Phantom From Space isn’t a bad film. It isn’t a good film, either. Instead, it’s…..just another film about an alien invader that never really gets going. It gets bogged down in excessively long scenes cluttered with dialogue. There is some action in the film, but none of it really ends in a satisfying way. To top it all off, the film’s conclusion hits with a dull thud. It’s quite a boring film, but it does have a few good things going for it.
What works in this movie is the performances of its stars, Ted Cooper and Noreen Nash. This duo, who are part of a team attempting to capture a mysterious visitor from another world who travels around in a highly radioactive suit (and also happens to be invisible when not wearing the suit), go out of their way to give excellence performances in an otherwise slow and plodding film. The rest of the cast is okay, but none of them perform at the same level as Cooper and Nash. The plot is also very good, but executed in the most bland way possible. The alien is interesting enough, but he doesn’t get much time to shine in the film.
I don’t dislike this film, but it’s just too boring to recommend to viewers. If you have a little over an hour to kill and want to watch folks smoke A LOT of cigarettes and discuss alien visitation, this is your film. If you want anything else, pass on Phantom From Space.
Thanks for checking out my review. I know that this one is shorter than usual, but there’s really not much to say about this film.
“Oh, nothing so domestic as a flying saucer. Just a flying battleship.”
Slammed by critics at the time, 1957’s The Giant Claw may have one of the goofiest looking monsters of all time, but I really enjoy this movie. Born in the Atomic Age of film, the movie gives us the story of a giant vulture-like bird terrorizing the world and a small band of scientists, mathematicians, military leaders, and a hotshot aeronautical engineer that are desperately trying to stop it. The plot features the standard tech talk that was rampant in 50’s science fiction and quite a few violent deaths that I suspect could have been quite scary for youngsters to witness.
The film stars Jeff Morrow as Mitch MacAfee, a civil aeronautical engineer that is assisting the military with radar testing, and Mara Corday as mathematician Sally Caldwell, who is working alongside Mitch and the military. The rest of the cast includes Morris Ankrum (Lt. General Considine), Edgar Barrier (Dr. Noymann), and Robert Shayne (General Van Buskirk). The film also features Lou Merrill as Pierre Broussard, a French Canadian farmer who helps Mitch and Sally and believes that the giant bird is La Carcagne, a legendary creature that, if seen by a person, is a harbinger of death.
The creature initially attacks aircraft, but when Mitch discovers its flight pattern, all planes are grounded and the creature begins attacking any and everything on the ground. Some of the attacks are especially violent, in particular the murder of a group of men investigating the sightings, who are eaten one by one as they attempt to parachute to safety when their plane is attacked. There is also a big battle in Manhattan, showing many of the city’s famous buildings being destroyed or damaged by the creature.
Sure, the creature looks ridiculous, but the story itself is very good. The creature is protected by an antimatter shield that our fearless team must find a way to penetrate in order to stop the flying beast. The entire cast does a fine job in their roles. Just look past the marionette creature and you will most likely enjoy this film.
The Giant Claw is a hokey, fun ride that fans of classic science fiction will enjoy. It has decent plot, excellent performances from the cast, and a truly unforgettable, hilarious-looking giant bird. Give it a shot, you might like it.
The final Popeye-inspired horror film in 2025 was Shiver Me Timbers. It’s also the best or worst of the trio depending on who you ask. While I don’t consider it the best, I don’t believe that it is necessarily the worst. The plot is ridiculous. The acting is sketchy at best. The film has entirely too many bad CGI effects. All of these things are true, but Shiver Me Timbers plays out knowing full well that it’s a bad movie and for that, I have to respect it just a little bit.
It’s (supposed to be 1986) and a group of young adults are heading out to the coast to witness the rare Halley’s Comet meteor shower. They briefly encounter a fisherman on the way to their campsite, almost hitting him with their car. They apologize and he goes along about his business, excited for the good fishing he expects that evening. The group then encounters a homeless man being harassed by ne’er-do-wells and they help him. When they finally arrive at the campsite, they do all of the normal things that young adults do in films of this nature. They drink alcohol, smoke weed, dance, and then split up so that they can easily be picked off by the local slasher. That local slasher turns out to be the old fisherman whenever a piece of a meteor lands in his corncob pipe and causes him to mutate into a violent killing machine.
Shiver Me Timbers is really, really bad. The heavy reliance on CGI takes away from the overall comedic tone of the film and the goriness of the kills. All of the kills are over-the-top, but not as funny as they could have been with better direction and practical effects. The acting is subpar and the pothead humor will only be funny to potheads while they are smoking pot. Most of the characters are forgettable, with the exception of Olive Oyl, who manages to be the most interesting character in the film. She is portrayed by Amy Mackie. The only other actor worth mentioning is Niamh Parrington as Cylinda, one of Olive’s friends and a mild love interest of Castor, Olive’s brother. Popeye is portrayed by David Hallows (old fisherman) and Tony Greer (killer fisherman).
Mackie (L) with Parrington in an interview.
As bad as Shiver Me Timbers may be, it appears to be quite comfortable with what it is: a B-movie intentionally being as bad as it can be. For that, I have to give the film a mild thumbs up. It doesn’t take itself seriously at all and never tries to be more than a bad film. It also gives a sweet nod to Army Of Darkness and that’s mighty fine of them in my book.
If you want to watch a bad movie that relishes in its badness, Shiver Me Timbers is for you. You definitely have to be in a specific mood to enjoy this film. I personally recommend Popeye The Slayer Man over this film and Popeye’s Revenge, but I know that there is a select audience for Shiver Me Timbers. A sequel is in the works and it will bring Tarzan and Betty Boop into the fray. Will it be just as terrible? Probably. Amy Mackie will be reprising her role as Olive Oyl. No word on whether or not any of the other survivors will show up for the sequel.
The second Popeye-themed film of 2025, released in March of that year about five weeks after Popeye’s Revenge, Popeye The Slayer Man does what its predecessor and successor fail to do: place Popeye in a believable scenario where he actually fits into the story. In this horror version of the character, Popeye supposedly “haunts” a shuttered spinach cannery and a group of college students decide to visit the place to film a documentary and discover if the ghost of the sailor man actually exists. In actuality, Popeye is no ghost. He’s a sailor that has lost his family due to a cover-up by the shady owner of the cannery and has mutated into a beastly strong man due to consuming tainted spinach. His mission is to protect the place where he lost his family from being torn down by the owner. Anybody that gets in his way faces a violent end.
The film is actually pretty good. It’s the best of the three Popeye horror films for sure, and I’d love to see it get a sequel. The film features a fairly good cast that includes Sean Michael Conway, Elena Juliano, Richard Lounello, Mabel Thomas, and Angela Relucio. Popeye is portrayed by Jason Robert Stephens under a heaping helping of prosthetics. It also has some pretty amazing practical effects and a nice collection of kills. My favorite scenes involve Relucio’s character, Harrigan, facing off against Popeye and the film’s opening sequence featuring Sarah Nicklin, Joel Frometa, and Christian Elan Ortiz.
I also love the fact that this film features more winks, callbacks, and nods to a number of classic Popeye characters and sayings. Keep an eye out for a quick reference to Wimpy, his love of hamburgers, and his use of IOUs. Olive Oyl is also mentioned in the film as is Sweet Pea. I also believe, but am not entirely sure, that one other character is directly inspired by Bluto.
Popeye is given quite a bit of depth in this film, especially when it comes to slasher films. There’s a subplot that involves domestic abuse that grabbed my attention, and it plays out in the background of the film. Popeye’s character development is influenced by this subplot, and I believe that it brings a little more legitimacy to the character in the film. It’s a welcome plot device in a film that could have been nothing more than a standard slasher film.
While Popeye The Sailor Man isn’t perfect, but it has enough nuance to it that raises it above the other Popeye horror films and other films that have been released in recent years that give us horror versions of characters that have entered the public domain. It’s a fairly smart movie with excellent effects, nice acting, and some cool Easter eggs for fans of the classic comic strip.
Give Popeye The Slayer Man a look. I think that you might be surprised at how good it actually is. Oh, and be sure to check out some of the interviews with Sarah Nicklin. She did a promotional photo shoot with Popeye/Jason Robert Stephens that features a nautical theme. The photos were taken by Ama Lea, and I’ve included one of the photos below. The interviews with Nicklin are pretty awesome and the photos are amazing. Thanks for checking out my review, and get ready for my next post featuring the third film featuring Popeye as a horror character, Shiver Me Timbers.
Promotional photo featuring Sarah Nicklin and Jason Robert Stephens. Photo by Ama Lea.
A trio of Popeye-based horror films were released in 2025 after the strong-armed sailor entered the public domain. Popeye’s Revenge was the first of these films, released in February of that year. Although it isn’t a part of the Twisted Childhood Universe, it is produced by ITN Studios, who produced all of the films in that series, and it features a number of actors from those films. It also features a below average plot that tries to force Popeye into a dark origin story. Had Harry Boxley, the film’s writer, created a standalone slasher without using Popeye, it might have worked. He didn’t do that, however, and the entire film feels forced and sort of pointless.
Popeye’s Revenge has an animated opening that sets up the reasons for Popeye’s murderous run in the film, but it just does not work for the character. It also has a little bit of sex and nudity to draw in certain demographics, but even that feels forced and unnecessary. What it gets right, though, is the cinematography and the atmosphere of the film. It also has an attractive cast with decent acting chops for the most part. You hated to see some of the characters meet their end and had no issues when Popeye dispatched others. The kills aren’t overly creative but they are executed extremely well and, at least to me, it seems like the effects were almost, if not all, completely practical.
The cast is headed up by Emily Mogilner as the overly enthusiastic Tara, who takes a group of her friends out to the old “Popeye” house to renovate it and turn it into camp that her parents will own and run. Connor Powles portrays Tara’s loyal boyfriend, Dylan. The rest of the group includes Fyn Phoenixx, Karolina Ugrenyuk, Bruno Cryan, Atlanta Moreno, and the strikingly gorgeous Danielle Ronald. Popeye is portrayed by Steven Murphy while Kelly Rian Sanson plays Olive Oyl. Some of the supporting cast includes Eva Ray, Oliver Mason, Danielle Scott, and Kathi DeCouto. As I already mentioned, many of these actors have appeared in other ITN films such as Winnie The Pooh: Blood And Honey.
Popeye’s Revenge would have been much better if it wasn’t a Popeye-based film. Simply slapping a sailor suit on a kid and giving him brute strength doesn’t make him Popeye. If the character were a new, nautical-themed slasher, it would have worked much better. That said, I don’t think that you’ll be disappointed if you watch this film.
Loaded with successful actors in various stages of their careers, 1993’s Ticks is a lot better than it should be considering the fact that it was a direct-to-home video release. The movie tells us the story of a group of teens facing various personal demons who go out for a little natural therapy with counselors, only to find themselves face-to-face with mutated, steroid-infested ticks. Yep, steroid-infested ticks that are a result of run-off from a local drug dealer’s marijuana plot that’s trying to boost the strength of his crop by using steroids. It all sounds a little ridiculous, but it’s such great fun.
The special effects in the film are all practical and the result of a team that includes Robert Kurtzman and Greg Nicotero. The ticks grow larger as they feed and in what is probably the coolest effect in the film, one of them grows from within one of its victims and bursts out of the person in all of its gory glory. While you have to suspend disbelief at times, the effects are a welcome sight when today’s “movie magic” is almost always created with lacking CGI.
The film doesn’t stray too far from the standard “monster in the woods” flick. The troubled teens and their leaders get in bad situations and have to use their wits to battle not just the ticks, but the drug dealers trying to protect their crops. There are a few victims, of course, but really only a couple of heart-tugging deaths. There’s no nudity and the language isn’t too strong, but the gore is top notch.
Fans of television and film will recognize many of the names of the film’s cast. It includes a young Seth Green, who would go on to much bigger and better things in the Buffy The Vampire Slayer series and many, many more projects later, and Alfonso Ribeiro, who was in the middle of a highly successful run as cousin Carlton on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. The film also stars Peter Scolari, who maintained a very successful career in television for decades, appearing on shows like Bosom Buddies, Newhart, and Evil, and in films like That Thing You Do!, The Polar Express, and Looks That Kill. Another name that viewers may recognize is Ami Dolenz, an actress who found consistent work in television and film throughout the 1990s. Oh, and let’s not forget Clint and Rance Howard, who both have small roles in the film.
Ticks was a nice surprise that I found while looking for something to watch one evening. I definitely recommend it if you’re a fan of gory monster films. Plus, it’s pretty cool to take a trip down memory lane with Scolari, Ribeiro, Green, Dolenz, and the Howard boys. Give it a look if you get a chance.
Rex Kwan Do is headed to Lafayette, LA on March 14th and 15th at the Cajundome Convention Center for Louisiana Comic Con! Diedrich Bader (Office Space, Napoleon Dynamite, multiple animated series, The Drew Carey Show) is just one of many, many guests that will be in attendance at this year’s event. Louisiana Comic Con is one of my favorite conventions and I’m returning once again as a part of the Filmsquatch crew. Be sure to stop by my table and say hello!
Not only will there be a ton of celebrity, comic, artist, and author guests, but there will be some amazing cosplayers as well including the brilliant Strangecat Cosplay (who is my favorite Nightcrawler cosplayer), the amazing Miss Oo La La, and the crazy talented Lady Luna Loveless! Some of the other guests include cast members from Supernatural, professional wrestlers, voice actors such as Alexander Gould and Megan Shipman, Power Ranger cast members, the one and only Rhonda Shear, and a ton of other guests.
Be sure to visit the Louisiana Comic Con website for more information and I hope that I get to see you at the convention this year!
Despite moving to a new town and establishing her family there, Sydney Prescott has to face off with an old enemy, Ghostface, one more time. Neve Campbell reprises her role as Sydney for the sixth time in 2026’s Scream 7. Returning are Courteney Cox as Gale Weathers, Roger L. Jackson as the iconic voice of Ghostface, Jasmin Savoy Brown as Mindy Meeks-Martin, and Mason Gooding as Chad Meeks-Martin. Newcomers (possible victims) include Isabel May as Tatum Prescott-Evans (Syd’s daughter), Joel McHale as Mark Evans (Syd’s husband), Mckenna Grace, Asa Germann, Celeste O’Connor, Sam Rechner, Ethan Embry, Anna Camp, Jimmy Tatro, Michelle Randolph, and a few surprises.
SPOILERS AHEAD!!! You’ve been warned!
Scream 7, simply put, is a really good slasher film that doesn’t quite feel like a Scream film. Directed by the man that wrote the original Scream film, Kevin Williamson, who co-wrote this film with Guy Busick, the movie is a serviceable horror flick with a surprisingly good amount of jump scares and entirely too many characters. The film focuses on Sydney and her daughter, which I really liked about the film, but tosses in Gale in a flimsy aside and the Meeks-Martin kids in a subplot that is as forgettable as all of the teen victims in the movie. It’s almost as if Williamson had two movies going at the same time. The first film is Ghostface in hot pursuit of Sydney and Tatum and the second film is sort of a “Heck, GF needs to kill a few people to establish his/her dominance.” That second film is weak and, as already mentioned, pretty forgettable.
I would have enjoyed the film a lot more if it just focused on the Sydney/Tatum plot and left the teens for a sequel. There was zero attachment to the teens in the film and the Meeks-Martin kids don’t have enough of a legacy built up for them to carry a subplot where they are pretty much ineffective and in the way. Courteney Cox also felt like she was just tossed in because they had to have Gale appear in the movie.
The thing that bugged me the most about this film is the use of AI Facetime calls instead of Ghostface’s traditional phone calls. Sure, they had a few of Ghostface’s signature cellular moments, but the Stu Facetime calls were goofy. I know that they used AI because it’s a current hot topic, but Scream fans want to hear Ghostface terrorize his victims on the phone, not use poor Stu’s scarred up face. It felt forced and is the primary reason that this film did not feel like it was part of the franchise.
Scream 7 is a very good slasher film with some excellent action, surprisingly good kills, and some really, really terrible AI calls. Both Neve Campbell and Courteney Cox are as beautiful as ever (my man moment, sorry) and they gave great performances even if Cox had a greatly diminished role this time around. Just give us another film with the real Stu Macher and Sydney driving a knife into their story and let Tatum take the reins.
Many of you know that I love KISS. Heck, I dedicated an entire year of my blog to the band in celebration. With that said, I decided to skip the Gene Simmons Band performance at L’Auberge Casino Lake Charles because I didn’t know if I’d actually get off of work in time to see the band play. As the date grew closer, however, I longed to go to the show. Whether it was luck or divine intervention, I actually won a pair of tickets to the show from KKGB, Rock 101.3 and got to see the band perform.
I’m so glad that I did.
Gene opened the show with Deuce and followed that up quickly with Shout It Out Loud. He then took a breather and talked to the crowd, something that would happen a number of times throughout the show. Simmons would ask for the house lights to be turned up and then he’d interact with the crowd. He made dirty, funny comments, called a young woman in the Air Force when her parents approached the stage and asked him to do so, and called fans on stage to help out with songs. These breaks were actually very cool, and you could clearly tell that Gene and the rest of the band were having a blast. It was a very well put-together show that had a very loose feel to it. It was more like seeing your cool uncle play at the local bar……except that your cool uncle is Gene Simmons.
As the show rolled along, Simmons and company played a number of KISS Klassic tracks and a few deep cuts that were quite surprising. Simmons acknowledged the death of his good friend and former bandmate, Ace Frehley, by playing Frehley’s Parasite, Strange Ways (first time played live by the Gene Simmons Band), and Rocket Ride (never played live by KISS, first time played live by the Gene Simmons Band). He also played another Ace-penned track, the KISS live standard Cold Gin.
Deeper cuts from the KISS catalogue included Charisma from the Dynasty album, Domino from Revenge, and I from the nearly never acknowledged Music From The Elder. Other tracks included KISS standards like I Love It Loud, War Machine, Calling Dr. Love, and Rock And Roll All Nite. Overall, it was an amazing show and I highly recommend checking out the Gene Simmons Band if they come to your town.
The Gene Simmons Band played a great show. From blistering rock tracks to excellent crowd banter, I’m so glad that I won tickets to see one fourth of my favorite band on stage with three amazing artists. I love it loud, and GSB delivered.
Complete Setlist:
Deuce
Shout It Out Loud
War Machine
I
Domino
Parasite
Strange Ways
Charisma
Rocket Ride
Cold Gin
Guitar/Drum Solos
I Love It Loud
Calling Dr. Love
Let Me Go, Rock n’ Roll
Rock And Roll All Nite
Gene Simmons Band: Gene Simmons (vocals and bass), Jason Walker (vocals and guitars), Brent Woods (vocals and guitars), Brian Tichy (vocals and drums).
I promise that I won’t spoil anything about the series finale of Stranger Things in this post. I still want to give a brief rundown of what I enjoyed about it, however. I thought that the series finale did a great job of bringing the series to a close. Sure, some characters didn’t return and others weren’t mentioned at all, but the core characters (and a few side characters) were given some type of closure in the finale. Heck, one was even given a very open ending that I really appreciated.
The cast has certainly grown, literally and as actors. In particular, Gaten Matarazzo went through a ton of development and changes and handled them well. Noah Schnapp also had some rather heavy scenes and did a fine job of conveying his emotions. Finn Wolfhard and Caleb McLaughlin (Mike and Lucas) seemed to be tied down to their relationships in the series, and this hurt their overall development. Millie Bobby Brown (Eleven) seemed to be going through the motions at times, as did David Harbour and Charlie Heaton (Hopper and Jonathan). Joe Keery and Natalia Dyer (Steve and Nancy)were standouts across the entire series, making two fairly one-dimensional characters some of the funniest, strongest, and most caring individuals in Hawkins. Winona Ryder (Joyce) got lost in the shuffle this season, but was given one shining moment of glory that I believe will stick with people more than any other moment in the final season. Sadie Sink’s performance was stellar as Max, but she was often weighed down by extended monologues and bad writing. Maya Hawke’s Rockin’ Robin was a bit heavy handed at times, but she did just fine in the series overall. Sadly, we learned things about Jamie Campbell Bower’s Henry in the final two episodes of the series that made me want to know more about the character, but that may not happen unless the rumors of spinoff shows are true.
The primary thing to know about the Stranger Things series finale is this: It isn’t perfect and some storylines and characters will not be given the resolutions that everyone is hoping for in the series. You’ll all just have to deal with it. I enjoyed the series overall and loved the finale. Watch it if you haven’t had the chance.
Ken's Alternate Universe! 