Blu-ray Review: TALES OF HALLOWEEN (2015)

TALES OF HALLOWEEN
Directed by  Multiple Directors
Distributed by Epic Pictures

  I am a huge fan of anthology movies.  I think it's probably because I have a pretty short attention span, so multiple short stories is much easier for me to sit and watch than one story for 2 hours.   Plus, with shorts there is not much filler, or slow times.  Everything is fit into a short time frame so it's pretty much entertaining the entire running time, as long as it's a good story of course.   There are quite a few horror anthologies, some much better than others.  I honestly had no idea what to expect from TALES OF HALLOWEEN, but after watching it I can easily say it is among the top tier of horror anthologies.   Here is the plot synopsis from the film's official website:

  Named “the best horror anthology since Trick 'r Treat” by Fangoria and “among the best Halloween-themed horror movies ever made” by DailyDead, this critically acclaimed film weaves together ten chilling tales from horror's top directors. Ghosts, ghouls, monsters, and the devil delight in terrorizing unsuspecting residents of a suburban neighborhood on Halloween night. The all-star directorial lineup includes Neil Marshall (Game of Thrones, The Descent), Darren Lynn Bousman (SAW 2,3,4), Lucky McKee (The Woman, All Cheerleaders Must Die), and Mike Mendez (Gravedancers, Big Ass Spider!). Cameos by horror heavyweights such as Barry Bostwick (The Rocky Horror Picture Show), Lin Shaye (Insidious), John Savage (The Deer Hunter), Adrienne Barbeau (The Fog), John Landis (Director of Animal House), Joe Dante (Director of Gremlins), Barbara Crampton (Re-Animator, We Are Still Here), Booboo Stewart (Twilight), Keir Gilchrist (It Follows), Grace Phipps (Fright Night), Pat Healy (Cheap Thrills), Kristina Klebe (Rob Zombie's Halloween), Greg Grunberg (Heroes, Star Wars), Alex Essoe (Starry Eyes), Pollyanna McIntosh (The Woman), and more.

 This movie was so much fun, and I loved each story having been done by a different director.  It's a lot of fun to see all the different types of short stories and see all the different film styles.   This film consists of 10 shorts, which I will list and describe each a little here for you.

1. SWEET TOOTH  (Directed by Dave Parker) - The first film of the movie is a classic "urban legend" type story about a boy who's parents never let him eat his Halloween candy.  The boy killed his parents, and finally was able to eat all his candy.  The legend says that he still roams today, and you must leave part of your candy out for Sweet Tooth, otherwise you'll wind up dead!  This was one of my favorite of the short films.  It had some great gore, and what looked to be all practical effects.

2.  THE NIGHT BILLY RAISED HELL (Directed by Darren Lynn Bousman) -  This is a dark comedic tale about a boy who hangs out with the devil on Halloween, and is coerced into pulling off some crazy Halloween pranks, each one a little more worse than the previous. 

3.  TRICK  (Directed by Adam Gierasch)  -  This was a very creepy tale about a group of kids that attack the people of a house they are trick or treating at.    The man who went to the door to hand out the candy had no idea the cute little girl would end up stabbing him!  Eventually other kids join in and terrorize the people of the house.   Killer kids terrifies me, so this segment was very effective!

4.  THE WEAK AND THE WICKED  (Directed by Paul Solet)  - This was actually one of my least favorite of all the stories.   It centers around a group of bullies that have been terrorizing people since they were young kids.  This time though, they seem to have messed with the wrong person who has someone, or something on their side.

5.  GRIM GRINNING GHOST  (Directed by Axelle Carolyn) - This is a fun story about a lady driving home from a party after listening to ghost stories.  Her car breaks down and she has to walk home alone...or is she?  This is a very simple premise, but  is executed extremely well with some great, creepy imagery.

6.  DING DONG  (Directed by Lucky McKee)  - This is an interesting tale of a husband and wife who lost their son, and is now picking out the perfect replacement from the trick or treaters that come by.

7.  THIS MEANS WAR (Directed by Andrew Kasch & John Skipp)  - This was one of my favorite entries, as it deals with one of my favorite parts of the Halloween season which is the Halloween decorations.  This story is about new neighbors that come in and try to outdo the guy on the street that normally has the biggest and best decorations, ending up in a deadly battle!

8.  FRIDAY THE 31st (Directed by Mike Mendez)  -   This was a weird one, but one of my favorites!  It involves an awesome killer reminiscent of Jason Voorhees, but mixes in some humor and a little weird animated alien.  The results are a funny, but bloody, good time!

9.   THE RANSOM OF RUSTY REX  (Directed by Ryan Schifrin)  -  This is a great kidnapping tale.  The kidnappers think they are kidnapping the kid of a rich businessman, but it turns out, kidnapping this "kid" did the businessman a favor!

10.  BAD SEED  (Directed by Neil Marshall)  -  The final tale is an extremely fun tale about a demon jack-o-lantern.   Man eating jack-o-lanterns running through the streets eating people is a perfect way to end this awesome anthology!

  
  This is a must have for any horror fan in my opinion.  I hope this catches on and we get a new TALES OF HALLOWEEN every year or so, using the same format of multiple short films all made by different directors.  I also have to mention all the awesome cameos from some horror legends, such as:  Adrienne Barbeau, Caroline Williams, Tiffany Shepis, Barbara Crampton, Mick Garris, Stuart Gordon, Felissa Rose, John Landis, Kristina Klebe, Adam Green, and Joe Dante!

  TALES is available now on an awesome Blu-ray/DVD/CD combo pack and contains the following special features:

*  7 Bonus Short Films
*  Feature Commentary
*  Bonus Commentary Tracks on Certain Shorts
*  Deleted Scene (Grim Grinning Ghost)
*  Anatomy of a Scene  (Friday the 31st)
*  Fun Facts  (Pop-On Video Commentary for Selected Segments)
*  Photo Gallery  (Bad Seed)
*  Storyboards  (Ding Dong)
*  Diaries  (23 Videos of Behind-the-Scenes & Interviews)
*  Collectible Trading Cards
*  CD Soundtrack



CLICK HERE to watch the trailer
CLICK HERE to purchase the DVD/BD/CD combo pack

DVD Review: CAMP DREAD (2014)

CAMP DREAD
Written & Directed by Harrison Smith
Distributed by Image Entertainment

  I really like Eric Roberts.  I really, really like Danielle Harris.  I really like slasher flicks.  I really, really like slasher flicks set at summer camps.   CAMP DREAD contains all of the above, yet for some reason, this film just didn't work for me.   Here is the basic plot of the film from the Image Entertainment website:

The “Summer Camp” horror trilogy was one of the most popular movie franchises of the 1980s. However, the decade ended and so did director Julian Barrett’s career. Now Barrett plans to resurrect his gory series via a modern reboot patterned after reality filmmaking. With his former leading lady and an eclectic group of 10 young “contestants,” Barrett returns to the same locale where his old splatter-fests were filmed. When one of the campers is found savagely murdered, they discover there’s more at stake than just fame and fortune. Each of them is in a fight for their lives as they realize summer is over – forever.

  CAMP DREAD had some good moments.  The film had some good kill scenes with some good gore.  The main problem is the pacing of the film and the dialog.  The film is very slow in parts, especially the first half of the film.  The second half is better when all the killings start taking place, but the beginning and middle parts seemed to drag on.  The script was good in terms of story line, but some of the dialog was just goofy and some was flat out dumb.   I do have to give props to the ending though, as it had a nice plot twist when it was revealed why all the "kids" were really at the camp.

 There is not much else I can really say about this one.  I was really excited for this film, and it was a let down for me.  It was nice to see Felissa Rose  back in a summer camp slasher flick for old time's sake, though!  Also, while Danielle Harris is very prominent on the DVD cover, she makes a cameo appearance with a total of about 2- 3 minutes of screen time  (that is my estimation, anyway).  One of my pet peeves is when movies bill a certain actor or actress as a main actor, then you find out they are only in the film briefly.

  Well, as I always say, this is just my opinion of the film.  Hopefully you all will like it better.  Watch it if you get the chance and let me know what you think.  If you have already seen CAMP DREAD, leave a comment below and let me know what you thought of it.

CAMP DREAD is available now on DVD.


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

DVD Review: CAESAR & OTTO'S SUMMER CAMP MASSACRE (2009)

CAESAR & OTTO'S SUMMER CAMP MASSACRE was written and directed by Dave Campfield and is distributed by Fourth Horizon Cinema. Campfield also co-stars in the film as Caesar. This is a sequel to CAESAR AND OTTO (2008), but you do not have to have seen that film to enjoy this one. Here is the basic plot synopsis from the official website:

After punching out the police chief's mentally challenged brother, an effete tough guy, Caesar, is on the run.
Together, he and his slovenly half brother, Otto, take on new identities as counselors at the strangely vacant Camp Sunsmile.
The would-be summer camp has attracted a motley crew of Hollywood outcasts, all with something to hide. But when the mysterious Carrie (Felissa Rose, star of Sleepaway Camp) shows up, counselors begin disappearing one by one.
Soon, Caesar and Otto find themselves at the edge of a summer camp killer's blade as they run, duck, and swoosh for their lives!

This film if definitely more comedy than Horror, but has a good Horror plot and a surprisingly good amount of gore for a Horror/Comedy film. Caesar and Otto, played by Dave Campfield and Paul Chomicki, are a fun duo to watch. Dave Campfield is especially fun to watch. His acting style is so different, that it is almost annoying at first, but it grows on you really quick and you will end up getting most of your laughs from his character. The film also co-stars Felissa Rose, who played Angela in the 1983 horror classic, SLEEPAWAY CAMP. It was great seeing her get back to here summer camp roots!

The film was shot in just 10 days on a very low budget. There are no elaborate set pieces or anything, but what the movie lacks in production value, it more than makes up for in just pure fun. This movie is proof you don't have to have big a big budget to make a very enjoyable film. This film is just fun, plain and simple, which is something that a lot of movies that come out these days fail to achieve.

CLICK HERE to visit the official website of the film and watch the trailer