There was a time when David Arquette was a box office draw (kinda), Scarlett Johansson was relatively unknown, and Kari Wuhrer starred in a TV show called Sliders . During this wondrous era, a giant spider movie called Eight Legged Freaks came out, and it starred all of them. But was it good? Stick with me! A variety of horrible, poisonous spiders get exposed to a noxious chemical that causes them to grow to  monumental proportions. Then they attack a small town.

Having John Carpenter 's name above a movie title means something. It's a sign of quality. It's an indication that you, as an audience member, are in the hands of a master storyteller. Sure, some of his movies are better than others, but a John Carpenter movie is more than the average genre picture. Or at least it should be. So how does Prince of Darkness measure up when compared to Carpenter's other classic flicks? Stick with me.

Alright Basementites, it's time once again to cast your ballot and decide what next Monday's retro review will be. And you're three choices come from the film library of one of the best genre filmmakers cinema has ever know. That's right, this is the John Carpenter  Edition.

Outland is a movie I vaguely remember watching on TV with my dad. He was a huge fan of westerns and Sean Connery , so this sci-fi flick was right within the old man's wheelhouse. I remembered it being good, so when Basementites voted it as this week's retro review, I was pretty pumped. Was my enthusiasm justified? Stick with me! In the distant future, a police marshal stationed at a remote mining colony on the Jupiter moon of Io uncovers a drug-smuggling conspiracy, and gets no help from the populace when he later finds himself marked for murder.

Alright, I had my fun picking and choosing what Monday Retro Review movie I wanted to watch. Now it's time for you to decide. That's right, we're democratic here in The Basement. I know, I'm as surprised as you are.