John Carl Buechler Movies

The never ending battle between good and evil continues as history's most notorious bloodsucker turns up in modern day Los Angeles in director Deran Sarafian's updating of Bram Stoker's timeless tale of terror. He may have a new look and a new life, but when Vlad Tepish arrives on Los Angeles in search of his one true love, an old nemesis vows to put an end to his horrific reign of terror once and for all. With love and death on a collision course that could signal the end of history's greatest villain, the stage is set for a battle that will pit the eternal devotion of a monster against the determination of the man sworn to destroy him. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Though representing a slight step upward in budget from the previous two Ghoulies installments, this is still a rather silly exercise in childish fart jokes and rubbery monster effects. The title critters are mini-demons summoned forth from a demonic chamber pot (seriously!) by the occult-obsessed Dean of Glazier University. However, the ancient vessel is currently being used by the Beta Theta Zeta fraternity for a more (ahem) practical purpose. The ghoulies eventually cut loose on campus, and the surrounding frat-boy bacchanalia seems to have made them even more obnoxious than usual. The creatures' Satanic antics are first thought to be creative Hell Week pranks, but they are eventually discovered and defeated by the nominal hero and heroine. One of Vestron's last productions before the company went belly-up, this languished in distribution limbo for several years. ~ Cavett Binion, Rovi

An early, derivative effort from Charles Band's incredibly prolific direct-to-video outfit Full Moon Productions, this is an undercooked stew of a dozen horror plots, particularly Child's Play and Night of the Living Dead. A tough lady-cop (Tracy Scoggins) is forced to curtail her task of collaring a pair of sleazy gun-smugglers in an abandoned toy warehouse when the toys suddenly spring to life at the command of a murderous demon-child. While the policewoman tries vainly to organize the hapless humans trapped in the warehouse (pudgy rent-a-cop, transient, chicken delivery boy), the possessed playthings move in for the kill. The silly proceedings are helped along by whirlwind editing, the attractive, butt-kicking Scoggins, and a colorful assortment of monsters -- including a fanged jack-in-the-box, a laser-shooting robot, a ferocious teddy bear and the potty-mouthed "Baby Oopsy-Daisy." Though pretty slick overall, the entire exercise is flattened by the script's dreadful attempts at humor -- particularly from the demon himself, whose stupid Freddy Krueger-isms are like nails on a blackboard. ~ Cavett Binion, Rovi

A weekend encounter group session goes dreadfully wrong in this campy thriller done in the tradition of an old Ed Wood movie. Richard, a disturbed, but serious student who has been having strange recurring dreams, has just received the go-ahead for his research project. With a group of subjects, he will travel to his forest cabin to hold a "fear confrontation" session. The subjects are an eclectic fear-filled group, and much of the movie focuses on their discussions as they begin to face them. The thrills begin when Morty, a mysterious old-fashioned dime store wooden Indian suddenly appears in a closet. Morty is not a friendly fellow, nor is he as inanimate as he seems. When the group goes to a local amusement park, people begin to die. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

In this postmodern exploitation flick loosely based on "Little Red Riding Hood," the uneducated daughter of a drug-addicted prostitute flees the foster-care system in search of her long-lost grandmother but meets up instead with a serial killer. Vanessa (Reese Witherspoon), a nearly illiterate firebug and serial shoplifter, desperately clings to normalcy even though her mother turns tricks, does drugs, and manages to ignore the fact that the girl's stepfather Michael T. Weiss has been abusing her for years. When both of her parents get arrested, Vanessa steals the car of her family-services caseworker (Conchata Ferrell) and heads up Interstate 5 in search of her paternal grandmother, who's never met her. Car problems force her to accept a ride from Bob Wolverton (Kiefer Sutherland), a youth counselor who uses charm and sympathy to get the girl to open up. Confessing the sordid details of her childhood to Bob, Vanessa is shocked when he suddenly declares that she's one of the "garbage people" and that he plans to murder her and have sex with her corpse. Bob, it turns out, is the "I-5 Murderer," who's been slaughtering young prostitutes in the Los Angeles area. Thanks to a gun borrowed from her fiancé, Vanessa manages to turn the tables on Bob, shooting him repeatedly and leaving him for dead. He survives, Vanessa is arrested, and the two meet up again in court -- with her unrepentant, even though the police disbelieve her story, him flanked by his prim wife (Brooke Shields) and the righteous indignation of the American legal system. Locked up in the juvie for psychological evaluation, Vanessa gets in touch with her wild side and eventually escapes, heading off to her fateful meeting with grandma. Although Freeway was originally filmed for HBO, vigorously positive critical response eventually earned it a theatrical release. Alanna Ubach, who portrays Vanessa's nemesis/accomplice Mesquita, would go on to appear with Witherspoon in Legally Blonde. Freeway also features two Clueless alumni: Dan Hedaya, as a police detective, and Brittany Murphy, as the disfigured lesbian who befriends Vanessa in lock-up. Michael T. Weiss, who previously appeared in gay indie Jeffrey, appears in both Freeway and its sequel, Freeway 2: Confessions of a Trickbaby. ~ Brian J. Dillard, Rovi

Kevin Dillon portrays Hank Holten, a detective who has discovered why numerous people have disappeared: vampires are killing off people who frequent the town's rave scene. Holten's work brings him too close to the undead, and soon he has become one of their victims; however, he attempts to use all of his strength to bring them down before he succumbs. Directed by Richard Brandes, Vampires: Out for Blood co-stars Lance Henriksen. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi

A handful of college students looking for a good time are thrown into a world of danger in this homage to the slasher film cycle of the 1970s and '80s. Ben (Joel David Moore) has just been given his walking papers by his girlfriend and is deeply depressed. Needing a pick-me-up, Ben and his friend Marcus (Deon Richmond) head to New Orleans for Mardi Gras, and take in a "Haunted Swamp Tour," with master of ceremonies Shawn (Parry Shen) guiding guests through a spooky patch of bayou country. Along the way, Ben and Marcus meet a pair of half-bright exotic dancers, Misty (Mercedes McNab) and Jenna (Joleigh Fioreavanti), as well as Marybeth (Tamara Feldman), a pretty girl who is secretive about her past. As they tour the swamp, Shawn tells his customers about the local legend of Victor Crowley, a deformed man who was taunted by the other children living near the swamp until he was nearly bludgeoned with an axe by his father while trying to open the door of their burning shack. While Ben and Marcus don't think much of the story at first, it doesn't take long before they have serious reason to believe Victor Crowley is still at large -- and is looking to settle some old scores. Hatchet received its world premiere at the 2006 Tribeca Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi