Blu-ray Review: CREEPSHOW 2 (1987)

CREEPSHOW 2
Directed by Michael Gornick
Distributed by Arrow Films / MVD Entertainment Group

 It has literally been over 20 years since I have seen CREEPSHOW 2.  I remember liking the movie a  lot, but for some reason just have never re-visited it.   That all changed when by Blu-ray copy of the film arrived in my mailbox.   I was really looking forward to watching this one and it definitely didn't disappoint.  It was just as good as I remember it being way back when I saw it for the first time.
Here is the basic plot of the film from the MVD website:

  WHEN THE CURTAIN GOES UP THE TERROR BEGINS Horror titans George A. Romero and Stephen King deliver yet another fiendish selection of blood-curdling tales in Creepshow 2 - now newly remastered in 2K! In "Old Chief Wood'nhead", a group of young hoodlums face retribution from an unlikely source after looting a local hardware store. Meanwhile, "The Raft" sees a group of horny teens wishing they'd read the warning signs first before taking a dip in a remote lake. Finally, an uptight businesswoman finds herself with some unwanted company following a hit-and-run incident in "The Hitch-hiker". Whilst retaining the EC comic book flavour that made the original such a hit, Creepshow 2, this time directed by long-time Romero collaborator Michael Gornick, is a decidedly darker and grimmer affair than its predecessor and remains one of the greatest horror anthologies of all time.

  I am a big fan of anthology horror films, and there is a reason most all anthologies that come out these days are compared to the CREEPSHOW films.   CREEPSHOW and CREEPSHOW 2 are perfect examples of how anthologies should be made.   The 3 stories that make up CREEPSHOW 2 are all wonderful in their own way.  

  The first segment,  "Old Chief Wood'nhead", is about an old wooden storefront Indian that comes to life and takes revenge on the hoodlums that killed the owners of the store he stood out in front of.   The effects are very well done, and the segment has some very memorable scenes, including the shadow silhouette of the 'ol Chief giving one of the hoodlums a good axe to the head.  

  The next segment, "The Raft", is probably my favorite of the three.  It's a simple story of a group of kids that go swimming in a lake and get stranded on a dock out in the middle of the lake, unable to swim to the shore due to the blob like creature waiting for them in the water.   This is a fun tale with some good gory effects as the blob creature basically dissolves the person that it envelops.

  The final segment, "The Hitch-hiker", is a great tale of man that is run over by a car, but then stays with the care and driver, tormenting her along the way, as she continues to "kill" the unwanted passenger.  She soon finds out this guy just can't be killed.  The transition he makes with being more and more beaten and bloodied each time we see him is quite gory, especially at the end when he is basically just a pile of mush with eyeballs hanging down.  This was by far the goriest segment of the film with some amazing effects.

  It's no wonder this film is full of great effects.  The effects were done by Howard Berger, Greg Nicotero, and Tom Savini, among others.   If you have never seen CREEPSHOW 2 or even if you have, you need to grab a copy of this new Arrow Blu-ray.  The picture quality is stunning and makes it look like a movie that was just filmed lately.  
 
  CREEPSHOW 2 is available now from Arrow Video and MVD and contains the following special features:

*  Brand new 2K restoration from original film elements
*  High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation
*  Original Uncompressed PCM Mono 1.0, Stereo and 5.1 DTS-HD MA Surround Audio Options
*  Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
*  Audio Commentary with director Michael Gornick
*  Poncho's Last Ride - a brand new interview with actor Daniel Beer
*  The Road to Dover - a brand new interview with actor Tom Wright
*  Screenplay for a Sequel - an interview with screenwriter George A. Romero
*  Tales from the Creep - an interview with actor and make-up artist Tom Savini
*  Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Mike Saputo
*  Nightmares in Foam Rubber - archive featurette on the special effects of Creepshow 2, including interviews with FX artists Howard Berger and Greg Nicotero
*  My Friend Rick - Berger on his special effects mentor Rick Baker
*  Behind-the-Scenes Footage
*  Image Gallery
*  Trailers & TV Spots
*  Original Screenplay (BD-ROM Content)
*  FIRST PRESSING ONLY: Collector's booklet featuring new writing on the film by Michael Blyth


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

 

 

 

Movie Review: VOICES FROM THE GRAVE

VOICES FROM THE GRAVE
Directed by Laurence Holloway, Richard Stoudt


 As I have stated in posts before, I am a huge fan of anthology movies.  The CREEPSHOW films are probably my favorites of all time, but there are tons of good ones out there.  The recently released ABC's OF DEATH and V/H/S films have made the anthology film popular again.  While these are big budget type of anthology films, I have also seen and appreciate some of the lower budget ones that have come out over the past few years, including Scarlet Fry's JUNKFOOD HORRORFEST and NIGHTMARE ALLEY.    VOICES FROM THE GRAVE is similar to those last couple of films, as it is a very low budget anthology film, but it shows you that you don't need a huge budget to make an entertaining film. 


  VOICES FROM THE GRAVE is comprised of 3 different tales.   Here is a description of the film from the movies official website:

  This Anthology film deals with deadly spirits, back from the grave with vengeance in mind. Myles Brandt is a Horror fiction fan that wanders into a mysterious bookstore in search of something different. He finds a book and in the corner of this bookstore begins to read three tales of supernatural horror.
  From Filmmakers Richard Stoudt and Laurence C. Holloway comes a terrifying film experience called “Voices from the Grave”. Three tales of terror, including one story adapted from the work of master horror writer Gary Brandner author of “The Howling”, to make your flesh creep and your heart race!
  “Invitation” based on a short story by Gary Brandner, tells the creepy tale of Len Krager, a life loser who attends a party he’ll never forget!
  “All Hallows’ Eve” is an exercise in suspense and atmosphere set on an eventful Halloween night. Robert Mundy is bitter since the accidental death of his brother, who returns as a vengeful ghost, seeking retribution.
  In the turbo-charged yarn “Re-Possessed”, we find young Jeff purchasing a killer car for a killer deal…not knowing the car wants his body and soul! 
  A true exercise in style and terror, ‘Voices from the Grave’ will thrill any horror fan.

Very seldom with a horror anthology such as this do you get all the stories to be real winners.   There seems to always be at least one story that is not on par with the others.  For me, that story was the “Invitation” segment.   This was the middle story and I found it to be rather slow and just not much substance to it.   But, the segment before and after this one made up for it for sure!  And remember, this is obviously just my opinion, as someone else might find “Invitation” to be their favorite segment.  It just did not do anything for me, personally.

 My favorite was probably the first segment called “All Hallows’ Eve”.   This was a creepy story about a boy who was killed in a drunk driving accident after a Halloween party.  He then returns the next Halloween to seek revenge on those that let him die.   I have always been a big fan of these "Monkey's Paw" type of stories.  “Re-Possessed” was my other favorite, as I have always been a big fan of possessed car films for some reason.  You wouldn't think there would be that many films about possessed vehicles, but there really are!  This is a nice addition to possessed car films.  

  VOICES FROM THE GRAVE is a must-see for fans of low budget horror.  The film is currently seeking distribution, so hopefully a DVD will be available soon! 


CLICK HERE to watch the trailer
CLICK HERE to visit the film's official website

Blu-ray Review: ABC's OF DEATH 2 (2014)

ABCs OF DEATH 2
Directed by:  Multiple Directors
Distributed by Magnolia Home Entertainment

  2012's ABCs OF DEATH was one of my favorite horror films of recent years.  I loved the concept of 26 directors each taking a different letter of the alphabet and making a short film about death based on one word (or short phrase) that starts with their given letter.  It seemed like a very tough project to put together, but it was worth it for sure.   Well, 26 new directors are back for a 2nd go around in the ABCs OF DEATH 2.   I honestly didn't think part 2 would be as good as the first one, but I am happy to report that I think it wasn't just as good, I think this 2nd installment even surpasses the first film.

Here is a complete list of directors and a plot synopsis for each of their segments from the film's Wikipedia page:

A is for Amateur (directed by E. L. Katz)
A hitman's meticulously planned hit doesn't go quite as planned.

B is for Badger (directed by Julian Barratt)
A wildlife documentary goes awry when the team encounters a giant badger.

C is for Capital Punishment (directed by Julian Gilbey)
A man is violently beheaded for a crime he didn't commit.

D is for Deloused (directed by Robert Morgan)
A stop-motion animated short about a large bug that helps an executed man get revenge on his killers.

E is for Equilibrium (directed by Alejandro Brugués)
Two castaways have their friendship tested when a beautiful woman washes ashore.

F is for Falling (directed by Aharon Keshales and Navot Papushado)
An Israeli woman is caught in a tree by her parachute and is found by a hostile Palestinian boy.

G is for Grandad (directed by Jim Hosking)
A young man discovers his grandfather has been sleeping under his bed.

H is for Head Games (directed by Bill Plympton)
A man and woman kiss, which turns into a surreal power struggle.

I is for Invincible (directed by Erik Matti)
A family tries to kill the matriarch for her inheritance.

J is for Jesus (directed by Dennison Ramalho)
A young man is violently martyred for being a homosexual.

K is for Knell (directed by Kristina Buozyte and Bruno Samper)
A woman experiences the effects of a black liquid that turns people into killers.

L is for Legacy (directed by Lancelot Odawa Imasuen)
A ritual sacrifice goes horribly wrong.

M is for Masticate (directed by Robert Boocheck)
A man runs down a street in slow motion, attempts to eat someone, and is shot by police. It's revealed that he did bath salts 34 minutes earlier.

N is for Nexus (directed by Larry Fessenden)
A man hurries to meet his girlfriend on Halloween.

O is for Ochlocracy (mob rule) (directed by Hajime Ohata)
A woman is sentenced to death by a courtroom full of zombies.

P is for P-P-P-P SCARY! (directed by Todd Rohal)
An homage to black and white comedy in which three prisoners encounter a strange man and a baby.

Q is for Questionnaire (directed by Rodney Ascher)
A man takes an intelligence test on the street, juxtaposed with footage of the man's brain being transferred to a gorilla.

R is for Roulette (directed by Marven Kren)
Two men and a woman play Russian roulette while hidden in a basement.

S is for Split (directed by Juan Martinez Moreno)
A woman is attacked in her home while on the phone with her husband.

T is for Torture Porn (directed by Jen and Sylvia Soska)
A woman (Tristan Risk) is treated misogynistically at an audition, but when asked to strip, reveals tentacles where her vagina should be.

U is for Utopia (directed by Vincenzo Natali)
An unattractive man is singled out in a mall full of seemingly perfect people and publicly executed.

V is for Vacation (directed by Jerome Sable)
Two men are killed by a prostitute they hired while on the phone with one man's girlfriend.

W is for Wish (directed by Steven Kostanski)
Two kids wish themselves into a fantasy world, only to be violently taken prisoner by the villain.

X is for Xylophone (directed by Julien Maury and Alexandre Bustillo)
A babysitter (Béatrice Dalle) is emotionally affected by a child's xylophone playing.

Y is for Youth (directed by Soichi Umezawa)
A young girl violently fantasizes about the deaths of her abusive family.

Z is for Zygote (directed by Chris Nash)
A pregnant woman has been staving off birth for 13 years and living with a 13-year-old inside her stomach.

  While most all of the short films are excellent, just like the first film there were a handful that I just didn't care for at all.  Overall though, this is one of the best films I have seen this year (Ok, so it's just January 31st, but I have a feeling I would still say that even if it were later in the year)! 
  This is one you will definitely want to check out and add to your DVD/Blu-ray collection!  ABCs OF DEATH 2 is available Tuesday, 2/3, from Magnolia Home Entertainment and contains tons of special features, including "Behind the Scenes", "Making Of" and "Still Galleries" for almost every letter/segment!


CLICK HERE to watch the Red Band trailer
CLICK HERE to purchase the DVD
CLICK HERE to purchase the Blu-ray

 

 

 

DVD Review: SCARLET FRY'S HORRORAMA

  I have seen and reviewed a few of director Walter Ruether's movies before on this website.  First, back in 2010 with  NIGHTMARE ALLEY (see that review here), then SCARLET FRY'S JUNKFOOD HORRORFEST back in 2011 (see that review here), and finally DEATH BY VHS just last year (see that review here).

 These are all very low budget movies, made by someone who obviously loves the horror genre. What director Walter Ruether lacks in terms of budget is made up for in his fun stories and gore effects. Ok, let's be honest, the gore effects are not state of the art by any means...they are cheap, practical, fun effects, which is why I like them.

   This latest review is actually for one of Mr. Ruether's earliest films, called SCARLET FRY'S HORRORAMA.   Host Scarlet Fry takes you on a trip through 6 short segments in this horror anthology. This film is actually my favorite of Ruether's films, I believe. This film was made back in 1989 and watching this immediately brought back memories of the VHS days. The transfer looks like a VHS film, and the sound is not great, which makes you feel like you are watching an old VHS. This is how you would have seen the film back when it was originally released and brought upon me a very fun, nostalgic feeling.

   As I mentioned earlier, the film is broken up into 6 segments or short films. Some are better than others, but all are entertaining and fun.  A couple of my favorite segments were "IN THE SACK" about a psycho woman who makes an evening with her one you will always remember...or should I say, dis-member!  My other favorite was "MANWICH", mainly because of the awesome gore scene involving a chainsaw and a man's leg.   The rest of the segments were good too, you will see everything from zombies attacking people in a graveyard, to a abusive wife who abuses her husband one too many times, which turns out to be the last time!

  Like I mentioned before, this film is very low budget, and it looks every bit of the 25 years old that is, but if you go into it knowing what to expect, I think you will really enjoy this film.  I know I did!

 SCARLET FRY'S HORRORAMA is now available in a 25th Anniversary Edition DVD, loaded with bonus features such as a trailer, music video, and an interview with Walter Ruether. This new DVD is available directly from the director, Walter Ruether, for only $15 in the U.S (or $35 overseas) by emailing him directly at waltruether@yahoo.com.  Mr. Ruether will even sign the DVD for you at no additional charge!


CLICK HERE to watch the trailer


Also, Mr. Ruether is already hard at work on his next feature, SCREAM MACHINE, but he needs our help!   An Indiegogo campaign is underway to help raise funds for this new film!  There are tons of great perks for donating to this new film!

CLICK HERE to visit the SCREAM MACHINE indiegogo page

DVD Review: BORDELLO DEATH TALES

BORDELLO DEATH TALES
Directed by James Eaves , Pat Higgins, and Alan Ronald
Distributed by Chemical Burn Entertainment

  I love horror anthology movies.  In horror anthologies, you have multiple mini movies within the movie, so if one story isn't interesting you, there is something completely different coming up soon.  Seems like with most anthologies, I find there is at least one story that is not so good.  That was not the case for me with BORDELLO DEATH TALES.  The film is comprised of 3 short films, all centered around the same brothel.  The films are quite different in styles which makes for a fun, enjoyable film.   Here is the plot synopsis from the Chemical Burn Entertainment website:

  Death, Booze, Sex, Ghoulish Grindhouse Murders Galore and more in this terrifying anthology film brouht to you by three of the most fiercely original, independent directors, working in horror today. “Bordello Death Tales” is an ambitious and impressive recreation of the golden age of Amicus with their trademark portmanteau horror anthologies. Jim Eaves (“The Witches Hammer,” “Bane”), Pat Higgins (“KillerKiller,” “Hellbride,” “TrashHouse”) and Alan Ronald (“Jesus vs the Messiah”) bring you three dark tales from behind the closed bedroom doors of Madame Raven's bordel

The three stories in this anthology are as follows:

THE RIPPER:  This story is about a serial killer that targets prostitutes.  He lures them to his home and tortures them in his garage, but the last one he takes home is not going out without a fight.  This was probably my favorite of the three stories, mainly because I'm a sucker for gore and this film had tons of it.

STITCHGIRL:  This story is about a man looking for the perfect girl for his time at the bordello. If the madame of the bordello doesn't have just what the men order, then she will make the perfect girl for him!   This was a very good film, shot mostly in black and white, this one is very atmospheric and cool visually.  Stitchgirl is made from the best parts of several prostitutes, making her like a modern day Frankenstein's monster.  She actually resembles Sally from THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS and at one point the film looks awfully like a Tim Burton film.  If the director is a Tim Burton fan and was trying to pay respect to him, then he hit a home run with this one.  My sole complaint is a weird music video featuring Stitchgirl in the middle of this segment.  It seemed out of place and messed with the flow of the film. This didn't cause me to not enjoy the film though, but seemed worth mentioning.

VICE DAY:  I guess this one was my least favorite of the three stories, although I still enjoyed it.  This one is about a web cam session gone wrong.   A prominent politician has a web cam session with a local prostitute on what he calls, vice day.  It's a day celebrating a game he has played each of the last few years where he puts a bullet in a pistol, spins the barrel, puts the gun against his head and pulls the trigger.  Each year he adds a bullet, so every year his chances of survival get slimmer.   Will the prostitute on the other end of the web cam chat witness his final game?

BORDELLO DEATH TALES is available now from Chemical Burn Entertainment.

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

Check out the trailer for ALL HALLOWS' EVE!

 While browsing the web today, I ran across the trailer for a killer clown film called ALL HALLOWS' EVE.  The film was written and directed by Damien Leone. I had not heard anything about this film until now, and I am a big fan of creepy clowns, so I wanted to check this out.  Here is the basic plot from the film's imdb.com page:

While watching two children on Halloween night, a babysitter finds an old VHS tape in the kids' trick or treat bag. The tape features three tales of terror, all linked together by a murderous clown. As the night goes on strange things begin to occur in the house. It isn't long before the babysitter learns the horrifying truth... the maniacal clown is slowly working his way into her reality.

  The trailer looks like this could be a pretty cool film! Watch the trailer and let me know what you think!

ALL HALLOWS' EVE will be released on VOD and DVD on October 29th.

CLICK HERE to watch the trailer
CLICK HERE to visit the film's official facebook page

Movie Review: DEATH BY VHS (2013)

 
DEATH BY VHS
Written by  Scarlet Fry
Directed by Scarlet Fry, David Sabal, and Jacob D. O'Neal

I recently had the privilege of checking out the latest film from Director Scarlet Fry called DEATH BY VHS.   I enjoyed his last couple of low-budget outings, NIGHTMARE ALLEY and JUNKFOOD HORRORFEST, I was expecting to enjoy this one as well, and I was not disappointed.  Before I get to my review, here is the basic plot synopsis of the film:

A battered and mysterious VCR...A bevy of lethal video- tapes... These are the building blocks of horror in "DEATH BY VHS".  A mind blowing descent into madness and death. Five shocking vignettes, designed to take your sanity and devour your soul!  Mild curiosity leads to severe consequences when a couple rents a supposedly cursed video cassette recorder. An urban legend renowned for leaving a trail of agonizing and torturous death. Unbelieving, they take the plunge... And another legend is horrifyingly born...
Do you dare give fate a winning hand, and test yourself against the hellish consequences of the VHS machine?  Insert Cassette Press Play...DIE!

Ok, before I start let me say if you have seen NIGHTMARE ALLEY or JUNKFOOD HORRORFEST, you know exactly what you are in for. These are very low budget films and it shows....but, don't let that keep you from watching this film.  What it lacks in budget, it makes up for in storytelling and charm, and keeps you entertained.  That is really all you need from a movie, big budget, small budget...it doesn't really matter as long as it does what a movie is supposed to do, and that is entertain you in some form or fashion.

Now I will say that the low budget does make for some unfortunate technical problems with this film.  Most notably the sound quality and picture quality in a few scenes.  If the filmmakers can get a little more $$ behind their next feature, it would help to improve those areas for sure.   Sometimes it was very hard to make out what the actors were saying due to the sound quality or background music being louder than the dialog.   I like low budget cinema and can appreciate it though, so this did not take the enjoyment out of watching the film for me. 

Like NIGHTMARE ALLEY and JUNKFOOD HORRORFEST, DEATH BY VHS is an anthology made up of 5 different stories/short films.  The film centers around couple that hear about these VHS tapes that have some power that gets you high by watching them.  The couple get the VHS player and the tapes from the local drug dealer, and head home to watch the films.  Each film they watch takes them to a deeper and darker place, with fatal (yet, hilarious) consequences after watching all 5 films. 

 The 5 short films within the movie are very interesting and of varied sub-genres.  The first film is "Suburban She Freak" and was probably my favorite tale of the bunch.  It centers around a woman with a major face deformity that she struggles with, until one day she orders a secret elixir from a black magic shop on the Internet.  She takes the elixir and all is well, but sometimes the side effects to certain medications can be killer!

  The next film was a black and white zombie film (I don't remember seeing a name for this one) that was very well done, and had zombies reminiscent of Romero's zombies from NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD.  Lots of good gore in this one!  Check out the intestine eating scene in the trailer!

  Next was a film called "Christmas Krampus" which centers around a retarded boy and his awful, abusive parents.  Santa has a special place in his heart for kids with disabilities apparently, and gives the little boy exactly what he wanted for Christmas!  This one was a good story, and tremendous acting by the man playing the part of the mentally challenged boy.  Some may not like this one or feel as it is making fun of the handicapped, and it is a valid argument.  So, just beware going into this one.  

  The next film was titled, "Regenerate" and was a great story of an abusive boyfriend who treats his paralyzed, wheelchair bound girlfriend horribly.   A friend of hers gives her a secret drug that will help her walk again, but before that happens, her abusive boyfriend ends up killing her.  But...will that stop the drug from working? 

  The final film is called "Lepus" and I think it was the longest of all the films, at least it felt that way to me.  I would think they would leave the best for last, but unfortunately this was my least favorite of the short films.  It does contain one of the creepiest killers you will see...some dude dressed in a bunny suit that keeps saying something in German and hacking people up with a hatchet!  Unfortunately, that for me was about all it had going for it. 

  Overall, I enjoyed this film and recommend it.  This is how low-budget film making should be.  You can tell it's low  budget, but there is enough there to keep you entertained and wanting to watch.  This film reminds me of the old EC comics like "Tales from the Crypt" or "Vault of Horror" in that most of those tales had a lesson to learn from them.  This is the case with these stories as well, especially with "Suburban She Freak"  (negative results from doing anything to improve outward beauty) and "Regenerate" (don't treat others bad, or something even worse will happen to you).

DEATH BY VHS is not perfect by any means, but it is fun and entertaining which is all I ask for in a film.   DEATH BY VHS should be available on DVD this summer. 


CLICK HERE to watch the trailer

DVD Review: LITTLE DEATHS (2011)

 
LITTLE DEATHS
Directed by:  Sean Hogan, Simon Rumley, and Andrew Parkinson
Distributed by:  Image Entertainment

I had no clue what to expect from LITTLE DEATHS.  The cover looked cool, and the pics on the back were very intriguing, but you never know what you are going to get with a lot of films.  I had never even heard of this film, so I had no clue what to expect.  Sometimes the pictures on the cover make a film look better than it is.  I am glad to say for this film, that is not the case.  In fact, the few pictures you see on the back don't do it justice.  Before I go on, here is the basic plot courtesy of Image Entertainment:

Well-to-do home owners Richard and Victoria pose as religious do-gooders and lure homeless girls to their luxurious home. Apartment dwellers Claire and Pete invigorate their love life with a role-playing game with increasingly hazy boundaries. Jen and Frank, once prostitute and pimp, are now trying to make a go of things as an exclusive couple. Jen’s even in therapy with a psychiatrist, who is secretly working with her husband Frank. Each couple is in for a surprise. Richard and Victoria will have the tables turned on them by one of their lady victims; Claire will finally push Pete too far in their sexual game; and Jen and Frank can’t begin to imagine what their conspiring psychiatrist is up to. Little Deaths are little games that sometimes lead to the big one.

This film is very well made and the acting is wonderful. I can't think of a bad performance in any of the 3 parts to this anthology.   The first story, 'House and Home', was my favorite by far.  This story had the most gore, and was the scariest of the 3 to me.   In this one a couple brings home homeless women, promising them a hot bath and hot meal, but only lure them there to play sick and twisted sexual games with them, against their will.  Their latest victim, a homeless woman named Sorrow, is not as helpless as they might think and she puts an end to their little games. I won't say how she does this, but it came as a complete shock to me and was very scary. 

The second story called, 'Mutant Tool', was just messed up.  It is a crazy story about a mutant  that a scientist is harvesting semen from, because it has psychedelic effects when used as a drug.  Yes, you read that right, and I could not have made that up if I wanted to.   Full of weird and creepy visuals, this story is unfortunately the weakest of the three in my opinion. Sci-fi fans might enjoy this segment the best.

Finally, 'Bitch'is the story of a woman with an intense phobia of dogs.  She is in a very destructive relationship with a man she makes dress up as a dog in order to control him.  I guess this gives her a sense of empowerment that she has control over this "dog".  She is very controlling and demanding and eventually her boyfriend has had enough and gets back at her the best way he knows how.  I can't even describe what he does to her.....you will have to see this one to believe it.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed LITTLE DEATHS.  I liked it much better than I thought I would and would recommend it to anyone who is fan of extreme cinema, as there are quite a few very disturbing scenes.


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

DVD Review: BENEATH THE FLESH (2009)

------Review by contributing writer Scott Baker------

BENEATH THE FLESH

Written & Directed by Randall Kaplan

Distributed by Pathfinder Pictures

 

I have always prided myself on my ability to interpret symbolism. Whether it be in a book or a movie, I can usually pick up the deeper meanings that are implied within certain things. But with that being said, I am completely lost as to what was going on in BENEATH THE FLESH.
If you're not familiar with this collection of short films, then you're not alone...I watched them, but am still clueless as to what I saw. Here is the plot synopsis courtesy of the DVD cover:

BENEATH THE FLESH is a collection of nightmares that will crawl under your skin and burrow its way into your mind. In 'Id', a man is tormented by a twisted creature in his apartment. In 'The Basement', two men confront each other in a damp, filthy basement. In 'The Child', a withered man nurtures a strange entity. In 'The Insides', a man believes something is growing inside of him. Finally, in 'Boxhead', an old man is visited by a childhood friend that could be his darkest nightmare. The victim in each story is forced to confront a fear that is eating them from the inside out. They will deal with this fear or die with it.

When I say I don't know whats going on in these films, I am not kidding. Each film is a head-trip that squeezes your brain as it tries to make sense of what it is seeing. 'Surreal' is about the closest word I can use to describe the feeling, although 'annoying' has to be close as well. I don't like it when I don't know what's going on, especially in a film.

Take, for example, the first film, 'Boxhead'. In this film, a wisp of a man is bullied and belittled by the people around him...as he talks to a weird paper-mâché looking creature in his apartment. Every now and then, the scene shifts to a young boy that crawls in and out of a box. That's it. No explanation or even real plot that I can find. I suppose the implication is that the little boy is the man as a child...but we never get any indication of that.

All of the films in this set are like that. And, all the films are directed by the same guy, director Randall Kaplan...which might explain the vagueness. I'm not saying he does not have talent. They are all shot well and have some excellent uses of lighting...but those are the only two positives I can list. Some might call these films experimental and some might label them as controversial. Me, I'm going to chalk them up to 'creative expression' and leave it at that.

I'm not recommending this collection, simply because none of the films entertained me. I was more annoyed than anything after I had watched them all, to be honest. I can certainly think of better ways to spend an hour of my life.

-MSB

 

 

CLICK HERE to watch the trailer

CLICK HERE to purchase the DVD

 

DVD Review: SLICES OF LIFE (2010)

3 SLICES OF LIFE
Directed by: Anthony G. Sumner
Distributed by: Maxim Media International / Midnight Releasing

3 SLICES OF LIFE is a horror anthology made up of 3 different stories dealing with 3 aspects of a persons life, including "work life", "home life", and "sex life".
Here is the basic plot from the film's official site:

Sexual Parasites, Disembowelment, Zombies, Serial Killers, Demon Children, Violent Vixens, Rabid Office Workers and Angry Embryos all spring to life from the flesh covered sketch books featured in Anthony G. Sumner's SLICES OF LIFE. Mira (Kaylee Williams) awakens in front of a seedy roadside motel with amnesia. She searches for clues to her identity in the pages of three bound sketchbooks, in which each book represents a different aspect of everyday life, maybe her life. Convinced that the characters from these books are roaming around the motel, Mira's reality begins to crumble. Are these visions real or is she going insane? Desperate, Mira turns to the motel caretakers (Marv Blauvelt and Helene Alter-Dyche), only to discover the true evil bound in the flesh covered books and the destiny they hold for her.

At home... at work... at play... terror is never far away.
Overall, this was a fun film, although this is mainly due to the third and final section of the anthology. The first two stories were fun, but were lacking a bit in my opinion.

First of was "Work Life" with a story called, W.O.R.M. The basic plot of this segment from the imdb page says "A lowly clerk at a nano technology firm unleashes a deadly virus at the office headquarters, giving new meaning to the term corporate zombie". This story was pretty good, although a "virus" that turns people into zombies through their computers (by a shock through the mouse?) was little far fetched for me, even for a horror movie. This segment of the film does have some good gore scenes (although nothing like what you will see in the 3rd act), so that is always a plus.

The second section was about "Home Life" with story called AMBER ALERT. The basic plot of this story (again from imdb.com) states "As local girls begin to disappear, a young pregnant woman is haunted by visions of evil demonic children hell bent on stealing her unborn fetus." This was the weakest of the 3 stories in terms of plot and actual entertainment value. I won't say much about this, as I don't want to spoil anything about it (it has somewhat of a twist when the kidnapper is revealed), but I will say that it too made up for some of its plot shor comings with some really good gore and effects. The demon effects were really well done, with peoples faces instantly transforming into a twisted demon faces. This was very well done and extremely spooky at some points...especially when it is a young child that transforms into a demon.

Ok...now to the good stuff...the really good stuff. The 3rd act about the womans "Sex Life" is titled, PINK SNAPPER. Kudos to the filmmakers for that blatently obvious play on words there! HA!  This third segment was the goriest of them all.  They definitely saved the best for last here. This one reminded me of an old Frank Henenlotter film.  The film concerns a brother and sister that take refuge in a house  that looks to be owned by an old man that mistreats his daughter by locking her up in the basement.  But...he has his reasons as these two soon find out.   The daughter is possessed by some weird creature that lives inside her....um..well, privates.   The male character finds this out the hard way after being suduced by the woman, resulting in a geiser of blood!   The beast makes its way out and transfers itself to the sister that has come into the room to see what all the screaming was about.   This whole scene uses lots of blood and goo....its pretty gross stuff.   I mean that in a good way!
Overall this was a very enjoyable film that you should check out for sure...especially if you are a gore fan like me!

CLICK HERE to watch the trailer
CLICK HERE to pre-order the DVD
CLICK HERE to visit the film's official website