Movie Review: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)

Wow....This movie is insane....and there were moments in this where I literally cringed. And yeah, these scenes are pretty hard to watch. But let me set the record straight before I dive deep into this review. During the early stages of my blog, I was reviewing the remake of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and I sort of said that the original was like any other slasher film. I would like to take account of what I said and take it all back. Sure, Texas Chainsaw is a slasher but it's not a typical slasher at all. It's dirty, grimy, and unsettling to ever be noted as "just a typical slasher." I would think the REMAKE is a typical slasher to me than the original. You see the difference is the remake is more psychological horror where as the original was pure horror at best. And it sure is, this is a grindhouse cult classic that can hit you in way that you can't imagine.
It all boils down to how it's directed and how it's crafted by using every specific detail in each scene by that logic, this is why it is helmed as one of the most creepy and unsettling horror movies of the 70's.

The Story: Sally Hardesty and her friends decide to spend their idyllic summer road trip to visit her grandfather's grave where her old homestead used to be. There have been recent reports of grave-robbing and vandalism, so by the curiosity of Sally and her brother Franklin, they figure out what's what and to see if their grandfather's grave have been tainted. but little do the five friends know, the real terror of what's hiding behind the graves. And a certain skin-wearing, chainsaw-wielding maniac is at play.

There's not really much to say about the main characters. But I would say this, I like how they are portrayed realistically and is treated with much respect than any other modern horror films these days. They're not going on a trip to party, have sex or do or find drugs, they're there to learn and explore one friend's family history. And even though it has a by-the-numbers plot, it makes it interesting that the cast are more into studying and figuring out a landscape than the their own selfish endeavors.

Again, I don't know anything about Sally, but her will to fight for survival is very effective.

we see fear through her eyes and Marilyn Burns genuinely harbors that fear into her character. and judging what she endured on the set, I could definitely tell that is real terror.

From what she experiencing and the mental and physical torture she goes through is what keeps us invested and scared for the character.

Now let's talk about Franklin. Ugh....Why?....He is probably one of the most despicable, annoying character in this movie. He is loud, obnoxious, kind of dumb and a bit of whiner. I was just counting the hours for Leatherface to do the deed. I know the guy is in a wheelchair and it's quite upsetting to see a handicapped person get killed in a horror film, but you can feel Sally's and the audience's annoyance while dealing with this character.
Now let's focus on Leatherface and his insane, cannibalistic family. But mostly Leatherface.

The Hitchhiker chillingly played by Edwin Neal is the more observant and chaotic of three. The moment where he describes "how to make headcheese" in such graphic detail is really unsettling. And how the hitchhiker tells it in such childish glee along with the other weird stuff that he does, would make you think this guy is definitely not sane. He could strike you at any second which makes the character that much creepy.

Drayton Sawyer AKA The Cook played by Jim Siedlow is sort of the leader of the clan and is the "cook". At first,  you may think he's a nice normal guy especially since the group has encountered a couple of creepy locals but once Sally is attacked by Leatherface and is supposedly "saved" by Drayton, you sort of sense that something sinister is going on when Sally inspects the place as the camera slowly close in what's he's cooking in the barbecue. it's pretty suspenseful. When she decides to escape the place, however, it's all too late and Sally is captured under his whim. It's unexpected moments like that that keeps the tension rising in horror films.

Last but not least, we have Bubba Sawyer AKA Leatherface who is the head honcho of the family, doing all the killings, sawing, and skinning to provide for his family. You never see what he does in his secret hideout and maybe you don't need to see it. Just the thought of what horrors he does to these people is enough to make anyone sick.

But as I always do, I would like to talk about the aesthetic of his appearance. And boy, is it a creepy appearance. A mask made of his victims' skin, a raggedy, dirty suit under a bloody apron, and any specific tools including his trusty chainsaw to slaughter his victims. Yeah, he's a pretty scary guy. He doesn't do this on his own though and it's pretty much at the whim of his family, who seem kind of demeaning towards him. He kind of has a mind of child. A disturbed, psychotic child but a child none the less. Killing and mutilating people is all he knows, it what he's born into and that's....kind of sad. Not that I feel any sympathy for him but all in all, it's pretty messed up analogy.
This is known to be one of the most violent, goriest horror movie without showing a drop of blood. Just the implication of it makes it so. There are some pivotal yet violent and disturbing scenes to showcase how brutal this movie is.

First there is Kirk's death scene which is visceral and aggressive. To the build up all down to the bone-crushing sound effects will make you jump out of your seat and squirm at the same time:

Then there's Pam's death scene not so soon after once she discovers a room full of skeletons, some of it from animals but most from humans scrapped from the bone.

The close-up shots of the skeletons and Pam's reaction is a very uneasy, skin-crawling sequence.

But here's the real kicker. When Pam escapes the room, she is instantly captured by Leatherface and is hung on a meat hook from her back while Leatherface prepares to dismember her boyfriend while she watches. It's probably those scenes in horror movies that cut you deep. You always expect the unexpected:

But the dinner table scene is the vilest and horrid of sequences. To the close-up shots of Sally's reaction to the cackling laughs of the crazed cannibals, it's very disturbing and unpleasant and it's too much to just go on any further.

The climax of the movie is possibly the most intense I've seen in a horror film. Just look at the film clip:

The behind the scenes stories is a horror movie of itself. BLOOD, SWEAT and TEARS were put into this and I don't see how the actors even went out alive after this. It's truly horrifying let me tell you. Terri McMillan was actually hung up from meat hook by an apparatus with a nylon cord, causing her a lot of pain. Ouch!
Gunnar Hansen actually had to cut Marilyn Burns' finger when they couldn't get fake blood.
John Dugan was actually a teenager at the time, being put under pounds of makeup that took 36 hours to make. So to endure those agonizing hours, he was drunk through most of the movie shoots.
The actors had to shoot the dinner scene 27 hours straight. With no air conditioning, no venting machine, no fans, no nothing. All this time, they had to breathe in a horrible stinch coming from the dead animals and rotting food all while under a 100 degree heat. So in that scene, the actors were not ACTING crazy, they WERE crazy, hallucinating from the smell.
Franklin's actor was pretty much a pain in the ass in real life.
And lastly there was the climax where Sally is drenched in blood. And yeah, some of that is real blood you guys. Marilyn Burns actually cut herself running through the branches. Wow...just wow.
This movie was so terrifying, in fact, that many people couldn't watch the rest of it in the movie theaters. And it is also named one of the most scariest movies besides The Exorcist.

So there was The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, A movie so bone-chilling it could make the hair on your skin go up. Of course with a movie like this it was warranted for sequels but not for another 13 years or so. But I just don't see a movie like this need any sequels, maybe one or two should be fine I guess. But all in all, the original frightfest stands on it's own as a highly remembered classic.
Last Word: Yes, go watch it!
This review is also dedicated to the courageous Marilyn Burns who will live on as the slasher film's first final girl.

A Halloween Texas Chainsaw Massacre

It's that time of the year. So yet again, we are going to focus on two film franchises that left a mark in horror. Last year, we did the Friday the 13th and A Nightmare On Elm Street series. Now it's the time to review the movies that started it all: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Halloween. These are the movies that catapulted the slasher genre. These are my favorite classic horror  movies besides Alien and of course the aforementioned Friday and Nightmare movies. But to be honest you guys, these two movies don't make the best franchises. Yes, some of the sequels are at least watchable and entertaining but MOST of the them are terrible. There is an entertaining factor with the Friday and nightmare sequels, whether or not how good or bad there are, but with some of the Texas Chainsaw and Halloween sequels there pretty hard to watch at times. And no, just like the last time I am not going to showcase the remakes. Maybe at another when I'm ready, and boy do I need to be ready....Just talking about the Halloween remake.....just saying...ugh...I'm even growing headache right now. But anywho, there are three things the two original succeeded at: Subtly, Suspense, and atmosphere. Which are the special key ingredients in a horror film. So feast your eyes on these timeless classics as the night of Halloween creeps by.....

Movie Reivew: Stage Fright

Guys, I have a confession to make....I used to watch the show Glee. Before you throw in insults and point in laughter, it was at the time the show was really popular and I was still in high school, still watching cheesy teen dramas. Plus, I'm not even into musicals like that. So now that Glee has disintegrated into scrutiny, there is a new genre to uphold: The Horror Musical. Now the only ones I ever heard of was this obscure 1991 B-movie called Nudist Colony Of The Dead and an off-Broadway show called Camp Blood. But now it has come to this, a horror musical titled Stage Fright. and no it's not the remake of the 1987 Giallo classic as some of you like to think. Now some people would say this movie was a middle of the road for them, however, I think it's quite an enjoyable, entertaining movie. Finally! a fun slasher for once. And you know what else? the characters are actually likeable in this movie. Yeah, you have a few jerks here and there but not too much is focused on them and they get killed off rather quickly too. Although, I'm not a fan of musicals, I thought the songs were kind of catchy, matching the flow of the film. And freakin' Meat Loaf is in this! THE Meat loaf. And he sings too! how awesome is that. You also have the lovely Minnie Driver, who I haven't seen in a while. She too has a marvelous singing voice.
So like I said, I enjoyed this movie for what it is and there were times where I genuinely laughed. It's just too much of a fun time to be wasted.
The Story: Ten years after the brutal death of her mother, teenager Camilla Swanson, though still traumatized  by the memory, dreams of following her mother's footsteps. She convinces former producer and current guardian Roger McCall, who is the owner of a musical theater camp that is currently under bankruptcy, to have the lead in a kabuki revival of The Haunting Of The Opera, the Broadway play her mom famously starred in. She gets no support from her brother Buddy, who's the most affected and bitter over their mother's death and has an overall hatred of acting in general. Once the show is in progress, a series of murders start plaguing the upcoming opening night after the death of the stage director. Now that everybody's in a panic, Roger tries desperately to keep the show afloat, ignoring the danger that's about to come. But little does the audience know that this particular night would be a bloody welcome.

The acting was top-notch and the cast is an adorably likeable bunch. You have kids of all ages here and the actors actually look like kids, even though some of them are past the age limit. And yeah, there are your usual jerks in the movie but their selfish actions comes more out of desperation. But at least they're not a jock or a cheerleader. And that is refreshing as hell. That's what I like about the cast, they're not stereotypes, they are just happy go-lucky kids who are passionate about reaching their dreams and goals. That's why I relate to the cast more.

Actress Allie McDonald  gives a very genuine, heartfelt performance as Camilla. You can just tell how honest her portrayal is by the look in her eye.

Camilla's story arc is more like a Disney movie as if it was horror. The character comes across like this little girl lost but suddenly finding her way by harboring a talent in musical theater. I was invested in the character and in the end, you really care about her.

Buddy played by Douglas Smith was also a solid actor. Most of the time, his character comes off as very anti-social and surly but it stems from the fact that his life revolves around acting, which resents to the core. Witnessing the death of his mom at a young age really scarred him emotionally and he's been troubled ever since.

I liked the relationship between him and Camilla. They don't have a clear understanding of one another but all that they have is each other now and Buddy is just trying to look out for her. Being emotionally damaged by the traumatic event is what makes the character sympathetic.

Brandon Uranowitz  was quite funny and charming as the arrogant stage director Artie. You would almost forget how slimy the character is just by the likeability of the actor. Some may think Artie is this slick director who has his way with the ladies but in all honesty, he is just as insecure as everyone else.

Melanie Leishman was really funny as Liz. She comes off like this alpha bitch type but from her end it's mostly out of petty jealous and trying to prove herself. Her comeuppance comes from being humiliated on a live stage, which is more justified than anything.

The gay stage producer (sorry, don't remember his name) is probably one of the more funnier characters in the movie. The actor really gives an enjoyable performance and he has just the right amount of charisma and improve to give the character more flare.

And I just have to mention this adorable hottie. He plays the guy that's not gay (yeah, right) but who's into musicals. I never said this about a guy but he has some good leg work going on. Very nice calves. he says he's not gay but you could totally see he is crushing hard on the gay stage producer. If this was a different movie, I totally would like to see how their relationship would go. Very interesting.

Last but not least, we have the legendary Meat Loaf bringing in a quite hammy performance as the camp owner Mr. McCall. You may think he's this unlikeable, money-grubbing asshole....which he is, but his actions comes from trying to save the camp and trying to accomplish his once failing career. There is a moment where he is willing to risking these kids' lives just to open a live show. Yes, it's a selfish, horrible thing to do but it's more out of desperation than anything.

 How the film is directed is very lush and stylish. I really thought the cinematography was beautiful and the filmmakers put a lot of effort in it. What I like most about the directing is that you feel like you're in two different movies. You have the happy sunny existence of the campers contrast to the dark, angry psyche of the killer.

Speaking of the killer, I like the whole look of him. Sure the whole white mask thing have been done before but I like the artistic choice the filmmakers went with matching the theme of the movie.

There were times where he came off as over-the-top but knowing what type of movie this is, it works. He's sort of an antagonistic villain with a metal-rock edge and it definitely adds some originality to the killer.
Now it has come to this. There is a twist in this movie, I just can't resist to spoil. So guys watch this movie because things are about to get crazy:


Buddy is revealed to be the killer and the reason for his psychotic break is that he witnessed Roger killing his mother in a jealous rage once Roger found out that the mother was having an affair.

Soon he catches Buddy, threatening him and permanently scarring him for life.

Now at this point, Roger is a little nutty himself and after killing Buddy with no remorse, he goes off to the deep end. After he chases Camilla to the shed, she manages to kill Roger, rather graphically, with a buzz saw. So through all the craziness and the hilarious finale, all is well and Camilla reaches her dream of becoming a Broadway star just like her mother was.
*spoilers end*

So I really liked it. I liked how it wasn't just your typical slasher and manages to go a mile away. Finally, a slasher movie with some originality. Maybe over time people could see how enjoyable this movie is. And in the long run, it might be helmed as an underrated classic one day.
My last word: with catchy songs, a likeable cast, and an extremely gory kills, this should be one entertaining popcorn movie.

 

Movie Review: You're Next

 

 

 

Finally I get to see this movie. Though it's a been a while and I only watched it once, so my memory might be a little foggy. But just to start things off, to be honest this movie was a mixed bag.  I get why they were trying to pay homage to the home invasion movies of the 70's and 80's, though I'm not a big fan of those movies, I appreciate the effort.

The Story: College Student Erin and her boyfriend Crispan, who's her professor by the way, goes to visit his family at their Missouri vacation home. Along with the parents, Crispan's siblings also pays a visit with their significant others. During a heated argument between Crispan and his Waspy brother Drake, an arrow, out of nowhere, hits Drake in the back while another hits their younger sister's boyfriend fatally in the head. This......is when all hell breaks loose. Now the family has to find various ways to survive the night while being under surveillance by a group of intruders invading their home....

 

   

The acting was great for the most part but I thought the characters were kind of bland. With the exception of the female lead of course. First let me start off with the family: Crispan is a whiny, insecure emotional sponge, Drake is a selfish, arrogant, and overall asshole, and Felix is a lazy, careless hipster-wannabe loser. Mr. and Mrs. Davison and younger sister Aimee are the only decent people in the family. There's not much to say about their spouses either: Aimee's boyfriend barely gets a word of dialogue before getting the ax, Drake's wife is a frosty bitch, and Zee is a sort of quiet, weird Goth girl. I pretty much went through all the characters and their characterizations, nothing to write about really. But again, the actors brought more to the characters than the writers could.

 

I thought AJ Bowen was kind of charming in most parts and dare I say that he's a very handsome man, maybe it's the beard.

It's good to see Barbra Crampton is still fabulous in her fifties and did a good job for the most part, playing the role of the paranoid matriarch. Although her part was pretty minimal, it's kind of great to see her back in a mainstream movie again.

Even though his character was jerk for most of the time, Joe Swanberg was kind of funny and witty with his line delivery. And from what I hear, he's pretty good indie director, so I might check out his material sometime.

Now I have to save the best for last. The best character in the movie by far is Erin played by the awesome Sharni Vision. She is sort of a mix of Ripley and Nancy Thompson and is the only character that has an interesting backstory. Her father was an extreme survivalist....which means she spent most of her childhood on a survivalist camp. Once things start going apeshit, Erin is the one who is calm and collected, practically taking over the situation while everyone else starts freaking out.

It's been a long while since I seen a kickass heroine in a horror film and it's kind of refreshing. Erin is in control and that's why my focus is on her most of the time. She is by far the coolest character in this movie.
Now onto the story. The only problem I have with this is that I've heard it before. But I can see that the filmmakers were going for a retro feel which is why the went with a more simple, run of the mill plot. But what they lack in story and characters, they make for everything else. The scenes in the film are actually suspenseful. And When the violence hits you, it hits you hard. Don't think I'm giving this movie too much credit. I'm not saying it's scary, it's just well-crafted in the more tense moments.

But I will give credit to the cool animal masks. I don't know, it's just something about animal masks that are creepy and awesome. It also works for the tone of the movie, having the ominous onlookers appear in dark shadows and open windows.
The other thing I give praise to is the twist. Yes, There is a twist in the movie. Now for those of you who haven't seen the movie, I advise you to skip this at your own risk. Okay let's begin:

Felix and Zee are the ones who set up the whole thing. They a hired a trio of hitmen to kill their parents (and most of the rest of the family) to inherit their lump sum of life insurance. I always thought there was something sketchy about those two, especially Zee, who gets her kicks off of having sex with a dead body laying around. Ugh, weirdo. But that's not the thick of it, there is an unlikely third accomplice who's in on it too.....

And that's Crispan. And all this time he came off like a loveable dork when he was the true villain after all.  Though I don't think I liked Crispan in the first place. Thankfully, Erin takes care of all of them.
So it had a pretty cool twist along with the slick directing, charismatic actors and atmospheric tone. But I wish there was more to offer with the characters and whatever black humor there was in the film, I couldn't find. It just felt uneven. It's enjoyable to watch but noting special really. Sure, it has all the positive reviews now but in another 10 or 20 years or so, people would go "meh, been there, done that."
My Last word: A cool slick slasher but with just a little icing on the cake would make the film a bit more memorable.

 

Top Ten Guilty Pleasures

Top Ten Guilty Pleasures

I'm back bitches! And I'm here to rank up my Top Ten guiltiest pleasures. Now these are not considered good movies or could be in the lines of mediocre but for me these movies either had a special place in my childhood,  to watch for a good laugh, or something to watch on a rainy day. Now you don't have to agree with me here, some these movies are silly, intentionally or unintentionally, but you know what, I had a good time watching them and so should you.

To start this off let's  go with the honorable mentions:

Showgirls

This movie had to come on this list somehow but the reason it isn't because of how incredibly sleazy it is. Sure, that's the movie's charm, however, it goes out of it's way to get an NC-17. The supposed characters in the movies aren't characters, there more like caricatures. Some of them don't even act like human beings. The main heroine is not particularly likeable once you see how she is introduced and has shitty morals. Lastly, Joe Eszterhas is not the greatest screenwriter. The way he portrays woman, how the story is set up, how the setting is set up....is all just wrong. Maybe I should do a full depth analysis on this but for all the times I watched this movie, it just doesn't make this list.

Ben and Arthur

Oh my gosh, this movie is hilarious. It tries to teach us a serious message but it fails at execution. It also have terrible production values, stupid character motivations, terrible acting, terrible directing, the list goes on. But I will give this movie at least one positive feedback for recognizing gay marriage but please don't think I'm giving this movie TOO much credit otherwise. Why isn't it on the list? I'm just too ashamed for it to be on the list at all.

Friday The 13th part 8,9, and 10

Sure, I've already reviewed these movies before and they could be easy to watch if you wouldn't put too much thought on them but the reason they aren't on the list is because all the plot holes and inconsistences  prevent them from being watchable, sure these movies could be so bad it's good. However, these just don't cut it really.

A Nightmare On Elm Street 5 and 6

These could be watchable movies if  you take the time to be invested in them. But on the downside, these are the two movies that made the series into a total joke. It dose have some interesting plots but it fails at execution. So the bottom line is these are quite forgettable.

Bride of Chucky/Seed of Chucky

These movies could work well as comedies. That's it....I just don't see these as horror films. It's like I'm watching stupid family sitcoms with a few dead bodies in it's wake. The movies wouldn't be a waste of your time however these aren't the best Child's Play movies.

Let's begin the list shall we:

10. The Room

This has got to be one of the most unintentionally hilarious movies I have ever seen. From what I heard this was a production mess which explains the final result of the movie. I first watched this on adult swim and to be honest, I thought this was a failed pilot for a TV show. From Canada, at least. But then I found out this was an actual movie that was in theaters for a while. Wow...just wow. This movie could be considered a parody of a soap opera. The melodrama is laughable, we have supporting characters we don't know, and the main storyline is contrived. I would say one thing though, At least the actors tried. I'm not saying they're by no means good but at least they tried to act their way through the bad dialogue. The only bad actor in this, unfortunately, is Tommy Wiseau himself, who lack of emotion and bad line delivering  really is the worst aspect of the movie. This would  be fun for a good laugh, so it would be good for any bad movie lover.

9. Batman and Robin

Don't get me wrong, this is one of the worst comic book movies ever but if you look at this as a comedy, it's definitely a riot. The over-the-top acting, The ridiculous costumes, and the endless hurricane of puns. It all adds up to this glorious mess of a movie. The hype was insane but nobody knew the crap that was coming their way. To be truthful I watch this for nostalgic purposes. I first seen this in theaters and to explain myself I was only six years old, so you don't have to judge me. Even though it's the worst comic book movie ever, it's still the most guiltiest pleasure ever.

8. Earth Girls Are Easy

This is a totally cheesy movie and it's so....80's. However, I watched this movie so many times more than my all time classic movies. I don't know it just has a certain charm to it. And this made me laugh more than any other Jim Carrey movie. Yes, he is really hilarious in this. Then there is Geena Davis playing the role of the adorable girl next door, a very attractive Jeff Goldblum , The always cool Damon Wayans, and the ever funny Julie Brown to round out the cast. And did I mention this was a musical? Yes, it surely is. The musical numbers are quite catchy actually. This movie is definitely a blast for an 80's fan.

7. The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and The Sequel

Again, this is another nostalgic favorite of mine. I loved, loved, loved the ninja turtles and when I saw the first movie on USA in the nineties, I was completely in awe. But I think I watched the sequel more times than the first one because that's the only ninja turtles movie my dad owned. And boy was it a good time. The second sequel maybe silly and stupid but I had so much fun watching it. When I was a kid I popped this in every Friday and Saturday night for my special movie time. It was that awesome. My favorite scene was at the dance club which is technically the movie's climax and that "Go Ninja Go" song cannot get out of my head. These movies are not considered classics but at least they are a reflection of our childhood. And I'm not talking about the third movie. It's a boring piece of crap that I'll probably review some other time.

6. Buffy The Vampire Slayer

Sure it might be in the shadow of the more darker, edgier, and more popular TV series. Sure, it's nothing more than a campy teen flick that's quite obscure, but I can't help but love this movie for some reason. Yeah, the story feels rushed and although Kristy Swanson is a decent actress, she would done a much better performance. And yet, I like for what it is. It deviates what should be a much more darker film and prefers to be high camp. I was a sucker for movies like this and I'm still kind of am(for the least part). Though I would love to talk about what happened behind the scenes But I'll save that for another analysis. On the plus side, this was pretty fun movie to watch. It's not good, though at least it will be something to watch on a rainy day.

5. Charlie's Angels and The Sequel

You know what? I really like the Charlie's Angels movies. Although it was highly successful and people couldn't stop talking about it, it wasn't considered that good. Even Roger Ebert took a snipe at it. Some people these days would pass it off as another dumb mindless action flick. And you know what else? That's why I love this series so much. They are just fun action flicks that don't take themselves too seriously. I also liked the chemistry between Cameron Diaz, Drew Barrymore and Lucy Liu. You can tell they seem like really good friends and are having the time of their lives. I would think the fans of the television show could flock to this too because it does capture the feel of the TV series in a new modern way. Now just to say this I do love the TV series and probably watched it every morning before school when I was a kid but it's not what quality television and it is it's own guilty pleasure at best. Which some would say for the movie series, however, I like fun stupid action flicks and I would probably rank this as my favorite action movies beside Kill Bill.

4. Mommie Dearest

Just to let you know I don't think Child Abuse is funny. It's kind of sad and depressing when it's depicted on film, So much so it's kind of hard to watch. However, this movie has such a failed attempt at drama, it's almost hilarious to watch. It tries so hard to be this Oscar-worthy movie but it just crashes in it's own convoluted mess. Now I don't know the whole complete backstory of Joan Crawford and she may have been looney tunes but this movie is so apart from reality that it had me thinking most of the scenes that happened in the movie never happened in the book and was just put in for some shock value. Which boils down to Faye Dunaway's performance. I don't think she's a bad actress and she really tries though there are moments where she literally comes off like a cartoon character. Most of the time, she reminds me of certain Disney villains: First, she the wicked queen from Snow White, Then She's Lady Tremaine from Cinderella, and little bit of the wicked witch from the west from The Wizard Of Oz. Faye Dunaway's performance alone is the reason why I crave this movie so much and if given much more thought with a couple of rewrites and reshoots maybe, it could've been a really good movie. Oh well at least it's a cult classic for good or bad reasons.

3. Jawbreaker

I love, love, love this movie. Maybe it's because it's not your typical teen movie and it has much more different take on high school since certain high school movies back then were kind of cheesy and predictable. Some would like to compare this to the movie Heathers. But where Heathers dive more into the darker side of things, Jawbreaker is much more campier in it's terms of black comedy. I also enjoyed Rose McGowan's devious performance as the calculating and manipulative Courtney Shane. This role was made for her. There are also other decent actresses that I enjoy as well including Rebecca Gayheart, Julie Benz, and Judy Greer, which was her first big movie role. It's not your typical bubblegum teen fare, it's sort of a satire of it, which I really enjoy. And may I say the theme song is earwormy? This movie is an underrated classic in my opinion, especially for those who enjoy 90's teen movies.

2. I Still Know What You Did Last Summer

I watched this movie more times just as any other horror movie. Every time it comes on TV, I just have this certain need to watch it. If you ignore the stupid plot, the lame twist, and the idiocy of certain characters, you might have a good time. Unlike most characters in a horror movie these days, the cast is really likeable and the acting is actually good. I don't know, I just think Jennifer Love Hewitt and Brandy are just so charming together. This is also a lot more action-packed than the last movie where the first one was more of a mystery-thriller, this one is more of a high-seas type of adventure movie. That's why I'm so invested the stakes are much higher and there is actual suspense. Although, this is nothing more than a cash-in sequel, it's still entertaining to watch.

1. Josie and The Pussycats

I know what you're going to say but I just had to rank this at the top of my list. During my childhood, I watched a lot of Cartoon Network and often so, I would catch an episode of Josie and The Pussycats cartoon. I was hooked. Sure, it was a knock-off of Scooby-doo but I enjoyed it otherwise. Especially the theme song. Plus I had the Archie comics for good measure. So when I heard that a movie adaptation was coming to theaters, I was psyched. I was only ten years old and all over this movie. I was determined to get that front row seat. Unfortunately, there wasn't that many people in the movie theater. Maybe the people in my town was never familiar about a trio of girls dressed as cats playing a rock band. But the movie experience was unforgettable. I thought the casting was spot-on. I was a fan of Rachel Leigh Cook during her She's All That phase and I was happy to see her in this role. She was very believable as this laid back girl-next-door. I didn't know who Rasiro Dawson was at the time and this was the first mainstream movie I saw her in. And you know what, she was great. She too was believable as the smart, mature cool big sis type. But the showstopper for me was Tara Reid, who was a bit too believable as the happy-go lucky dumb blonde. I was laughing my ass off every time she said a stupid line. Though the supporting cast makes up for this movie as well. Here you have the awesome Parker Posey and Alan Cumming. They are a comedic team and they have really good chemistry together. Maybe in a lifetime I would see these two in a movie again. The soundtrack was certified gold at the time and rightfully so. The songs are so catchy, so fun to listen, I just have this good feeling every time it plays. I know, I know, I'm being too sentimental. But whenever I look at movies like this it just give me this euphoria of nostalgia. The late 90's and early 2000's were happy times and this movie was a testament to that. Sure the whole mind control thing with pop music seemed tacked on but It's not like we think the whole mind control still works now. I mean the pop music that we listen today is such crap I can see how anybody pull that out of a drop of a hat. But anywho, The movie actually feels like an episode from the series just with a modern spin to it. And this was at a time where movies, bad or good, were entertaining. they didn't have to be great or anything, just a blast to watch. I don't know.....this movie has a special place in my heart for some reason. And I'm not ashamed one bit.

P.S. I love this song. Sue Me!

So there is my top ten guiltiest pleasures. Maybe some of the movies in this list may make your day a little better but if you have your guilty pleasure to admit. Don't be afraid to say it. :)