I've heard a lot of great things about these films but never had the chance to actually check them out. I know the first one is considered a masterpiece in horror by many... now I will tell you if that's true or completely horse shit.
(1979) [Trailer]
Director: Don Coscarelli (IMDB)
Synopsis: A guy named Tall Man, no... not me... another guy, is robbing graves and using the dead for devious proposes.
This film was fantastic and a nice slice of late 70's horror. It's overly creepy and has a Lynchian vibe at times, especially the scenes in the cemetery house and the overall bizarre feeling I got while watching this. The storyline is a little less straight forward than most horror films of it's time and there's a lot of foreshadowing, which is pretty cool. It leaves you with a good amount of questions throughout and at the end of the film, but nothing that spoils the experience, if anything it enhances it. The score is memorably haunting and is up there with some of the best Carpenter scores. There's not a lot I dislike about this, I guess some of the acting could be better. I would really recommend this if you haven't seen it.
(1988) [Trailer]
Director: Don Coscarelli (IMDB)
Synopsis: The protagonists from part 1 set out to hunt down the Tall Man.
This installment is more successful in terms of effects compared to part one, but mostly everything else fails to compare. I didn't hate this, but I'm not completely sold on it. I actually like a lot of the cinematography, which has a Sam Raimi feel to it at times. It's not as strong story wise, and a little less creepy. I know the director Don Coscarelli had to make a lot of concessions with Universal, including adding a love interest and getting rid of some of the original cast. I think the new additions don't hurt the film, but they don't heighten the film either. There's also some pacing issues and I felt like the middle of the film was a little boring. I would still recommend this if you're in the mood for a good 80's horror.
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