Movie reviews (titles starting with I)

[goodcop2000]

I Am Legend (2007)
3.5 nocturnal beasts

Maybe I raised my expectations too high when I saw the trailer for this film which is the third (that I know of) film version of Richard Matheson's I Am Legend. I love Will Smith, I knew that Matheson's story was top-notch and I saw that no expense would be spared on big-budget special effects. I'm not saying this is a bad film. It's entertaining, scary at times, and has impressive visuals but something is missing that should have made this film a horror masterpiece.

I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997)
3.5 bloody hooks

Although the plot for this film is not believable and it's an obvious ripoff of Scream and Prom Night, it's still pretty entertaining to watch. The story is about a group of friends who are targeted by a killer because of a deadly secret they share. With the exception of Freddie Prinze, Jr., the acting is very solid. If you're in the mood for the movie equivalent of junk food, I Know What You Did Last Summer is a satisfying meal.

I Still Know What You Did Last Summer (1998)
3 bloody hooks

This follow up to I Know What You Did Last Summer moves the action to an almost deserted tropical resort during storm season. The acting is a notch above the original and the special effects are well done. The movie has a nice twist toward the end, but the story is even less believable than the first installment. For a sequel to a movie that's already a knockoff of other movies, it's not bad.

I Love Sarah Jane (2008)
3.5 tasty brains

I Love Sarah Jane was included in an IFC Grindhouse Short Film Showcase and was a nicely done zombie apocalypse story featuring children.

I Spit on Your Grave (1978)
2 outboard motors

This movie is about a young woman who is violently raped by several men and survives to exact revenge upon her attackers. I have to disagree with Roger Ebert who called this movie "the worst movie ever made". Any work of art that conjures strong emotions has some value. Some of the violent scenes in I Spit on Your Grave create such visceral reactions that they are hard to watch. There is certainly no glorification of rape in this film. The movie definitely feels low-budget because of a very basic plot, poor acting, cheap special effects, and the complete lack of a soundtrack. Having seen it once though, there are certain moments that I am sure I will never forget.

I Walked With A Zombie (1943)
3.5 vacant stares

This old film is set in the West Indies and features voodoo-type zombies as opposed to the modern carnivorous type. The plot is interesting and the actors do a nice job but I Walked with a Zombie is really more of a mystery and romance than horror. There are not a lot of zombies in the film but one in particular who stands guard in a corn field is properly creepy.

Identity (2003)
4.5 sleazy motel rooms

Identity has everything I look for in a good psychological thriller: interesting characters, startling developments, red herrings, and a big twist toward the end of the movie. It boasts an impressive cast, including John Cusack, Ray Liotta, and Amanda Peet and they fill their roles admirably. The story is about a group of strangers stranded at a cheap hotel during a severe storm. Before the guests can get settled in for the night, people start getting murdered and everyone is a suspect. I really enjoyed the twists and turns of the clever plot, right up to the last moment. Identity is so well done that I recently watched it again and enjoyed it just as much as the first time even though I knew how it would end.

In the Mouth of Madness (1994)
3.5 cosmic horrors

I really enjoyed this Lovecraftian offering from director John Carpenter. It has the feel of a good Stephen King story and is held back only by a few weak special effects (probably not that bad for 1994). Sam Neill does a fine job in the main role as an insurance investigator who denies the possibility of supernatural occurrences against all evidence. The rest of the cast is mediocre. My favorite scene is toward the beginning of the movie when Neill is drinking coffee in a diner completely unaware that an axe-wielding maniac is stalking across the street towards him, scattering passerby.

Incubus (2005)
0.5 tasty brain

This movie is so bad it gave me a terrible stomache ache. Okay, the stomach ache may be from the pepperoni pizza, but the movie really is atrocious. Bad acting all around especially the "star" Tara Reid, stupid story line with characters not acting in any rational way, bad editing, and laughably bad dialogue. It gets a half star because there were crazy, murderous scientists in bloody labcoats wielding blunt objects and I like that. Yeah, that's how I roll.

Inferno (1980)
3.5 flying broomsticks

Inferno is the middle movie in Dario Argento's Three Mothers trilogy, which began with Suspiria. It has an interesting plot and some beautiful scenes, especially one where a woman finds a hidden sub-basement room submerged in water. The story is about a college student trying to find his sister, who disappeared after begging him to come visit her. The acting is mediocre and I did not find the death scenes as imaginative as in other Argento movies like Suspiria, Deep Red, and Tenebre. There are some nice moments of tension in the movie, but the final scene is brief and unsatisfying. I personally feel like Argento also overused his signature unnatural lighting in this film, with almost every scene dominated by red or blue. Still, it was fun to watch and certainly far better than the final movie in the trilogy, Mother of Tears.

Inkubus (2011)
1.5 severed limbs

Inkubus tells the tale of a creature who looks like a man but claims to have been alive and murdering people for hundreds of years. I watched the film to see Robert Englund in the title role and he did not disappoint me. Everything else about the movie did. The other actors are terrible with Jonathan Silverman giving a particularly awful performance as a police officer. The somewhat interesting premise is ruined by a terrible plot, bad effects, and ridiculous dialogue.

The Innkeepers (2011)
4 restless spirits

The Innkeepers is a low key atmospheric thriller about two employees working at a hotel in the final days before it closes. The employees are intrigued by rumors that the hotel is haunted and hope to witness a supernatural occurrence before they leave. The acting is terrific with a standout performance by female lead Sara Paxton. There is not a lot of action throughout but the movie has a strong finish.

Insidious (2010)
3.5 restless spirits

Insidious starts out like a lot of other movies about haunted houses or possessions, but to it's credit it goes in a new and interesting direction. The cinematography is very nice and I really liked the ending.

Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956)
4 giant pods

This black and white sci-fi horror was one of my favorite movies when I was young. The story features a doctor who returns to his hometown and renews a romance with an old flame. A strange paranoia starts affecting the residents of the town making them believe that their family members are actually imposters. As the doctor tries to treat the afflicted residents, he begins having doubts about whether they are crazy or not. The movie does a great job creating tension by asking the question: who can you really trust?

Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)
4 giant pods

This 1978 version of Invasion of the Body Snatchers is on the short list of remakes of classic films that live up to the original. The movie tells the story of a stealthy alien invasion in which humans are slowly being replaced. The acting performances are actually better than the 1956 movie, with Donald Sutherland standing out. There is even a great cameo appearance by Kevin McCarthy who starred in the original. There are a few nice special effects and some genuinely scary moments.

Invisible Ghost (1941)
2.5 trances

Invisible Ghost features the story of a man whose wife left him. He later falls into trances every time he sees her lurking near his house. The film features nice acting and atmosphere but a poorly conceived plot. This is certainly not among Bela Lugosi's best works, but it's somewhat entertaining.

Invisible Invaders (1959)
2 walking corpses

While Invisible Invaders is at heart a sci-fi flick, it does incorporate zombie-like creatures into the storyline in an interesting manner. Invisible aliens who have been living on the moon decide it's time to add Earth to their conquests. They visit a famous scientist to seek Earth's surrender but apparently the only way they can communicate with humans is to possess and animate corpses. I like the idea of an alien invasion/zombie combination but the movie is rather boring. The special effects are low-budget and stock footage is used to depict the effects of the alien attack on Earth. This is particularly amusing when a supposed alien attack on an airplane shows a plane flying directly into a giant "X" on the side of a mountainside (obviously footage of some sort of crash test). Unless you enjoy watching bad films on purpose, your viewing time is probably best spent elsewhere.

The Invisible Man (1933)
4 maniacal laughs

I consider The Invisible Man to be one of the best of the classic black and white Universal Pictures horror movies. It is directed by James Whale who also handled Frankenstein and The Bride of Frankenstein. The plot is about a young scientist named Jack Griffin who has achieved the ability to turn invisible. Unfortunately, he is having trouble finding a way to reverse the process and there are unanticipated side effects to the treatment. The performance by Claude Rains as Jack Griffin is terrific. Even though his face is not visible for most of the movie, his voice is perfect as he switches between hopeless romantic, menacing killer and raving lunatic. The special effects are terrific for the time and subtle humor is interspersed throughout the film to offset the tension.

​The Iron Rose (1973)
3.5 crumbling headstones

I am glad that I gave director Jean Rollin a second chance after first watching the putrid Zombie Lake. The Iron Rose is a much better film. Haunting and atmospheric, it's more of an art film than a horror film. The movie features one of the most amazing shooting locations I have ever seen - an old cemetery with rusting gates and crumbling stone sculptures. The story is about a young couple who get lost in the cemetery but the plot is definitely not the focus of the film. Some of the dialogue is a little out there but the movie is very interesting.

It (1990)
3 paper boats

This TV mini-series adaptation of one of my favorite Stephen King novels does a pretty good job telling the story but unsurprisingly it does not live up to the novel. The plot is about a group of kids who come together to battle an evil entity and then are needed to return to the town as adults when there are signs that the evil has returned. The special effects are limited since it was made for television. The cast features plenty of veteran television actors but Tim Curry's performance as the evil Pennywise stands out from the crowd.

It Follows (2014)
4 funky synthesizers

It Follows is one of the few horror movies from the last few years that I found to be innovative and expertly done. Set in the '80s, the interesting story is about a teenage girl who finds herself being stalked by some kind of supernatural creature. The movie has cool music, an effective buildup of suspense, and some scary moments. There are not a lot of special effects but they are well done. The cast is young and talented. I think this one is destined to be a classic.

It's Alive (1974)
3 bottles of milk

It's Alive is a low budget flick about a couple who are expecting a baby but get something much scarier instead. The acting is okay and the movie is entertaining if you don't try to take it seriously.