This week's Horror related DVD/Blu-ray releases: Tuesday, December 31st, 2013

Here are this week's horror related DVDs and Blu-rays that come out tomorrow, 12/31
(Click on a title to see a trailer for that film)

*  CASSADAGA
*  NIGHTMARE CITY  [DVD & Blu-ray]
*  SANITARIUM
*  ZOMBIE 108
*  ZOMBIE HAMLET

I will be taking a break from posting this week for the Christmas holiday, but check out one of my all time favorite holiday posts...

*** Originally posted Dec. 24, 2009 ***







 Merry Christmas to all readers of Hayes Hudson's House of Horror! I hope you have a great holiday weekend! In honor of the Christmas holiday, I want to share with you one of my favorite Christmas themed Horror films! This is a 16 minute short film that I posted about earlier in the year. If you missed it, you are in luck. If you have already seen it, you in luck too because you get to see it again! It is definitely worth a second viewing! So here it is, for your viewing pleasure....I give you..........TREEVENGE!!

Click HERE to watch the short film, TREEVENGE!

Click HERE to go to the official TREEVENGE website

Here is another great horror short film you need to check out! BRUTAL RELAX

  Here is another must see horror short.  It is a Spanish film called BRUTAL RELAX  and was written by David Muñoz, and directed by Adrián Cardona, Rafa Dengrá, and David Muñoz.  A huge thanks to my buddy Scott over at the Shattered Ravings Blog for telling me about this film.  Here is the plot of the film from Fearnet.com:

Going into a rage has never been as much fun as it is in this over-the-top Spanish Horror-Comedy. Mr. Olivares has already recovered, but now he needs a vacation to go to some heavenly place where he can relax and blithely enjoy himself. A group of Deep Ones will destroy his expectations.

  This is an awesome film, full of great gore.  I am usually not a fan of CG gore, but this is done very well and actually looks really good. 

  The short is not safe for work, as it does contain tons of gore and some nudity, so be advised.
Check it out and let me know what you think by leaving a comment below.  I would love to see these filmmakers team up again for a full length feature someday!



CLICK HERE to watch the film

DVD Review: CAESAR AND OTTO'S DEADLY XMAS (2012)

CAESAR AND OTTO'S DEADLY XMAS
Written & Directed by Dave Campfield
Distributed by MVD Entertainment Group

  A while back on this blog, I reviewed a great horror/comedy called CAESAR AND OTTO'S SUMMER CAMP MASSACRE.    I remember really enjoying that film, so I was super excited when I got the chance to review the newest Caesar and Otto film, CAESAR AND OTTO'S DEADLY XMAS. Unfortunately, I have to admit I was extremely disappointed in this film. Here is the plot of the film from the MVD website:

  Caesar and his half brother Otto take on duties as Santa and his elf. However, the bodies begin to pile up when a fellow store Santa (CKY's Deron Miller) develops a vendetta against them, and he soon turns Caesar's list of Dinner guests into a list of Xmas-inspired victims! Features cult movie icons Linnea Quigley, Brinke Stevens, Lloyd Kaufman, Joe Estevez, Felissa Rose and Robert Z'dar.

  So don't get me wrong, the film is not terrible, and it does have a few things going for it, but I was just not entertained overall by this film.  Maybe I was hoping for too much, or expecting more from it than I should have, but this film just fell flat for me.   The film was definitely more comedy than horror, as even the "horror " scenes were campy and supposed to be funny.  Unfortunately, usually they weren't really all that funny, even though you could tell they were trying to be.  

  Also, I will use this film as my gateway to telling you about one of my pet peeves about low budget horror films, and that is the inclusion of Troma's Lloyd Kaufman in the film with a cameo.  I know that Lloyd is a huge supporter of independent film, and he offers his services for a small fee to help filmmakers  get a "name" on their cast list, but to be honest, I think it might actually have more of a  negative effect than a positive one.  For me it looks like a gimmick, and usually if a film needs to use a gimmick like that, then the movie appears to be lacking any real substance.

  I hate that I didn't enjoy this one more, as I really like the actors that play Caesar and Otto, but this film just didn't do anything for me.  Give it a shot, though, and see what you think.  Maybe I just wasn't in the holiday horror/comedy spirit.  CAESAR AND OTTO'S DEADLY XMAS is available now on DVD and contains the following special features:

Three Commentary Tracks (Director, Cast/ Crew, Actors)

Behind the Scenes Featurette

Alternate Scenes

Short film: Piggyzilla

Short Film: Otto's First Job

Trailers

Bonus Short Film: The Perfect Candidate

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







 

Check out the brutal, violent, yet remarkable short film, SICKO

  I am a huge fan of horror short films, and I have just watched one that was extremely effective.   The film is called SICKO from filmmakers Vincent Gallagher & Luke Adey.  The film is very short, and very simple, yet was very unnerving and disturbing.  Pretty good for a film running just over 5 minutes long! 

The film was shot in a very cool style.  It is very atmospheric and creepy, especially with the choice of the perfect music that really set the tone for the film.  The unique first person perspective used in the prostitute beating was remarkable. 

  Take this warning, though. SICKO is called that for a reason. The film starts off in a very weird, twisted, way and continues that way throughout the film.  This film is definitely for adults only!

  Give this short a watch and then check out some of the other great films from Gallagher's production company, Tape End Productions. 


CLICK HERE to watch SICKO  (**Warning** NOT SAFE FOR WORK - contains nudity and violence)

CLICK HERE to view some of the other films from Tape End Productions

 

Check out the trailer for the upcoming film, CHEAP THRILLS

 I saw a post about this film on the Ultimate Horror Films facebook page.  The film is called CHEAP THRILLS and it looks like it is going to be very good. Here is the plot synopsis of the film from the moviepilot website:


  Cheap Thrills follows Craig (Pat Healy), a struggling family man who loses his low-wage job and is threatened with eviction. In an effort to delay facing the music at home, he heads to a local bar and encounters an old friend (Ethan Embry). The two friends are roped into a round of drinks by a charismatic and obscenely wealthy stranger (David Koechner) along with his mysterious wife (Sara Paxton). The couple engages the two friends in a series of innocent dares in exchange for money over the course of the evening, with each challenge upping the ante in both reward and boundaries. It seems like easy and much needed money, but the couple’s twisted sense of humor pushes just how far Craig and his friend are willing to go for money and cheap thrills.

  CHEAP THRILLS stars David Koechner , who is one of my favorite comedic actors.  Looks like this roll will provide him a chance to show a different character than we are used to seeing him play.   CHEAP THRILLS opens in select theaters March 21st, 2014.  Click below to watch the trailer and let me know what you think!


CLICK HERE to watch the trailer

This week's Horror related DVD/Blu-ray releases: Tuesday, December 17th, 2013

Here are this week's horror related DVDs and Blu-rays that come out tomorrow, 12/17
(Click on a title to see a trailer for that film)

*  AMUSE ME
*  THE BATES HAUNTING
*  THE BEAST WITHIN  [Blu-ray]
*  CHILDREN OF A DARKER DAWN
*  CRAWLSPACE  [Blu-ray]
*  DEVIL'S PASS
*  GHOST TEAM ONE
*  HEY...STOP STABBING ME!
*  THE HOSPITAL
*  MISCHIEF NIGHT
*  SILENCE
*  TOAD ROAD
*  TORMENTOR
*  TRAUMA
*  THE WHIP AND THE BODY
*  THE WITCH WHO CAME FROM THE SEA

Check out the trailer for the christian horror film, THE LOCK IN...

  I was browsing on the Rue-Morgue website when I came across a headline that really caught my attention.  The headline was "Christian horror film wants to scare the porn demons out of you".  What in the world?  Ha!  The film is called, THE LOCK IN.  Here is some info about the film from the official press release:


“Imagine your life being torn apart and the very wiring of your brain being changed by a seemingly innocent prank. This is what happens when three teenage boys are terrorized by demon activity after a ‘dirty magazine’ is snuck into an overnight church event called a lock in. During the lock in, members of the youth group are ‘locked in’ the church to have fun, play games, and get to know one another. In spite of the youth pastor’s attempt to intervene, the boys must come to terms with the pornographic images themselves in order to be truly freed from the demon. …
“The demon is a metaphor for the true damage pornography can have in the lives of youth. There are never graphic or pornographic images shown in the movie. The producers of the film felt that it was important to tell a Christian story about real issues but to keep the images family friendly so anyone could be entertained without fear of exposure to questionable pictures.”


  Sounds interesting. The trailer looks like your typical found footage, "Paranormal Activity" knock off.  I am not sure this film will keep teenage boys from looking at dirty magazines in the future, but it's worth a shot I guess!  What do you think about the trailer?  Does it look like this will be a good, scary movie?  Leave a comment and let me know your thoughts!


CLICK HERE to watch the trailer
CLICK HERE to visit the film's official website

Blu-ray Review: THE SEASONING HOUSE (2012)

  
THE SEASONING HOUSE
Directed by Paul Hyett
Distributed by WELL GO USA

  From the looks of the Blu-ray cover I was expecting some cheesy, Japanese style horror film...like along the lines of RINGU or the JU-ON films.  The cover image just reminded me of that for some reason.  Well, I am happy to say that THE SEASONING HOUSE is nothing like that at all. In fact, it's not really a horror film at all, although it does contain some horror aspects. More on that later, first, here is the basic plot synopsis from the Well Go USA website:

  The Seasoning House - where young girls are prostituted to the military. Angel (Rosie Day), an orphaned deaf mute, is enslaved to care for them. She moves between the walls and crawlspaces, planning her escape. Planning her ingenious and brutal revenge.

  This film is more of a dark drama/suspense/thriller...it's not a true horror film by any means.  The acting in this film is superb and some scenes look like they really took a lot effort from the actors.   The film was shot well and just looks good.  One thing I could not get over was how good some of the kill scenes were.  One scene in particular that was so good was a stabbing scene.  I have never seen such a realistic stabbing scene in a movie before. This scene made me cringe many times, something that most movies can't do.  This scene was super bloody and extremely brutal.  It's hard to watch so be warned!

 This shows to be Director Paul Hyett's first feature film according to his imdb.com page.   This is very impressive and I can't wait to check out more from Mr. Hyett in the future!  THE SEASONING HOUSE is available now on DVD and Blu-ray from Well Go USA.   I highly recommend this one!!


CLICK HERE to purchase the DVD
CLICK HERE to purchase the Blu-ray

Check out the new teaser trailer for next summer's GODZILLA film!

   I have to admit that I have had zero excitement for this film since hearing about it.  I guess after the awful 1998 GODZILLA remake, I had pretty much given up on this franchise.  But, I have to say after seeing this new trailer, I am actually excited about seeing this new version.    This trailer looks amazing visually, and I hope the entire movie has this look and feel to it.   I think we might be in for a real treat with this one!  GODZILLA has a release date set for May 16th, 2014, although that is subject to change.

  Take a look at the trailer and comment to let me know what you think about this film.  Will you be checking this one out in the theaters?  I know I will be!

CLICK HERE to watch the trailer

This week's Horror related DVD/Blu-ray releases: Tuesday, December 10th, 2013

Here are this week's horror related DVDs and Blu-rays that come out tomorrow, 12/10
(Click on a title to see a trailer for that film)

*  7E
*  BERBERIAN SOUND STUDIO
*  THE SEASONING HOUSE  [DVD and Blu-ray]
*  A SERBIAN FILM: UNCUT
*  SILENT NIGHT, BLOODY NIGHT  (1973)
*  THE SNAKE GOD  (1970)
*  ZOMBIE NIGHT  [DVD and Blu-ray]

Blu-ray Review: ALL THE BOYS LOVE MANDY LANE (2006)

 
ALL THE BOYS LOVE MANDY LANE
Directed by Jonathan Levine
Distributed by Anchor Bay Entertainment

  This is one film that I have been looking forward to seeing for years.   I heard about this movie years ago, and periodically there would be news of a DVD release date, but that date would come and go and the release kept being delayed.  Finally, ALL THE BOYS LOVE MANDY LANE has been released by the great folks at Anchor Bay Entertainment!   I am happy to say, it was worth the wait!  This was one of the most enjoyable horror films I have seen this year!  Here is the basic plot of the film from the Anchor Bay website:

  Amber Heard (Machete Kills) stars as Mandy Lane, an untouchable Texas high-school beauty who is invited by her classmates to a weekend getaway at a secluded ranch. But as the sun goes down and the party rages on, the festivities take a disturbing turn. And for lovely Mandy Lane, a night of endless horror has just begun. Anson Mount (“Hell On Wheels”), Whitney Able (Monsters) and Michael Welch (The Twilight Saga) co-star in this acclaimed and controversial shocker from director Jonathan Levine (Warm Bodies).

  As I said before, this film was definitely worth the wait.  I really enjoyed this film for a number of reasons.  The main thing I loved about this film was the style of it.  It was shot very well and in a cool style, with some different scene fades, and some other shots I am not used to in a horror film.  It's hard for me to really describe, but you will see what I mean about the shooting style when you see it. 

  Another great thing about this film is the acting.  I thought it was done very well with not a weak actor in the group.   The story is one we have seen before  (kids go to a camp/cabin/whatever and get picked off one by one), but this film managed to bring a nice twist to this overly done plot theme.   I can't say I didn't see it coming, and you will most definitely figure out who the killer is before it is revealed, but there is still a nice twist at the end that you probably wont see coming.  

  I highly recommend this film for any fan of slasher flicks.  ALL THE BOYS LOVE MANDY LANE is available now on DVD and Blu-ray from Anchor Bay Films, and includes Feature Commentary with Director Jonathan Levine.


CLICK HERE to watch the trailer
CLICK HERE to purchase the DVD
CLICK HERE to purchase the Blu-ray

Here's a recommendation for a great new horror novel, THE DEVIL'S WOODS by Brian Moreland

THE DEVIL'S WOODS
by Brian Moreland
Published by Samhain Publishing

"This is indeed prime, grade-A horror writing." - Scott Baker, Shattered Ravings

For those of you into horror novels, you will definitely want to check out this new book that came out this week.  It is THE DEVIL'S WOODS by Brian Moreland.  My buddy Scott, who runs the Shattered Ravings Blog, gave this book a great review last month.  You can read his review HERE.  Here is the book's plot synopsis from it's Amazon.com page:

 Deep within the Canadian wilderness, people have been disappearing for over a century. There is a place the locals call “the Devil’s Woods,” but to speak of it will only bring the devil to your door. It is a place so evil that even animals avoid it.
  When their father’s expedition team goes missing, Kyle Elkheart and his brother and sister return to the abandoned Cree Indian reservation where they were born. Kyle can see ghosts that haunt the woods surrounding the village—and they seem to be trying to warn him.  The search for their father will lead Kyle and his siblings to the dark heart of the legendary forest, where their mission will quickly become a fight for survival.


 My buddy Scott has been telling me about Mr. Moreland's novels for some time now.  I trust his judgment completely, as we seem to have the same taste in anything and everything horror related. So if he says this book is a great read, then I believe it, even if I haven't read it myself yet.  Between my full time job, a wife and twin 7 year old boys, and running this blog, I just don't seem to find the time to read like I used to, but I am going to try to find, no, make time to read some of Mr. Moreland's books this coming year.  In fact, I think I will just go ahead and make that one of my New Year's resolutions!

  If you are a fan of horror novels, check out THE DEVIL'S WOODS or any of Mr. Moreland's other great novels. 

CLICK HERE to purchase THE DEVIL'S WOODS

CLICK HERE to visit the official website of author Brian Moreland for info on some of his other novels

DVD Review: HORROR STORIES (2012)

HORROR STORIES
Distributed by:  Artsploitation Films

  I am  a huge fan of foreign horror films, especially Asian horror.  I am also a huge fan of horror anthologies, so this South Korean horror anthology film had a lot going for it in my eyes before I ever watched it.  Luckily, upon actually watching the film, I was not disappointed in the least.  This is one of the better horror anthologies I have seen in a while!   Here is some info on the film from the Artsploitation Films website:


Horror anthologies might be everywhere these days, but the Korean entry Horror Stories raises the bar with four terrifying stories (and a nail-biting wraparound tale), each one chilling enough to be its own feature. If you thought this was going to be a tame collection of teen-friendly “ghost girl” stories – think again. Horror Stories goes right for the jugular with non-stop splatter, intense shocks and riveting suspense. A high school girl is abducted and forced by a psycho to tell him the scariest tales she knows.

• “Don’t Answer the Door” finds a little brother and sister home alone at night and under siege.
• “Endless Flight” has a serial killer escaping police custody in the middle of an otherwise empty flight.
• “Secret Recipe” serves up a wildly macabre fairy tale about two jealous stepsisters who take plastic surgery to nightmarish extremes.
• “Ambulance on the Death Zone” is a claustrophobic zombie shocker with a paramedic and a mother at a standoff over her possibly infected young daughter.

An international genre festival success from Sitges to Fantasia, this is one of the best Korean horror films in years and has been called “one of the scariest Asian horror anthologies of the 21st century” (horror-movies.ca).


HORROR STORIES is a must see for any horror fan in my opinion.  The production value is top notch and the acting in all 4 stories is superb.  I think the first and last story are my favorites by far, with the last story (“Ambulance on the Death Zone”) being my favorite.  This is a zombie film done in a very unique way, as most of the entire film takes place inside an ambulance.  The confined space of the ambulance really works well with this story and adds to the suspense.  

HORROR STORIES is available now on DVD and it includes the following Special Features:

*  Cast Interviews
*  12-page Collectible Booklet
*  Reversible Cover Art
*  Artsploitation Trailers


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

This week's Horror related DVD/Blu-ray releases: Tuesday, December 3rd, 2013

Here are this week's horror related DVDs and Blu-rays that come out tomorrow, 12/3
(Click on a title to see a trailer for that film)

*  ALL THE BOYS LOVE MANDY LANE  [DVD & Blu-ray]
*  DEMON
*  RENFIELD THE UNDEAD
*  SATURN 3  [Blu-ray/DVD combo]
*  THE SEASONING HOUSE  [Blu-ray]
*  TRAIL OF BLOOD