Chris Kobin Movies
Obsessed with death after losing his rock star older brother, a troubled sixteen year old is sent to a youth boot camp and haunted by the spirit of a former inmate who perished under mysterious circumstances in this atmospheric horror film from director Tim Sullivan (2001 Maniacs). David Forrester (Rocky Ullman) never thought that he would lose his brother at such a young age, but now the worst has happened. In the aftermath of the tragedy, the burden of guilt becomes too heavy for David to bear and his mind continually drifts to thoughts of death. Not knowing how to move beyond their own grief so that they can emotionally support their surviving child, David's misguided parents send him to an "Attitude Adjustment Camp for Troubled Youths" called Driftwood presided over by the cruel Captain Doug Kennedy (Diamond Dallas Page) and his sadistic young protégé Yates (Talan Torriero). Now confined to the same darkened hallways where a former inmate named Jonathan (Connor Ross) met his grisly demise some years back, David quickly realizes that his only hope for survival is to solve the mystery of Jonathan's death so that the tortured teen's soul can finally rest in peace. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Raviv Ullman, "Diamond" Dallas Page, (more)
Hip-hop superstar Snoop Dogg takes horror fans on a ride through the scary underside of life in the 'hood in this horror anthology. The self-described "gatekeeper of the after-party" (Snoop Dogg) introduces three stories of life in a ghetto neighborhood in which the unscrupulous get what's coming to them. Posie (Daniella Alonso) is a nice girl who turns mean when a gang of thugs murder her mother. Posie swears revenge against the gangsters, but isn't sure what to do until she encounters a member of the undead (Danny Trejo) who gives her some lessons in bloodthirsty behavior. Next, Tex Woods Jr. (Anson Mount) is a ugly-spirited Southerner who claims ownership of a house belonging to his father after the old man dies at Tex's hands. Tex and his wife, Tiffany (Brande Roderick), waste no time in evicting a handful of impoverished war veterans who were friendly with Tex's dad, but he pushes them too far and Roscoe (Ernie Hudson) leads the former soldiers in a shocking act of revenge. And finally, a rapper who has betrayed most of his friends on the way up gets his just deserts on the way down. Snoop Dogg's Hood of Horror also features Billy Dee Williams, Method Man, Jason Alexander, Lin Shaye, and Aries Spears. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Snoop Dogg, Ernie Hudson, (more)
Director John Landis, best known for comedies such as Animal House and The Blues Brothers, turns to the documentary genre with this feature-length profile of high-strung freelance used-car salesman Michael Bennett. For the right price, Bennett and his team of salesmen will come to your used-car dealership and work the customers as they move out as many vehicles as possible during a three-day blowout sale. Slasher offers an inside look at Bennett's personal life and the long road to his current success, as well as revealing some of the tricks of the car-dealing trade -- not all of which appear to be entirely scrupulous. Slasher (the title comes from Bennett's nickname, as well as his trick of "slashing prices," most of which have been artificially raised first) was produced for broadcast on the premium cable network The Independent Film Channel. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
Hostel director Eli Roth's genre-friendly Raw Nerve film group makes its gore-soaked splash with director Tim Sullivan's kitchy remake of Hershell Gordon Lewis' southern-fried splatter-fest. A drunken group of hard partying college-kids are in for a Spring Break they'll never forget when they take a tragic detour through the small southern town of Pleasant Valley. Greeted by the overzealous mayor (Robert Englund) and promised a wild time at the town's annual barbecue celebration, the initially-hesitant teens soon agree to spend the night when the citizen's down-home hospitality simply becomes too much to resist. But things are not what they seem in the timeless town of Pleasant Valley, and as the thrill seeking students begin to disappear one-by-one in the most gruesome of fashions, it soon becomes obvious that they are to be the main ingredient in Pleasant Valley's most tasty tradition. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Englund, Lin Shaye, (more)
- 2000
"Inspired by actual events", this made-for-TV drama stars Melissa Gilbert ad Donielle, who since childhood has been blessed--or cursed--with a Sixth Sense. It all began at her best friend's funeral, when 8-year-old Donielle was seized with a vision which indicated that her friend had been murdered by his own father. Disowned by her family and ostracized by the community, Donielle learns the hard way to keep her premonitions to herself. By the time she has reached adulthood, Donielle is a rootless single mother, travelling from town to town with her children to avoid coming in close contact with anything that might retrigger her paranormal gifts. But upon arriving in a small town where the citizens are being terrorized by a serial killer, Donielle again begins experiencing horrible visions--and this time, maybe someone will listen...and believe...A Vision of Murder: The Story of Donielle first aired February 9, 2000, on CBS. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1997
Mary Tyler Moore is reunited with her onetime sitcom costar Edward Asner in this anything-but-funny TV movie melodrama. While closing down her restaurant late one night, Kathryn Stanfill (Moore) notices a prowler hanging around outside. She quickly summons the police, only to stand by in horror as one of the cops, a loose cannon named Brian Kaleen (Frederick Lehne), brutally and without provocation beats the prowler within an inch of his life. Jack Patkanis (Asner), the police department's Internal Affairs investigator, has long suspected that there have been a few rotten apples like Kaleen on the force, and urges Kathryn to report the beating. Suspended from the force, the psychotic Kaleen methodically mounts a campaign of revenge, using his police-department and political connections to financially destroy Kathryn's husband (Dennis Arndt) and frame her son (Adam Scott) on a murder charge. Payback was first telecast by ABC on February 10, 1997. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mary Tyler Moore, Ed Asner, (more)
- 1987
Evil Spawn, a violent, bloody, but surprisingly effective English horror film directed by Kenneth Hall, deals with a woman's fear of aging and its consequences. When a space probe brings back microbes, scientist Dr. Zeitman (John Carradine) uses them for his experiments in aging but dies before his work is finished. An aging actress, Lynn Roman (Bobbi Bresee), desperate because she is being passed over for roles being given to younger women, injects herself with the drug -- hoping to become young again. The microbes in the serum turn the actress into a bug-like alien killer who quickly deals with her rivals. The film is routine, but the special effects are frightening and the premise is interesting, and while it adds little that is new, is worth a view for horror-film fans. ~ Linda Rasmussen, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bobbi Bresee, Drew Godderis, (more)
