CineNiche

Welcome to Retro Flashback. This is where we dissect a horror film to see if it is an essential part of horror geekdom or mere copycat trash. We rate these films on their landmark status. Psycho, Halloween, Scream, and The Blair Witch Project are unquestionable landmarks. These film are a part of horror's lexicon and each began a separate movement in cinema. So where do movies like Re-Animator, Dead-Alive, or Street Trash end up on this scale? You'll have to come back to find out. In light of Don Coscarelli's return to the Phantasm series, lets look back to the 1979 classic that started it all. I apologize to the true geeks out there, we'll get to Redneck Zombies or Night School a bit later. Retro Flashback Presents: "You think you go to heaven... You come to us!"     Phan-tasm n. - Something that exists only in a person's mind. 1. a product of fantasy 2. a mental representation of a real object.   A tall old guy,...

CineNiche Graphic Design Purchase poster at Zazzle Brian De Palma's Carrie represents a first in menstruation horror.  This packed phrasing simply means Carrie shows the fears of adolescence through the eyes of a sheltered girl on the verge of womanhood.  The opening sequence features Carrie's first period and through extreme repression at home Carrie has no idea what is happening to her.  All the other girls laugh and throw tampons and pads at her.  In her state of frenzy Carrie has smeared her blood everywhere.  Miss Collins, her gym teacher, comforts her while secretly wanting to laugh as well.  In the principle's office she describes the situation to him and when he sees the blood on Miss Collins he recoils.  Carrie's anger and frustration manifests itself through telekinesis. One could argue that her ability develops out of repression. Without a healthy outlet for her feelings or knowledge of her body, everything bottle...

Larry Cohen is not known for style, nor gruesome effects, or even good horror.  Most of his films can be easily overlooked and have been.  He's not likely to acquire a lifetime achievement award or any accolades for horror.  He has made a better name for himself in the last decade as a screenwriter of a few mainstream hits such as Phone Booth and Cellular, and while these films make him more money than anything he directed they don't have the power of his horror fare.  His directed films speak volumes about society.  Comparisons can be drawn between Cohen and Romero in this regard, but Cohen is often a bit more subtle. Cohen began his filmmaking career interestingly enough working within the blacksploitation sub-genre.  His first feature film was Bone made in 1972, then Black Caesar  in 1973.  As all the films within the sub-genre they featured a dominate black male figure.   Bone  is a thug who breaks into a white couple's...