Five Dolla Holla - Case 39

Renee Zellweger stars as caring social worker finds her world turned upside down when she becomes the foster parent for a little girl. See, she was nearly murdered by her parents who believed she was a demon who was killing everyone they loved.

Renee Zellweger, what an intriguing actress with her distinctive look and distinctive voice. There seems like there is always something going on in her head. What is she thinking? What is she going to do? What words might she utter? There is a quality about her, to her, that makes her interesting, even a bit fascinating.

Five Dolla Holla: Blue Velvet

By Eric Polk

For many, cult movies are defined by doing the Time Warp again. For me, cult movies are defined by the lines "Heineken? Fuck that shit! Pabst Blue Ribbon!" and "Do it for van Gogh!" Yes reapers, my favorite cult movie of all time is legendary director David Lynch's 1986 Blue Velvet.

The film centers on college student Jeffrey Beaumont (Kyle Maclachlan), who, returning from visiting his ill father in the hospital, comes across a human ear in a field in his hometown of Lumberton. He proceeds to investigate the ear with help from a high school student, Sandy Williams (Laura Dern), who provides him with information and leads from her father, a local police detective. Jeffrey's investigation draws him deeper into his hometown's seedy underworld, and sees him forming a sexual relationship with the alluring torch singer, Dorothy Vallens (Isabella Rossellini), and uncovering criminal Frank Booth (Dennis Hopper), who engages in drug abuse and sexual violence.

Abandon - Five Dolla Holla

By: Brandon Sites of http://bigdaddyhorrorreviews.com/

Abandon is one of those films that I can revisit over and over again, because it personally resonates with me. Who hasn't been a young adult, who still has teenage tendencies, that's unsure about what the future holds? Who hasn't doubted themselves? Who hasn't gone out and drinked a bit more then they should of at some party that they really shouldn't have gone to? Who hasn't had feelings of love that passed you by or a feeling of regret associated with that person that slipped by? Abandon takes on issues that every young adult has faced at some point or another and fashions that into a thriller with some supernatural elements. Katie Holmes stars as Katie a young college student about to graduate who's unsure about the future. A police detective starts poking around into the disappearance of a filthy rich playboy / student who went missing a few years ago. This playboy turns out to be Katie's former flame who left her suddenly one night all by her lonesome. As the detective probes, old memories about her former flame are unearthed, and passions are reignited, a series of events begins to unfold that will change everyone's life.

Sutures - Five Dolla Holla

In honor of Rhonda (Rhonny) going to college and working on becoming a nurse, I thought it would be the perfect time to look back at a recent release that has elements of the medical profession included in the film. Director Tammi Sutton's Sutures is about a group of med students taking a vacation to the middle of nowhere for a little R & R, but something is amiss from the get go. Soon, each one of them is kidnapped and token to an underground medical facility where the doctors are either harvesting their organs or conducting medical research on them involving deadly viruses.

The Faculty - Five Dolla Holla

Why is it The Faculty is one of those films that I can revisit over and over again without ever tiring of the film? Why is it that I find this film so enduring? Could it be the energetic pace? Could it be the hip, happening cast mixed with some old pros? Could it be the in jokes and humor? Could it be the opening sequence that had me clutching my chair's armrest due to some heart stopping suspense? These are all elements that I enjoyed about The Faculty, but digging a little deeper and sometimes fully getting across why you enjoyed a film so much, at times, can be a little difficult.

Cheerleader Camp - Five Dolla Holla

By: Brandon Sites - Make sure to check out my latest article at http://www.bigdaddyhorrorreviews.com/2010/07/so-what-type-critic-are-you.html

Back in the late 80's, the careers of a bunch of once popular teen stars was drying up so they got aboard the slasher film craze joining the cast of this masterpiece of contemporary cinema (LOL). We have young Betsy Russell (nowing playing Jigsaw's ex wife in the Saw series) as a cheerleader who suffers from violent nightmares in which she uses her pom poms to murder off anyone that threatens her. Problem is those dreams are coming true. Also involved in the mix is former heartthrob Leif Garrett as her cheating boyfriend and Lucinda Dickey of Breakin' as the team mascot.

This used to be a staple of late night entertainment during the early to mid 90's. I remember as a kid staying up to whatever time this movie would come on to watch this is either on USA's Up All Night (boy, those were the days!) or Cinemax (aka Skinamax). There was a reason this was such a popular late night staple. We got classic lines such as "honey on her muffin". We got the film's obese sidekick getting stuck in the car window while mooning the entire cheerleading camp. We also get to do some nature watching while at Cheerleader Camp in which the film's sidekick examines the bodies of the film's various female leads while they are sunbathing topless. We have classic instructional videos detailing how to feel the spirit while visiting Cheerleader Camp. We have sex scenes involving various costumed mascots surrounding the partipcants screaming " Do it! Harder! Harder!". For all the women out there, there is a scene of Leif standing around in nothing, but his tightie whities trying to make his bulge bigger though he says he is trying to protect it (yeah right!). Or we have poor little traumatized Betsy Russell slashing people to death via pom pom in some deliciously over the top scenes of violence. As if that wasn't enough, George 'Buck' Flower is in the supporting cast as the film's sleazy cook trying to catch glimpses of whatever tender young flesh happens to be around or their is a nasty little twist ending that took me by surprise.

Cheerleader Camp is a film that I must have watched at least 50 times and I can watch it at least another 50 times more without tiring of it. One of the most entertaining films of the 80's slasher era, though it certainly can't be recommanded for it's sterling production values.

Cornered starring James DuVal and Steve Guttenberg - Five Dolla Mistake

By: Brandon Sites ( http://www.bigdaddyhorrorreviews.com/




Steve Guttenberg? Horror? A horror film with Steve Guttenberg? I should've known better! Surprisingly though, Guttenberg isn't the weak link here.

A group of characters playing Texas Hold Em after hours in a convience store are stalked and slashed by a killer. The catch is they are done in the same way in which they said they would murder off a killer if they ever saw one.

The plotting is what does this one in. One character goes to investigate a strange noise and is killed off. Another character goes to investigate and is killed also. The process continues to repeat itself untill only two characters are left. In the process, the element of suspense is removed since the outcome of the film's proceedings is foregone. Tries to take a few chances towards the films final mins., but by then it is too little too late. Only thing saving this film from being a complete failure is James DuVal managing to bring his edgy style of acting in an otherwise bland and boring film. Even still, it's not enough to make this even ok view or time killer. A film in which they put too little effort into.

Five Dolla Holla - Mother's Boys

By: Brandon Sites ( http://www.bigdaddyhorrorreviews.com/ ) Big Daddy Horror Reviews

In the mid 90's Jamie Lee Curtis returned a bit closer to her horror / thriller roots with this film sporting a bizarre blond peroxide do. She stars as a mother who tries to manipulate and ultimately use violence to try to worm her way back into her kids lives after abandoning them for three years even though they have moved on and hubby has token a new gal pal. Competently made and acted on all levels. The production values and supporting performances all come across as rather forgettable. This is really a showcase for Jamie Lee to chew as much scenery as possible and chew away she does. She dominates every frame she is in as she gets naked in front of one of her children to show them a scar as the result of her pregency, as she self mutilates herself in the other woman's office during working hours to frame her, as she sets into motion a plot that involves her kid's holding hubby's mistress hostage! You name it, Curtis's character isn't afraid to try it to get back into the good graces of her children. If your a Jamie Lee fan you will be mesmerized as Curtis throws in everything she has except maybe the kitchen sink playing the villian here. It is an absolute thrill ride if you fell in love with her during her slasher heyday playing against type here. Others who aren't so enamored of her will find this film a less rewarding experience.

Five Dolla Holla - Return To Sleepaway Camp

By: Brandon Sites (http://www.bigdaddyhorrorreviews.com/2010/02/return-to-sleepaway-camp.html)

I know I might be in the minority here, but I totally dug this sequel to the original Sleepaway Camp. At another summer camp near the sight of the original a series of murders are taking place that are seemingly connected to those responsible for bullying a fat kid around. Has Angela returned to even the odds? Is there a copycat at work?

Fans waited years for this film as it spent years being delayed and special effects sequences were redone. Was it worth the wait? In a word- yes! Well at least for me. This is the perfect companion piece to the original film capturing the essence and tone of the first showing kids being mean to mean in their day to day activities or when put together in large groups taking advantage of the lesser members of society. Yet it isn't devoid of humor either. It features some downright gruesome murders and a twist finale just like the original. Elements I also found to be refreshing was the play on switching the sexes this time around and throwing in various elements of mystery into the film's proceedings. Plus, it was a real treat to see stars of the original film in this film.

The original film wasn't well recieved when it first came, but over the years it gained a cult following and genre fans embraced it singing it's praises. In my opinion, this film seems to be following the same path of the first film. Who isn't to say that history might repeat itself and this ends up with a loyal following just like the original? Only time will tell........

Five Dolla Holla: Pumpkinhead

A man conjures up a gigantic vengeance demon called Pumpkinhead to destroy the teenagers who accidentally killed his son.

This film is multi-faceted for me. Not only is it scary as all hell, but it's emotional. As soon as the little boy gets hit with the dirt bike by the asshole drunk who thinks it's perfectly fine to push around his girlfriend, I was both angry and sad. Hell I was rooting for Pumpkinhead most of the movie! It's like the movie intentionally wanted to get you pissed off at the dude just so you felt great when he got fucked up (am I going to hell for rooting for a demon? oh well)! The acting was pretty good for an 80's film and yes the effects were a bit cheesy, but the whole film is just so fun to watch, I don't think anyone will care about a bit of cheese. I now know why so many horror fans love this movie, and I'm on board the love train for Pumpkinhead!

Five Dolla Holla: Dolls

A group of people stop by a mansion during a storm and discover two magical toy makers, and their haunted collection of dolls.

If there's one thing you should know about me, it's that I have a thing for creepy dolls. So it doesn't really matter if the film is good or bad, as long as it got creepy dolls in it, I'm gonna love it. Luckily, this film wasn't bad at all. In fact, it was pretty flippin awesome! It has characters you love to hate and cheer for when the little dollies finally take em out. The acting wasn't too bad at all, the effects were great for an 80's film, and the story is just so much damn fun! Of course it has some 80's cheese, but it just makes it that much more enjoyable. I'm not sure it will scare any of the big kids anymore, but I bet if you have a doll in your house, you might walk past is a little quicker than you used to. If you think Chucky is bad ass, check out Dolls!

Five Dolla Holla: Eight Legged Freaks

A variety of horrible poisonous spiders get exposed to a noxious chemical that causes them to grow to monumental proportions.

If the movie Arachnophobia gave you nightmares, it's probably a really bad idea to see Eight Legged Freaks...this is something I should have know, and kinda did, but ignored. Now I hate spiders more that ever. If I even see a good picture of one, I scream like a little bitch. None the less, this movie was really fun to watch. The scariest part of the movie is that the special effects are really good and the spiders look pretty real...I can take the bloodiest, goriest film but it's during a horror comedy about giant spiders that I have to cover my eyes! The acting was pretty good, but no one's really paying attention; the spiders are the stars here. The dialog was hilarious and the film is filled with odes to some of the great classic horror films (Aliens, Dawn of the Dead, even Friday the 13th! the guy in a hockey mask with a chainsaw battling the spiders was fucking awesome!). As long as your not terrified of spiders, this is the Shawn of the Dead of Monster films. If you are, this will be the most frightening film you have ever seen!

Five Dolla Holla: The Descent

As I stated yesterday, I'm gonna be starting a weekly post highlighting the awesome deals you can get from five dollar and discount bins. Maybe a little more than a buck, but still a damn good deal!

A caving expedition goes horribly wrong, as the explorers become trapped and ultimately pursued by a strange breed of predators.
This movie is simply amazing. The visuals of the cave are beautiful, the acting is good, the story is well written, and by golly it's a horror movie that has some horror in it! And for all of you who love your female horror flicks, the only man in the movie is killed off in the first 10 minutes, so it's women power all the way! But just cause it's all girls, don't expect any lack of gore and violence, cause it's in there! Definitely a must buy.