Blu-ray Review: THE ORPHAN KILLER (2011)

THE ORPHAN KILLER
Written & Directed by  Matt Farnsworth
Distributed by Reel Gore Releasing

  I was happy to see that the fine folks over at Reel Gore Releasing got their hands on this film.  THE ORPHAN KILLER is well deserving of a wide release, and I really can't believe it's taken this long!  The film came out back in 2011, and I actually reviewed the film way back then after getting a screener copy direct from the director Matt Farnsworth.    I watched the film a few nights ago and it was every bit as good as I remember from seeing it 6 years ago.  I went back and read the review I did back then and it was spot on.  No need to say the same thing twice, so here is my review I did of the film from back in 2011 reprinted here with just a few small changes....enjoy!

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  If you haven't run across a mention of THE ORPHAN KILLER on facebook, I would be very surprised.  I have seen many horror fans talking about this film online (esp. on facebook) and I finally got a chance to see what everyone was talking about.  THE ORPHAN KILLER has been hyped up to be a "New Horror Icon"...well, I had  my doubts to be honest, that is a huge statement to live up to.  Luckily, I was not disappointed in any way and I have to agree that THE ORPHAN KILLER is here to stay, and could someday be seen along the likes of Jason, Freddy, and Leatherface when it comes to discussions about the greatest horror movie killers. Before I go any further, here is the basic plot synopsis from imdb.com:

The Orphan Killer is a tour de force murder flick that defies classification. It goes far beyond current trends in gore and breaks open a new suffering genre of horror. Marcus Miller is a serial murderer hellbent on teaching his estranged sister Audrey what it means to have family loyalty. His lessons are taught in massive doses of vulgar and unimaginable pain. Throughout her brutal torture we learn that Marcus is not the only Miller with Killer in the bloodline as Audrey proves to be a formidable adversary.

   Ok, lets get the technical aspects out of the way first.  The film was shot very well and looked crystal clear on my Blu-ray edition of the film.  The cinematography for this film is amazing for a lower budget film such as this.  The acting in this film was excellent as well, especially that of Diane Foster who plays Audrey.   She very convincingly portrays real terror while she is in her torture scenes.   

 The film is timed perfectly, and director Matt Farnsworth packs a lot of action into the film's quick 84 minute run time.   There are never any slow or dull moments in this film.  It is non stop brutal action from the time you hit play until the time the credits role.  The back story of the killer is explained nicely through a series of flashbacks to when Marcus and Audrey were kids in the orphanage. This was a cool way to see why Marcus is the killer he is today.

   Ok, now on to the good stuff....the plot synopsis tells you that the film "goes far beyond current trends in gore".  That my friends, is a major understatement.   The gore in this film is over the top and goes far beyond what we are used to seeing in today's "gore" films.   Some of these effects could make Tom Savini proud!  You will know what I am talking about when you see the machete to the face scene.....grisly, grotesque, and just amazingly well done.  The blood flows freely in this film, so you gore hounds will not be disappointed in any way!   
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  Well, there ya go!  I couldn't have said it better myself! Wait, nevermind!  Ha!   THE ORPHAN KILLER is available now from Reel Gore Releasing and includes the following special features:

*  BEHIND THE MURDER - Exclusive Video Diary
*  Teaser
*  Trailer
*  Music Clip
*  Slideshow


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

Blu-ray Review: THE CURSE OF DOCTOR WOLFFENSTEIN (2015)

THE CURSE OF DOCTOR WOLFFENSTEIN
Written & Directed by Marc Rohnstock
Distributed by Reel Gore Releasing

  Not many horror movies really affect me any more.  I've seen so many, it really takes something new, original, or truly brutal to affect me these days.  When I find a movie that can do that, I can really appreciate that film.   THE CURSE OF DOCTOR WOLFFENSTEIN is one of those films.  Not so much in originality, but this movie affected me in just how brutal it was.  I've seen some brutal stuff before, but this comes out near the top for sure.  More on that in a minute, but first, here is the basic plot synopsis of the film from the Reel Gore Releasing website:

  80 years ago, the diabolical Dr. Victor Wolffenstein wanted nothing more than to be immortal. His tireless quest led him to create a vaccine that did just that, but also infected his body with a flesh-rotting form of necrosis. As the Doctor’s limbs literally fell apart, he tried to replace them by using the crudely removed arms and legs of the local villagers who, in order to stop Wolffenstein’s reign of terror, captured him and buried him alive for his crimes.
  In present day, five teenagers plan to attend an out of town rave that goes awry, and end up stranded in the village, when the evil and still decaying Dr. Wolffenstein wakes up, screaming for vengeance! The unlucky teens land squarely within sight of the malevolent medic, and, with the help of his latest creation, the Infiltrator, Dr. Wolffenstein lures them to his secret hideaway with the intention of curing his necrosis and ending his Curse once and for all. Will anyone survive Wolffenstein’s skin melting, limb-hacking Wrath?

 Now first, I'll get a couple of negative things out of the way.  First off, the acting leaves something to be desired, and some of the characters are downright annoying.  We can look past that, though, as we really aren't watching a film like this to study and appreciate the acting ability, am I right?  Also, the plot seems simple enough, but the film is actually confusing at times.  I also wish the film was a tad bit shorter.  It has a running time 115 minutes which I felt was a little long for this type of film, and it did have a few scenes that seemed unnecessarily long.  An edit of about 95-100 minutes would have helped the flow of this film tremendously, I believe.

  Now I hope I didn't run you off by the few negatives, because honestly those are very minute points and don't take away from the film overall.   If you are checking out this movie, more than likely it's for the gore and if that is the case, you will not be disappointed in the least!   As I stated earlier, this movie really affected me with it's brutality.    There is tons of gore in this film, including tons of machete to the head kills, complete with generous amounts of spurting blood!   There is one scene in particular where the Doctor has a room full of people he has captured.  He has them all chained up in order to do his experiments on when needed.  At one point in the film he is angered and bursts into the room of his captives, and begins killing each one....one by one with his machete in a cavalcade of blood and gore. This scene was brutal in many ways, the gore being the most obvious, but also I thought about the captives having to see this happening, knowing as he went down the line that their turn was next.  Watching this scene actually gave me a sick feeling in my stomach, it was almost too much killing to handle!   So, kudos to the filmmakers for that!  Ha!  

  If you are a fan of blood and gore, which I assume we all are, then you will definitely want to check out  THE CURSE OF DOCTOR WOLFFENSTEIN.  The blu-ray/DVD combo pack is available now from Reel Gore Releasing and includes the following special features:

*  COLLECTIBLE BLU-RAY/DVD O-CARD AND SLEEVE
*  BEHIND THE SCENES
*  BLOOPERS
*  SHORT FILM
*  TRAILER & SLIDESHOW


CLICK HERE to watch the trailer
CLICK HERE to purchase the blu-ray/DVD combo pack

 

 

Get ready for a new Horror film label, REEL GORE RELEASING!

   
















   Horror fans will be happy to hear about a brand new Horror movie releasing label coming soon called REEL GORE RELEASING!   This sounds like we are in store for some amazing releases from this new label.  Read all the details in the press release below:

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NEW LABEL LAUNCH: REEL GORE RELEASING

 Los Angeles, CA (June 2016) 

For immediate release. Cult Epics founder Nico B and film producer Steve Aquilina will be launching a new horror label REEL GORE RELEASING as of August 2016, distributed thru CAV (home of Cult Epics, Synapse, Grindhouse) in North America. With the recent success of the horror films of Jorg Buttgereit (Nekromantik) and Angst, Nico B teamed up with Steve Aquilina from 8-Films to launch a new label for newly produced gore horror films to premiere on video and digital. The first three films are VIOLENT SHIT – THE MOVIE (August 2016), a bigger budget revamp of the cult-schlock-gore classics from the 80s, shot in Italy featuring a soundtrack by Claudio Simonetti’s Goblin; followed by MASKS (September 2016), German giallo gore feast from the director Andreas Marschall (Tears of Kali, German Angst), and the return to directing of Luigi Cozzi (Contamination) with BLOOD ON MELIES’ MOON (October 2016) with guest appearances by Dario Argento & Lamberto Bava. For more info see www.reelgorereleasing.com and join us for updates at www.facebook.com/reelgorereleasing and www.twitter.com/reelgoremovies

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