The Yeti, Co-Starring William Sadler & Cobin Bernsen

Honestly, it is far better when a film calls that mythical snow-beast a yeti rather than an “abominable snowman.” The former is much quicker to type and easier to pronounce, so this film already has points in its favor. In the late 1940s, Alaska wasn’t even a state yet. Largely seen as a wild and snowy frontier, there could have been anything up there, as far as most Americans were concerned—and in this film, they weren’t wrong. Oil man Merriell Sunday Sr. went there looking for oil, but he found something else instead. Cartographer Ellie Bannister agrees to guide the search party looking for him and her explorer father, Hollis Bannister, in director-screenwriters Gene Gallerano & William Pisciotta’s The Yeti, which releases this coming Tuesday on DVD and BluRay.

Supposedly old man Sunday was scouting for oil, but Bannister knows her eccentric old man wouldn’t waste his time on that, no matter how much money the tycoon offered. Nevertheless, they have been out of contact for far too long, so she agrees to join the rescue operation organized by Merriell Sunday Jr. (who definitely displays deep-seated father issues).

Somehow, they land in the middle of a massive storm that even interferes with Bannister’s compass. Consequntly, they get lost, quickly and badly. Viewers definitely wouldn’t enjoy getting lost with the entitled Junior Sunday or the abrasive good old boy demolition specialist Daniel “Dynamite” Hewitt—and neither does Bannister. However, comms specialist Booker (who was the Enola Gay’s radio man) is a good guy and scarred war hero Leander Coates has her back too, despite his mildly psychotic tendencies. Of course, when the yeti (or yetis) attack, all bets are off.

Gallerano & Pisciotta serve up several hat-tips to the Indiana Jones movies that are rather endearing. However, some of the deliberately retro practical effects are a little too successful, looking more like genuine cheesiness rather than loving homages. Frankly, the film shows symptoms of an identity crisis, because the blood-spurting gore clashes with the nostalgia.

However, the two old pros, William Sadler and Corbin Bernsen, elevate all their scenes as Hollis Bannister and Sunday Senior, respectively. They are both entertainingly flinty and grizzled. Playing against his usual over-the-top type, Jim Cummings is a surprisingly steadying presence as salt-of-the-earth Booker. Plus, Linc Hand delivers truly withering death stares as brooding Coates.

The Unholy, Based on a James Herbert Novel

Late horror novelist James Herbert was often dubbed by critics “the British Stephen King,” but his American publishers were never able to translate those comparisons into sales for their editions. Believe me—I was once involved with such efforts. At least the book was good. Six film adaptations did not push him onto U.S. bestseller lists either, even though several were quite well-made. It opened to little fanfare, but the archetypal horrors resonate surprisingly deeply in director-screenwriter Evan Spiliotopouplos’s The Unholy, produced by Sam Raimi and based on Herbert’s Shrine, which airs tomorrow for service personnel on American Forces Network.

Gerald Fenn is a lot like many journalists, but he got caught fabricating his fake news stories. Ten years into his disgrace, Fenn survives by reporting on questionable occult phenomenon for a tabloid. Although a reported cattle mutilation is too bogus even for his standards, he finds a potential consolation prize when he unearths a kern doll on the farmer’s land. Unwisely, he smashes the head to make it look creepier.

The next day, the deaf-mute orphan Alice Pagett is miraculously cured. She claims she heard the Virgin Mary speak to her and then channels her divine power to cure others. Soon, Banfield, MA appears on track to become the next Lourdes. Boston’s Bishop Gyles assumes control of the scene, while Monsignor Delgarde from the Vatican investigates whether the reported healings truly qualify as miracles.

However, her guardian-uncle, Father William Hagen has visions of a demonic figure standing behind Pagett. That would be a very different Mary. Mary Elnor is a witch-turned-demon, who sold her soul to Satan, before the Puritans sealed her into the Kern baby during the prologue. Fenn botched this assignment even worse, but he valiantly fights to make amends.

Spiliotopouplos’s adaptation of Herbert’s novel embraces big, cosmic themes of good and evil, taking direct inspiration from the Biblical commandment against worshipping false idols. It also reflects a current split in the Church, represented by the smooth Cardinal Gyles and the more conservative Monsignor Delgarde. Regardless, the good Father Hagan is indeed a good Father, who might have been the most sympathetic priest portrayed in film during the entire year of 2021.

The film’s second great strength is its cast of character actors, very definitely including William Sadler, whose portrayal of Father Hagan is often quite poignant. Jeffrey Dean Morgan is suitably rumpled as Fenn, who perhaps fittingly loses his cynicism when confronting the horrors that unfold. Diogo Morgado (best known for playing Jesus in multiple projects) is a forceful, reassuring presence as Monsignor Delgarde, who demonstrates faith and intellectual rigor are not mutually exclusive. Cary Elwes (playing according to type) is amusingly slick and wily as the shortsighted Bishop.

The Omen (1995 Pilot)

The Omen franchise had a lot of success on the big screen, but its TV history is spottier. The made-for-TV Omen IV: The Awakening does not have many champions, whereas the A&E-produced Damien was not bad, but short-lived. A lot of fans missed the first attempt at an Omen series, because the pilot was not picked up for a full series. (It is also dismissed as non-canonical and related in name only.) Yet, because it was produced in the 1990s, NBC aired it anyway, because the networks took their viewers for granted back then. Nevertheless, it was indeed broadcasted, so it technically counts as a “vintage episode.” With The First Omen releasing this week, it is a fine time to look back at the 1995 pilot for The Omen, if you don’t mind searching for a grainy internet version.

Dr. Linus is about to find his missing colleague, strung-up dead, in a ritualistic manner. Tragically, it was most likely of his friend’s own doing, to prevent an evil parasite from devouring another victim. Of course, Linus inadvertently releases it back into the world.

Being a man of science, he is not sure what to make of what he saw, even when he is visited by Aaron Rainier, a self-described “hunter,” who dedicated his life to fighting the all-consuming entity. However, photojournalist Jack Mann has become a believer, after watching the viral-like demon possess and destroy his pregnant wife. He will follow its trail to a Boston hospital, where Dr. Linus has been called in to consult on an inexplicable contamination afflicting Annalisse Summer, a nurse who contracted it from late sister.

In a way, the viral hot-zone-like aspect of the 1995 pilot is a lot like the Star War prequels demystifying the Force with scientistic Midi-chlorians, except it is much more interesting. Although there is more science to explain the ancient entity’s powers, it still directly addresses issues of good and evil.

According to Rainier, most people burn themselves out trying to fight the evil virus, or whatever, which rather implies most people are inherently good. However, when it lands in an evil host, they develop a symbiotic relationship, in which the human accepts its presence, in return for power. At the end of the pilot, we learn the unseen force is heading west, as if it is searching for something. Could that have been a nasty little boy named Damien Thorn?

Unfortunately, we will never know, but the pilot holds up okay as a stand-alone. The pacing is quite snappy, which makes sense, since it was directed by Jack Sholder, who also helmed Nightmare on Elm Street 2 and The Hidden (which also features an unearthly entity hopping from person to person). There are a lot of big genre names involved, starting with Richard Donner, the director of the original film, who was on-board as an executive producer according to IMDb (but his name was not included in the broadcast credits).

She Came from the Woods, Starring William Sadler

"Good" people are usually bad in horror, like “Goodey” Brown in “Young Goodman Brown.” Nurse Agatha Good is even worse. She is dead, but not dead enough, especially after the foolish teen counselors at Camp Briarbrook raise her malevolent spirit during their season-ending party. That kind of “Bloody Mary” business never ends well. It ends really badly in Erik Bloomquist’s She Came from the Woods, which opens this Friday.

Years ago, Heather McAlister was a camper at her father Gilbert’s camp, when the camp nurse, Agatha Good, did some rather terrible things to the kids, including Heather. Old Man McAlister thought he had fixed Nurse Good permanently, but the legend of Agatha and her possession of the kids persisted, handed down from camper to camper. Every year, Heather’s slacker son Peter tries to invoke Good during their annual closing night blowout. This time around, Peter has them sweeten the deal with a little needle stick—wounds for Nurse Good to tend to—which she does in her horrifying way.

The basic idea of Came from the Woods is not entirely unprecedented, but the execution is definitely energetic. The press copy might also be over-selling it as a “horror comedy,” but a lot of the dialogue, especially that of the rowdy counselors, has a snappy Kevin Williamson-esque edge. In fact, Dylan, the borderline delinquent counselor is spectacularly awful and loathsome, like the horror film equivalent of a Seinfeld character.

Bloomquist and his co-screenwriter brother Carson Bloomquist start by somewhat zigging instead of zagging by making their camp-bound horror yarn supernatural in nature, rather than focused on a slasher. They continue adding small but clever wrinkles to the tale of undead witchery and zombie-like possession, which keeps the film fresh.

Joe Begos’ VFW

It is like Cheers, with attitude and veterans’ benefits. They aren’t getting any younger, but the patrons and staff can still fight as hard as they drink. Society is collapsing around this Veterans of Foreign Wars post, but the regulars still uphold standards of conduct. A pack of drug-crazed punks will learn that the hard way in Joe Begos’ VFW, which releases today on DVD (and is already available on VOD).

Nationwide, VFW posts are struggling because of the organization’s institutional difficulties recruiting veterans of Vietnam and later conflicts. However, Fred Paras and most of his cronies are ‘Nam vets. Doug McCarthy happens to be a Korean War veteran and Shawn Mason has freshly returned from the Middle East, choosing tonight of all nights to grab a beer at the VFW. He is a sharp-shooter—a talent that will come in handy.

The shots and salty talk are about to be interrupted by Lizard, a young street dweller, who stole a shipment of the designer drug “Hype” from Boz, the local gang-leader, to avenge her sister. Even though she rubs Paras and his comrades the wrong way, they still offer her shelter from Boz’s marauding “Hyper” hoards. Things will get bloody and tragic, but they still abide by a code of honor.

Although Assault on Precinct 13 is an obvious source of inspiration for this film, the attitude and razor-sharp dialogue is distinctively its own. This film respects veterans and demands the same of its audience. Of course, it is not exactly shy when it comes to gore either.

The Grudge (2020): Because You Can’t Keep an Angry Ghost Down

It’s human-to-human transmission rate is minimal, but the site of Kayako Saeki’s violent angry death is 100% infectious. The death rate is nearly as high. It is time to go back to Tokyo circa 2004, where it all started for the American remake series. Instead of rebooting, the series branches off in a separate, simultaneous, but not so radically different direction in Nicolas Pesce’s The Grudge, which releases today on DVD.

Flashback to 2004: Fiona Landers is an expat social worker in Japan, who pays an inspection visit to the house of horrors that started it all. She subsequently returns home, taking Kayako and her grudge with her. Soon, tragedy strikes the Landers family, as evil become deeply rooted in their home. That means Saeki is quite an efficient multi-tasker, since she was simultaneously tormenting Sarah Michelle Gellar in The Grudge (2004).

For obvious reasons, the Landers House quickly develops an evil reputation. Det. Goodman still refuses to step foot inside it, which seems rather strange to his new partner, Det. Muldoon, since he ostensibly investigated the multiple homicides that occurred there. It wasn’t just the Landers who met untimely deaths. The realtors handling the sale of the property, Peter and pregnant Nina Spencer, met similar fates.

As is usually the case in horror movies, Muldoon relocated to exurban Pennsylvania hoping to find a safer, more stable environment to raise her son Burke after her husband’s devastating death from cancer. Needless to say, those plans go out the window once she enters the Landers house. From there on, she is in for the full Grudge treatment.

The Grudge 2020 is a respectable American installment in the franchise, but Pesce’s reputation as the indie auteur who helmed The Eyes of My Mother and Piercing will raise many fans expectations well above what the film delivers. We’ve seen just about all of it before, but Pesce does it with a surprisingly prestigious cast. There are two Oscar nominees in Grudge 2020: Demian Bichir, who is terrific as the devout but world-weary Goodman and Jacki Weaver, who helps humanize the thankless role of Lorna Moody, an assisted suicide activist, who pays an ill-fated visit to the current owners of the Landers house.

Living Among Us: Interviews with Vampires

Vampires are finally getting more media savvy. They will invite a TV news crew into the home of a respected member of their underground community, so they can explain vampirism is really just a medical condition. Or maybe they will simply kill them, because nobody will miss a few media jerks. Either way, Benny the intern will be filming way more than he bargained for in Brian A. Metcalf’s found footage horror-comedy Living Among Us (trailer here), which opens tomorrow in New York.

Mike, a local market prima donna broke the story revealing the network of blood banks supplying plasma to vampires, so the bloodsuckers’ sect leader naturally reached out to him for a proposed up-close-and-personal piece on life as a modern-day vampire. The blood banks’ secret distribution scheme was actually a good thing because it means they no longer need to kill to feed. The traditional vampire lore are just myths and misconceptions Andrew and his wife Elleanor insist. However, they insist on some suspicious ground rules before they allow Mike, his segment producer Carrie, and Benny, the station manager’s idiot brother-in-law to stay in their home. Of course, we’re talking about staples, like crucifixes, holy water, and wooden stakes.

As you would expect, the vampires immediately act suspicious, especially Blake, a swaggering Lestat wannabe and Selvin, a deeply warped former dungeon “dweller.” Fortunately, the nebbish Benny has a compulsive need to document everything, so he will capture some freaky business—thereby supplying viewers with our movie.

Metcalf maintains a healthy energy level and his screenplay is reasonably amusing. Still, it is hard for LAU or any subsequent vampire comedy not to suffer in comparison with Taika Waititi & Jermaine Clement’s What We Do in the Shadows, especially when LAU uses a documentary-news crew conceit. On the other hand, Metcalf recruited the character actor power trio of William Sadler, John Heard, and James Russo, as the vampire sect leader, Andrew the vampire host, and the gruff station manager, respectively. All three give any film instant credibility.

Indeed, you have to give Metcalf credit—he skewers the media quite effectively, while cranking up a sense that things are about to go very, very bad. Andrew Keegan and Chad Todhunter chew the scenery nicely as wildcards Blake and Selvin. Plus, Esmé Bianco, arguably the biggest genre star from Game of Thrones and The Magicians is suitably regal and fierce as Elleanor.

There are plenty of prior found footage mock-doc horror movies, but LAU is cleverer than most. At times, its limited budget results in some cheesy looking TV newscast sequences, but that’s forgivable. Recommended for horror-comedy fans, Living Among Us opens tomorrow (2/2) in New York, at the Cinema Village.