Year: 2022

31 Scary Movies that are 6 Degrees of Kevin Bacon: ‘We Are What We Are’

Jeff Mitchell

“We Are What We Are” (2013) –In a small Delaware County community, cloudy is the prevailing weather pattern, but inside the Parker house, creepy is the dominant mood. Widower Frank Parker (Bill Sage) mourns his late wife while trying to raise his three kids with a strict hand.  Supporting an Orson Wells-like beard, he gives threatening looks to the children, and they reluctantly fall in line. There’s a big secret which no one in the family shares with the movie audience right away, but once we find out, we wish…

31 Scary Movies that are 6 Degrees of Kevin Bacon: ‘The Lair of the White Worm’

Jeff Mitchell

“The Lair of the White Worm” (1988) – Director/writer Ken Russell perfectly casts Amanda Donohoe as Lady Sylvia Marsh – an elegant, seductive vampire – in his B-horror film – adapted from Bram Stoker’s novel with the same title – a story with high concepts, low-budget practical effects, and bizarre hallucinations and dream sequences. Set in England’s West Midlands, an archeologist (Peter Capaldi) discovers – what resembles to be – a dinosaur skull, but his finding is only 1,000 years old.  How can that be?  Meanwhile, the aforementioned Lady seduces…

‘Raymond & Ray’: This modest, everyday tale is memorable for the wrong reason

Jeff Mitchell

“Raymond & Ray” (2022) – “A dysfunctional family is any family with more than one person in it.” – Mary Karr, poet Ms. Karr is correct.  Every family – including mine – has its share of dysfunction.  It’s just a matter of degree.  Not even the British Royals can escape the reach of imperfect human nature.  In “Raymond & Ray”, director/writer Rodrigo Garcia explores a specific event of an ordinary clan in Middle America, but this particular domestic unit lugs – like a weight of 10,000 tons – more than…