DVD Review: HALLOWEEN NIGHT (2006)

------Review by contributing writer Scott Baker------

Hayes has been on a roll lately with the quality of the movies he's picking out for me to review. So far, the last several he has given me have been nice surprises. I'm happy to report that HALLOWEEN NIGHT continues that trend. I really enjoyed this one and will probably watch it again soon. I have to admit, though: this one had me worried. When I read the back of the DVD case, I cringed because the premise sounds VERY familiar. Here it is, straight from the case:

"Based on the actual events of Halloween night, 1982, an inmate of a maximum security medical facility escapes after brutally murdering two guards. Upon returning to the house where he was born, he goes on a killing spree that will make him Southern California's greatest mass murderer."

Egh...how many times of you heard that shtick? BUT, thankfully, the movie is so much more than this brief description lets on. In fact, I would describe it is an inventive and slick thriller that contains a lot of gore, chills, and even dark humor.

One thing that is surprisingly not mentioned in the synopsis is the fact that the killer is a horribly disfigured teen who has been burned beyond recognition. I gotta tell you: the burn make-up job for this character is excellent. The effects team probably didn't have a huge budget to work with, but you can't tell that from looking at this guy's face. Wow. He's so hideous that he makes Freddy Krueger look like a super-model. Even with the make-up aside, the special effects overall are very well done and the gore is very believable. One of the greatest gore effects comes about in the beginning, when the main character's mother has part of her head blown off. Not to sound freakish, but I was very impressed. There are also many other death scenes that are fun to watch as well, including a girl's unique demise using a wooden hangar.

The film is shot well, although my only complaint about it visually is that I feel like the lighting was off in certain scenes. The lack of light in some scenes gives the shots a grainy look, while there is too much light in a couple of the later shots. But this is hardly noticeable and certainly doesn't detract from the frights. The cast was top-notch, too, which is (as I've stated in previous reviews) surprising, given the low budget of the film. The members of the cast were able to lend credibility to their characters and throw in a great deal of dark humor with each of them as well. This is not an easy thing to do, but director Mark Atkins and his team pull it off without a hitch.

Overall, I give this movie high marks all the way around. If you're looking for the perfect late-night Halloween movie to watch, give Halloween Night a look for sure. But make sure you've eaten first before you sit down to watch. The blood and gore might not take you to Vomit-town, but the ghastly appearance of the killer's burned skin probably will.

HALLOWEEN NIGHT is out now on DVD from THE ASYLUM!

CLICK HERE to purchase the DVD

CLICK HERE to visit the official website of THE ASYLUM

New 4 minute clip from AMC's THE WALKING DEAD

Most everyone in the Horror community is in eager anticipation for the premiere of THE WALKING DEAD tomorrow night on AMC! Most everyone has seen the amazing trailer that was posted earlier, but now we get sneak peak of tomorrow night's episode with a cool 4 minute clip. From the looks of this clip, this will be one of, if not THE goriest show ever shown on cable TV! THE WALKING DEAD premiers Halloween night at 10/9pm Central.

CLICK HERE to watch the clip!

Check out the great movie recommendation web series, "Whatcha Gonna Queue?"

Alex, from the "WHATCHA GONNA QUEUE?" web series sent me an email asking me to let my blog readers know that their latest Halloween themed episode has been posted! In this episode, Alex and Jim focus on great scary films in three different sections: New to Netflix (new releases), What the #!*@% is This??? (obscure stuff) and For Your Consideration (timely or relevant cinematic themes). This is a great way to help you decide which movies should be in your Netflix queue, or a good way to just get some recommendations on some great movies to rent or buy! Be sure to check out their older episodes as well!!

CLICK HERE to watch the latest Halloween themed episode of WHATCHA GONNA QUEUE?!

Movie review: PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 2 (2010)

I just returned home from watching PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 2 and I have to say that the follow-up to last year's hit holds up well, if not surpasses the original film. While not without it's flaws, it still manages to be one of the best Horror films of the year, hands down.

I wont go into to much about how this film is related to the first, but the filmmakers did a remarkable job tying the two films together. One of the greatest aspects of both the first film and this film is the acting. The people you see on screen don't seem like actors. They seem like real people that you are watching horrible events happen to, and their distress and concern looks absolutely genuine.

While not as "fresh" feeling as the first film, I think part 2 was scarier overall with more "jump scares" than the original. While we had seen a lot of the activity before (doors slamming, random objects moving by themselves), it was still creepy to see these things happening again to a new couple. The demon seems to be up to his old tricks again and shows off some new things we haven't seen before. One of the scariest and unnerving scenes is when the unseen demon is keeping the young mother from reaching her child who is crying in his crib. I wont say more than that, as I don't want to ruin this for anyone who hasn't seen it, but it will grab you with intense fear, as you can see that this demon is totally in control.

As you can see from the trailer, a young baby is involved, which adds to the creepiness of the film. Those of us with kids will be especially unnerved at the scenes involving the young child, chilled with thoughts of anything like this ever happening to our own children.

If I had to find fault with the film, it would be with the ending. While the ending was good and fit well with the film, I still find it lacking and somewhat anti-climatic. This was probably due to the fact that the biggest scare from the first film came in the final seconds of the film as the body of Micah is instantly thrown directly into the camera. I guess I was expecting something even bigger at the end of this one but it actually ended somewhat quietly.

Don't let that take away from the fact that this was still a remarkable film that every Horror fan should check out before it leaves the theaters. Not many sequels are as good as the originals and certainly aren't any better, but this is not your ordinary sequel. The filmmakers have a couple of great films under their belt so far, and I can see this becoming a franchise with at least a few more stories to tell. Check this one out asap!

CLICK HERE to watch the trailer for PA2

DVD Review: BONBONS ROUGES

A.Normale Productions proudly presents, BONBONS ROUGES. You might remember A.Normale Productions from my review of their other films, such as SEDUCTION OF EVIL and the KILLER CUP films. BONBONS ROUGES is another great film from these fine folks, and is perfect for watching during this Halloween season! Here is the basic synopsis from the A.Normale website:

On Halloween night, the rules are simple. House lights bring the kids to get candy. But, when it gets late and really dark, the rules change...

Let me preface this review by saying this is not a high quality, big budget film. It is a very low budget, independent film made by Horror fans, for Horror fans. What is lacks in production values and film quality, is totally made up for with its spirit and overall entertainment value.

The film can be confusing at times when it comes to the plot, as there are a lot of things going on within the film, but don't let that be a distraction to you. Sit back and enjoy the creepy images this film has to offer. One of the coolest things about this film, is seeing all the cool horror memorabilia throughout the film. You will see cool horror movie posters, as well as comics, and toys from all different Horror franchises. The inclusion of all things things let me know from the start that the makers of this film weren't just making a Horror film for some quick cash, but rather because they are true fans of the Horror genre.

The film hosts a little gore, with one of the greatest scenes involving an wooden spike impaled through the mouth of a certain victim, an obvious reference to the cult classic, CANNIBAL HOLOCAUST. Gore isn't the main focus here, as the focus tends to rely on mood and imagery, most of which is very creepy and unsettling!

The acting in this film is excellent. Much better than the caliber of acting you would expect from such a low budget film. The couple in the film had amazing chemistry and were very believable as a couple.

As with all the A.Normale films I have seen, this one also throws a bit of humor into the mix, although dark humor at times. Humor is never the focus with their films, but it is thrown in throughout the film and mixes perfectly with the Horror elements of the picture.

Overall this is a fun, entertaining film that I would highly recommend to all fans of low budget, independent films.

The DVD includes tons of special features, including:

*Making of BONBONS ROUGES featurette with bloopers
*Halloween 2009 World Premiere Footage
*Alternate Ending
*Cult Radio A-Go-Go radio interview
*Photo Gallery
*Trailers for other A.Normale Productions films
*A Drinking Game version of the film


CLICK HERE to watch the trailer
CLICK HERE to purchase the DVD

IT'S GIVEAWAY TIME!! Here is your second chance to win an awesome CRUSTACEAN DVD/CD Prizepack!

It's time for another great prize giveaway from HAYES HUDSON'S HOUSE OF HORROR!! Up for grabs once again, is a DVD/CD combo of the outrageous Horror/comedy CRUSTACEAN, written and directed by L.J. Dopp. The winner of this great giveaway will get a DVD of the film and the CD soundtrack full of the great songs from the film!!

CLICK HERE to view the past review I posted of CRUSTACEAN
CLICK HERE to watch the uncensored trailer (NSFW)


TO ENTER THE CONTEST, PLEASE FOLLOW THESE STEPS:

1. If you are not already, become a FOLLOWER of this blog! (Click the FOLLOW button under the "Followers" section of the blog on the right hand side).
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2. Leave a comment on this post with your NAME and EMAIL ADDRESS so I can contact you for your shipping info if you are the winner (if valid email address is not given, I will post the winners name on the site and winner will have one week to contact me with their shipping info. If prize is not claimed within one week, prize will be forfeited).
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3. Only one comment per person. Multiple comments will result in removal of all your comments therefore removing your chances of winning!
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4. Contest is scheduled to end on Wednesday, November 17th, 2010. Comments must be left by NOON Central time on 11/17/10 in order to count towards the contest. UPDATE--new end date is January 19th, 2011
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5. Contest winner will be chosen by random.org and must agree to let me post their name in a separate post stating who won the prize.
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6. Due to shipping costs, contest is open to U.S. Residents only. Thank you for your understanding.
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GOOD LUCK!!

This week's Horror related DVD releases: Tuesday, October 26th

Here are the Horror related DVDs coming out tomorrow, Tuesday, 10/26:

(Click on a title to see a trailer for that film)

* ALIEN ANTHOLOGY [Blu-ray]

* ALTITUDE

* THE BISBEE CANNIBAL CLUB

* CANNIBAL GIRLS

* THE DEAD OUTSIDE

* DEATH TUBE

* EULOGY OF A VAMPIRE

* EYES OF THE CHAMELEON

* HOUSE (The Criterion Collection) [DVD & Blu-ray]

* HUSH

* LAKE PLACID 3

* LYNCH MOB

* MANIAC (2-Disc DVD & Blu-ray Special Editions)

* PSYCHOMANIA

* TWILIGHT ZONE-FAN FAVORITES (5-DVD Tin Box)

Check out the killer tire movie, RUBBER!

Yes, you read that correctly. RUBBER is a French film about a killer...well, tire. That is pretty much all you need to know. People are always complaining that slasher films don't have any originality anymore, and that there haven't been any good killer characters like Freddy or Jason in years. Well....here ya go. This is definitely something that hasn't been done before (although maybe that was for a good reason). Either way, a killer tire is pretty scary I guess. In fact, meeting up with a killer tire would be quite treadfull I would imagine! You definitely would not be having a Goodyear if you came in contact with this killer tire! Ok, I'm done now.

CLICK HERE to visit the official site and view the trailer

Horror In The News: Police find body in passenger seat of a car that had been there for 10 months!

Check out this story from RAQUEL MARIA DILLON, Associated Press Writer, that I found on Yahoo News! This is crazy!

COSTA MESA, Calif. – Medical examiners have identified a mummified corpse that was left in a car's passenger seat for 10 months in Southern California, a police spokesman said Friday.
Authorities had said earlier it could take weeks to identify the homeless woman, but the Orange County coroner's office was able to rehydrate the desiccated body's fingertips to obtain a usable fingerprint, said Costa Mesa police Detective Sgt. Paul Beckman. The office will not release the name until next-of-kin are notified, he said.
The woman's remains, discovered Monday in a car parked illegally in Costa Mesa, are little more than skin and bones and weigh 30 pounds, said police Sgt. Ed Everett.
The car's driver befriended the homeless woman in a park in nearby Fountain Valley and told her she could sleep in the car. When she found the woman dead in the passenger seat, she was afraid to tell police, Everett said.
The driver is a 57-year-old former real estate agent from Corona del Mar, an upscale beach community, who herself had fallen on hard times and was living with friends, he said.
Authorities have not determined if the driver, whose name has been withheld, will face any charges in the case.
An autopsy showed no signs of trauma. Toxicology reports could take six weeks or more, Everett said.
"We would obviously be looking at what laws deal with the transportation of bodies. Ultimately, this is still an undetermined death," Beckman said. "There's still a vast amount of investigation necessary."
The woman whose car she died in last saw her in December, but it wasn't immediately clear when she discovered the body, Everett said.
The driver had placed a box of baking soda in the car to mask the smell and covered the body with a blanket and some clothes, he said.
Officers found it Monday when they noticed a stench while responding to a call about an illegally parked vehicle.

GROSS! Can you believe a woman would drive around in a car with a dead body in the passenger seat right next to her. Unbelievable! There are some sick people in this world!

Check out the trailer for THE RITE, a new exorcism film starring Anthony Hopkins

While browsing Firstshowing.net lately, I ran across a post about Anthony Hopkins newest film, THE RITE. Here is the basic plot from the films official website:

Inspired by true events, follows a skeptical seminary student Michael (Colin O'Donoghue) who reluctantly attends an exorcism school at the Vatican. While there, he meets an unorthodox priest, Father Lucas, who introduces him to a darker side of his faith.

The film is scheduled for release January 2011, and from the looks of this trailer, I think we are all in for a treat. Anthony Hopkins has always been one of my favorite actors, so I am really looking forward to this one! Watch the trailer and let me know what you think!

CLICK HERE to watch the trailer for THE RITE

The Dollar Bin Horror Blog recently spotlighted Shattered Mind Studios!!

For those of you that don't know, SHATTERED MIND STUDIOS is a film production company recently formed by contributing 4H writer, Scott Baker, and myself. I just found out that the Dollar Bin Horror Blog recently spotlighted SMS in a recent post! I had sent my friend Rhonny Reaper, who runs the Dollar Bin Horror blog, a link to our first short film and apparently she found it cool enough to let her readers know about it. For that, I am forever grateful!

CLICK HERE to read the post about Shattered Mind Studios over at the Dollar Bin Horror Blog. There you will find a link to our short film as well called, CALL NOT THE DEVIL. The movie is very amateur, as should be expected for our first film. What we are hoping is that people can see some potential in what we have done. We had no cast or crew and only a couple of cheap home video cameras. Scott and I did everything from camera operators to actors. This is a blueprint, so to speak, of what we could do with a budget, a crew, decent sound and film equipment, and actual actors!!

Thanks again to Rhonny Reaper at the Dollar Bin Horror Blog, one of THE best Horror blogs on the web!! Be sure to stop on over and wish the Dollar Bin Horror Blog Happy 1 year Birthday!!!

MUST WATCH!! Greg Nicotero's short film, UNITED MONSTER TALENT AGENCY

Greg Nicotero, the "N" of KNB FX (the greatest special effects company) has recently directed a short film titled, UNITED MONSTER TALENT AGENCY. The video was released on AMC's website. Mr. Nicotero is the Special FX Make-Up Designer for the upcoming series, THE WALKING DEAD, which premeires Halloween night on AMC.

The concept for UMTA is simple, and is a fresh idea on some familiar monsters to us all. The idea is that the classic Universal monsters such as The Wolfman, The Mummy, Frankenstein, Dracula, and The Gill-man are actually real monsters that were used in the filming of their movies. UMTA represents the monsters and keeps them under control while they are not being filmed. This is a very funny short that features all your favorite old monsters. Genre vets Eli Roth, Robert Rodriguez and THE WALKING DEAD's Frank Darabont all make special guest appearances! This is a must watch!

CLICK HERE to watch UNITED MONSTER TALENT AGENCY courtesy of amctv.com

DVD Review: HARD REVENGE MILLY / HARD REVENGE MILLY: BLOODY BATTLE [Double Feature]

------Review by contributing writer Scott Baker------

HARD REVENGE MILLY/ HARD REVENGE MILLY: BLOODY BATTLE (double feature)
Directed by Takanori Tsujimoto

Courtesy of Well Go USA, Inc.
Released: 2008 / 2009

Let me summarize my review of this double feature with a single sentence: these are two of the best Japanese action films I’ve seen in a long time.

I know that’s a bold statement to make, but I mean it whole-heartedly. Both films are amazing in every aspect. They grab you violently by the throat from the very beginning and don’t let go for well over an hour. I loved every minute of them.

Here is an overall plot summary of both films, from the back of the DVD:

HARD REVENGE MILLY

In post-apocalyptic Japan, Yokohama City has become an epicenter of violence ruled by a vicious gang. The worst of the new breed of criminals are “The Jack Brothers”. When The Jack Brothers viciously murder Milly’s husband and daughter, leaving her to die, she vows revenge. She learns the art of sword combat from a master swordsman named Jubei and eventually sets off to confront The Jack Brothers and fulfill her destiny.

HARD REVENGE MILLY: BLOODY BATTLE

After Milly eliminates The Jack Brothers to avenge her family, a beautiful girl named Haru approaches her for help avenging her own boyfriend. Milly initially brushes her off, but eventually recognizes her passion for vengeance and agrees to train her. Soon, an intense admirer of Jack’s named Ikki and his brother Hyuma arrive to take them on. Milly makes short work of their minions and neutralizes Hyuma, but the cyborg-armed Ikki manages to injure her severely. Will she be able to survive and help Haru exact revenge?

Although the plot has enough material to create an 8-hour mini-series, the films are surprisingly short. The first film clocks in at around 40 minutes, while the second runs a little longer, around an hour and 15 minutes or so. But while their combined length is about that of a standard Hollywood movie, the short lengths of time for each film are perfect. There’s no long, drawn out scenes that shouldn’t be there, but there’s nothing omitted from the storyline, either.

Visually, the films are shot very well. I love the cinematography in both films, especially in the fight scenes. While some of them are room-encompassing far away shots, many of the camera angles are turbulent, shaky shots that put your right in the middle of the action. And for those scenes with no fighting, the stark imagery that is used gives a surreal aspect to almost every shot, giving each an almost Kubrick-like feel.

And speaking of the fight scenes, there’s enough blood and gore in each battle to placate even the most die-hard of horror fans. Even the simplest of flesh-wounds bring forth a crimson fountain. Before long, the floor is so coated in blood and gore that some of the characters have a hard time keeping their footing! It’s truly awesome to watch.

Both films boast excellent casts as well, with actress Miki Mizuno portraying the titular character in each. Mizuno is superb as Milly, giving depth and emotion to a character that would stereotypically be viewed as cold and lifeless. I believe these movies could have floundered in obscurity as low-budget failures if the wrong woman had been cast as Milly. Thankfully, the casting team struck gold with Mizuno.

If I were forced to find a flaw with either movie, I don’t think I could. These films know exactly what they are and they don’t try to be anything but entertaining. And entertaining they certainly are! If you like martial-arts action and can stomach some serious bloodletting, then definitely give these two a go.

CLICK HERE to watch the trailer for HARD REVENGE MILLY

CLICK HERE to watch the trailer for HARD REVENGE MILLY: BLOODY BATTLE

CLICK HERE to purchase the DVD double feature

This week's Horror related DVD releases: Tuesday, October 19th

Here are this week's Horror related DVD releases for Tuesday, 10/19/2010:
(Click on a title to see a trailer for that film)

* 70's DRIVE-IN HORROR DOUBLE FEATURE: RUBY & KISS OF THE TARANTULA
* AAAH! ZOMBIES!
* ASSAULT OF THE SASQUATCH
* BIKINI BLOODBATH CHRISTMAS
* COLIN
* DEADLANDS 2: TRAPPED
* THE DEMON
* THE ELECTRIC CHAIR
* GIALLO
* HORNO
* THE LOST TRIBE
* THE MAZE
* MIRRORS 2 [DVD & Blu-ray]
* MONSTER A-GO GO
* NIGHT OF THE DEMONS [DVD & Blu-ray]
* PREDATORS
* PSYCHO: 50th ANNIVERSARY EDITION [Blu-ray]
* THE PSYCHO LEGACY
* THE REDEEMER
* THE SWAMP OF THE RAVENS
* TALES FROM THE DARKSIDE: THE FINAL SEASON (TV)
* VAMPIRE GIRL VS. FRANKENSTEIN GIRL [DVD & Blu-ray]

As we get closer to Halloween, the DVD releases are coming out full force!! I highly recommend THE PSYCHO LEGACY, a documentary about the making of and cultural effect of Alfred Hitchcock's masterpiece, PSYCHO. PSYCHO is also out on Blu-ray tomorrow for all you Blu-ray fans out there. Others worth checking out, the awesome Zombie flick, DEADLANDS 2: TRAPPPED, and the crazy Japanese film, VAMPIRE GIRL VS. FRANKENSTEIN GIRL. Oh, also, the long awaited NIGHT OF THE DEMONS remake comes out on Tuesday. I hope you have been saving up your money! I'm gonna go broke this week!!

DVD Review: HOT BLOOD SUNDAE (2008)

HOT BLOOD SUNDAE was originally titled, ICE CREAM: THE REMIX for some absurd reason. HOT BLOOD SUNDAE is a much cooler, wittier title.....unfortunately, the witty title is also the best part of this movie. Here is the plot from imdb.com:

"ICE SCREAM, the ReMix" is a horror/comedy, about the perverted ice cream shop owner, Ricky, who boost-declining sales by renaming his shop to "Scoopettes", and markets it as an adult ice cream store. This sleepy town's ice scream store has started serving a little more than just your typical flavors, dishing out gobs of Virgin Vanilla and Busty Buttercrunch, but wait - what's that? Eeeeek! There's an eyeball staring up from the Cherry Vanilla! The five girls, whom Ricky calls "The Scoopettes", are so hot the ice cream will never stay hard! But everyone leaves with a smile and much, much more! It becomes apparent that someone doesn't like the success that Ricky is experiencing when one of the Scoopettes is found murdered in the freezer. The killing of the girls continues one at a time and the customers find a little extra in their ice scream! Remember! I Scream, You Scream, We all scream for - ICE SCREAM!

This movie is full of blood and boobs, so it amazes me how boring of a film this actually was. The gore scenes were good, but there was too much filler in between each scene. The rest of the film is just bad dialog and crummy acting. Actor Ryan Click (as Wesley) gives the most over acted, annoying performance you are likely to ever see in a film, so that gets the movie started off on a bad note. He literally ruins every scene he is in. Ryan might be a good actor, but the character he was playing in this film was just awful. Another awful character is Ricky, played by veteran Soap Opera actor Richard Van Vleet. His character isn't quite as annoying as Wesley, but runs a close second. Even just the overall look of the film is bad, with many scenes grainy and fuzzy for a DVD film. It reminded me of watching a VHS tape....and a bad one at that.

The film stars a group of gorgeous ladies, so the umm....scenery is nice, but that is about all you will get from this film. Save your time and do a Google image search of stars Bobbi Billard and Akira Lane and you can see the two (well....four) best parts of this film. True Horror fans will want to steer clear of this one.

CLICK HERE to watch the trailer
CLICK HERE to purchase the DVD

DVD Review: SECRETS OF SEX aka. BIZARRE (1970)

Previously released under the title BIZARRE, this latest DVD release from CAV Distributing is being released under its other title, SECRETS OF SEX. This version includes deleted footage never before seen in the U.S. Here is the basic plot from the CAV website:

Journey into the mind of the undead as a talking mummy guides us on a grand tour of the timeless "battle of the sexes" between man and woman. An erotic horror cult classic from executive producer Richard Gordon ("FIEND WITHOUT A FACE", "ISLAND OF TERROR"), "SECRETS OF SEX" is an offbeat anthology film like no other. A sexy mix of sex, horror and humor filmed in varied styles, this is one of the strangest films you are ever likely to see.

I wish they would have just stuck to the original title of BIZARRE, because you can't really describe this film better than that. Let me point out right up front that this is NOT a Horror movie. With a tag line such as "Sure to make you squirm in fear, and smile with pleasure" and being described as an erotic Horror classic, I was expecting much more Horror with this film, and it just wasn't there. It is even hosted by a talking Mummy, so its got to be a Horror film, right? Wrong. Another tag line of the film says "The film they tried to stop!". I am not sure who "they" are, but I really wish they would have succeeded. Oh well. So don't go into it thinking you are in for a scary good time...or really a good time at all.

The film is made up of several short stories and vignettes. It actually started off pretty good with a story of a wealthy prince who comes home to be told by his trusted servant that he thinks the man's wife was in their room with another man. The servant tells the prince that he thinks the man is hiding in the large trunk at the foot of the prince's bed. The prince confronts his wife who finally gives up the key to the trunk. The prince ponders opening the truck, but then orders his servant's to take the trunk and throw it off the cliff.....not ever knowing for sure if a man was in the trunk or not.

Well, while that was somewhat interesting, it was downhill from there. The later shorts are made up of stories such as a female James Bond type spy who uses her sex appeal to gain access to a wealthy man's safe, and a story about a socially inept nerd who hires an escort to come over in hopes of having a menage-a-trois with his pet lizard! Also there is a scene of half naked go go dancing women getting lettuce and tomatoes thrown at them. Yep, I just typed that.

I know the 70's was a different time, and maybe one I just don't get since I wasn't born until the later 70's, but this film made no sense to me and just made me wonder what these filmmakers were thinking (or taking) at time of making this film. If you are into weird cinema, this is a film you will want to check out. If you are a true Horror fan like myself, you will want to steer clear of this one. This was one secret I would rather of just not known about.

CLICK HERE to watch the trailer

CLICK HERE to purchase the DVD

DVD Review: AAAAAH!! INDIE HORROR HITS VOL. 1

------Review by contributing writer Scott Baker------

The last time I watched a compilation of horror shorts was when CREEPSHOW 2 came out, many years ago (yes, I realize I'm showing my age). So when Hayes offered this one to me to review, I eagerly jumped on it. And wow, was I glad I did! AAAAAH!! INDIE HORROR HITS VOL. 1, from Crypt Club Productions, is a collection of seven very well made short films that vary in regard to sub-genre. Represented here are ghost stories, outbreak scares, horror-comedy, and more.

One of the best aspects to this collection is that ALL of the stories are interesting and pulled me in immediately. The script writers do an excellent job of creating the tension and suspense they are striving for in such a short period of time. The films range in length from three minutes long all the way up to 32 minutes long. But even so, they are each perfect in length for their stories.

Also, the acting is superb. I was a little unsure about what I was going to get, given the fact that these are indie films and low-budget in most cases. But I was pleasantly surprised. Each cast is top-notch in all categories.

Two of the films that stand out above the rest are THE CRYPT CLUB and OCULUS.

In THE CRYPT CLUB, an initiation gone wrong leaves two girls dead and the ring-leader of the group fighting for her life to escape a graveyard. I love everything about this piece. The story was excellent and suspenseful, the acting was perfect, and the cinematography was stunning. I hope to see future work from these folks soon.

In OCULUS, a young man's obsession with an evil mirror leads him to the brink of madness. This film is the longest in length, but is also excellent in every way. The story, acting, and filming are great as well, but the fact that there's only one character in the whole piece really makes it for me. Bottom line for this one: excellent.

Overall, I highly recommend AAAAAH!! INDIE HORROR HITS VOL. 1. The intriguing blend of genres on this disk makes me want Volume II very badly. So if you're a fan of shorts, pick this one up for sure.

CLICK HERE to purchase the DVD

CLICK HERE to watch the trailer

Check out the trailer for SATAN'S FACEBOOK!

I found this a few days ago while browsing the Quietearth website. SETAN FACEBOOK (or SATAN'S FACEBOOK) is an Indonesian film, and while there are no subtitles for this trailer, you can still enjoy it for the visuals. This looks like it could be a very cool Horror flick.

Here is the plot:

At the age of 19, Farah was very energetic and spontaneous. She was considered as over confidence girl by her friends. Cici, her best friend and Nauvam her boyfriend have often reminded her not to get too obsessed with her status on facebook. She has never missed an update no matter how busy she is. The terror begins when Farah was invited to become friends with a stranger named Mira Anindhita. Fortunately, Farah has never confirmed the invitation, while friends who have, suddenly start dying. Farah begins to fear, what is actually happening? Is death of the people around related to her an online activities or is it a psycho who terrorizes their victims. Is there any relationship between Farah and the mysterious figure who killed her friends? Will Farah survive?

CLICK HERE to watch the trailer

DVD Review: FREAKSHOW (2007)

The Asylum Home Entertainment presents, FREAKSHOW, written by Keith Leopard and directed by Drew Bell. Here is the basic plot from imdb.com:

In a modern retelling of Tod Browning's "Freaks" (1932), "Freakshow" tells the story of a group of criminals who chose to hide out by working security at a traveling circus. At first, they plot with an insider to steal the ticket sales, but the wily Lucy has bigger plans. She convinces the gang to let her seduce and marry the aging circus owner, Lon, in order to secure the entire circus fortune after he "suffers an accident".

Fans of Tod Browning's FREAKS will find a lot of similarities throughout this film to that 1932 classic, as well as many differences and slight changes. FREAKSHOW holds it's own while it shows homage to Browning's film. Remaking a classic like FREAKS is a hefty chore, but the filmmakers behind this task proved themselves to be worthy of the chore, and succeeded in every possible way. First off, the main thing that was done, and had to be done in my opinion, in order to pull off a successful "re-imaging" of Browning's film, was the casting of real "freaks" in the movie. I put quotes around the term "freaks" because these people are not really freaks at all, they are just regular people born with disabilities that most people could not handle with the enthusiasm and positiveness that these certain folks do. They have turned their disabilities into careers, as these "freaks" are actual sideshow performers who perform around the country today! You will see a cast of great characters, including suspension artists (people who are suspended above the ground by hooks in their skin), a half man, and a man with no arms who does everything a person with hands and arms could do, plus more. He is a master knife thrower, using his toes and leg strength to hurl knives towards the target, hitting it every time. (Special Feature footage of this man driving to work with this feet is both amazing and inspirational to watch). Wow....this review is getting too light and fluffy for a Horror film of this magnitude....on to the gore!!

The film is full of great gore, most notably the end scene when the "freaks" extract their revenge onto Lucy, the beautiful woman who was trying to bankrupt their circus for her gain. What they do to Lucy is truly horrifying and done with such realism and belief that I found myself squirming in pain for her! Most movies don't generate this kind of response from me, but this movie did for sure. If you thought the torture scenes in the HOSTEL films were bad, just wait until you watch the last ten minutes of FREAKSHOW!

Great acting, great effects, great camera work, great story....I have nothing but positive things to say about this film. Even the music caught my attention as being extremely good, which I honestly don't pay much attention to in a lot of films. This film is full of original music recordings of songs from the late teens and early 20's era of music. That old music with the record player scratch sounds and general tone set a very creepy atmosphere for the film. Any fan of the original FREAKS will love this film, and even if you have never heard of Tod Browning's FREAKS, you will still enjoy it. I highly recommend this film for any Horror movie fan!

CLICK HERE to watch the trailer
CLICK HERE to purchase the DVD

CLICK HERE to visit the official website of The Asylum Home Entertainment

DVD Review: LAKE PLACID 3 (2010)

------Review by contributing writer Scott Baker------
LAKE PLACID 3
Directed by G.E. Furst
Courtesy of Sony Pictures
Released: 2010

I have to admit: I’m not usually a big fan of sequels. I mean, don’t get me wrong…they do have their place in film. And some sequels are even fun. But overall, they just don’t do much for me.

Fortunately, LAKE PLACID 3 is one of those fun films, a welcome addition to the creature-feature family. In case you missed the SyFy Channel debut a couple of weeks ago, here is the plot courtesy of imdb:

A game warden moves his family to Lake Placid, once the site of deadly crocodile attacks. Locals assure him the crocs are gone, but his mischievous young son finds a few baby crocs and begins feeding them. They quickly grow into very big adults and start attacking the game warden's family and nearby town.

The acting in LAKE PLACID 3 is superb, with lead-actor Colin Ferguson mixing a perfect blend of humor and seriousness for his role as the game warden. This grim wit is seen throughout the movie and often freshens up what could have been a stale script in certain scenes. Michael Ironside is there as well, delivering his low-toned, gruff responses to play off of Ferguson’s humor. And Yancy Butler, who I’ve always enjoyed, gives a stellar (if not over-the-top) performance as a rugged tour-guide. Although she’s not introduced into a third of the way into the movie, she was one of the key components that made the movie for me.

The film is shot very well, with many steadi-cam visuals that help create suspense. I’m a big supporter of steadi-cams, as long as they’re done well, and LAKE PLACID 3 pulls them off perfectly. I also enjoy shots that employ movement in the camera instead of just sitting stationary; this film does not disappoint in that aspect either.

Director G.E. Furst did a great job of capturing the same spirit as the original LAKE PLACID as well. Few sequels out there can do such a thing, with many just rehashing the original film’s plot. Not so with LAKE PLACID 3. Furst immerses us in the same type of suspense that caught our collective breaths in the first film, but then takes us to a new level by adding a couple of surprises throughout the course of the plot.

But while the movie was a success in my book for entertainment value, it did lack in a couple of aspects. The primary fail for me was the lack of ‘real’ crocodile props. Every croc seen in the film as far as I can tell is computer-generated. And, although visual technology is staggeringly realistic, nothing can substitute for the ‘real’ thing. So when I see someone dragged across a lakeshore in the ‘mouth’ of a croc, but there’s no blood or even apparent contact between said beast and its victim, I find it hard to be actually concerned for the character of the dilemma. CG has its place, but this was not it.

Overall, though, I have to highly recommend LAKE PLACID 3. It’s a fun, blood-filled romp, complete with cocky campers, cockeyed jokes, and cranky crocs. Fans of creature-features will certainly enjoy this installment of the LAKE PLACID trilogy and might even find themselves hesitant to trek into the water for a while.

LAKE PLACID 3 is set to hit DVD on October 26th.

CLICK HERE to watch the regular trailer
CLICK HERE to watch the RED BAND trailer (nsfw!)
CLICK HERE to pre-order the DVD

This week's Horror related DVD releases: Tuesday, October 12th

Here are the Horror related DVD's coming out tomorrow, 10/12/10:
(Click on a title to see a trailer for that film)

* CARNIES
* COFFIN ROCK
* THE DARK LURKING
* THE DIRECTOR'S CUT
* DOGHOUSE
* LOST BOYS: THE THIRST [DVD & Blu-ray]
* MAGIC [Blu-ray]
* MANSON, MY NAME IS EVIL
* RED DRAGON [Blu-ray]
* S&MAN (Sandman) [DVD & Blu-ray]
* SCULPTURE

Check out the trailer for AND SOON THE DARKNESS

While browsing one of my favorite websites today (Firstshowing.net), I ran across an article about a film called, AND SOON THE DARKNESS. Apparently this is a remake of a 1970 film by the same name. This is the kind of remake I like, as it brings new life and a completely new audience to a film. I don't know about you, but I had never heard of the original before reading about this new film. Here is the basic plot from imdb:

When two American girls on a bike trip in a remote part of Argentina split up and one of them goes missing, the other must find her before her worst fears are realized.

This looks like it could be really good, very suspenseful, and even takes on an I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE vibe towards the end when the girl goes after her friend herself and looks to take on the captors hand to hand. I hope this film will be as good as the trailer makes it look. AND SOON THE DARKNESS will be in limited theaters this December 17th.

TEXAS FRIGHTMARE WEEKEND 2011--first guests have been announced!!

The first guests for TEXAS FRIGHTMARE WEEKEND 2011 have been announced, and it is already turning out to be quite an impressive line up of Horror stars!!! Next year's TFW will be held April 29 - May 1, 2010 at the Sheraton Grand Hotel in Irving, TX (DALLAS). I have attended the past two TFW's and have had a blast each time, so I will be at next years again for sure!


Here is the current list of guests that have been announced so far:




MICHAEL BALDWIN - Phantasm I, III, IV









CLIVE BARKER - Creator/director of Hellraiser and Nightbreed







DOUG BRADLEY -- Pinhead from the Hellraiser films






DON COSCARELLI -- Director of Phantasm I-IV, BubbaHo-Tep









ROBERT ENGLUND - Freedy Krueger himself!!








ASHLEY LAURENCE- Hellraiser







ANGUS SCRIMM- The Tall Man from the Phantasm films





Next year's guest lineup is already looking great! This is just the start, though. Many more guests will be announced all the way up to showtime! I will bring you more guest announcements as I get them! I hope to see you at TEXAS FRIGHTMARE WEEKEND 2011!!

DVD Review: LIVE FEED (2006)

------Review by contributing writer Scott Baker------

LIVE FEED

Directed by Ryan Nicholson

Courtesy of Plotdigger Films Inc.

I’m not a big fan of torture films overall, so when Hayes asked me to review Live Feed, I was somewhat hesitant. Don’t get me wrong…I like gore in my horror films…in fact, I love it. But there’s just something about torture flicks that don’t do anything for me. This is one of the reasons I did not like Hostel.

Thankfully, though, Live Feed turned out to be much better than Hostel, and I enjoyed watching it. The plot of the film, according to the back of the DVD, is this:

A group of five young tourists, traveling in Asia, realize that the thoughtless acts of one will bring horrific consequences that none of them could have ever imagined. Upon entering a movie theater, little do they know that they have crossed into a living hell: a place where a sadistic Crime Boss entertains his fetish for voyeurism and flesh, with “live feed” images from the VIP rooms. Graphic and gruesome action-packed scenes play out as these friends fight for their lives against the Boss and his executioners. Before the night is over, few will survive and a shocking twist will leave you in disbelief.

I have to admit: this was a fun film to watch. The acting is not superb, but the cast does a decent enough job, well enough so that it doesn’t detract from the experience. And although the subject matter is pretty dark, director Ryan Nicholson does a good job of throwing some tongue-in-cheek dialogue in to help lighten the mood every now and then.
Shot on location in a real porn theater, this film conveys the true sense of ‘underground cinema’. The scenes are dark and gritty, and the whole ‘creepy surroundings’ overtone is evident throughout. I wouldn’t be surprised if a few of the movie patrons in the film were actual movie-goers that the production team added to the cast.

I truly love the death scenes in LIVE FEED. Even though I don’t like torture, I sure do appreciate a unique demise for a character. One of my favorites from this film occurs when one of the executioners rams a glass tube into a girl’s mouth and then forces a live snake down into it. Then, after the snake is inside of her, they staple her mouth shut. Gruesome and certainly cringe-worthy!

My only complaint about the film is that there’s no real twist in the plot, like the DVD cover suggests. There is a possible attempt at one (I won’t go into detail so you can watch it), but it is never really fleshed out. Still, though, the concept and writing are good and the film is shot very well.

Overall, I like LIVE FEED and think it is certainly worth checking out. But make sure you eat before you do…otherwise, you might not have an appetite afterwards.

CLICK HERE to watch the trailer

CLICK HERE to purchase the DVD

DVD Review: NIGHTMARE ALLEY (2010)

NIGHTMARE ALLEY is a film that was written, produced, and directed by Walter Ruether and Laurence Holloway and is being distributed by Brain Damage Films. Here is the basic plot from the Brain Damage Films website:

Turn down the lights, grab your popcorn and join your host, the master of the macabre Scarlet Fry, for a hellishly wicked fright-fest guaranteed to freeze your blood! Vengeful ghosts, walking dead cowboys, and other ghastly beings abound in seven tales of shock and terror from beyond the grave. Equally horrific and humorous, "Nightmare Alley" is an over-the-top exercise in shock. Presented completely uncut and uncensored, it will scare the living yell out of you!

I didn't know what to expect when I put this DVD in...the box art and screen shots on the back of the DVD case let me know that this was going to be a very low budget horror film. Sometimes that can be a good thing, but more often than not you end up with a horror film that falls flat. Luckily with NIGHTMARE ALLEY, we get a low budget horror film that is just as entertaining if not more so than many other bigger budget features.

The film is a compilation of 7 different short films, with an introduction between each one by Scarlet Fry, a creepy creature with a horror-ible sense of humor! This is very reminiscent of a film such as CREEPSHOW or a show like TALES FROM THE CRYPT. Scarlet Fry talks about each film you just watched and then talks a little about the next story, often with puns so bad, you can't help but laugh. I love these types of films. Mainly because you get a variety of stories instead of just one story like most films. With 7 different short stories, there is bound to be something here that everyone will enjoy!!!

The seven stories include some great ones, like "A Fistful of Innards", a western with Zombies! Finally a western worth watching! This story contained some great gore effects, all done with practical effects and no CG!! Thank goodness! Another great story was "Slash of the Blade", a slasher film where the slasher commits his murders in broad daylight in the middle of seemingly public areas...a nice twist on the normal slasher flick design, although a somewhat unbelievable twist. Still the story was good and the slasher himself was cool, looking like a weird, chubbier version of Jack the Ripper.

Other stories were good, but lacked something in one way or another. "Meat" was the story of a girl who chops up her boyfriend and feeds it to her neighbor. "The Great Damone" tells the story of a painter who uses the blood from his girlfriend he kills to create a masterpiece (a la Herschel l Gordon Lewis' COLOR ME BLOOD RED). "Rebellion" tells the story of a Devil possessed toy rat that can control whoever possesses the rat. "Death Chat" is a story that will make you think twice about cheating on your spouse. When a woman comes home and catches her boyfriend cheating on her, tempers flare and it ends with a great ax to the face gore effect. All of these stories had enough going for them to keep me entertained, but lacked something from being considered really great, mainly lack of plot or point, or in the case of "Death Chat" some really bad acting. I do have to say, though, for a low budget feature like this, the acting was surprisingly good overall.

Now, with the good comes the bad, and in this film....it is really bad. "Closet Case" tells the story of a punk rock guy waiting on a bench at a bus stop when an overly stereotypical homosexual guy comes up and starts hitting on him. The rocker gets tired of it and eventually takes the gay guy into an alley and stabs him. He finds a gay men's magazine on the guy he just killed, and takes it behind a dumpster and starts to....ahem..read it. That is it. That is the story. What made up for it was when it was over and cut to our host, Scarlet Fry. Instead of having something to say about the story, he just kinda looked at the camera, smirked and shrugged his shoulders as if to say, "I'm not sure what that was all about". He then immediately started his introduction to the next film. This was a very funny move and more or less made the entire story feel like a set up just for that piece of humor. If that was the case, then it worked I guess!!

Overall this was an enjoyable film, if you enjoy low budget horror films. As an aspiring filmmaker, I love these kinds of films, as they contain a lot of cheap effects you can learn from. While not a classic Horror film by any means, it was fun and entertaining, which is what a cheap horror film should be.

DVD special features include Trailers of other Brain Damage Films titles, an Art Gallery, and Writer& Director chat.

CLICK HERE to watch the trailer

CLICK HERE to purchase the DVD

Fanboy Comics Presents: SOMETHING ANIMAL

Fanboy Comics is a new independent comic book publishing company founded by Barbra Dillon, Bryant Dillon, and Sam Rhodes. Fanboy has some great projects lined up, but the biggest one is a joint-project consisting of an upcoming graphic novel and short film titled, SOMETHING ANIMAL. Here is the basic plot:

After witnessing his sister's brutal murder, Jack struggles to cope with the disturbing psychological aftermath. Tormented by images of the attack, Jack finds himself physically ill and unable to eat. Scared and alone, he is forced to confront a growing thirst for blood and the harsh reality that either his sanity is quickly crumbling or that he is turning into something else....something dark...something animal!

Those lucky enough to attend this years San Diego Comic Con had a chance to nab an exclusive Fanboy Comics DVD, which featured a preview of the SOMETHING ANIMAL graphic novel and 2 trailers for the upcoming short film. I got my hands on one of these DVD's and I am super excited about this project. The short film was produced by Barbra Dillon, written by Sam Rhodes and is directed by Bryant Dillon. The graphic novel was written by both Sam and Bryant based on a story by Ben Rhodes. The graphic novel features the artwork of Robert Burrows.

The trailers for the short film don't give much away, they are more of teasers if anything, but from the little we see, I can say I am super excited about seeing the full film. It looks to be super low budget, and looks to be a gritty tale of vampires. And you gore hounds should not be disappointed, as from the looks of the trailer, we are in store for plenty of bloodshed, as any good vampire film should have!

The graphic novel looks to be just as good if not even better than the film. The artwork by Robert Burrows is great. It is not clean and polished like some comic art, but that is a good thing here, and is a very fitting style for this type of dark story (think Templesmith's artwork for the 30 Days of Night comics).

I will keep you posted once I have seen a release date for both the short film and the graphic novel of SOMETHING ANIMAL!

CLICK HERE to visit the official website of SOMETHING ANIMAL

CLICK HERE to visit the official website of Fanboy Comics

Check out FEARnet.com's original web series, ZOMBIE ROADKILL!

The net is all abuzz about the Sam Raimi produced, ZOMBIE ROADKILL...an original web series from FEARnet.com. Episodes 1 through 3 are out now, with a new episode coming each night. There will be 6 episodes in total. Here is the basic plot of the show from FEARnet.com:

In this terrifyingly funny new series from FEARnet and Ghost House Pictures, a group of college kids driving on an unfamiliar winding road through a national park accidentally run over an unsuspecting squirrel. They quickly discover that this is no ordinary road - the woods are alive with the undead, animals reanimated as vengeful, murderous zombies!

CLICK HERE to watch ZOMBIE ROADKILL

This week's Horror related DVD releases: Tuesday, October 5th

Here are this week's Horror related DVD's coming out tomorrow, 10/5:

(click a title to see a trailer for that film)

* 2001 MANIACS [Blu-ray]

* 30 DAYS OF NIGHT: DARK DAYS

* THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT [Blu-ray]

* DESTINED TO BE INGESTED

* DON'T LOOK IN THE CELLAR

* THE EVIL/TWICE DEAD (DOUBLE FEATURE)

* THE EXORCIST [Blu-ray]

* THE FARM

* FINGERPRINTS [Blu-ray]

* GRINDHOUSE [Blu-ray]

* THE GRUDGE/SILENT HILL (2-pack) [Blu-ray]

* HIGH TENSION [Blu-ray]

* THE HUMAN CENTIPEDE [DVD and Blu-ray]

* A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET (2010 Remake)

* OPEN WATER/OPEN WATER 2: ADRIFT Double Feature [Blu-ray]

* SISTERS [Blu-ray]

* THE SLUMBER PARTY MASSACRE COLLECTION

* SPLICE

* TROLL 2 [DVD and Blu-ray]

* YOGA

WOW! October is here, and you can tell with the massive amounts of DVD's being released! I love this time of year, but man is it hard on the wallet!! Must haves this week include the remake of A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET, THE EXORCIST Blu-ray, THE HUMAN CENTIPEDE, THE SLUMBER PARTY MASSACRE COLLECTION, and the best worst movie of all time, TROLL 2! Also, my number one choice this week is the GRINDHOUSE Blu-ray, which puts the film back together as a double feature of Planet Terror and Death Proof, the way it was originally meant to be seen!!