Hollywood Gothique

Sitting down to write a review of THE LAST EXORCISM PART II, I find myself somewhat in the position of the modern satirist, who finds the real world has become so ridiculous that there is little room to push the envelope even further for comic effect, rendering the concept of satire almost redundant. In my [...]

DARK SKIES proves once again (as if any proof were necessary) that Blumhouse Productions has codified its horror template to the point that their films are the cinematic equivalent of blues music: the lyrics may change, but the subject matter or tone; and regardless of the writers and performers, you will hear the same 12-bar [...]

If you are a fan of Peter Jackson’s LORD OF THE RINGS trilogy, good fortune has smiled upon you this weekend, because THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY contains more of what you enjoyed before – much, much more. In fact, there is so much LORD OF THE RINGS that there is barely any room for [...]

You make think that RISE OF THE GUARDIANS is family-friendly fantasy that recasts traditional cultural icons as superheroes, but in reality this is one scary flick – maybe not enough to send adults screaming from the theatres, but it could cause more than a few nightmares among younger viewers. You see, bad dreams are at [...]

There are good and bad aspects about a film series, such as HARRY POTTER or THE TWILIGHT SAGA. The bad aspect is that the story has to be stretched over multiple installments that create a deadening sense of inertia: it’s a bit like reading a lengthy novel that forces you to wade through pages and [...]

“Love is a monster,” proclaims the poster – and in this case, the film means it literally. Or figuratively. Or something. You see, JACK & DIANE’s lesbian love story is intercut with darkly disturbing animation inserts by the Brothers Quay and a few scenes of bestial man-in-a-suit monster action. Unfortunately, these teasing glimpses of horror [...]

The downtown Halloween haunt – which made its debut this October – offered a scream-filled final weekend.
Sometimes we say goodbye too soon. Only last Saturday, November 3, we were bidding farewell to the Halloween season with Hollywood Gothique’s 2012 Halloween Haunt Awards, listing the most memorable achievements that delighted our senses during the preceding six [...]

Writer-directed Amy Herckling’s horror-comedy is a bit “clueless” about what makes vampirism interesting. VAMPS is built around a premise as thin as the last anemic drops of blood dripping from the veins of a blood-sucker’s victim: For a couple of beautiful women, being vampires isn’t all that different from being ordinary humans; you share a [...]

The final installment of Hollywood Gothique’s 2012 Halloween Haunt Odyssey finds us retracing our steps over previously explored territory, as we head out on October 31, seeking those ephemeral haunts open only on All Hallow’s Eve. From Glendale to Sherman Oaks to Northridge and finally back to Woodland Hills (again!), we wander through the ghost-infested [...]

Part 3 of Hollywood Gothique’s 2012 Halloween Haunt Odyssey returns to a land we visit every October: Woodland Hills, with stops in Tarzana and Encino along the way. Since we have reviewed most of these yard haunts before, we will not delve deeply into details here; instead we will note what new tricks and treats [...]

This installment of the annual Halloween Haunt Odyssey is a bit of a geographical jumble, exploring the paranormal activities lurking inside two amateur Halloween events separated by miles of freeways. Divergent in location they may be, but Pumkin Jack’s Haunted House and Rotten Apple 907’s Wilsley Manor share certain salient traits: both of them are [...]

Hollywood Gothique is criminally late posting its review Heritage Haunt 2012: tonight – Sunday, October 28, is its last night this season, from 6:30 to 10pm, so jump in your cars right now and get out to Newhall; then come back and read this review later.
Okay, now that we have that out of the way, [...]

As usual, Hollywood Gothique began its annual Halloween Haunt Odyssey a little early this year. This ritual trek began back in 2005, when we tried to hit as many Los Angeles yard haunts as possible on Halloween Night. However, as more and more of these amateur extravaganzas have appeared on our radar, October 31 no [...]