Cinema Head Cheese - Movie Reviews, News, a Podcast and more!

August 1, 2026

A Binge too Far #65 – Honey... trilogy (1989 – 1997)

Posted by Christos Mouroukis

Rick Moranis in Honey, I Shrunk the Kids (1989)

What you least expected from this column would be a retrospective on a Disney live-action family comedy trilogy, yet here we are!

Honey, I Shurunk... (1989)

Honey, I Shrunk the Kids (1989)

Moronic inventor and failed scientist Wayne Szalinski (Rick Moranis) makes a machine that would shrink objects and then bring them back to their regular or bigger size; if anything such a devise could possibly change the world, but what it changes instead is his family’s life when the kids become so small he cannot see them, and their adventure begins in the front yard.

Taking its cue from the masterful The Incredible Shrinking Man (1957), this family comedy from director Joe Johnson [still a hot shot in Hollywood as he recently helmed Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)], really benefits mostly from the story by our favourites Stuart Gordon [Re-Animator (1985)], Brian Yuzna [The Dentist (1996)], and Ed Naha (who wrote the screenplay, with Tom Schulman), and of course its stunning special effects (the team behind them received a BAFTA Award), resulting in a box-office that nobody saw coming, grossing $222.7 million to become Disney’s biggest live-action hit at that time, not to mention a staple on the VHS market.

Honey, I Blew Up the... (1992)

Honey, I Blew Up the Kid (1992)

The moronic inventor Wayne Szalinski (Rick Moranis) has science gone wrong again, and this time he grows his son (Robert Oliveri, returning from the original film) to great proportions.

Based on the characters by Ed Naha, Stuart Gordon, and Brian Yuzna, this time the story was written by Gary Goodrow (an actor by trade), who also penned the screenplay with Thom Eberhardt [Night of the Comet (1984)] and Peter Elbling (another actor by trade), taking its cue from another 1950s size-centric sci-fi cheapy, namely Attack of the 50 Foot Woman (1958), only to sadly remind us how much more attractive these oldies are. The special effects and production values are top-notch for the time this was made (and you couldn’t expect anything less with a $32 million budget), and overall it has this air of old Hollywood about it, yet there is no soul to it and it can be dismissed easily. It grossed $96 million, which was a success, but nowhere the splash the original had made at the box-office. Also, several films with a much lower budget went on to make much more entertaining versions of the theme, including Fred Olen Ray’s Attack of the 60 Foot Centrefolds (1995) and Christopher Guest’s TV movie Attack of the 50 Ft. Woman (1993).

Honey, We Shrunk... (1997)

Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves (1997)

While trying to make a tiki statute smaller, the awkward moronic inventor Wayne Szalinski (Rick Moranis) shrinks himself and his brother [Stuart Pankin from Arachnophobia (1990)] and their wives [Eve Gordon, later in The Grudge 2 (2006), and Robin Bartlett, later in Shutter Island (2010)]; starting a household quest to notify their kids, who in the meanwhile have a pyjama party.

Directed by Dean Cundey (an acclaimed cinematographer by trade), this is surprisingly good for a straight-to-video movie (it was the first live-action film released by Disney with this – new then – approach to distribution), and even the special effects are not second rate, as they successfully channel the monster movies of the yesteryear, with sequences that include cockroaches and spiders. And also, at a mere 74 minutes long, it never outstays its welcome as a comedy/adventure for the entire family.

Get books, comics, graphic novels and more at bunny17media.com. Use the code CHC at checkout for 15% off your purchase!

Follow Cinema Head Cheese:
Website: cinemaheadcheese.com
Facebook: /cinemaheadcheese
Twitter: @CinHeadCheese
Email: cinemaheadcheese@yahoo.com
Instagram: abnormalpodcast
Pinterest: /abnormalpodcast/cinema-head-cheese/
RSS Feed: http://feeds.feedburner.com/CinemaHeadCheese
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/cinema-head-cheese-movie-reviews-news-a-podcast-and-more/id393261942?mt=2
Stitcher: http://www.stitcher.com/s?fid=18843&refid=stpr

You can support Cinema Head Cheese and Abnormal Entertainment on our Support Us page.

July 1, 2026

A Binge too Far #64 - the Battlestar Galactica 2000s TV movies (2007 - 2012)

Posted by Christos Mouroukis

Frame from Battlestar Galactica: Razor (2007)

The recent television phenomenon of Battlestar Galactica (2004 – 2009) – which I will tackle on Static Age, soon – spawned three TV movies, and here are my brief thoughts on them.

Battlestar Galactica: Razor

Battlestar Galactica: Razor (2007)

Set during the first month of Lee Adama’s Pegasus command, this feature-length special was directed by Felix Enriquez Alcala, and premiered on the Sci Fi channel. During its first half it feels like a standard TV movie, but the second half becomes quite spectacular and appealing even to casual viewers that may not be fans of the series.

The TV show’s developer Ronald D. Moore was approached by Universal Studios Home Entertainment for this production with the aim to be sold later as a standalone release on the then-booming DVD market. The screenplay by Michael Taylor takes place after the second season’s The Captain’s Hand and before the Lay down Your Burdens episodes. You can either view the 81 minute version that was originally broadcasted, or the 101 minute extended version. For the purpose of supporting the release, the studio broadcasted the Razor Flashbacks webisodes that we tackled on Static Age.

Battlestar Galactica: The Plan

Battlestar Galactica: The Plan (2009)

Following the events of Cylon’s aim to destroy the human race, this TV movie directed by Edward James Olmos employs a lot of footage from the 2003 mini-series and the 2004 proper series, but also offers loads of newly shot footage, with surprisingly seamless results. It was originally made available on home video, and it later premiered on the SyFy channel.

Battlestar Galactica: Blood & Chrome (2012)

Set in the tenth year of the First Cylon War, the story focuses on the rise of William Adama (Luca Pasqualino) who starts as a rookie pilot fresh off the Academy, and after following a long journey he becomes a hero.

Created by Michael Taylor and David Eick, this was a 10-episode online series, directed by Jonas Pate that was later edited as a feature-length TV movie and aired on the SyFy channel. It works as a prequel to the 2004 TV series and it is essential viewing for fans of the show.

June 22, 2026

Sleeper Hold!! Available from Splatter Theatre Press!

Posted by Jeff

Professional wrestling can be dangerous. Broken bones, crushed dreams... murder. Twenty years ago, acclaimed writer, David Hayes, told author Jeff Dolniak about a project former professional wrestler Joe Broni wanted to do. This was his story of love, betrayal, and murder. It tells the sordid tale of how an independent wrestling promotion was menaced by a black-gloved killer, hellbent on destroying everyone... except for the popular Tanya the Tyrant. What connected her to the deranged fiend? Find out here, in Sleeper Hold! From the author: "Joe invited me out to his favorite greasy spoon for lunch. I paid. It was ok because it was Joe. We chatted for hours on how we would attack the project. It was surreal. I loved watching Joe as a kid. He lost every match but he still left an indelible mark on young Jeff. As time went on, I found out things about Joe. Things about the business that would forever change how I thought about the circus surrounding the squared circle. Horrors. A darkness that went beyond the sweaty athletes in spandex. Splatter Theatre Press has been brave enough to distribute this book." Featuring contributions by Paul Counelis , Kurt Belcher, Caleb Thusat, and Dalyn Viker. Buy your copy now! https://splattertheatre.com/products/sleeper-hold

June 1, 2026

A Binge too Far #63: The Hand that Rocks the Cradle duo (1992 – 2025)

Posted by Christos Mouroukis

Frame from The Hand that Rocks the Cradle (1992)

This is the last installment of A Binge too far that tackles duos of film, as from next month I’ll be doing trilogies for the foreseeable future, so enjoy!

The Hand that Rocks... (1992)

The Hand that Rocks the Cradle (1992)

After pregnant woman Claire Bartel [Annabella Sciorra from Jungle Fever (1991)] is molested by her gynecologist [John de Lancie, later in Crank: High Voltage (2009)] her husband (Matt McCoy) rightfully decides to file a complaint that results in the story going public and in turn forces the perverted doctor to commit suicide. What’s more, when the deceased’s wife [Rebecca De Mornay, later in Identity (2003)] loses her baby, she is sworn revenge to the couple she accuses for the death of her husband.

The film grabs its title from a 1865 William Ross Wallace poem, but the screenplay by Amanda Silver [Jurassic World (2015)] was mostly inspired by a comic opera called The Pirates of Penzance (1879), although you couldn’t tell, as it is just a typical early-1990s thriller, even if a bit above average. Its mediocrity is mostly the result of a flat direction by Curtis Hanson [L.A. Confidential (1997)] as all he does is conventional coverage that is only occasionally salvaged by some good performances (including Julianne Moore). Despite all that it grossed a stunning $140 million (unheard for such a film, even during the subgenre’s heyday) on a modest $11.9 million budget, while it also became a massive renter on home video.

The Hand that Rocks... (2025)

The Hand that Rocks the Cradle (2025)

An upper class couple [Mary Elizabeth Winstead from 10 Cloverfield Lane (2016) and Raul Castillo from Smile 2 (2024)] hire a nanny [the immensely beautiful, but also eerie and menacing Maika Monroe from the masterful It Follows (2014)] for their kids, who on first sight is a struggling and kind person, but maybe she is hiding something.

Although this more of a Cape Fear (1991) remake with gender and racial roles swapped (of course the male lead should be Mexican and the female leads current or former lesbians), rather than a remake of the same-titled film from 1992, it is still a very interesting psychological thriller that grabs your attention and has you on an edgy feeling throughout its running time. It is a nail-biting experience despite the by-the-numbers approach to directing by Michelle Garza Cervera [Huesera (2022)], but what surprised me was the cruel and realistic gore make-up effects during the (few and far between, to be honest) acts of violence on screen.

May 1, 2026

A Binge too Far #62: Extreme Cinema Associate Guerrilla Metropolitana’s duo (2023 – 2025)

Posted by Christos Mouroukis

The Benefactress (2025)

Following four short films [Bits (2021), My Special Superhero – a visual subtext of madness and rejection (2021), The Baron and the Harpsichord (2021), and The Censor – A British horror tale of real politics and social-moral code (2021)] that drew attention in underground movie cycles, filmmaker Guerrilla Metropolitana delivered a duo of strange films that delved deep into carnage and mayhem; and I couldn’t think of a better writer to tackle them than myself.

Dariuss (2023) poster

Dariuss (2023)

A couple (Ila Argento and Archibad Kane) is grieving, following the disappearance of their young daughter (Medusa S), until they descent into a downward spiral of madness and murder at the hands of a maniac (Guerrilla Metropolitana).

In case you haven’t seen something really sick recently, writer/director/producer/cinematographer Guerrilla Metropolitana and his motley crew of anonymous conspirators (other actors are credited equally pseudonymously as Marie Antoinette de Robespierre and Sarah Isabel) delivers a masterwork of insanity that is a punch on the senses not because of the rape and gore on display, but rather its sheer bizarre qualities.

Playing with editing, the use of sound and other techniques that would normally be employed by a ‘video art’ project, this carnage is a statement on grief and a commentary on what it is like to be a lost soul. It is also very blatantly asks what is art, but as the film says the best questions remain unanswered. The bottom line is that the entire project feels more appropriate in an art gallery, rather than a movie theatre.

The end result is not exciting (by any means) but very fascinating (in every possible way and by all means). I am not very keen on ‘art-house’ cinema, but this is something totally different, unique, and original, so much that it is difficult to categorize it and understand why and how it works, but it definitely does. Metropolitana is constantly breaking audiovisual boundaries and is also offering the deepest, darkest, and meaningful masturbation scene I’ve seen since the 1970s films of Jess Franco.

The Benefactress (2025)

The Benefactress: An Exposure of Cinematic Freedom (2025)

This time around writer/director Guerrilla Metropolitana breaks down the walls of Meta cinema by simultaneously including in his script the supposed financer of it (an anonymous rich woman appearing via video link) and himself masturbating, licking, fucking, raping, and whatnot with his acting assemble.

The first question the film imposes is how far an artist’s freedom can go, and to me the answer is really simple, as I believe that an artist should be free to do whatever he feels like and express himself in any way he needs to. However, the question I imposed to myself during this viewing experience (and pretty early on too) is if the audience wants to see such freedoms expressed (rape and murder, to be precise – on shaky video distorted by brilliant editing), but I couldn’t care less for the rest of the world, and for me it is enough that I want to see this, and most importantly I demand to be able to see this, as censorship must be eliminated.

Back to the film under review, it must be said that this is not really cinema, but it is alien art. The title doesn’t fully describe it either, as it is not exactly an exposure of cinematic freedom, but rather an achievement in perversion. The project is also original in that it doesn’t really have a running time – it defies time, as watching it has you lost in a netherworld beyond anything you have seen before.

Finally, it must be noted that you shouldn’t compare this to the work of David Lynch who was a rich person with all the money one could get from major studios yet he failed to deliver a single artistic film; what Guerrilla Metropolitana does here is high art with zero budget, and as such it should be cherished on every occasion. Have we finally found this generation’s Jess Franco? I hope so, but this will only happen if Metropolitana finds the courage to become more prolific.

April 1, 2026

A Binge too Far #61: The Creep duo (2014 – 2017)

Posted by Christos Mouroukis

Frame from Creep (2014)

As we are about to tackle Shudder’s The Creep Tapes (2014) in Static Age, we take a look at the two Jason Blum-produced films that spawned the hit TV series.

Creep (2014) poster

Creep (2014)

Down on his luck, videographer Aaron Franklin (Patrick Brice) answers an online advertisement from Josef (Marc Duplass) who’s supposedly dying from a brain tumour, and wants his last days to be filmed in order to be presented as a gift to his yet-unborn child. It ends up that the advertiser becomes obsessed with the videographer, justifying the film’s title as he gradually becomes a creep.

The protagonist duo penned the screenplay (with Brice directing and Duplass producing), of what must be the most boring time I’ve hard with a horror movie in many years. Following a successful premiere at the South by Southwest film festival (I don’t know what the audience was thinking), it had a bit of turbulent history (I think I know what the distributors were thinking) until it found a home on video on demand, when it was hailed by critics as some sort of great psychological thriller. To me it is just another found footage trash that becomes even worse because all you see on screen is two people talking. Had the two male leads developed a homoerotic romance, things could be a bit more interesting.

Creep 2 (2017) poster

Creep 2 (2017)

A Youtuber and all around alternative semi-Goth girl (Desiree Akhavan) is answering an online ad by serial killer (Marc Duplass) who seems to have suicidal tendencies.

Written by Patrick Brice (who also directed) and Marc Duplass, this sequel is admittedly a better effort than its predecessor, mainly due to some surprisingly clever choices it makes with its camera work and editing, as well as the screenplay which just when you thought you knew where it’s going it heads into a totally different direction.

Be warned though that despite its ‘woke’ approach (both central characters seem to be gay) – that comes along with full frontal male nudity, but only a mere glimpse of tit from the female – and its very brief time (like the first film the running time is again thankfully under 80 minutes long), this is unmistakably boring; just not as much as the original.

February 28, 2026

A Binge too Far #60: Doomwatch duo (1972 – 1999)

Posted by Christos Mouroukis

Doomwatch (1972) poster

Following the classic BBC sci-fi television series Doomwatch (1970 – 1972) – that I’ll tackle in Static Age soon – horror studio Tigon British Film Productions made an acclaimed 1972 film under the same name, which in turn was followed by a 1990s sequel.

Doomwatch (1972) poster

Doomwatch (1972)

Dumping chemicals into the waters is never a good idea, and this is exactly what is happening on the shores of a British island in the middle of nowhere, turning the locals into deformed creatures. Although this was directed by Peter Sasdy, who had already given us the masterful Taste the Blood of Dracula (1970), with this project he resorted to his television drama sensibilities (the small screen was the filmmaker’s usual employer) delivering what could barely be characterized as a sci-fi opus.

Doomwatch: Winter Angel (1999)

Atomic scientist Dr. Spencer Quist (Phillip Stone) sends a note to university professor Neil Tannahill (Trevor Eve), informing him that the Soviets are using British shores in order to dump nuclear waste. Although the Doomwatch watchgroup is at the centre of this mediocre TV-movie, everything else is reminiscent of the then-popular The X-Files (1993 – 2018), from conspiracies to secret facilities, and whatnot. It was directed by Roy Battersby and it is barely watchable.

February 1, 2026

A Binge too Far #59: The Decadent Arts and Sinful Crafts of the Five Nights at Freddy's duo (2023 – 2025)

Posted by Christos Mouroukis

Five Nights at Freddy's (2023) poster

Based on the same-titled video games that spawned a whole universe of novels and action figures, this duo of horror films from Blumhouse was panned by critics, but became a sensation for audiences.

Five Night at Freddy's (2023)

Five Nights at Freddy’s (2023)

Mike (Josh Hutcherson) lives with trauma – inherited by his missing brother who was taken many years ago – and doesn’t seem able to put his life together as he is a certified loser that keeps getting fired by one dead-end job after the other. His newest gig is as a security guard in an abandoned pizzeria that back in the 1980s was massive attraction for youngsters, mainly due to a selection of animatronics human-sized toys. But spending the nights in the old building won’t be an easy feat.

Made on a modest $20 million budget – which surprisingly managed to afford some pretty stunning mechanical special effects – by producers Jason Blum and Scott Cawthon, this is rarely creepy, and it is rarely lively enough to maintain your interest. Director Emma Tammi [The Wind (2018)] does a competent job, but most of it is standard (by the numbers) coverage, and it doesn’t really offer anything inspired. The critics took note and commented negatively, but somehow audiences loved it as it grossed a stunning $297.1 million – an excellent amount that spawned a sequel.

Five Nights at Freddy's 2 (2025)

Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 (2025)

Although this was made a couple of years after the original, it is set a year after the events of the first film and it finds Abby (Piper Rubio) reconnecting her animatronics friends from the local abandoned pizzeria when she feels left out of science class, but as the deadly robots offer an emotional hand of help, they also offer pain.

Once again directed by Emma Tammi, this doesn’t really take advantage of the potential that creepy animatronics could have – it is only really scary on very few occasions – and it even spends a lot of time to unnecessary character development, in a needless attempt to present itself as a serious suspense picture, forgetting that it needs to be a horror movie. Nonetheless it grossed a bombastic $237 million, so who am I to judge?

January 1, 2026

A Binge too Far #58 – Smile unlimited (2022 – 2024)

Posted by Christos Mouroukis

Smile (2022)

Happy New Year! For me New Year’s Eve is always about changes and setting new goals. Well, for starters, I thought I’d change the way my posts work in Cinema Head Cheese. You’ll still be getting one post per month by yours truly but Static Age becomes a bi-annual column (which means the next installment will be presented in December 2027) while A Binge too Far will still be available monthly. I decided upon this new arrangement in order for Static Age to grow even bigger and include more content each time (I’m thinking more than fifty subjects overall tackled per post), while of course A Binge too Far will remain pretty much the same, featuring a special each time that’ll included a couple reviews of a duo of films or a trilogy. Got it?

Smile (2022) poster

Smile (2022)

Clinical psychiatrist Rose Cotter (Sosie Bacon) takes her job seriously and approaches each case with care and ethos. When one day a patient with a haunting smile kills herself in front of her, she will have to search deep into her own family history and face severe trauma from the past.

Written and directed by Parker Finn (his feature-length debut, based on a short film he made) this well-made horror opus is scary (the jump scares will shake your foundation) and takes its subject matter seriously (kudos for approaching the sensitive nature of mental health so carefully). With a budget of $17 million, it went on to gross $217.4 million, proving to be one of the most successful pictures of the year, regardless of genre. It is the kind of film that gives us hope about where our beloved horror genre is going; it has me thinking that it is in good hands.

Smile 2 (2024) poster

Smile 2 (2024)

Pop superstar Skye Riley (Naomi Scott) is about to embark on a lengthy world tour when the pressure and stress gets the better of her and she has a mental breakdown that becomes a drug addiction. However this will prove to be only the beginning of her troubles as she experiencing uncanny visions and weird happenings.

Writer/director Parker Finn returns with a sequel that doesn’t exactly surpasses the original in eeriness, but it is much bigger in scope – the generous $28 million budget allowed for that, not to mention the running time that exceeds the 2 hour mark – resulting in a horror blockbuster that is difficult to deny. It was nominated for several awards and it even won a few of them, the critics praised it, and the audiences rewarded it with $138.1 million at the box-office. Needless to say another sequel is already on the way.

December 19, 2025

Camp Blood Christmas - Movie Review

Posted by PeggyC

So, when I heard there was a movie that brought David C. Hayes out of (acting) retirement, you bet your SWEET ASS that I was going to see it no matter the cost. Luckily for me, David is my friend, and he obviously considers me the same because he brought me a copy of it, Blu Ray no less, when it became available.

And just in time for Christmas, here is my review of the 2025 film, Camp Blood Christmas.

NOTE: I won’t be spoiling any plot points as this film LITERALLY just came out. People need to experience this film on their own terms.

The basic idea is this: a group of misfits answers a job ad for a new Santa Snow Camp, a winter excursion place for kids to enjoy winter and Santa Clause and all that crap. Aside from the delay of the food and supplies guy, Carl, everything seems to be going swimmingly. But then, Gary, the hired Santa Clause, shares the bloody massacre-prone history of the location of the new camp.

Turns out it was a regular camp at one time until there were a bunch murders committed by the Clown Killer.

Fun fact: the opening credits consist of snippets from many of the previous fourteen Camp Blood movies.

You heard me. FOUR-FUCKING-TEEN. (Depending on who you talk to, it could only be fourteen total films which means snippets from THIR-FUCKING-TEEN films fill the opening credits.)

Anyway, as you might imagine, the reason Carl never showed? Seems the Clown Killer has returned. But what you might not have imagined, is the reason WHY. Whoa, PLOT TWIST! But then you probably didn’t image ANOTHER twist on top of that. It’s like the villain neck-cracking the hero right before he can save the day!

Will anyone survive this rampage? Maybe.

Will this family camp every get off the ground? Probably not.

Will we care?

Now, we all know how indie horror films usually go, don’t we? Low budget, lackluster acting, minimal continuity, terrible editing, bad sound, ridiculous plots and their giant holes, and so on and so forth. And, generally speaking, this is consistent with those issues – except sound. This is probably the first indie film I’ve watched where I didn’t need to keep adjusting the volume throughout the whole fucking thing because the dialogue was too quiet and the effects were too loud.

Good job, guys!

But yet, other than the great sound, this films lacks a lot. Character development is minimal because honestly, I really only cared about the hitch hiking, bearded, gummy dosing happy dude, Eddie (I think that’s him). Everyone else? Eh. A lot of the jokes fell flat; the dialogue felt stilted and unnatural; and way too much time was spent filming David’s butt crack.

HOWEVER…

Quite a few of the jokes landed perfectly. I personally loved the ditzy bombshell taking nudes of “down there” with her landline phone to send to her boyfriend. The story itself is pretty fun. While I will say some of the dialogue actually tells us what’s coming, the reveals and twists felt totally unexpected. The practical effects looked good (way to go, Emily Sammons, for the design on the severed penis). And it was easy to tell everyone who worked on the movie had good chemistry. They put in a lot of effort and while not perfect, it really shows their dedication.

Matt Dilts-Williams did a great job at writing a fun and entertaining story, as well as directing the cast and crew.

So if you’re interested in seeing what’s happening in the indie scene, and wouldn’t mind taking a chance on a humorous holiday horror – and David’s butt crack – get yourself a copy of Camp Blood Christmas. Don’t forget to hang around through the ending credits. That final song is pretty dang catchy.

And have a hell of a happy holiday season!

3 hatchets (out of 5)

Navbar

Search the Cinema Head Cheese Archives!

August 1, 2026

A Binge too Far #65 – Honey... trilogy (1989 – 1997)

July 1, 2026

A Binge too Far #64 - the Battlestar Galactica 2000s TV movies (2007 - 2012)

June 22, 2026

Sleeper Hold!! Available from Splatter Theatre Press!

June 1, 2026

A Binge too Far #63: The Hand that Rocks the Cradle duo (1992 – 2025)

May 1, 2026

A Binge too Far #62: Extreme Cinema Associate Guerrilla Metropolitana’s duo (2023 – 2025)

April 1, 2026

A Binge too Far #61: The Creep duo (2014 – 2017)

February 28, 2026

A Binge too Far #60: Doomwatch duo (1972 – 1999)

February 1, 2026

A Binge too Far #59: The Decadent Arts and Sinful Crafts of the Five Nights at Freddy's duo (2023 – 2025)

January 1, 2026

A Binge too Far #58 – Smile unlimited (2022 – 2024)

December 19, 2025

Camp Blood Christmas - Movie Review

Articles

Current Contributors

Friends of CHC

Official Movie Links

Other Great Links