Steven Helmer Publications

Synopsis: Raised by his two older brothers after his parents were killed in a car accident, 1965 Tulsa, Oklahoma teenager, Ponyboy Curtis, is a member of the Greasers, a northside gang made up of members of the city's poorer families and in direct rivalry with the more affluent "Socs" living on the southside. After meeting a Soc, Cherry Valance, and hitting it off despite their differences, Ponyboy and his friend, Johnny, are attacked by her boyfriend and a group of other Socs, resulting in Johnny killing one of them. Even though it was self-defense, the boys know their Greaser status will result in criminal charges and flee town, only to return after an unexpected act of heroism leaves Johnny severely burnt and near death. Meanwhile, the Greasers and Socs are preparing themselves for a blowout rumble. Who's in it? The movie stars C. Thomas Howell , Ralph Macchio , Matt Dillon , Patrick Swayze , Diane Lane , Rob Lowe , Emilio Estevez and Tom Cruise . Review: My wi...

Synopsis: When her friend, Brandon, brings a Ouija board to her party she helps him contact the spirit of a 10-year-old boy. When Brandon leaves the board behind at her apartment, she decides to use it by herself, something that results in the spirit trying to possess her and puts the life of her boyfriend, Jim, in danger. Who's in it?  The movie stars Todd Allen , Tawny Kitaen , Stephen Nichols , Burke Byrnes and Rose Marie . You can read my review here:  Movie Review: Witchboard (1986) (wizzley.com)

Synopsis: A group of vicious aliens know as Crites escape a prison and crash land on a Kansas farm. They are stalked by two alien bounty hunters who cause just as much damage. Who's in it? The movie stars Dee Wallace , M Emmet Walsh , Billy Green Bush , Scott Grimes and Nadine Van der Velde . Review: We started having a family movie night on Tuesdays, mostly as a way to convince our daughter she doesn't need to go to martial arts classes five nights per week. She's 13 and gaining an interest in horror movies so I picked this one out. Describing this as a horror film might be a little inaccurate. I would say it is much more of a science fiction comedy than anything else. However, it had been a while since I had seen this movie myself and it was as good as I remembered. I think the thing I liked most about this was how the Crites were able to keep a relatively low profile, stalking a single family and keeping them isolated from the rest of the town. In fact, I'm not so...

Synopsis: A group of young shopping mall employees decided to throw an after-hours party in one of the stores, not knowing three high-tech security robots have malfunctioned and started a killing spree. Unable to escape because of the mall's exits being locked down, the group must find a way to survive the night. Who's in it? The film stars Kelli Maroney , Tony O'Dell , Russell Todd , Karrie Emerson and Barbara Crampton. Review: My wife and I were in the mood for a classic slasher movie yesterday evening and, unable to find one we hadn't seen before, I wound up picking out this movie instead. I honestly had lowered expectations about this film and was half expecting to turn it off after a few minutes. However, it turned out to be a pretty decent film. The killer robot premise ended up being surprisingly good, mostly because the machines had a variety of ways to slay their victims. This made some of the scenes a little less predictable because you didn't know if ...

Synopsis: After his niece is executed for murder, a local librarian tells a reporter about the evil encompassing the town since its founding after the Civil War through a series of stories. Who's in it? The movie stars Vincent Price , Clu Gulager , Terry Kiser , Martine Beswick and Megan McFarland. Review: I came across this movie a few days ago and, mostly because it had Vincent Price in it, I decided to add it to my library. My wife and I watched it this past weekend and, overall, I thought it was an OK film. To be honest, my expectations weren't very high when we started watching this movie. As I correctly assumed, while Price was the top billed star, his role was limited to providing a somewhat weak filler to the various stories being told. However, despite that, I did think there were things about this movie that really stood out. I think the thing I liked most about this film is the way it managed to have some stories that were genuinely creepy without going overboard ...

Synopsis: A group of misfits form a club centered around their shared obsession with horror movie monsters. What they don't realize is their expertise will soon be needed as Dracula, Frankenstein's Monster, the Mummy, the Wolf Man and the Gillman come to their hometown in search of an amulet that, if destroyed, will allow evil to take over the world. You can read my review here:  https://wizzley.com/movie-review-the-monster-squad-1987/