DVD Review: DEAR GOD NO! (2011)

DEAR GOD NO!
Written & Directed by James Bickert
Produced/Distributed by Big World Pictures

 This film is nasty, and extremely offensive....so needless to say, I loved it!!

 If you are a fan of crazy, weird, and wacky exploitation horror films, then you are in for a treat with the film, DEAR GOD NO!  I've had this one for a while and just realized I had never done a review of it.  I popped it in the DVD player with very low expectations to be honest.  This is a very low budget independent film which we all know can go either way.  Usually these types of films are pretty bad, but I am happy to say that this film doesn't go down that road.  This film goes down a completely different road, one filled with bikers, babes, Nazis, and Sasquatch!   Ha!  It sounds crazy, I know, but somehow it all comes together and works!   Here is the official synopsis from the Big World Pictures website:

  Grab some popcorn, gas up the jalopy and grab your favorite girl. Big World Pictures presents the retro Bikers vs. Bigfoot feature film DEAR GOD NO! A thrill ride here to save cinema by delivering all the carnival fun of a 1970’s drive-in movie.  A vicious gang of thrill-kill bikers invades a home after a bloody shoot-out in a strip club. Humiliation and murder follow, but there is something in the basement and in the woods… Sasquatch! This shot on film politically incorrect exploitation throwback is a fun grab bag of biker film, home invasion flick, Bigfoot monster movie, stag loops, and even some Nazisploitation.

  One thing to take note of here is how well the filmmakers capture the look of an old 70's grindhouse flick.  Upon further research, I found out they shot this movie on 16mm film using vintage cameras, resulting in a sincere and unique dated look to the film.  This is a perfect throwback film and really makes me miss those old sleazy grindhouse films of the 1970's.  Thank goodness filmmakers like James Bickert are around to bring us new films that take us back to this great film era and genre.

  DEAR GOD NO! is not a horror movie per say, but it does have some horror elements throughout it.  It contains a good amount of gore, which all us horror fans love, and all of it seem to be practical effects.  This is crucial in making a throwback film, and the filmmakers did an excellent job with the blood and gore. 

  This film won't be for everyone.  It is pretty tasteless and offensive, so some viewers might be turned off by that.  For me, I loved every second of this film and hope to see more like it in the future.  It looks like that wait wont' be long, as director James Bickert has made a 2nd feature, a sequel to DEAR GOD NO! titled, FRANKENSTEIN CREATED BIKERS!   It just premiered at the 40th annual Atlanta Film Festival, and will be making the festival rounds in the coming months.  Expect a review of this new film right here on the 4H Blog as soon as I can get my hands on a copy of this film.   Until then, check out DEAR GOD NO! available now on DVD and Blu-ray!


CLICK HERE to visit the film's official website
CLICK HERE to purchase the DVD
CLICK HERE to purchase the Blu-ray

 
 

Blu-ray Review: CLASS OF NUKE 'EM HIGH 2: SUBHUMANOID MELTDOWN

CLASS OF NUKE 'EM HIGH 2
Directed by Eric Louzil, Donald G. Jackson
Distributed by Troma Entertainment

  If you are familiar with Troma Entertainment, then you know what you are getting when you put in a film called CLASS OF NUKE 'EM HIGH 2:  SUBHUMANOID MELTDOWN.   You are a getting a film that is just plain crazy, and that's what we like about Troma films, right?  Here is the basic plot of the film courtesy of the Troma website:

  First there was the super successful theatrical smash hit CLASS OF NUKE 'EM HIGH...now comes the hyper-riotous, big budget sequel: CLASS OF NUKE 'EM HIGH PART II: SUBHUMANOID MELTDOWN! The lovable cretins from Tromaville high school have graduated Summa Cum Weirdly, and the once peaceful Tromaville Institute of Technology is awash in a wave of violence and corporate greed. Meltdowns, massacres, and mutations abound on campus where humongous giant squirrels and obnoxious talking belly buttons are the least of your problems! Gloriously restored in all its anarchic glory, it's CLASS OF NUKE 'EM HIGH PART II: SUBHUMANOID MELTDOWN like you've never seen it before!

 Now I must admit, I have never seen the original CLASS OF NUKE 'EM HIGH, but I really don't think you have to have seen that one to enjoy this one.  In fact, the film give you a recap of what happened in the first on at the beginning, so you should be good to go.  Not that you really need to keep up with any sort of plot though, this just isn't that type of movie!   The plot is very unimportant to this film, as the focus here is more on all the crazy stuff going on around the college/nuclear power plant.   There are crazy experiemnts on the students, a gang called the Squirrels that terrorize the students, and worst of all, an actual giant radioactive squirrel that tears the place apart!   

  There is no denying this is a Troma film.  It has everything you'd expect from a Troma film including crude humor, bad special effects  (some so bad, it's good though), bad acting and gratuitous nudity.   If you are a fan of the Toxic Avenger films, you will love this one.  

CLASS OF NUKE 'EM HIGH 2:  SUBHUMANOID MELTDOWN is available now on Blu-ray and contains the following special features:

*  HD transfer of the movie from original materials
*  Audio commentary
*  Music Video trailer
*  Interview with Troma star Lisa Gaye
*  Nuke 'Em High Saga trailers including Return to Nuke 'Em High: Vol. 1 & 2
*  Premiere of Mystery's music video "Return to Nuke 'Em High"
*  Lloyd Kaufman interviews James Gunn on the set of Guardians of the Galaxy
*  Troma at the Museum of Modern Art
*  The American Cinematheque honors 40 Years of Troma


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

Blu-ray Review: ISLAND OF DEATH (1976)

ISLAND OF DEATH
Directed by  Nico Mastorakis
Distributed by Arrow Films / MVD Entertainment

   This might be one of the sleaziest, nastiest, filthiest movies I have ever seen, and I loved every minute of it!  Let's not take too much time thinking about what that says about me, instead lets talk about one of the craziest films to come out of the 1970's, ISLAND OF DEATH.   Here is some plot info from the MVD website:

THE LUCKY ONES GOT THEIR BRAINS BLOWN OUT!! Welcome to Mykonos, the holiday destination of choice for sun, sea and slaughter! From cult director Nico Mastorakis, Island of Death is a travelogue of atrocities with scenes so strong that the British Government was once compelled to ban it as a "video nasty". Arriving on the idyllic Greek island, Christopher and Celia appear to be every inch the perfect, handsome young couple. Little do the welcoming locals realise that they are in fact a pair of murderous degenerates, determined to spread their own particular brand of perversion across the island. DIY crucifixions, opportunistic bestiality, sexual peeing and murder by all conceivable forms ensue - including death by makeshift blowtorch, samurai sword, dump truck and more! Shocking, brutal and totally politically incorrect in its outlook, Island of Death is a gruelling cinematic experience devised by director Mastorakis to out-do the excesses of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, which he was hugely inspired by. Now fully uncut and newly-restored from the original negative, fans can enjoy Island of Death in all its sleazy, lurid glory.

  This film has been hard to find on DVD lately, only being available in an out of print DVD from Image Entertainment. Luckily, the wonderful folks at Arrow Films have got their hands on this film and have released it as a beautiful Blu-ray/DVD combo pack which is being distributed through MVD Entertainment.  This new 2K restoration of the film is pretty amazing.  From the film quality there is now way you could guess that the film was over 38 years old!  Arrow always does a remarkable job with their releases and this one is no different. 
 
  The film itself is one that is really hard to explain.  The only real story is that a couple go on vacation to a Greek island and then just kill people at random. That's about it!   But, the way they go about it is what makes this movie.  They take pride on killing people in pretty unique ways, many times after just seducing them and/or having sex with them.  To say this is a strange movie would be a remarkable understatement.  

  The movie is very hard to categorize as well.  While it's horror for sure, it has elements of a giallo, exploitation, and sexsploitation film as well.    If you have never had a chance to see this wonderfully messed up film, now is the time to do so with this wonderful Arrow release.

  ISLAND OF DEATH will be released this coming Tuesday, May 26th.   The Blu-ray will be loaded with tons of special features, which include the following:

*  Brand new 2K restoration of the film from the original camera negative, approved by writer-director-producer Nico Mastorakis
*  High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) and Standard Definition DVD presentations
*  Original Mono audio (uncompressed PCM on the Blu-ray)
*  Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
*  Exploring Island of Death – film historian Stephen Thrower on the making of a cult classic
*  Return to Island of Death – Mastorakis returns to the original Mykonos locations
*  Archive interview with Mastorakis
*  Alternative opening titles
*  Island Sounds – five original tracks from the Island of Death soundtrack
*  Original Theatrical Trailer
*  The Films of Nico Mastorakis – four-part documentary charting the director’s filmmaking career [Blu-ray only]
*  Nico Mastorakis Trailer Reel [Blu-ray only]
*  Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Graham Humphreys
*  Fully-illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing by academic and film historian Johnny Walker


CLICK HERE to watch the trailer  (WARNING - Red Band Trailer - Contains Nudity - NSFW)
CLICK HERE to purchase the Blu-ray