DVD Review: CREATURE FROM THE HILLBILLY LAGOON (2005)

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CREATURE FROM THE HILLBILY LAGOON
Directed by Richard Griffin
Distributed by Shock-O-Rama Cinema

I knew from the minute I saw the poster art for this film, that I was in for a fun treat. I could tell this movie was not going to take itself seriously, and was obviously made just to have fun and entertain. This film is like a throwback film to the creature features of the 50's and 60's, although done with a more modern twist. Before, I go any further, here is the basic plot from the Shock-O-Rama Cinema website:

Following a toxic spill, science students are set upon by insane and inbred locals. Little do they know their greatest threat is a hulking humanoid borne of radioactive mutation ascending from the inky blackness of the lagoon!

This was a very fun film to watch. It reminded me of the good Trauma films like THE TOXIC AVENGER films. It was campy, with a good mixture of Horror and Comedy. From a technical aspect, this was actually a pretty well made film for such an obvious low budget picture. The cinematography and camera work was really well done, with some very cool and creepy shots of the swamp/lagoon. The creature effects in this film were also well done. One thing I really liked was that 100% of the effects were practical effects. I didn't see any CGI in this film at all, which to me is a huge plus. So much CGI just looks too fake, especially when used in a lower budget film making. Having all the effects be real model/makeup effects was a good thing, for sure! There were quite a few gore effects in this film, so you gorehounds will be happy, and all of them were very well done. I would suspect that the majority of the budget for this film went into the effects, especially when you see a full body that has been eaten down to the skeleton by the fish creature.

The acting in the film was good overall, some actors better than others, and then some that were a little overbearing, but overall it was good for this type of film. As I stated before, the film does not take itself seriously, and you shouldn't either. This would be a great film for a group of friends to get together with a case of beer and watch a fun movie that you didn't have to think about. This movie was made purely to entertain and have fun, and that it does! If you are a fan of Trauma films, and like a mixture of comedy with your Horror, then this is the film for you!

CREATURE FROM THE HILLBILY LAGOON is one of 4 films featured on the awesome FEEDING THE MASSES Horror Collection set. The other films include NECROVILLE, SPLATTER DISCO, and FEEDING THE MASSES (expect a review of these other films in this set in the near future).
This awesome 4 film set can be purchased by clicking on the link below.

CLICK HERE to watch the trailer

CLICK HERE to purchase the DVD

CLICK HERE to visit the official website of Shock-O-Rama Cinema

DVD Review: ROT: REUNION OF TERROR (2008)

Fans of the Shock-O-Rama label will not be dissappointed with their newest release: ROT: REUNION OF TERROR. The film was written and directed by Michael Hoffman Jr., based on a story by Bill Cassinelli. Here is the plot synopsis from imdb.com:

10 years after high school, an invitation to a reunion at a secluded hunting cabin draws six friends into a viscous game of life-and-death. Unbeknownst to the partiers, the mutilated bodies of two young campers lie hidden in the nearby woods. As the night progresses and one-by-one friends disappear, tensions escalate...is there a demented serial killer on the loose, or could one of them be behind this Reunion of Terror?Suspenseful, moody and shocking, ROT: Reunion of Terror is a serial killer film that will leave you guessing until its dramatic conclusion!

This movie is not without it's flaws, but is otherwise a very fun and entertaining slasher film. Let me get the few, minor negatives out of the way. First off, the acting is good overall, but is brought down by just a few certain actors. A small amount of humor is thrown in periodically throughout the film, with mixed results. Most of the time, the jokes fall flat. Lastly, there is one black actor in the film and he gets the stereotypical lines like "DAAAMN"! He actually reminded me of the "token Black guy" character from NOT ANOTHER TEEN MOVIE, in which they parodied this character stereotype that shows up in this type of film on a regular basis.

Ok, all that aside, let me say that that does not distract from the overall enjoyment of this film. The opening scene is great when a lesbian couple are camping in the woods and end up being killed in a very gruesome way. That opening scene really sets the tone for the rest of the film. The kills in the movie are great, with lots of blood and gore. I would also like to point out the character of the game warden in the film, played by John Shumski. I really liked his character and would love to see more of his future work. I am not sure if his acting was that good, or if it was so bad it was good, but either way his performance was very enjoyable, and that is what counts! Another great thing I liked about this film was the way the killer picked out his victims. He obviously knew which of the people from his high school he wanted to get rid of, so he methodically went through his yearbook and cut each ones photo out and pinned their pictures up on a corkboard. As the fellow classmates would be killed off, he would mark an X through their picture. A few other great things about this film I want to point out, is the music, which at times is very creepy and the great camera work. It was very stylistic and shot very well.
Overall this is a great film that I would recommend to all my Horror fans!

The ROT: REUNION OF TERROR dvd is Unrated and contains the following special features:

*Commentary w/ director and crew
*The making of ROT documentary
*The music of ROT documentary
*ROT Post Production documentary
*Deleted scenes
*3 music videos
*Shock-O-Rama trailer vault

CLICK HERE to visit the official Shock-O-Rama/Alternative Cinema website
CLICK HERE to watch the trailer for ROT
CLICK HERE to purchase the ROT dvd from Shock-O-Rama
CLICK HERE to visit the Shock-O-Rama MySpace page
CLICK HERE to visit the Shock-O-Rama YouTube channel