Creepshow 2 (1987)

Following Creepshow was always going to be a tough job, but I'm pleased to say that Creepshow 2 holds up as a decent little sequel. It's not on a par with the greatness of the original movie, but there's something for everyone and the mix of horror drawn from comic tales is once again nicely evoked, this time with animated sequences in between each tale.

Slimming down from five tales to only three, things begin with Old Chief Woodenhead, which is all about a nice, elderly couple (played by George Kennedy and Dorothy Lamour) who are sorely wronged. But their fates will be avenged. The second tale is my favourite of the three. The Raft, a tale of four young folk who swim out to spend some time on a raft and end up trapped by . . . . . . . . . something that looks like an oil slick but devours animals like The Blob. Last, but not least, comes The Hitchhiker, the tale of an unfaithful wife (Lois Chiles) driving home from her latest tumble between the sheets and hitting a hitchhiker (Tom Wright) in her haste. She drives off, but it turns out that the hitchhiker still needs a lift.

Based on stories by Stephen King, this was written for the screen by George A. Romero (with some uncredited help from Lucille Fletcher, apparently) and directed by Michael Gornick. It lacks the commitment to that gaudy E.C. Comics style that the original movie had but the crudely animated sequences linking each of the tales do enough to remind viewers of the thrill felt when encountering these horror tales for the first time.

The cast all do a decent enough job. This was the last movie role for Dorothy Lamour, and she and George Kennedy make such a sweet pairing that it's not the worst swansong she could have gone for. The stars of The Raft - Paul Satterfield, Daniel Beer, Jeremy Green and Page Hannah - are there to play second fiddle of the featured creature, and that's what they do. Lois Chiles is saddled with too many moments that have her filling out backstory by talking to herself during her drive, but Tom Wright fares better with the main line that he gets to repeat, catchphrase-like. Tom Savini appears, although he's pretty much unrecognisable, as The Creep and Stephen King is fun to spot as a helpful truck driver.

While it doesn't ever hit the heights of the first movie, this is still a lot of fun for horror fans and it just manages not to outstay its welcome. It's an easy watch, nothing more and nothing less.

6/10

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Creepshow-2-DVD-Domenick-John/dp/B003H9MXRE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1380213121&sr=8-1&keywords=creepshow+2

 

Marked For Death (1990)

Steven Seagal steps up to the mark to put an end to that voodoo and hoodoo that you do, in a movie that ends up being one of his very best thanks to a decent script, enjoyable baddie and the standard slap-happy chop-sockiness from our hero.

Seagal plays John Hatcher, a DEA agent in need of a holiday. The war against drugs clearly isn’t working and Hatcher needs to take a break from everything. He heads home to visit his family (including Elizabeth Gracen, Bette Ford and a young Danielle Harris) and finds that the dangerous world of drugs has begun to infiltrate his old neighbourhood, much to the chagrin of his old coach, Max (Keith David).  Hatcher doesn’t want to get involved but when he’s caught up in the middle of a violent shoot-out he realises that he has to help. But these drug-dealing Jamaicans, led by the fear-inducing Screwface (Basil Wallace), will go to any lengths to maintain their superior position. That includes targeting Hatcher’s family, which only makes Hatcher angrier.

I don’t know quite why I love this movie as much as I do, I just know that it will always be a favourite of mine. The action is decent, Seagal still can’t act and the content is slightly less gritty than his first two star vehicles but Marked For Death has plenty to make up for that. The opening sequence is great fun, and features a silent and younger Danny Trejo, the supporting cast is massively boosted by the inclusion of the great Keith David, it’s a blast watching Seagal face voodoo “powers” head on with his usual bone-breaking style and then we have one of my favourite exchanges in any action movie ever: 

“One thought he was invincible... the other thought he could fly.”

“So?”

“They were both wrong.”

Michael Grais and Mark Victor are responsible for the script, which is full of a few other gems that should raise a smile, and Dwight H. Little directs what may remain a highpoint in his film career. 

 

It’s undeniably dumb in places, especially with the inclusion of Joanna Pacula’s character for nothing more than a bit of exposition, but it’s also consistently fun, benefits from a great turn from Tom Wright, has room for a small Kevin Dunn appearance, throws a decent car chase in there and some impressive swordplay. If Steven Seagal hadn’t lucked out with Under Siege I still say that this would have remained his finest hour. 

8/10

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