Nightmare City

aka City of the Walking Dead

Nightmare City is, technically, not a zombie movie. Umberto Lenzi, the director, wanted people to think of it as a "radiation sickness" movie. It has a lot in common with The Crazies and The Return of the Living Dead. The ghouls in the movie look a lot like the Toxic Avenger. They don't eat flesh like a zombie would, but they do drink the blood of the living. And while they are not opposed to biting people, they're just as likely to stab or shoot their victims. Since this is an Italian horror movie, it should come as no surprise that it has a funky score and lots of goopy gore. There are also a number of particularly dangerous looking stunts in the movie. And there's even an eye gouging sequence that almost rivals the splinter scene in Lucio Fulci's Zombie. The ending sucks though.

Rating: 65%

(Image from TMDB)

Dagon

A boating accident leaves a young couple stranded in a remote Spanish fishing village. Right away, the couple notices that the locals all look and sound rather strange. Something fishy seems to be going on, literally. If you're familiar with Stuart Gordon's adaptations of H.P. Lovecraft's stories, it should come as no surprise that this movie quickly gets weird, gross and sexual. The practical special effects still look pretty good but the CGI in this movie has not aged well.

Rating: 62%

(Image from IMDB)

Frosty's Winter Wonderland

It might be a bit of a stretch to call Frosty's Winter Wonderland a Christmas special. The holiday isn't even mentioned by name at any point. But, Wikipedia calls it a Christmas special and I would hate to think that I wasted 25 minutes watching this thing for no reason. Winter Wonderland is a sequel to the original Rankin/Bass Frosty the Snowman special. A few years after the events of that first special, Frosty decides to make good on his promise to come "back again some day." Only this time around, Frosty seems a little depressed. The children decide that Frosty needs a wife and so they go about building him one. All the while, a jealous Jack Frost is determined to steal Frosty's magic hat and become the object of everyone's wintery affection. The kids also make a parson out of snow, who comes to life after they put a Bible in its hands. So, you know, fun for the whole family.

Rating: A Bouquet of Frost Flowers%