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From ZERO to 6 ♥s. 100% ad-free. Run on pure love for movies, documentaries and TV-series. June 2025: Countdown to: Top 10: Best horror comedy movies - Upcoming review: There's Still Tomorrow (2023)
Sinister darkness and experimental menace hangs heavy over this fine poster for James Whale's The Invisible Man
A mad scientist is discovered to be an invisible man, hidden in a house in a village. Soon his pranks on his fellow men turn deadly.
The Invisible Man is written by R.C Sherriff (Miss Mabel (1958, TV movie)), with Preston Sturges (The Great Moment (1944)) contributing elements, adapting H.G. Wells' (Love and Mr Lewisham (1900)) same-titled 1897 novel, and directed by great English-born American filmmaker James Whale (Journey's End (1930)).
Wells' story of a scientist's clandestine hunt for success and power is the stuff of myths, and Whale has supplied fun supporting performances, rapidly edited action and high production values. Not least due to the perfect special effects, which are both amusing and far ahead of their time, The Invisible Man is a blast. Claude Rains (Naked City (1960, TV-series)) rules in the title part that changed his trajectory from a theater career that he was ready to vacate at this point, into major movie stardom.
[The Invisible Man premiered 31 October (Colorado) and runs 70 minutes. Several writers, directors and stars were attached to the film prior to production, and Universal Pictures were in bad shape at the time and had locked down completely for many weeks in early 1933. Shooting took place from June - August 1933 in California. The film opened to strong reviews and big audience interest, although the total gross is regrettably not known. Whale returned with By Candlelight (1933). Rains returned in Crime without Passion (1934); Gloria Stuart (Titanic (1997)) in Roman Scandals (1933). The Invisible Man is certified fresh at 95 % with an 8.40/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]
A cobweb-dressed mansion entrance lures prospective audiences on this poster for Rob Minkoff's The Haunted Mansion
Jim Evers is a realtor with a busy career, who has difficulty finding time to see his family, who therefore are forced to spend their family weekend visiting a large estate in Louisiana that 'the big man' intends to sell ...
The Haunted Mansion is written by David Berenbaum (Elf (2003)) and directed by Rob Minkoff (The Lion King (1994, co-director)). It is based on Disney's theme park ride of the same name.
Eddie Murphy (Beverly Hills Cop III (1994)) is so lovable and funny that one is happy at the outset of The Haunted Mansion, which bodes well for this ride-inspired studio creation. The family vs. work conflict, however, vanishes as various more or less stupid and unimpressive 'horror' special effects are unleashed within the house. Here also Terence Stamp (Crow (2016)) delivers a laconic butler performance with an excessive British accent.
The Haunted Mansion; (not really that) close - and definitely no cigar!
[The Haunted Mansionwas released 26 November (North America) and runs 87 minutes. Shooting took place from December 2002 - April 2003 in New Orleans, Louisiana and in California, including in Los Angeles. The film opened #1 to a 34 mil. $ 5 day-long Thanksgiving opening weekend in North America, where it spent one more weekend in the top 5 (#3), grossing 75.8 mil. $ (41.6 % of the total gross). The 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were Japan with 29.7 mil. $ (16.3 %) and the UK with 14.8 mil. $ (8.1 %). Roger Ebert gave the film a 2.5/4 star review, translating to a notch over this one. The film was remade by Disney as Haunted Mansion (2023) to a much steeper flop result. Minkoff returned with The Forbidden Kingdom (2008). Murphy returned with voice performances in Shrek 2 (2004) and 2 Shrek 2-related productions prior to his physical theatrical return in Dreamgirls (2006). The Haunted Mansion is rotten at 13 % with a 4.30/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]
A ghoulish severed hand catches the eye on this promising poster for Steve Miner's House
A writer with problems moves into the house, where his aunt hung herself, and his son disappeared with the plan of writing his Vietnam novel. - But monsters keep disturbing his writing peace!
House is written by Ethan Wiley (Bear (2010)), with Fred Dekker (If Looks Could Kill (1991)) contributing story elements, and directed by Steve Miner (Friday the 13th Part 2 (1981)).
It is a neither scary nor funny horror comedy, - in fact is is just unserious and silly. And then it lacks the really good special effects that might overcome some of these deficiencies. (Best looking FX-wise is a scene, in which the house stands on a precipice, and the writer hangs with one hand over it.)
George Wendt (Opposite Day (2009)) of Cheers (1982-93) fame has the role as the good-natured neighbor, and he does well in the part. But House is not at all a good film.
[House premiered 21 October (MIFED Film Festival, Italy) and runs 93 minutes. Shooting took place from April 1985 - ? in California, including in Los Angeles. The film opened #2, behind fellow new release Pretty in Pink, to a 5.9 mil. $ first weekend in North America, where it spent one more weekend in the top 5 (#2) and grossed 19.4 mil. $ (87.8 % of the total gross). The success inspired sequel House II: The Second Story (1987), with a new writer/director and cast. Miner returned with Soul Man (1986). William Katt (The Encore of Tony Duran (2011)) returned in 12 TV credits prior to his theatrical return in White Ghost (1988); Wendt in Gung Ho (1986). House is rotten at 57 % with a 5.10/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]
A strangely menacing sky catches the eye above a new batch of 'busters on this poster for Jason Reitman's Ghostbusters: Afterlife
The Spenglers, financially exhausted single-mom Callie and her teenage offspring Phoebe and Trevor, travel to the decrepit dirt farm that her late father has left for them, - and a hidden legacy, - of ghostbusting!
Ghostbusters: Afterlife is written by Gil Kenan (Monster House (2006)) and great Quebecois filmmaker, co-writer/director by Jason Reitman (Thank You for Smoking (2005)). It is produced by his father Ivan Reitman, the producer/director of the original Ghostbusters films, Ghostbusters (1984) and Ghostbusters II (1989). The film ignores the events of Paul Feig's female reboot Ghostbusters (2016), a much-trolled flop.
Afterlife makes it its mission to bring a cinema package that is as close as possible to a ride back in time to the era of the original films' success, the 1980s, as can be imagined, both in tone, sounds, colors, designs, pace, plot elements and Rob Simonsen's (Burnt (2015)) Danny Elfmanesque score. Plot-wise it's a Goonies (1985) spin on the 'busters. It builds up for a long time and tries to establish wonder and interest in science.
Paul Rudd (The Fundamentals of Caring (2016)) and Carrie Coon (Strange Weather (2016)) are a great fit for the adult leads, but it is Mckenna Grace (Fuller House (2016-20)) as Phoebe, a girl with a comedic killer delivery and possibly a great future ahead of her, and Logan Kim as her friend and comedic sidekick Podcast (his name another throwback reference to Short Round of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984) I feel sure), who steal the movie. Their fun is the best part of Afterlife, which has good eye candy VFX but no tangible reasoning behind the invasion of ghosts and ghouls except for the film being, of course, a Ghostbusters franchise entry.
The original 'busters are brought back, which wasn't strictly speaking necessary in my humble opinion, but Reitman and Co. (plus, don't forget, the studio) have elected to push the respectfulness and nostalgia that Feig's movie lacked in 2016, and it is okay. The problem with trying to evoke real wonder and characters with dramatic tangents (poverty, fitting in in a new environment and coming-of-age) is here that every line and situation is infused with an irony so thick that the former ambitions are tripped against ever hitting anything real. But there are also gems among the ironic cleverness, as Coon's motherly advice to her 12 year-old daughter towards success in the new school: "Just don't be yourself."
It's all a joke and a fantasy with Ghostbusters: Afterlife, and overlong and nonsensical as it is, it is still a good fun time at the pictures.
[Ghostbusters: Afterlife premiered 8 October (New York) and runs 125 minutes. Development of the third Ghostbusters was ongoing from the early 1990s into the 2000s and onwards, especially restrained by Bill Murray's unwillingness to participate, and from 2014 also from Harold Ramis' death, another of the four original busters. Shooting took place from July - October 2019 in New York and Alberta, Canada. The release was pushed back almost 1½ years due to the China Virus pandemic. The film opened #1 to a 44 mil. $ first weekend in North America, and is in good shape to become a theatrical success within the coming months. It still has 14 markets slated to open in November, December and January, including France, South Korea, Russia, Spain and Australia. Reitman does not have his next directing gig announced yet. Coon returns in Boston Strangler (pre-production); Rudd in The Shrink Next Door (2021, TV-series) and theatrically possibly not before Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023). Ghostbusters: Afterlife is fresh at 62 % with a 6.00/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]
Eye-popping CGI creations collide around Jack Black and his 3 young co-stars running on an open book on this lively poster for Rob Letterman's Goosebumps
Our sweet teenage hero Zach moves with his vice principal widow mother to a quiet Delaware town, where their neighbors are a sweet, same-aged teenage girl and youth horror writer R.L. Stine, whose series of popular novels have a dangerous secret ...
Goosebumps is written by Darren Lemke (Shrek Forever After (2010)), with Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski (Man on the Moon (1999, both)) contributing story elements, based on the Goosebumps novel series by R.L. Stine (Give Yourself Goosebumps (1995-00)). - Stine is the world's best-selling author: More than 400 mil. Goosebumps novels have been sold; at one point in the 1990s, more than 4 mil. Goosebumps novels were sold a month. The film is directed by Rob Letterman (Shark Tale (2004)).
It is an enthusiastic movie that begins with a charming mother-son chemistry (hunky Dylan Minnette (The Open House (2018)) and Amy Ryan (Green Zone (2010))); Jillian Bell (Bridesmaids (2011)) as a fun aunt and Jack Black (Bernie (2011)) enjoyable as Stine, whose entire body of work (or, more precisely, a carefully selected group of ghouls from it) comes to life in one single film. Zach also has a fun 'loser' friend called Champ (Ryan Lee (Song of Back and Neck (2018)).) The filmmakers behind Goosebumps are obviously very comfortable signing over their special effects needs to CGI teams, and the film has good-looking creatures (the werewolf and garden gnomes especially), but the digitally created environment is also clearly artificial, blocking any wow-reaction, which is a real loss.
The editing pace is too short of breath, so the emotional beats of the story never ground themselves. It moves over hedge and ditch, this Jumanji-like experience, which is formulaic and not all that one could have wished for, but certainly entertains.
= Uncertain - big flop or a box office success, depending on the actual cost (returned 1.88 - 2.72 times its cost, depending on the actual cost)
[Goosebumps premiered 3 October (San Diego Film Festival) and runs 103 minutes. Development began in 1998 with Tim Burton slated to direct. Black reportedly received 6-8 mil. $ for his performance; Minnette 150k $. Shooting took place from April - July 2014 in Georgia, including Atlanta. The film opened #1 to a 23.6 mil. $ first weekend in North America, where it spent another 3 weeks in the top 5 (#2-#2-#4) and grossed 80 mil. $ (50.6 % of the total gross). The 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were the UK with 13 mil. $ (8.2 %) and Venezuela (!) with 7.9 mil. $ (5 %). Ari Sandel directed the smaller hit sequel Goosebumps: Haunted Halloween (2018), with Black back as Stine. Letterman returned with Pokémon Detective Pikachu (2019). Black returned in The Little Shop of Horrors (2015, video), Kung Fu Panda: Secrets of the Scroll (2016, short) and theatrically with a voice performance in Kung Fu Panda 3 (2016); Minnette in Don't Breathe (2016). Goosebumps is certified fresh at 78 % with a 6.50/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]
A strange, partly humorous and partly menacing poster for Roman Polanski's The Fearless Vampire Killers
A disgraced professor from Königsberg and his young assistant have traveled to Transylvania to find and prove the existence of vampires.
The Fearless Vampire Killers is written and directed by French-Polish master filmmaker Roman Polanski (Knife in the Water/Nóz w Wodzie (1962)), with Gérard Brach (The Bear/L'Ours (1988)) contributing story elements. It is Polanski's 4th feature. Polanski's vampire movie is in every way an overwhelming experience: Enormously wittily written both in terms of characters, dialog and plot and with production design and costumes, hair and makeup of very high quality, the film is also memorable for specific scenes: The castle and its mirror effect, for others the male-on-male rape attempt; both are quite simply unnerving and frightening scenes. At other times the film is incredibly funny: Polanski himself is convincing and impressively hilarious as the fearsome assistant Alfred, who falls for smashing Sharon Tate (Eye of the Devil (1967)). Other actors are also noteworthy: Jack MacGowran (How I Won the War (1967)) as the Einstein-like professor, and Ferdy Mayne (Conan the Destroyer (1984)) and Iain Quarrier (Wonderwall (1968)) as the ominous count and his son are both tremendous. The title is ambiguous, and perhaps the film as such was too refined and in a way high-brow for its audience or at least many of the distributors regrettably seemed to think so at the time. The humor in The Fearless Vampire Killers has a Mel Brooksian side to it, though it is less coarse and vulgar than most of his films, and in my book it beats his famed Gothic horror spoof mega-hit Young Frankenstein (1974). Watching The Fearless Vampire Killers today also can't but make one wonder where Polanski might have gone, if it hadn't been for Charles Manson and his 'family's cowardly murder of Polanski's then wife Tate in 1969.
Watch the correct version's cool opening of the film here
Cost: Estimated 2 mil. $ Box office: Unknown = Uncertain [The Fearless Vampire Killers premiered 13 November (New York) and runs 108 minutes. Polanski gave Tate the part after he had successfully scared her to a scream with a terrifying mask. Shooting took place in England and Italy. The film was mutilated in the US, where the title was changed to Dance of the Vampires and between 12 and 20 minutes was cut out, and an animated opening sequence was made to underscore that the film was marketed as a farce. Facts concerning the film's theatrical performance are regrettably not to be found. Polanski returned with Rosemary's Baby (1968). MacGowran returned in 3 TV and a short credit prior to his theatrical return in Wonderwall (1968); Tate in Valley of the Dolls (1967); and Alfie Bass (Come Play with Me (1977)) in Up the Junction (1968). The Fearless Vampire Killers is fresh at 69 % with a 6.2/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.] What do you think of The Fearless Vampire Killers?
The 4th Ghostbuster, played by Ernie Hudson, gets to be on the poster for Ivan Reitman's sequel Ghostbusters II here, - but still without a starring poster credit
Five years after the events of the first Ghostbusters, the four guys have nothing to do anymore; New York is cleansed of evil spirits. But then a portrait of an old crook at the museum where Dana (Sigourney Weaver (Ghostbusters (1984))) works wakes to life, and he wants her child!
Ghostbusters II is written by co-writer/stars Dan Aykroyd (The Blues Brothers (1980)) and Harold Ramis (Analyze This (1999)) and directed by returning filmmaker Ivan Reitman (Foxy Lady (1971)). Incredibly enough the sequel to the sensational 1984 original hit is as wacky as the first time around. It is predictably bigger in scale and still seems to have an anarchistic reckless attitude towards what was possible effects-wise at the time of production. Ghostbusters II has some new, fun supporting actor performances, including Peter MacNicol (Tangled: The Series (2017-20)) in a very silly, spasmic performance as Dana's boss, who becomes a pawn of the evil Vigo. Bill Murray (The Lost City (2005)) continues to be a treasure here, and I love the revamped version of the beloved title song by Ray Parker Jr..
Cost: Estimated 37 mil. $ Box office: 213.3 mil. $ = Huge hit (returned 5.76 times its cost) [Ghostbusters II premiered 15 June (Hollywood) and runs 108 minutes. The long gestation of the movie was mainly due to reluctance by the film's stars. Reitman, Murray, Ramis and Aykroyd negotiated "low" upfront salaries, (Murray though reportedly was paid 7 mil. $) in exchange for box office profit percentages, lower than 10 % each but reportedly still "high". Animated spin-off series The Real Ghostbusters (1984-91) had spun a large child fan base for the franchise, necessitating that the sequel be more family friendly, - less scary, without smoking etc.. Reitman hired ILM for the film's effects, as he had been unhappy with the effects done by Richard Edlund for the first film. Shooting took place from November 1988 - March 1989 in New York and California, including Los Angeles. New York City authorities were cooperative to the point of allowing shooting on Manhattan's Second Avenue while the Soviet Union's president Gorbachev was in town, which already closed down 40 blocks. Reshoots took place in March and April, including on location in New York, as its ending needed changing, while the premiere was pushed forward to avoid clashing with Batman (1989), making the finalization of the film highly stressful. The film opened #1 to a 29.4 mil. $ first weekend in North America, where it stayed in the top 5 for another 4 weekends (#3-#4-#2-#4) and grossed 112.4 mil. $ (52.7 % of the total gross). The film made less than half of its original in North America but almost double of the first film's international gross and was the 8th highest-grossing film worldwide of the year. Murray's disappointment with the film made another sequel impossible for the coming decades. Following Ramis' death in 2014, Reitman sold his, Ramis, Murray and Aykroyd's creative control of the franchise to Sony for an undisclosed, large sum. Their 2016 female reboot Ghostbusters flopped. Reitman's son Jason Reitman directs a second direct sequel, Ghostbusters: Afterlife (2020). Reitman returned with Kindergarten Cop (1990). Murray returned in Quick Change (1990); Aykroyd in Michael Jackson's music video Liberian Girl (1989) and theatrically in Driving Miss Daisy (1989); and Weaver in Alien 3 (1992). Ghostbusters II is rotten at 53 % with a 5.32/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.] What do you think of Ghostbusters II?
Something fresh that's funny and ominously spooky at the same time is promised on this effective poster for Ivan Reitman's Ghostbusters
Three guys who are fired from university paranormal scientist positions instead begin hunting ghosts in the Big Apple. More specifically an evil entity by the name of Zuul, which comes out of sexy New-Yorker Dana's (Sigourney Weaver (Alien (1979)) refrigerator.
Ghostbusters is written by co-writer/co-star Dan Aykroyd (Dragnet (1987)) and co-writer/co-star Harold Ramis (Bedazzled (2000)) and directed by Ivan Reitman (Foxy Lady (1971)). It is a delightful 1980s horror-comedy bonanza with a hilarious Bill Murray (Rock the Kashbah (2015)) at the film's front and center. Rick Moranis (SCTV (1980-81)) as Dana's neighbor is also a riot. Ghostbusters is a throw-back to a fantastic era where experimentation such as an FX-heavy comedy with no intellectual property behind it, - a costly, unproven and original concept, - enjoyed full studio support. It is a colorful, highly entertaining and damn good time.
Cost: Estimated 30 mil. $ Box office: 295.7 mil. $ = Blockbuster (returned 9.85 times its cost) [Ghostbusters premiered 7 June (California) and runs 105 minutes. Aykroyd was inspired by his family's fascination with ghosts and with ghost comedies of Hollywood yore. The studio paid Universal Pictures 500k $ for the rights to the Ghostbusters title. Reitman requested the 25-30 mil. $ budget by simply tripling the budget of his preceding film Stripes (1981). John Candy was sought for the neighbor Tully role but turned it down; Eddie Murphy was meant to be the 4th ghostbuster Winston but turned it down, and the role was diminished prior to filming to the regret of its eventually star Ernie Hudson, who goes unrecognized on the film's poster. Shooting took place in New York and Los Angeles from October 1983 - January 1984. Production shut down streets in New York during rush hour, angering residents including writer Isaac Asimov, and necessitating an officer pull his gun on a taxi driver refusing to comply. With Hollywood's major special effects companies already busy on other projects, Columbia Pictures supported Richard Edlund, fresh off Poltergeist (1982), with 5 mil. $ to open a new SFX company named Boss Film Studios and create the effects for Ghostbusters. The effects cost 700k $ more to complete and included Steve Johnson's 300k $ Slimer ghost, created with inspiration from the late John Belushi while taking cocaine. Columbia spent an additional 10 mil. $ on prints and marketing. One trailer included a toll-free number with a pre-recorded message from Aykroyd and Murray, which reportedly got more than a million calls in 6 weeks. The film opened #1 to a 13.5 mil. $ first weekend in North America, where it stayed #1 for another 14 weekends and was in the top 5 for another 7 weekends, grossing 229.2 mil. $ in its first release there (81.2 % of the total initial gross). It has made more in subsequent re-releases. It was the 2nd highest-grossing film of the year in North America, behind Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, and Ghostbusters is the highest-grossing comedy of the 1980s. Ray Parker Jr.'s Ghostbusters #1 Billboard Hot 100 theme is thought to have contributed 20 mil. $ to the film's success, but Parker was sued by Huey Lewis for plagiarizing the bass line in his I Want A New Drug (1983): The two settled out of court, and Parker sued Lewis for saying that Parker "stole the song" in a 2001 VH1 episode, leading Lewis to then pay him an undisclosed sum. While Hudson worked for half his fee to get the role as Winston, the real stars received gross profit percentages; Murray at top reportedly earned 20-30 mil. $ from the film. Tons of merchandise were sold, as well as 400k VHS copies initially in North America, at the incredible unit prize of 79.95 $, accruing a further 32 mil. $. The film was nominated for 2 Oscars: Best Effects, lost to Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, and Best Song (Ray Parker Jr.'s Ghostbusters), lost to Stevie Wonder's I Just Called to Say I Love You from The Woman in Red. It was also nominated for 3 Golden Globes, won 1/2 BAFTA nominations and was nominated for a Grammy, among other honors. Roger Ebert gave the film a 3.5/4 star review, translating to a notch higher than this one. The film inspired an animated TV-series (The Real Ghostbusters (1986-92)) and a sequel series, as well as a less successful (still majorly successful though) movie sequel, Ghostbusters II (1989) with the filmmakers and cast back, which disappointed Murray, impeding a second sequel: Instead the female reboot Ghostbusters (2016) was made to financial mire: A new sequel with a new cast, directed by Reitman's son Jason Reitman, is set for release this summer as Ghostbusters: Afterlife. Reitman returned with the music video for Parker's Ghostbusters (1984) and theatrically with Legal Eagles (1986). Murray enjoyed a 6-year hiatus after the smash before returning as a leading star with Scrooged (1988); his first role was, however, in Nothing Lasts Forever (1984); Aykroyd in the same film; and Ramis in Baby Boom (1987). Ghostbusters is certified fresh at 97 % with an 8.14/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.] What do you think of Ghostbusters?
