lowlandermg

Nothing against Anthony Francois, but this TV creature feature really needed Darren McGavin's neurotic Kolchak to keep things interesting during the slow churn investigation turns. Also would have loved to see Kolchak interact with no-nonsense Flaps (Roz Kelly). As others have said, I wonder if this wasn't some lost episode of Night Stalker considering all of the style, story, and pacing similarities. Despite the number of gaps and soapy moments, Dan Curtis does enough with this were-spider tale to make it worth a look. There are some pretty good kill and webbing scenes as well as some impressive stunt work (the window) and the music builds to a classic monster crescendo for the final act. Good mild Saturday morning fare drained with a shot of Beam in my coffee. Cheers!

Also titled Secret Santa. Early 90s Straight to video college buddy let's make a horror movie fan film schlock. Direction and editing make it interesting, but the comedy is juvenile and tries hard to hijack the film. Instead of using 16mm scratch effects, the better choice would have been VHS tracking lines. The acting is clumsy and immature and no actor separates themselves with any charisma, which is probably right so that you root for the next clumsy kill. One plus is the use of practical effects, the hairdryer scene being the highlight. Random note: eggnog, like blood is supposed to be thicker than water. Music vacillates between nintendocore and synth used in Eli Roth Thanksgiving trailer. As we reach the final 20 mins of the film one wonders if this was filmed as a stream of consciousness with the sole purpose to make some gore effects. No knock on that. I've done that. Best served earlier in a movie marathon, 1/4 in the bag, with a few friends. Or better yet on some horror film fest circuit. Maybe then the humor would sputter a bit better. Survived with a couple drams of Old Soul. Warning: The closing credits may cause seizures or flashbacks.