Theatre of Blood (1973) Movie Review

Theatre of Blood (1973) IMDB

Theater of Blood movie poster

Comedy horror films are very hit and miss for me. Too funny can ruin the horror and not funny enough means there are sections of the film that seem flat. For me this movie missed the mark vs. the critical reception. When I researched the movie after the fact I learned about the ‘comedy’ aspect which I never would have guessed after watching the film. As far as mazes go, this is a maze movie only because of a scene where there is a prominently displayed maze and labyrinth artwork in the background. This is not the best shot, but it is hard to miss !

Theater of Blood maze scene

The plot is that a Shakespearean actor, played by Vincent Price gets revenge on all the critics who have panned hos acting work through the years. His revenge includes deaths in the same manner as famous deaths from Shakespeare’s plays. (If they really were his plays - see my Anonymous (2011) Movie Review for more on that). If you are familiar with Shakespeare’s stories this will make the film more enjoyable. I think it would be fun for a modern version of this in a time when reviews are online and done by influencers, YouTubers and anyone with an opinion and an internet connection.

Overall, Vincent Price does a great job acting in the movie, but this movie missed the mark for me.

I give it a 6.1/10.

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Long Day's Journey Into Night (2018) Movie Review

Long Day's Journey Into Night (2018) IMDB

Long Day's Journey into Night (2018) movie poster

I am a big fan of Film Noir so any movie that has that genre is on my watchlist. When I read about this movie I noticed it mentioned getting lost in a labyrinth and I knew I had to watch it. Now the scene where this happens, our main character falls asleep in a movie theater and wakes up (or is dreaming?) on a railway track in an abandoned mine that is maze-like. Eventually he finds a young boy who leads him out. A bit of a letdown for a maze scene but let’s talk about the entire movie. Lou, our main character, is haunted by the memory of a woman he knew from his past that disappeared. The movie is then a series of scenes as Lou tries to track down what happened to the woman. I would describe more of the plot, but it is a series of interesting and weird scenes strung together on the journey. The film has a mood and the cinematography is excellent. Honestly, I would have liked it more had I understood what was going on more. You would think having to read subtitles translated from Mandarin would have helped, but I was lost anyway.

I give it a 6/10. Watch it because it looks good on the screen.

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The Houses October Built (2014) Movie Review

The Houses October Built (2014) IMDB

The Houses October Built (2014) movie poster

If there is one thing you can be sure of it is that a movie about haunted houses will contain a maze ! And even though it is commonly referred to as a maze it is most likely a labyrinth ! How many times have you gone to a haunted house and been given a choice of which direction you can go ? Honestly only the absolute best ones and even then it is really rare (note to all of the haunted house owners).

So this movie is about a group of 5 friends who take an RV out before Halloween and record their experiences visiting various haunted houses on a road trip. Sounds like a fun real world trip that I might take with friends. But they are also on the lookout for a secret, hard to find haunted house that is known for taking things to the extreme. And they find it. Oops. Bad idea. Either way, along the road trip they visit many haunted houses that put them into mazes or labyrinths ! This considered a found footage film, but it seems more like a documentary filmed by friends if that makes sense.

Cool concept. Wish it was a bit better executed. Get it, executed. Whatever.

I give it a 4.9/10.

I was surprised that the movie got a sequel if you think one is not enough and you want to see more !

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400 Days (2015) Movie Review

400 Days (2015) IMDB

400 Days (2015) movie poster

Do you remember the movie from 1996 starring Pauly Shore called Bio-Dome ? Pauly and his friend get stuck in a long term science experiment that they can’t leave for a year. This movie has a similar concept but more Sci-Fi based, with 4 astronauts locked in a 400 day simulation of travel to another planet to test their psyche. One day things go awry and weird stuff starts happening. Is it part of the simulation and a test ? The movie watcher and the crew are both trying to figure it out what is going on.

During an ‘episode’ one of the crewmembers locks himself in a room where he has appears to have a drawn a maze on the walls that he is now solving. He is not in his right mind (offensive for us maze lovers no ?). Here is a look at the scene:

400 Days movie maze scene

If you like sci-fi you have a better chance to like this film, but you will be wanting more (answers, better acting, better bad guys). Can the team survive 400 days and what will find if they do ? Unfortunately, Brandon Routh (Superman) and Dane Cook can’t save this flic.

I give it a 5/10.

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