd.

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Midnight Madness at TIFF has always angered me by having amazing screening/after shows and the Q&A for Sadako vs Kayako is no different as the ghosts actually participate...

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Now this one is a little tough to understand (especially if you don't speak Japanese) but if you turn on the Japanese subtitles and then turn on auto translation, you'll at least get the jist of these 5 commercials.

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With every respectable horror movie release comes awesome pranks and even though this video wasn't exactly made for Sadako vs Kayako, it's still too good to miss!
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Not as elaborate as its Ringu counterpart posted above, this Ju-on prank still seems to work... or maybe it's just a cultural thing.
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-Lord Battle

The Overlook Theatre materialized in a residence for a special screening on  1/24/2016

*Based on the star ratings turned in by character reviewers, others viewed and got to "Dislike" or "Like" but that does not affect the rating.

The Overlook Hour Guest Profile: Rob & Joe of The Dog Barks Productions

This week The Overlook Hour welcomed two guests into the Disney Dungeon to talk film from multiple points of view. First we have the former front man of bay area metal band Heavy Heavy Low Low, current front man of I Wanna Die and short film maker, Robbie Smith. To his side is his director of photography and collaborator, Joe Casey. The two talk about their new short, The Dog Barks, as well as their past projects, including this short Fake Knives, Groaning Love. You can find this and their future films at the YouTube channel for The Dog Barks Productions.

The Dog Barks is not quite done yet but in the meantime, you can get to know these indie film makers and their taste in movies as they run down a list of their top 16 of 2016, but beware of several spoilers...

You can also follow Robbie's daily film regiment by looking him up on Instagram.

-Huntress