DVD Review: FACES OF SCHLOCK (2009)

FACES OF SCHLOCK is a film made up of 4 short films and is being distributed by Alternative Cinema, home to some of the greatest Horror and exploitation films to be found. The film is an homage to Horror films of the 80's with a campy feel and an aged look. I found 3 of the 4 films to be a lot of fun, with only one "dud", so overall, this is a great buy. Here are the plots of the 4 individual films from the Alternative Cinema website, followed by my thoughts on each individual film:

“BLOOD WITCH”
Obsessed with revenge, a young woman uses occult powers to summon a seventeenth century witch to perform diabolical deeds. Directed by Andrew Shearer, starring Monica Puller and Countess Samela

BLOOD WITCH was a fun film, clocking in at just 20 minutes, it was the perfect length to tell the story it was needed to tell. A woman summons a witch to do her bidding and kill anyone that annoys her, whether it be her roommate, or the annoying telemarketer that keeps calling. There is some good gore and a bit of dark humor thrown in as well. Also, this short had a very nice twist at the end, that I did not see coming. The acting was good, as was the camera work.

“MIKE WUZ HERE”
The night shift at an old movie theater becomes a terrifying game of cat-and-mouse when the ghost of a suicide haunts the century-old building. Directed by Justin Channell, starring Josh Lively, Zane Crosby and TJ Rogers

This was the one film in this set that didn't do anything for me...in fact, I fast forwarded it after a while to go on to the next film. I can't say much about this one except that maybe hardcore ghost story fans will appreciate it.

“ONE FOOT IN THE GRAVE”
When malpractice results in the loss of a beautiful young dancer’s foot, she reanimates the appendage by black magic for a horrifying revenge! Directed by Chris LaMartina, starring George Stover (John Waters' “Hairspray”) and Sara Cole.

This was by far my favorite film of the bunch. Seeing a woman's decapitated foot come to life and cause all sorts of havoc was just plain fun! The foot seeks revenge on all those that were responsible for separating it from it's owner. The worst revenge is when the foot shoves itself up the arse of the doctor that amputated the limb. The foot goes all the way inside the doctor up his torso and out his mouth. Just plain nasty fun. There is tons of humor throughout this story as well, which works very nicely. The Foot Doctor is constantly making bad "foot" puns to his patients which is surely to get a laugh out of most audiences. It is almost worth it to "foot" the bill for the DVD just for this story alone! Sorry, I couldn't resist.

And finally...

“SLAY RIDE”
Abandoned by her family on Christmas Eve, a delinquent teenage girl is sucked into a frenzied spree of sex, murder and mayhem. Directed by Henrique Couto, starring Ruby LaRocca (Lord of the G-Strings) and Sandy Behre.

This one is hard to explain, and while enjoyable, I'm still not sure I totally understand the story. But basically a girl is left along on Christmas by her parents as punishment, and she and her nerdy tutor are terrorized by a crazed neighbor with an axe. But then Santa shows up and kills the bad guy with the star from atop the Christmas tree. See what I mean?

FACES OF SCHLOCK is hosted by "Slutpira", a sluttier version of Vampira, if that is possible. While that might sound corny, which I guess it is, Slutpira's introductions of each film are somewhat amusing and actually somewhat humorous. Overall this is a fun DVD that is worth the purchase, esp while it is on sale for only $7.99 at the Alternative Cinema website!

CLICK HERE to watch the trailer

CLICK HERE to purchase the DVD

DVD Review: DEFILED

DEFILED is a hard movie to watch, in that it deals with subject matter that is all too real. It is a well made movie, though, and one you can definitely appreciate. The film was written and directed by Zachary Paul and is released by Alternative Cinema.

Here is the basic plot from the Alternative Cinema website:

Cassidy has a taste for sex with strangers she meets on the Internet. Never fully satisfied by these encounters, she decides to take things to the next level. Placing a post online, she receives a phone call from The Man she thinks she’s been looking for. Unfortunately, he has no intention of leaving once the night is out…

The acting in this film is a little weak overall, although the main character of Cassidy is played well by actress Amanda Myers. The movie is scary in that this is something that could easily happen. While most slasher flicks and ghost movies we can play of as being "just a movie", this one you can't take so lightly. This kind of thing does happen. The hardest part of watching what Cassidy goes through is realizing that she invited this upon herself in a way. It's never a good idea to invite strange men into your house to act out a rape fantasy....I don't think any good could ever come from that!

One thing that surprised me about this film, was the great gore effects for such a low budget film. An ax to the head, an eyeball popped out of woman...all these things are done with the same caliber that you would see in a much more expensive film. This film is gritty, grimy, and dirty...just like most of the great films released through Alternative Cinema.

DEFILED is set for release on DVD September 21st, 2010.

CLICK HERE to watch the trailer (WARNING!! Not Safe For Work)
CLICK HERE to pre-order DEFILED from Alternative Cinema

CLICK HERE to visit the Alternative Cinema website