Steven Helmer Publications

Synopsis: Married with three kids, Sidney is trying to live a quiet life despite being a celebrity from the various attempts on her life. However, a new Ghostface soon begins to terrorize both her and her teenage daughter, Tatum. This time, there's a new twist, he claims to be Stu Macher, one of the original Ghostface killers who everyone believes is dead. Who's in it? The movie stars Neve Campbell , Courteney Cox , Isabel May, Joel McHale , Anna Camp and Matthew Lillard . Review: I meant to see Scream 7 when it came out in theaters. However, things came up, I couldn't make it happen and instead had to wait until it both became available to stream and I had an evening when I could watch it. The stars finally aligned this evening and after seeing it, I have to say I enjoyed it a lot more than expected. There were a couple things I really liked about this movie. The first is how the action starts almost from the beginning and the new Ghostface doesn't stop coming. Be...

Synopsis: Even though everyone believes Dr. Henry Frankenstein's creature is dead; it survived the windmill fire and is being hunted by villagers. The disgraced Dr. Pretorius sees an opportunity to build on his own attempts to create life and forces Henry to help him create a mate for the monster by kidnapping Henry's wife, Elizabeth. Who's in it? The movie stars Colin Clive , Boris Karloff , Ernest Thesiger , Valerie Hobson , Dwight Frye and Elsa Lanchester . Review: Our Wisconsin summer of extreme weather resulted in yet another day of it being too hot and humid to take a walk at lunch so, once again, I filled the time by watching a movie. I noticed there is a remake of Bride of Frankenstein on one of my movie channels and, since I am still undecided about watching that, decided to go with the original. I've seen this film probably about a dozen times now and there are things about it that I'm not a huge fan of. However, as far as classic horror goes, it is a ...

Synopsis: After inheriting a house with a long history of death, Jim Royce decides to turn it into a boarding house for aspiring models and actresses, creating his own personal harem. Soon after, the violence returns and guests begin to die. Who's in it? The movie stars John Wintergate, Kalassu, Lindsay Freeman, Brian Bruderlin and Selma Kora. Review: My wife and I finally had a couple hours to ourselves yesterday evening and, after getting some loaded nachos from the local bowling alley, decided to watch a horror film. It had been a while since we last watched a 1980s slasher, so I ended up picking out Boardinghouse. I should have gone with a different movie. I think the best way to describe this film is it is so bad, it was hard to tell if it was supposed to be a legitimate horror movie or a spoof. Most of the characters were comically one dimensional, especially the women, who inexplicitly answered Jim's (Wintergate) super creepy advertisement in droves (how in the world ...

Synopsis: After meeting her on a ship to Haiti, Charles Beaumont falls in love with Madeline Short. She, however, is in love with Neil Parker and marries him. Determined to have her, Charles enlists the help of a local Voodoo witch doctor, "Murder" Legendre, and slips Madeline a potion through a flower that makes it appear as though she died on her wedding night. Legendre then uses his skills to turn Madeline into a zombie slave, a decision Charles soon regrets. Who's in it? The movie stars Bela Lugosi , Madge Bellamy, Robert Frazer , John Harron and Joseph Cawthorn. Review:  It had been a while since I last watched White Zombie, enough time to remember very little about it. So, when I came across the film last night, I decided to add it to my library and watch it this morning. The movie, as it turns out, is OK but I also understood why it was so easy to forget. I will start out by saying there are some good things about this film. Lugosi, for example, was solid as ...

Synopsis: After killing one of the three masked assailants who killed her boyfriend, Maya remains on the run while her sister, Debbie, arrives with armed reinforcements in search of her. Eventually, Maya learns the Scarecrow no longer wants her dead and instead wants to recruit her. Who's in it? The movie stars Madelaine Petsch , Gabriel Basso , Richard Brake , Ema Horvath and Krystal Ellsworth. Review: Movie sequels are a tricky thing. While they are rarely as good as the original, many do at least still manage to carry on the story and still be entertaining. However, there is a limitation to that and, in the case of The Strangers: Chapter 3 , the franchise reached it. When my wife and I decided to watch this movie last night, my hope was it would bring a dramatic conclusion to Maya's (Petsch) story, especially since she inflicted her first kill and the remaining masked killers had a reason to step up their game. Instead, it ended up being a mix of dull and predictable. On...

Synopsis: A fashion model decides she wants to live on her own and moves into an old apartment building filled with eccentric neighbors. Shortly after moving in, she discovers her neighbors aren't what they seem and sinister supernatural forces might be at work. As she begins to show signs of illness from the stress, it is up to her boyfriend to find a way to save her. Who's in it?  The movie stars Chris Sarandon , Cristina Raines, Eli Wallach , John Carradine , Ava Gardner , Burgess Meredith and Christopher Walken .  You can read my review here:  Movie Review: The Sentinel (1977) ______________________________________________________________________ Here are some reviews of other movies from the 1970s: Movie Review: Tentacles (1977) Movie Review: The Giant Spider Invasion (1975) Movie Review: The Car (1977) Movie Review: Tarantulas: The Deadly Cargo (1977)

Synopsis: Long-time friends Ajay and Ritchie are vacationing in Southeast Asia with their wives, Jasmine and Maya and decide to take a 2-day kayaking tour. Things become strained when Ritchie learns Ajay and Jasmine have been having an affair and she is pregnant with Ajay's child. Things turn even worse when they enter a restricted part of the river and anger an indigenous cannibal tribe that kills their guide then begins hunting them down. Who's in it? The movie stars Joseph Millson, Sarah Alexandra Marks , Ella Starbuck, David Wayman and Louis James. Review: I gifted my wife a day at the nail salon as one of her Mother's Day presents and, when she got home, let her pick out a movie for us to watch. After scrolling through Amazon Prime, she selected River of Blood . It had been a long time since we watched a cannibal movie and, based on the description and the jungle setting, I hoped this would be one of the better ones. Unfortunately, while it wasn't the worst can...

Synopsis: Rosyln takes a nightshift job cleaning up files at a recently closed hospital at the same time a serial killer known as the Nighthawk is attacking women. Roslyn's growing anxiety causes her to suspect her husband, Cole, a suspicion she discusses with Dr. Irvin Clement, the psychiatrist organizing the files in the hospital psych wing. During the course of her conversations with Dr. Clement, Rosyln is forced to face her mental health struggles caused by a traumatic childhood, causing her to grow even more unstable and unable to distinguish between what is real and what is in her head. Who's in it? The movie stars Sara Foster, Cary Elwes , Michael Biehn, Colleen Camp and Gabriel Mann. Review: After my wife and I took our daughter prom dress shopping this morning, I found I just didn't have the energy to do much else once we got home and, as I started to doze on the couch, my wife found Psych:9 on one of our movie channels. We ended up watching it and, even after...

Synopsis: A category 5 hurricane causes severe flooding in the town of Annieville, South Carolina, leaving those who didn't evacuate trapped. To make matters worse, the hurricane has brought a swarm of aggressive bull sharks and a single great white shark with it. Who's in it? The movie stars Phoebe Dynevor, Whitney Peak,  Djimon Hounsou , Alyla Browne, Stacy Clausen and Dante Ubaldi. Review: We decided not to go out last night (once again because of the weather) and instead stayed home and watched a movie. I came across Thrash on Netflix earlier in the day and, figuring it had been a while since I last watched a shark-related movie, we gave it a try. It turned out to be a good choice. To be honest, there wasn't a whole lot about this movie I would describe as unique. Like plenty of other movies, it featured sharks in a populated area and those sharks always seemed to be hungry no matter how much they ate. However, this was one of those times when a movie did...

Synopsis: After her mom is killed in a tragic surfing accident, Beckett and her father (a famous author) move to Manhattan so she can attend a prestigious prep school. However, when a student commits suicide and Beckett learns it wasn’t the first time, she becomes suspicious. After some investigation, she discovers the school’s faculty members aren’t what they seem. Who's in it? The movie stars Sophie Curtis, Kelly Reilly , Graham Phillips, Sarah Sutherland and Stephanie March. Review: The outdoor chores I had planned for this weekend were put on hold because of rain. Since the rest of the family went out to do their own thing, leaving me in a quiet house, I ended up re-watching Innocence because I couldn't remember a whole lot about it. Now I remember - it isn't a very good movie. There are a couple major problems with this film. The first is it takes an eternity for something to happen in it. Sure, we see her mom die (well, actually, she just disappears) and her classmat...

Synopsis: After the population of New Guinea begins turning into zombies, four commandos and two reporters brave hoards of the undead to find the source. Only distrust threatens to make their journey even more difficult. Who's in it? The movie stars Margie Newton, Franco Garofalo, Selan Karay, José Gras and Gabriel Renom. Review: It's another cold, rainy and now stormy night so we ended up staying home and watching a movie again. Since it has been a while since our last zombie movie, I went with Hell of the Living Dead . After watching it, I immediately wished I had picked a different movie. As far as the overall plot is concerned, this Italian film is basically your typical zombie movie, borrowing from (ripping off) plenty of other films. There are zombies created by an experiment gone bad, they eat people and anyone who is bitten turns into one.  It's a proven formula that is hard to mess up. Unfortunately, this movie managed to do just that. One of the fil...

Synopsis: After her brother is murdered by her ruthless neighbor, Buffer, Delores Carter seeks a professional gunfighter to get revenge and hires the mysterious Drake Robey. What Delores doesn't know is Robey is a vampire who is responsible for a series of mysterious deaths around the local old west town. Who's in it? The movie stars Michael Pate, Kathleen Crowley, John Hoyt , Bruce Gordon and Eric Fleming. Review: I had planned on watching another vampire movie this morning but came across Curse of the Undead first. The idea of a vampire movie mixed with the western genre was interesting and I did enjoy Billy the Kid Versus Dracula more than expected so I decided to give it a try.  Unfortunately, it failed to live up to expectations. As far as the western part of it goes, that truthfully wasn't terrible. It had the evil landowner (Gordon), a beautiful damsel in distress (Crowley), a small-town preacher (Fleming) who was obviously the movie's hero, and an unstoppab...

Synopsis: A group of four college friends stop at a remote village while touring Ireland. When they are told about a little-known historic landmark, they accept an offer to stay the night so they can hike to see it the next day. What they don't know is the cabin they are invited to stay in is actually a cell and they are being sacrificed to a leprechaun that has terrorized the village ever since they stole its gold. Who's in it? The movie stars Dylan Postl, Stephanie Bennett , Andrew Dunbar, Melissa Roxburgh, Brendan Fletcher, Teach Grant and Garry Chalk . Review: To be honest, I had purposely avoided watching Leprechaun: Origins despite plenty of opportunities to do so. This was primarily because it was produced by World Wrestling Entertainment as a vehicle for a wrestler (Postl) whose gimmick was to play a leprechaun in the ring. That combination, frankly, sounded awful. However, the movie my wife and I originally planned to watch last night turned out to be so bad, I coul...

Synopsis: Charles Brady and his mother, Mary, are possibly the last of a breed of vampire-like creatures known as Sleepwalkers and are constantly on the run. After temporarily settling in the small town of Travis, Indiana, they set their sights on Tanya Robertson, a teenage virgin they hope to drain of her life energy to extend their lives but first need to avoid detection and an army of cats capable of killing them. Who's in it? The movie stars Brian Krause ,  Mädchen Amick , Alice Krige, Jim Haynie and Ron Perlman. Review: My wife and I weren't really in the mood to go out last night and while making dinner, I looked for a movie for us to watch. I had never seen Sleepwalkers , and it looked intriguing, so I figured I'd give it a try. I have a mixed history with Stephen King movies, enjoying some but not a fan of many others. Unfortunately, this movie fell into that latter category - I didn't hate it but also didn't think it was anything memorable. The premise of...

Synopsis: After barely surviving a brutal attack by three masked strangers that left her boyfriend, Ryan, dead, Maya wakes up in a hospital. With the local sheriff brushing off her story and the hospital staff reluctant to answer her questions, Maya, with the help of her friends, arranges to be transported to another hospital further away. However, the assailants, learning she is alive, strike first, forcing her to flee into the woods wearing just a hospital gown and with no idea if there is anyone she can trust. Who's in it? The movie stars  Madelaine Petsch , Gabriel Basso, Ema Horvath, Brooke Lena Johnson and Richard Brake. Review: My wife and I were pleasantly surprised by The Strangers: Chapter 1 this weekend so, after spending the day digging out from a blizzard and too tired to do much else as a result, we ended up watching The Strangers: Chapter 2 yesterday evening. Overall, I will say I was happy with that choice. I'm not going to lie; there were plenty of times w...

Synopsis: While driving to a job interview in Portland, Maya and her boyfriend Ryan stop in Venus, Oregon for lunch. When their car doesn't start, Ryan is suspicious of the local mechanic, but Maya accepts an offer to rent a remote cabin for the night. This proves to be a mistake as she and Ryan soon find themselves being terrorized by a group of three masked strangers. Who's in it? The movie stars Madelaine Petsch , Froy Gutierrez, Ben Cartwright, Matus Lajcak and Olivia Kreutzova. Review: My wife and I are caught up on all the seasons of The Traitors (though we did wind up watching an episode of the UK version) so, since we were expecting bad weather last night, we ended up picking out a horror movie to watch. I wasn't completely sure what to expect from The Strangers: Chapter 1 but was familiar with Madelaine Petsch from her time on Riverdale and decided to give it a try. Overall, it turned out to be a solid slasher movie. I'll start out by saying the film is f...

Synopsis: Six years after a performance at a child's birthday party leaves him tormented by the kids and ultimately dead, Stitches the Clown returns from the grave to seek his revenge. Who's in it? The movie stars Ross Noble, Tommy Knight, Roisin Barrons, Gemma-Leah Devereux and Tommy Cullen. Review: I'm not exactly sure what compelled me to watch the movie Stitches this morning. While I'm not opposed to watching a movie that features an undead killer clown, I'm always more than a little skeptical because films like that almost always end up being silly rather than scary. However, it was readily available, and I didn't want to spend a lot of time choosing an alternative, so I gave it a shot. In the end, it was better than I was expecting but also nothing I'd consider anywhere close to being a great film. As I had suspected and mentioned, the movie did end up falling more into the silly category than scary. There was plenty of blood and gore but some of t...

Synopsis: Twenty-five years after being defeated by a now-deceased Tory Redding, the Leprechaun is reborn. As he seeks out his gold, he discovers the North Dakota farm he once terrorized now belongs to an eco-conscious sorority and one of the sorority members is Tory's daughter, Lila, who believed her mother's stories about the Leprechaun were just the ravings of someone who was mentally ill. Who's in it? The movie stars Linden Porco, Taylor Spreitler, Pepi Sonuga, Sai Bennett and Emilie Reid. Review: My wife and I decided to spend another Saturday night at home and, instead of going out, ordered a pizza, took a break from binge-watching The Traitors and found a movie to watch. After some consideration, I picked Leprechaun Returns . I made this choice with some reluctance. While we both liked Leprechaun , most of the sequels were just terrible and I had some serious doubts about yet another film that didn't even star Warwick Davis as the title character. However, thi...

Synopsis: A fracking operation near New Orleans causes a series of earthquakes that release giant, fire-breathing spiders on the city and leave residents in terror as they attempt to escape before being eaten. Who's in it? The movie stars Megan Adelle, Gralen Bryant Banks, Tracey Gold, Edward Furlong and Grant James. Review: I watch a lot of horror movies and, as part of that, have watched more than my share of bad horror films, especially those that were made for TV. However, every once in a while, I'll come across a film that is so terrible, I wind up wondering if some of my brain cells exploded from watching it. The film Arachnoquake is one of those movies. To be fair, I probably should have expected as much from the title. In my defense, however, I have seen a similar film, Lavalantula , that turned out to be surprisingly good so, based on that, I was willing to give this movie a shot this morning. Too bad the film didn't hold up its end. My biggest problem with thi...

Synopsis: Passengers and crew onboard a late-night train between London and Eastborough break down in a remote forested area and soon after, the driver disappears while assessing the damage. Despite pleas from the train security guard, Joe Griffin, the passengers insist on walking rather than waiting for rescue, only to discover they are being hunted by a pack of werewolves. Who's in it? The movie stars Elliot Cowan, Rosie Day, Calvin Dean, Sam Gittins and Sean Pertwee . Review: We had a lazy day yesterday. Well, my wife did at least- I actually did a few chores. This allowed us to find time to watch some movies throughout the day and, after getting a bit bored with the films we've seen before, I convinced her to continue our train-themed horror movie weekend with Howl . Of the three train-themed horror movies we watched, this one was arguably my favorite. I think the thing I liked best about this film was, from basically the time the train stopped onward, it was a legitimat...