Queen's Blade (2009)

In 4 years time the competition that will decide who the next Queen shall be will start. The strongest warrior will continue to rule the country according to tradition and expand it. The contestants need only be older than 12 years. They need not be human, intelligent or even of that country. The rules for the tournament are simple: murder is allowed. Any weapon can be chosen. The winner is decided when one of the participants flees or can't move anymore. Such event is broadcasted trough a crystal sphere by the court's magic teacher to all population to see and enjoy.

Queen's Blade is an anime where scantily clad female warriors battle each other for the right to be Queen. Of what? Who cares? It doesn't matter.

This anime features:

• Sword Fighting
• Titty
• Mud/oil wrestling
• Titty
• Angels
• Titty
• Thongs 
• A Boston Crab

Heh.

Blatant nudity aside, the story/plot is actually pretty good. And I'm definitely not upset about the nudity. The fights are well done and the story is easy to follow. Then again, what's so hard to understand about women fighting and exposed breasts? After a few episodes, the series tends to drag a bit, but I found it funny that the characters get bent out of shape when they come across any one who doesn't wear underwear.

Violence? Yes
Explosions? Yes
Nudity? Umm, yeah. I guess there could be more...I guess.

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Retro Review: Slumber Party Massacre - 1982

An eighteen-year-old high school girl is left at home by her parents and she decides to have a slumber party. There is friction between some of the invited guests and the new girl, who is better at basketball than they, so the new girl decides to stay at home (which is conveniently across the street from the host's house). Meanwhile, a murderer of five people with a propensity for power tools has escaped and is at large, and eventually makes his way to the party, where the guests begin experiencing an attrition problem, with only the new girl to help them.

The girls of Stanford High do everything together. They eat, compete and even comfort each other when need be. Tonight, they die together in this old school B-movie slasher flick.

Not much is known about our killer other than he's killed a few times before and he's currently on the run. Killer immediately strikes as his first victim is a telephone repair woman at the high school of our damsels.
The bitchy high schooler gets taken in accordance to Rule # 12 and our killer moves on to stalk the rest of his prey. Having no idea what's in store, the teens' plan for a slumber party remain unaltered. During the slumber party, strange noises abound, but the girls remain undeterred. The guys stumble upon the party just in time to see the girls change into their nightwear.

Hmm...That's nice right there. Real nice. Red Kool-Aid? Love it.

After (of course) forgetting to lock the back door our killer finally has a way into the house. Shit gets real fairly quickly, after the pizza guy shows up dead on the doorstep. Once the phone lines are cut, the teens realize that they're in for a shitty night. The two males hatch a plan to split up and seek help, incorrectly figuring that he can't kill them both and thus the girls are left alone. again. They huddle up in a room and barricade the door hoping to escape the lunatic, but the killer creeps in through an open window (of course) and manages to thin the numbers yet again.

Phallic Weaponry...

Valerie, the girl they purposely didn't invite becomes the unlikely savior as she senses something amiss and checks the place out while looking for her sister who intended to crash the event. After finding a body, she gets caught up in the drama and hides in the basement while hatching an escape plan. In the meanwhile, our final teen standing is cornered and our Killer begins a final monologue. before he can say "WTF!" He's being chased and killed by our now suddenly empowered machete wielding heroine. Like any slasher worth his salt, he re-animates but is then quickly put down for good.

Violence? Yes
Explosions? No
Nudity? From the opening scene.

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The Man who Came Back (2008)

A man who fought for the South in the Civil War, is framed for murder and watches his family get killed as he is run out of town after being labeled a negro sympathizer. Slow and dramatic, nothing ever really happens, but the tension is built in a way that makes you think something will. When shit finally does happen, it's so forced and so cartoonishly evil that it takes you away and just makes you want to quit the film out of shame.

Seriously They made the main villain so unbelievably evil. How so? Well here's a checklist of every evil deed (in order):

• He's a former overseer
• Pays slaves in un-redeemable coupons
• Hangs negros (Naturally)
• Sends an innocent man to prison and rapes that man's wife in front of him
• Pistol whipped that man's son and dumped the body down a well [Yes. A fucking water well!]
• Tortures whores
• Massacres negroes
• Shatters a family's tombstones spreads the shards across town
• Brings a whip to a fist fight
• Brings a hidden derringer to a fist fight.

Wow. Just. Wow.
I think only UDay Hussain can say that he's done worse.

Out of Ten? 4

This film is like a long ass western soap opera.

Violence? Yes
Explosions? No
Nudity? Yes

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Beneath The Darkness (2011)

After watching their best friend get murdered, a group of teens struggle to expose a local hero as the vicious killer and keep from becoming his next victims.

Dennis Quaid stars as a funeral director for a small town. Even for a Mortician, He is unnaturally creepy. Believing his house to be haunted, a group of teens break in thinking they see a ghost. Shit gets real, of course and after one is killed they get caught and the police (predictably) don't believe a word of their story. The rest of the film is the group attempting to prove that he is in fact, the bad guy and they were speaking truth.

For the ladies.

I was digging the creepy vibe of the film. Dennis Quaid had officially reached Frailty levels of creepiness and creepy Just seemed to be the norm. Even the clunky dialogue couldn't derail the film. At least until the darkness took over. At a few points, the film goes inexplicably dark. Maybe The color contrast was wrong or something, but it totally doesn't help to not be able to see anything.
Somewhere beneath the darkness is a decent B-movie. But what's the point if you can't see it?

Out of Ten? 5

Violence? Yes
Explosions? No
Nudity? No

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Xtinction: Predator X (2010)

When her father seemingly goes missing, divorcee Laura LeCrois is forced to return home after a 20-year hiatus. However, home is not the way Laura remembers it. Her father is in major debt with the bank, her ex-boyfriend is the town sheriff, and her ex-husband has quit his job as a world-renowned professor who is now suspiciously buying up swampland in the area. In an effort to save the swamp and to pass the time, Laura decides to work the dying family business giving boat tours of the Louisiana swamp. But on her first sunset tour, deep in the swamp, Laura and her passengers witness two Bayou swamp rats toss a squirming body into a gator pit, only the gators aren't the ones that feast on the flesh. Instead it's the most terrifying creature Laura has ever seen...a cloned Pliosaur dinosaur, affectionately known as Predator X. An early ancestor of the alligator and called the "T-Rex of the ocean", Predator X is nearly 50 ft long, has giant, razor sharp teeth and is lightning fast in the water. Now, lost in the Louisiana wetlands, Laura must save her tour from a prehistoric predator that is supposed to be extinct!

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The Big Bird Cage - 1972

An Innocent Hot chick, wrongfully imprisoned, survives horrible conditions and abuse from her captors, only to lead a revolt and serve up bloody revenge as she frees herself and maybe a few other inmates.

The story always stays the same, but this is where it all began.

Sid Haig and Pam Grier star as rebel guerrillas who plan a prison break. Pam gets herself sent to the prison to lead an escape from the inside. Once there, she immediately tries to take control of the prison which leads to a mud-fight. (yay!) Haig pretends to be a gay in order to get inside and help because Apparently the guards are gay. When the bloody revolt is at hand, no prison authority is spared. The Women even find the time to rape a guard before burning the prison down. It was bloody chaos, until the military showed up to "return order" (ie Gun. Everyone. Down)

Awesome Sauce.

The Big Bird Cage is The first  Women in Prison exploitation film and the one that influenced the genre. Not a bad film. Not a bad genre.

Violence? Yes
Explosions? No
Nudity? Definitely

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Exiled - 2007

The time is 1998. The setting is Macau. Every living soul jumps at every chance to make quick money before the Portuguese colony ushers in a new era under the Chinese rule. For the jaded hit men, they wonder where this journey will end. Against this backdrop come two hit men from Hong Kong sent to take out a renegade member trying to turn over a new leaf with his wife and newborn baby. They soon find themselves in the throes of a dilemma when two of their former associates also show up, intent on thwarting them at every cost.

Boooooring.
This movie its about...nothing.

Guns are fired, people are killed, there are slow motion poses. Yet, I took away nothing from this film. I thought the movie was about the dude in the first scene. Turns out it is about the hit squad sent to kill him.

The opening scene takes a minute to develop, but when the guns start blasting, shit gets real...for about 5 minutes. If a hit is ordered and a guy is to be killed, why then are you furnishing his house? Do you feel guilty for shooting it up? I don't get it. They fucking made dinner. Bread was broke. I don't know think that's how you treat the guys that come to kill you, but I guess it's a different culture in China. They even took family fucking photos. "Say, this has been fun and all, but you know I have to kill you?" With that, they finally.got back to business. The funniest part of the film? The bad guys wrapped a dude up in a hospital sheet and he hit every object as they tossed him from a 5 story window. They then used his body for bait as they shot it, to provoke his rescue. That's Classic scumbag villain behavior.

Following that scene, the hit squad brings the body home and the wife flips her shit and fires at the team. (Good thing she's a terrible shot, I would have hated to see her hit someone standing 1 ft away.) With reckless abandon for everyone and everything else living in the building, she burns the furniture and her husband's body and walks away. Apparently she's now on a mission to kill them. The gang flees safely, steals a shipment of gold and have a final confrontation with the big boss. With the help of the big boss, she gets her revenge, and in the time it takes for an airborne can of Redbull to hit the ground there is a final bloody shootout which mercifully leads to the end credits.

Out of Ten? 5

Exiled is a long and uneventful film. The best thing going for it was that it actually ended.


Violence? Gun heavy
Explosions? No
Nudity? A quick flash of titty.

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Geisha Assassin - 2008

This story is set during the Edo ages in Japan. On a rainy night, Kotono confronts the samurais who have killed her father. The samurai attack her one by one, but she manages to withstand them. When she is scaring the remaining samurai away, three ninja's suddenly appear. Will she succeed in beating them as well?

The title card explains that the word "gei" meant weapons. Geishas were ones who practiced swordsmanship and even men could be geishas.

Geisha Assassin starts slow as we come in on a geisha as she follows a samurai through the streets, seeking to avenge her father's death. The man who killed her father tells her she can't defeat him as she is now and sets up battles for her. The rest of the movie is her fighting tough challengers on her way to get to him. Although she reaches her final opponent quickly, the fights are consistently satisfying. The final fight contains the necessary evil of flashbacks to explain the exact situation behind her father's death. But even the flashbacks include a fight scene.

Geisha Assassin is a short movie that begins slow and feels a bit long. (Especially during the end scenes.) But we learn about her father's death and the technique she uses. Plus there's a fight that takes place in the rain with Motherfucking Ninjas(!!!), and when her weapon is unavailable, she's a pretty capable martial artist. Also, as is customary in these films, she has to be beautiful, but deadly. (Although she's not a badass...or really hot. She's just skilled with a sword.)

Its definitely not a must see, but there is an "oh shit" moment or two.

Out of Ten? 6.

Violence? Fuck yeah, its a swordfighting flick that includes Fuckin Ninjas!!!!
Explosions? Ninja bombs
Nudity? No

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12 rounds - 2009

Detective Danny Fisher discovers his girlfriend has been kidnapped by a ex-con tied to Fisher's past, and he'll have to successfully complete 12 challenges in order to secure her safe release.

WWE's John Cena as an action hero? Meh. Why not? Let's see what happens...

In twelve rounds, the villain takes his wife and tells him he wants to play a game with him. The game is called...you guessed it, 12 rounds.

 

My first thoughts were of how much John Cena looks like an older Channing Tatum and how terrible movie was.

Even for movie time, the timing in this movie is unrealistic. Cena has 7 min to get from A to B. 15 minutes later he gets arrives. There is a bomb on a timer. It hits zero. 5 minutes later it explodes. Don't they pay people to check this stuff?

Watching 12 Rounds until the end, you'll realize something. The film is a low budget Die Hard 3. A bad guy sends the good guy on a wild goose chase "game" as a distraction towards his ultimate goal, a bank vault
full of money. The FBI agents are dicks who know more than they let on. Miles Jackson Is just as cold and calculating as Peter Simon and John Cena is a beefier John McClane, an everyday cop forced into a bad day situation. (Who also happens to pull off the most insane stunts and never seems have a scratch on him.)

For a WWE produced film starring John Cena, it isn't terrible, but it is just a little longer than it needs to be. If you're in the mood for a watered down version of Die Hard 3 you'll like it.

Out of Ten? 6

Violence? Yes
Explosions? Yes
Nudity? No

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Retro Review: The Bad Seed - 1956

Christine Penmark seems to have it all: a lovely home, a loving husband and the most "perfect" daughter in the world. But since childhood, Christine has suffered from the most terrible recurring nightmare. And her "perfect" daughter's accomplishments include lying, theft and possibly much, much worse. Only Christine knows the truth about her daughter and only Christine's father knows the truth about her nightmare.

Is it possible that children of serial killers can grow up to become one themselves? Maybe out skips a generation? This is the explanation the film toys with. Sins of the father essentially. Little Rhonda is so sweet and innocent...or is she? After a classmate dies on a school trip, the evidence seems to suggest that she had something to do with it. While defending her daughter, Rhonda's mother gets closer to the truth.

Such a kind mother...such a pretty mother

I'm just going to lay this out there: Rhonda is one evil little bitch. From her overly and aggressive sweet act to the remorseless and calculated way she goes about killing and manipulating others. Unsurprisingly, I loved every minute of it. What an awesome performance.


Trivia: The Hayes Code of Motion Pictures prevented release of films from having the bad guys win and it also prevented filmmakers from killing children on screen. So in order to comply, a final scene was added in which Rhonda is struck by lightning and "disappears". No body, no crime.


Violence? Yes though only occurring off screen
Explosions? No
Nudity? No

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Word Wars (2004)

In this character-driven documentary, filmmakers Eric Chaikin and Julian Petrillo follow four "word nerds" through their fastidious preparations and smaller tournaments that lead to the national championship Scrabble tournament in San Diego in 2002.

 
Word Wars is a documentary that follows four guys who are seeking to win the scrabble world championships in San Diego. In the opening scenes of the film, we see how scrabble is made at its factory and a we get a quick rundown of the official rules and the history of the game.

We follow the guys as they practice, eat, sleep, and breathe scrabble and as San Diego draws near the nervous energy begins to unfold. 700 people. 31 games, 5 days, $25k and a trip to NYC to the winner.

What I've Learned:

• Scrabble Tournaments are huge and to unwind, some competitors play games for money at the end of tournaments.
• A Ratings system was created to "help distinguish the Grandmothers from the grandmasters"
• The Official Scrabble Dictionary was created using the five major dictionaries.
• Some of These guys have huge collections of word books and study them often
• As huge as the tournaments are, the community is small enough so that everyone actually knows or knows of each other. The subjects of this film know each other pretty well. 
• In general, People aren't aware how big these tournaments are. There are people who seriously dedicate their lives to this game
• Scrabble is huge in Washington Square Park and in true underdog fashion, one of the park players, beat the #1 player over the summer this was filmed.
• There have never been more than six women in the top 50. Supposedly, they aren't as obsessed as the guys.
• To have a better chance, at winning you have to be good with anagrams and you'll have to score at least 300 to even compete/compare.

To me, the mark of a good documentary is that after a while you start to grow with the characters. You feel their highs and lows and thou cheer for their success/failure. The guys in this film put their passion on display to the world and in the scrabble world, they're like nerdy rock stars. Maybe I'm biased because I play word games, but this was good stuff. Fun, educational, and satisfying from beginning to end. By the time the credits rolled, this shit had me jonesing for a game.

Violence? No
Explosions? Of vernacular
Nudity? No

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Delhi Belly (2011)

A couple of slacker roommates find themselves mixed up in some shady business after accidentally delivering the wrong package to a gangster. The gangsters take Punjabi Iglesias' fiancee hostage and they must come up with a plan to rescue her and save their own lives as well.

Stay Quotage:

• "People care about how you look"
       "And that's why I don't hang out with those people."
• "She's a whore."
         "Nooo! I thought she was sucking cock because she was just really outgoing."
• "She doesn't give me a good feeling"
          "She's my gf, she's supposed to give me a good feeling!
• "Did they shave your head before they tried to hang you?"
     No.
   "Then why the fuck are you bald?"

Delhi Belly was actually fun. Not the greatest, but it served it's purpose and entertained me. It was funnier than I thought it'd be and being a bollywood production, of course this film features a song and dance number.

Bollywood. You come for the movie, but admit it. You stay for the dance sequences.

Out of Ten? 6.5

Violence? Yes
Explosions? No
Nudity? No...Unfortunately

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Versitile Actors

It is a given that acting is harder than it looks. However, there are a few who make it look genuinely easy. These are the Versatile Actors. They can blend into any role, raise the quality of the work, act circles around the cast and steal the scenes they are in. Basically, these guys are the cream of the acting crop and worth every penny.

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Quick Hits #10

Flick's Quick Hits - Rapid fire reviews and thoughts on a few films at once. 

Featuring: Jack Brooks Monster Slayer, Rango, Bubba Ho-Tep, Swiming with Sharks

	Jack Brooks Monster Slayer (2010) - Jack Brooks is an angry man. His anger therapy?  Slaying monsters. Robert England also stars in this film. (I keep telling you, hookers and blow don't pay for themselves) I love when I watch a film, (expecting it to be total crap) and it turns out to be a very enjoyable film. Out of Ten? 7.5
	Bubba Ho-Tep (2003) - In this Cult favorite, Elvis and JFK try to protect their rest home from a 5000 year old soul sucking mummy. Sounds stupid? yes. But If you're a Bruce Campbell fan, you have to see this film. Outside of that, you may not enjoy it as much as I did. But it's a solid film regardless and definitely worth a shot. Out of Ten? 7
	Rango (2011) - Fun movie about a lizard on a journey to find himself. A bit long, but fun and ultimately entertaining. Plenty of adult jokes abound, but not enough to make this film unsuitable for children. Out of ten? 8
	Swimming with Sharks (1994) - After being verbally abused by his boss, Guy does what we all wish we could do, tie him up and beat the crap out of him. Interesting film. Who doesn't want to beat on their boss? But how much is too much? And where do you go from there? Out of Ten? 6

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Sweeney Todd - 2010

The infamous story of Benjamin Barker, a.k.a Sweeney Todd, who sets up a barber shop down in London which is the basis for a sinister partnership with his fellow tenant, Mrs. Lovett. Based on the hit Broadway musical.

Sweeney Todd is a movie based on a musical based on the story of The Barber of Seville. At it's core, it is a Count of Monte Christo type revenge story. After being betrayed and left for dead, he comes back with a new look and revenge on his mind. 

Benjamin Barker finds forbidden love...and he gets his satisfaction

I went into this film with a little trepidation. It's a fucking musical. Whenever someone brought up Sweeney Todd, my thought process upon hearing that the entire cast gets to sing: "You mean Captain Jack and Severus Snape actually sing in this film! That's fucking awesome!" Truth is, that's definitely not a selling point. I don't know why people are so insistent on this film.

Surprisingly, their singing wasn't that bad. It helped that there was enough balance between the singing and acting for these heavyweights to push the film forward with their natural talent. Honestly, their dramatic talent far outweighed their singing ability. Thankfully.

They're cooking people!!  Soylent Green is people!!

Out of Ten? 7.5

I'm a bit biased because I like Johnny Depp but Sweeney Todd doesn't score higher than this.

Violence? Yes
Explosions? No
Nudity? No

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Hamlet 2

Dana Marschz is a failed actor and recovering alcoholic who's moved to Tucson to teach high school drama, where he's plagued by bad reviews, student indifference, budget woes (he and his wife, who is trying to get pregnant, take in a boarder), and his own teaching limitations. Because the other electives are closed, he finds himself with a large class of seeming gang-bangers, and the principal informs him that drama will be cut next trimester. On the advice of a student reviewer, Dana decides to stage his own play, a sequel to "Hamlet" in which the prince and Jesus, with the use of a time machine, try to save Gertrude and Ophelia. Can Dana for once pull something off?

How can you make a sequel to Hamlet? Everyone died at the end.
The answer is simple: Time machines + Jesus.

When I first sat down to watch Hamlet 2, I didn't know what to expect.  But what I got was a pretty sharp comedy with a catchy musical number. Everyone gives their all to make this work and the result is a solid piece of work. I enjoyed it so I figure someone else will as well.

Out of Ten? 7

Violence? Nope
Explosions? Of Drama
Nudity? No

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Limitless - 2010

With his writing career dragging and his girlfriend casting him off, Eddie Morra's life turns around when he takes a drug that provides astonishing mental focus -- but its deadly side effects threaten his future.

Deniro and Bradley Cooper star in this thriller about a burned out writer who takes a drug that greatly enhances his capabilities. Along the way trip changing his fortunes, he must contend with a powerful financial magnate and an equally powerful loan shark. Under the influence, he says something witty or otherwise smart to show off his brain power and after a jump cut he's sexing someone.

The link is undeniable:
Drugs = Sex
Drugs = Money
Drugs = Power

 Mmmm...Druuuuggggsssss

 There were scenes where the withdrawal from the drug killed people, but what good is a drug that doesn't kill off some of its users, huh? What some would say was a 2 hr add for adderal, I say it was more of an add for Ritalin. But hey, a drug ad, is a drug ad. Who am I to judge?

Out of Ten? 5

Violence? Yes
Explosions? No
Nudity? No.

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Retro Review: Taking of pelham 123 - (1978)

Four armed men hijack a New York City subway train and demand 1 million dollars - which must be delivered in 1 hour - for the train and the lives of the passengers held hostage. Lt. Zachary Garber of the New York City Transit Police must contend with City Hall red tape, the unrelenting demands of the hijackers, and the ever-ticking clock in his efforts to save the passengers and bring the hijackers to justice.

In what is believed to be a near impossible scenario, a NYC train is hijacked and held for ransom. It helps that our bad guys tend to have a knowledge of the subway system and almost all NYPD security measures for such a situation.

Now, I've read somewhere that this is one of those movies "that you end early because you want to see the bad guys win" and it really is. You'll grow attached to the characters and by the end you'll wish you had ended it early. The "bad guys" earned their money for once.

The original Pelham is a lighthearted crime thriller that does not take itself too seriously. Chances are, it is probably better than both remakes (tv + film). Stay tuned, I'll get to them sooner or later...But probably much later.

Violence? At the end
Explosions? No
Nudity? No

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Tactical Force - 2011

In this nail-biting action flick, a Los Angeles SWAT team on a training mission finds itself trapped in an abandoned military complex without effective weapons or access to outside help, just as two violent gangs close in on their location

Stone Cold as a police officer is something that needs to be seen to be believed. But with the typical SCSA badassness, him, Michael Jai White and his SWAT team easily dispatch three would be hostage takers. Just how badass is his SWAT team?  Well, there's only 4 members. For.The. Entire. City.
 

"Boss, we're surrounded." Yeah, Well, that's bad news for them."

Of course, with badassness comes.recklessness and their actions eventually pisses off their captain who suspends them, and sends them for re-training. Their training site is the location of some shady dealings and they are pinned in as two teams of gangsters are there looking for a briefcase full of illegal goods. The situation gets worse as each man calls on their respective gangs for assistance.


(pic)This douchestache manages to play everyone against each other

There's a few things about this movie that I don't get. Mainly, if you are trapped in a building with killers, why on Earth, would you take off your protective gear? It just doesn't make sense.
Outside of that, Stone Cold Steve Austin and Michael Jai White? Pfft. I'm in.

Out of Ten? 7
Solid popcorn flick. Not the best, but it will do in a pinch.

Violence? Yes
Explosions? One
Nudity? No

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Ironclad - 2011

 

In 13th-century England, a small group of Knights Templar fight to defend Rochester Castle against the tyrannical King John.

A retelling of Akira Kurosawa's famed "Seven Samurai," this time though, it is set in medieval times as five mercenaries, a land baron and a knight templar ride out to secure a strategic castle outpost from the ruthless King John (played by the awesome Paul Giamatti), who seeks to rule all England by force. Despite the Magna Carta, King John, with the consent of the Pope, has set out eliminate everyone involved with the passing of the law. The rebels who forced the law, set out to stop the king at all costs.

 Yay! They're gonna get medieval.

Ironclad was a Historical drama. Meaning, this film was going to be slow and methodical. Eventhough that was expected, it seriously dragged when there was no fighting. However, The over the top violence more than makes up for all of the drama during the slow parts (and there are many). FFS There's a scene in which one character beats an invader to death using the chopped off arm of another fallen invader! and Another in which one guy is strapped into a catapult and thrown into a castle wall. Those two death scenes alone + Paul Giamatti acting circles around the cast earn this movie no less than a 6.5.

Hail to the King, baby.

Out of Ten? 6.5

Violence? Brutality
Explosions? Yes
Nudity? No

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Director's Spotlight #2

Wes Craven

Wesley Earl "Wes" Craven (born August 2, 1939) is an American film director, writer, producer, actor, perhaps best known as the director of many horror films, particularly slasher films, including the famed A Nightmare on Elm Street featuring the iconic Freddy Krueger character, and the Scream series, featuring Ghostface. 

One of the more prolific horror/thriller directors today, Wes Craven's resume of well known.
While he has also done straight horror films, his later films began to develop a sense of humor yet the laughs (at times) lightened the mood which as we ask know, can derail a film if not done properly.

Either writing, directing, or producing, he's had his hands in quite a few films.

Here's some free trivia:
Q: Do you know who directed the 1995 Eddie Murphy stinker "Vampire in Brooklyn"?
A: Wes Motherfucking Craven.

Anyway, not counting A Nightmare on Elm Street, here are a few worth checking out:

Shocker (1989) - After being sent to the electric chair, a serial killer uses electricity to come back from the dead and carry out his vengeance on the football player who turned him in to the police.
The Hills Have Eyes (1977) - On the way to California, a family has the misfortune to have their car break down in an area closed to the public, and inhabited by violent savages ready to attack.
Red Eye (2005) - A woman is kidnapped by a stranger on a routine flight. Threatened by the potential murder of her father, she is pulled into a plot to assist her captor in offing a politician.
The Last House on the Left (1972) - A pair of teenage girls are headed to a rock concert for one's birthday. While trying to score marijuana in the city, the girls are kidnapped by a gang of psychotic convicts.

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