Don't Go To Sleep

   I'll admit to being a snob when it comes to made-for-tv horror films. They tend to be bland films totally devoid of anything truly scary. Especially in the '80s where did not have the safe harbor that cable television would later provide.

    Don't Go To Sleep is a 1982 film starring Valerie Harper, Dennis Weaver, and Ruth Gordon. It concerns a  family dealing with the tragic death of their eldest daughter. After moving to a new house, the younger sister claims to hear the voice of the dead girl who seemingly wants revenge.

    This film is anything but bland, it is atmospheric, genuinely creepy, and keeps the viewers on their toes. The deaths are pretty well done and the acting is top notch. One shining star of the film is Valerie Harper. Harper is a great actress unfortunately the lion's share of her work were ensconced in sitcom hell. Very few realize that she can do more than quack wise to canned laughter.

   The movie however truly belongs to the kids, especially Robin Ignacio who plays the haunted younger sister, Mary. Ignacio is creepy as hell and it helps the film distinguish itself as a truer horror films. It's a shame that she quit acting so we never got to see how she fared as an adult.

  Kristen Cumming plays Jennifer and while her role is mostly off screen, she herself puts in a couple of scary scenes especially at the end. The ending in my opinion was top notch, it was unexpected and freaky. So freaky that this self-proclaimed horror nut actually slept with the light on after seeing this. This is a rare movie but can be found online. It's a must for any horror fan, young or old.

Return To The House On Haunted Hill

Simply awful and boring. This sequel takes place 8 years after the events in the first (and far more superior) film. Ariel Wolfe (Amanda Righetti) is stunned to learn of her estranged sister Sara (not played by the lovely Ali Larter) has taken her life. The murders of the previous film had been blamed on Steven Price and no believed Sara's insistence that it was the act of ghosts.

Ariel meets archaeologist Richard Hammer who insists that Sara was planning to go back to the house to find a priceless idol. Ariel doesn't believe him until she finds a journal that her sister mailed her prior to her death. However Ariel and her boyfriend are kidnapped by evil archaeologist Desmond (Erik Palladino)and taken to the house. Richard, his lover, and his assistant are also in the house looking for the idol. The house wakes up and wackiness ensues.

While the deaths were creative, the characters are too boring to root for. This film lacks the suspense of the first one as well as the creative casting. The idol storyline seems forced and really brings to movie down. The ending was predictable as hell complete with the tacked on ending threatening the viewers with another sequel.

A major annoyance is that they do not even hint at what had happened to Eddie Baker (Taye Diggs) who had also survived the film alongside Sarah. It's called continuity people.