Scary Movies

Dog’s Movie House: “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” Rousing Sequel To Original Classic!

Howdy Folks! It’s The Kendog here and to many, “Beetlejuice” is Tim Burton’s best film. It’s the first movie to establish his unique sensability marrying the gothic atmosphere with a slightly off-kilter aesthetic that is purely his own. Burton’s gone on to mostly great success since 1988 but his latter output has been hit or miss at best. I’m happy to announce that he’s returned to form in a sequel 36 years in the making. “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” is a wonderful continuation of the original story, with new cast members, mostly practical effects and another classic turn by Michael Keaton as everyone’s favorite bio-exorcist!

Continue reading

Dog’s Movie House: “Winchester Provides Solid, Old-Fashioned Thrills!”

 

Howdy Folks!  It’s The Kendog!

Helen Mirren in “Winchester”

 

The saying “they don’t make them like they used to,” is often reserved for old fuddy-duddies like me who grew up during the 80’s and have a love of all things cinematic during that time.  It was the era of Spielberg, Lucas, Tobe Hooper, Richard Donner, and John Carpenter, among others.  They are obviously legendary directors but the fog of nostalgia has a tendency for us to transform them into cinematic deities.  As we get older, we think that nothing new could possibly compare to what came before and often we are proved right when the latest slam-bang, CGI-fueled piece of soulless entertainment comes our way.  Fortunately, every once and awhile a film comes along that reminds us that, yes, they occasionally “make them like they used to.”  In this case the film is “Winchester,” a good old fashioned haunted house movie.

Continue reading

The Kenblog: “Ten Frightful Horror Films For Halloween”

 

Howdy Folks!  It’s The Kendog!

 

scarypumpkin

 

 

It’s Halloween time again and you know what that means for movie lovers.  Time to sit in front of the television and re-acquaint yourself with some of the best scary movies you can think of.  Now I’m going to refrain from doing a standard top ten of all time list, instead choosing to pick ten movies you might not have heard of or might not think of as great scary movies, but take it from me when I say they’ll be worth the watch.  Some are classics, some are not, but all are good-to-great scary movies.  Enjoy! Continue reading

Dog’s Movie House: “The Visit” A Return To Form For M. Night Shyamalan!

 

 

Howdy Folks!  It’s The Kendog!

 

Deanna Dunagan in "The Visit"

Deanna Dunagan in “The Visit”

 

 

I have a great amount of admiration for filmmaker M. Night Shyamalan.  Ever since “The Sixth Sense” exploded on the scene in 1999 I’ve been a fan of his slow burn, cinematic style.  He’s fallen out of favor since his heyday in the 90s, with bombs like “The Happening” and “After Earth” on his resume.  Apparently his solution is to venture into the world of low budget filmmaking, partnering with Blumhouse Studios (“Insidious: Chapter 3) to write and direct his own entry into the “found footage” horror genre.  While I generally think most found footage films are dubious enterprises at best, I have to say that “The Visit” is one of the spookier horror films I’ve seen in a while and a good return to form for the talented Shyamalan. Continue reading