Blu-ray Review: RED FLAG DOWN (1992)

RED FLAG DOWN

Directed by:  Christopher P. Smith

Distributed by:  Bloodsick Productions / MVD Entertainment

 Up for review today is another film I have never seen, nor even heard of before.   I assume this will be the case with most people as it seems to be a very obscure film.  It's so obscure that I can't even find a listing for it on IMDb.com!   The film is called RED FLAG DOWN.  It's a SOV film from 1992, and looks like a film that my friends and I made on our camcorder back in the 7th grade.  Although I will say this film has a much better story than our Jr. High action films!

Here is the basic plot of the film from the MVD website:

 

  From the makers of such cult classics as THE GIRL FROM S.I.N. and A NIGHT TO DISMEMBER comes an action-packed, bullet-ridden hell ride that rips down the walls between fantasy and reality! When the eccentric owners of a state-of-the-art paintball park invite a young city reporter to preview their genius, things get out of hand when one team realizes they've been tricked into using real bullets, and killing their opponents. Those who were forced to kill their own friends confront the crazed owners only to find they're trapped in the game - and the only way out is through the barrel of a gun! Revenge runs wild in a bloody kill-or-be-killed exchange of death where the final twist is the most shocking plot yet! A shot-on-video super rarity from 1992, RED FLAG DOWN is a wacky, violent, and raw regional action comedy bursting with blood-dripping squibs, quirky characters, and an army of bullet-ridden dead bodies. This hard-to-find SOV shoot-em-up is on target to delight every fan of backyard no-budget movie magic. Blood Sick Productions is proud to present this film in collaboration with Lunchmeat for the first ever disc release of this 1992 SOV classic!

  First off, let me start by saying this is a pretty quick watch.  The Blu-ray cover lists it at 1hr and 2 minutes, but my BD player marked it at 52 minutes.   I mention that because there are some really slow scenes here....which is funny to me considering how short the run time is.   There is a lot of "filler" of the actors just running through the woods looking for their targets.   I felt like the filmmakers had a good idea, but not good enough for a feature length film.  I think this would have worked much better as a 20-30 minute short film. 

  The movie is basically just scenes of people getting shot in slow motion with blood squibs going off.  I think the entire budget was spent on blood squibs, so they really wanted to use them all and show them off!   Unfortunately, this got really repetitive after a while. 

  One positive thing I have to point out was the nice plot twist at the end.  I thought the fact they were tricked into using real guns/bullets was the twist, but the filmmakers had one more twist for the audience that I did not see coming.

 Overall, this is a very underwhelming film.  I have to wonder how some of these films get such nice Blu-ray releases.   If you are a fan of the 90's SOV movies, you'll probably want to check this out, but for most people this one would be a bit of a let down, unfortunately. 

 RED FLAG DOWN is available now on Blu-ray and contains the following Special Features:

• *  Welcome To Florida Asshole!!! - A short film by James Hollenbaugh featuring Christopher Smith
• *  Liner Notes by James Hollenbaugh
• *  Commentary Track by Josh Schafer from Lunchmeat and Brewce Longo & Kasper Meltedhair from Blood Sick Productions

CLICK HERE to purchase the Blu-ray

Blu-ray Review: TAG: THE ASSASSINATION GAME (1982)

TAG:  THE ASSASSINATION GAME

Written & Directed by:  Nick Castle

Distributed by:  Synapse Films / MVD Entertainment

  If the name Nick Castle rings a bell for you, it's because you probably know him as the actor who played Michael Myers in John Carpenter's 1978 classic, HALLOWEEN.   I hate to admit it, but I had no idea he was a director as well.  In fact, he has 13 films he is listed as the director of on his IMDb page.   A lot of these are comedies, including one of my favorites, MAJOR PAYNE.   I guess I don't pay attention to the credits of films much, or maybe I just forgot, but I certainly didn't remember he directed that one!   

  Castle's directorial career began with the subject of today's review.   1982's "TAG:  THE ASSASSINATION GAME".  Here the basic plot synopsis from the Synapse Film's website:

  Before the majority of 1980s college movies were all about nudity, slapstick comedy, beer bongs and bad decisions, TAG: The Assassination Game gave this genre a killer twist. In this 1982 film noir-inspired gem, a group of students turns dorm life into a mock battle royale by playing a game that could never be done on campuses of today.  The rules of TAG are simple. Players try to “murder” each other using rubber-tipped toy dart guns. If you are shot, you are “killed” and taken out of the game permanently until only one player remains. Unfortunately for this year’s TAG players, one sore loser is determined to win at any cost, even if it means murdering his competition for real!

  Let me start off by saying this was an extremely fun film!   I know it doesn't seem like a movie about a psycho killing off college kids should be described as "fun", but it is done in way that it just is.  The film doesn't take itself seriously, and there is some dark humor throughout the film that lightens the mood.  

  What starts as a simple game of campus tag using rubber darts, descends into something more when the reigning champ, Loren Gersh" gets "killed" in a way he felt was unfair.  This infuriates Gersh to the point that he takes "The Assassination Game" moniker to heart, and he trades in his rubber darts for real bullets!  

  Gersh does a good job of hiding his killings.   My favorite was when he was under the bleachers that his next target was sitting on watching track and field practice.  He times his shot perfectly with the starting pistol the coach shoots to start the race, so no one notices his kill!  

 

  Something else that was so much fun about this film, was seeing actors I knew from other films, but really hadn't seen in many other films.   Robert Carradine plays the lead role in TAG.  I pretty much only know his as Lewis Skolnick from the REVENGE OF THE NERDS films.   Linda Hamilton plays the other lead, and we all know her from her many films, but I mainly know her from TERMINATOR 2, of course.  The part of Loren Gersh is played by Bruce Abbott, of RE-ANIMATOR fame. 

  This is a very unique films as it's hard to categorize into one genre.  It's not truly a horror movie, although it does involve killing and shows dead bodies.  It is more action I would say, and a bit of a psychological thriller.  Throw in a love story with Carradine and Hamilton's characters and you truly have a film that has something for everyone in it!

  TAG: THE ASSASSINATION GAME is available now on Blu-ray and contains the following Special Features:

*  Audio Commentary with Director Nick Castle and star Robert Carradine

*  Original Theatrical Trailer

CLICK HERE to purchase the Blu-ray from Synapse Films

CLICK HERE to purchase the Blu-ray from MVD Entertainment

Blu-ray Review: THE MONSTER MASH (2022)

THE MONSTER MASH

Directed by:  Kevin Losani & Richard Terrasi

Distributed by:  Bayview Entertainment

   If you are a fan of anthology films like me, you are going to want to check out Dark Visions Films release of THE MONSTER MASH!   Maybe it's my short attention span, but I love how anthology films are broken down into multiple short films.  It's also always fun to see how they are tied together, as there are multiple fun ways to do that.  This one was done like you were watching a late night creature feature show featuring your host, Dr. Freudstein!  

 Before I go any further, here is a brief plot synopsis from the Bayview Entertainment website:

An anthology throwback to the glorious days of Creature Features that dominated television sets across America. Dr. Freudstein, along with his sidekick Ludwig fumble to create a bio-mechanical experiment all while hosting "The Monster Mash Triple Feature Show”: three gruesome mini horror films: Whispering Hollow Road - A dark shadowy noir with a monstrous twist, The House - A modern gothic tale of lycanthropy, Homebound Horror - A grimy grindhouse tale of revenge of extraterrestrial proportions

 I had no expectations going into this film. I hadn't seen a trailer or heard anything about it.  I'm actually surprised this hasn't been discussed more,  as this film is a lot of fun!  

 The film is made up of 3 short films, all of which were a lot of fun in their own way.  Most anthology films usually have a weak story or two, but that was not the case with this film. 

WHISPERING ROAD -  This is a fun tale of a serial killer on a killer spree. We see the killer kill a prostitute before going on a drive and finding a stranded woman who's car has broken down.  He offers her a ride to the nearest store to use the phone for help, but little does he know the tables are about to be turned on him!   This stranded woman is not a woman at all, and this killer has definitely met his match!

THE HOUSE  -  This was a werewolf film set in a modern time and in a different setting than your usual werewolf films.  A couple goes to look at a house out in the woods.  Apparently the man selling the house really wants to get it sold and does not take "no" for an answer!    This had some great werewolf effects  (better than I expected from a lower budget film to be honest) and some great gore! 

HOMEBOUND HORROR -  This was probably my favorite of all three short films.  It's the story of a marine that has come home to propose to his girlfriend, get married, and start a family.  He  has the case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time and somehow gets dragged into a major conflict with a crime lord.   He is shot, stabbed, and has his faced peeled off, then left for dead out in field, but something falls from the sky and takes over his body.  He is now an alien zombie who seeks revenge for those that wronged him.   His repeating of the phrase, "I'm going home", is actually pretty heartbreaking when you realize what all he's going through versus the only thing he wanted to do.   Part crime film, part alien film, and part zombie film, this one has something for everyone.  It's also probably the goriest of the three films.  

 All three films feature a creature of some kind.  I thought that was a cool theme and fit perfectly with the late night creature feature aspect of this anthology.   If you like these kinds of films, you'll want to check this one out for sure!

 THE MONSTER MASH is available now on Blu-ray and contains the following Special Features:

*  The Making of The Monster Mash

*  Director Commentary

*  Behind the Scenes

*  Faux Trailers

CLICK HERE To watch the trailer

CLICK HERE to purchase the Blu-ray