It was inevitable as we got to the mid 2010’s — this is where Monster Madness takes a nosedive right into the septic tank. It was around this time that the copyright situation on YouTube got a little dicey (well, more so than it always has been) and, when combined with changes in James’ life and how Cinemassacre would be operated moving forward, things get weird in a way I don’t like. Especially Monster Madness for 2015.
For the surprisingly 4 hour long total runtime, the vast majority of it is James Rolfe and Mike Matei just talking about films while still images from said films are shown. There are a few “traditional” reviews thrown in, something I didn’t even know until skimming this video and seeing them, and while they are good stuff the rest isn’t for me.
I’ll be completely honest, it isn’t even that it’s just James talking with still images showing. While that’s annoying, not having the actual film clips going, I can tolerate it when it’s James being passionate about something he loves.
My problem is Mike. I just don’t like Mike Matei. I’m sorry, but I don’t, and he is far from the horror fan or movie buff that James is. He just doesn’t have the same energy that James does on this subject, and combined with the general arrogance that Mike exudes in any situation where he is in front of a camera, well, this year is not a pleasant watch for me.
Regardless, I’d be remiss if I didn’t write this entry and share the video, so, here you are, if you have 4 hours to kill enjoy it!
PS: I will give props to James for the set, and how he has all those same Halloween props you regularly see in his older videos. It’s pretty neat, and I’m glad he was able to keep up with that stuff for this long. Too bad it’s the best aspect of most of this Monster Madness.