31 Years in 31 Days: Horror Flicks from 1995

Image result for speciesThree movies worth talking about in 1995. And no, A Vampire in Brooklyn is not one of them. (sorry Eddie…) The first worth mentioning is Species starring Natasha Henstriedge, Ben Kinglsey, Michael Madsen, Alfred Molina, and Forrest Whittaker. In the film, human scientists do something so profoundly stupid that it could only be done by human scientists. The SETI program receives a transmission of alien DNA code which they then try to splice with human female DNA code because you know, girls are more laid back. As you can imagine, things go horribly wrong when the one successful splice, Sil, grows from a baby to a teenager in about 3 months, becomes violent, and escapes her confinement. As she continues to mature she begins to try to mate and propagate her new species, (get it?), to take over the world. It’s a really cool film with some amazing practical effects. Henstridge is badass throughout and the movie really works overall. It’s not perfect, but is damn sure a good time.

Image result for the prophecy filmThe second flick worth talking about is The Prophecy starring Christoper Walken. Full disclosure, I love this film. In it, there is a war between the Angels of heaven. Gabriel, played by Walken, comes to Earth to find a specific soul that is super evil. The soul he is searching for is referenced by a second bit of the book of revelations, a chapter that does not exist in any but the handprinted copy of the bible found on the corpse of the angel Uriel. The movie gets more complex from there with Lucifer and other angels playing politic with humans to involve them in their war. It is remarkably well done and treats the source material as a story rather than fact. Walken is mesmerizing in the movie and the world building done here set up the sequels quite nicely. This is a fantastic movie and well worth seeking out.

Image result for tales from the crypt demon knightWithout question though, my favorite movie, not just horror movie but favorite movie, to come out in 1995 was Tales from the Crypt: Demon Knight. The first of the Tales stories to go to the big screen, Demon Knight is a stellar film that does just about everything right. The basic plot of the movie is that after Earth was created, demons created and used seven keys to focus their power and to rule the universe. God, as one would imagine, was not pleased and created light scattering the demons and keys. One of the keys is in the possession of Frank Brayker. The key grants immortality and protection as it was originally filled with the blood of Christ and has been refilled as others have carried the key throughout history. Braykey is being chased by the Collector, a demon, played by Billy Zane. Without being silly, I believe this to be Zane’s best work. He is downright amazing in this flick. His character is so fully realized and charming that you can’t help but be on his side just a little bit. (in the beginning at least) As the movie goes on, there are quite a few twists and turns that keep you on your toes. It is a movie that never takes itself too seriously but does care about the product being produced. I urge you to stop what you are doing and watch this movie now. It is just that damn good.

Dan Ryan

Dan Ryan was once the most feared and respected luchador in the world until the "Great DDT Disaster of '85" where Dan unfortunately DDT'd his opponent so hard into the ground that he opened a gate to the underworld that let unholy things into this world. After that, Dan refused to wrestle anymore but he's found new life writing and talking about his favorite hobbies here at Geekade. He pens the weekly Why I Love Wrestling series, co-hosts The Stone Age Gamer Podcast, expertly pairs video games with beer, and much, much more. Dan is a personality that Geekade simply would not be the same without.

One thought on “31 Years in 31 Days: Horror Flicks from 1995

  • October 9, 2018 at 11:59 am
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    Seriously… Demon Knight is one of the greatest films of all time. So many great quotable lines. This great sense of Tales From the Crypt without it being on-brand campy. And let’s talk about that opening sequence with Filter’s “Hey Man Nice Shot” playing… gah!

    “It’s my way or the highway”

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