In the annals of horror history, there are films that whisper dread. Then there’s Eaten Alive, a film that mutters to itself in a swamp, gnaws on a chicken bone, and tries not to trip over its own sleaze. Directed by Tobe Hooper in the fever-dream aftermath of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, this is … Read More “Eaten Alive (1976): Where Alligators Have Better Agents Than the Cast” »
Let’s get this out of the way: Walking the Edge isn’t a good movie. It’s not a bad movie either. It’s a shrug of a movie—like someone made Death Wish on a budget of bus fare and cigarette coupons. It’s the kind of film you’d find on a VHS tape labeled “action?” in your uncle’s … Read More “Walking the Edge (1985): A Half-Decent Trip Down a Shabby Side Street” »
You ever wonder what would happen if someone spiked a Hallmark Christmas movie with gasoline fumes, trauma, and a shot of Jim Henson’s blood pressure medication? Look no further than Silent Night, Deadly Night 5: The Toy Maker—a film that answers the question: “What if Pinocchio was a pervert and Santa was played by a … Read More “Silent Night, Deadly Night 5: The Toy Maker (1991)” »
There’s a moment early in The Beast Within when you think, “Hey, maybe this will be good.” That moment lasts exactly 17 seconds. Then it collapses into a smoldering pile of Southern-fried body horror, hormonal rage, and swamp-sweat nonsense that plays like The Fly’s malnourished cousin… if that cousin was locked in a basement and … Read More “The Beast Within (1982): Puberty is Hell, But This Was Unwatchable” »
Sometimes you come across a film so fundamentally confused, so brazenly undercooked, that you wonder if anyone involved was fully awake when the cameras were rolling. Hammer, a 1972 Blaxploitation “boxing” film starring Fred Williamson, is one of those movies. It walks into the ring looking like it’s ready to go twelve rounds, but it … Read More “Hammer (1972): Swing and a Miss in the Ring of Blaxploitation” »
Sometimes a movie is so full of itself it forgets to be entertaining. Slaughter, the 1972 Blaxploitation action flick starring Jim Brown, isn’t just a relic of a time when explosions were cheaper than dialogue—it’s a masterclass in how not to make a revenge thriller. It’s got all the ingredients of a good time: car … Read More “Slaughter (1972): When the Title’s the Only Thing That Works” »
There’s a fine line between gritty and grimy. And then there’s Bucktown—a movie that confuses lazy writing for realism, cardboard characters for depth, and aimless violence for social commentary. This 1975 Blaxploitation flick stars Fred Williamson and Pam Grier, two icons of the era, both of whom deserved better than this cinematic back alley of … Read More “Bucktown (1975): Welcome to the Town Time Forgot—and Should Have Left That Way” »
Sometimes a film comes along that tries to be so profound, so drenched in spiritual metaphor and grand moral inquiry, that it forgets to entertain—or even function. The Angel Levine is one such film. It wants to be a deep, soulful story about faith, prejudice, and redemption. Instead, it plays like a parable written by … Read More “The Angel Levine (1970): A Miracle Nobody Asked For” »
Let’s not kid ourselves—if you took Pam Grier out of Sheba, Baby, you’d have 90 minutes of taxidermy-level stiffness, a script that reads like it was written during a lunch break at Sears, and action scenes that move with all the urgency of a DMV line on Ambien. This isn’t blaxploitation; it’s blahxploitation. It’s as … Read More “Sheba, Baby (1975): Pam Grier Deserves Better Than This Beige Revenge Fantasy” »
There are cult classics, and then there’s Coffy—a film so desperate to be gritty, it scrapes its knuckles against the pavement for 90 minutes straight. Directed by Jack Hill and starring Pam Grier in her breakout role, Coffy wants to be a fierce middle finger to systemic corruption, racism, and the drug trade. What it … Read More “Coffy (1973) – Pam Grier, Shotguns, and the Wobbly Rage of Exploitation Cinema” »
