Saturday is Horror Day #53 - Planet Terror, The Craft: Legacy

 Planet Terror

Cherry (Rose McGowan) is tired of stripping and decides to make a new life for herself. She gives her scumbag employer her notice and walks out the door. Dr. Dakota Block (Marley Shelton) is planning to leave her doctor husband William (Josh Brolin), but she has to be careful about it. She can't let him see the texts between her and her accomplice/lover.

Something strange is going on at the army base. A group of men arrive, led by Abby (Naveen Andrews). He's brought something, but quickly discovers that something is amiss. The cage is empty and the subjects not to be found. Things quickly go wrong when a noxious gas is released into the air. Before things get too ugly, Lt. Muldoon (Bruce Willis arrives) and he wants answers.

When Tammy's (Fergie) car overheats, she stops to use water from a pump near a bbq restaurant. The owner, JT (Jeff Fahey) offers her some bottled water and a meal. She takes the water and thanks him but declines the meal, even if it is the best bbq in Texas.  JT calls his brother, Sheriff Hague (Michael Biehn) and tells him a couple of people are hanging outside his place and he's convinced they've been sent to steal his secret recipe. But the truth is far worse than that.

Wray (Freddy Rodriguez) drives a tow truck but his reputation as a troublemaker apparently precedes 

him. He ends up at the same restaurant as Cherry and tries to renew their relationship.

Meanwhile it seems there is an outbreak of pustule-laden zombies, created by the gas at the military base, one that is threatening to destroy the town. What can be done to fend them off?

This is not your usual horror movie. It's campy, schlocky, and very violent. Kind of like an old B horror movie but better. Look for Rose McGowan and her machine-gun leg, as well as Quentin Tarantino in a small role. You might remember Freddy Rodriguez from Six Feet Under, where he played Rico. This is something different for him. And of course my favorite, Naveen Andrews. So damn sexy it's criminal. He plays a biochemist who knows just what is going on.

This movie was fun to watch, but it isn't for the faint of heart, let me warn you now. There is a lot of humor, something I appreciate in a good film. This film was originally released along with Grindhouse, but that didn't do well, so the films were separated. Guess I need to find Grindhouse now. I'll give this film a solid 4 Stars.

The Craft: Legacy

Lily (Cailee Spaeny) has her life upended when her mother Helen (Michelle Monaghan) moves them into the home of her new love Adam (David Duchovny) and his three sons. Feeling like a fish out of water, Lily starts her new school the next day and meets three girls, Lourdes (Zoey Luna), Frankie (Gideon Adlon) and Tabby (Lovie Simome). During one of her classes, Lily unexpectedly begins her period, and her predicament is called out by Timmy (Nicholas Galitzine), to her horror and shame. She goes to the girls' room, and while she is pondering what to do, the three girls show up with a pair of shorts and words of encouragement. Lily begins to hang out with them and they make her the fourth in their group of witches.

The girls decide to test their powers, and sneak into Timmy's home, placing a spell. They almost get caught and barely escape without being seen. The next day, Timmy is like a new man. He's sensitive and attention and more in tune with his better self. The girls are delighted with this new Timmy and find themselves attracted to him, especially Lily.

While delighted to have made such good friends, Lily finds life at home difficult. Adam is very 

tyrannical. He's a motivational speaker who thinks he knows everything and tries to control everyone around him. Disturbing things begin to happen. Timmy is a friend of one of Adam's sons, Jacob. One night, Lily casts a love spell that brings him to her room, but they are interrupted before they go too far. Adam texts her to be continued. But the next day brings tragic news.

The girls blame Lily for what happened, disrupting their friendship. But things continue to go downhill. Lily witnesses one of Adam's group meetings with his sons, and she realizes there is more to them than she realized. She wants to leave there, but how to convince her mother, who is so besotted with Adam? Lily's accidental discovery of some very shocking news makes her even more vulnerable. Will Adam capitalize on this vulnerability? What is it he actually wants from her, and to what lengths will he go to to obtain it?

The Craft: Legacy is a sequel to the original Craft movie of some twenty years before. Again, we have three girls seeking and finding a fourth to complete their coven of witches, and then playing around with their powers. The problem with this movie is we have a different writer and director (Zoe Lister-Jones) and a different cast. But it's primarily the bad writing and the terrible direction and story that make this film both boring and just plain bad. There isn't much to it, and it lacks any of the charm of the original. I found myself wishing it would end soon. Luckily, it isn't very long, just seemed that way.

I love David Duchovny, and even he is terrible in this, so that will give you some idea what this film is like.  I'm going to give it 1 Star and a serious recommendation not to watch it.

Who doesn't love a hot criminal and more

So I have new favorite hot criminal (which doesn't mean I'm forsaking Hannibal, not by any means).

Interesting that these two co-exist on the same network. Perhaps NBC is returning to what they once were, the strongest network for dramas? Even if they did cancel my darling Jason's Awake. But now they have brought me The Blacklist and I am happy indeed.

For those of you who haven't seen it yet, James Spader plays Raymond "Red" Reddington, criminal mastermind extraordinaire, who one day suddenly and inexplicably surrenders himself to the FBI and offers to help them catch some of the most heinous criminals loose in society.

But there's a catch. He'll only deal with one person - brand new profiler Lizzie Keen, played by Megan Boone. It's her first day on the job, and she is as baffled as her employers as to why Red wants to deal only with her, but she complies, and so it begins. This show is smart, clever, dramatic, twisty, exciting, but mostly it lives and breathes because of James Spader, who brings Reddington to life. Do not confuse him for another Hannibal Lecter, far from it. Besides the capturing of wanted criminals, there is a subplot involving Lizzie's husband, as well as the mystery surrounding Red's need to have her in his life. Long lost father? Too simple, too pat and too trite, methinks. So we must patiently wait for the answer, which is no problem. As long as I have Red to look at, I'm good.

And speaking of NBC, they recently debuted another drama, Dracula, which runs on Friday nights, starring

Jonathan Rhys Meyers, last seen as Henry VIII in The Tudors. I was skeptical, I must admit. I tend to be very wary of anyone who wishes to take license with one of my favorite stories - and oh, how they have butchered it in the past. But I had to watch, to see for myself, and I must say I was very pleasantly surprised.


The story takes place in Victorian London, 1881, at the point in the book where Dracula arrives in England.

In this version, he re-invents himself, with the help of his faithful assistant Renfield as American entrepeneur Alexander Grayson, come to shed some "light" on British society. JRM does a good American accent, I must admit. And he's certainly easy on the eyes. We have the people we expect to see from the novels, but with twists in the plot. Mina Murray is a medical student, working to become a doctor, under the tutelage of Abraham Van Helsing (who, by the way, is the person responsible for reviving our sexy vampire in the first place and, in this incarnation of the character, is working with him). Mina's boyfriend, Jonathan Harker, is a poor journalist who has trouble providing the lifestyle Mina is accustomed to, especially as she is friends with the wealthy Lucy Westenra and her family. To add fun to the mix, there is a group of devoted fanatics, the Order of the Dragon, determined to exterminate vampires wherever they may be found - so built-in enemy.

The show is off to a great start and I am enjoying it immensely and look forward to the rest of the season. The cinematography is great, everything is beautifully done. The costumes, the sets, everything simply cry out Victorian England. NBC has another winner on its hands, I believe. Keep up the good work, guys! And do not hesitate to show us more of JRM!




Once Upon a Time is back, and this season, we're in Neverland, where Peter Pan has kidnapped Henry to,

and the others have followed, except for Neal/Baelfire. *****SPOILERS AHEAD**** In case you haven't been watching, everyone thinks Neal is dead, but no, he just ended up in the Enchanted Forest and, with the help of Mulan and Robin Hood, he is now in Neverland. Well, Mr. Gold knows, but he's not with the others. Emma, Snow, Charming, Regina, and Hook are traveling together, and Hook is putting the moves on Emma bigtime. He now knows that Neal is alive. It will be interesting to see what he does with the knowledge. Henry is becoming more of a Lost Boy the longer he stays with Pan, who believes him to be the True Believer that he needs.

I can't stand Pan, and I still heartily dislike Hook. My favorite character is undoubtedly Mr. Gold/Rumpelstiltskin. It will be interesting to see if he can redeem his relationship with his son and help to save Henry. I am hoping Belle's influence will help him stay on the right path, and his own love for his son and grandson. Robert Carlyle brings such dimension to his portrayal of Gold, who is neither all good nor all bad. I still dislike Regina as much as ever too. I hope that some day we'll get to see the Hatter again, but if nothing else, I get to watch Sebastian Stan in the next Captain America ***MORE SPOILERS**** And yes, for those who don't know, he is the Winter Soldier, aka Bucky Barnes, and no, he did not die.

This season, ABC has brought us a spin-off from Once Upon a Time, which is Once Upon a Time in

Wonderland. As its name suggests, it concerns the exploits of Alice in Wonderland. This is another favorite tale of mine, one which I don't suffer lightly to be harmed. Sarah and I are watching it together, although she doesn't watch Once Upon a Time. There is only one reason for her interest in this, and it's a good one, I must admit. Naveen Andrews, last seen in Sinbad, plays Jafar. He is one seriously sexy man, and he is the reason I am still watching because although the show isn't bad, per se, it does not have the same strong writing as Once Upon a Time (the spin-off is the collaboration of the producers of UPaT and the writers of Lost). Alice has escaped from the mental institution she's been placed in, searching for her lost love, the genie of the lamp, Cyrus, who is being held by Jafar and the Red Queen. John Lithgow (in CGI) plays the perfidious White Rabbit. Alice is being helped in her quest to find Cyrus by the wanted criminal the Knave of Hearts. So far, the show is rather one note. If not for Jafar, I'd probably not take the time to watch it, as I have a lot of other things to watch. But he keeps drawing me. Lose him and you'll definitely lose this viewer.

I should probably stop there and continue tomorrow. I have other new shows to discuss, including Masters of Sex and Sleepy Hollow, plus some returning faves - like Grimm and Hawaii 5-0. But I have editing to do, books to write. So I'll bid you have a good day, and talk to you later!

Until next time, take care!

♥ Julie