Steven Helmer Publications

Synopsis: A pathologist becomes obsessed with fear and how the emotion can cause people to die. After conducting a series of experiments, he discovers a parasitic creature that grows when people are scared and can only be stopped when someone screams. He captures the creature in an effort to study it closer but, in doing so, puts people in danger. Who's in it?  The movie stars Vincent Price , Patricia Cutts, Judith Evelyn, Daryl Hickman and Philip Coolidge. Review: The Tingler was on my "to-watch" list for a few months before I finally got around to watching it with my daughter several years ago and was pleasantly surprised by it. Since it had been so long, I decided to re-watch it and it still proved to be an unexpected treat. The film takes a little while to get started, with the writers building up the suspense up until the point he finally finds and captures "the Tingler." Unlike way too many other movies though, it does prove to be worth the wait because o...

Synopsis: When two of his friends disappear while in Austria, Sir Ronald Burton suspects the sinister Count Karl von Bruno may be the person responsible. Traveling under an alias, Burton decides to investigate. However, von Bruno quickly sees through the ruse and Burton's life is soon in danger as he tries to escape the trap-filled castle. Who's in it? The movie stars Richard Greene, Boris Karloff , Lon Chaney, Jr. , Paula Corday and Stephen McNally. Review: I had some free time yesterday evening while waiting to start dinner and my wife was at her sewing studio. So, I decided to fill it by re-watching The Black Castle for the first time in several years. The movie, once again, did not disappoint. Despite the film being classified as a horror movie and starring two horror movie legends, Karloff and Chaney, I would disagree with that description. Instead, I would put this movie in the swashbuckling action film category.  Part of the reason for this was the casting of Greene (...

Synopsis: After a series of magnetic abnormalities lead to strange occurrences and numerous deaths around the planet, Dr. Joshua "Josh" Keyes determines it is the result of the Earth's core slowing down, a catastrophic event that could result in the destruction of the planet. With the help of the world's governments, he and a team use a special transport, known as Virgil, to borrow into the Earth's layers and attempt to restart the core with nuclear bombs. Who's in it? The movie stars Aaron Eckhart , Hilary Swank, DJ Qualls , Stanley Tucci and Christopher Shyer. Review: I am burning off vacation time at my day job and had this afternoon off as a result. In between doing some household chores, I wound up re-watching The Core for about the dozenth time and it remains one of my favorites. I am not going to go as far as to say this is a perfect movie. Some of the stuff seems a bit farfetched and the film does "yadda yadda" over some of the science re...

Synopsis: After serving his country for a number of years as a secret agent, John Stryker wants to settle down and run his business. However, when a scientist with a secret formula to create a nuclear chain reaction goes missing, Stryker is once again brought back into action. Soon after, he learns he is facing an old nemesis who is also interested in locating the scientist. Who's in it?  The movie stars Richard Egan , Dee Hartford, Al Hirt, Telly Savalas , Burgess Meredith and Tina Louise . Review: I originally watched Fanfare for a Death Scene about six years ago because I saw it had Tina Louise, and I had never seen the Gilligan's Island actress in a film role. I remembered not enjoying it all that much but couldn't remember the reasons. So, when I came across the film again this week, I decided to give it a second chance. My opinion was still the same. The best way to describe this made-for-TV movie is imagine James Bond as an American secret agent and with about h...

Synopsis: A killer in a bunny costume murders anyone he encounters while his partner in crime, Joe, disposes of the bodies by turning them into jerky for his convenience store. When a group of women go hiking in the nearby woods, they become the Bunnyman and Joe’s latest targets and must find a way to escape before they are raped, tortured and killed by the pair. Who's in it? The movie stars David Scott, Joshua Lang, Marshal Hilton, Heather Daley, Kate Bowen, Stefanie Estes and Julianne Dowler. Review: One of the main reasons I am a fan of slasher movies is even the bad ones usually prove to be reasonably entertaining, even if it's in a comical way. As a result of that, when I came across The Bunnyman Massacre, I figured it would fall into that category. Unfortunately, I was wrong. This is just a terrible film, even for the genre. To be fair, this film is a sequel to the 2011 movie Bunnyman which I have not seen. I did take that into account when I watched this movie and di...

Synopsis: Two down-on-their-luck friends, Washington and Jefferson, fleece a pair of rich men at a game of dice and with more money than they've ever seen, they visit a club run by Dr. Brutus Blake. Another run of good luck at dice results in the pair winning the club, which they later learn is haunted by the relatives that Blake inherited it from. Who's in it? The movie stars Mantan Moreland , F. E. Miller, Maceo Bruce Sheffield, Florence O'Brien and Arthur Ray. Review: I was a bit undecided about watching Lucky Ghost because I was concerned an all-Black comedy made in the 1940s would focus too much on stereotypes and leave me feeling a lot more uncomfortable than entertained. However, I ended up giving it a shot and, for the most part, it wound up being better than expected. The pair of Washington (Moreland) and Jefferson (Miller) reminded me a bit of Abbott and Costello, with Washington in the Costello role of always accidentally himself into trouble (and somehow bei...