Good first hour; dull close

To raise funds, several film students & their teacher in SoCal hold a one-night horror marathon at an old theater set to be demolished. Unfortunately for them, a supposedly dead filmmaker who doesn’t like criticism is apparently in attendance.

"Popcorn” (1991) has everything going for it, highlighted by the old downtown theater, a plot that meshes “Phantom of the Opera” with “The Abominable Dr. Phibes,” a colorful tone and an homage to William Castle. The latter was known for creating gimmicks to draw people to his low-budget B movies (e.g. “The Tingler”)... read the rest.