Mike Bracken
Mike Bracken's reviews do not count toward the Tomatometer®. This is not a Tomatometer-approved critic, and this critic's reviews are not published on a Tomatometer-approved publication.
I'm a 34-year-old film freelance film critic who specializes in Euro-horror, cult exploitation, and Asian action cinema. When not writing about film, you can find me expounding on the latest videogames at GameCritics.com. I think games are an artform that have the potential to become like film--and it's very interesting to watch the medium develop from its infancy. You can also catch me as The Horror Geek on Comedy Central's pop-culture game show, Beat the Geeks.
Oakland, CA
http://www.toxicuniverse.com
Movies reviews only
| Rating | T-Meter | Title | Year | Review |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
Two Evil Eyes (1990) |
Two Evil Eyes is a flawed project. Romero's segment doesn't pull its own weight. While it is creepy in spots, the majority of the story is overlong and ho-hum in the execution. - IGN Movies
Read More
| Posted Oct 08, 2018
|
|
|
|
It Lives Again (1978) |
It Lives Again is rather transcendent for a horror film. - IGN Movies
Read More
| Posted Sep 26, 2018
|
|
|
|
Exorcism (1975) |
- Mike Bracken's Horror Films
Read More
| Posted Apr 04, 2011
|
|
|
|
Halloween II (2009) |
H2 is tragically flawed, but it does have a few moments that work -- just not enough of them. - The Horror Geek
Read More
| Posted Mar 11, 2011
|
|
|
|
Giallo (2009) |
Argento continues his downward spiral in this laughably bad thriller. - The Horror Geek
Read More
| Posted Mar 11, 2011
|
|
|
|
Blood: The Last Vampire (2008) |
Not Even a Schoolgirl Beheading Demons with a Katana can Save Blood: The Last Vampire - The Horror Geek
Read More
| Posted Mar 11, 2011
|
|
|
|
Legion (2010) |
Quite possibly the stupidest film of 2010. - The Horror Geek
Read More
| Posted Mar 11, 2011
|
|
|
|
Entrails of the Beautiful Woman (1986) |
If nothing else, Entrails of a Beautiful Woman proves that you don't have to be a good movie to be a good gore film. Check your brain at the door for this one, sit back, pop a few beverages, and prepare for the sleaze - The Horror Geek
Read More
| Posted Mar 11, 2011
|
|
|
|
ZMD: Zombies of Mass Destruction (2009) |
ZMD is not a great film, but if you're looking for a mindless low budget zombie romp, this should do nicely. - The Horror Geek
Read More
| Posted Mar 11, 2011
|
|
|
|
Isolation (2005) |
A creepy, and methodical, horror flick that is reminiscent of Carpenter's remake of The Thing. - The Horror Geek
Read More
| Posted Mar 11, 2011
|
|
|
|
Vengeance (2009) |
To continues to be the best filmmaker currently working in Hong Kong. Vengeance isn't his finest film, but it does certainly earn a spot in his top five. - The Horror Geek
Read More
| Posted Mar 11, 2011
|
|
|
|
127 Hours (2010) |
Danny Boyle and James Franco craft one of 2010's most compelling films in 127 Hours. - The Horror Geek
Read More
| Posted Mar 11, 2011
|
|
|
|
Exit Through the Gift Shop (2010) |
Real or not, Banksy's Exit Through the Gift Shop is still compelling viewing. - The Horror Geek
Read More
| Posted Mar 11, 2011
|
|
|
|
Black Water (2007) |
Black Water might be the best killer croc film of all time. - The Horror Geek
Read More
| Posted Mar 11, 2011
|
|
|
|
Collapse (2009) |
Collapse is scarier than any horror film I've ever seen. - The Horror Geek
Read More
| Posted Mar 11, 2011
|
|
|
|
Restrepo (2010) |
Restrepo isn't a film about the futility of the war in Afghanistan -- it's a film about the men we ship off to fight in wars and how that experience changes them - both for the better and the worse. - The Horror Geek
Read More
| Posted Mar 11, 2011
|
|
|
|
Exam (2009) |
No matter how much you cram, you're unlikely to pass this Exam. - The Horror Geek
Read More
| Posted Mar 11, 2011
|
|
|
|
Red Room (1999) |
Only a select group of cult cinephiles who're interested in seeing films that push the boundaries of taste and decorum need to bother tracking this one down. - The Horror Geek
Read More
| Posted Mar 11, 2011
|
|
|
|
Fetishes: Mistresses and Domination at Pandora's Box (1996) |
Apparently, Fetishes was never intended to be anything more than 90 minutes of titillation. Broomfield's film is goofy to the extreme, but it provides some mildy risque entertainment. - The Horror Geek
Read More
| Posted Mar 11, 2011
|
|
|
|
Grotesque (2009) |
It's a shame Grotesque isn't a better film overall. The pieces are there for another Japanese gore masterpiece, but it just never quite comes together. - The Horror Geek
Read More
| Posted Mar 11, 2011
|
|
|
|
Winnebago Man (2009) |
Winnebago Man proves that stories about colorful people will never go out of style. - The Horror Geek
Read More
| Posted Feb 03, 2011
|
|
|
|
Slaughtered Vomit Dolls (2006) |
Not so much a film as an endurance test, Slaughtered Vomit Dolls works overtime to earn its title as "one of the sickest films ever." - The Horror Geek
Read More
| Posted Feb 03, 2011
|
|
|
|
August Underground (2001) |
If faux snuff films are your thing, August Underground should make you happy. Everyone else has been warned... - The Horror Geek
Read More
| Posted Feb 03, 2011
|
|
|
|
August Underground's Mordum (2003) |
The Toe Tag Pictures crew gives us another horrifying look into the abyss with August Underground: Mordum. - The Horror Geek
Read More
| Posted Feb 03, 2011
|
|
|
|
Black Swan (2010) |
Black Swan is powerful filmmaking - a movie featuring lots of subtext, great performances, and some dazzling technical virtuosity. - The Horror Geek
Read More
| Posted Dec 10, 2010
|
|
|
|
Frozen (2010) |
Frozen is genuinely scary. - The Horror Geek
Read More
| Posted Oct 21, 2010
|
|
|
|
Night of the Demons (2009) |
Night of the Demons is a middle of the road remake of a film most people haven't ever seen. There's some fun to be had for fans of the original. - The Horror Geek
Read More
| Posted Oct 20, 2010
|
|
|
|
A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010) |
For every thing that Sam Bayer's Nightmare on Elm Street update gets right, there's at least one other thing it screws up. - Mike Bracken's Horror Films
Read More
| Posted May 05, 2010
|
|
|
|
The Hurt Locker (2008) |
It's too soon to pick the definitive film of the Iraq war, but when the time comes, The Hurt Locker will get serious consideration. - Mike Bracken's Horror Films
Read More
| Posted Dec 17, 2009
|
|
|
|
Triangle (2007) |
A loopy concoction of half-formed ideas and incongruous directorial stylings, Triangle is a disappointment. - Mike Bracken's Horror Films
Read More
| Posted Dec 16, 2009
|
|
|
|
Saw VI (2009) |
Saw VI is a step in the right direction, but it's still a film more likely to appeal to fans of the earlier entries than win new converts to the cause. - The Horror Geek
Read More
| Posted Oct 24, 2009
|
|
|
|
Trick 'r Treat (2007) |
Trick 'r Treat was well worth the wait and is destined to join Carpenter's Halloween as required viewing every October 31st. - The Horror Geek
Read More
| Posted Oct 06, 2009
|
|
|
|
Zombieland (2009) |
Zombieland doesn't take itself even remotely seriously, which makes it a nice counterpoint to all the nihilistic zombie flicks shambling around out there. - The Horror Geek
Read More
| Posted Oct 03, 2009
|
|
|
|
Deadgirl (2008) |
Deadgirl is a relatively schizophrenic viewing experience--one filled with bizarre tonal shifts that are odder than even the admittedly out there subject matter. - The Horror Geek
Read More
| Posted Sep 21, 2009
|
|
|
|
Dead Meat (2004) |
A loving homage to the gory morti viventi films of men like Peter Jackson, George Romero, and Lucio Fulci, Dead Meat makes up for its budgetary shortcomings with a lot of heart (and more than a few brains, too). - The Horror Geek
Read More
| Posted Sep 06, 2009
|
|
|
|
Mega Shark vs. Giant Octopus (2009) |
With a title like Mega Shark vs. Giant Octopus, you probably don't expect a classic film-which is a good thing, because The Asylum's latest release is a terrible movie. - The Horror Geek
Read More
| Posted Aug 02, 2009
|
|
|
|
While She Was Out (2008) |
If you ever found yourself wondering what First Blood would have been like with Kim Basinger playing John Rambo, then wonder no more-just run to the video store, grab a copy of While She Was Out and prepare to be astounded-for all the wrong reasons. - The Horror Geek
Read More
| Posted Jul 29, 2009
|
|
|
|
Near Dark (1987) |
Near Dark still stands as one of vampire cinema's most underrated classics. - The Horror Geek
Read More
| Posted Jul 26, 2009
|
|
|
|
Horsemen (2009) |
Horsemen proves that production company Platinum Dunes is capable of more than just screwing up remakes of classic horror films-they're equally adept at ruining original ideas as well. - The Horror Geek
Read More
| Posted Jul 26, 2009
|
|
|
|
Gutterballs (2008) |
Gutterballs may not have any redeeming value in the eyes of highbrow film fans, but for folks who love sleazy exploitation cinema it's time well spent. - The Horror Geek
Read More
| Posted Jul 13, 2009
|
|
|
|
Header (2006) |
Header is faithful to the novella that inspired it--right down to every repulsive detail. It's guaranteed to offend or disgust anyone with taste, but I loved it anyway. - The Horror Geek
Read More
| Posted Jul 12, 2009
|
|
|
|
Mum & Dad (2008) |
Mum & Dad feels like a Rob Zombie film merged with Tobe Hooper's Texas Chainsaw Massacre, told with a distinctly English tone. - The Horror Geek
Read More
| Posted Jun 22, 2009
|
|
|
|
Dead Snow (2009) |
There's a Grand Guignol level of excess in the latter stages of Dead Snow, wherein Wirkola simply cuts loose and plays a game of "how can I top this?" with each new scene. - The Horror Geek
Read More
| Posted Jun 19, 2009
|
|
|
|
Cadaver (2007) |
For all it's twists and turns, Cadaver is really little more than a merging of lazy American horror screenwriting, Asian ghost girl cinema aesthetics, and some occasionally inspired cinematography. - The Horror Geek
Read More
| Posted May 21, 2009
|
|
|
|
Hush (2009) |
Hush never breaks new narrative ground, but Tonderai understands the ins and outs of the films he's aping and revels in giving us what we expect. - The Horror Geek
Read More
| Posted May 18, 2009
|
|
|
|
Martyrs (2008) |
The film's sense of philosophy is what elevates Martyrs from the "torture porn" ghetto and places it alongside more intellectually unsettling films by men like Michael Haneke, Pier Pasolini, and Gaspar Noe. - The Horror Geek
Read More
| Posted May 11, 2009
|
|
|
|
Splinter (2008) |
Splinter is another reaffirmation of my faith that horror can be more than boring remakes and sequels. It's proof that there are still good ideas out there. - The Horror Geek
Read More
| Posted May 03, 2009
|
|
|
|
The Chaser (2008) |
The Chaser is one of the better Korean films to emerge since Park Chan Wook's Oldboy. - The Horror Geek
Read More
| Posted May 03, 2009
|
|
|
|
X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009) |
Wolverine isn't on the same level as The Dark Knight or Iron Man, but it does just enough things right to justify the price of the ticket. - The Horror Geek
Read More
| Posted May 01, 2009
|
|
|
|
Autopsy (2008) |
I suppose the best way to describe my reaction to Autopsy is this: casual indifference. - The Horror Geek
Read More
| Posted Apr 27, 2009
|